Noticias

• Local Forests Hit with Federal Layoffs
• Cat Movie Fisher with Risho Unda
• Students Bubble with Scientific Discovery

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Local Forests Hit With Federal Layoffs

For Laine Smith, there’s nothing she’d rather do than work on public lands.

“My first ever job was for the Youth Conservation Corps in Yellowstone National Park,” she says. “Every summer after that, I worked for various organizations, the Student Conservation Association, the Appalachian Trail Club, Southwest Conservation Corps, and I did an internship with the Forest Service back in 2020. I’ve just been with that office ever since because I just love working on the land—there’s nothing I’d rather do.”

Smith, 24, most recently worked for the Forest Service in the Ouray Ranger District as part of the Grand Mesa Uncompahgre Gunnison National Forest. Her role as a trail crew member included maintaining trails, servicing bathrooms, and leading volunteers to maintain OHV and non-motorized trails across the San Juans.

On February 13, her role was terminated, along with the thousands of other federal public land management employees laid off.

“I stepped out to take a phone call from my district ranger and she basically just told me that I was being let go and I just lost it,” Smith says. “I had to hang up, and it was like the worst day ever.”

Smith had just accepted a permanent role in the Forest Service. She reads her termination letter:

“The agency finds based on your performance that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the agency would be in the public interest,” she quotes. “And that’s what they send to thousands of people that were doing their job perfectly well, fully successfully.”

According to local Forest Service union representatives, 15 GMUG forest employees were laid off, most of whom were in their probationary period. One union representative, a federal wildland fire employee who asked to remain anonymous out of concerns for retaliation, explains that the probationary period isn’t what it sounds like.

“Probationary sounds bad, like you’re on probation for getting in trouble or something like that,” the representative says. “But in the government, that just means every new permanent employee goes through a probationary period—like a trial period—where it’s easier to let you go if you’re not up to standard or it’s not the right fit. So you’re kind of trying to prove yourself during that first year, potentially two. So that’s simply what these folks were in. A lot of them were targeted because they’re more vulnerable, and there’s less recourse for them to protest their firing.”

Smith says because of the way the termination letter is worded, she can’t receive unemployment benefits.

“Conversations I’ve had with my colleagues are just pretty hopeless,” Smith says. “We’re trying to fight and a lot of us want to get our jobs back and just spread the word because it’s really not fair.”

Another union representative says they’re collecting terminated employees’ information if there’s an opportunity to fight for the positions. Regardless of whether the employees are reinstated, for many, the layoffs are unsettling.

“It’s just an overall feeling of distrust and betrayal,” the representative says. “People that work for the federal government in my experience—we don’t do this for money, it’s not for money, it’s not for power, we do it because we love public lands. We dedicate our lives in a lot of different ways to this job and these agencies. So to be just jerked around like this is just—it’s a really bad feeling, it’s hopelessness.”

Smith adds that these firings will have significant impacts on local public lands.

“If you like using trailhead bathrooms, it’s likely that those will not be cleaned as often or either closed,” Smith says. “A lot of trails will not be able to be maintained. So if you like hiking, riding OHVs, biking, a lot of these trails won’t be accessible. We won’t have anyone to patrol the high alpine loops anymore, so if there’s any accidents up there, you’ll just have to rely on calling 911—you won’t have our rangers to help.”

Union representatives say about half of the employees fired were part of the recreation program, and further cuts may be coming. Federal agencies were asked to submit plans for further staff reductions by March 13.

“I just think it’s important for people to realize that this does affect everyone,” Smith says. “You can make a difference by calling your representatives and making your voice heard because it starts with firing public land workers and it ends with selling off the public land for profit.”

Just this week, the Merit Systems Protection Board, a federal agency, ordered the reinstatement of 360 Montana-based Forest Service employees who were laid off due to performance reviews that were unsubstantiated.

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Cat Movie Fisher with Risho Unda

In Cat Movie Fisher, Telluride High School’s Risho Unda talks with members of the school community about what they’re watching and reading. This week, he’s chatting with English teacher Yana Pollard. Have a listen:

Story begins at 5:08.

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Students Bubble with Scientific Discovery

It’s true Colorado spring—one day hot and sunny, the next a blizzard. This week, pre-kindergarten through third graders in Telluride braved the blizzard side of things as they learned about the science of bubbles.

The students are participating in a Pinhead Institute/Wilkinson Public Library collaborative StoryWalk.

“For the last few years, we’ve written a storybook about science on a really fun topic,” says Trang Pham, program manager at the Pinhead Institute, a local science education nonprofit. “This year, the topic happens to be bubbles.”

The StoryWalk is a brainchild of the Wilkinson Public Library. Each month, the library shares a story through 11 stations along the river trail. In the collaboration with Pinhead, students get the added benefit of hands-on learning. At each station, there’s an experiment for the students to try. Pham says the goal is to help students see the joy and wonder in science.

“All the fun things we see around us; there’s always a scientific explanation to it,” Pham says. “It’s really fun for them to learn the science through something fun.”

Students learn the elements of a bubble (water, soap, and air) and do small experiments to learn about things like surface tension. And of course, they get to blow some bubbles.

The cold doesn’t deter the avid little learners. Their curiosity is on the rise…just like the bubbles.

Pham encourages them—and everyone—to keep going.

“Be curious. Inquire about the world, and do experiments!” she says.

The Pinhead/Wilkinson Public Library StoryWalk collaboration will be up and available for viewing through the month of March. StoryWalks featuring an array of books are available each month along the river trail between Pine Street and Town Park.

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Sheriff Deputies Arrest Moab Man

San Miguel County Sheriff Deputies arrested a Moab man last weekend after catching him driving 97 miles an hour down the Spur. The man was arrested for reckless driving, and upon arrest, deputies found drug paraphernalia, illegal drugs, and a loaded pistol. The man was taken to the San Miguel County Jail where he posted bond. The Sheriff’s Office notes this was one of four drug or DUI-related arrests over the past week, and urges the public to be cautious while driving, as reckless drivers make dangerous driving conditions even worse.

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Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working

Making a change in our lives can sometimes feel overwhelming. We’re stuck in the mud, unable to choose another direction. In Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working, author Dan Heath explores how to get unstuck and make changes that matter. Heath will be in Telluride—virtually—next week for an author talk with the Wilkinson Public Library.

In the discussion, participants will learn:

• Why the feeling of progress can be a secret weapon to accelerate change
• How leaders can uncover and stop wasteful activities
• Why a team’s motivation is often squandered—and how to avoid that mistake
• How to jumpstart change efforts by beginning with a “burst”

The Reset online author talk with Dan Heath will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, March 12, at noon. Registration is available at telluridelibrary.org.

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Know Your Rights Trainings

Several organizations in the Rocky Mountains have been holding Know Your Rights trainings in recent weeks. The events are intended to inform immigrants—regardless of their legal status—what rights they have when speaking with law enforcement and immigration officials.

Jennifer Smith, a local immigration attorney, has given lectures on the topic in Basalt, Glenwood Springs, and Rifle. However, some worry these training sessions could attract Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“I’m not telling information that’s subversive or anything,” Smith says. “It’s just basic information about your rights. Even U.S. citizens need to know this stuff.”

Smith’s trainings cover basic constitutional rights and review how new laws and executive orders affect immigrants in Colorado. She adds, “We certainly don’t want someone thinking that we’re passing on some great message undermining the law. Right? We’re still applying the law. We just want to make sure people understand how it works.”

Smith says attendance has been varied, with some events attracting only a few people, while others brought in hundreds.

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Colorado Restaurant Workers Rally Against Proposal to Cut Minimum Wage

Colorado restaurant workers spoke out against a proposal from state lawmakers to cut their minimum wages at a late-night hearing on Tuesday. KUNC’s Lucas Brady Woods reports Democrats are also at odds over the measure.

Story begins at 13:44.

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Moab Prom Tradition Takes Center Stage with Choreographed Promenade”

Prom season is here, and high school students across the region are preparing for their big night. But at Grand County High School in southeast Utah, prom is more than just dresses and dinner plans—it’s a community spectacle.

The kids and their dates perform a choreographed dance in front of hundreds of people. It’s part of a longstanding Moab tradition—the promenade.

Story begins at 14:46.