Noticias

• Of The Trees Comes to Town Park
• Spring Runoff Season Begins with Water Woes
• SMART Adds Monthly Rider Pass

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Of The Trees Comes to Town Park

Music lovers will get to see the forest through the trees this summer in Town Park with a two-night concert featuring electronic music artist Of The Trees.

“They’re an electronic dance music producer and a visual artist. They’re actually based in Denver, which is cool, so they’re local to Colorado,” said Zach Tucker, vice president of Planet Bluegrass, which is producing the concert in collaboration with music presenter AEG.

Planet Bluegrass and Of The Trees made the announcement this week.

“Really, their music is known for being vibey, featuring a lot of vocals and quiet moments for a psychedelic feel,” Tucker said.

Planet Bluegrass went before Telluride Town Council earlier this year for approval of the concert. Tucker said they’re excited to bring something different to the stage.

“We’re really hoping to use this as a chance to bring something new and fresh and something else. That was the first reason why being able to bring Of The Trees is such a cool opportunity. It really is so out of genre for anything you’ve seen in Town Park since Pretty Lights,” he said.

He added that Of The Trees is a great fit for the community.

“They have a huge environmental and outdoor focus, so it really aligns with Telluride in a cool way. I couldn’t come up with a more perfectly aligned group for something new and that fits the Telluride vibe than Of The Trees. It feels like the greatest opportunity we could have asked for coming together perfectly for this show,” he said.

In a news release, Of The Trees — the alias of Tyler Coombs — said he’s excited and has always dreamed of bringing “people together to a place where nature and music are intertwined in a way such as this.”

Tucker said those in attendance can expect a proper show.

“They’ve got some cool, innovative stage designs. You can look back to their Red Rocks show — they’ve done cool castle theme and a cabin in the woods theme. There’s a really cool visual component to this as well,” Tucker said.

Tucker said he hopes the concert introduces a whole new group of music lovers to the box canyon.

“Really, I hope it’s a cool chance to introduce a bunch of new fans of music to what we think is the coolest place anyone could listen to music. My goal would be that everyone comes down and of course has an amazing time and gets to continue to want to chase this beautiful experience that we’re hoping to create,” he said.

Of The Trees will play in Telluride Town Park on Aug. 22 and 23. Local tickets will be available in early summer.

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Spring Runoff Season Begins with Water Woes

The numbers don’t lie — this winter came up short compared to past years.

According to the National Water and Climate Center through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the measured snow water equivalent in the San Miguel Basin is about 79% of the median.

In layman’s terms, if this year’s snowpack were given a grade, it’d be around a C+.

There’s a lot of data and analysis that goes into snowpack measurement and runoff predictions for rivers in Colorado. Adrian Bergere, executive director of the San Miguel Watershed Coalition, explained that snowpack and runoff figures are close this year, but not necessarily a direct match.

“The upper San Miguel Basin and the full basin [are] at 79%,” Bergere said. “And usually the Uncompahgre Plateau and the upper San Miguel Basin — they don’t get the same weather. They didn’t this year. I think it’s probably a certain amount of coincidence. They’re both at 79%. The forecasted runoff is also 80%. It’s not necessarily — the snowpack and runoff usually don’t correspond. There’s usually a bit of error in the runoff predictions anyways. It’s also a bit too early to have a ton of confidence right now.”

Bergere said predicting runoff from snowpack is far from simple. Factors such as soil moisture, dust on snow, spring weather and low-elevation snowpack all impact how much of the snow actually turns into streamflow.

Traditionally, snowpack is measured across the West through SNOTEL weather stations. These stations monitor many aspects of winter weather — most importantly, how much water is in the snow.

But Bergere said as snowpack patterns and the climate shift, SNOTEL sites no longer tell the full story. For example, in years like this one, when little low-elevation snow remains into April, SNOTEL sites may miss key data.

Fortunately, radar technology mounted on aircraft is increasingly being used to measure snow depth more accurately. Though expensive and time-consuming, the method is helping farmers and water managers gain a clearer picture of runoff expectations in the Colorado River Basin.

For Norwood Mayor Candy Meehan, snowpack is essential to the health of the West End community.

“One of the differences between our Mesa and the East End is that we get all of our water from the beavers and the Lone Cone,” Meehan said. “So we are absolutely 100% dependent on the snowpack that’s received on the Cone. This year we have seen significant differentiation from the 2024 snowpack from the 2025 snowpack and water year. So that means we have to step back and take a real look at opportunities to be diligent and conservative with our water, and to make sure that farm and ag have everything they need.”

Drought is nothing new, Meehan said.

“You know our Mesa has been in drought on and off for the last 20 years, to be honest,” she said. “What we have to look forward to is how we want to stabilize this community with the water situation and make it as sustainable as possible.”

Meehan said Norwood is currently working on infrastructure projects and collaborating with other water groups.

“Right now the Wrights Mesa Water Coalition is coming to the table with the town of Norwood, the Norwood Water Commission, Farmers Water, the Lone Cone Ditch and Reservoir Company, the Norwood Fire Protection District, and the San Miguel Water Conservancy,” she said. “We are talking about ways to take our institutions and work together to secure better funding opportunities that will allow us for long-term storage while not inhibiting any other organization’s current strategic planning and capital improvement projects. Everything that we’re doing is complementary.”

Fortunately, Meehan added, federal water and infrastructure funding has not been cut — a hopeful sign for continuing long-term planning in the Norwood region.

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SMART Adds Monthly Rider Pass

Drive along Highway 145 or 62 and you’ll see green buses getting folks from here to there.

The San Miguel Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) provides bus service from Nucla and Naturita, Norwood, Rico, Montrose, Ridgway, and Down Valley. As service expands, the transit body is looking to make it easier for people to ride the bus.

“Right now, what we would be doing is selling the ticket books as usual or single ride offerings,” said Kari Distefano, operations manager for SMART, speaking at a board meeting this week.
“But if we want to add to this, some various pass products.”

Rides from Norwood are $2 one way; $3 from Nucla and Naturita; $4 from Ridgway; and $5 from Montrose. Rides from Rico, Down Valley, and Lawson are free.

Currently, passengers can buy individual tickets or a discounted ticket book — $36 for 40 $1 tickets. SMART recently implemented the Token Transit app to allow for online payment. This week, the SMART board held a discussion about creating a monthly pass as well.

SMART Executive Director David Averill said the main goal is to make it easier to ride the bus.

“It’s the removal of an inconvenient barrier. If you didn’t have the cash or you had to go round up the cash to get on the bus that day, that’s just another little hassle. If you have a pass and it’s in your pocket, you just walk up: bing, bang, boom, you’re on the bus and gone,” he said.

Harvey Mogenson, SMART board member and Mountain Village Town Council member, said he hopes it will increase ridership. He was followed by Averill.

“If you already have the pass, you might think, ‘I’m going to ride the bus because I already have the pass.’ You don’t think about ‘well, maybe I’m going to drive today,’” Mogenson said.

“We do see more frequent transit usage when it’s already paid for. It’s already considered paid for,” Averill added.

The SMART board decided to move forward with a monthly pass option for riders. Single tickets and the ticket book will still be available.

The passes will be tied to a specific route — a rider couldn’t purchase a Norwood pass and hop on the bus to Montrose.

If riders purchase a monthly pass, they will receive a 20% discount. Youth and seniors will receive a 25% discount.

SMART does not yet have a date for when the monthly pass option will roll out. Passes will be available through the Token Transit app.

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Collared Wolf Spotted Heading Into Southwest Colorado

Colorado Parks and Wildlife reports that a collared wolf is making its way into southwest Colorado. The lone wolf apparently spent time near Blue Mesa Reservoir and is moving on a southwestern track.

On April 9, the wolf was tracked just east of Montrose County with a western heading. Earlier this year, the same wolf visited Unaweep Canyon in Delta County, made a large northern loop toward Meeker and South Park, and is now heading southwest again.

Wolves across the state are on the move as pack formation and pup-rearing season begins, according to wildlife officials.

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Sen. Michael Bennet Announces Bid for Colorado Governor

Colorado’s Senior Senator wants to be its next Governor. Democrat Michael Bennet announced his campaign with an event in Denver Friday.

“Colorado is the best state in America and together we can make it better than it already is. We can make it a shining example of an economy that works for everybody and a democracy that invites all of us to play our vital role.”

Bennet focused his announcement on those two themes — economic growth and democratic principles. He’s the second high profile Democrat in the race – Attorney General Phil Weiser is also running. The Republican field is even larger, with nearly a dozen candidates filing so far.

The office will be open next year because Governor Jared Polis is term limited.

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BLM Nominee Kathleen Sgamma Withdraws Over Old Trump Criticism

Kathleen Sgamma, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management, has withdrawn her name from consideration.

Her decision follows the resurfacing of a four-year-old memo in which she expressed deep disappointment with Trump shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Sgamma has led the Denver-based Western Energy Alliance, an oil and gas advocacy group, since 2006.

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Repealing Inflation Reduction Act Could Cost Colorado Billions, Analysts Warn

Repealing the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) could lead to billions of dollars in lost economic activity, thousands of lost jobs, and higher energy costs for consumers, according to a new economic analysis.

The nonpartisan think tank Energy Innovation says that in Colorado alone, the IRA has spurred more than 50 new projects worth over $4.4 billion in just two and a half years, along with 3,800 new jobs.

“These investments are especially important as western states face rapid population and economic growth,” said Sara Baldwin, who leads the group’s electrification program. “We have an opportunity to address a so-called energy emergency with the resources that are ready to connect and provide electricity. Why we would prevent them from doing that is unclear to me, when there’s clearly a need for them.”

Silvio Marcacci, a spokesperson for the group, added that the IRA has already boosted domestic manufacturing and investment.

“We have started building new factories. We have started putting Americans back to work. We are building a more resilient domestic supply chain,” Marcacci said. “If you repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, you throw all of that away and you introduce a ton of uncertainty into our economy, into our energy bills, and basically into our way of life.”

While many Republicans have criticized the IRA, some western lawmakers — including Colorado’s Jeff Hurd and Gabe Evans — have advocated for preserving certain tax credits within the law.

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Poll: Nearly Half of Colorado Voters Expect Economy to Worsen

A new poll of Colorado voters found that nearly half of those surveyed expect the state’s economy to worsen over the next year. Bente Birkeland with the Colorado Capitol News Alliance shares more.

Story begins at 15:08.

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Indigenous Chefs Get The Spotlight

Native American cuisine is experiencing a revival, with chefs and food advocates reclaiming and celebrating Indigenous flavors.

An event happening in Denver this weekend offers Native chefs an opportunity to showcase their craft while raising awareness and funds for Native American students.

Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Maeve Conran reports.

Story begins at 15:58.