News

• Trump’s climate rollbacks impact local efforts
• How a bill becomes a law
• Large boulder the size of a small boulder celebrates five years

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Prescribed burns in Mountain Village

The Town of Mountain Village will conduct prescribed burns on the north side of town near the Meadows neighborhood this week. Burns began Monday, Jan. 27, and will run through Wednesday, Jan. 29, from 10 a.m. to sundown. Smoke may be visible from the valley floor. Town officials ask the public not to call 911 if they see smoke in the area.

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Trump’s climate rollbacks impact local efforts

For climate and environmental advocates, the past week has brought many uncertainties. In his first week in office, President Trump has set a shifting tone for climate action. Several of Trump’s executive actions target public lands, funding for Colorado River projects, and extractive industries along the Western Slope.

Ruthie Boyd, program director for local environmental advocacy organization Sheep Mountain Alliance, says the impact of Trump’s environmental policies will be far-reaching.

“It kind of undoes a lot of the progress we’ve seen in this sector of climate and energy,” Boyd said. “A lot of what we’ve been involved in locally, just not having that federal support, is going to be a huge change. Whether it’s more symbolic or how it impacts the everyday in this area, it’s going to be a big deal.”

Some of these executive orders aim to fast-track permitting for energy development, including uranium.

For Paul Szilagyi, CEO of Nuvemco Mining in Nucla, these orders present an opportunity for the mining community in the West End.

“We have a new president. Among the many executive orders he put out is one declaring an energy emergency. He wants feedback on what we need to do to provide critical minerals, specifically uranium, which has been off the list before. I think he’s serious,” Szilagyi said.

Szilagyi spoke at a recent community meeting on the proposed Dolores River National Conservation Area.

Boyd says the focus on energy and public lands comes at an interesting time for the region.

“San Miguel County is redoing their mining land-use codes. In that way, it’s an opportunity for us to advocate locally for some policies that are more environmentally focused in those codes,” Boyd said.

San Miguel County has seen an uptick in uranium exploration, with seven exploration applications processed in recent years. At the start of this year, the county began a comprehensive update to its mining land-use codes.

While the message on domestic energy production is clear, funding for the Colorado River is less certain. Adrian Bergere, executive director of the San Miguel Watershed Coalition and a member of the Southwest Basins Roundtable, says, “My understanding is that money has already been earmarked, but there’s a bit of uncertainty surrounding projects that haven’t been contracted yet.”

President Trump ordered a freeze on all funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, millions of which went to the Bureau of Reclamation for regional Colorado River projects. Bergere says he is hopeful the funding will remain intact, as water is a bipartisan issue.

“Every drop of water is being used multiple times as it moves down the Colorado River watershed and other watersheds in the West. But I think that’s the point of hope with some of these federal funding cuts: water is a really bipartisan issue. Even though a lot of this funding came through the Biden administration, water is going to benefit more rural, typically more conservative districts,” Bergere said.

Boyd is focusing locally. She says Sheep Mountain Alliance wants to maintain the environmental protections that already exist.

“What we can continue doing is staying very involved at the local level and advocating the best we can for what exists right now in terms of protections and how that can be maintained to the best extent possible throughout this administration,” Boyd said.

For Boyd and Bergere, they are waiting to see the full extent of the impacts from President Trump’s first week in office.

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How a bill becomes a law

Over the course of several months at the beginning of the year, lawmakers in Denver introduce hundreds of bills, with only a smaller percentage making it to the governor’s desk. In this installment of Capitol Conversation, statehouse reporter Lucas Brady Woods explains how the process works.

Story begins at 4:58.

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Large boulder the size of a small boulder celebrates five years

Five years ago today, the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office put our region on the map with one infamous tweet. In honor of the epic error, we’re rebroadcasting the story, originally aired in January 2020.

Story begins at 11:24.

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Book Clubs at Wilkinson Public Library

If joining a book club is on your list for the new year, the Wilkinson Public Library has you covered! Two new book clubs are premiering this month:

• Books After Hours will feature the latest book trends from BookTok. The first book is Onyx Storm, the third book in the Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros.
• Read It, Watch It: Sci-Fi Edition will feature the book and film Dune. Participants will discuss the book and then watch the movie adaptation.

These two clubs join the Lite Lunch Book Club and Booze and Books—all brought to you by the local library.

Books After Hours will take place Thursday, Jan. 30, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the library.
Read It, Watch It will take place Friday, Jan. 31, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the library.

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Telluride at the Oscars

Telluride is in the spotlight at this year’s Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations last week, and a number of films from the Telluride Film Festival are in the lineup.

Emelia Perez received 15 nominations—the most of any film—including best actress and supporting actress, best director, and best picture. Four of the 10 films nominated for best picture were shown last summer in the box canyon.

Anora, The Apprentice, and Conclave all received nods in the acting categories. Anora also received a nomination for best director.

The 2025 Academy Awards will take place Sunday, March 2.

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Immigration arrests rollback

President Donald Trump revoked a directive last week barring immigration arrests in “sensitive” areas, like schools and churches. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, K-H-O-L’s Sophia Boyd-Fliegel reports the change gives federal immigration authorities more leeway, bringing uncertainty to new spaces in the region, including Teton County, Wyoming.

Story begins at 16:19.

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