News

• CAIC Warns of High Avalanche Danger
• Norwood Discusses Perimeter Trail
• Telluride Theatre Hosts a Good Neighbor Night

---

CAIC Warns of High Avalanche Danger

This week’s storm brought much-appreciated snow to the San Juans, along with an increased avalanche warning from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

So far in the 2025-26 season, more than 30 recreationists in Colorado have been caught in avalanches. None of those incidents resulted in deaths. The warning comes the same week a group of 12 people were caught in an avalanche in California, where eight were killed. One person remains missing.

KOTO’s Julia Caulfield spoke with Mike Cooperstein, a regional manager at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, about the current danger and what people should prepare for when recreating in the backcountry.

Julia Caulfield (JC):We got a big snowstorm this week. So, I would love to first hear from you what the current avalanche conditions or danger is in the San Juan Mountains?

Mike Cooperstein (MC):On Thursday and Friday, the avalanche danger across the San Juans is going to be high. Then we expect it to drop into the considerable range for the weekend. But I think the real important thing for people to recognize is the high danger is really indicating that the most dangerous period, the loading event, the closest one to the storm is happening. As soon as the storm stops, the avalanche danger will drop a little bit. But that doesn’t really make it a whole lot less dangerous for people this weekend.

JC: Obviously, we’ve had a weird winter so far in terms of snow. So, I was wondering if you could speak a little bit to how the current snowpack and how the snow has been falling over the course of this winter is impacting what those conditions are.

MC: It’s been a kind of a wonky winter. Not a lot of snow. The snowpack is well below the 30-year average. When that happens, when we get these big periods without snow, especially when we get periods of high pressure, warm days, cold, clear nights, we build weak layers in the snow pack. Then when we get snow events like the one that we’re currently getting, we put slabs over top of those weak layers, and that’s really what makes for these super dangerous conditions that we’re seeing right now.

JC: When folks are going out into the backcountry and recreating in the backcountry, they should always be paying attention kind of across the board, but are there certain faces or pitches that folks would really be interested hyper aware of if they’re heading out into the backcountry over the next few days?

MC: The snowpack was pretty weak before this storm. So, this new snow has fallen on a really weak snowpack on most aspects. It is pretty windy as well at upper elevations. Some of the most important places to pay attention to are kind of northwest, north, northeast, east and southeast facing slopes where the winds are really drifting more snow onto these weak layers. The more weight we get on the weak layers, the more dangerous they’re going to be.

JC: Broadening that out, what should folks be thinking about paying attention to preparing for if they’re heading out in the next few days?

MC: Obviously, we urge people to check the avalanche forecast on colorado.gov/avalanche. We put out a forecast every day at 4:30 in the afternoon, and that forecast is good for the next day and the day after. So, if you’re planning a trip, say for Saturday, it’s really good to check on Friday afternoon. Plan your trip based off of the conditions that you’re seeing for Saturday, but then check again on Saturday morning to make sure that you have the most up-to-date forecast. If we get new information, we’ll update the forecast. When you’re out moving around in the mountains, look for signs of instability. Places the wind has drifted snow, cracking or collapsing in the snowpack and recent avalanche activity are all indications that there’s an unstable snowpack and indications that you should stick to lower angle terrain.

JC: Mike, is there anything else that you think is of note or things that folks should be thinking about preparing for that I haven’t asked already?

MC: I think this has the potential to be one of the most dangerous weekends of the season because we haven’t had a lot of snow and now, we have this big event. There’s going to be some periods of sun. People are really excited to get out into the mountains. So, we’re encouraging people to get out, really watch where you’re recreating. Stick to lower angle terrain. Stay out from underneath of avalanche paths. Right now, avalanches can run much further than you would think. Go out and have a good time this weekend. Just avoid the avalanche terrain.

Those heading into the backcountry should check the forecast before heading out at colorado.gov/avalanche.

---

Norwood Discusses Perimeter Trail

The Town of Norwood is revisiting discussion of a perimeter bridle trail.

“With the school breaking ground on the new lot, and the 37 acres possibly holding our disc golf course, I think it’s a good time to talk about the dream of having the Norwood Perimeter Bridle Path,” said Norwood Trustee Liza Tanguay at a Board of Trustees meeting last week.

Tanguay, who also serves as executive director of Norwood Park and Recreation, said, “I really would like to put some resources into a piece of it.”

A perimeter trail in Norwood has appeared in past master plans. Tanguay said a good place to start could be on the south end of Pine Street, near the Lone Cone Library and the new school property.

“It seems like that would be a really good place to start because we have vacant land,” she said.

From there, the project could become more complicated, requiring work with private property owners and rights of way.

“But that edge seems like it could be a good start,” Tanguay said. “Especially if we could hit Aspen Street and put something into the existing right of way that would connect back to the fairgrounds.”

Mayor Candy Meehan said she supports the idea but wants the trail to be intentional and sustainable.

“How do we build it to have flow and connectivity around our space and place?” Meehan said.

The Norwood Board of Trustees supports the concept of a perimeter trail and favors creating bite-size sections to move the project forward.

For a full perimeter trail to come to fruition, it may require changes to the master plan and land use code.

Board members also expressed interest in collaborating with San Miguel County.

---

Telluride Theatre Hosts a Good Neighbor Night

It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood, and this weekend Telluride Theatre is encouraging everyone to be a good neighbor.

“We’re calling it the Good Neighbor Night. It’s a benefit concert for our neighbors and this community,” said Ryan Heidenreich, executive director at Telluride Theatre. He said the idea for the concert came during the ski resort closure over the holidays.

“The idea was, how do we bring some good out of a bad, poor winter season where tensions are high – some people are upset, some people are not making any money. We just want to show that there is still some amazing good in this community, and in this world, and there’s always some fun to be had,” Heidenreich said.

The night will feature acts from a number of groups in the community, including Telluride Theatre, the Telluride Dance Collective, Telluride Choral Society, the Fig, Telluride Chamber Music, Telluride Arts, the Young People’s Theatre, and more local performers and musicians.

The event is free, but donations from the concert will go toward the Telluride Foundation’s Good Neighbor Fund.

“The idea is to realize that we’re all in this together and we still can be great neighbors for one another,” Heidenreich said.

The Good Neighbor Night Benefit Concert will take place at the Elks Lodge on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. The event is free, but RSVP is encouraged at telluridetheatre.org.

---

Tiny Circ Desk Concerts Return Friday with Atari Safari

The Wilkinson Public Library’s Tiny Circ Desk Concerts return Friday with music from rock trio Atari Safari.

Atari Safari features KOTO’s Claybrook Penn, Warren Gilbreath and Sam Burgess.

The concert series offers bite-size live performances at the second-floor circulation desk every Friday in February.

Atari Safari will perform at 5:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20. The event is free and open to all ages.

---

Sculpture Coming to San Miguel County for Colorado 150

A new sculpture is coming to San Miguel County as part of the Colorado 150 celebration marking 150 years of statehood.

Kirk Drogsvold, a local artist, was selected as one of 20 artists statewide to create artwork reflecting the milestone. His theme is “innovative legacies of Colorado.”

“I’m really inspired by nature. I’ve been exploring this idea of clock plants, where the flowers are clocks instead of flowers and thinking about railroad tracks,” Drogsvold said. “I found this quote that talks about how the present is the past loaded up for action, and the past is the present unrolled for understanding. I’ve been imagining this railroad track that represents the unfurled scope of time. We could potentially get into that timescale as it curls into different histories and different stories.”

Drogsvold and the state of Colorado are gifting the sculpture to San Miguel County. The county plans to install it in a reimagined Galloping Goose Park next to the courthouse.

---

Western Voters Strongly Support Public Lands

Western voters want public lands protected and managed for recreation and wildlife habitat.

That’s according to Colorado College’s 2026 Conservation in the West poll, which surveys voters in eight western states, including Colorado.

Voters were also deeply concerned about budget and staffing cuts to federal agencies that oversee public lands, including the National Park Service, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

In Colorado, 89% of voters say these cuts are a serious problem, with 68% categorizing them as “very serious.”

Lori Weigel, one of the pollsters on the project, said in 2011, when the poll began, voters were more concerned about state budget cuts for public lands than federal.

“We were asking about budget cuts, but it was nowhere near the level of intensity and concern… So, it just feels like it’s much more tangible, and there’s a real level of intensity behind what we’re seeing throughout the data,” she said.

She added that voters were also strongly opposed to rolling back environmental regulations, such as the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act, including 74% of Republicans surveyed, who said it was a serious problem.

---

Hurd Joins Democrats to Rescind Canada Tariffs

U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., was one of six Republicans who voted with Democrats last week to rescind tariffs on Canada.

KSJD’s Gail Binkley reports in a statement, Hurd said he is concerned about how the tariffs are affecting his constituents in western and southern Colorado.

“Agricultural producers in my district already operate on tight margins and volatile global markets. Retaliatory tariffs add pressure to their exports and supply chains,” he said.

Hurd also said his vote was grounded in the Constitution, specifically Article One, which grants Congress the authority to regulate commerce with foreign nations and levy tariffs. The tariffs on Canada were announced a year ago under a presidential declaration of a national emergency.

Oil and gas are the biggest products imported from Canada into Colorado, according to reporting in the Colorado Sun. Hurd said, “When trade policy becomes unpredictable, it affects payrolls, investment decisions, and long-term planning.”

The resolution rescinding the tariffs is largely symbolic. If it passes the Senate, it is likely President Donald Trump will veto it.

---

Colorado Lawmakers Consider Restricting Pesticides Harmful to Pollinators

Some pesticides widely used in Colorado are devastating populations of bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

But farmers say they are the best — and safest — way to protect crops.

Rae Solomon reports for the Colorado Capitol News Alliance that state lawmakers are now considering a bill that would severely restrict their use.

Story beings at 14:35.