News

• Alarm bells go off for local forest health
• G is for Government previews Telluride Town Council
• Colorado legislature discusses labor unions and God’s backyard

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Mountain Village Prescribed Burns Begin

The Town of Mountain Village will be conducting prescribed burns on the north side of Town, near the Meadows neighborhood, this week. Burns began on Monday, February 3, and will run through Wednesday, February 5, 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. The work is planned to continue through mid-April, Monday through Wednesday, as conditions allow.

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Alarm Bells Go Off for Local Forest Health

If you ask Dr. Jason Sibold how the health of the upper San Miguel forests is, he won’t sugarcoat it.

“The big takeaway from the results: Forest mortality is widespread in the upper San Miguel basin. It is everywhere,” he says.

Dr. Sibold, a professor at Colorado State University, has been studying Telluride’s forests for over a decade. He specializes in spatial analysis of forest health, using aerial mapping and algorithms to calculate tree mortality across landscapes.

Last Monday, January 27, the San Miguel County Open Space Commission heard Dr. Sibold present findings from his ongoing forest health research in the upper San Miguel basin.

Dr. Sibold outlined that the Telluride region is facing significant changes in forest health due to insects, diseases, and drought resulting from increased warming periods.

“The significant drought periods of 2002-2003 and 2017-2018 were unprecedented in the nearly 800 years of tree ring data I’ve studied,” Sibold says. “Those two drought events are expected to be the average climate conditions by 2050. By the 2030s, we could see at least three of those types of significant drought years.”

Trees, particularly mid-elevation subalpine fir and aspen species abundant in Telluride, suffer in drier and warmer climates.

Dr. Sibold used AI to extrapolate tree mortality across the landscape, presenting a map of current mortality rates in the upper San Miguel basin.

Open Space Commissioner Susie St. Onge observed, “I can see Deep Creek Mesa, Telluride, from a distance… Wow, right above Sawpit—that’s really yellow and a lot of red. What is that?”

“That whole hillslope is just dead,” Dr. Sibold replied.

For Dr. Sibold, these changes may result in a completely different landscape. “We’re starting to look at a landscape that doesn’t have a forest,” he says. “Forests hold slopes in place, store carbon, and provide biodiversity. The aesthetics are vital to the economy here, especially with the tourism sector.”

Open Space Commissioners noted that they’ve placed Douglas fir beetle pheromone packets in areas of the county to deter beetles from infesting trees. However, Dr. Sibold questions whether some areas will be able to regenerate after tree death.

“I would argue that the big question is: Are the forests regenerating?” he says. “Seedlings are very few and far between. Trees aren’t producing seed. If forests die off and there’s no regeneration, that’s a big problem.”

Dr. Sibold emphasized the importance of data and the role of San Miguel County in researching forest health. Citizen science may offer additional insight into these changes.

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G is for Government Previews Telluride Town Council

The Telluride Town Council will meet on Tuesday for a short, administrative session. In this edition of “G is for Government,” Telluride Communications Manager Lindsey Mills gives a preview.

Story begins at 4:55.

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Colorado legislature Discusses Labor Unions and God’s backyard

This week on Capitol Conversation, statehouse reporter Lucas Brady Woods provides an update on Colorado legislative bills that could significantly impact residents—both on a state level and for specific communities.

Story beings at 9:17.

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“Bach to Bach” Concert

This week, internationally acclaimed violinist Ben Breen and Grammy Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey will showcase music by Johann Sebastian Bach in Telluride. Bach, one of history’s most prolific composers, created more than 1,000 pieces in his lifetime and continues to inspire musicians across genres.

The “Bach to Bach” concert will take place at the Sheridan Opera House on Tuesday, February 4, at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at telluridechambermusic.org.

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Bardic Trails Welcomes Western Slope Poet Laureate Wendy Videlock

Western Slope Poet Laureate Wendy Videlock’s work evokes myth, fairy tale, and the natural world. This month, she is the featured poet for the Talking Gourds Poetry Club’s Bardic Trails poetry night.

Videlock’s poetry collections include Slingshots and Love Plums, The Dark Gnu and Other Poems, and Nevertheless. At the event, Videlock will read from her work, answer questions, and allow time for participants to share their own poetry. This month’s poetic prompt is “tarot.”

The event will take place on Tuesday, February 4, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The Zoom link is available at tellurideinstitute.org.

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Geothermal Energy Advances

Mountain West states are increasingly turning to geothermal energy, a renewable resource that converts underground heat into electricity with low emissions. Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes reports on advances in geothermal and the regulatory efforts surrounding it.

Story begins at 15:59.