News

• Skijoring Comes to Telluride
• San Miguel County Amends Short Term Rental Code
• The Wonder, Intimacy, and Hope of “Appalachia”

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Skijoring Comes to Telluride

Skijoring is coming to Telluride’s main street this spring.

“By having this on main street it’s going to highlight Telluride and play into the magic of main street in wintertime,” said Ashley Von Spreecken, owner of Telluride Sleighs and Wagons, who is organizing the event.

“This event involves skiers and snowboarders being pulled by horses across a snow-covered course, navigating through various obstacles. The event will feature a novice race for kids and beginners, along with a thrilling exhibition by seasoned participants. The event also celebrates Telluride’s mining and ranching history, as skijoring was originally introduced to the U.S. by Scandinavian miners in the 1800s,” Von Spreecken said.

This week, the Commission for Community Assistance, Arts, and Special Events unanimously approved the event to run down main street in March.

Von Spreecken noted the goal, at least for this year, isn’t for a massive competition. She is aiming for an exhibition of skijoring.

“Introduce to the sport. Get the community involved with a novice level race, more of a fun event for the community, bring people onto Telluride’s main street in the wintertime,” she said.

Von Spreecken added she also hopes to collaborate with the Nordic skiing community to include cross country skiing in the evening.

A skijoring course requires a large amount of snow. Von Spreecken said they anticipate needing 2,000 cubic yards of snow, but collection has already begun.

“We’ve already retrieved a decent quantity of snow off the athletic field next to the high school. They remove that off their turf and it’s super clean and nice snow. We’ve already started trucking that down to the east end of town,” she said.

For building the course, Von Spreecken said she has worked on course maintenance for ski racing.

“I’m working additionally with local Sherwood Smith who’s in charge of all the terrain parks in the ski resort. He’s going to be designing our course. He’s also a longtime participant and quite accomplished in skijoring as well,” she said.

The event will be free, which Von Spreecken said is intentional.

“We want as many participants and spectators. The purpose of this event is for it to be super low barrier to entry, anybody that wants to come, can come. It doesn’t require a high price ticket. It’s on main street. It should be accessible. The hope is that it brings forward new groups of people that haven’t come to Telluride,” she said.

During public comment, everyone voiced full support of the event.

Dan Lynch with Brown Dog Pizza said the event could impact their business during setup, but he said it is worth it.

“We fully support this event. We think it’s a really good test for the town. We need to be thinking differently than we have in the past. We understand the challenges, primarily with Friday deliveries, it’s going to be hard on us. But we’re willing to accept it. We think it’s good for the whole community. We want to see it happen. We’re willing to do whatever it takes,” Lynch said.

Ciara Green said she is excited to skijor in her hometown.

“As a relatively new skijor competitor, it would obviously be such a delight to do it at home. There’s something really special about that,” Green said.

The CCAASE board was also in full support.

“I think we’ve put all our eggs in one basket with having just the ski resort and what happened this year. Bringing different crowds and different things to do in the winter is smart and I’m excited,” said CCAASE member Claudia Garcia Curzio.

Telluride Skijoring will still need to have a more detailed plan signed off by multiple town departments, including the Marshals and Public Works.

Telluride Skijoring will take to main street on March 14th and 15th. The event will be free and open to the community.

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San Miguel County Amends Short Term Rental Code

San Miguel County is shifting its land use code when it comes to short term rentals. But, according to Nicola Kerr, associate planner for San Miguel County, it’s more of an administrative change than anything else.

“This is a pretty straightforward amendment. Sort of housekeeping,” Kerr said.

Previously, those with short term rentals in the county were required to hold a Colorado Sales Tax License to ensure tax remittance to the state and San Miguel County.

“Due to the rise of Airbnb, VRBO, other platforms such as that, most people are not handling their own advertising, processing of various rentals. Airbnb and VRBO are getting their own Colorado Sales Tax License and remitting taxes on behalf of the homeowners,” Kerr said.

Kerr said the county was asking homeowners to still have a license in case they stopped using short term rental platforms, but then they received an email from the Colorado Department of Revenue.

“Asking one of our applicants, ‘hey could you please actually close out this sales tax license account if you’re not going to be using it,’” Kerr said.

Now, the county is shifting its code to only require a sales tax license if a short term rental owner markets and rents the property themselves.

“If you have your own website, and you’re super savvy, you’re doing your own advertising, you’d still need your own Colorado Sales Tax License, but this is just eliminating the requirement across the board,” Kerr said.

The San Miguel Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved the change.

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The Wonder, Intimacy, and Hope of “Appalachia”

Emily Scott Robinson is a rising star in the Americana music scene. She calls the San Juan Mountains in Southwest Colorado Home. Signed to John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, Robinson is out with a new album, Appalachia.

Robinson stopped by the Purple House on Pine to talk about the new album, and the hope and service of music.

Story beings at 5:40.

Julia Caulfield (JC): This is your fifth album that’s coming out. How does it feel to have it enter into the world?

Emily Scott Robinson (ESR): It feels amazing. I am so in love with this album. The songs feel so powerful, and I worked on these songs for four years. I recorded them in a way that felt really good — in five days in the Hudson River Valley, in this beautiful church, right at the beginning of springtime. It was so magical. There’s this sense of wonder and openness that in the recording itself that feels like it’s in the DNA of the songs. I’m so happy it’s out. I’m so excited for these songs to make their way into the world.

JC: This album, Appalachia — what do you feel like it sounds like to you?

ESR: It feels kind of sparkly and warm, and in a less esoteric way, it’s very acoustic. There’s a lot of fiddle and cello and acoustic guitar. It feels, in some ways, almost like a solo record. There’s one full-band song, “Dirt Bag Saloon,” but otherwise it feels really intimate and warm.

The way we recorded it, we were all in one big church room, recording together, so there’s a live feel — like you’re in the room with us. That was very much on purpose because I love records that feel really organic and textural. So, it feels really organic, and textural, and acoustic, and very folky, with a little bluegrass influence, and there’s definitely one country banger on there. But it feels more intimate than my last couple of records.

JC: You’ve been a working singer-songwriter for a decade. You’ve had a number of albums that have, maybe, the same essence but flex different parts of who you are. How do you feel your writing, your music, your craft have shifted over the past 10 years?

ESR: In the early years of my career, I was really trying to prove myself as a songwriter. I had something to prove. I was climbing, it was scrappy. These songs feel more like they’re of service to the human experience, rather than coming from a place of needing to prove myself as a songwriter and a singer.

They feel more laid back, more relaxed, more grounded. I love my early records. When I listen to my albums through the years, I really here where I was an artist and a singer and a songwriter. I’m incredibly proud of all of that songwriting. But I do feel like I’ve moved into a different chapter of my life, and correspondingly a different chapter as a songwriter and an artist. These songs are of service or they’re useful in a way, rather than being ‘shine a light on me. I have something to prove.’ They feel more laid back, and relaxed and centered.

JC: With that notion of being of use, there’s a lot going on in the world right now. How do you hope these songs are useful at this moment?

ESR: I really hope they give people hope and fortify people’s spirits. I think these songs are messages of hope, and they shine a light on how we can take care of each other — as humans, as neighbors, as friends. I think there’s a sacred in the ordinary, and that’s really the heart of this record.

I hope the songs help people feel their way through these times and they help people remember to look to each other and not to give up hope in themselves or in their communities. There are a couple different truths that co-exist at once — there’s so much evidence for hope. There’s so much that we can’t control. There are so many painful experiences in life. There’s a lot of loss that doesn’t have meaning, it’s just painful and hard. There’s a lot of grief that we walk through as humans. But here we are. We have each other. That’s kind of my manifesto for these songs.

JC: Emily, thanks so much for coming in and chatting with us about Appalachia.

ESR: It’s my pleasure. Thanks for having me. I love KOTO, I love you, Julia, and I love this community. It’s a great gift to be able to share music here.

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Tri-County Survey Seeks Insight into Community Well-Being

A strong sense of community can be shaped by many factors, including quality schools, gathering places and a feeling of belonging.

Tri-County Health Network is seeking to better understand how residents in the region feel about their communities through a new Quality of Life and Behavioral Health Community Survey. The organization is partnering with other local nonprofits to collect responses from residents.

According to Tri-County, the survey aims to provide a deeper understanding of mental and behavioral health issues in San Miguel County and the West End of Montrose County.

Survey questions address topics such as trust among community members, whether residents view community membership as part of their identity, how often they experience a lack of companionship, and whether they believe the community is sympathetic to people with mental health concerns.

Tri-County said survey results will be used to inform local planning and decision-making efforts.

The survey is available at tchnetwork.org in both English and Spanish and will remain open through Feb. 7.

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Guys and Dolls Comes to the Sheridan Opera House

One of the greatest musicals of all time is coming to the Sheridan Opera House stage. Guys and Dolls brings the pizzazz and sparkle of 1950s New York City to life.

This weekend, the Sheridan Arts Foundation is featuring more than 20 high school actors in its latest Young People’s Theatre production.

Guys and Dolls follows gangsters, gamblers and other unforgettable characters of New York’s underworld in a comedic, high-stakes, toe-tapping musical.

Performances run Friday, Feb. 6, Saturday, Feb. 7, and Monday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at sheridanoperahouse.com.

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Colorado Senate Expands Red Flag Law

The Colorado Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would expand the state’s red flag law, which allows judges to temporarily remove guns from individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others through an extreme risk protection order.

The legislation would broaden the list of people who can petition a judge for such an order and would allow guns to be removed if a child poses a safety risk. The Democrat-backed bill passed along party lines and now heads to the House.

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Senate Approves Tax Break Expansion for Small Farms

A proposal to make more farmers and ranchers eligible for a property tax break passed unanimously in the Colorado Senate on Tuesday.

Colorado currently offers a tax break on land used for cattle and sheep grazing, reports Colorado Capitol News Alliance’s Rae Solomon. The bill would extend the relief to land used for other animals, including chickens and pigs.

Sponsored by Democratic Sen. Dylan Roberts, the bill aims to support small producers and family farms struggling as the agricultural industry consolidates.

“They’re trying to diversify their product and their livestock based on local demands and the feasibility of farming and ranching with the current climate and lack of water,” Roberts said.

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, Colorado leads the nation in farmland lost to development.

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Native Leaders Resist Trump-Era Immigration Policies in Minneapolis

Residents of Minneapolis continue to push back against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, including Native American leaders who have played a key role in the resistance.

Stewart Huntington, director of video journalism at ICT (formerly Indian Country Today), lives in Carbondale but traveled to his hometown of Minneapolis last month.

Huntington spoke with Aspen Public Radio’s Sage Smiley about his recent report on Indigenous organizing in the city.

Story beings at 16:40.