News

• Dan Covault Prepares to Be Sheriff
• The West End Roundup with The San Miguel Basin Forum
• Commissioners Sign Resolution in Support of Public Lands

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Dan Covault Prepares to Be Sheriff

Dan Covault will be San Miguel County’s next sheriff.

“It’s quite surreal. I don’t believe it’s quite hit home yet,” Covault said. “The concept of spending almost a quarter century here and working my way up, and becoming sheriff was not something I ever anticipated.”

The San Miguel Board of County Commissioners appointed Covault to serve as the next sheriff on Wednesday.

“When I walked through those doors, into the jail, in the year 2000, I had no ambitions to think that I would ever make it this far,” he said. “It’s really through Bill Masters’ tutelage and guidance that I’ve been able to reach this point in my career.”

The vacancy in the sheriff’s position comes after current Sheriff Bill Masters announced his retirement for this summer. Masters is the longest-serving sheriff in Colorado. He has been sheriff in San Miguel County for more than 45 years.

Covault said he feels the weight of being the first new sheriff in over four decades.

“I’d like to think I can carry on Sheriff Masters’ legacy and continue this agency down the path he has laid down for the past four decades,” he said. “He instilled in me, over the years, a very heavy sense of community and pride and what is right versus what is not.

“The concept of transparency and, especially in today’s world, how important that is to the public — that we’re not this anonymous figure doing things behind the scenes, but we’re open and we’re out front. Sheriff Bill is leaving behind some really big shoes and I hope I can wear them.”

Covault graduated from Montrose High School in 1989. He went on to attend the Delta/Montrose Law Enforcement Academy, joining the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office in 2000. He left for a number of years to work for the Mountain Village Police Department before returning to the sheriff’s office.

He acknowledged there’s going to be a learning curve for the whole department with a change in leadership.

“Sheriff Bill has been our figurehead for my entire career,” Covault said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of feeling our way through things and getting used to ‘hey, Sheriff Bill’s not here, and now we’ve got to figure out how to do things without him,’ because we’ve relied on him so heavily for all these years. So, there’s going to be a big learning curve probably for everyone who’s employed here.”

Covault said he hopes the sheriff’s office can have more community involvement and more community policing in the county. He added he hopes the public can see the shift in leadership as a positive.

“Change is sometimes hard, but it’s always good. Generally, good things come out of it,” he said. “So, I would ask them to be patient as we move through this process, and know that our doors are always open to them for whatever their concerns or needs may be.

“If something comes about that I do or try that they’re not in favor of, I would encourage them to tell me that. If I don’t know it’s broken, I can’t fix it. But if I hear about it, then I can listen and entertain the thought and I can make a rational and informed decision off of the concerns of the constituents of this county.”

Covault will step into the role of San Miguel County sheriff on June 3, 2025.

“I would like to extend a great big thank you to the county commissioners for placing their trust in me to carry this agency through to the next election where the constituents do get to decide who they want for their longer-term sheriff,” he said. “For this short time, I’m very proud and I’m very honored that the county commissioners saw enough in me to think I could do this job until the next election.”

The position of San Miguel County sheriff will be up for election in 2026. Covault said if all goes well, he anticipates running for the job next year.

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The West End Roundup with The San Miguel Basin Forum

Today on the West End Roundup with the San Miguel Basin forum KOTO’s news team chats with editor Regan Tuttle. In today’s headlines: Aimee Tooker Awarded at Club 20, Norwood and it’s Teen Entrepreneur, and Basin Clinic Earns Top Ratings.

Story begins at: 4:41

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Commissioners Sign Resolution in Support of Public Lands

The numbers don’t lie when it comes to the value of public lands on the Western Slope, according to San Miguel County leaders who formally voiced their support in a new resolution this week.

On Wednesday, April 30, the San Miguel County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution backing federal public lands, which make up 60 percent of the county’s landscape.

“Whereas the Tres Rios and Uncompahgre BLM offices combined [are] generating $209.3 million dollars in recreation-related economic output, supporting 1,649 jobs and $6.9 million in grazing-related economic output, which supported 77 additional jobs,” said Commissioner Galena Gleason during the meeting. “The GMUG National Forests generated $392 million dollars in annual visitor spending [through] human-powered outdoor recreation and received 2.6 million visits a year, creating 4,148 full-time jobs and $112.2 million dollars in wages.”

The resolution highlighted the importance of public lands not only to the local economy, but to environmental quality and overall way of life in the region.

“Public lands are integral to the county’s economy, environment, and quality of life,” Gleason said. “These public lands provide essential resources to our residents, workers, and visitors including clean air, grazing lands for agricultural operations, habitats for wildlife, rivers, lakes and watersheds which provide for our drinking water and healthy fish populations, wildfire suppression and agricultural irrigation, cultural resources, scenic beauty, fossil fuels and minerals, timber, a ski area, and opportunities for other outdoor recreation.”

Local resident Sarah Lavender Smith, who advocates on behalf of the Conservation Lands Foundation based in Durango, supported the commissioners’ move.

“One of the reasons their action is important is because it shifts the spotlight to the vast amount of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service,” Lavender Smith said. “I think the public has caught wind of the major staffing reductions and other cutbacks to our national parks and are voicing opposition to that. But the public generally pays less attention to the vast majority of public lands outside the national parks, and yet the acreage managed by the BLM is essential for wildlife and biodiversity. Opening up more of these lands for drilling and mining will not only carve up and threaten the ecosystem but also likely will accelerate global warming by continuing our reliance on fossil fuels.”

Lavender Smith wrote to the commissioners after La Plata County passed a similar resolution weeks earlier. The actions come amid renewed efforts to open federal lands to mineral and fossil fuel development following former President Donald Trump’s executive order to “unleash American energy.”

Gleason responded directly to these pressures.

“The attempts to transfer, lease, or sell public lands without a public process are inconsistent with the values and interests of the residents of San Miguel County, the broader Colorado community, and the nation as a whole,” she said.

The resolution also included support for the proposed Dolores River National Conservation Area, a 68,000-acre designation with bipartisan support, including endorsements from U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet.

Lavender Smith emphasized the importance of local governments speaking up, particularly in Colorado’s Third Congressional District.

“We need to make our voices heard,” she said. “You know, our elected members of Congress can easily ignore emails and phone calls from individuals like me. But it’s harder to ignore a county board of commissioners unanimously opposing the way the current administration is eviscerating environmental protections. So that’s why I’m grateful that our county commissioners took action on this — not only with their resolution of support, but also a letter to Congressman Jeff Hurd’s new legislation.”

In March, Rep. Jeff Hurd, introduced the Productive Public Lands Act, aimed at undoing multiple Biden-era land management policies. Alongside the resolution, the San Miguel County commissioners issued a formal letter opposing Hurd’s legislation and reaffirming their stance on protecting public lands.

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Leathercraft workshop invites community to get hands-on

There’s something satisfying about putting your hands to work and seeing that work come to life.

This weekend, San Miguel Basin 4-H, in partnership with the Lone Cone Library and Crossbow Leather, is giving community members that opportunity with Hands-On Hide: A Leathercraft Workshop.

The event, scheduled for Saturday, May 3, at the Lone Cone Library in Norwood, includes programs for both youth and adults. Whether participants are beginners or experienced leatherworkers, the workshop will offer a chance to explore the art of leathercraft.

Kay Orton will lead the youth classes, which include options for beginner, intermediate and advanced skill levels.

Suzi Meyers of Crossbow Leather will instruct the adult class, which is open to participants of all abilities.

A materials fee is required to attend. To register, email [email protected].

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Blue Lakes Area to Close for Trailhead Construction

Hikers hoping to visit the Blue Lakes area this summer will need to act fast, as the Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) are temporarily closing the area for trailhead construction and restoration.

According to GMUG officials, the closure is part of the first phase of the Blue Lakes Visitor Use Management Plan, which aims to improve the visitor experience and ensure the long-term sustainability of the area’s natural resources.

The work will include the reconstruction of the trailhead parking area, installation of two new restrooms, and the addition of kiosks and interpretive panels. Officials will also develop a monitoring plan for better tracking of visitor use, establish designated camping areas, and restore social trails.

The closure will begin June 2 and is expected to last through August 2025, though officials say it may be lifted earlier if it is safe to access the area.

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Tribes Oppose Monument Reductions

The Trump administration is considering reducing the size of several national monuments, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah — a move drawing concern from Native American tribes and conservation groups.

Bears Ears, in particular, holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for a coalition of Native American tribes that have long worked to protect the region.

“There are many sacred places within Bears Ears,” said Matthew Campbell, deputy director of the Native American Rights Fund in Boulder, which is supporting the tribes. “It’s a place that the tribes still go for ceremony. It’s a place where their ancestors are buried, and they continue to travel there every year to collect medicines, foods and many other items for many different purposes.”

Campbell emphasized that the land is “uniquely tied to their history of who they are as a people and immensely important.”

The tribes advocating for Bears Ears include the Hopi, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute, Pueblo of Zuni and the Ute Indian Tribe.

During former President Donald Trump’s first term, the size of Bears Ears was reduced by nearly 85 percent. President Joe Biden restored the monument to its original boundaries in 2021.

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Colorado Joins Lawsuit Over AmeriCorps Cuts

Colorado has joined 24 other states in suing the federal government over recent changes to the AmeriCorps program that critics say have significantly weakened it.

As Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes reports, the AmeriCorps program has allowed millions of Americans to perform volunteer work in exchange for a stipend, with service focused on areas like education, disaster relief, senior services and environmental stewardship.

Story begins at 18:56

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Trump’s First 100 Days Spark Mixed Reactions in Colorado

Love it or hate it, President Donald Trump has given the public a lot to think about during his first 100 days in office.

The Colorado Capitol News Alliance’s Bente Birkeland spoke with voters across the political spectrum to gauge their thoughts on the new administration.

Story begins at 20:14