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VOL. 143 NO. 10 | THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2024 | $1.00
City to study irrigation ditch costs Repairs to deteriorating culverts could total in millions Bella Biondini Times Editor
Starting this year, the City of Gunnison is initiating an in-depth investigation of its irrigation ditch system — well loved by homeowners who use the free water to keep their lawns and gardens green through the summer months. The goal is to better understand how much money it costs the city to maintain the ditches and ensure the aging system stays running. The water right for Gunnison’s irrigation ditch system dates back to 1880, right around the time Gunnison was founded. Today, the city manages 26 miles of open Ditches A9
INSIDE
TODAY NEWS: Residents to gather for suicide prevention, A5
COMMUNITY: Romp Skis changes ownership, B1
Western’s Rady School district School partners to update health education policy with RMBL Money from TAPP to support atmospheric science
SPORTS: Titans hockey eliminated by Liberty, B4
OBITUARIES A2 OPINION A4 CLASSIFIEDS A16-A18 SPORTS B4 ONLINE GUNNISONTIMES.COM
TREBLE-MAKERS: Visiting conductor Susan Kinnischtzke leads the Western Colorado University Treble Choir through a series of musical arrangements on Saturday, March 2. Western choir singers joined guest conductors in song during the Western Slope Choral Festival from Feb. 29 to March 2. For more, see A8. (Photo by Mariel Wiley)
Bella Biondini Times Editor
A new partnership between the Rady School of Engineering at Western Colorado University a n d t h e Ro cky Mo u nt a i n Biological Laboratory (RMBL) is expected to expand the limits of scientific research in the Gunnison Valley. Scientists flock to Crested
B u t t e ’s R o c k y M o u n t a i n Biological Laborator y year round, its grounds bustling with a mixture of established researchers and students during the summer months. The winter is quiet, but small teams hunker down in the cabins as the snow falls and the work continues. The biological laboratory’s reputation as a leader in the science field has already brought millions of dollars into the valley. RMBL’s increasing focus on emerging technologies, such as sensors, drones and satellites, has also been growing the pool of money available for atmospheric science. As a result, the valley has become a magnet, attracting researchers Rady A6
First changes in over 20 years Abby Harrison Times Staff Writer
The Gunnison Watershed School District is about to update its comprehensive health education policy, which includes sex ed, for the first time in over 20 years. The district’s previous four health education policies — last updated in 1997 and focused on HIV and AIDS, family life and sex ed, substance use and general “health education” — are being combined into one broader policy. The district's new policy is meant to help stu-
dents maintain healthy behaviors, while delaying the onset of risky behaviors and developing health literacy skills. Colorado school districts are not obligated to offer health education, but if they do, the lessons must align with Colorado law and state health education standards. The district is paying for consultants to help with the policy update with a grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), which also supported a student focus group. The district board discussed the coming changes at a work session on Feb. 26. Board members have already held two work sessions on the health policy, and had a first School health A6
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