The Durango Telegraph - April 23, 2026

LaVidaLocal

‘Will we be alright?’

The record begins with a quick drum roll. Then the whole band kicks in with an upbeat melody. The drums chug along at a steady beat while a bouncy bassline takes charge. Acoustic guitars, a xylophone and keys then brightly fill up the soundscape. It’s as if you’re pulling back curtains to let sunlight dance into your home. Bears was a duo, consisting of two Cleveland musicians, Craig Ramsey and Charlie McArthur, and their 2006 self-titled album is relentless in its offering of shimmery indie pop. At times, you can hear the influence of The Byrds emerging in the songwriting. A light touch of psychedelic rock mingles with 1960s pop throughout the album. The production sounds both massive and intimate, which initially gave me the impression that the duo spent weeks in a topnotch recording studio. According to the liner notes, Bears was “recorded between July 2005 and March 2006 at Craig’s house.” Shoutout to Craig’s house for good acoustics and cozy magic, resulting in a selfreleased, self-produced modern album that sounds timeless.

This year I’ve been sorting through my music collection and listening to records I’ve neglected for years, including this little-known gem from the Midwest. It’s funny how these things happen. I vaguely remember reading some hype about this group on a blog or music forum, circa 2008, then ordering the LP from the band’s Myspace page. For nearly 20 years, I’ve hauled this record around with me through various moves, and somehow I’ve held off on hearing it. Now and then, when organizing my collection, the record would catch my eye with its screen-printed album artwork featuring a woman smiling with eyes closed, while seated on a couch beside a miniature whale. I’d hold the record and remind myself to give it a chance one day.

I usually find solace in rock music containing loud, distorted guitars and rumbling bass, all channeling rage through amplifiers. All of that is nearly absent on Bears’ self-titled album. Yet there are moments where the xylophone and heavy drum cymbals wash over everything, creating a mesmerizing wall of sound that is just as soothing as something off a shoegaze-rock album. The song “Still Alright” is a good example of that gentle noise. The lyrics contemplate the end of a relationship, with statements turning into questions, such as, “I will be alright/ Are you still alright?/ Will we be alright?” All the while, the nimble instruments grow louder, letting dejected ache and uncertainty take over.

In hindsight, I can reframe all those years of procrastination on Bears as waiting for the right moment. That would be a lie, though. If I were waiting for “the right moment” to hear this lovely mess of jangle pop, it certainly wouldn’t be in a time of explicit authoritarianism and imperialism. Whatever sky-blue brightness the Bears LP evokes soon becomes clouded by the bombs and concentration camps of our despairing reality.

Thumbin’It

Nicholas Rice, the Customs and Border Protection agent who was videoed taking a local women’s phone and throwing her down an embankment last October, is being charged with third-degree assault. A misdemeanor, it’s at least a modicum of accountability for the masked ICE marauders.

A new state program could reduce or eliminate recycling fees in Durango and across Colorado by putting the onus on producers of recyclable materials to fund proper disposal of such materials.

Uh oh, looks like there’s trouble in MAGA paradise, with longtime Trump cheerleader Tucker Carlson admitting this week that he is “tormented” by his past support of Trump. Welcome to the club, Tucker.

“Daydreams” is the next track and it’s possibly my favorite out of the 13 songs here. The acoustic guitar has a bigger presence with its percussive strumming, and then halfway in, you hear what a daydream sounds like with twinkling keys, rumbling drums and cymbal crashes floating through the speakers.

I have my doubts about destiny. With that said, music can persuade me to believe in mercy that goes like this: I’ve made it through another year despite myself, and now here are songs that make me want to live a little longer.

The album ends with a psychedelic rock song titled “Stay.” Distortion is more pronounced on the electric guitars, and the bass is boldly present. Near the end of “Stay,” the group moves into a jam session: solos liberate themselves left and right as the music fades. For a moment, I get romantic. I think about the infinite loop implied in a music fadeout. In the quiet space, I start thinking about a world where the song never ends, and all the injustices happening outside have come undone. Then, a few seconds later, the music returns: the band keeps jamming like they never left and I’m not mad about this clever subversion.

Instead, there’s a smile on my face because now I have the best of both worlds – I relished in the fadeout, I started to believe again in something beautiful, and the band returned because this jam session deserves a good ending, I understand that desire. It’s all more frantic now on this deceptive encore, they go a bit longer before falling apart. After nearly a minute, it’s over for real this time. Now I must face the broken world again. But here are these beautiful sounds that I sometimes stumble across, and my heart will never surrender them.

– Kirbie Bennett

SignoftheDownfall:

After a year of clean up at Blue Lakes, public land managers reported the No. 1 problem was No. 2, with human feces and toilet paper “behind every tree.” We know it’s hard when nature calls, especially in nature, butt … really people?

“The Blob,” a record-setting 5,000-mile Pacific heatwave is expected to impact everything from the marine food chain to weather conditions, with off-the-chart land heatwaves more likely and intense. Happy Earth Day, everybody.

Rotavirus, a potentially deadly stomach bug that causes projectiling out of both ends, is spreading at an alarming rate, with young kids most at risk. Reduced vaccination rates are being blamed, but it could also be a sinister plot by the makers of those Clorox wipes.

Artificial Benevolence

Two weeks ago, a start-up tech company from California called “Just Like Me” started charging $1.99 per minute to talk with AI Jesus, and an embarrassingly high number of people are falling for it (probably the same ones who thought Trump was a “doctor” in that one post). Just Like Me deserves kudos because they chose a brownskinned avatar for Jesus, but some users are complaining given that the avatar glitches and it speaks in third-person, almost like it isn’t actually Jesus at all. Others are complaining that Just Like Me’s discount subscription package of $49.99 for 45 minutes doesn’t offer enough savings, but these naysayers need to calm down because it’s still way cheaper than going to church, and in the end, the results are exactly the same.

WritersontheRange

Power not proximity

Relocating Forest Service HQ part of intentional plan to gut agency

by Tracy Stone-Manning

When I led the Bureau of Land Management under President Biden, the hardest part of my job was reassembling the agency after the first Trump administration had scattered its headquarters from our nation’s capital. The move crippled the agency – as intended.

That experience led me to understand that the current Trump administration’s unpopular plan to move the U.S. Forest Service headquarters will be every bit as destructive. It will hurt forests, wildlife and communities that rely upon our public lands and waters.

In 2020, almost 90% of the BLM employees ordered to move West chose not to, forcing them out the door. With those seasoned employees went years of wisdom and knowledge of how things are supposed to work, of how to deliver for the American people.

Today’s Forest Service plan goes further, aiming to close regional offices and shutter dozens of the agency’s research centers, as we face what some say will be a horrific wildfire season.

The Forest Service and BLM combined manage 20% of our country’s lands and waters. These public lands, the places we camp, hike, watch birds, hunt and simply wander in nature, are truly one of America’s best ideas. For Westerners, they are a deep part of our identity.

There is a reason Forest Service headquarters are based in Washington, D.C. It’s where our nation’s leaders work. Believe me, I did not want to move to the capital from my home in Montana to run the BLM, but to be able to fight for Western people and places, I had to go to the seat of our nation’s power.

I was often in the Interior Secretary’s offices. I frequently walked to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service director, talking through thorny problems. Washington is where people manage relationships with Congress, where budgets get made.

The administration says all their changes are about bringing leadership closer to where the work happens. That’s a political talking point, and it’s false.

If DOGE’s dismantling of government agencies last year provides any lesson, then cruelty and disruption are the real point. These changes aim to create chaos, deliver the administration’s stated goal of traumatizing employees and imperil the very existence of public lands – lands that belong to all Americans. We improve the management of our forests by giving foresters the

resources they need and letting them make decisions based on sound science and collaboration, not by gutting their agency.

Over the course of the last year, the Forest Service forced or coerced roughly a quarter of its approximately 30,000 employees to leave. In this latest round of engineered chaos, thousands of people will be reassigned and ordered to move. If BLM history is any guide, almost all will leave their positions rather than uproot their families. The agency could soon be left with roughly half its former ranks.

Think of your job. Now, think of half of your colleagues gone. Would your organization be able to recover from the loss and demoralization?

There are inevitable repercussions to this radical attack on our public land management agencies. Campgrounds will close. Trails won’t be maintained. High fuel loads near communities will go unaddressed. Wildfires will become even harder to fight. More sawmills will close. The health of our land, waters and wildlife will decline. With things going wrong on the ground, some will demand that these lands be

transferred to states or sold to private industry.   That’s exactly what the people in power today want. The choice of Utah for the Forest Service headquarters – home to Sen. Mike Lee, who leads the charge on selling off public lands, as well as to the state that is suing to try to take over millions of your public lands – reveals the administration’s true agenda.

The inevitable does not need to happen. There is one power to stop our public lands from being mismanaged to the point of selloff: It’s the outrage of the American people.

Americans overwhelmingly support public lands and want future generations to enjoy the freedoms found in them. Our public forests, rivers and deserts deserve to be treated better, and the federal land managers who work tirelessly deserve better. It’s up to us to demand it.

Tracy Stone-Manning is president of The Wilderness Society and a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. ■

SoapBox

Vote Jenkins for LPEA D3

As a young homeowner in Durango, I’m paying close attention to the future of our local electric cooperative and the stability of the rates that I’ll be living with for decades to come. That’s why I’m supporting Jenn Jenkins for LPEA District 3.

Jenn brings over 20 years of utility and clean energy experience, with a focus on rural communities like ours. Her background gives her a clear understanding that a sustainable energy portfolio is essential to keeping electricity reliable, affordable and secure.

What stands out most is her commitment to prioritizing sustainability and affordability. As energy demand grows and costs fluctuate nationwide, Jenn has the expertise to help LPEA navigate this transition thoughtfully, focusing on keeping rates stable while investing in a cleaner energy future. She understands that for young homeowners like me, rising energy costs aren’t abstract, they directly impact our ability to stay in this community.

Jenn also prioritizes collaboration and bringing in best practices from other rural utilities, ensuring LPEA makes smart, forward-looking decisions. At a time when LPEA is shaping its long-term energy strategy, we need leadership grounded in real utility experience. Jenn Jenkins offers exactly that.

For those of us building our lives in Durango, her leadership provides confidence in both the financial

stability of our electric rates and the sustainability of our future. I encourage D3 LPEA members to vote for Jenn Jenkins.

– Emelie Frojen, Durango

Upholding the rule of law

May 1 is Law Day. It is a national day of reflection on our judicial system and its contributions, for good or ill, on our freedoms. This year’s theme is “The Rule of Law and the American Dream.”

The rule of law is the idea that no one is above the law. It encompasses the principles of accountability, transparency and accessible, impartial justice. It is the purported foundation of our system of government –and that foundation is crumbling.

The American dream – it’s what brought many of our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., here. It’s what kept so many here who were brought against their will, in chains of iron and chains of debt. It’s what still brings people to our shores. It’s what makes me choke up and the tears rise when I read the iconic and still inspirational words, “We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Despite those words, our history is filled with

D-Tooned/by Rob Pudim

threats from those who hold “the people” in disdain, from those who believe they are entitled to riches and power at the expense of the rest of us, from those who believe their vision is the only right one, from those

who cannot see the reality of other people’s lives. We have survived those crises, although not unscathed, and have even progressed in many ways.

However, the crisis we now face is unprecedented. The checks and balances of the three branches envisioned by the wise architects of our Constitution are at risk like never before. An erratic executive whose efforts to enact its extremist agenda recognizes no constraints – law or policy – that historically held it in check. A weak and ineffective Congress that for years has relinquished its constitutional powers to an ever more aggressive executive refuses to acknowledge the disintegration of our democratic republic. And that last bastion, the ultimate protector of our Constitution, our judicial system, is also toppling.

The elitist majority of the Supreme Court, in its mission to roll back progressive advances, has reversed long-standing legal precedents and constitutional interpretation, and has acquiesced in the erosion of our basic rights. Rather than confront the executive’s abuse of power and blatant lawlessness, it has granted it immunity from prosecution.

In the face of this unprecedented onslaught on the Constitution and the rule of law, it is the lower federal courts that are holding the line. “District court judges around the country, appointed by Republican and Democratic presidents alike, are serving as the strongest guardrail against the incursions on the rule of law,” Michael Bromwich, ex-Department of Justice Inspector General, said.

But a judge can only rule if a case is brought to court. It is attorneys and other legal professionals that prepare the cases and explain the issues so that a judge

might rule. A system dedicated to upholding the rule of law requires the commitment of individuals to that end. It is these men and women, in state and federal courts alike, who – regardless of personal political affiliations, and sometimes at personal risk – take seriously their oath to protect and uphold our Constitution.

After 250 years, the American dream is still a dream unrealized, but it is a dream worth striving for, worth fighting for – for ourselves and for our children – so that “this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Local attorneys and other legal professionals will gather in front of the La Plata County Courthouse at noon Fri., May 1, to re-affirm our oath to uphold the Constitution and reflect on the rule of law and the American dream. Please join us.

– Mairi Maloney, Durango

Sign petition to ban fur trapping

Please send comments to CPW by May 1 to help protect 17 species of furbearers (bobcats, weasels, foxes, skunks, badgers, coyotes, etc.) from unlimited trapping. The kit fox, a beautiful little fox, has already been extirpated from Colorado due to unlimited trapping and hunting.

Go to the CPW website or comment on the Center of Biological Diversity’s petition to ban sale of furs from Colorado wildlife. This was passed, but CPW requests comments on this before rulemaking. Help protect our wildlife.

– Margaret Mayer, SW CO Sierra Club, Durango

Pickleball at mall a win-win

Pickleball indoors year round can happen. The Durango Mall has only four businesses in the whole mall. How about the city contact the owners of the mall and offer to give them a tax break, and the city could make pickleball courts. The mall has A/C, heat, electricity, bathrooms and is clean and neat.

The city could charge a yearly fee for this or a day use, as we do for the Rec Center. This would be run year-round by employees from the city. This may also bring new shops to the mall: food, beverages, sports.

The big selling point is the owners of the mall get a tax break from the city. They need to be taken care of if it is to work. No need for the city to build indoor pickleball courts as this may fade out in the future.

– Bob Battani, Durango

Moving On. And On

You live

You breathe, You feel

We’ll print damned near anything

You awaken, You chase

You get hurt, You hurt back

The Telegraph welcomes healthy civil discourse in 750 words or less. Writers must include their (real) name and city/town/state of residence. Personal attacks, hate speech or any other kind of b.s. deemed libelous are not welcome. Please email your profundities to: telegraph@durango telegraph.com

You unlearn, You relearn

You think you know, You think you find it You feel things out, You open up

You love

You kiss, You touch

You dance, You laugh

You feel complete, You feel reborn

Shooting the moon

Animas High students turn senior project into full-scale arts festival at Tico Time

by Missy Votel

Four Animas High School seniors are about to find out what it really means to turn an idea into something real. On April 25–26, Anya McMillen, Sophie May, Penny Mark and Avery Colclough will co-host the inaugural Under One Moon Festival at Tico Time River Resort in Aztec. The two-day, all-ages festival features live music, dance, art, food and vendors. It’s ambitious by any standard. It’s even more so considering the organizers are all 18 and juggling it as their senior project.

“We signed up for a really big project,” May said, laughing. “And now the really big project is happening, and we’re like, ‘Oh – that’s what we signed up for.’”

At Animas High School, seniors spend their final year developing a long-term project split into three parts: a research thesis, a TED-style talk and an “action project.” For organizers of Under One Moon, the action piece quickly grew beyond a typical assignment.

“Last summer we were like, we want to do something together. Let’s put on an arts festival,” McMillen said. “I dance, Sophie does music, and we wanted to give back to the Durango arts community. So we’ve kind of taken the action project a little bit further.”

That idea came with a bigger goal: connection. Both students saw a thriving arts scene in Durango, but one that often exists in separate pockets.

“There’s so much art in this town,” May said. “But there aren’t many events that connect everyone – we wanted to do something that connects dance, adult music and youth music, and the different dance studios and music places for kids, and then all have it raise money toward access to the arts.”

The result is Under One Moon, a festival designed to be as inclusive as it is eclectic. Performers range from young students at local music schools like Stillwater and iAM Music to established regional acts, including Ragged Oak, Alicia Glass and Animal Soul. Headliners include

the Graham St. Clair Band, an emerging Texas country and Americana group, on Saturday night and Santa Fe hip hop and reggae group Boom Roots, which will close out Sunday night.

In addition, dance companies, including Prickly Pear Dance – of which McMillen is a member – Bella Dance, Durango Dance and Wildwood Dance Co. will perform throughout the weekend in between musical sets. Visual artists will also be on hand, including a fellow group of students from Animas High who will be upcycling clothing as part of their senior project to bring awareness to the negative impacts of screen time.

Events will run both days, from 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sunday

Pulling it all together has taken the students six months – and more than a few moments of doubt.

According to McMillen, finding a place to host the event proved most challenging, with the girls looking at wedding venues and other potential sites. “We wanted

Reclaiming the dance floor

Durango DJ pushes back on corporate EDM with Hydrophonic festival

by Stephen Sellers

Greetings, dear readers! For this week’s “Between the Beats,” I chatted with Colton Mowrer, a local DJ and promoter. With deep family roots on the dry side of La Plata County, he is leading the charge to build the Hydrophonic Festival, May 7-10, at Tico Time.

Dance music can be a surprisingly cutthroat world. Once a refuge for folks on the outside, these days, many house, techno and bass scenes can feel dominated by exclusivity. The scene can feel far removed from its origins in the 1980s Black and queer clubs in Chicago, when dance floors served as refuges from a hostile and violent dominant culture. The rise of EDM festivals over the last 20 years has, in many ways, paralleled the gentrification of the scene.

Against this rising sea of corporate, private-equity-backed weirdness, Mowrer and his production family –disciples of high-fidelity bass music – are trying another route with the inaugural Hydrophonic, a “boutique electronic music and arts gathering.” The event includes profit-sharing for artists, minimal gatekeeping, diverse performers and sound systems unlike anything this region has seen. No strange middle school social dynamics at play, here. This, my friends, is visionary work unfolding right in our back yard. I’m pleased to introduce Mowrer to you. I hope you enjoy a snippet of our conversation, and as always, see you on the dance floor.

SS: My first question is always, “What brought you to Durango?”

CM: I was born and raised in Durango. I got into DJing here about 16 years ago. It was a limited scene then. I DJed at what used to be Ponga’s and at Moe’s for a while. But we weren’t allowed much creative freedom. It was mostly bar music and requests. So we started doing little outdoor parties up on Missionary Ridge. We took my parents’ home theater system and some broken lights from Spencer’s. There’d be ten of us around a fire playing music for each other.

SS: What did you call yourselves?

CM: At that time we were Summer

cool with us because we always cleaned up after other people. A few years later there were hundreds of cars parked up there, and he had to shut the whole thing down.

SS: And from there?

CM: We started doing stuff out by Navajo Lake and pitching stages to smaller festivals around the region. In 2017 we joined One Vibration Music Festival (in Hesperus) and threw a stage there. Things really took off then. The next year we got our sound system, the HSD, and started Unify Mountain

throwing events.

SS: Who was in that original Unify scene?

CM: Myself, Ryan Ehrig, Thomas Sitala and Austin Campbell. But it’s grown way beyond that now. It’s become a family thing. It blows my mind how many people believe in this and have contributed their time, energy, work and art. I just want people to be able to do the things they love more.

SS: What is it exactly that you’d say you do?

CM: First and foremost, I’m a sound

nerd. Audio is my biggest passion. From that, the inspiration has been to bring people together and let them do what they love with other people. I kind of see Unify as a verb. I just want to unify people.

SS: Tell us a about the Hennessey Sound Design (HSD) system.

CM: It’s boutique audio. It’s not built to compromise for touring or truck-pack friendly setups. It’s built around the science of what should sound good. Minimal distortion, clean sound and projecting music the way the artist intended.

SS: Which brings us to Hydrophonic Festival. What is it all about?

CM: Hydrophonic is a culmination of bringing together communities and individuals we’ve worked with through Unify and One Vibration and trying to create something new together.

Something that doesn’t fit the mold of commercial festivals where everything is micromanaged. Instead, let people come out and do their thing. Let them show their art and network with others.

SS: What can people expect when they show up?

CM: It’s grown far beyond what we thought it would be. There are workshops around music production, a whole stage for flow arts, multiple stages of impeccable audio and surprises around every corner. The idea is an allencompassing experience.

SS: What makes it unique?

CM: It’s community driven. Our goal was to include as many people who wanted to be included as possible. It wasn’t about whether they were at a certain level with their art or music. It was, do you want to do this? Are you putting in the love? That’s been the core of it: love and collaboration.

SS: Where would you like to see Hydrophonic go in 10 or 20 years?

CM: I’d like to see it grow enough to show people that a different model works. In this industry everything gets monetary fast. We wanted to try something different. If this can grow, I think it can show people there are other ways to build community and create together. ■

A ‘smoke alarm’ for the river

High-tech device gives wildlife managers a faster way to detect, contain aquatic invaders

by Scott Franz / KUNC –Colorado Public Radio

Invasive species are on the march in the Colorado River, threatening everything from endangered native fish to Palisade peaches. They lurk in hard-to-find places and can rapidly multiply, with one species of destructive mussel laying as many as 30,000 eggs at a time.

Finding and containing these cryptic species before they settle into a new area is critical. So scientists are deploying a new tool on the frontlines to find and contain the invaders: the environmental DNA autosampler. At first glance, the contraption looks like an unglamorous silver storage trunk with a hose coming out of it. It's hard to tell it's actually a sophisticated $29,595 robot.

The machine autonomously takes water samples to find microscopic traces of organic matter, like scales and skin cells, to determine if invasive species have been present in the water.

U.S. Geological Survey fish biologist Kimberley Dibble has recently been using the tech to search for invasive smallmouth bass in the Colorado River near Glen Canyon Dam. The predators are devouring native species like razorback suckers and humpback chub.

"It's a major step toward real-time bio surveillance of river systems that provides managers with continuous monitoring that would be impossible through traditional sampling," Dibble said of the eDNA autosampler.

Before the rise of eDNA technology, scientists were more reliant on labor-intensive methods like electrofishing to find the bass. "Efforts to get rid of an invasive species are very costly. It takes a lot of boots on the ground, lots of hands in the water to try to find fish that … haven't started increasing in population size yet," Dibble said.

Scientists say the eDNA autosampler has become a sort of smoke alarm for invasive species. If they're detected, they can alert wildlife managers. "They can sort of target their rapid response efforts around a specific area to help save time and money," Dibble said.

eDNA detection was born in Europe to find bullfrogs in the early 2000s. It was then deployed in the Great Lakes to locate invasive carp.

Adam Sepulveda is a research zoologist and one of Dibble's colleagues at the USGS. He's hoping to build a vast network of autonomous robots to scan western waterways. But the current $29,595 price tag for the commercially available units is an obstacle. Efforts are under way to test the device and eventually scale up the technology.

"We don't really have a kind of continuous spatial network … It's a little bit of piecemeal, but we're building up to a point, hopefully, where we do have 10s of samplers out in the environment," he said. "Right now, we probably, at any given time, have about three to five out, so we're still at the initial stages."

Trial runs are happening in some of the nation's most remote and sensitive ecosystems. Sepulveda said park rangers at Dinosaur National Monument in northwest Colorado recently set up an autosampler on the Green River to search for the invasive rusty crayfish. He added they were able to let the robot do its sampling work while the humans continued with a list of other duties, like counting birds and bighorn sheep.

"I've been focusing a lot of my efforts on these smaller parks, because the biologists often don't have the time or personnel to dedicate to highly intensive bio monitoring efforts," he said.

The eDNA autosampler is also joining a critical fight against the tiny zebra mussel, which has recently infested more than a hundred miles of the Colorado River, from the Utah border to the confluence with the Eagle River. Farmers worry the mussels could clog irrigation systems and spoil crops like the Palisade Peach. The

robot will soon be on the frontlines.

"What we're intending to do … is deploy it in one of the canal systems over there, in the Grand Junction area just to try to give us the highest probability of detecting something if and when it starts moving through," Robert Walters, the leader of Colorado's aquatic nuisance species program, said.

Walters said the state is also planning to use eDNA sampling in locations upstream of the current zebra mussel infestation. The technology is becoming further integrated into the invasive species rapid response program.

"The technology has been out there. It's just becoming more mainstream and accessible," he said. "We're trying to use all of the tools in the toolbox to better understand what's going on."

This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Colorado River, produced by KUNC in Colorado and supported by the Walton Family Foundation. KUNC is solely responsible for its editorial coverage. Colorado Public Radio is a member of the Mountain West News Bureau, a newsroom exploring the issues that define our region – from land and water to urban growth, culture and heritage. The bureau is a partnership with NPR and public media stations that also serve Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. ■

Stuff to Do

Thursday23

Edible Books book club, 3 p.m., Sunnyside Library, 75 CR 218

LPEA CommunityPowerX: Regional Energy Future Forum, 5:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Monthly Poetry Open Mic, 5:30 p.m. doors, The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F

Dart Tournament, 5:30-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.

Dr. Roh’s Voice Studio Recital, 6-8 p.m., FLC Roshong Recital Hall, Jones Building

Headwaters Drought Resilience Game Night, 6-8 p.m., The Powerhouse, 1333 Camino Del Rio

Voice Studio Recital, 6-8 p.m., FLC Roshong Recital Hall, Jones Building

Ben Gibson plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Bluegrass Jam, 6-9 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.

Open Mic Night, 6-9 p.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave.

Friday24

Veterans Friday Coffee, 8-10:30 a.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave.

Adaptive Sports Association Summer Volunteer Orientation, 12 noon-1 p.m., 463 Turner Drive, Ste. 105

Durango Wine Experience Friday Walkabout, 4-6:30 p.m., Main Avenue, Downtown Durango

Larry Carver & Friends play, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

“The Librarians” film screening, part of Rocky Mountain PBS Community Conversations Series, 5:308 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Lively Boutique’s Spring Fashion Show, 5:30-9 p.m., Henry Strater Theatre, 651 Main Ave.

Trivia Fridays, 6-8:30 p.m., Durango Beer & Ice Co, 3000 Main Ave.

Dustin Burley plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

“Into the Woods” presented by Merely Players, 79:30 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr

Saturday25

Spring Birds Outing, 9 a.m.-12 noon, Durango

Nature Center, 63 CR 310

Durango Vinyl Record Show, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds

Durango Devo Bike Swap, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Chapman Hill, 800 Florida Rd.

“Happy Brain, Happy Child: Limiting Beliefs,” 10-11 a.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

National Drug Take Back Day, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Durango Police Station Alley, 990 E. 2nd Ave. and 545 Wilson Gulch Dr.

Under One Moon, a youth-organized arts festival featuring performances and bands, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Tico Time Resort, Aztec

Sketchasaurus Rex! performed by ventriloquist Meghan Casey, 11 a.m.-12 noon, Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

“150 Years of Colorado’s Federal Public Lands” with Dr. Andrew Gulliford, 1-2 p.m., Animas Museum, 3065 W. 2nd Ave.

“Sh*tshow” yard sale, live music, open bar and more, 2-7 p.m., The Subterrain & Durango Winery, 900 Main Ave., Stes. E & F

Durango Wine Experience Grand Tasting, 3-6 p.m., Buckley Park

Marvel Grange Luau, 6-8 p.m., 217 CR 133A

Ross Douglas plays, 6-8 p.m., EsoTerra Arboretum, 270 CR 303

Adam Swanson Ragtime plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Matt Rupnow plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Karaoke with Kimmy, 6-9 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.

Stand Up Comedy: Gary Simons (The Comedy Cellar, Hollywood Improv), doors 6:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Felix Cartal with Baby Del & Spark Madden, doors 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

“Into the Woods,” presented by Merely Players, 7-9:30 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.

Irish Jam, 12 noon-3 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.

Roller Derby Skate Clinic, 2-4 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds

Matt Lewis plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Blue Moon Ramblers play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

“Into the Woods,” presented by Merely Players, 7-9:30 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.

Monday27

Sign Waving peaceful gathering, 4 p.m., corners of Camino del Rio and College Dr.

Death Café, 4-5:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave., Ste. 109 or online at www.durangodharmacenter.org

Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Terry Rickard plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Joel Racheff plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Tuesday28

Adaptive Sports Association Summer Volunteer Orientation, 12 noon-1 p.m., 463 Turner Dr., Ste. 105

Cowboy Tuesdays, 12 noon-3 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Suicide Prevention Summit, 4:30-8:30 p.m., FLC Ballroom

Engage Durango Forum “Recycling, Composting and Water Conservation,” 5-6:30 p.m., Durango Community Recreation Center

“The Search,” 5:30-7 p.m., St. Columba Parish Center, 1800 E. 2nd Ave.

Rotary Club of Durango, former U.S. Rep. Mary Bono speaks, 6-7 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave.

Sunday26

Veterans Benefit Breakfast, 9-11 a.m., VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave.

Under One Moon, a youth-organized arts festival featuring performances and bands, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Tico Time Resort, Aztec

Tuesday Trivia, 6-8:30 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Open Mic Poetry, 6-9 p.m., American Legion Hall, 878 E. 2nd Ave.

Jason Thies plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

AskRachel Twist ties, e-sigs and curb enthusiasm

Interesting fact: An X is a legally binding signature, though it is harder to prove in court without witnesses. Sucks, of course, if your name is actually X.

Dear Rachel,

As I talked to the bread man at City Market, he told me he delivers 7,000 loafs of bread a week to City Market and Albertsons in Durango. Wow. So, what are we to do with the twistys and clips? We recycle TVs, cans, glass … so your thoughts on a recycle day for twistys and clips, metal and plastic, a recycle plan for Durango. Lots of fun.

– Twistin’ the Night Away

Dear Twisted Sister,

I imagine that pieces as small as twist-ties and bread clips aren’t actually recyclable. They probably just gum up the works. But we can still lean into repurposing them! I don’t know how, exactly. I’ve moved a drawer full of twist ties through seven apartments now. But this is Durango! If anyone can make a piece of public art out of found bread-bag closures, art that will be subsequently vandalized in both good faith and bad, it is this town.

– Sealed tight, Rachel

Randy Crumbaugh plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Barbershop Tryouts, every Tues., 6:30 p.m., Christ the King Church, 495 Florida Rd.

Open Mic Poetry & Tea, 7-8 p.m., Old Barrel Tea Co, 680 Main Ave., B

Kelly Willis “What I Deserve” Anniversary Tour, 7:30 p.m., Community Concert Hall at FLC

Wednesday29

Weekly Bird Walks with the Durango Bird Club, 89:30 a.m., Botanical Gardens at Durango Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

“Bigs & Beyond” Big Brothers Big Sisters Gala, 5:158 p.m., Riverbend Ranch, 27846 HWY 550

Donny Johnson plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Summer Stargazing, presented by Durango Parks and Rec., 8-10:30 p.m., Lake Nighthorse entrance

Ongoing

Dementia/Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group, 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of each month, 10:30

Dear Rachel,

How the heck is an e-signature a valid legally binding process? For some things you have to go pay someone $3 to watch you sign a document with a photo ID. Others, you could have literally anyone pick up your phone, type in your name and voila, you’ve just… bought a house? Signed a will? We talk about how bad e-cigs are, but e-sigs are the real sketchy deal. Unless you can explain it?

– John Hancocked

Dear X on the Line,

You tell me how it is any more sensical for an ape to take a little stick filled with a dark liquid, scribble some abstract symbols rendered even more abstractly on a flat piece of processed dead trees and then be societally bound to whatever the other apes agree that the other abstract symbols on the dead tree represent. It’s all bananas. Make any of it make sense for me, please! Because I put my name after a lot of nonsense that I sure hope is not binding in any way.

– Name (printed), X

Dear Rachel,

I’m truly amazed: if you put something at the curb, it will find a home. I really don’t understand where all this stuff goes. I know, landfills, but still, doesn’t it seem like

a.m.-12 noon, La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

“Still Coloring Outside the Lines,” group exhibition featuring artists Elizabeth Gallagher, Corrine Nichols and Lauri Schell, thru April, Dancing Spirit Center for the Arts, 465 Goddard Ave., Ignacio

“Beauty or Bondage: Exploring Feminism,” art exhibition, April 10-May 9, Durango Art Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Jesse Littlebird and Chris Pappan, contemporary Indigenous art, thru April 24, Blue Rain Gallery, 934 Main Ave., Unit B

Upcoming

The One and Only Jon Ham plays, Thurs., April 30, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St

Durango Green Drinks, Thurs, April 30, 5-7 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Powerhouse Trivia Night, Thurs., April, 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Powerhouse, 1333 Camino Del Rio

iAM Music Fest Pre-Party, Thurs., April 30, 7:30 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave., #207

2026 iAM Music Fest, April 30-May 3, downtown Durango

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

everyone’s house ought to be bursting at the seams for all the stuff that gets picked up and disappeared from curbs across America?

– Into Thin Air

Dear Poof,

I have no idea where it all goes. It probably just erodes. One piece at a time, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, microplastics to our bloodstreams. It has to go somewhere, at least until jettisoning our trash into space becomes more feasible. We need a revolution, and we’re starting one. Just sign here – e-sigs are fine – and we’ll turn all your excess junk into twist-ties and bread bag clips. We promise.

– To the curb, Rachel

National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day Puppy Adoption Event, Fri., May 1, 12 noon-2 p.m., Durango Motor Co., 1200 Carbon Junction

Durango First Friday, Fri., May 1, 4-7 p.m., various locations, Durango

Leah Orlikowski plays for First Friday on the patio, Fri., May 1, 5-8 p.m., April’s Garden, 1259 Main Ave.

“The Turning Wheel,” oil pastels by Susan Clark, opening reception, Fri., May 1, 5-8 p.m., Earthen Vessel Gallery, 934 Main Ave.

Artist Showcase with Zyon Frauen, Fri., May 1, 58 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F

Mother’s Day Jewelry Event, Fri., May 1, 5:30-7 p.m., The ArtRoom Collective, 1309 E 3rd Ave.

Roaring ’20s Party, 6-9 p.m., Fri., May 1, Serafina’s Steakhouse, 144 E. 9th St.

Dandelion Festival, Sat., May 2, 1-7 p.m., Rotary Park

“Take a Bow,” Music in the Mountains Student Concert, Sat., May 2, 4 p.m., FLC Roshong Recital Hall

Carute Roma plays, Sat., May 2, 6-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3063 Main Ave.

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The visible lightning bolt we see is actually the return stroke. It’s electricity racing back up from the ground to the cloud after an invisible leader stroke has created a path. So the spectacular display is actually the earth talking back to the sky. I’d love to see you adopt this phenomenon as your power symbol, Aries. In every way you can imagine, be like the earth conversing with the sky. When a hopeful sign crackles overhead, send out a bold message that you’re ready to act on it. If your ideals are vague and wispy, flying high above you, take a brave practical step to anchor them in reality. Proclaim your bright intentions to the clouds and the stars.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You’re finished with energy-draining indulgences. No more seductive perils or cute ailments, either. Once you wriggle free from the tangles that have been hobbling your style, I suspect you will also renounce anything that resembles joyless restraint, naive certainties, pointless cravings, numbing comforts or misplaced bravery. May it be so! Abracadabra! The emancipations that materialize after these escapes will likely stoke your holy appetite to shine more fiercely than it has in ages.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In music theory, the tritone is an interval exactly halfway between octaves. In old church music, it was considered diabolical because of its unstable, unresolved quality. But this “devil interval” is now essential to blues, jazz and rock. The precariousness that once made it seem outrageous became the source of its potency. What was taboo became foundational. I believe you’re entering into a metaphorical tritone phase, Gemini. Lots of interesting and valuable stuff may be a bit wobbly, irregular, hectic or ruffled.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A treasure you have long yearned for has morphed since the day you first set out to claim it. Either it has genuinely altered its shape and flavor, or it has remained exactly what it always was while you have changed. In either case, the relationship between you and this prize is no longer the same. Its meaning and value have shifted. The strategies you’ve been using to pursue it aren’t entirely relevant. So I suggest you pause and reconsider. Decide whether you need to formulate a revised approach or identify a different version of the treasure altogether.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): My radical predictions: You will soon discern truths that have been hidden and unravel mysteries that have resisted your understanding. A limiting belief that has dulled your mind will fade away, and a so-called ally who has confused your sense of self will drift out of your orbit. And that’s just part of the renewal ahead. I foresee that you will emerge from a weird emotional haze, regaining access to feelings you’ve needed to highlight. And with that awakening, you will be blessed with beautiful realizations that until now have lingered just beyond definition.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In theater, “blocking” refers to the carefully choreographed movement of actors on stage. Every step is intentional to create meaning and flow. But if an actor forgets the blocking and moves spontaneously, sometimes the scene becomes more alive. Let’s apply this idea to your life. It may be that you have been following the blocking carefully. But now you’ve been authorized to forget the blocking. You can respond to what’s really happening instead of what’s scripted. I invite you to speak from your heart rather than parroting what’s expected of you. Yes, you might mess up. But on the other hand, you might make it extra real and vibrant.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the future, I envision the prizes that truly matter won’t be wealth or the impressive names on our contact list. They won’t be the clever deals we’ve made or the attractiveness of those who walk beside us. What will count most is our ability to transform our messy, selfish, frightened parts into strengths. Each of us carries a share of that leaden dross, but some of us are more tirelessly ingenious in our efforts to transmute it into gold. And the coming weeks will be prime time for you, Libra, to make dynamic progress in harnessing this magic.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Is it possible there’s something you really need but you don’t know what it is? Sometimes the soul sends up subtle hints long before it sends clear demands: a vague restlessness, a mysterious sadness or a boredom that doesn’t match your circumstances. These are often clues that an unnamed or unacknowledged need is summoning your attention. My advice to you: PAY ATTENTION! Ask your deep, sweet, sensitive self to provide unambiguous clues. To expedite the process, say the following sentence out loud, filling in the blank at the end: “I suspect I might be starving for ________.”

We’ We’ve got you co covered ed fo for April pril showers an and May ay flowers!

Tons of items for grads, prom and mom in both stores

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You have arrived at the Glorious Grunting Season. I hope you’re poised to sweat freely and trust the intelligence of strenuous physical effort. Your wise body, more than your fine mind, can best align you with cosmic rhythms. Whenever you throw yourself into work or play that makes you grunt – scrubbing, digging, lifting, dancing, making love – you will harmonize with the deeper pulse of life. You will invigorate instinctual vitality as you clear emotional sediment. You will metabolize frustration into focus, inertia into momentum.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): What might motivate you to become an extraordinary lover? I’m not suggesting that your romantic and erotic talents are lacking, only that there is delightful room to grow. And the coming weeks will be prime time for you to have fun with this noble experiment. I suggest you follow the clues that life and intuition will drop in your path. Keep this in mind, too: What makes a person a superb lover has little to do with sheer technique but is mostly due to emotional intelligence, imaginative responsiveness and tender ingenuity.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): This horoscope isn’t composed by me. It’s coming from you. I’m channeling it straight out of your mind, because your ego has been so swept up in the constant swirl of tasks and distractions that it has been tuning out crucial communications from your small voice. And now that precious Spirit Whisperer has conscripted me. Here’s what it wants to say: “Hey you! Remember me? Your inner guide? Also known as your higher self and the voice of your soul? You urgently need to turn your attention back in my direction. I have a backlog of messages for you, starting with how we can and should intensify our devotion to creative self-care.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In 1967, Piscean biologist Lynn Margulis proposed a revolutionary idea about evolution: that many great leaps occurred through symbiosis. She theorized that distinct organisms have sometimes merged their identities to form new beings. One example is the mitochondrion, the powerhouse within our cells. It began as a freeliving bacterium that later entered into partnership with the ancestral cell. Margulis’ formerly controversial idea is now mainstream science. (She was called “science’s unruly earth mother.”) With this as our guide, let’s contemplate what elements of your life might merge into unprecedented blends.

Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon.

Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $10 minimum.

Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check. (Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

Ads can be submitted by emailing: classifieds@ durangotelegraph.com

Announcements

White Rabbit Spring Book Sale 5/2, 11–4 (5/3 if rain), 128 W. 14th St., White Rabbit Garden. Lots of great books – take what you need, pay what you want! Tell your friends!

Ready to make a difference close to home? The University of Denver GSSW Four Corners Program is now accepting applications for the 2026–28 MSW cohort! Classes meet Fridays in Durango, so you can keep working while earning your MSW. Learn more at du.edu/social work/fourcorners. Change your community. Change your future. Start with DU!

PublicNotices

Notice of Public Sale to enforce self-service storage facility lien. “Personal Property,” stored at Unit B15 of The Animas Mini Storage at 20995 Highway 160, Durango, CO 81301, described as: Skis, propane tanks, chop saw, boxes/bins/bags of misc., which are stored under a Rental Agreement between The Animas Mini Storage and Nathan Pease, will be sold to the highest cash bidder unless all rents and fees are paid in full prior to the auction. Date and time of sale: April 25, 2026, at 9:30 AM. Terms of sale: cash. Place of sale: The Animas Mini Storage, 20995 Highway 160, Durango, CO. All bidders must present a valid stateissued picture ID to place bids.

HelpWanted

Animas Chocolate Dishwasher/kitchen support - Tuesday - Saturday, 4pm-9pm. Bring resume to 920 Main Ave. or email retail@animas chocolatecompany.com

Comfortable with Heights?

Handy with tools? Ready to save the planet – one roof at a time? Installers needed now – Apply today! 970-382-2624 solarworks.marcy@gmail.com

Mill Street Bistro

is looking to hire a line cook. Full or part time, pay negotiable. Send resume to: millstreetbistro@gmail.com or stop in for an interview: 135 W. Mill St., Bayfield.

Wanted

Copier Repair

Looking for someone who can repair a Ricoh copier: 970-799-2873

Classes/Workshops

Kids Yoga Camp

June 22–26 | 9 AM–3 PM | Elementaryaged kids | A fun + enriching experience! Movement • Mindfulness • Outdoor adventure • Art • Storytelling Anuyoga school.com | 585-613-1981

Cool Under Fire

A workshop (for ages 8-80) treating burnout from stress & anxiety. Learn how to feel centered and keep calm despite daily dumpster fires. VFW 5:30-7:30pm on 5.15.26. Info and tickets online: durangoaikido.com

ForSale

Vintage 1977 Airstream Land Yacht

$15k 970-759-0551

Reruns Home Furnishings

Furniture, mirrors, lamps, cool artwork and more! Looking to consign smaller pieces. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat.

Services

Electric Repair

Roof, gutter cleaning, fence, floors, walls, flood damage, mold, heating service.

Boiler Service - Water Heater

Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917

Child Guidance-Storybook Gardens 970-403-3347

BodyWork

Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.

HaikuMovieReview

‘Balls Up’

Mostly terrible but worth watching to see Mark Wahlberg eat a dick – Lainie Maxson

CommunityService

Durango Autumn Arts Festival presented by the Durango Arts Center is accepting applications. The fine arts and crafts juried show takes place Sept. 19-20, 2026, and serves as the DAC’s signature fundraising event. Application deadline is May 1, and there is a $50 nonrefundable application fee. Forms are available at www.durangoarts.org.

Dog Fosters Needed

Parker’s Animal Rescue needs fosters to provide temporary homes for rescued dogs. We supply crates, food, leashes, toys, support and vet visits. Apply at: parkersanimalrescue.com.

SW Community Justice Coalition

Support restorative justice in Southwest Colorado. Learn more at southwestjus tice.org or southwestjustice.org.

by thousands of discerning eyeballs every week. (*And a few that just look at the pictures.)