On the loose
Driving south along the Oregon coast is a journey through natural wonders that adorn calendars and offer spectacular vistas of a rugged coastline where waves crash and send fountains of sea spray into the cool, moist air.
An old motel in Parachute is being turned into workforce apartments as cost of housing rises
Although housing costs are still lower in Parachute and neighboring Battlement Mesa than much of the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, the average price of a single-family home has more than doubled over the past decade.
St. BENEDICT’S MONASTERY SALE
St. Benedict’s Monastery sale a pivot point for land stewardship and cultural heritage
This week, the sale of St. Benedict’s Monastery — where for nearly 70 years Trappist monks had been living lives of work and prayer, caring for their 3,700 acres of the Capitol Creek Valley while welcoming the community for religious services and spiritual renewal — made national news. Kaya Williams, an Aspen Journalism freelancer…
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St. Benedict’s Monastery sells for $120 million
St. Benedict’s Monastery announces last Mass Jan. 11
‘Say a prayer that all this comes to a happy conclusion’
States repeat talking points with little progress on deal as Colorado River crisis deepens
December water forecast a sobering backdrop to Colorado River conference
Real time snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin
Snowpack hasn’t been this low since December 1999 As of Dec. 29, snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin is at 3.4 inches of snow water equivalent (SWE) or 53% of normal. Last year, snowpack held 6.7 inches of snow water equivalent in the Roaring Fork basin. Snowpack has never been this low at this point…
MORE RECENT Stories from the CONNIE HARVEY ENVIRONMENT desk >>
Transportation coalition seeks consensus on high-occupancy toll, congestion-pricing recommendations
Private ski area proposal near Steamboat divides community
Snowmass Village’s wilderness water source poses unique wildfire risk
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Public Lands series by Paul ANdersen >>
On the loose
Driving south along the Oregon coast is a journey through natural wonders that adorn calendars and offer spectacular vistas of a rugged coastline where waves crash and send fountains of sea spray into the cool, moist air.
Cutting up the commons
As generous and readily available as local land grants were, the Roaring Fork Valley was small potatoes compared with enormous public land grants that mark vast Western landscapes today and could foreshadow a similar trend if the political powers that be in Washington take on the directives and intentions of the current Trump administration.
Common ground: Protecting our public lands
Citizen involvement amplified the call to protect national assets and save something for the future. A campaign to win hearts and minds for preserving the inspiring vistas was beginning to sensitize America to the natural treasures of which it had taken possession.
Becoming the White River National Forest
The story of the WRNF is therefore a weave of time and place, and of a people for whom the forest is both an economic lifeblood and a battleground for conservation and preservation.
THE BILLIONAIRES OF ASPEN
The Aspen 80
There have never been more billionaires in the world—3,028, by Forbes’ count, crossing the 3,000 threshold for the first time in 2025. It stands to reason that there also have never been more billionaires in Aspen, their collective influence shaping the community’s social fabric.
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MORE RECENT Stories from the SOCIal justice desk >>
Politicized issues, out-of-state funds and partisan support divide RFSD board race
Despite being a nonpartisan race where candidates’ party labels are not displayed on the ballot, the candidates have expressed opposing views on politicized issues such as a rise in school shootings, declining enrollment, and the merits of DEI and anti-racism policies and gender-inclusive sex education.
New data confirms rising immigration arrests, and a changing profile of who gets detained
As the Trump administration carries out its promise to ramp up Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, recently released data confirms that a growing number of people have been arrested in Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties.
Boom in private clubs highlights tensions between belonging and exclusion
Club spaces can get “demonized,” because of their very nature: The same thing that gives one person a sense of belonging points out to another that they don’t belong.
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NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL
Nuevos datos confirman el aumento de las detenciones de inmigrantes y un cambio en el perfil de las personas detenidas
La comunidad se moviliza para la “Semana de la Conservación Latina” a pesar de las preocupaciones por las medidas contra la inmigració
Se inaugura una nueva residencia asequible para personas mayores en una región que se enfrenta al envejecimiento de la población y al aumento de los costes
Parques de casas móviles bajo contrato para propiedad de residentes
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MORE RECENT Stories from the water desk >>
Conservation studies’ findings have lessons for water managers
But as climate change continues to fuel shortages, makes a mockery of century-old agreements and pushes Colorado River management into crisis mode, the Upper Basin can no longer avoid scrutiny about how it uses water.
State ramps up water measurement on Western Slope
The push for more-accurate measurement comes at a time when there is increasing competition for dwindling water supplies, as well as growing pressure on the Colorado River’s Upper Basin states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) to conserve water.
State water board votes yes on Shoshone
The CWCB’s decision was a blow to Front Range water providers, who objected to the River District’s having a say over how to manage the water rights, even though they supported the overall goal of protecting flows for the environment.
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FEATURED SERIES: The SECOND COMING OF ALBERT SCHWEITZER
Better ideas wrestle a brave new world
APSPA: From corporate burr to community asset
Masterminds mull in the mountains
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