Happy Halloween! Can you imagine how frightening it would be to live in a world without local, independent, in-depth journalism? Let’s be sure that spooky story never happens! Tomorrow, November 1, we launch our end-of-year campaign with the goal to raise $190,000 by December 31. It’s an ambitious goal, but it is one that allows us to sustain the expansion of our newsroom and continue supporting the communities along the Roaring Fork watershed with impactful journalism that isn’t produced elsewhere. By making your gift tomorrow through Dec. 31, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar to keep Aspen Journalism going strong! Thank you for your support!
This edition of The Roundup showcases five stories that are shining examples of the long-term, in-depth, impactful, dedicated journalism produced by this newsroom, covering one of the more productive two-week periods in recent memory.
Independence Pass to Crystal Valley
From our Water Desk, Sackett reports on two working groups established to protect local rivers, but in very different ways. The Lincoln Creek workgroup received eight potential options for addressing metals contaminations plaguing the critical headwaters creek. On the other side of the Roaring Fork basin up the Crystal Valley, the steering committee working on Crystal River protections heard from their three subcommittees, each focused on evaluating a different method of river protection: a peaking instream flow; an intergovernmental agreement; and a federal Wild & Scenic designation. The group has options, but is still gathering information and seeking agreement on what an ideal outcome would be.
3-Mile residents continue pursuit of ownership
On the Social Justice Desk, in our new collaboration with Aspen Public Radio, Eleanor Bennett follows up on the effort of residents of the 3-Mile Mobile Home Park in Glenwood Springs to take over ownership of their park from local social-justice nonprofit MANAUS and its subsidiary organization the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation (Roaring Fork CDC), which bought the park from its longtime private owners with the intent of transferring ownership to the park’s residents. When the story ran, the residents were preparing to go before Garfield County commissioners to ask them to opt-in to receive special state housing funds through Proposition 123 before a Nov. 1 deadline. After our story, the commissioners voted unanimously in favor of opting in.
Water testing a start for Apple Tree residents
Downstream just a bit, Apple Tree mobile home park residents were among the first to have their water tested under a new state program to monitor the safety of drinking water at the roughly 750 mobile home parks in Colorado. The residents helped spur the legislation after raising concerns about their tap water drawn from nearby wells. The results showed elevated levels of heavy metals, but they will have to wait for fixes beyond the 35-cents-per-gallon filtered water being sold at the park and the frequent flushing of the water system.
Watershed-wide approach to biodiversity and recreation
For the Connie Harvey Environment Desk, Elizabeth Stewart Severy checked in on the three-year-old Roaring Fork Outdoor Coalition, which is looking for a watershed-wide approach and expert and community involvement to balance biodiversity and human footprint. The story, and the effort it covers, reflects how recreation and conservation are both at the heart of Roaring Fork Valley community values, and are simultaneously in tension and deeply reliant on each other.
Thank you for taking in this news digest covering some of our community’s most compelling stories. And thank you for supporting our nonprofit newsroom (tomorrow!) as we look to build empathy, understanding and accountability in the communities we serve.
– Curtis Wackerle
Editor and Executive Director
Aspen Journalism
Groups continue working on Crystal River protections
Three subcommittees exploring various methods; questions multiply on Wild & Scenic designation
By Heather Sackett | October 29, 2024
Lincoln Creek workgroup has decisions to make
Consultant says there are options for addressing contamination
By Heather Sackett | October 18, 2024
Mobile home park water-quality testing program gets underway, but residents will have to wait for fixes
New Castle’s Apple Tree park among the first communities tested
By Eleanor Bennett | October 27, 2024
Mobile home park residents to ask Garfield County to opt-in to state funds for affordable housing
3-Mile property seeking funds to convert to resident ownership
By Eleanor Bennett | October 18, 2024
Agencies from Pitkin County to Glenwood Springs are collaborating on a regional recreation, conservation planning effort
Watershedwide approach looks to balance biodiversity and human footprint
By Elizabeth Stewart-Severy | October 21, 2024
The Roundup | Midvalley’s aging demographics and a new ownership opportunity in Glenwood Springs
October 16, 2024
Two new stories from Aspen Journalism shedding light on the Greater Roaring Fork Region’s socioeconomic conditions, including Eleanor Bennett’s first piece.
The Roundup | Water myths busted, tribal water trials
October 9, 2024
Tribes still struggle to get compensated for water, and five newsrooms debunk myths including is the threat of ‘use it or lose it’ real?
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