“I’m attracted to people living in ways my friends don’t know about or understand,” Conover said. “Aspen is a bit of an exception to that rule, but it is an extremity, so I was attracted to Aspen for the same reason.”
Author Archives: Curtis Wackerle
Curtis Wackerle is the editor and executive director of Aspen Journalism and the editor and reporter on the Connie Harvey Environment Desk. Curtis has also served as editor, managing editor, and reporter at the Aspen Daily News, where he covered Aspen’s city hall. He has a journalism degree from the University of Montana.
Posted inLand Use
Lift One Corridor hotel developers say they are working together
How well-coordinated the construction sequencing would be between the new developer and the neighboring Lift One Lodge has been an open question. But the parties say they have made significant progress since September.
Posted inEnvironment
Parking reservations, not permit system, eyed as solution to Marble’s OHV woes
A stakeholder group has been working to formulate “consensus-based recommendations” on management strategies that have a high probability of getting the support needed from government agencies to be enacted.
Posted inEnvironment
An ‘ambassador’ for the larger conservation mission
Much of what a land trust does happens “on the other side of the fence,” working with landowners to prevent development on private property. “This is an opportunity to bring people in.”
Posted inEnvironment
Sound — or the lack thereof — speaks volumes to local filmmaker, author and photographer
Although humans are accustomed to thinking about land uses altered or pollution choking the atmosphere, more attention ought to be paid to sounds we produce, and the natural sound patterns we alter.
Posted inEnvironment
More intense backside land use a sticking point for Pandora’s
SkiCo officials have taken the position that broader character and use concerns on the backside should not hinder the review of their ski area proposal. County planning staffers disagree.
Posted inEnvironment
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness overnight overuse continues to increase
Total overnight visitors accessing the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness via the 10 most popular trailheads reached a new record in 2020, with 18,324 entering the backcountry to camp, according to data collected by the Forest Service.
Posted inEnvironment
Parking is a choke point in Marble’s motorized-use conundrum
There is no designated parking near the Lead King Loop trailhead for the trucks and trailers needed to haul the machines. Many in Marble feel this has put the squeeze on their town, population 140, which has limited resources and infrastructure to handle the influx.
Posted inEnvironment
Environmental analysis puts Marble wetlands donation within reach
This spring, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) completed its analysis of the site and determined that contaminant levels in the material are within the range considered to be non-threatening to human health for a day-use recreation site.
Posted inEnvironment
OHV authorization will continue near Marble, but clock is ticking
While the commissioners did not enact a de facto moratorium on OHV, ATV and UTV traffic on the county road leading to the Lead King Loop, the discovery of a language error in a county resolution served to elevate the issue.