The Roundup | A date circled on the calendar

Local journalist Kaya Williams had June 9 circled on her calendar, as the date that the pending sale of the 3,739-acre St Benedict’s Monastery property in Old Snowmass was scheduled to close. But as she reported this week in collaboration with Josie Taris of Aspen Daily News, the deal, which we first reported this spring, on the $150 million listing has unraveled, placing the future of one of the watershed’s most critical puzzle pieces back into uncertainty. For decades, Trappist monks have cared for this land, and as they continue their quiet spiritual practice, the community around them is grappling with what might come next, as Williams reported in a illuminating feature last fall. Will the land be conserved? Developed? Or something in between? An unknown final chapter rides on a future buyer, sellers who ultimately have to answer to the Vatican, and the values we hold as a region.

Also from our recent reporting, Water Desk Editor Heather Sackett tracked the latest movement on the city of Aspen’s long-term plans for its future water supply. For the first time since a landmark agreement in 2019 where the city backed off conditional water rights it had been sitting on since the 1960s to someday develop reservoirs on upper Castle and Maroon creeks, its lawyers were back in water court late last month with a formal request to move a portion of the water rights it gave up along the headwaters creeks to one of a handful of potential sites elsewhere in Pitkin County. The latest twist in the high-stakes, long-running saga involves city officials seeking to add five additional potential sites to the five that it has already signaled it would include — with three of those on land not controlled by the city in the drainages of Brush and Snowmass creeks. But owing in part to the filing deadline and a requirement that parties that opposed the city’s previous plans for the Maroon and Castle reservoirs sign off on new potential landing sites for the water rights, the change application left them off.  

And from the multimedia social justice desk collaboration with Aspen Public Radio, Eleanor Bennett reports on a rise in fraudulent schemes targeting the Roaring Fork Valley’s immigrant communities. Our latest coverage documents how scammers exploit fear and uncertainty hanging over just about anyone who interfaces with the federal immigration system. Local attorneys are sounding the alarm, calling for awareness, education, and accountability, while the Mexican consulate in Denver warns of what officials are calling the unethical practice of selling free appointments for temporary or permanent residency visas. Attorneys urge using official .gov channels, verifying credentials, and reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement. 

Each of these stories, capturing the delicate balance between change, preservation, and protection in our community, reflects the mission of Aspen Journalism: to provide thoughtful, thorough, and independent reporting on the issues that shape life in the upper valley. Thank you for reading, for sharing, and for supporting our nonprofit newsroom.

— Curtis Wackerle
Editor and Executive Director
Aspen Journalism

On prospective closing day, St. Benedict’s Monastery returns to market

St. Benedict’s Monastery — a 3,739-acre Trappist property in Old Snowmass — returned to the market Monday after a potential buyer terminated a pending contract for the land that has been listed for $150 million. The future of the land has been under question since higher-ups in the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, which includes about 150 Trappist monasteries and nunneries around the world, decided to wind down its use of the facility due to a declining monastic population. The land, stewarded by monks since the 1950s, includes a green-brick chapel, cloisters, retreat center, grazing fields, and substantial water rights. Zoned to potentially allow over 100 dwellings, actual development would require lengthy land-use approvals. Conservation advocates — especially the “Friends of the Monastery”— have long sought a binding conservation easement, though church officials have maintained that future conservation hinges on the wishes of a new buyer. Meanwhile, a small number of monks remain, continuing daily services and observing the monastery’s spiritual cadence amid growing local concern and hope for preservation.

City of Aspen revives plans to build reservoirs to store water from Castle and Maroon creek

The city of Aspen has reaffirmed its plan to develop reservoirs to capture water from Castle and Maroon creeks, filing two key applications in water court on May  30: one diligence application detailing the actions Aspen has taken toward developing the rights over the past six years, the other seeking approval to relocate water storage to five potential sites, from originally decreed locations along the upper reaches of Castle and Maroon creeks. Five potential locations have been identified — including parcels like a mesa in Woody Creek and the nearby Vagneur Gravel Quarry, and subsurface options under the municipal golf course, Cozy Point Ranch, and Zoline Open Space. Additional sites proposed in March didn’t make the May deadline due to incomplete stakeholder approvals. Aspen officials emphasize balancing feasibility, low environmental impact, and future water resiliency. Opponents have until 60 days after filing to lodge objections.

Local attorneys warn of scams targeting immigrants

Immigration attorneys across the Roaring Fork Valley are raising alarm over a rise in scams targeting immigrants. Glenwood Springs lawyers Jennifer Smith and Claire Noone report victims are often extorted by individuals posing as lawyers, USCIS agents, or even consular officials, who demand thousands for fake visas, green cards, or to avoid deportation. Scams have grown more sophisticated, including fraudulent Zoom “interviews” with phony judges. Attorneys urge individuals to verify credentials via the Colorado Attorney Regulation Counsel, use official “.gov” channels, and proceed cautiously when pressured to send money. They also encourage reporting scams to the Colorado attorney general or FBI. Some victims may qualify for U‑visa protections if extortion constitutes a reportable crime. As scammers evolve, legal advocates stress education as a critical defense.

Thank you, as always, for reading and supporting the valley’s only nonprofit, investigative news origination.

– Curtis Wackerle
Editor and Executive Director
Aspen Journalism

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