An unusually wet period during the 1870s mistakenly led settlers to embrace the belief that “rain follows the plow”…
Category: Opinion/Letters
OPINION: Walking Back America’s Environmental Protections
At the federal level, the environmental protection community has occasionally fought back successfully against the anti-science, pro-industry agenda…
EDITORIAL: The Mysteries of Water Demand and Public Finance, Part Four
Earlier this week, I snapped a photo from the Highway 160 bridge over the West Fork of the San Juan River…
OPINION: New ICE Detention Center Poses Critical Test for Colorado
“We have seen a complete failure by the Trump Administration in operating ICE detention centers with any decency, accountability or transparency,..”
EDITORIAL: The Mysteries of Water Demand and Public Finance, Part Three
A few intelligent and thoughtful people would still like to see a large water reservoir built on the Running Iron Ranch…
EDITORIAL: The Mysteries of Water Demand and Public Finance, Part Two
SJWCD already has a few “water demand studies” in its files. Do they show a “need for more water in the future”?
EDITORIAL: The Mysteries of Water Demand and Public Finance, Part One
Public financing for public projects and much-needed maintenance of public infrastructure has been in the Pagosa Springs news lately…
EDITORIAL: Can Archuleta County Save Itself? Part Nine
Some cities and towns have embraced ADUs as a significant tool for addressing the lack of affordable housing for workers and retirees…
EDITORIAL: Can Archuleta County Save Itself? Part Eight
The Town Council decided instead to engage a Texas company called Servitas to build up to 64 units of rather small (and rather expensive?) apartment units…
OPINION: Will U.S. States Reclaim Their Constitutional Rights?
“The states know what the potential dangers are,” Whitman said, “and they’re getting better prepared…”
EDITORIAL: Can Archuleta County Save Itself? Part Seven
We have no idea how the decision was made, and what factors were considered, and who was consulted for advice… Most definitely, the taxpayers were not consulted…
INTEL FROM THE IVORY TOWER: Hyper-Partisan Voters, Making Hyper-Bad Choices
I look at the toxic environment that produces these types of candidates that are actually “attractive” to some voters…
EDITORIAL: Can Archuleta County Save Itself? Part Six
All we really know is, that seven Council members felt confident entering into an auction for properties that the owners have walked away from…
OPINION: Don’t Read Too Much into Election Results
Politicians obviously have an incentive to claim a “mandate” for governing…
EDITORIAL: Can Archuleta County Save Itself? Part Five
As noted previously, very few members of the public had attended this special meeting. But two local citizens did step up to the microphone during public comment…
OPINION: Forest Service ‘Fuels Reduction’ is Forestry Malpractice
This op-ed by Brian Moench appeared on Colorado Newsline on July 3, 2026. Much of the West’s perennial wildfire plague is due to human stupidity. READ MORE
OPINION: Wild Horses and Media Missteps
For more than a decade, William Simpson has lived immersed in the world of America’s free-roaming wild horses at our ranch in the Siskiyou Mountains, READ MORE
OPINION: Reflecting on Our Agrarian Roots on America’s 250th Birthday
The Trump administration announced July 1 it will not renew USMCA in its current form, triggering the agreement’s annual review process…
EDITORIAL: Can Archuleta County Save Itself? Part Four
Back in 2022, the Pagosa Springs Planning Department was searching for new ideas for solving the housing problem they had helped to create…