Illustration by Cord Lopez. Part of Bitterroot Magazine’s Water Issue, published Oct. 4, 2019.
As Denver Grows, A Rural Colorado Valley Fields Another Bid for its Water
An adobe arch spans a well-kept dirt road northwest of Crestone, Colorado, wooden arms protruding from its sides. Rancho Rosado is engraved in the weathered brown wood, the red letters fading to pink. Behind the arch, a meandering line of trees hugs a stream — an unusual feature in this parched landscape. The Sangre de Cristo range looms above the ranch. It’s July, and little snow remains in the high peaks that were blanketed white just a month ago.
A collapsed log structure sits behind the arch, engulfed by the low brush and cactus that stretch from the ranch to eternity. The high desert of the San Luis Valley is dotted with small clusters of trees that mark its towns: Moffat’s grove is just down the road; Alamosa’s branches wave in the haze that builds with miles of desert air.
Longtime San Luis Valley resident Chris Canaly credits the valley’s unobstructed view of other towns for fostering a sense of community. “You might not necessarily hang out in Manassa, but you can see Manassa from the northern part of the valley. You can see Center, you can see Alamosa,” she said. “And even though everybody lives far away in different neighborhoods, there’s a real sense of belonging to the same place.”
Rancho Rosado, though, is not like the other ranches that fill the vast San Luis Valley. The property owner, Sean Tonner, also has an office in a Denver suburb, where he is head of a company called Renewable Water Resources. Tonner wants to drill a series of wells on his recently acquired ranch and pipe 22,000 acre-feet of water a year around the Sangre de Cristos to Denver, Colorado’s ever-growing population center…
After Abuse was the cover story for Vol. 26, No. 24 of The Colorado Springs Independent. In the story, I look at how the courts handle childhood sexual abuse cases. In these cases it is easy to cause the victim more harm by making them relive their trauma. In spite of this, the victim is usually the most compelling witness and almost always takes the stand. I take a look at protections for child victims in the U.S. and where they but up against the right to a fair defense.
After Abuse — When the star witness is a traumatized child, courts struggle for just solutions
Kelly Dore, 40, can still remember the details of the courtroom where she watched her father's sentencing. She remembers rows of seats that reminded her of church pews, and the size of the room, which must have seemed larger than life, given that she was only 15 years old. She cannot forget where her father sat, surrounded by his family — her own grandparents — while she read her victim impact statement.
"He kept trying to smile at me, to wink at me, and have notes passed to me," Dore says.
Dore stood on a platform to read her statement, but still had to crane her neck to see the judge. She tried to convey the pain that 14 years of sexual abuse, including being traded for money and drugs, had caused her, how it had changed her life so that she never wanted to be home. She had to lie to her mother. Tears overcame Dore and she couldn't finish the statement. Her mom got up and read the rest.
The judge was not interested...
This article appeared in Rock and Ice issue 246. Photo by Greg Mionske.
Snapshot: Matty Hong – Raised on Rifle
In 2015, Steve Hong rapped a 30-meter line in the 30-degree overhanging Wicked Cave in Rifle, Colorado. Bad, spaced-out holds at the start led to a long string of slopers and pinches, then another boulder problem to finish. It seemed too hard, but he let his son Matty look....
This article appeared in Rock and Ice issue 248. Photo courtesy of Graham Zimmerman.
Snapshot: Graham Zimmerman – Chasing Winter
In 2004, Graham Zimmerman finished high school in Edmonds, Washington, and went off to college—in New Zealand. Eighteen years old, he was looking only for alpine ice. He spent his college years in both hemispheres, chasing winter....