VISITORS
It’s not often that we get an international visitor. A journalist from Tokyo, Japan, dropped by in late March. Takashi Kikuchi, who writes for Festival magazine, was in western Colorado to cover The String Cheese Incident, a bluegrass/calypso/funk jam band from Boulder, Colo., that has toured in Japan. Takashi came to Paonia to see the home of Chaco sandals and meet the HCN staff.
From Boise, Idaho, came Cindy Salo, a federal plant ecologist. She was in the area to interview for a job, and wanted to learn more about our internship program. We’ll keep an eye out for your application, Cindy.
Former HCN intern Sarah Gilman (winter 2006) is now an environmental and county beat reporter for the Aspen Daily News in the nearby resort of Aspen, Colo. She dropped by on a recent weekend and left us the April 1 edition to chuckle over. A few choice headlines:
“CHAIRLIFTS TO BE POWERED ENTIRELY BY DEAD BABY SEALS”
“CONGRESS DECLARES ASPEN CRITICAL HABITAT FOR ENDANGERED MAN-FUR”
“AMORY LOVINS TO CELEBRATE ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY BY COMPOSTING HIMSELF. EXPECTS EFFORT TO REDUCE CARBON FOOTPRINT BY 25 TONS.”
ONE DEGREE OF SEPARATION
Reader Travis Wheeler of Durango, Colo., sent us an e-mail: “Jason Fisher’s piece in the March 5 issue, “The knowledge of mules,” is absolutely beautiful. His writing is powerful and evocative — and his story intense. It made me weep. But it also struck me because I know Jason, or more accurately I knew Jason at one time. He and I worked together down in Antarctica at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station back in 1999. Jason’s a great person — thoughtful, gentle, funny, crass, hardworking, genuine. Just the kind of company you want to fall in with on your first trip down to Antarctica. Unfortunately, Jason and I lost touch as people with seasonal jobs and lives are wont to do.”
Jason says he and Travis are back in touch now: “I’ve been reacquainted with several old friends through that essay, whether from letters to the editor, or people tracking me down of their own accord. My injury was far from a gift, but I’m trying to take the good things out of it.”
FAREWELL TO JOYCE JORGENSEN
On March 20, journalist and community activist Joyce Jorgensen, 79, passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada. Until she retired in 1990, Jorgensen was editor and publisher of two small Colorado newspapers, the Ouray County Plaindealer and the Ridgway Sun. She received numerous awards during her career recognizing her community service and outstanding journalism.
CORRECTIONS
The April 2 “Heard Around the West” referred to NewWest.com. We meant NewWest.net, an online news magazine about the West.
The “Harvesting the Sky” article in our April 2 issue contained two mistakes in one sentence. Santa Fe added four new wells in 2003, not two, and the planned diversion is from the Rio Grande, not the Santa Fe River.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Dear friends.
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