A different kind of
neighborhood news now serves parts of Colorado’s Front Range,
those high-altitude communities “up the hill” from
Denver. It’s paperless, free-form, relentlessly local and
increasingly popular. It’s a Web site called Pinecam.com, and
for people living in the towns of Conifer, Pine, Bailey and
Evergreen, it has become a fact of life for community exchange.
Pinecammers — as we call ourselves – aren’t
limited to these areas; we even get our share of vocal flatlanders
from all over the country. I think these out-of-area people join us
because they like the interaction of a very verbal community. We
bicker, we support, and sometimes we console each other. We have
even been known to gather in prayer when somebody needs it.
This readiness to jump in and help a neighbor is
reminiscent of the days when ranches and mining towns were spread
out all over mountain valleys, with long rides on horseback needed
to get to a neighbor’s side. Pinecammers recently pitched in
to cook for a mother who had to travel 80 miles every week to take
her sick son to the hospital.
Back in the early days, 14
years ago, Pinecam was a one-man show founded by Wayne Harrison. He
had a passion for wild mushrooms and named the site Mycelium. (For
those who don’t hunt mushrooms, mycelium is the vegetative
part of a fungus, and underground it looks like a mass of thread.)
Harrison also installed a weathercam at 8,500 feet, which for years
could boast that it was the highest-elevation weathercam on the
Internet. Between spreading the word about mushrooms and monitoring
the frequently changing mountain weather, Harrison’s site
became known by more and more locals. Then, starting in 1996, when
major wildfires began to break out in the area, Harrison found
himself issuing fire alerts and raising money for fiefighters, as
fires called Buffalo Creek, Hi Meadow and Hayman galvanized and
frightened residents. In true frontier spirit, Harrison worked the
site alone. His efforts changed the way people felt about Pinecam.
Com: Afterward, it was considered a true community center and not
just a weather vane.
Harrison has since allied with Web
programmer Kurt Boyer to add a news feed and a headline service,
but except for Google ads, there’s no paid advertising on the
site. We can advertise our businesses, sell or barter goods for
free. Volunteers moderate excitable sites called Living Room and
The Study, where recent topics have included rants against a new
Chili’s chain restaurant. Some writers worry about global
warming and others insist it’s a myth. A really volatile
debate erupted around snow-blowers, and, for some reason, a
long-running discussion continues about those small gray rodents
called voles: They’ve inspired 323 pages of comments,
arguments and assorted hilarious hoopla.
As of this
writing, the members’ list boasts 8,998 members, yet I
don’t think anyone would say that Pinecam.com is a substitute
for the two newspapers that serve the Highway 285 Corridor.
It’s more a quirky addition that brings locals together.
These days, the hottest topic on Pinecam is probably the same as
it’s always been since old-timers stopped for supplies at our
locally famous Yellow Barn – the name of which mystifies
newcomers since the building is brown. If you guessed the weather,
you’d be right: Nowadays, you can follow the rapidly changing
weather scene along the corridor, using real-time Doppler radar,
and with the help of several Pinecammers who offer their
idiosyncratic forecasts.
When asked what they think are
the most important local issues, Pinecammers quickly list water,
wildfire, growth, and forest-destroying pine beetles as high
priorities. Most people say that growth has the largest impact on
the environment because it stresses our water supply, stops
naturally occurring fires that thin forests, and leaves less room
for wildlife.
With dozens of forums and countless
threads, Pinecam offers such forums as the Pinecam Living Room, The
Teen Scene, Views from the Porch and a lot more. As you ride the
Pinecam cyber range, you might stop in at the Employment forum or
Mountain Living FAQ, if you plan to put down roots. And if you spot
a mountain lion, coyote or bear, your neighbors want to know about
it. Beware, though. You might just get a lecture about leaving food
outside or be scolded for not fencing your dog. We know our wild
critters; we just don’t know you yet.
Sandra Fults is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a
service of High Country News (hcn.org). She
lives in Evergreen, Colorado, where she conducts interfaith
dialogues.
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