Gunnison Valley Audio Journal

CFGV and Western Colorado University TICtalks, recorded live in the University Center Theatre at Western Colorado University on September 28, 2023: Quincy grew up in Connecticut on the edges of suburbia and farmland, with a deep connection to the rolling fields and the horses that inhabited them. She completed her BFA in Literature at Colby Sawyer College in the lakes region of New Hampshire, and then was drawn to the unique lifestyle and completely western landscape that is Gunnison Colorado. She is excited to honor that lifestyle and landscape with the written word through the Woman of the Land project.

CFGV and Western Colorado University TICtalks, recorded live in the University Center Theatre at Western Colorado University on September 28, 2023: James is Director of the Indigenous Lands Program at Trees, Water & People. James engages and works with U.S. Tribal Nations in the American Southwest on efforts centered around community-based, Tribal-led stewardship projects that create economic and environmental development opportunities. In his role, James provides much needed insight and experience on working with Tribal governments that uphold traditional ethics of governance and leadership, while also respecting Tribal sovereignty. His deep rooted experiences and cultural values strengthens TWP’s approach in building honest, working relationships with Tribes and promoting cross-cultural values of large landscape conservation. James is currently a first-year student in the Masters in Environmental Management (MEM) program at Western Colorado University, where he plans to enhance his knowledge and skills to tackle socio-environmental challenges and issues.

CFGV and Western Colorado University TICtalks, recorded live in the University Center Theatre at Western Colorado University on September 28, 2023: Anna is a Western Colorado University graduate of the Master of Environmental Management program. She is a range technician for the United States Forest Service and has previously worked as a podcast producer and reporter for the Gunnison Country Times. She hosted and produced the podcast series “Wildish” published by High Country News. It explores the controversial and complicated world of wild horses and burros roaming the Western United States.

CFGV and Western Colorado University TICtalks, recorded live in the University Center Theatre at Western Colorado University on September 28, 2023: Jonathan is the Director of MS in Ecology and Professor of Environment and Sustainability at Western Colorado University. He specializes in the study and conservation of plant communities and landscapes in the southern Rocky Mountains. Recently, Jonathan has been channeling his efforts into pioneering research focused on enhancing the ecological resilience of landscapes through strategic forest management. He leads insightful studies into the complex transformations forests undergo due to climate fluctuations and wildfires, and investigates the critical roles of forest residuals and refugia in supporting species conservation and fostering forest resilience. Moreover, he promotes the use of prescribed fires as an effective tool to fortify forests against potential future wildfires, showcasing a forward-thinking approach to environmental stewardship. Jonathan offers a diverse range of courses and facilitates senior seminars that cover various topics such as Biogeography, Ethnobotany, and Landscape Ecology.

Who is Rhonda?

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Who is Doug?

Who is Rhonda?

CFGV TICtalk recorded live in the Black Box Theatre at the Gunnison Arts Center on July 31, 2023: George Sibley is a freelance writer and retired educator who has lived in the Upper Gunnison River valley most of the time since 1966 – in Crested Butte, in Gothic, in Gunnison (except for a few years in Crawford and then Ft. Collins.)  Writing is the thread that runs through his life: as owner/editor of a  newspaper in Crested Butte he realized that journalism is more interesting when you can write about things that could or should happen as well as what has happened, and he found himself collaborating with a number of local people making new things happen: the Crested Butte Arts Festival, the Crested Butte Mountain Theater, the Crested Butte-Gothic 4th of July half-marathon, and the end-of-winter Flauschink festival, all still happening. In Crawford, George wrote the centennial pageant and started the theater program that continues today. After returning to Gunnison in 1988, he worked a dual job for two decades at Western Colorado University teaching writing, journalism and environmental studies; and organizing and running community-interaction conferences. Following his retirement from Western, George served on the board of the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy for 13 years, and on the Gunnison Basin Roundtable (working on the Colorado Water Plan). He currently is working on a blog – www.sibleysrivers.com. His books include Water Wranglers; Dragons in Paradise (essays on contemporary mountain life), Long Horn & Short Tales (Crawford area history); Part of a Winter (memoir of years in Gothic and Crested Butte); and essays which have appeared in Harper’s Magazine, Technology Illustrated, High Country News, Colorado Central and the Mountain Gazette.

CFGV debut of TICtalks, recorded live at the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte on September 13, 2022: Dr. John Hausdoerffer is an author, teacher, philosopher, and organizational founder who lives in Mt Crested Butte, CO. He has authored and edited books such as Catlin’s Lament: Indians, Manifest Destiny, and the Ethics of Nature; Wildness: Relations of People and Place; What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want to Be?; and Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations. Dr. John has co-founded the Clark School of Environment & Sustainability, The Coldharbour Institute, The Resilience Studies Consortium, and the Mountain Resilience Coalition. He believes that being a good ancestor begins with understanding the place-based ecological bases of our identities and continues with the willingness to joyfully fight for the conditions necessary for those ecological bases to thrive. When not serving as Dean of the Clark School of Environment & Sustainability, Dr. John can be found with his daughters working on his shack above Pitkin or pursuing his daughters’ 100th consecutive month of skiing in the Elk Mountains.

CFGV debut of TICtalks, recorded live at the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte on September 13, 2022: As an award-winning developer and place maker, Jeff Hermanson has directed transformative projects for more than four decades. He’s best known as a principal partner in the restoration of Denver Union Station and the 27-year owner and steward of Larimer Square, where he created an iconic cultural institution, and at one point, the highest density of chef-driven restaurants in the country. Jeff’s ongoing collaborations with chefs and the founding of Good Food 100, a rating system for sustainable restaurants, earned him a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Colorado Restaurant Association in 2019, when he was inducted into the Colorado Food Service Hall of Fame. Jeff is currently a partner at Urban Villages, the Denver-based real estate development firm that recently broke ground on Populus, a Jeanne Gang-designed lifestyle hotel destined to be an architectural masterpiece and the first carbon positive hotel in the country. In addition to his philanthropic efforts, Jeff is devoted to creating regenerative food systems that support residents and entrepreneurial farmers in the Gunnison Valley — all part of his desire to “change the food paradigm,” enhance the vibrant restaurant scene, and support the community where he and his family reside.

CFGV debut of TICtalks, recorded live at the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte on September 13, 2022: Dr. Jeni Blacklock is a recognized leader in engineering education and has mentored over a thousand engineering undergraduate and graduate students. Jeni has been an innovator in engineering education, bringing in over $2.5M of funding for engineering education initiatives over the past 5 years. Jeni is an advocate and strong believer of industry collaborations and real-world projects for students, supporting community initiatives as well as student experiences. The notion that alone we can do so little; together we can do so much (Helen Keller), is the motto that Jeni lives by daily within the community and in life.

CFGV debut of TICtalks, recorded live at the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte on September 13, 2022: Chris Cappy is a change management expert, educator, entrepreneur, executive coach, and curator of learning experiences that develop high performing teams. His value proposition is focused on innovation in service of delivering better, faster execution results, driving requisite change and building new capabilities. Having founded three successful consulting businesses, Chris and his teams have over three decades of work experiences with over 50 companies in over 40 countries including a decade of leading significant large-scale change initiatives for General Electric (WorkOut & CAP) and nearly five hundred problem solving sessions for IBM under the banner of ACT (Accelerate Change Together). Chris deeply cares about people and about results, believing that we all here with a fundamental mission, to give and to grow.

CFGV debut of TICtalks, recorded live in the Black Box Theatre at the Gunnison Arts Center on September 6, 2022: Matt Aronson is a sociologist and professor who directs Western Colorado University’s newest graduate program, the Master of Behavioral Science (MBS) in Rural Community Health. One of his habits is noting how communities pursue durable social changes, especially structural ones meant to boost people’s mental and physical well-being. Part of his perspective in community conversations is to emphasize the links between economic policy (e.g., housing and income supports) and human health. Matt also has an interest in social contradictions, including the one about how our human need for individual-level stability coexists with our habit of creating institutions that destabilize people’s lives.

CFGV debut of TICtalks, recorded live in the Black Box Theatre at the Gunnison Arts Center on September 6, 2022: With a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UC-San Diego, Ian has been the Executive Director of RMBL since 2000, building a scientific institution serving field scientists and students. He has been active in local politics, currently serving as Mayor of Crested Butte and on Gunnison County Metropolitan Recreation District. He previously chaired Gunnison County’s Planning Commission for almost 4 years and has been active with the schools, serving on CB’s accountability committee and taking a leading role in the mill levy override. He is senior editor of the book Ecology of Place (Chicago University Press) and led a national strategic planning effort funded by the National Science Foundation for field stations and marine laboratories.

CFGV debut of TICtalks, recorded live in the Black Box Theatre at the Gunnison Arts Center on September 6, 2022. Delaney is a seasoned entrepreneur and change agent. She successfully owned, operated, and exited her first company and has since been dedicated to fostering ingrained cultural values for innovation and entrepreneurship. Until recently, she served as Executive Director of Startup Colorado, an organization dedicated to rural entrepreneurs’ resources, networks, and success. An iterative professional, who likes complex puzzles, she has recently returned to the private sector as Managing Director of Pando Telecom. Delaney is a systems thinker and creative problem-solver who enjoys catalyzing culture within teams and orchestrating the many facets of a company vision. No matter what role she’s in, she is an unwavering believer in the potential of ideas, the people behind them, and the places they create.

CFGV debut of TICtalks, recorded live in the Black Box Theatre at the Gunnison Arts Center on September 6, 2022: Drew Brookhart is the Executive Director of Gunnison County Library District. As a librarian, Drew is focused on furthering individual discovery and lifelong learning by championing intellectual freedom and a democracy of culture. Drew has a personal and professional interest in developing systems that improve the accessibility of library collections through technical architecture. Throughout his career he has maintained a focus on helping communities create physical spaces that serve as educational and cultural anchors. Most recently Drew has helped the Gunnison County community create a new public library.

Please enjoy the inaugural season of the Gunnison Valley Audio Journal.  Many of the works you will hear were originally published in the Crested Butte Magazine or the Gunnison Valley Journal.  When possible, the original author is the reader. This podcast is made possible by the Resiliency Project.  Find out more by following Gunnison Valley Resiliency on Facebook.

This episode features Gunnison Valley authors Marcie Telander, Dave Pinkerton, George Sibley, Luke Danielson (as read by Marketa Zubkova), Mallory Mikeska (as read by Hayden Moran), Guthrie Moore (as read by Brooke Moran), and haiku master Rob Lipowitz. Many of the works you will hear were originally published in the Crested Butte Magazine or the Gunnison Valley Journal.  When possible, the original author is the reader.  After you listen to this podcast, pick up a copy of these magazines and READ! Theme music is by Lizzy Plotkin and Lizzy Plotkin and Natalie Spears.  Support artists in the Gunnison Valley by pre-ordering their forthcoming album at LizzyAndNatalie.com. This podcast is made possible by the Resiliency Project.  Find out more by following Gunnison Valley Resiliency on Facebook.  Enjoy!

This episode features Gunnison Valley authors David Rothman, John Steele, George Sibley, Joshua Melnick, Betty Light (as read by Brooke Moran) and haiku master Rob Lipowitz. Many of the works you will hear were originally published in the Crested Butte Magazine or the Gunnison Valley Journal.  When possible, the original author is the reader.  After you listen to this podcast, pick up a copy of these magazines and READ! Theme music is by Lizzy Plotkin and Lizzy Plotkin and Natalie Spears.  Support artists in the Gunnison Valley by pre-ordering their forthcoming album at LizzyAndNatalie.com. This podcast is made possible by the Resiliency Project.  Find out more by following Gunnison Valley Resiliency on Facebook.  Enjoy!