Early College Academy set to start

Durango’s latest educational offering goes public this week. The Durango School District 9-R’s new magnet program, the Durango Early College Academy (DECA), hosts an open house Thurs., June 7.

The 9-R Board of Education approved the brand-new magnet program in March, and it will launch this fall and fully transition into its new role by the fall of 2008. The program will replace the Excel Charter School, which ended a 13-year run last month, and will operate in the same building.  

“We’re proposing a highly individualized educational experience that helps kids define their passions and helps them fulfill the educational requirements needed to turn their passions into careers. We want the program to make education meaningful and purposeful for our students,” said Julé Skoglund, who will serve as an interim administrator through the transition. Skoglund has worked as a teacher and principal at Excel for five years.

 In February, a committee of 24 Excel and district administrators, teachers and parents concluded a nine-month study of current alternative programs and student needs to determine what should become of the 13-year-old charter school. The result of their work was a recommendation to create a brand-new magnet program that would emphasize the use of creative technologies and attract students in eighth through 12th grades who want to pursue their career interests through classes at local, post-secondary institutions.

The model is called an “early college” program that districts nationwide have adopted. Front Range Early College in Mapleton School District in Denver is similar to the district’s proposal.

The June 7 open house takes place from 5-6 p.m. in the former Excel Charter School cafeteria. Faculty will update the community on transition plans and will explain how former Excel students can finish their graduation requirements at the academy as it makes the transition to its new curriculum.

Congressmen heat up Forest Service

Two Colorado congressmen are concerned that the state is not adequately prepared for the coming fire season. U.S. Representatives John Salazer and Mark Udall recently penned a letter asking about the status of upgrades to the country’s air-tanker firefighting program. They also asked Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey why the upgrades were behind schedule.

The congressmen wrote Rey last year to inquire about the condition of the air-tanker fleet. The two urged the Forest Service to place a high priority on completing and implementing a long-awaited plan to modernize and secure air-tanker readiness to help fight wildfires. In their May 2006 letter, Udall and Salazar expressed concerns about the safety and effectiveness of air tankers and other aircraft support in suppressing dangerous wildfires. At that time, Rey met with two and committed to producing a “long-term plan” by the spring of 2007 for updating the air-tanker fleet and making sure such equipment is safe and effective. 

Last week, Salazar and Udall wrote to Undersecretary Rey asking about the status of that promised plan, and noted that Joe Walsh, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, had been reported as saying that “a study of (the air tanker fleet readiness) won’t be finished for months, at the earliest.” Salazar and Udall said that they were concerned the plan would not be ready for the 2007 fire season and encouraged the Forest Service to redouble its efforts.

“As the fire threat remains extreme, especially due to the impacts of drought and insect epidemic that we are seeing here in Colorado and throughout the West, it is essential that we have the resources we need and that those resources are safe and effective,” the pair wrote.

The letter concluded by asking that the Forest Service make the completion and implementation of this long-term plan one of its top priorities

Team Ned takes the Teva Games

Local cyclist Ned Overend once again demonstrated that age and wisdom can top the podium at last weekend’s Teva Mountain Games. Overend and Matt Carpenter led their three-man team to victory in the Teva Mountain Games’ Ultimate Mountain Challenge on June 3. Also in contention was last year’s Tour de France champion, Floyd Landis, who finished behind Overend in eighth place.

Overend turned it on during the Ultimate Mountain Challenge’s road ride hill climb, where he averaged 21 mph during the 9.7-mile, 1,500 vertical foot climb up Vail Pass. The ride

was not only good enough for first place, it bested his record time from 2006. Following the victory, Overend, who turns 52 in August, told the Denver Post, “When you are over 50, it’s always good to go faster than the year before.”

Overend’s teammate Matt Carpenter took top honors in the game’s 10K trail run, and Pat Keller, a North Carolina kayaker, rounded out Team Ned.

Just behind Team Ned was Team Nike Beaver Creek and the Athletes for a Cure team, which included Landis, kayaking legend Tao Berman and runner Andy Ames. Though Landis scored eighth in the hill climb, the other team members pulled together for an overall third. Not surprisingly, Landis brought out the fans in droves with attendance expected to top 30,000.

Controlled burn likely this month

The first part of a controlled burn on 1,800 acres southwest of Durango may begin this month and continue in segments over the summer on days with optimum weather conditions for burning.

The controlled burn will be on state land overseen by Fort Lewis College, about 15 miles southwest of Durango in the vicinity of the Fort Lewis Bull Testing Station, south of Hesperus on Colorado 170.  The controlled burn will be conducted by firefighters assigned to the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service offices in Durango. The agencies hope that the impact on Durango will be negligible.

“We do not want smoke to have a significant, negative impact on Durango,” said Pat Pacheco, BLM Fire Management Officer.

The controlled burn is intended to be along the ground without damage to live trees. To lessen the impacts of smoke, each segment of the burn will be conducted only during daylight hours so that the day’s natural heat will cause the smoke to rise. In addition to reducing hazardous fuels, Pacheco said results of the burn should improve wildlife habitat by encouraging growth of grasses and forbs that benefit wildlife. BLM firefighters will be notifying residents in the vicinity of the burn area by going door-to-door and handing out flyers. In addition, there is no guarantee that the burn will happen. Weather conditions must be just right for a safe and effective controlled burn. Decisions on whether to go ahead with a controlled burn will be made 24 to 48 hours beforehand. 

City manager announces retirement

A City of Durango mainstay is moving on. As his 24th year of service to the City draws to a close, Durango City Manager Bob Ledger has announced his intention to retire. In a letter to the Durango City Council, Mr. Ledger said his last day of work will be Aug. 1.

“The past 24-plus years have been rewarding and personally fulfilling and, at times, certainly challenging,” said Ledger in his letter. “If you will permit me some hubris, I will leave knowing that both the city government and the city proper are in better shape now than when I first assumed the position of city manager in October 1982.”

The task of selecting a new city manager, as well as an interim city manager, will rest with the City Council. No decision regarding the selection process has yet been announced.

– compiled by Will Sands

Early College Academy set to start

Durango’s latest educational offering goes public this week. The Durango School District 9-R’s new magnet program, the Durango Early College Academy (DECA), hosts an open house Thurs., June 7.

The 9-R Board of Education approved the brand-new magnet program in March, and it will launch this fall and fully transition into its new role by the fall of 2008. The program will replace the Excel Charter School, which ended a 13-year run last month, and will operate in the same building.  

“We’re proposing a highly individualized educational experience that helps kids define their passions and helps them fulfill the educational requirements needed to turn their passions into careers. We want the program to make education meaningful and purposeful for our students,” said Julé Skoglund, who will serve as an interim administrator through the transition. Skoglund has worked as a teacher and principal at Excel for five years.

 In February, a committee of 24 Excel and district administrators, teachers and parents concluded a nine-month study of current alternative programs and student needs to determine what should become of the 13-year-old charter school. The result of their work was a recommendation to create a brand-new magnet program that would emphasize the use of creative technologies and attract students in eighth through 12th grades who want to pursue their career interests through classes at local, post-secondary institutions.

The model is called an “early college” program that districts nationwide have adopted. Front Range Early College in Mapleton School District in Denver is similar to the district’s proposal.

The June 7 open house takes place from 5-6 p.m. in the former Excel Charter School cafeteria. Faculty will update the community on transition plans and will explain how former Excel students can finish their graduation requirements at the academy as it makes the transition to its new curriculum.

Congressmen heat up Forest Service

Two Colorado congressmen are concerned that the state is not adequately prepared for the coming fire season. U.S. Representatives John Salazer and Mark Udall recently penned a letter asking about the status of upgrades to the country’s air-tanker firefighting program. They also asked Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey why the upgrades were behind schedule.

The congressmen wrote Rey last year to inquire about the condition of the air-tanker fleet. The two urged the Forest Service to place a high priority on completing and implementing a long-awaited plan to modernize and secure air-tanker readiness to help fight wildfires. In their May 2006 letter, Udall and Salazar expressed concerns about the safety and effectiveness of air tankers and other aircraft support in suppressing dangerous wildfires. At that time, Rey met with two and committed to producing a “long-term plan” by the spring of 2007 for updating the air-tanker fleet and making sure such equipment is safe and effective. 

Last week, Salazar and Udall wrote to Undersecretary Rey asking about the status of that promised plan, and noted that Joe Walsh, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, had been reported as saying that “a study of (the air tanker fleet readiness) won’t be finished for months, at the earliest.” Salazar and Udall said that they were concerned the plan would not be ready for the 2007 fire season and encouraged the Forest Service to redouble its efforts.

“As the fire threat remains extreme, especially due to the impacts of drought and insect epidemic that we are seeing here in Colorado and throughout the West, it is essential that we have the resources we need and that those resources are safe and effective,” the pair wrote.

The letter concluded by asking that the Forest Service make the completion and implementation of this long-term plan one of its top priorities

Team Ned takes the Teva Games

Local cyclist Ned Overend once again demonstrated that age and wisdom can top the podium at last weekend’s Teva Mountain Games. Overend and Matt Carpenter led their three-man team to victory in the Teva Mountain Games’ Ultimate Mountain Challenge on June 3. Also in contention was last year’s Tour de France champion, Floyd Landis, who finished behind Overend in eighth place.

Overend turned it on during the Ultimate Mountain Challenge’s road ride hill climb, where he averaged 21 mph during the 9.7-mile, 1,500 vertical foot climb up Vail Pass. The ride was not only good enough for first place, it bested his record time from 2006. Following the victory, Overend, who turns 52 in August, told the Denver Post, “When you are over 50, it’s always good to go faster than the year before.”

Overend’s teammate Matt Carpenter took top honors in the game’s 10K trail run, and Pat Keller, a North Carolina kayaker, rounded out Team Ned.

Just behind Team Ned was Team Nike Beaver Creek and the Athletes for a Cure team, which included Landis, kayaking legend Tao Berman and runner Andy Ames. Though Landis scored eighth in the hill climb, the other team members pulled together for an overall third. Not surprisingly, Landis brought out the fans in droves with attendance expected to top 30,000.

Controlled burn likely this month

The first part of a controlled burn on 1,800 acres southwest of Durango may begin this month and continue in segments over the summer on days with optimum weather conditions for burning.

The controlled burn will be on state land overseen by Fort Lewis College, about 15 miles southwest of Durango in the vicinity of the Fort Lewis Bull Testing Station, south of Hesperus on Colorado 170.  The controlled burn will be conducted by firefighters assigned to the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service offices in Durango. The agencies hope that the impact on Durango will be negligible.

“We do not want smoke to have a significant, negative impact on Durango,” said Pat Pacheco, BLM Fire Management Officer.

The controlled burn is intended to be along the ground without damage to live trees. To lessen the impacts of smoke, each segment of the burn will be conducted only during daylight hours so that the day’s natural heat will cause the smoke to rise. In addition to reducing hazardous fuels, Pacheco said results of the burn should improve wildlife habitat by encouraging growth of grasses and forbs that benefit wildlife. BLM firefighters will be notifying residents in the vicinity of the burn area by going door-to-door and handing out flyers. In addition, there is no guarantee that the burn will happen. Weather conditions must be just right for a safe and effective controlled burn. Decisions on whether to go ahead with a controlled burn will be made 24 to 48 hours beforehand. 

City manager announces retirement

A City of Durango mainstay is moving on. As his 24th year of service to the City draws to a close, Durango City Manager Bob Ledger has announced his intention to retire. In a letter to the Durango City Council, Mr. Ledger said his last day of work will be Aug. 1.

“The past 24-plus years have been rewarding and personally fulfilling and, at times, certainly challenging,” said Ledger in his letter. “If you will permit me some hubris, I will leave knowing that both the city government and the city proper are in better shape now than when I first assumed the position of city manager in October 1982.”

The task of selecting a new city manager, as well as an interim city manager, will rest with the City Council. No decision regarding the selection process has yet been announced.

– compiled by Will Sands