KSUT names new executive director
There will be a new face at the helm of KSUT next week.
Starting Mon., Jan. 26, Robert Franklin will report for work as the new executive director at the little red building that serves as the public radio station's headquarters in Ignacio.
A National Public Radio veteran, Franklin has more than 20 years of management experience with NPR-affiliated stations at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Western Illinois University, Arkansas State University, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore, among others.
He is also an award-winning radio and documentary film producer and has taught a variety of college media communications courses.
“I’m pleased to announce this next step in KSUT’s future,” KSUT Board President Richard Hoehlein said. “Dr. Franklin brings strong leadership skills to KSUT at an opportune time, as we focus on new initiatives for serving our diverse and ever-growing community.”
Franklin was hired after an extensive nationwide search, according to a news release from KSUT's Board of Directors. He will be the station's first director since 2010, when former director Beth Warren (now Lamberson) stepped down after 18 years.
In the interim, KSUT operated under a four-person management team, made up of Sheila Nanaeto (Tribal radio); Rob Rawles (Four Corners Public Radio manager); Bruce Campbell (development); and Kenny Brott (administration). Brott has since retired, but the other three will now work under the directorship of Franklin.
“We're excited about having a new director on board,” Membership Director Chris Aaland said, “and a new chapter for KSUT.”
KSUT started in 1976 as one of the first tribally operated radio stations in the country. It now has a listenership of 250,000 in the Four Corners region. It operates two stations, Four Corners Public Radio (89.3 and 90.1 FM) and Southern Ute Tribal Radio (91.3 and 89.7 FM).
For the last week or so, the station’s 89.3 signal has experienced problems glitching out. According to Aaland, the station's engineering team is working to diagnose and resolve the issue. In the meantime, listeners are encouraged to listen online at ksut.org or tune into the 90.1 signal.
Chimney Rock draft plan released
More than two years since Chimney Rock gained national monument status, the U.S. Forest Service has completed a draft of its management plan.
Last week, the San Juan National Forest released a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on the management plan for Chimney Rock National Monument and will be taking public comment on the plan through March 2. The Pagosa Ranger District also will host an open house introducing the plan to the public from
6-8 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 12, at the Pagosa Springs Community Center. At the meeting, Forest Service officials will offer information, answer questions and take comments. The draft EIS, as well as a list of projects, prohibitions and maps, can also be viewed at: www.fs. usda.gov/projects/sanjuan/landmanagement/projects.
According to the Forest Service, the plan will provide direction and guidance for management of the monument’s resources and implementation of future projects and activities.
Specific proposed projects include:
- Construction of up to 2 miles of interpretive trails;
- New visitor facilities and parking areas near the existing visitor cabin;
- Visitor shelters near the upper parking area;
- Various prohibitions designed to minimize disturbance to peregrine falcons and prevent other resource damage.
The familiar twin spires of Chimney Rock were designated a national monument by President Barack Obama in September 2012. The designation provides permanent protection to the 4,700-acre area, which is located on the San Juan National Forest, west of Pagosa Springs.
Using power granted under the 1906 Antiquities Act, Obama cited the significance of Chimney Rock’s “spiritual, historic and scientific resources” in signing the declaration.
More than 200 people gathered at Chimney Rock on Sept. 21, 2012, to celebrate the proclamation, including former Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, who was born and raised in the nearby San Luis Valley.
“Today is about celebrating,” Salazar said in his address to the crowd, which included area tribal and civic leaders as well as Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.
Chimney Rock is believed to have been settled more than 1,000 years ago by the Chaco civilization. In addition to being home to one of the largest communities of the Pueblo II era (900-1150 A.D.), Chimney Rock also contains the highest elevation ceremonial “great house” in the Southwest.
Aside from its nearly 200 archaeological sites, it is known for its unique archaeoastronomy, geological and biological features. Several desert plants not seen outside the Sonoran Desert, including a species of cholla cactus, grow in Chimney Rock and are believed to have been cultivated by the Ancestral Puebloans.
Comments on the draft EIS will be accepted until Mon., March 2. Comments can be mailed to District Ranger, P.O. Box 310, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147; dropped off at the Pagosa District Office, 180 Pagosa Street; faxed Attn: Sara Brinton at 970-264-1538; or emailed to: comments-rocky-mountain-san-juan-pagosa@fs.fed.us.
For more information, please contact Paul Blackman, Recreation Specialist, plblackman@fs.fed.us, or Sarah Brinton, sbrinton@fs.fed.us.
– Missy Votel