Thursday, November 7

The Crestone Eagle is a trusted nonprofit monthly newspaper serving Crestone, the San Luis Valley, Colorado & beyond. Our mission is to connect each other, one story at a time.

Columns

Hiking in the SLV: Exploring the echoes of history: Hiking along the Old Spanish Trail on Loma de San Jose

By Tegan Welsch-Rainek. Starting on the outskirts of Del Norte, I embark on a journey that transcends time, tracing parts of the historic Old Spanish Trail from when this land was a Spanish territory.  The Old Spanish Trail is a historic 2,700-mile wagon route used by Anglo, Mormon and Spanish travelers. Stretching from Santa Fe to Los Angeles, it traverses six Southwestern states. This trade route was primarily used to transport wool, handmade items and other goods in exchange for California-bred horses and necessities. There are many rumors of lost gold along the trail and tales of the slave trade. As I...

Crestone Charter School News: CCS welcomes new staff and positions

By Thomas Cleary, Crestone Charter School director CCS is growing, literally and figuratively. Below you will find introductions from the new staff who are coming on board for the 2024/25 school year. Some are new positions, like the instructional support role to help teachers and students in the classroom, the greenhouse coordinator for the new Growing Spaces Dome, and the experiential education coordinator to support field trips and travel learning.  Others are re-boots, like the in-house special education to replace our former virtual SpEd, and the return of a music teacher. As of press time we are on the verge of...

Library News: August

By Amy Garoutte, Northern Saguache County Library District We are excited to announce the addition of a Library of Things to our collection in 2024.  To better meet the needs of our community, we invite you to share your ideas with us. Please complete the survey at www.bit.ly/NSCLD-Things or visit either branch to drop off your suggestions in our Library of Things suggestion box. The Library of Things will be rolled out gradually. Starting in August, we will offer items including a pickleball set, appliance dolly, 100-foot extension cord, electric pressure canner, 6-foot step ladder, metal detector, tennis racket and ball set and...

Who We Are: Whitney Strong Witnessing, celebrating Crestone-Baca’s across 40-plus years

By Gussie Fauntleroy. “I’ve planted a lot of seeds and now, I love seeing the sprouts of rebirth,” Whitney Strong mused, sitting in her small, comfortable, hogan-shaped home near the entrance to the Baca, one of the first houses built here in the 1970s. Whitney has been in Crestone-Baca almost as long, and the seeds she’s referring to are projects and organizations she either began or helped start, and led, many years ago. Among them: A couple of years after moving here in 1980, she created the community’s first artists’ collective, arranging for exhibitions by artists from around the Valley at...

Into the Wild: A long time out

By Bruce Becker. Anyone can do the things I’ve done if they’re willing to live the life I’ve led. ~ Fool’s Crow Summer in the high country. It’s a short season, two and a half months long, three and a half if you’re lucky. After a long hike up, I always hate to come down. So one summer, I didn’t. I’d planned to stay out this time before I left Aspen, where I lived. I knew I’d never pack enough food for the whole summer, so I brought only a little that I would ration out for a while.  My old standbys: rice,...

Land, Water & People: Forestry Camp Four

By Gregg Goodland It happened again this year. They nearly got me this time, though. Our Valley’s youth possess such great aptitude and passion for learning that I nearly ran out of things to present to them. I’m talking about the amazing students that attended the Forestry Session at the Beaver Creek Youth Conservation Camp on June 4 - 6 this year.  Nearly five years into working here at the Rio Grande National Forest, I find myself pretty amazed, and thankful, that I was able to share a bunch of a long career’s worth of acquired knowledge to a great...

Owner-builder: Blair Meerfeld builds on his life in the Grants

By John Rowe. Blair Meerfeld and I met at the “Old Men’s Breakfast,” in Moffat, several months ago. Blair gave off a gentle, friendly vibe making me want to get to know him. I discovered he is building his own home in the Grants. He has been getting lots of help from the guys at breakfast — both technical expertise and labor. Blair is apparently the kind of fellow that people just naturally want to help. He is the classic case of a guy getting by “with a little help from his friends.”  Blair and I sat down in June outside...

Garden Guru: Where the wild things are

By Matie Belle Lakish. July! Gardens are growing well with all this heat and the good moisture we have gotten this spring. Summer is officially here and I’m having lots of salads and green things to eat.  Part of what I am harvesting, though, are wild things, so I thought I would talk about some of those plants this month. By the time you read this, many of them will be too mature to eat, but others will be perfect. Think about the earlier ones for next year. These wild plants come up in my garden and yard and in some...

Crestone Charter School News: CCS welcomes new staff and positions

By Thomas Cleary, Crestone Charter School director CCS is growing, literally and figuratively. Below you...

Library News: August

By Amy Garoutte, Northern Saguache County Library District We are excited to announce the addition of...

Who We Are: Whitney Strong Witnessing, celebrating Crestone-Baca’s across 40-plus years

By Gussie Fauntleroy. “I’ve planted a lot of seeds and now, I love seeing the...

Into the Wild: A long time out

By Bruce Becker. Anyone can do the things I’ve done if they’re willing to live...

Land, Water & People: Forestry Camp Four

By Gregg Goodland It happened again this year. They nearly got me this time, though....

Owner-builder: Blair Meerfeld builds on his life in the Grants

By John Rowe. Blair Meerfeld and I met at the “Old Men’s Breakfast,” in Moffat,...

Garden Guru: Where the wild things are

By Matie Belle Lakish. July! Gardens are growing well with all this heat and the...

Hiking in the SLV: Journey through the Continental Divide Trail

By Tegan Welsch-Rainek. Starting on a nice warm, sunny day with bright blue skies, my...

Navigating the Vortex: Discernment 

By Gina M. Barrett. Making clear choices when navigating one’s life. What is best for...

Library News: July

By Amy Garoutte, Northern Saguache County Library District. We continue to be excited about adding a...

Notes from the Pyre: Crestone End of Life Project registration party in June

By Gussie Fauntleroy. As the only legal, non-denominational open-air cremation site in the country, the...

Crestone Artisans Gallery: Spotlight on artist Jodi Price

Sunlight through stained glass By Joni Franks. I am writing this article on a cloudy day...

Reader Bee: An Immense World

By Karina Wetherbee As humans, we like to think we have the world figured out,...

Library News: June

By Amy Garoutte, Northern Saguache County Library District. Thank you to the Saguache County Commissioners for...

Crestone Charter School News: Middle School spring adventure leads to the Grand Canyon

Story by Lee Eversole. A Scottish-American naturalist, John Muir, once wrote of the Grand Canyon,...

Crestone Charter School news: Intermediate Spring Trip, Primitive Skills Camp, Del Norte

By Daya Scheide. During the first week of May, the Crestone Charter School’s combined fourth...

Navigating the Vortex: Emotional intelligence 

By Gina M. Barrett. At a time when mental illness is on the rise in...

On the Shoulders of…Maia Chrystine Nartoomid

By Chantelle Pence Every mother has a tremendous impact on the life of her child....

Who We Are: Teresa Dunwell

An artist’s path to acceptance and hope By Gussie Fauntleroy Teresa Dunwell’s earliest awareness that it’s...

Notes from the Pyre

Why volunteer with CEOLP? Amy GriffinBy Gussie Fauntleroy. Volunteers play a vital role in the...

Library News: May

By Amy Garoutte, Northern Saguache County Library District Are you seeking grants for your small business,...

Reader Bee: The Way: Meaningful Spirituality for a Modern World

By Karina Wetherbee It is commonly assumed that discussing politics or religion is a guaranteed...

Navigating the Vortex: Communicating with kindness

By Gina M. Barrett The loss of a long-standing and active community member Paul Shippee...

Mandala Market to Real Estate 

By Staff Desiree (Desi) Faraci announces collaboration with First Colorado Land Office (FCLO) based in...

Who We Are: Nicholas Penn

A musician’s journey into wellness By Gussie Fauntleroy. Fairly early in his musical life, Nicholas Penn...
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