Current Edition

By John P. Milton Sacred Land Sanctuary So here we are at the Sacred Land Sanctuary, just north of Crestone, Colorado, one of my favorite places on the planet. I thought today I might share a few things about the Sanctuary and especially about some of the archeological sites here. When I first moved here in the late seventies, nobody in the neighborhood knew about the existence of these archeological sites—meditation seats, meditation beds, and different kinds of places where you could sit and have a shift in your energy field and a shift in the way you are actually...

By John P. Milton Continuing from last month's article where John describes going out on a 14-day quest to ask permission to build an eco-village north of Crestone back in the '80s, we now hear about the unique sacred sites revealed to him by Spirit. "So I came back. I had one night of rest at my little cabin (where I lived for over 22 years—without plumbing or electricity, and where the stream was the main source for drinking water and washing) here at the Sacred Land Sanctuary. So I got up the next morning and went out and I was...

By John P. Milton Continuing from last month’s article, we hear from John about how the discovery of stone meditation seats and beds led to the creation of the Sacred Land Sanctuary—a model for honoring Nature as Church, Temple, or Synagogue. “When I first explored the network of stone seats and beds on the land north of Crestone, I discovered that many of them were remarkably supportive for sky meditation. In Taoist and Dzogchen practice, gazing into the open space of the sky is a powerful method for recognizing the vast, clear awareness of our True Nature. The sky becomes a...

By Lisa Cyriacks Saguache County Commissioners unanimously certified the county mill levy and approved a balanced budget for 2026 following a public budget hearing at which no public comments were offered. The assessor certified a total assessed valuation for the county of $140,311,423. A mill levy of 18.831 for the general fund, 3.200 for social services and 0.500 for public health was approved. A property tax revenue of $2,642,204 is budgeted for the general fund. In opening remarks, Commissioner Tom McCracken emphasized that the 2026 budget reflects a strong commitment to employee retention, public safety and expanded services while remaining fiscally responsible,...

By Tricia Toney As Colorado counties wrestle with whether to comply with the state's newly adopted Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) code, a different approach to wildfire and disaster mitigation is emerging at the federal level—one that emphasizes incentives rather than mandates. The WUI code, adopted by the state of Colorado in July, establishes stricter building requirements for new construction in wildfire-prone areas. While supporters say the measures are necessary to reduce wildfire risk, county leaders across Colorado argue that the code fails to account for alternative building materials, fails to respect the expertise of fire mitigation specialists and mandates costly new administrative...

By Matt Lit Managing Editor I drove across the valley last week. On deadline and in the midst of producing the January Eagle, I needed a front page photo. I had no idea what but—like love—I'll know it when I see it. Or is art that I'll...? Whichever it is, it's something like that. Anyhow, I figured a drive across the valley would yield something. Anything. Cows on X Road? Cows on T Road? Generally, that's a safe bet. Zilch on X Road. I cruised through Saguache and with nothing of note, I figured I'd as least fill my tank. I took T Road...

By Tricia Toney Photo by Michael Keefe For nearly 30 years, the Crestone Energy Fair (CEF) has relied almost entirely on volunteer labor. What began as a modest showcase of collectively built homes using unconventional materials has grown into a multi-day festival, along with year-round educational programming, requiring dozens of volunteers and a small core group of organizers coordinating logistics. Those who work year-round to sustain the CEF and promote environmentally conscious living are reaching out to the community for additional support. Far from its humble beginnings, recent the fairs have included expert panel discussions on topics ranging from permaculture and renewable energy...

By Kimberly Black Stress on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) continued into December after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would begin withholding federal administrative funds from states that refuse to provide five years of personally identifiable information (PII) on SNAP applicants and participants. As of late December, there had been no confirmed federal action cutting SNAP funds in any state, including Colorado. For Colorado, the threatened administrative funding totals $96 million per year. The initial demand for data came at the end of July 2025. The requested information includes Social Security numbers, home addresses and five...