Maybe it’s because the fishing is easy or because it’s the heat of summer, but not many people have expressed an interest in being a reader’s representative on the Post Independent’s editorial board.

Then again, maybe it’s because the last time I wrote about it I made it sound about as alluring as being dragged through cactus by a runaway horse.

So let me say out front that being a member of the PI editorial board is not all about prickly issues and eating dust. To be sure, this can be serious business. But it can also be interesting, even fun.

We’re looking for a few good men and/or women who are actively engaged in the greater Glenwood Springs community who can dedicate an hour or so per week to discussing issues of the day and helping to formulate this newspaper’s editorial positions. Being a well-informed consumer of news and a student of current local events would be helpful as well.

I don’t want to be negative, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some disqualifying qualities: public officials, partisan ideologues or single-issue fanatics need not apply.

But if you’re interested in shaping public opinion and feel like you have something constructive to add to local public discourse, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I can be reached at 970-384-9110 or by emailing dmunro@postindependent.com.

If that doesn’t work, you might find me on a nearby mountain or river, easy fishing or not.

We miss her already

We’ve all heard the stereotypes about today’s youth: disengaged, pierced, tattooed, n’er-do-wells, faces buried in a smart phone or video game, with a swaggering sense of entitlement bigger than a blue whale.

So much for stereotypes. I’ve personally met more than a few 20-somethings who left me brimming with hope for the future: smart, industrious and selfless, eager to rise to the next challenge and capable of dispatching it with astonishing alacrity.

The PI newsroom has been blessed by the presence of one of the latter for the past two months, and it was with heavy hearts we bid her adieu on Thursday.

In about 10 days from when this is being written, Anna Gauldin will be wheels up for a four-month stint studying history in Cork, Ireland. The University of Denver junior (who, by the way, has amassed sufficient credits to enjoy senior status) has served as an intern here since early June. During that time, she churned out more than 40 bylined stories ranging from sporting events to West Nile virus to Buddhism.

The luck of the Irish smiled upon us the day she arrived, and our newsroom seems a bit dimmer in her absence. We wish her the best of luck and can’t thank her enough for all she did during her time here. In parting, an Irish blessing for your journey, Anna:

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

— dmunro@postindependent.com