DAC seeking new members for Roaring Fork Schools

The Roaring Fork School District District Accountability Committee (DAC) is currently seeking new members for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond. As a vital part of our district’s educational oversight, the committee plays an essential role in ensuring that our schools are meeting the needs of all students while also keeping the community informed and engaged.

The District Accountability Committee is tasked with reviewing school performance, analyzing budgets and providing input on educational priorities. DAC members help influence the direction of schools by directly advising the Board of Education on priorities communicated from School Accountability Committees. By becoming a DAC member, you will have a direct impact on shaping the future of our schools and help ensure that we are working together to provide the best possible education for our children.

If you are passionate about education and want to contribute to making a difference, I encourage you to consider applying for a seat on the committee. Whether you are a parent, teacher, administrator or community member, your perspective is invaluable.

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For more information about the application process, time commitment and more, please contact roaringforkdac@rfschools.com.

RFSD DAC, Carbondale

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Total disregard for rule of law

Barely into the current president’s second term, we are already witnessing his total disregard for the rule of law and the well-being of the rest of us.

He has pardoned convicted criminals, the Jan. 6 rioters who committed brutal acts of violence against Capitol police. These assaults led to at least six eventual deaths and left hundreds more injured, some with life-altering physical wounds and psychological scars. So much for backing the blue! The current president has sent a disturbing message that domestic terrorists committing violent acts in allegiance to his cause will not be held accountable. He has also pardoned Ross Ulbricht, who was serving a double-life sentence plus 40 years without the possibility of parole. Ulbricht founded the Silk Road, a dark web marketplace where criminals sold and bought drugs, among other criminal activities. The current president has called for the death penalty for drug dealers, yet he pardoned a convicted criminal who created a venue for thousands of drug deals and helped drug dealers launder their money. He has scapegoated immigrants as the root of our drug crisis, yet he rewards another wealthy white male whose actions directly contributed to much suffering and loss.

Among the many executive orders signed by the current president, he has withdrawn the U.S. from the World Health Organization (leaving our country vulnerable to future pandemics) and the Paris Climate Accords (ignoring the very real and ongoing threat of climate change and environmental degradation). He also rescinded an EO signed by President Biden, which aimed to alleviate the financial burden of essential medications for Medicare and Medicaid recipients by lowering the costs of life-saving treatments and capping select generic drugs at just $2 per month. In each of these cases, the current president is prioritizing corporate profits (Big Pharma and Big Oil) over the health and well-being of average Americans.

As we continue to watch the current president’s actions in the coming weeks and months, ask yourself: Does he really care about you?

Laurie J. Lawrence, Rifle

Thank you, Holy Cross Energy

Dear Editor,

I’d like to express my gratitude to Holy Cross Energy for their outstanding energy efficiency and electrification rebate program. This fall, I took advantage of their rebates to make two significant upgrades to my home.

First, I replaced my aging and inefficient hot water heater with a new Rheem electric heat-pump model. The new water heater has reduced my monthly costs by two-thirds and features an app that allows me to manage the system remotely — an incredibly convenient feature when I’m away.

Second, I upgraded my old propane stove to a new induction model. The induction stove not only boils water in a fraction of the time but also eliminates the harmful emissions associated with burning propane for cooking.

The Holy Cross rebates made both of these projects possible and worked perfectly in tandem with the home electrification tax credits available through the Inflation Reduction Act (rewiringamerica.org).

We are truly fortunate to have such an innovative and supportive utility serving our valley. Thank you, Holy Cross Energy, for helping residents like me reduce costs, improve efficiency and contribute to a cleaner and healthier future.

Dallas Blaney, Carbondale

Dementia risk linked to processed meat

Eating meat is no longer just about heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. It’s about dementia too.

A study of 133,000 U.S. men and women tracked for more than 40 years concluded that consumption of processed meat products leads to increased risk of dementia and reduced cognition. The study was published last week in the prestigious journal Neurology.

Another study that tracked half a million UK adults over eight years found that daily consumption of an ounce of processed meat was associated with a 44 percent higher risk of developing dementia and a 52 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. That study was published five years ago in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Ready relief is offered by our supermarkets in their rich selection of legumes, nuts, grains, soy products and other natural protein-rich plant foods. The American Heart Association provides more details on their website heart.org.

Filipe Santana, Glenwood Springs

Ranchers, wolves and coexistence

On Jan. 10, 2025, it was reported that ranchers were looking for missing cattle. It is not unusual “to lose a few to predators, or sometimes find cattle that have been shot and killed either on purpose or by accident.” There were no telltale signs of dead cattle. The investigation pointed to cattle rustling, and one rancher said the “stolen calves were each worth $1,800.”

On Jan. 6, in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent, it was reported that Colorado ranchers in Middle Park claim livestock damages over $582,000 related to wolves. Let me see, let’s say each livestock (cattle and sheep) is worth $2,000 each. That would mean a loss of 291 individual lives lost. As far as I could find out, there were a total of 17 depredation incidents at $2,000 each. That would amount to $34,000. The balance of $548,000 would be for vet costs, missing livestock, reduced weight and reductions of births. Sounds a little “beefed up” (pun intended) for losses.

Remember back in 2012 when 11 cows were found dead in and around a cabin at the Conundrum Hot Springs? They were part of 29 cattle that had wandered off a ranch in the East River area and couldn’t be found until hikers found them dead in the cabin. Cows do get lost.

I won’t even get into the reintroduction of moose that are not native and are far more dangerous than wolves, and their population is approaching 3,000 in Colorado. But you’re right. They don’t eat meat, just compete with native elk and deer for available forage. Ranchers have had free range of public lands for years, and it is time their livestock were more closely managed. There are solutions to coexist with wolves, and there are going to be some hard lessons. Learn from ranchers that have coexisted with wolves for 10 to 18 years and actually benefited from using regenerative ranching practices.

On Monday, Jan. 27, there will be a talk at the Glenwood Springs Library on how to coexist with wolves. 5:30-7:30 p.m. See you there.

Kendall Christianson, Glenwood Springs