Misrepresentation

Recently, a member of the staff at the Frontier Museum received a postcard from Lauren Boebert in which she claimed to have “led an effort to help preserve the Cardiff Coke Ovens near Glenwood Springs.” This postcard was probably also mailed to others in the area, and so we would like to clarify this misleading statement. 

The Cardiff Coke Ovens, located near the present-day airport, were established in 1888 as part of a booming coal and steel industry in Colorado. They are on the National Register of Historic Places, which demonstrates their significant importance in the history of Glenwood Springs.

The Glenwood Springs Historical Society has actually been the entity leading the process in preserving the Ovens. Part of the process was soliciting the endorsement of our political leaders, which Ms. Boebert thankfully agreed to do. She, however, was not alone. We also received endorsements from Senator Bennet, Representative Perry Will and the City of Glenwood Springs Historic Preservation Commission. We have been working on this project for several years, long before Ms. Boebert tried to lay claim to leading the effort.    

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Locally, we not only received endorsements from Glenwood Springs City Council and Garfield County, but also their financial commitments for the project. If you would like to thank any political figure, please let your city councilperson or county commissioner know that you agree with their support of the Glenwood Springs Historical Society and the preservation of the Cardiff Coke Ovens.

By the way Ms. Boebert, the coke ovens on the postcard, which your picture is photo-shopped in front of, are actually the ones in Redstone! We also ask that you continue to support this important effort moving forward with the same type of tenacity this postcard claims. 

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As you implied in the ad, History is important! We couldn’t agree more and will be holding you accountable to continue efforts toward the preservation of the Cardiff Coke Ovens into the future. 

Board of Directors, Glenwood Springs Historical Society

Healthy hives  

As I sipped my morning tea and read the paper I couldn’t help but be caught by the startling news of honey bees dying off rapidly (10/25 Post Independent.) 

I realized that my tea, and many other parts of life, would be far less sweet without bees around, from less flowers to food choices, and even jobs that depend on pollinators.

I’m grateful for beekeepers Derrick Maness and Paul Limbach putting in the hard work to care for honey bees and also drawing attention to the issues publicly. If we truly want to save the bees though, we can’t stop here. 

Together, we must take one more step forward for the bees. In addition to mitigating bear attacks and mites, we need to reduce pesticide use. This step shouldn’t be taken lightly. Pesticides, in particular a type of pesticide called “neonics,” are responsible for killing bees at rapid rates. They ingest it as they pollinate various plants and crops.

If you’re like me and love the sweet things in life, we must reduce bee-killing pesticides now and protect our honey bees before it’s too late.

Natalie Woodland, Denver