New loan keeps clinic to April 1; EMS defended

By Tess Noel Baker

Staff Writer

The Dr. Mary Fisher Medical Center will remain open as a primary care clinic until March 31 when contracts with physicians expire.

A $150,000 loan extended against 2005 tax dollars, secured from Citizens Bank last week , is the buoy.

What to do next is the repair still weighing down the Upper San Juan Health Service District.

Board member Jerry Valade said a total of $200,000 has now been extended to the district from the bank with the promise it could be recouped once tax checks reach district coffers. The agreement is to pay off half the loan in March and the other half, plus interest of about $2,000, in May. After basic needs are met, any remaining loan money would be used to decrease overdue bills sitting at about $200,000.

From there, Valade worked with a committee appointed at the end of January to come up with a short-term model that might carry the limping district ahead.

To stay in the black, he said, the medical center requires an estimated $11,000 more each month in income. By placing the building in caretaker status - paying only the bills necessary to prevent degradation of the existing structure and offering no services - the district would come out with about $200,000 in 2005. Added emergency medical services expenses could gobble up $112,000 of that, still leaving the district about $85,000 ahead.

Valade cautioned the board the model did not take into account current unpaid debt, the $40,000 the district promised to make a "best effort" to return to the Dr. Mary Fisher Foundation, expenses incurred employing a temporary EMS operations manager, pending employee settlements or employee buyouts necessary when the clinic closes.

He also presented an outline of three motions designed to prevent closure of the medical center, starting with shifting tax money away from EMS to open as an emergency/urgent care facility starting April 1. As a consequence, EMS services would have to be reduced until either private or mill levy funds could be generated to offset costs.

Even with the best possible model running the best possible way, he said, the district needs more money at the end of every day. "I just don't think we have enough money to do what we want to do here," he said.

Board members and audience members alike took exception to the idea of reducing EMS. Brian Sinnot, EMS committee chair, said the model for EMS services approved in July meets the district's basic needs and little else. To reduce those services would be "patient detrimental," he said.

"To do that and then go to the taxpayers after you've created a crisis situation is just wrong," he said.

Board member Bob Scott also balked at the idea of increasing the mill levy.

"In my mind we need a crystal-clear vision of where this thing is going and how we fix it before we do that," he said, advocating closing the clinic, continuing to support EMS, which is functioning fairly well, and working through financial and managerial issues until a model to meet the health care needs of the community and the financial restraints of the district could be designed.

Dr. Dick Blide, another board member, said the discussion was "putting the cart before the horse. We don't have enough money because we don't have enough patients." Improving patient numbers, both he and board member Dr. Jim Pruitt agreed, means bringing all the local physicians to the table to design a cooperative community health care system that serves the entire population.

J.R. Ford said more services is the key, not more patients.

"I don't see it as a volume issue at all," he said from the audience. "If we go on the way we have been, collecting the bills, the last thing we want is more bills." Later in the meeting he suggested at least leasing out space in the medical center while the board considers restructuring options.

Dr. Guy Paquet, the district's medical director, one of two physicians whose contracts expire March 31, said the area has more primary care doctors than needed. Based on population, with 2,500 patients required per primary care physician, he said, Pagosa Springs could support six physicians. Paquet counted eight including the two at the Mary Fisher Medical Center, plus a variety of alternative medicine practitioners.

"As long as people keep fighting amongst themselves, you'll never get anywhere," he said.

Business manager Allen Hughes cautioned the board that closing the medical center even for a short time would require significant start-up costs, including three or four months of operating capital while rebuilding a patient base and restocking medical supplies.

"You're talking clients, we're talking community," Pruitt said, reminding Hughes that six members of the board ran on a platform that focused on ending competition between public and private health care clinics. The board spent several months in 2004 in negotiations with local physicians to contract for services with no success because of the financial woes.

From the audience, Sinnot and Larry Escude of EMS, and Dave Bohl, financial committee chair, said it was time for the board to redesign the platform, set some attainable goals and begin working to reach those goals.

"It seems to me the key to this situation is that none of the medical groups are working together," Escude said. "If they were working together and had a common goal, you guys would probably have one of the best health care systems in the area."

Bohl said time to make such decisions is running short. "You can't stay open past March 31 as you are now." A community of board members, citizens and physicians plan to meet tomorrow to discuss possible interim cooperative plans for the medical center. Board chairman Pam Hopkins said a decision regarding the short-term status of the medical center would most likely have to be made at a special meeting scheduled Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. at Fire Station 1.

In the long term, the district board continues to look toward the feasibility of using the Mary Fisher Medical Center as a Critical Access Hospital - a federal designation that would allow them to recoup 101 percent of all Medicare charges.

Sheldon Weisgrau, with Rural Health Consultants of Lawrence, Kan., is aiming to complete the grant-funded study some time around the end of April. Of the 2,200 small rural hospitals nationwide, he said, about 1,000 qualify as critical access hospitals.

As far as timing goes, application and federal red tape take several months; the bigger issue will be, as always, funding for any required improvements, operations and staff.

Weisgrau said, as with any rural health care facility, the ultimate keys to success will be "strong management, support of the local physicians and support of the community."

'Conservative' county budget finalized

By Tom Carosello

Staff Writer

With the recent addition of a narrative from Bob Burchett, Archuleta County finance director, the 2005 county budget is now in final form.

In summary, Burchett's narrative suggests this year's document has been prepared with a modest degree of cautious optimism.

Says Burchett, "Archuleta County, as well as the state of Colorado, has experienced a recent mild boost in economic growth during the latter part of 2004, and this gradual trend is anticipated to continue during 2005."

For example, "a slight surge" in sales tax revenue late last year is expected to maintain strength, and the county anticipates sales tax revenues this year will increase by nearly 8 percent over last year's estimated total of $1,274,000.

At the same time, "In a fiscal state environment characterized by program reductions, layoffs and the like, it is easy for us to emphasize that our circumstances are not as good as they could be nor as good as we would like them to be."

As a result, "Indeed, the reflection of this budget can be clearly characterized as 'defensive' or conservative,'" says Burchett.

The following are a few of the budget highlights discussed in Burchett's narrative.

General Fund

General Fund Revenues for fiscal year 2005 are estimated at $7,474,181, an increase of $865,109, or roughly 13 percent, over estimated revenues for 2004.

Property taxes are the primary source of revenues for the General Fund, and the corresponding, effective mill levy rate for 2005 is set at 19.751, up from last year's levy of 18.760.

Based on an assessed county value of $199,958,860, the 19.751 levy rate will generate $3,949,387 in property tax revenues this year, with $3,106,761 earmarked for the General Fund.

Sales tax revenues are another key component of the General Fund, and the fund's revenues for this year are estimated at $1,375,000, equating to 50 percent of total sales tax collected annually by the county.

The remaining 50 percent of county sales tax revenues are allocated to the Road Capital Improvement Fund.

General Fund expenditures for 2005 are budgeted at $7,800,007, which exceeds anticipated revenues by $325,826.

However, "This shortfall will be covered by existing unreserved fund balance accumulated in prior years," says Burchett.

Road and Bridge Fund

This year's Road and Bridge Fund revenues are estimated at $2,322,595, which reflects an increase of nearly 25 percent over projected 2004 revenues and a decrease of 1.6 percent of the 2004 budgeted amount.

According to Burchett, "The majority of this increase ... results from the anticipated increase of the Highway User Tax Fees for 2005," which is estimated at $1,346,000.

That figure represents an increase of 27 percent over last year's estimate of $1,059,000.

Road and Bridge Fund expenditures for 2005 are $1,060,130, a reduction of $90,406, or 7.9 percent, of 2004 budgeted expenditures of $1,150,536.

"The majority of these expenditures, $810,000 or 76.4 percent," says Burchett, "are related to the operation and maintenance of county-owned machinery, equipment and vehicles."

Capital projects

This year's Capital Improvement Fund has one project budgeted - the extension of an existing sewer line "approximately 4,400 lineal feet" to the Extension building at the county fairgrounds.

The project was initiated last year, and the budgeted amount for completion of the project amounts to $196,000.

Enterprise funds

The county has two business-type entities, or "enterprise funds," - the Solid Waste Fund and the Airport Fund.

The basic definition of an enterprise fund, according to Burchett, "is an entity controlled the local government that derives its revenues from collections of external user fees."

However, "It is not necessary for the (entity) to receive all of its revenue from external user fees."

The Solid Waste Fund total expense budget for 2005 is $650,179, representing an increase of roughly $227,000 over last year's budget, "but only represents an increase of $27,308 from the fiscal year 2003 expenses."

Most of this year's Solid Waste Fund expenses, $358,470, are personnel costs, including items such as payroll taxes, insurance and workers compensation.

Operating expenses for the Solid Waste Fund this year are budgeted at $156,213, with roughly 40 percent of that total aimed at covering the costs of operating and maintaining landfill and recycling center equipment.

This year's Solid Waste Fund also includes budgeted amounts for capital equipment acquisitions; $77,596 is allocated for purchase and installation of scales, while $56,000 is tagged for purchase of "a mobile office to serve as the gatehouse for the landfill."

Though currently listed as expenses, says Burchett, "These costs will be reflected as assets when the financial statement is presented for fiscal year 2005, as is the common practice of a business operation."

With regard to the Airport Fund, total budgeted expenses for this year are $6,523,967, with $5.9 million of that amount budgeted for completion of airport improvements.

Through its grants program, the Federal Aviation Administration funds nearly 90 percent of the total costs associated with such improvements, while the state provides nearly 5 percent in additional funding.

The remaining funding is provided by the county and includes collection of airport user fees.

On a related note, last year the Airport Fund also received additional financing in the form of a $2.5 million loan from Colorado State Infrastructure Bank at a 4-percent interest rate, to be repaid over a 10-year period.

The first payment on this loan, $208,227 of principal plus $100,000 in interest, occurs this year.

Other inclusions listed in this year's Airport Fund include $60,000 for third party snow-removal contracts, $50,000 for maintenance equipment and $2,500 for replacement computer systems.

For further information on this year's county budget, visit the county's Web site at: http://www.archuletacounty.org/Finance/finance.htm.

Engineering firm picked for river restoration plan

By Tess Noel Baker

Staff Writer

Restoration of the San Juan River - for fishing and boating - from Town Park to the Apache Street bridge is expected to begin with design work and maintenance over the next several months.

Recreation Engineering and Planning (REP), of Boulder was chosen by a committee of town staff, property owners, river recreationalists and river enthusiasts from among five proposals to take on the estimated $40,000 design phase.

Town manager Mark Garcia said one of the first tasks will be redesigning some of the existing river structures to prevent the "beaching" of innertubes during low-water flows and reduce safety hazards.

The company will also work with the town on a proposed pedestrian bridge near the town park gazebo.

Garcia said money for a pedestrian trail on North 8th Street from Florida Street to Cemetery Road had to be reallocated after engineering review determined the grade was too steep for the trail. An additional pedestrian bridge in town park was one suggestion outlined in a proposed downtown master plan, would connect the Town Park Riverwalk with the Reservoir Hill trails system and could provide a spectacular viewing point for watching river sports.

The entire restoration project is expected to cost in the neighborhood of $400,000. Goals include: making the river channel's appearance more natural, adding put-in and take-out points for boaters, improving structure for fishing habitat from the pedestrian bridge to Apache Street and diverting enough water from Loch's Ditch to enhance the wetlands between 6th Street and Hot Springs Boulevard.

The first phase of restoration, from JJ's Upstream Restaurant to the pedestrian bridge, a distance of about a mile and a half was completed in 1994. The focus was to improve quality of river habitat and increase recreational experience for handicapped persons. According to studies, the fish population and number of river users have increased.

A third phase would include the stretch of river from Apache Street to the town boundary.

Designers for the second phase, REP, have over 20 years of experience in whitewater park design, fish habitat improvement and river restoration. The company employs experts in site planning, park and trails planning, whitewater park planning and fish habitat and migration.

Julie Jessen, town special projects director, said a three-phase approach will be used throughout the design process. Public meetings will integrate a broader vision for development and restoration.

County's 'big box' moratorium is extended

By Tom Carosello

Staff Writer

Archuleta County commissioners agreed Tuesday to extend a moratorium on superstore development through Aug. 1.

An original resolution banning "big-box" stores, approved by the county last August, had been set to expire today.

According to the resolution approved this week, an extension is necessary to allow time for further analysis of the potential impacts posed by big-box developments, as well as how to offset those impacts, if necessary.

Specifically, the resolution directs the county department of community development "to continue its study and evaluation and to recommend new land use regulations to address superstore development."

The resolution also calls for cooperation "with the staff of the town of Pagosa Springs to assist in the county's implementation, as necessary, of the proposed regulations."

The town passed a similar measure Jan. 4, extending a prior ban on retail stores over 18,000 square feet and grocery stores over 55,000 square feet through May 27.

With respect to the definition of superstores, they are described within the resolution as "any building, or combination of buildings, intended to be used principally for the purpose of retail sales and marketing ... which exceed 18,000 square feet in size."

The definition also applies to buildings featuring supplementary segments for retail food sales.

However, "Buildings used principally for the sale of retail food are excepted from the term 'superstore.'"

In a related move Tuesday, the board also directed county planning staff to advertise a request for qualifications aimed at identifying professional consultants who may be hired to assist with the ongoing creation of new county land use codes, including those related to superstore development.

According to Claudia Smith, a member of the Big Box Task Force established last summer, economic research centering on superstore developments is expected to be complete by the end of March.

A draft of the "Big Box" Task Force's summary of current findings is available for review at www.townofpagosasprings.com.

In other business this week:

- set a work session for discussion of "critical roads" maintenance for 9 a.m. tomorrow in the courthouse meeting room;

- moved to reappoint Alicia O'Brien, Sabra Miller and Lisa Scott to the county fair board while appointing Danna Laverty, Jan Karn, Annette McInnis and Sally High to three-year terms on the board;

- moved to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Sixth Judicial District Attorney regarding operations and procurement support for the district attorney's office;

- approved the 2005 Homeland Security Grant application;

- denied a request to appeal a previous board decision denying refund of sidewalk escrow funds to Ridgeview Entertainment LLC;

- approved the 2005 distribution of HUTF monies to metro districts;

- pending legal review, approved a request from University of Colorado at Denver graduate student's request to place wind sensors on the Navajo Bridge for research purposes.

Harlem Ambassadors, Pagosa Ringers meet Feb. 13 in PSHS gym

By Pauline Benetti

Special to The SUN

The Pagosa Springs High School gym is the place to be at 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13.

This is going to be an evening of fun for the whole family as the Harlem Ambassadors come to town to challenge our local team - the Pagosa Ringers - on the basketball court.

In the tradition of African-American show basketball, the Harlem Ambassadors perform some dazzling ball handling and hilarious comedy routines as they involve the audience, especially the kids, in their antics. Once again the event is brought to you by the Pagosa Springs Community Center and all proceeds will be used to expand community programs.

Our platinum event team sponsors are Buckskin Towing and Troy Ross Construction. They were first in line and are also responsible for selecting, training and uniforming our local team.

Other event sponsors are lining up. The Springs Inn and Best Western contributed lodging for the Ambassadors. Following came Ace Hardware/Circle T Lumber, the Banks of Colorado and of the San Juans, Citizens Bank, the Corner Store, Edward Jones Investments, First Inn, Ponderosa Do It Best, Rio Grande Savings and Loan, Tequilas and Aspen Village. Pledges have been received from Wells Fargo Bank, Raymond Rent-A-Nerd and Jim Smith Realty.

The $100 sponsorship includes special seating at the event, promotion, and the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped to bring a very popular family event to Pagosa Springs that foster positive attitudes towards our youth. The community center invites other interested individuals and businesses to call 264-4152.

In addition to the fun, spectators will be happy to know that as the Harlem Ambassadors play their magic around the country and internationally to help raise funds for non-profits, they also seek to foster racial harmony and promote the values of staying in school and staying off drugs.

Some important role modeling also goes on as young girls and women watch a woman coach the team and come up against male players. This is a win-win situation. Don't miss it.

Tickets are now available at most banks, Moonlight Books, the Ski and Bow Rack , and the community center.

Buy early and save. Advance ticket prices: students and seniors $6, adults $8. At the door prices will be $8 and $10. Kids under 5 are free and family discounts are available only at the community center.

Science Fair Best of Show winners steeped in physics

By Richard Walter

Staff Writer

In a competition highly tilted to the female side, two boys were the Best of Show winners in Thursday's Pagosa Springs Junior High and Intermediate School Science Fair.

In its wake, 37 competitors from the Pagosa show will take their projects to La Plata County Fairgrounds in Durango for regional competition Feb. 17.

Best of Show winner from the sixth grade was Ryann Charles with a project analyzing the power exerted on a baseball by wooden, metal and "corked" bats and the distance a ball would travel if struck with similar force by each of the bats.

Best of show at the junior high level was Nick Jackson's physics exhibit exploring the short- and long-term effects of friction.

Other intermediate school winners were:

Math and Computers - Sienna Stretton, first, who will go to regionals; and Trey Gholson, second.

Environmental - Crystal Purcell, first and Kelsea Anderson, second, both advancing.

Earth and Space - Kim Rapp, first and advancing.

Microbiology - Kaitlin Mastin, first, advancing; Brittany mechanic second and Kayleen Smith third.

Following Charles in physics were Tyler Johnson, second, and Luke Baxstrom, third, both advancing.

Botany - Andrea Fautheree, first, Amanda Barnes, second and Rachel Snow, third, all advancing.

Chemistry - Viri Marinelarena, first, Breezy Bryant, second and Cody Madsen, third, all advancing.

Team entries - Shelby Schofield and Samantha Hunts, first and Trace Maltsberger and Shaun Jackson second, not advancing.

Other junior high winners, all advancing, were:

Earth and Space Science - Tim Levonius first and Rachel Jensen, second.

Environmental Science - Waylon Lucero first and Julia Adams second.

Microbiology - Sarah Smith first and Anna Ball, second.

Chemistry - Katarina Medici, first.

Team entries - Victoria Espinosa and Ashley Taylor first; Ashley Brooks and Jessica Blum, second; Taylor Cunningham and Jordin Frey, third; and Kara Hollenbeck and Amanda Oertel, honorable mention.

Richard Wholf, representing the judges at the presentation ceremony, told the young scientists he taught science and math for over 30 years and has been a regular judge in local science fairs.

"You never know what you're going to see. You made this visit an eventful one with many outstanding entries.

"I hope you had some fun and that science keeps your interest. You can make lots of money, earn scholarships and win trips to fabulous locations through fairs such as these."

Each first-place winner, including all members of first place team entries, will receive $20 checks from Pagosa Spring Rotary. All participants received certificates of performance, winners will receive gold medallions, and the Best of Show winners also received statues signifying their efforts.

Nine firms reply to town's invitation for plan consultant

By Tess Noel Baker

Staff Writer

Nine proposals from comprehensive planning consultants were received by the town's Jan. 31 deadline. Six came from Colorado, three from out-of-state, including one from New York.

Special projects director Julie Jessen said a final selection should be made around the first week in March. Creating the comprehensive plan is expected to take about a year.

The plan will address housing, economic development, health and safety, natural environment, public infrastructure, transportation, parks, recreation, trails and open space, community facilities, history of the community, and growth and development.

Cost for the consultant will be in the range of $100,000-$150,000. Jessen said a committee of town staff, two town council members and two planning commission members will be formed to make the final selection.

The Town of Pagosa Springs received just over $60,000 in an Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance matching grant to help fund the process.

According to the town's home rule charter, adopted in the fall of 2003, the town is required to update its comprehensive plan every five years. The last plan, created in 1979, was never officially adopted.

Parents invited to data session tonight on pre-teens series

Parents of middle schoolers are invited to attend a special informational presentation tonight (Feb. 3) about a new series of classes to be offered in Pagosa Springs entitled "Growing Up Smart."

These classes, for students aged 10 to 12, will run 3:30-5 p.m. Mondays Feb. 14-May 16.

They will deal with techniques for creating positive communication between students and their parents about sexuality, peer pressure, options, self esteem, and the personal choices which are required in this challenging period.

The Pagosah Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is sponsoring the series by Joelle Riddle from the Durango office of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

The introductory session for interested parents will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Pagosa Springs Community Center. A light dinner will be served (at no charge). Call Sky Gabel at 731-2202 for information and to sign up for the meeting.

Planning Commission

The Archuleta County Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9, in the county commissioners' meeting room in the county courthouse. Public comment is welcome and encouraged.

The agenda includes:

- call to order/roll call at 7 p.m.;

- Pagosa Meadows I and II - Sketch Plan review Re-plat of Lot 113 Pagosa Meadows II and Lot 16 Pagosa Meadows I.

This is a request for the planning commission to review the Sketch Plan for the re-plat of these two lots for the purpose of transferring 1/10 acre from Lot 16 to incorporate and become a part of Lot 113 to have the existing drive on Lot 113 that is currently encroaching onto Lot 16.

These properties are at 1441 and 1553 Carino Place, Pagosa Meadows I and II located in Sections 29 and 32, Township 35 North, Range 2 West, N.M.P.M., Archuleta County, CO.;

- review of the January 26 planning commission minutes;

- other business that may come before the commission;

- adjournment.

Shrove Tuesday supper at St. Patrick's

St. Patrick's Episcopal Church, 225 South Pagosa Boulevard, is hosting a Shrove Tuesday pancake and sausage supper Tuesday, Feb. 8, from 5-7:30 p.m.

Everyone is invited. Donations will be accepted.

County audit finally submitted to state

By Tom Carosello

Staff Writer

Discovery of several accounts that had not been reconciled.

A complete overhaul of the county finance department, including personnel and computer systems.

And Governmental Accounting Standards Board's Statement No. 34, or "GASB 34" - a new financial model for local governments requiring numerous changes in reporting procedure.

According to Todd Beckstead, an accountant with the Grand Junction-based accounting firm of Chadwick, Steinkirchner, Davis & Co. PC, all of the above factored into the delayed completion of the 2003 Archuleta County audit.

Despite the difficulties, "Eventually, we got there; that's the bottom line," said Beckstead while presenting a brief recap of the 2003 audit during Tuesday's board of commissioners' meeting.

As a result, it is now unlikely the county will face serious ramifications related to the delinquent submittal of the audit to the state auditor's office.

However, the possibility for numerous complications was very real a month ago.

State statute requires submission of county audits or applications for a 60-day extension by July 31.

The county applied for and received an extension in late June, effectively bumping the audit due date to Sept. 30, but failed to meet that deadline.

Further delay prompted an inquiry to the county from Dianne Ray, director of local government audits with the state auditor's office.

In a certified letter dated Dec. 20, 2004, Ray cited previous letters notifying the county "of its delinquent status," stating her office had "not received a satisfactory response."

Consequently, "... I am authorizing you to hold all funds generated pursuant to the taxing authority of such local government in your possession," said Ray.

"Do not release these funds until you are notified in writing to do so by this office," she added.

However, as Ray indicated in an early-January telephone interview with The SUN, the state was willing to grant a little leniency.

"As soon as they get it here, we'll release the funds and they're made whole, again," Ray concluded.

And with any luck, the state has already received the audit - after Beckstead's presentation Tuesday, the board moved to accept the document and directed staff to forward it to the appropriate state agencies.

Expressing her desire to expedite the process, "Overnight it," concluded Mamie Lynch, board chair.

In conclusion, Beckstead stated there were neither major discrepancies in the 2003 audit, nor any disagreements with management concerning audit findings.

Beckstead also indicated most of the problems encountered while preparing the 2003 audit can be minimized or avoided in the future.

Responding to a question from Lynch regarding the status of the 2004 audit, "If the records are in a satisfactory condition, then we will meet the deadline," said Beckstead.

Division of Wildlife sets hearings on wolf control plans

The Colorado Division of Wildlife will conduct a series of open house meetings around the state through mid-February to gather citizen input on the initial recommendations of the Colorado Wolf Management Working Group.

The working group was convened early last year and given the primary task of recommending state guidelines for the management of gray wolves that migrate into Colorado. Members include livestock producers, wildlife advocates, sportsmen, local government officials and wildlife biologists. State and federal agency personnel are providing technical support to the group.

"The working group did an amazing job in reaching agreement on some of the basic issues of wolf management in Colorado," said Gary Skiba, multi-species coordinator for the department's wildlife conservation section.

Now that the working group has agreed on recommendations, a schedule to put policies in place will ensue over the next several months. First, the Colorado Wildlife Commission will review the group's recommendations.

In March, DOW Director Bruce McCloskey will provide a draft of the state wildlife agency's recommendations on wolf management to the commission. The working group will review public comment and DOW recommendations in March or April. Finally, the commission will vote on final wolf migratory management policies in May.

One gray wolf has been found in Colorado over the past year and more could migrate from states where the carnivores have been reintroduced.

The DOW, wildlife commissioners, and state natural resource managers want to have a management plan in place in case more wolves enter the state. Wolves are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, and Colorado will not have management authority until the wild canines are removed from federal protection.

Skiba said the state's first wolf management policy document would address migrating wolves only, and that the working group or a similar group might be convened in the future should Colorado need to consider more far-reaching wolf-management policies.

"We've taken some huge steps, and laid a strong foundation for management if wolves ever become established in Colorado," Skiba said.

The DOW's open house meetings on the wolf working group's initial recommendations will take place 7-9 p.m., Jan. 31-Feb. 17. Exact dates and locations of meetings in this area are as follows:

- Feb. 7 - Durango, Doubletree Hotel Durango, 501 Camino del Rio

- Feb. 8 - Alamosa, Adams State College, Student Union Building, corner of First Street and Stadium Drive

To read more about gray wolf management and to review the working group's initial recommendations, visit wildlife.state.co.us/species_cons/GrayWolf/.

Stollsteimer Creek Watershed study has been launched

By Cynthia Purcell

Special to The SUN

The San Juan Conservation District is sponsoring an important watershed study in the Stollsteimer Creek Watershed area.

This watershed encompasses approximately an 82,000-acre area from the lower portions of the Pagosa Peak area down to the confluence of Stollsteimer Creek and the Piedra River and includes portions of the town of Pagosa Springs, all of the Pagosa Lakes subdivisions, portions of the National Forest, Southern Ute Tribal lands, large portions of the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District and most of Aspen Springs.

Everyone realizes the importance of water in our community, but to date nobody has really focused on a watershed study that looks at the whole picture. Our watershed study has an ultimate goal of creating a Master Watershed Plan document that would include a detailed study of the watershed, and recommendations and design plans to improve and protect the watershed.

This is a multi-entity effort including the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association , Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District, the Town of Pagosa Springs, Archuleta County, the U.S. Forest Service, the Colorado State Forest Service and the Southern Ute Tribe.

The need for this plan has never been more critical than it is now. The population growth within the watershed has been extraordinary in the last 10 years and is predicted to continue. With this growth many of the traditional uses of water in the watershed are being threatened.

This is a long-term plan, with the intention of protecting the watershed well into the future. It is to ensure that we have clean water resources even after our community becomes much more urbanized over the next 20 years.

We need citizen input in this study. If you live within this watershed area and haven't received a questionnaire in the mail, contact the San Juan Conservation District at 731-3615. We can mail, fax or e-mail the short survey to you. Please return it by Feb. 18 by mail or fax your reply to 731-1570.

This planning effort needs to be driven by you, the local landowner, so that your concerns are identified and can be addressed. With your support, this study will help positively impact decisions made in the watershed for years to come. Once the surveys are tabulated we will be holding several landowner meetings to discuss the future plan.

We look forward to hearing from you. Call the San Juan Conservation District with any questions or concerns at 731-3615.

No Column this week

State of denial

Dear Editor:

Ms. Nina J. Adams' letter to the editor Jan. 27 illustrates why the Democratic Party is a party of losers. She whines and complains about the Bush Administration.

Apparently she still cannot accept the fact the Democratic Party and its liberalism was rejected by the American people. It is unfortunate Ms. Adams still is living in a state of denial that the Democrats lost the election.

There are good reasons the Democrats are having trouble winning elections. They have no definitive plan to offer the American people. John Kerry's daily vacillating was frightening to most Americans. They promote the same old failed programs. They always want more of our money. They support the immoral anomalous gay marriage platform. They encourage the immoral taking of the life of the unborn child. They favor activist judges that do not understand the constitution. They defend taking God out of the pledge of allegiance. They don't take terrorism seriously. They are weak in support of the military and they can not be trusted with our national security.

All good reasons as to why the American people chose George Bush to lead our nation for four more years.

The Howard Deans, the Barbara Boxers, the Michael Moores, the Ted Kennedys and the hate Bush crowd energized the American people to vote Republican. The people believed in President Bush's leadership. Liberalism was defeated.

The election is over. Let's stop the carping and move forward.

Ray Baker

CR 500 in danger

Dear Editor:

For five days now we have had 12 inches of mud and water running over County Road 500.

Do we have a road crew? If so, where are they?

We need a real county road supervisor; leave the public works director to run the computers.

County Road 500 is now the worst it has been in the last 30 to 40 years. Won't someone please help?

County commissioners are too busy to check roads in horrible condition.

Chris Chavez

USFS plan control

Dear Editor:

The U.S. Forest Service (USFSR) and BLM are revising land management plans initiated in 1984. Community Study Group meetings will help determine issues such as recreation, vehicle use, transportation, mineral leasing, fuels management and more.

Attending the first of these public meetings, on Thursday, Jan. 27, in the Pagosa Springs Junior High School library, was somewhat disappointing.

The USFSR seems to have adopted a new method for managing public comment, to prevent it from "getting out of hand." (We saw this at the last DEIS meeting on the proposed Village at Wolf Creek).

By implementing a format where small groups meet at tables with facilitators (in this case who are not Forest Service or BLM employees - but hired facilitators who know how to "manage" people), the meeting takes on a docile form. Attendees are not able to build energy and become better informed by sharing their ideas and concerns as an entire group.

Questions addressed seem to orchestrate getting the answers they seek:

1. What activities would you consider appropriate to restore Ponderosa Pine and mixed conifer tree types back to more open and mature stand composition and where?

2. Are the current needs of the recreation visitor being met and what changes are needed to prepare for recreation uses into the future?

Oh yes, we are following the letter of the law, inviting public comment, and it "appears" to be well done, but for some strange reason I found it difficult to be a "good little doobie" and place my one sticker (out of 30 or more possibilities) on the map of the Williams Reservoir "Landscape" to denote its single most important use.

Ah yes, the best laid plans of mice and men - I'm sure someone thought this was a great idea - our tax dollars at work. A turnout of 50 people or so demonstrated that the public does care and is taking an interest ... but I'm sorry ... at the most subtle level it felt like a meeting quietly arranged to meet the ends of a bureaucracy, rather than to truly assess the interests and needs of a community.

I hear that this administration is moving toward privatization of land management. As the human footprint attempts to gobble up more of our public lands, I hope that more voices will come forth and speak to help preserve and protect what we hold dear. The Community Study Group will continue to meet on the last Thursday of each month through June, to offer input to changes in our region's land management program. Hopefully these meetings will evolve into a format that invites broader and deeper comment from those who live here and care about our National Forests and Wilderness "Landscapes."

Cary Ellis

Addict's plea

Dear Editor:

A dealer's suggestion bargains for control, the words used to influence the actions of others.

Addicted people suggest there is a remedy for control. Not even the law can protect your children, or perhaps yourselves, from some suggestions.

Some playgrounds are man-made, out of quicksand, intentionally made, by those who are accustomed to being stuck in the mud; not generally participating by choice, but by disease.

I'm suggesting that we all act as one parent, who has taken a parenting with love and logic class (please think of the principles within that program), and treat this county like a child with greater potential than just a scenic route.

Don't use words like "If they would...," or "They are always ...". We must say "When we will ..." and "We always will ..."

I hope this community develops a plan for a rehabilitation site for all our kids' sakes. I am an addict myself, and I never stop hearing what dealers and concerned citizens say: "One hit and you'll never quit."

It is that very suggestion that is the poison that keeps people coming back for more.

That is what dealers want addicts to believe. The words are powerful but I am sure as a community we can overpower that expression with love and compassion. Words that will encourage those who are in trouble to get help.

It is written that words can kill or they can give life. It is up to me to help myself but I will say what I feel is right to help you too. I worry about the kids in this county who fear for themselves and their parents. That they might be feeling hopeless at what is implied by people who are afraid of meth or addicts. Recovering addicts like me should have hope for redemption and forgiveness. That is why Jesus Christ gave his life.

I hope we can let them know that nothing is impossible with God and that there are people who overcome drug addictions, including crystal meth. That is something I must believe so that I am not overcome with sorrow and end up defeating the purpose of loving and forgiving myself.

It takes work and dedication to be a part of Narcotics Anonymous and other forms of therapy. Certain ideas could hurt what people in these organizations fight so hard to accomplish to help other people like them. The chemical changes that occur in the body are fierce.

I would not imply that all souls who try drugs or develop addictions are lost forever. Those who do choose to walk that path will suffer hardships. That is not a subject to be argued.

Let's talk about finding a place out here where our citizens can get help. We know this is a big problem, so let's research some solutions together. As a community we can find more resources for people to utilize to reduce the number of people who are infected with addiction.

Shonna Gomez

Enough already

Dear Editor:

Enough already! Haven't we had enough of the Biblical references, dire predictions, and politically vitriolic (look that up in your Funk and Wagnall!) administration bashing?

Does anyone really care if Henry Buslepp calls himself a liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, or if Nina J. Adams thinks that people who supposedly don't even pay taxes will get the biggest tax cut?

Please, the election was last November. Bush won. Deal with it.

Dahrl Henley

Christian nation

Dear Editor:

The question of whether or not the United States is a Christian nation has been debated for many years and the letter posted in last week's section prompted me to respond.

In the late 1800s the Supreme Court of the United States agreed to rule on the question and spent 10 years reviewing all of the available evidence. Finally, in 1892, they issued the "Trinity Decision" in which they unanimously stated that the United States is a Christian nation.

This is not my opinion nor any attempt on my part to rewrite history.

Robert Horstman

Vests for troops

Dear Editor:

I am new to Pagosa Springs and a recently retired police officer.

I retained my bulletproof vest when I retired and would very much like to get it to a serviceman or woman serving in Iraq from this area, or nearby.

I would also like to invite other retired officers to do the same. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

R.L. Isaacs, Det. Sgt. Ret.

e-mail ronin@centurytel.net

Back off

Dear Editor:

Last time I checked we still live in America. Capitalism drives our economy. Don't hate David and Carol Brown because they have money.

Liberals are always trying to cut down the tall poppies. David and Carol have been very generous to our community charities. They have employed tons of people at BootJack over the years not to mention all of the lumber, concrete, gravel and construction materials they buy locally. I myself was a carpenter at Dave's ranch and he pays higher than any other local builder.

His projects are of the highest quality and if he did develop in town it would help this town tremendously. I too want to develop in town and I'm concerned that people don't want development and fight every project on the table.

Construction and tourism drive Pagosa's economy. Growth should be controlled. The fact is 95 percent of our country is open space and wilderness with only 5 percent developed. Private property is just that, private. So stop the hating and the bashing and "Love thy neighbor."

America was built and forged by people like David and Carol. If you work hard anything is possible. The Browns give back to the community and protect areas up on the pass. America is a great country but the Brown bashers should look at the fact that Pagosa will change, is going to change and the Browns would do a great job in town and we are lucky to have them.

Sean McMullen

Santa Fe, N.M

.

Hand over reins

Dear Editor:

Your front page lead story in last week's SUN prompted a little gray matter recall falling back to the very early days of a 33-year U.S. Navy global adventure.

An admiral once told me after I made some enormous blunder, "Son, what should happen when you make a mistake is this: You take your knocks, your learn your lessons, and then you move on; that's the healthiest way possible to deal with a problem." Ya know, that surly old sea-dog was right on target.

Time to saddle up yer best-liked nag and trot off into the "Best of Colorado" and check some cattle brands, Sheriff Tom Richards. Your mistake has cost the local taxpayer enough in more ways than one. It is the hour to do the right thing - abdicate - expeditiously. Make your legal appeal on your time. Do not drag it out on the citizens' clock any longer and make it messy. Retirement is fun; make the most of it.

Now is the moment to hand over the reins to some younger blood to assume the stress of law enforcement in this rapidly growing community. I am supremely confident that there is working professional excellence out there somewhere - just waiting. They will do well. Which should be your fervent and paramount prayer. I assume you do give a hoot about the well-being of county folk?

Jim Sawicki

Jury jeopardy

Dear Editor:

Judge Jim Denvir of Archuleta County Court needs to get his court in order.

On Monday, Jan. 24, over 40 citizens were summoned to appear in court for possible jury selection for a "scheduled trial." These citizens were notified 30 days prior to trial date. They, as responsible citizens, appeared at or before 8:30 a.m., only to wait and stare at blank courthouse walls over an hour while judge and attorneys met to decide to go, or not to go, to trial.

Decision - no trial.

What goes here? Attorneys not prepared? Pagosa citizens were. What is going on is a total lack of concern, disregard and indifference for the citizens who appeared as summoned.

The impact on 40-plus citizens is significant, i.e., substitute teachers, baby-sitters, cancelled appointments, etc. If this court conduct continues citizens may develop apathy toward jury service and its importance.

Citizens were expected to be ready to go at 8:30 a.m. - so should everyone else, involved, no exceptions.

Another court insult to the same citizens is a memo handed out saying if you were not selected today, show up next week, 1/31/05 for a different trial. Reschedule your agenda again for another "maybe" trial?

There is a total disregard for citizens willing to serve - apologies and platitudes for inconvenience do not wash.

The indifference and disregard for citizens' time is appalling, and for those summoned, time is as valuable as the court's.

Shoring up holes in the court system begins with you, Judge Denvir.

Thelma and Robert Smith

Corrected

Dear Editor:

It has taken seven years, but the injustice suffered by Larry Bass has been finally corrected; yet, no amount of money can adequately compensate him for the damage done to his professional career and the harm done to his personal life.

The finding of the jury in the federal civil rights case brought by Larry tracks exactly with the conclusions reached at the time by Gerald Sawatzky as general counsel to the PLPOA Board of Directors and myself as PLPOA general manager.

I am immensely proud of the support courageously shown by the PLPOA board of directors during the difficult political climate of late 1997 to July 1998. The fairness, professionalism and judgment of directors Don Costa, Lee Vorhies, Mojie Adler, Joe Apker, Vince DeBennedette and Bob Fiedler (since deceased) have also been vindicated by this verdict.

In particular, I wish to note that the legal counsel received by the board and me from Gerald Sawatzky was superlative, and I commend him for his role is righting the injustice done Larry.

Roy D. Vega

Do you care?

Dear Editor:

Are the rich getting richer and the poor, poorer? Do you care?

Is there any difference between the rich man and the poor man besides the money? A few years ago I was looking into a nonprofit organization to help feed people in third world nations and I was looking at what the presidents of these organizations were making. Some were making over $400,000 a year and yet it took anywhere from $8 to $20 a month to feed a person. How can a nonprofit pay that much for there top guy and still do a great job? I don't think there heart is in it. I could see maybe $100,000 a year but not $400,000. It should no longer be a nonprofit if the top people are making over $100,000 a year.

Is that sounding socialistic, or do we as human beings just lack self-control? Maybe it is both. I don't like that word "socialistic," but what else can we do?

Do we need some limits here? Why does it happen? Is it from greed, neglect, or ignorance? Maybe it is from all three. Maybe it is because the poor don't want to work? Do they just want a free handout? Maybe they are tired of trying to get ahead and just not finding a way to do it.

Is this OK, or is it a bad thing? Does it cause harm to all Americans or just to the poor? If the poor were to be able to earn more with less effort would they just blow it or would they invest and save it? Would they start their own businesses? What can be done about it? Does anything need to be done about it? Do you care? If you are poor you probably do and if you are rich you probably do not.

Sincerely,

Danny White

Colorado Springs

Expunged quotes

Dear Editor:

In defense of Mr. Sawicki and to enlighten his maligners, including the editor's sarcastic and unprofessional note (1-20), anent the church/state issue of our founding fathers, I offer the following quotes which have been expunged from textbooks by the liberal secular humanists who run our school system.

Contrary to Mr. Pierce's mistaken assertions (1/27) that our founders did not believe in divine intervention and resoundingly believe in separation of church and state, I invite him and SUN readers to consider the evidence.

Fifty-two of the 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians. The other three believed in the Bible as divine truth, the God of Scripture, and His personal intervention. After creating the Declaration, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and distribute 20,000 Bibles.

Patrick Henry: "An appeal to arms and the God of Hosts is all that is left to us." In 1776 he wrote: "This great nation was founded by Christians on the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Thomas Jefferson wrote on the front of his well-worn Bible: "I am a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. Our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our creator and to the pure doctrine of Jesus."

George Washington (farewell speech of 9/19/1796): "It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. Our religion and morality are the indispensable supporters. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that our national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." From his personal prayer book: "Bless, O Lord, the whole of the race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of thy Son, Jesus Christ."

John Adams (to military leaders): "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

James Madison (primary author of the Constitution): "We have staked the whole future of our new nation not on the power of government but upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the principles of the Ten Commandments."

U.S. Congress in a 1782 resolution: "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools."

John Jay (first Court Justice): "When we select our national leaders, to preserve our nation, we must select Christians."

John Quincy Adams (8/4/1821): "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."

William Holms McGuffey (dubbed by President Lincoln as the "Schoolmaster of the Nation") whose Reader was used for over 100 years with over 125 million copies sold: "The Christian religion is the religion of our country. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions."

For complete 30-page documentation, see www.w+v-zone.com/Mary Forsakenroots.html.

Eugene Witkowski

Kate's Calendar

By Kate Terry

SUN Columnist

Today to March 31

A free lunch will be served Thursdays at the Parish Hall, 451 Lewis St., 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Come one and all. Bring only your appetite. Meal is sponsored by Loaves and Fishes.

Today

The Voluntary Tax Return Preparation Program will be available to the community at the community center in the arts council room. For those interested in this free service, there are sign-up sheets on the bulletin board at the Silver Foxes Den. Posted directions will tell one what to bring.

Today

The monthly meeting of the San Juan Outdoor Club will be at the Parish Hall on Lewis Street, 6:30 p.m. Mark Mueller, local avalanche forecaster for the Colorado Department of Transportation will present this month's program. He will share informative slides and stories about his work in forecasting, avoiding and surviving avalanches in the local mountains. Sign-ups for activities this month include several showshoe/cross-country ski outings and an icefishing tournament. For information, call Sue Passant, 731-3836. Visitors are welcome.

Feb. 8, 15, 22

Pagosa Springs Community Choir rehearsals for the spring concert Tuesdays, 7-9 p.m., at Community United Methodist Church, 434 Lewis St. Performances are set for May 6 at 7 p.m. and Mother's Day, May 8, at 4 p.m. in the Pagosa Springs High School auditorium. Contact Pam Spitler for information at 264-1952. Concerts are free.

Feb. 4

The Gray Wolf Ski Club cookbook committee will be at Sisson Library from 1-4 p.m. to distribute members' prepaid copies of the cookbook. Unfortunately, because of overwhelming demand by club members, there are not enough copies to sell to the general public.

Feb. 5

Seventeenth annual Pagosa Springs Arts Council Photography Contest opening reception 5-7 p.m. at Moonlight Books. Refreshments will be served. Judge's seminar on digital photography is 9-11 a.m. at the community center. Cost is $5 for contest entrants, $10 for others. Information on each is available at Moonlight Books or by calling 264-5666.

Feb. 6

Pagosa Area Singles will meet for dinner at 6 p.m. at Back Country Barbeque on North Pagosa Boulevard. All singles age 35-plus welcome, but reservations are required. RSVP to 731-2445.

Feb. 9

The Pagosa Women's Club will meet at JJ's Upstream Restaurant. Doors open at 11:45 a.m. and lunch will be served at noon. Doris Greene of the arts council is the featured speaker. Cost is $10 and any woman in the area is invited to attend. Reservations are required. Call Judy Cramer, 264-1156, by noon, Monday, Feb. 7.

Feb. 9

Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.

Feb. 10

Mountain View Homemakers meet at Joann Guckert's home, 51 Pine View Drive. Directions: Go south on U.S. 84 to Continental Estates, turn left on Easy Street, proceed about a half mile to Pine View. First house on the right. Go through the garage and upstairs. The program will be "Scrapbooking 101," how to save all your treasured memories, by club historian Shirley Snider, 264-6402. She will cover scrapbooking products, where to purchase them and hints on use. The co-hostess is Robbye Reedy. Parking is limited, so carpooling is encouraged.

Feb. 10

The Newcomer Club will meet at the 19th Hole Restaurant, 6 p.m. Cost is $7 per person. Reservations are not necessary. All newcomers are most welcome. For more information, call Lyn DeLange, 731-2398.

Feb. 10

Wolf Creek Trailblazers Snowmobile Club monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Community United Methodist Church on Lewis Street. Local club rides and the overnight trip to Grand Mesa will be discussed. New members are welcome. For more information, call Charlie Rogers, 264-4471.

Feb. 11

Friday Fish Frys begin at the Parish Hall on Lewis Street. Fish, coleslaw, hush puppies, homemade french fries, dessert and a drink will be served by the Knights of Columbus 5-7 p.m. every Friday during Lent (through March 18). Tickets for an all-you-can-eat dinner are $10. Regular adult tickets $8. Children under 12 are $4.

Feb. 12

Pagosa Piecemakers Quilt Guild meets at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church in the education building. All members are invited to take part in a new group bee concept president Linda Bennett is organizing for the new year. We hope to see you there.

Feb. 14

Sweetheart Donation Day for Colorado Wild. Be a sweetheart, donate to Colorado Wild to help efforts to stop the Village at Wolf Creek. Donations can be sent to Colorado Wild, P.O. Box 2434, Durango, CO 81302.

Feb. 16

The Mountain High Gardeners Club will meet from 10 a.m.-noon at the Archuleta County Fairgrounds Extension office. The guest speaker will be Jen Libra from Spring Mountain Nursery demonstrating how to start seeds at home this spring so that healthy plants will be ready for the garden by summer. Everyone is welcome. Call Barb Palmer, 731-1173, for more information.

Feb. 27

A communitywide reception to express appreciation for Lenore Bright's years of dedication to the Sisson Library, 2-4 p.m. in the Commons Area of Pagosa Springs High School.

March 4-13

The Durango Film Festival, a 10-day juried event in downtown Durango, will host independent feature films, documentaries, shorts, animation, regional and children's programs from filmmakers all over the world. The event will also include filmmaker panels, parties, receptions and audience awards given to the best films in each category. All films will be showcased in various venues in the downtown Durango area. For additional information about show times, tickets and film descriptions, visit the Web site at www.durangofilmfestival.com, or call the festival office at 259-2291.

Red Shoe Piano Trio performs in Pagosa Feb. 8

By Musetta Wollenweber

Special to The PREVIEW

The Red Shoes Piano Trio is in concert 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8, at Restoration Fellowship hall, 264 Village Drive, with proceeds to benefit the Silver Foxes Den as well as the Fort Lewis Scholarship Fund.

The Red Shoe Piano Trio was formed in the fall of 2003 at Fort Lewis College in Durango. The trio has performed throughout the region to delighted audiences, and was described as "red hot" by the Durango Herald.

The trio is dedicated to performing the great standards of the repertoire, while avidly championing contemporary compositions. The members of the trio - Mikylah Myers McTeer, violin; Katherine Jetter Tischhauser, cello; and Lisa Campi, piano - are currently faculty members at Fort Lewis College where they maintain active teaching and performing careers.

McTeer is concertmaster of the San Juan Symphony and assistant professor of violin and viola at Fort Lewis College. She was previously a violinist with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. She received her doctoral and master's degrees from the University of Houston's Moores School of Music, where she studied with renowned violinist Fredell Lack.

During her time in Houston, Dr. McTeer regularly performed with the Houston Symphony and the Houston Grand Opera and was assistant concertmaster of the Woodlands Symphony and principal second violinist of Houston's Orchestra X.

The Moores Piano Trio was the silver prize winner at the 2000 Carmel Chamber Music Competition and a finalist in the 2000 Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition. McTeer has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Italy, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary.

She spends her summers performing at music festivals throughout the United States and Europe, including the Spoleto Italy Festival, the AIMS in Graz, Austria Festival, the Oregon Coast Festival, the Ernest Bloch Festival in Newport, Oregon, and is a nine-year member of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, Oregon.

She received her bachelor's degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she studied violin with Roland and Almita Vamos. She was also a four-year-member and co-captain of the Oberlin College varsity women's soccer team.

Katherine Jetter Tischhauser earned the master's of music and in 2002 the doctor of music degree in cello performance from Florida State University after receiving both the bachelor of music degree in cello performance and the bachelor of arts degree in applied mathematics from East Carolina University.

Tischhauser did her primary musical training with Selma Gokcen, Andrew Luchansky and Lubomir Georgiev. She has also performed in master classes of Janos Starker, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Channing Robbins, and Stephen Doane.

Tischhauser's chamber and solo experiences include performances with the International Cello Festival Master Classes in Kronberg, Germany, the Killington Chamber Music Festival, the Alfred Chamber Music Institute, the Florida State New Music Festival, the Red Shoe Piano Trio, the Alexander Murray Recital Series, and the Tischhauser-Shelly Ensemble. She was the cellist for the award winning Camellia String Quartet for two years. In the position of principal cellist she has played in the Florida State Symphony Orchestra, the Showcase Chamber Ensemble, and the San Juan Symphony. Other orchestras Dr. Tischhauser has been a member of include the Tallahassee Symphony, the New Carolina Sinfonia, the Tar River Orchestra, the National Opera Company Orchestra, the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra, and the Santa Fe Symphony.

She is currently associate professor of cello and music theory at Fort Lewis College. In addition to her duties at the college she actively teaches in the Four Corners area through private lessons at Katzin Music and the Conservatory Music in the Mountains. Recently she recorded an album, "Down on the Beaten Road," and is performing with the acoustic rock band, Formula 151. She is the secretary of the Colorado ASTA with NSOA chapter and is an active clinician regionally and nationally. She has done extensive research on contemporary techniques in string literature and cello pedagogy.

Lisa Campi is the assistant professor of piano at Fort Lewis College where she performs, accompanies, teaches private and class piano, theory and history. She was previously an assistant professor of piano at Eastern Washington University in Spokane, Wash.

Campi has performed and adjudicated throughout North America, and has given lecture recitals for such organizations as the National Music Teachers Association. She has played recitals for the Chautauqua Institute in New York, the Scotia Festival of Music in Nova Scotia, for CBC radio, for the National Public Radio on WBFO: for the "Opus, Classics Live" series at the University of Buffalo, and for the "Piano Bench" series on KPBX, Spokane Public Radio. A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Campi received her bachelor's of music from Indiana University, her master's from the University of Maryland, and her doctorate from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Rebecca Penneys.

Campi was the pianist for the Taliesin Piano trio which participated in the National Endowment for the Arts/Chamber Music America rural residency in Blytheville, Ark., and which founded the concert series, "Composers, in their Own Words."

Campi has founded, directed and adjudicated for the Four Corners Piano Competition at Fort Lewis College. She also currently serves as the keyboardist for the San Juan Symphony Orchestra, and regularly performs as the pianist for the Red Shoe Piano Trio of Fort Lewis College. She is a vigorous advocate for the music of our time, has performed a wide range of solo and chamber works by leading contemporary composers, and has been associated with several modern music ensembles, including "Ossia" in Rochester, N.Y., and "Zephyr" in Spokane, Wash.

Tickets are available at the Silver Foxes Den Senior Center, Plaid Pony and the Chamber of Commerce. Adults are $12, children 12 and under $10, seniors with membership cards $10.

Music in the Mountains tickets are the perfect Valentine gift

By Carole Howard

Special to The PREVIEW

If you're looking for something special for your Valentine, Music in the Mountains suggests giving a gift certificate for one of this summer's classical music festival events. You have a choice of four concerts, each of which will bring world-class musicians to Pagosa Springs.

The first event will be an elegant benefit with a reception and concert hosted by David and Carol Brown at BootJack Ranch in their fabulous glass-roofed Aquatic Center 5-9 p.m. Saturday, June 25. Guests will enjoy sumptuous hors d'oeuvres on the outdoor patio, followed by an intimate piano recital.

Attendance is limited to 125 guests. Cost is $175 per person. Funds raised will help support classical concerts as well as children's scholarships and musical events in Pagosa Springs.

The evening's special performer will be Kirill Gliadkovsky, born in Moscow and the winner of numerous prestigious prizes. Since his public debut at the age of six, he has performed piano and organ recitals and been a soloist with orchestras in cities all over the world. As well, he has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs. He is an orchestra and choral conductor, and also composes for piano and organ.

The benefit concert will open with a performance by one of our gifted local scholarship students.

Three additional classical concerts will take place in July and August, also at BootJack Ranch:

1. On Friday, July 22 Pagosa welcomes internationally famous violinist Vadim Gluzman, whose performance will include Bruch's "Octet" at 7 p.m. Gluzman has been lauded by critics and audiences as one of the most inspiring, dynamic artists performing today. Cost of this concert is $40.

2. Saturday, July 30, pianist Aviram Reichert will perform Beethoven's Piano concertos No. 3 and No. 5 at 6 p.m. with the full festival orchestra. Reichart, who has won numerous awards and performed with major orchestras in Israel and Europe, wowed Pagosa audiences when he played here the last two summers. This is the first time we will have the full festival orchestra playing in Pagosa, in a larger tent seating 350. Cost of this concert is $50. (Note the earlier starting time and Saturday date.)

3. On Friday, Aug. 5, Antonio Pompa-Baldi brings his piano mastery back to Pagosa. Having performed with orchestras around the world and in the PBS "Concerto" series, he too was a great hit with local audiences the last two summers. His performance at 7 p.m. will include Shumann's "Piano Quartet." Cost of this concert is $40.

To make tickets to one of these events a gift for your Valentine, visit the Chamber of Commerce in downtown Pagosa Springs or call them at 264-2360 Pay by check or credit card (MasterCard or Visa) before Feb. 11 and arrangements will be made to get you an attractive gift certificate by Feb. 14.

Chairman of the committee organizing these local festival events is Jan Clinkenbeard.

"We're incredibly lucky to have first-class musicians who have performed to rave reviews around the world come to Pagosa to play for us," Clinkenbeard said. "Thanks to the Browns, we will enjoy this music in a spectacular mountain setting at the foot of Wolf Creek Pass.

"This summer we're especially pleased to host the full festival orchestra. This will be a special treat for everyone. Even with more than 50 musicians, we promise to keep the same informal, intimate feeling that has made our concerts so special in the past."

Clinkenbeard pointed out there has been a modest increase in the price of the tickets this year. Even with the boost, she said ticket prices pay for only a small portion of the cost of the concerts.

"That is why our benefit fund-raiser and the contributions we receive from individual donors, businesses and other larger organizations are so crucial to our Pagosa festival," she said. As well, all of the planning and organizational work is done by Clinkenbeard's local volunteer steering committee composed of Melinda Baum, Mary Jo Coulehan, Lauri Heraty, Carole Howard, Crystal Howe, Teresa Huft and Lisa Scott.

With 2005 being the fourth year concerts have been held in Pagosa, community support is broadening and the performance of the full orchestra should involve new people in the local classical music scene.

'Being Liberal in an Illiberal world' is

topic for Unitarians

This Sunday the topic for the Pagosah Unitarian Universalist Fellowship service will be "Being Liberal in an Illiberal World."

This special program is a video presentation of a sermon delivered last summer in Durango by the Reverend William Sinkford, president of the national Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).

The Rev. Sinkford received a Presidential Scholarship Award and graduated cum laude from Harvard University.

In his early years he was a marketing manager for major pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies and later started his own construction company, remodeling homes in transitional areas of Brooklyn.

Following many active years in his Cincinnati UU church, he was encouraged by friends to become a minister. He graduated from Starr King Seminary in Berkeley, Calif., and became a prominent Unitarian Universalist clergyman. In 2001 he was elected as UUA president and is currently nominated for a second four-year term.

The service and children's program will begin 10:30 a.m. in the Pagosah Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, Unit 15, in Greenbriar Plaza. Turn east on Greenbriar Drive off of North Pagosa by the fire station, then left into the parking lot and look for the big sign. All are welcome.

Relay for Life organizational meeting Feb. 9

The 7th annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life in Archuleta County is set to take place June 24-25 this year. Organizers are looking for a few good men, women and children to help us get the ball rolling.

The first organizational meeting for the 2005 Relay will take place at the Visitor Center 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9.

The Relay needs people to help with team recruitment, food services, event logistics and much more. If you think you would like to help, organizers can find the perfect job for you. Interested parties should call Morna Trowbridge at 731-4718 to let her know you plan to attend or for more information.

"Having lost a brother-in-law and sister-in-law to cancer in a two year span was devastating," said Doug Trowbridge. "Assisting with the American Cancer Society Relay For Life helped me feel like I was doing something to combat this insidious disease."

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is an international event to raise funds for cancer research.

If you would like to help in the battle against cancer, please plan to attend the organizational meeting Feb. 9. If you are unable to attend but would like to help, please call Morna and let her know what you can do to help make this year's event bigger and better. Your help can make a difference in untold numbers of lives.

Building your home? Check out new class at ed center

By Renee Haywood

Special to The SUN

The Archuleta County Education Center is offering a full lineup of fun and exciting activities for all ages.

If you are new in town or have lived here for a while and are maybe interested in building a new home, there is a class being offered for you.

This is a class for property owners interested in overseeing their own homebuilding project here in southwestern Colorado. Some of the topics covered include rights and responsibilities of the owner-builder, site and design considerations for our area, architecture/drawing your own plans, custom vs. standard home design, the permitting process, inspections, budgeting, materials selection, hidden costs, choosing and working with contractors, negotiating contracts, insurance requirements, project sequencing and scheduling.

Instructor Barr Bentley is a native Colorado craftsman who has been building for over 20 years and teaching construction skills to adults and children in the course of his work during the last eight years.

After-school activities at the elementary school for students in grades K-4 include art, Spanish for Kids, Kids in the Kitchen, Creations, Puppeteers, Brain Gym and Fun Friday. These classes are held daily 3:15-5 p.m., except Fun Friday afternoons which are 1:15-5 p.m. There are also after-school activities for students in grades 5-9 at the junior high school on a regular basis.

A drama class will begin Friday, March 4, and continue every Friday through April. There will be a checker tournament starting Feb. 18 with a prize for the winner.

If you are one of those people who have searched a manual in vain for answers to software questions, or wasted time on trial-and-error learning we have classes for you. Current classes include Microsoft Excel, Word, Publisher, PowerPoint, QuickBooks, Windows XP and many more.

The Education Center is also offering classes for anyone needing to complete their GED. These classes help the student prepare to take the five tests required to obtain a GED certificate. Wally Lankford. GED coordinator, is available Monday-Thursday 1:30- 3:30 p.m. and Monday and Wednesday from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Registration can be completed Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Education Center, 4th and Lewis streets.

First aid and CPR certification classes are being offered Saturday, Feb. 12, 8 a.m. -5 p.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday, March 2 and 3, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Classes cover breathing and cardiac emergencies, as well as basic injuries.

If you would like to register for classes or need more information contact the Archuleta Education Center at 264-2835.

17th PSAC photo contest opens Saturday

The Pagosa Springs Arts Council 17th annual Photography Contest kicks off 5-7 p.m. Saturday at Moonlight Books in downtown Pagosa.

The public is invited to share in the festivities, view the photos, hear comments from Durango judge Howard Rachlin, and vote in the People's Choice award contest. The show will be displayed through Feb. 26.

Rachlin will also present the judge's seminar 9-11 a.m. Saturday in the Pagosa Springs Community Center's south conference room. Cost is $5 for contest entrants, $10 for all others. Prepaying at Moonlight Books is appreciated or you can pay at the door.

His seminar will address composition, digital camera resolution settings, things to look for when purchasing a digital camera, portable hard drives for field use, neutral density filters and special effects.

Cupid Classified deadline is Feb. 7

By Annette Foor

Special to The PREVIEW

There's still time to fill out and turn in your Cupid Classified.

Make someone in your life feel extra special by sending them a Cupid Classified. It's easy and only takes a few moments to write a unique message to the people and/or pets in your life.

Just think how many people you could touch with a special Cupid Classified.

For as little as $6 you can have your own classified ad(s) telling everyone in your life how great they are. Cupid Classifieds are not just for husbands, wives or significant others - they're a great way to share with your children, friends, neighbors, pets and so many more.

Just pick up a Cupid Classified form at The Pagosa Springs SUN, the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs Animal Shelter, The Pagosa Springs Area Chamber of Commerce or Humane Society Thrift Store, or cut out the coupon from this week's issue of The SUN.

Fill it out and turn it into The Pagosa Springs SUN office located in downtown Pagosa Springs by noon Monday, Feb. 7 and your ad(s) will appear in the Feb. 10 issue of The PREVIEW.

Make your check payable to Humane Society of Pagosa Springs.

The Pagosa Springs SUN donates the space in the PREVIEW section and all the proceeds go to the Humane Society of Pagosa Springs which then helps the homeless animals of Archuleta County.

So, don't forget to tell a loved one how special they are and also help a good cause at the same time.

For more information contact Annette Foor at 264-5549. Or log on to the Humane Society Web site at www.humanesociety.biz.

Dance club entertains Feb. 10

Members of the In Step Dance club will entertain at a Valentine Dance Party at Montezuma's on Feb. 10.

Among couples participating are Bob and Betty Santee east coast/west coast "swinging," Les Linton and Deb Aspen performing Argentine tango, Bodil Holstein and Charles Jackson dancing American tango, Dick and Gerry Potticary country stepping their progressive swing, and Charles Jackson and Deb Aspen cutting the rug with their renditions of waltz and cha cha.

There will be lots of general dancing as well. Everyone is welcome (even if you don't have a sweetheart), and there is no cover charge. Call Deb Aspen 731-3338 for more details.

Pagosa actress, performer, teacher, wife off to NY stage

By Erin K. Quirk

PREVIEW Columnist

At a young age, we humans accept labels for ourselves that help the world identify us with ease. Whether they fit well or not, we all wear "skins" like doctor, runner, poet, overachiever, alcoholic, child, lover and healer.

Pagosa Springs actress, performer, teacher, wife and mother Felicia Meyer left for New York Saturday to, through the medium of experimental theatre, radically examine the skins she wears and to ask a New York City audience the question:

"Who taught me to want what I want?"

Meyer along with a troupe of other professionals, students and alumni from Fort Lewis College are part of a production entitled "Skins" that will run for 10 days at the renowned Off-Broadway experimental theatre club La MaMa. The intent of the production is to challenge the audience to strip away skins others have sewn for them and find their authentic selves.

The goal may sound lofty but the show, which is based on poetry, music and movement, feels organic and necessary.

The performance is directed and choreographed by Kathryn Moller, professor of theatre and women's studies at Fort Lewis College, and is based on the poetry and sculpture of artist Elizabeth Ingraham.

The genesis of Ingraham's work, Meyer said, came from a period in her life where, as an attorney, she began to question if the skins she wore were accurately representing her. Meyer said Ingraham began to pare down her life to expose only the essentials. A series of earthy and challenging poems and sculptures was the result.

Working with Ingraham, Moller adapted the poetry into a 75-minute theatre presentation that moves and speaks with multi-cultural players and even in different languages. Ingraham's poems probe deeply into the origin of the ancients and the infinity of the cosmos. Her work feels like an elegy for vanished potential, feminine wisdom and the tenuous connection between human and earth. The opening line of one poem simply reads, "Gravity is the memory of light."

Meyer and the rest of her cast mates will rehearse for four to five weeks in New York before enjoying a 10-day run at LaMaMa.

Meyer is the niece of television actress Angela Lansbury and a former TV actress herself. She also holds a master's degree in film directing and has worked in documentary filmmaking, with such groups as the Discovery Channel, A&E and the History Channel.

Her current work with "Skins" in particular and experimental theatre in general allows her the freedom to move her body, stretch her mind and express her instincts as a performer. In her words, it allows her to "work from the shoulders down."

Meyer studied acting and experimental theatre at New York University and lived in Los Angeles for many years. There she held small parts in "Knotts Landing," "30-Something" and "Murder She Wrote." And, though she is thankful for the experiences she had as a TV actress, she felt stifled.

"I wasn't feeling completely fulfilled, like I wasn't using all of myself."

Meyer, in fact, tells a funny story about watching actress Donna Mills prepare for a close up on "Knotts Landing." She watched as the actress pulled individual hairs into perfect position around her face and didn't move her head and neck until the scene was through.

"I remember looking around the table," she said. "It looked like everyone had a stiff neck."

The work she is doing now with "Skins," she said throwing her arms wide and nearly coming out of her chair, also gives her the opportunity to collaborate with other performers - something she missed deeply working in television.

Collaboration is a major part of "Skins." During the nine-hour daily rehearsals, Moller would ask the performers, most of whom are dancers and actors, to consider water and express it with movement. Then Moller would take the most arresting interpretations from the nine-member ensemble and build them into the performance. Meyer said the result of all those creative minds focusing on an element like water was a forum for wild creativity and energy.

Meyer knew when she and her husband Brad moved from Los Angeles to Pagosa Springs that her life as an actress would change dramatically. One might assume that the performing arts stage is invisible in a town like Pagosa. Not true, Meyer says. In fact, Meyer has found a lot of talent and dedication by working with young people in acting seminars and her annual summer camps. She is also impressed by the number of people in Pagosa willing to support the performing arts.

"That's the beauty of this community," she said. "In the big city you just don't get that kind of support and you get so jaded. Here, people who don't even have kids are going just to support kids."

Along with her teaching, Meyer is also collaborating with other local artists and performers to build a performing arts center in Pagosa Springs. Friends of the Performing Arts or FOPA is meeting regularly to discuss plans for such a venture.

Meyer, who is also mother to a 5-year-old son, William, calls the opportunity to perform in the current production "a gift." It has helped her examine her wife, mother, actress and teacher skins and to strike a balance between them. Tears form when she speaks of being away from her family for six weeks, but the excitement performing for them when they visit is clear.

"It will be a journey to go to New York," she said. "It's a metaphor for my life. I am out of my comfort zone and leaving my family. I really consider it a gift to dive into those questions Š who taught me to want what I want."

For more information about the entire "Skins" production, visit www.skinstheatre.com.

Our Savior Lutheran hosts 16 Korean Academy students

By Rev. Richard Bolland

Special to The PREVIEW

Our Savior Lutheran School played host to 16 children from Namwon Shi, South Korea during the week of Jan. 10-14.

The students from the "Let's Go English Academy," studied American culture and used the week to immerse themselves in the English language.

Daniel Fiedler, director of the Academy, accompanied the students from South Korea, touring sites in Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California to round out the visitors' experience.

Mrs. Shirley Fiedler, (Daniel's mother and a faculty member at Our Savior Lutheran School), organized afternoon classes with the Korean students together with the fifth- and sixth-graders of the Lutheran School.

According to Mrs. Fiedler, "It was a great opportunity for young people of different cultures to connect on a person-to-person level, and to get to know more about each others people and nation."

It is hoped that more visits can be made between the two schools.

Friend's grandma had a quote for every occasion

By Kate Terry

SUN Columnist

Snow days are good times to clean out stuff, be it in closets, files or anything else. What won't go in my file cabinet goes in plastic boxes. It was a few of these boxes I got into last snow day, and it was in these boxes I came across all the notes about Grandma Simpson. Grandma Simpson was my friend Helen's grandmother whom she was always quoting. For example, Grandma Simpson said this:

"Pretty in the cradle

Homely at the table

Homely in the cradle

Pretty at the table."

Her advice for caring for things was to "wear it out, make it do or do without." Now Helen wryly added that Grandma totally ignored this message if she wanted to do something.

My favorite quote was that when she was asked where she got her hats, she answered, "We don't get our hats, we have our hats." The custom was that women changed the trim on their hats until they found a new one they liked.

A table grace Helen and her husband Mac said was one that had come down in her family and one that Helen and Mac continued to say even after their family was gone:

"Father in heaven softly we pray, we want to say thank you for every day."

Helen would go with Grandma Simpson to a resort hotel in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. One time grandma paid the cook at the hotel for his pie crust recipe. She paid $50 for it. Many years later Helen's daughter sent the recipe to the Dear Abby column. The columnist had written about her favorite pecan pie; She printed the submitted recipe:

2 cups flour

2/3 cups lard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Approx. 1/2 cup cold water

Cut fine as cornmeal and stir in liquid. Combine the egg yolk and lemon juice. Brush crust with an egg white for protection from juice and a glaze for top.

I never knew either of my grandmothers and I love to hear about those of others. A note here: I never made this pie crust. Twice I bought lard, but that was as far as it got. It's a lot easier to buy a prepared pie crust. But really, I was a sissy.

Fun on the run

Isn't it great to be a guy Š

- Your last name stays put.

- You don't give a hoot if someone notices your new haircut.

- Wrinkles add character.

- Wedding dress $2,000; tux rental $100.

- New shoes don't cut, blister or mangle your feet.

- Your pals can be trusted never to trap you with, "So, notice anything different?"

- Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.

- A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.

- You can leave the motel bed unmade.

- You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

- Your underwear is $10 for a three-pack.

- Everything on your face stays its original color.

- Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.

- You can quietly watch a game with your buddy for hours without ever thinking: "He must be mad at me."

- You can drop by to see a friend without having to bring a little gift.

- If another guy shows up at the party in the same outfit, you might become lifelong friends.

- You are not expected to know the names of more than five colors.

- You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.

- The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.

- You don't have to shave below your neck.

- Your belly usually hides your big hips.

- You can "do" your nails with a pocketknife.

Truth: salvation is by faith, through grace

By Richard Bolland

Our Savior Lutheran Church

It is often said, in today's pluralistic culture, that all religions are basically the same and that we can learn from all of them. Sometimes the claim is also made that unless we understand all religions we cannot understand our own as fully as we might.

I would suggest that while it is helpful to understand the tenets of all faiths, that different faiths also have different and conflicting beliefs.

Fundamentally, it cannot be true to say that if conflicting beliefs exist both can be true. In order to come to that conclusion, it is necessary first to say that nothing is absolutely true! My well-worn Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, defines truth this way:

"1. The quality or state of being true; specif., a) orig., loyalty; trustworthiness b) sincerity; genuineness; honesty c) the quality of being in accordance with experience, facts, or reality; conformity with facts d) reality; actual existence e) agreement with a standard, rule, etc.; correctness; accuracy 2. that which is true; statement, etc. that accords with fact or reality 3. an established or verified fact, principle, etcŠ"

In other words, in order for something to actually, really be true, it must be true for all people of all times whether or not anyone believes it. To assume conflicting claims can both be true is to deny truth itself.

It is this understanding of truth that sets Christianity apart as a unique religion in the world. Its claims are quite exclusive, not inclusive:

- Either Jesus Christ is the virgin born, divine/human Son of God or He is not.

- Either the suffering and death of our Lord is adequate payment for humanity's sins, or it is not.

- Either Jesus is the sole remedy appointed for the redemption of the world, or He is not.

- Either the Holy Scriptures are the true revelation of God to men, or they are not.

To say that all religions teach the same things is foolish and untrue. Hinduism - along with its descendent, Buddhism - clearly teaches that life is nothing but suffering and that "salvation" is finally to become sufficiently enlightened to escape this repetitive suffering and cease to exist. This is accomplished by doing good works and having the right attitudes and so acquire "good Karma," and to avoid doing bad things and bad thoughts thus avoiding "bad Karma."

Islam teaches that God is so holy and removed from man that he cannot be personally known and can only be appeased through the keeping of the five pillars of Islam which is a list of good works that must be accomplished by each and every Muslim if he is to avoid hell.

Judaism teaches that it is through the keeping of God's law that redemption and forgiveness can be found. As with other religions, there exist factions from "Ultra Orthodox" to "Reform Judaism," but all are based on good works as the end of the faith.

Christianity, by contrast, abandons all hope of acquiring "good Karma," doing enough good works, or thinking enough good thoughts. Christianity teaches that all men are conceived and born sinful and can never - no matter how hard one tries - do enough good things or think enough good thoughts to ever merit God's forgiveness for our sin. Rather, God's love and compassion are seen in that He sent His one and only Son into the world to assume human flesh, to keep the Law perfectly, and to suffer and die for the sins of all people.

Therefore, Jesus the Christ of God, is our substitute for our failure to keep the Law, for our complete inability to obtain the forgiveness of sins, and is the One who overcame the curse of sin - which is death - by rising to life from Good Friday's tomb.

Therefore, salvation and heaven are not gained by good works, but by faith (complete trust), in what our Lord Jesus Christ has done on our behalf. We completely depend on the good works (righteousness) of Christ. We completely depend on the sacrificial suffering and death of our Lord as full and complete payment for all our sins. Therefore, we rejoice because there is no longer any outstanding debt of sin which remains against us. We are forgiven completely!

This does not mean Christians do not do good works, but our motivation for doing them is entirely different from all other religions in the world. We do good works precisely because we are thankful to God for the redemption He has given us through faith in Christ Jesus. We are not attempting to curry favor with God by doing good things, rather Christ moves us and enables us to live a life pleasing in His sight so that His glory might be seen in our lives.

This is salvation by faith, through grace as revealed in the Bible or the Holy Scripture. It is a faith that has its hope solely in the love and actions of God, and not in vain attempts by sinful humanity to "Get right with God."

Now, either Christianity is right in this faith or it is not. If it is right, then no amount of good works or good thoughts will ever be acceptable in the sight of God since He has already sacrificed His Son to accomplish the salvation of mankind. Indeed, any such humanly based act is an incredible insult to God attempting to render payment for that which has already been perfectly accomplished by Jesus Christ.

If one's hope is in human accomplishments and works, then those with such a hope will never know if they have done enough, become enlightened enough, or thought enough good things and will always be left in doubt and fear as a result. But in the Christian faith, it is not our perfection but Christ's on which we depend. It is not our Law-keeping, but Christ's on which we depend. It is not our efforts, but God's perfect efforts to redeem His people which is our sure and certain hope.

So there is a very big difference between faiths, and not all of them can be true since they offer diametrically opposed solutions for man's problem with sin and evil.

In the Bible there are no less than 224 references to truth. In the Gospel of John alone, 52 times the subject of the truth is brought up with almost all of them being Jesus saying: "I tell you the truth Š"

Perhaps it is necessary to understand that when Christ speaks, He can only speak the truth, as when He says:

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" (John 8:31-32)

An active week ahead for local seniors

By Laura Bedard

SUN Columnist

The Red Shoe Piano Trio was formed in the fall of 2003 at Fort Lewis College in Durango. The trio has performed throughout the region to delighted audiences.

The trio is dedicated to performing the great standards of the repertoire, while avidly championing contemporary compositions. The members of the trio, Mikylah Myers McTeer, violin; Katherine Jetter Tischhauser, cello; and Lisa Campi, piano, are currently faculty members at Fort Lewis College where they maintain active teaching and performing careers.

Treat yourself to a "red hot" evening of music Tuesday, Feb. 8 at Restoration Fellowship, 264 Village Dr. The performance begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the Silver Foxes Den Senior Center, Plaid Pony and the Chamber of Commerce. Adults $12, children 12 and under $10, and seniors with membership cards $10. Proceeds will benefit the "Den" as well as the Ft. Lewis Scholarship Fund.

Seniors Inc.

Memberships to Seniors, Inc are still being sold at the senior center 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. If you are at least 55, come in and take advantage of the great discounts offered around town. Find out about the scholarship programs to assist with medical needs as well.

Membership is only $3 a year and renewable every January.

We are pleased to have our basic computer class back again, Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. Thanks to Becky Herman for volunteering to teach our seniors.

We had a modest turnout for our January birthdays celebration. Seniors Inc. has graciously volunteered to cover some of our meals, so that whenever seniors come in on the last Friday of the month to celebrate their birthday for that month, they only have to pay $1 for their meal. If you are celebrating your birthday next month, be sure to come in the last Friday of the month to celebrate.

We had a great turnout for Doug Purcell's talk about mountain lions Jan. 19. It was interesting that Doug confessed he has not seen a mountain lion in the wild, but many of our seniors had. Doug had some good information and fabulous photos, so we hope to have him back again in the spring. Thanks, Doug.

Dee Butler was here Jan. 26 to present "Hair and Skin Care." She had a full house for her presentation and it was quite interesting to see Joann Sager in a red wig.

Bodil will be here Friday to talk about spiritual death and dying issues. She has had a lot of experience with this subject in her naturopathic practice and with her own near-death experience. Come hear her talk at 1 p.m.

Check out the fourth annual AARP-Redfeather Snowshoe Festival at Devils' Thumb Ranch (two miles west of Fraser off U.S. 40). It's open to all ages and abilities. There are two heats - 10 and 11:30 a.m. Test your skill on snowshoes or just watch; it sounds like a good time.

We still have Silver Foxes Den sweatshirts for sale at the senior center. Only $20 gets you a cool fashion statement that we all wear on Fridays. Be a part of the Den.

Do you have some free time to donate to our homebound seniors? We need someone to fill our Tuesday out-of-town route to deliver a meal to our seniors who can't get out. Spend an hour or so a week to brighten up a senior's life. Come in to the center today and pick up your application.

Do you want to play with little ones at the community center on Wednesday? "Pagosa Brats" are playing in the gym Wednesdays 10 a.m.-noon and could use some grandparents to hang out with them. Just sit and just enjoy their antics if you like, or interact - but feel free to come in and say hi on Wednesday mornings.

Helpful program

The AARP sponsored Tax