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The Word is Out
Fossils in Snowmass Continue to Fascinate
Posted in by People's Press on February 4, 2012
It started as a simple excavation project at a reservoir near Snowmass Village. It ended up as one of the largest fossil excavations ever, and the project will soon be featured in National Geographic and as a one-hour NOVA program on Rocky Mountain PBS. A book is also being written about the Snowmastodon Project. Read the full story here.
A woolly mystery long in the tooth
Posted in by People's Press on February 3, 2012
Preview of “Ice Age Death Trap,” the NOVA-related show about the “Digging Snowmastodon” find.
Ask Questions During NOVA Premiere
Posted in In the Press by People's Press on January 31, 2012
Ice Age Fossil Site Featured in National Publication, National Television Show
Posted in by People's Press on January 31, 2012
Channel 9 Story: Ice Age Discovery Drawing National Attention
Posted in In the Press by People's Press on January 31, 2012
Aspen Public Radio Interview: Buried by the Roan
Posted in In the Press by Mark Stevens on January 11, 2012
Aspen Public Radio interview about “Buried by the Roan” in connection with the statewide controversy over fracking (hydraulic fracturing).
A Moment of Thanks
Posted in by Mark Stevens on December 31, 2011
A Moment of Thanks:
A few end of year (2011) thanks:
• To People’s Press and its mighty team—George, Mirte, Catherine and Christine. What incredible support. I have no idea how Mirte tracks so many issues and does so with so much flair, fun and good business sense. Catherine, “Buried by the Roan” improved vastly under your editing eye. Christine, thank you for all the public relations efforts and queries.
• To Cindie Geddes, who put “Buried by the Roan” through the close-in editing grinder and found a million fixes. Yes, I counted your catches. Thank you.
• To my friend Tanya Klein, who spotted out even more issues (and caught some potentially embarrassing stuff).
• To editors everywhere: those of us over here in the raw material gathering section depend on you and your eyes and ears and awareness of style.
• To the bookstore retailers and book people across Colorado.
• They are all “book” people, whether they work in a chain (the one big chain left) or an independent retail shop.
• To all the readers I met – Denver, Loveland, Golden, Evergreen, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Durango, Ridgway, Leadville, Meeker, Parker, Telluride, Estes Park, Frisco, Grand Junction. Thanks for your support!
• To my family, for allowing me the time to drive around the state and hang out at every bookstore I could find.
• To reviewers from major newspapers (like Durango Herald, Grand Junction Sentinel and High Country News) to independent book review sites (such as Think Banned Thoughts): thanks for devoting some space to a Colorado mystery.
• To the many fine friends at Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.
• I won’t name too many specific individuals but thanks to Jenny Milchman, Pat Stoltey, Mark Graham, Colin Graham, Allyn Harvey, Frank McGee. That list could go to dozens and dozens who have offered their ideas and support.
Thanks for everything. Let me know what I can do in return.
National Georgraphic to Feature Ice Age Finds
Posted in In the Press by People's Press on December 22, 2011
Mark Jan. 31 on your calendar. That’s the day the February issue of National Geographic hits the stands. The magazine will feature a short, illustrated article about the ice-age fossil finds at Ziegler Reservoir near Snowmass Village.
“We are thrilled with the level of interest in this important project,” said Dr. Kirk Johnson, the leader of the Snowmastodon Project excavation team and vice president of the Research and Collections Division at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. “The involvement of these esteemed organizations helps us share this discovery with an incredible number of people.”
The discoveries at Ziegler, which captured interest near and far when huge bones from mastodons and other ice-age animals emerged from the muck, will also be in the spotlight on Feb. 1, when Rocky Mountain PBS airs “Ice Age Death Trap,” a one-hour program that follows scientists as they unearth well-preserved specimens from giant, extinct beasts.
For those who can’t wait, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, which led the effort to recover fossils from the reservoir before the effort wrapped up early this summer, will present “NOVA Sneak Peak: Ice Age Death Trap” on Jan. 26. Johnson and fellow scientist Ian Miller, museum representatives who were integrally involved in the fossil dig, will host the program and show excerpts from the PBS program. In addition, attendees will be regaled with the duo’s behind-the-scenes stories from the dig site and the latest scientific updates from ongoing study of the fossils.
Finally, the museum is displaying a giant bison skull near the IMAX Theater entrance. The ice-age bison’s horn spread is more than 7 feet wide, compared with less than 3 feet for a modern bison.
In addition, visitors to the museum can watch as work with the fossils continues in the museum’s preparatory lab, located near the exit of Prehistoric Journey. Real tusk fragments, which visitors can touch, are part of a display about the Ziegler finds.
The first Ziegler fossils emerged in October 2010, when a bulldozer operator working on enlarging the reservoir unearthed the tusk of a young, female mammoth. Over the next few weeks and again the following spring, museum crews recovered some 5,000 bones from 41 different kinds of ice-age animals. The collection includes mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths, camels, deer, horses and bison.
The preserved series of ice-age fossil ecosystems is one of the most significant fossil discoveries in Colorado, according to the museum. Little evidence of mastodons in Colorado had ever been discovered before the multitude of bones emerged at Ziegler.
Scientists now believe entire mastodon families were trapped in the ancient lake where the reservoir now exists. Unable to move, they slowly starved to death, according to the theory. An earthquake or series of quakes could have quickly liquefied the soil in the lake, trapping the animals, scientists say.
Go to Snowmass Sun article.
Dig this: Book details Snowmass fossil discoveries
Posted in In the Press by People's Press on December 20, 2011
DENVER — The Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Aspen-based People’s Press are publishing a first-person account of the historic Ice Age fossil finds near Snowmass Village in 2010 and 2011.
“Digging Snowmastodon: Discovering an Ice Age World in the Colorado Rockies” describes the events surrounding the discovery; the excitement and emotion of the dig itself; and the colorful cast of characters who each played important roles as the story unfolded, according to the museum.
“This incredible discovery captured everyone’s attention,” said Dr. Kirk Johnson, leader of the excavation team and vice president of the Research and Collections Division at the museum, in a statement. “It played out in the headlines of local, national and international media, including The New York Times and National Geographic. This is our opportunity to share the inside scoop and describe what it was really like to be there and experience it in person.”
Infused with humor and offering the unique perspectives of Johnson and Dr. Ian Miller, a museum scientist and co-leader of the dig, the narrative illustrates the science of the fossil find, according to the museum.
The 10-by-8-inch paperback, written for a general audience and set for release on March 15, is 144 pages long and includes more than 100 color photos, five historic black-and-white photos and more than 15 color illustrations, line drawings and maps. The book will be available for purchase at the museum for $19.95 and distributed locally and nationally.
To learn more about “Digging Snowmastodon” or to purchase advance copies, visit http://www.diggingsnowmastodon.com.
The fossil discoveries at Ziegler Reservoir near Snowmass began in October 2010 when a bulldozer operator working on enlarging the reservoir unearthed the tusk of a young, female mammoth. In a fossil dig that began last year and resumed this year for seven weeks in late spring, more than 5,000 bones from 41 kinds of Ice Age animals were recovered.
The story of Ziegler Reservoir and the discoveries there also will be featured in the February issue of National Geographic magazine, which hits stands on Jan. 31.
An Aspen Times Staff Report
The 9/11 Shrine is one of few visible on the mountain
Posted in In the Press by People's Press on December 20, 2011
Article by David Wood, author Sanctuaries in the Snow — The Shrines and Memorials of Aspen/Snowmass.
The 9/11 Shrine on Aspen Mountain includes a large, carved, wooden sign that shows the New York City skyline along with the Twin Towers.
It commemorates those who died in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Across the top of the sign, in large print, it says, “In Remembrance of Those …. ” And there are also red roses carved on it. At the bottom, it says, “May we know peace.”
Behind the sign are some other items, including a sign pertaining to the New York Fire Department (“Always Honored-Never Forgotten”) and also a thank-you sign to Aspen Skiing Co. from Lt. Kenneth Christiansen (aka “Whitey”), Lt. Andy Olsen, Lt. Gary Rishell and firefighter Steve Fenley (aka “Doc”), of Ladder Company 5 FDNY. These four men visited Aspen in February 2002.
The shrine also contains a log cut-out sign that says, “R.I.P Brothers,” with a “5” on it.
Tied to another tree is a T-shirt from the 2001 New York City Marathon. Chuck DiMartino, of the Kansas City Fire Department, contributed a KCFD T-shirt in February 2007 and then another one in January 2010. There is a “List of Heroes” posted on a tree that lists the names of 343 New York firefighters who died on Sept. 11.
There is also a touching remembrance here of one Thomas J. Foley, a fireman who died on Sept. 11 at age 32. There is a photo of Foley posted in the shrine and also a statement of the “Fireman’s Prayer,” which is as follows:
When I am called to duty, God,
Wherever flames may rage,
Give me the strength to save some life
Whatever be its age.
Help me embrace a little child
Before it’s too late,
Or save an older person
The horror of that fate.
Enable me to be alert and hear the
weakest shout
And quickly and effectively
Put the fire out.
I want to fill my calling and
To give the best in me,
To guard my every neighbor and
Protect his property.
And if according to Your will,
I have to lose my life,
Please bless with your protecting hand
My children and wife.
Author Unknown
This shrine is one of the few shrines readily visible from the ski run without having to go back into the trees. (It is also a shrine that in some years is best viewed in the summer; in some winters, the shrine has been completely covered with snow.)
In July 2010, Rishell and Christiansen returned to Aspen, along with fellow New York firefighters Warren Forsythe, John (Big Dog) Graziano, Paul Giedel and Eddie Bergen, and on July 4, they dedicated a Sept. 11 sculpture in front of the Aspen Fire Department building at 420 E. Hopkins Ave. in Aspen.
Sometime after May 2011, four items were put up in the shrine noting the death of Osama Bin Laden.
The 9/11 Shrine is located near Gretl’s run on Aspen Mountain.
David Wood (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) is the author of the best-selling book about the Aspen shrines “Sanctuaries in the Snow — The Shrines and Memorials of Aspen/Snowmass.” He donates all of his profits from book sales to The Roaring Fork Valley Scholarship Fund. The book can be purchased in Snowmass Village at Snowmass Sports, the Stew Pot, Sundance Liquor and Gifts, and the Village Market as well as at various locations in Aspen.
This story is part of a weekly series in the Snowmass Sun
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