Recent Entries in the Press
Ask Questions During NOVA Premiere
Posted in In the Press 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).
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
Snowmastodon! Snow Day Adventure an Explore Bestseller
Posted in In the Press by People's Press on December 2, 2011
Sanctuaries in the Snow an Explore Bestseller
Posted in In the Press by People's Press on December 2, 2011
Book shares secrets of Aspen’s ski area shrines
Posted in In the Press by People's Press on November 26, 2011
Aspen Times
November 26, 2011
David Wood likes to share his passion for all the funky, interesting and heart-warming shrines tucked into various nooks and crannies of the forests at the four ski areas of Aspen and Snowmass. He just doesn’t like to share too much detail.
Wood, who splits time between West Des Moines, Iowa, and Snowmass Village, has a website and a Facebook page dedicated to the Aspen shrines. Now he’s added a book to the collection.
“Sanctuaries in the Snow: The Shrines and Memorials of Aspen/Snowmass” came out about one year ago, but Wood couldn’t really capitalize on the holiday season with his marketing effort. He is promoting the book this ski season and giving all the profits to a good cause — the Roaring Fork Valley Scholarship Fund.
Wood’s friend and the scholarship founder Boone Schweitzer convinced him to write the book, so Wood dedicated everything beyond expenses to the cause. The Roaring Fork Valley Scholarship Fund has awarded $1.4 million to help valley students attend college.
The book highlights 51 of the shrines and memorials tucked into the trees on the ski slopes. He catalogs another 73 shrines, memorials and plaques.
“I tried to put in what I felt were the major shrines and what I felt would be of interest to readers,” he said of the 51 he highlighted.
His narrative describes some of the items he found at a shrine (realizing that wearing and weathering take their toll on the contents and items are always being added to the most popular shrines). Wood gives a little background about the significance of the person or place honored. He includes some photos and usually throws in some interesting trivia.
In a description of the Marilyn Monroe Shrine, for example, he wrote: “Up until March 2008 the Marilyn Monroe Shrine had been somewhat neglected. There was only one photograph of her there and her shrine was in danger of disappearing. However in that month, Dr. Curtis Broek, of Urbandale, Iowa, took it upon himself to resurrect and restore the shrine, with the help of some of his friends.”
What you won’t read on the Aspen Shrines website, Facebook page or in the book are specific directions. Wood gives a general location. The Fenway Park Shrine, for example, is located near Back of Bell Number 2 on Aspen Mountain, he wrote in his book.
There is a local code that prohibits giving specific directions to shrines, Wood said. He wasn’t about to break that code.
Giving general locations makes looking for the shrines all the more interesting. “That kind of intrigued me and made me want to see them even more,” Wood said. “Half the fun is finding them.”
He is an avid skier who has been coming to Aspen for more than 20 years. He ran across a few of the shrines in his first few years and heard about a lot more, so he started doing research. He created the website to share the fruits of his digging.
One of his personal favorites is the Michael Houser Shrine on Aspen Mountain. “I am a big fan of his musical style and his band, Widespread Panic,” Wood said.
His other favorite is the Golf Shrine at Snowmass. A picture of Jerry Garcia, late of the Grateful Dead, is the profile picture of the Aspen Shrines Facebook page.
Wood said he has skied extensively throughout North America and, as near as he can tell, the shrines are unique to Aspen-Snowmass, at least at that scale.
“Every place has a panty tree and stuff like that,” Wood said, referring to the ski area tradition of having a tree decorated with women’s undergarments.
The publicity of the sites is a sensitive thing, he acknowledged. He doesn’t want to offend anyone by shedding light the shrine, but on the other hand, it’s part of Aspen’s skiing history, he said.
His Facebook page has proved popular, with 1,637 “friends.”
“Sanctuaries in the Snow” is sold at Explore Booksellers, Pomeroy Sports, Aspen Eclectic and the Aspen Historical Society in Aspen; and Snowmass Sports, The Stew Pot, Sundance Liquor and Gifts and The Village Market in Snowmass Village. The suggested retail price is $22.95.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Murder mysteries use Colorado settings, issues
Posted in In the Press by People's Press on November 24, 2011
Allison Coil used to be a city girl until an airplane accident helped her re-evaluate her priorities. Now she lives a completely different sort of life. She tracks game, builds fires and lives in a cabin.
Coil, whom readers met in Antler Dust, is a self-sufficient hunting guide. In the first story, she investigated two murders in the Colorado Flat Tops Wilderness and discovered, as in the plot of any good murder mystery, that things weren’t as they seemed.
Murder has found her again in Denver author Mark Stevens’ second book, Buried by the Roan, which takes places west of the Flat Tops in Roan, Colo.
Stevens will be in Loveland on Saturday to sign copies of his books.
Stevens used a couple of real-life incidents to form the conflict of his story.
He read in a Denver newspaper in 2007 about a controversial technique called “fracking” in which chemicals and water are jammed down into rock to release gas so it can be readily brought to the surface.
Problems arise when the gas leaks into well water or is too close to neighboring homes. A documentary, “Gasland,” has made the rounds about the issue. “This seemed like a great possible ignition for a story. If you have a conflict, you can start there,” Stevens said.
Stevens also saw a Boulder County dispute unfold over an “adverse possession” case. An old statute says that if a person has been using part of a neighbor’s property for 18 or more years, he can go to court and legally claim it. “It’s a holdover from the Old West,” Stevens said.
He used these “very Colorado” issues and decided that Allison Coil had to get involved.
When Coil sets up camp before going to join the hunters she’s guiding, she hears a branch snap in a supposedly empty field. She checks it out and finds a Colorado Rockies baseball cap sitting all alone.
Later, one of her hunters goes missing and ends up dead, apparently after a drunken night out and the resulting hypothermia. Of course, there’s more to it than that.
Two neighbors feud over property and natural gas, and some of her campers are getting really sick from the water. She gets help from a man named Devo, a survivalist who lives off the land and believes everyone should devolve and get back to their roots, and things are off and running.
“We’ve gotten very narrow in our skills,” Stevens said about the belief Devo has that it’s important to know how to survive in the wilderness. Devo is a fan of Coil’s because she, like he, made a change from city to outdoors.
Stevens hopes to publish his third book about Allison Coil in the spring of 2013. “Colorado readers in general seem to love mystery,” Stevens said. “And readers who like reading about stuff in their backyard seem to gravitate toward my books.”
Stevens lives in Denver with his wife and two daughters.
Jessica Benes can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 530, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
More Entries
Search News
Most Read Articles
- The Prints of Tom Benton
Posted by People's Press on August 8, 2011
- Antler Dust - Four Years Later
Posted by Mark Stevens on June 1, 2011
- “Flat-Out Terrific”
Posted by Mark Stevens on June 15, 2011
- Falling for fall
Posted by People's Press on October 12, 2011
- The All New Woody Creek People’s Press Blogosphere
Posted by Sandy Munro on May 27, 2011
- Summer Reads in Aspen Sojourner
Posted by People's Press on May 27, 2011
- The Aspen Wallposters
Posted by DJ Watkins on May 27, 2011
- Where reality and fantasy converge: Snowmastodon! Snow Day Adventure
Posted by People's Press on June 29, 2011
- Finding Uri - PR and review
Posted by Sandy Munro on June 30, 2011
- Finding Uri Launch at Two Old Hippies
Posted by People's Press on June 14, 2011
- The People Have Written
Posted by People's Press on May 29, 2011
- Fracking
Posted by Mark Stevens on May 28, 2011
- Plum TV Features Snowmastodon! Snow Day Adventure
Posted by People's Press on June 29, 2011
- Prehistoric Pals in Aspen Peak Magazine
Posted by People's Press on June 2, 2011
- Finding Uri - the latest
Posted by Sandy Munro on June 18, 2011
design by Graham Spencer, built by notebleu© People's Press, 2011, Woody Creek, Colorado / info@peoplespress.org / 970.704.5829