What’s New in the Four Corners
Summer/Fall 2021
Quarter million dollars for outdoor spaces goes to San Juan County
Evidently, Coloradans spent the pandemic hiking to real streams (and other natural features) instead of watching streaming services. For example, Ice Lakes Basin, already increasingly popular, saw record traffic and record levels of litter and damage.
A $260,200 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado to the San Juan Stewardship Project may offer some assistance. In addition to maintaining trails, the Stewardship Project will direct grant money to a variety of other outdoor needs:
• Alpine Ranger Program’s public safety and education efforts.
• San Juan Mountains Association’s education base camp at the trailhead to Ice Lakes.
• A water-quality monitoring program and a wildfire safety program.
Three more year-round service options arriving at DRO
Beginning May 26, Delta Airlines adds year-round nonstop twice-daily service to Salt Lake City.
Beginning June 11, Frontier Airlines adds year-round nonstop service to Las Vegas and Denver.
These daily services add two more year-round options from Durango-La Plata County Airport, joining United Airlines’ service to Denver and American Airlines’ service to Dallas and Phoenix. (American also runs seasonal flights to Los Angeles, June through August.)
These connections provide direct access to all of Frontier’s and Delta’s extended networks for outbound locals, as well as more options for visitors traveling to Durango and the Four Corners.
Durango Demons win 2020 Class 3A football state championship
The Durango High School football team defeated top-ranked Roosevelt 21-14 in Pueblo to claim a top spot they were denied all season long. Senior Gage Mestas earned the Most Outstanding Player of the Game, with four receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown. He cemented the victory with a fourth-quarter interception near the goal line. The title is Durango High School’s first in football since 1954—and that was a shared crown.
Durango school district announces new superintendent
Dr. Karen Cheser comes to Durango School District 9-R from Fort Thomas, Kentucky, where she was superintendent of the state’s top-ranked Fort Thomas Independent Schools. The school district board voted unanimously to select Cheser from three finalists and 28 applicants. Cheser succeeds Dan Snowberger, who has served as superintendent since 2012.
Oxbow Park receives improved access and amenities
Oxbow Park and Preserve on the north end of Durango has long been in existence, but for just as long it has lacked reasonable (and legal) access for boaters, boarders, and beachgoers. The newly completed extension of the Animas River Trail connects Animas City Park to Oxbow, which now also boasts improved river access with a paved boat ramp, a loading/unloading loop, designated parking, and bathrooms and changing areas. The city intends to continue improving the amenities, including adding more bicycle racks and shade-offering plants, as funding and politics permit.
