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Colorado - Tue. 12/09/25 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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THE LONG STORY OF HOW THE BLUE SPRUCE BECAME OUR STATE TREE
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At Christmas time, we pay more attention to our evergreen trees, as we shop Christmas tree stands or even venture into the backcountry to cut one. Every state has its own official tree, a living emblem that reflects a state’s natural heritage, character and pride. State trees are chosen not just for their beauty, but for the role they play in the region’s history, environment, and culture. Our Colorado state tree is the blue spruce (Picea pungens). The Colorado blue spruce was documented as a new species on Pikes Peak by C.C. Parry in 1862, fourteen years before Colorado became a state.
In 1892, schoolchildren across the state voted the blue spruce the state tree. Despite that vote, it would be another 47 years before the state assembly would make the designation official. Many consider the blue spruce the quintessential Christmas tree for its dense foliage and pyramid-like shape. Although the blue spruce looks like the perfect Christmas tree, it cannot be cut down for decor because its status as the state tree protects it on public lands.
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- vaildaily.com, 12.06.25
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HOME TO BIG ANIMALS, DENVER’S MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE HAS UNUSUAL DISPLAY
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When you visit the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, located at the edge of City Park at 2001 Colorado Blvd., you see skeletons of giant dinosaurs and now there is an exhibit, “The Secret World of Elephants,” which features information on our living giant mammals. There is another exhibit, however, that also features giant animals, but these are animal sculptures made entirely of Legos, 1.5 million Lego bricks to be exact. Artist Sean Kenney’s exhibition, “Brick Planet: A Magical Journey Made with Lego Bricks,” includes sizable sculptures of flora, fauna, cityscapes and more through a meandering room, taking visitors through various immersive ecosystems. The museum also added a Colorado spin, with a graphic designer remaking some Colorado icons like Red Rocks and Black Canyon of the Gunnison in pixelated-brick posters. The exhibition, included with general admission, is on display into early May.
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- Denver Gazette, 12.05.25
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GOLDEN’S NEW TERRAIN BREWING BUYS PALISADE WINERY
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Golden-based New Terrain Brewing Co. has purchased the former Red Fox Cellars property in Palisade and New Terrain plans to open a new brewery and beer garden next year. The property, which includes the former winery building on 7.5 acres off 36 Road just north of U.S. Hwy. 6 in Palisade, sold for $2.15 million in September. New Terrain Brewing Co. founder Josh Robbins said they had been looking for a Western Slope location for more than three years to expand their operation. He said the target is to open in late spring or early summer of next year after some renovations to the building. Robbins said the Palisade location will feature beer brought over from the Golden brewery but will also have beers brewed on site. As at the site in Golden, the Palisade site will have food trucks, live music, and events.
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- GJ Daily Sentinel, 12.06.25
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GIANT, “ALL-IN” FREE BOOK FAIR IN GLENWOOD SPRINGS DEC. 13
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For the third year, the Two Rivers Community Foundation is hosting the Free-For-All-Book Fair at the Glenwood Springs Recreation Center on Saturday, Dec. 13, from noon to 6 p.m. The event is a major undertaking with volunteers having worked for the past four months collecting books and raising money for additional purchases. There are many community sponsors to help in collecting and offering about 10,000 books this year. That is up significantly from 7,000 books last year. This year’s fair will not only feature thousands of free books, but also hourly story times, booths from local nonprofits such as Raising a Reader Aspen to Parachute and FocusedKids, and even visits from some fuzzy friends from Paws to Read.
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- GS Post-Independent, 12.05.25
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GRAND JUNCTION MOVING TO PROTECT CITY WATER SUPPLY FROM MUSSEL INVASION
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After testing has confirmed zebra mussels have infested a large stretch of the Colorado River, as well as many other bodies of water in Mesa County, the city of Grand Junction is moving aggressively to protect its drinking water system from the mussels as well as monitoring the city’s irrigation system from the invasive mussels. The Grand Junction city water system consists of 17 reservoirs on Grand Mesa and two terminal reservoirs at the base of Grand Mesa. None of the reservoirs have tested positive for mussels yet. The city imposes restrictions on anglers and others using the reservoirs such as preventing live bait fishing and wading or belly boats or personal watercraft from using some reservoirs. The city has concerns that the irrigation systems could be more susceptible to infestation and at least one irrigation pond has tested positive. Parts of the irrigation systems can be treated with molluscicides if mussels are detected.
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- GJ Daily Sentinel, 12.06.25
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FORT LEWIS COLLEGE TAKES IN RECORD DONATION ON GIVINGTUESDAY
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Officials of Fort Lewis College in Durango announced last week that the institution received $990,307 in donations on GivingTuesday, Dec. 2, which was a record. In the announcement, FLC noted there were more than 550 donors, including 180 first-time supporters. More than 285 donors provided support to the athletic department, up from 172 in 2024. The GivingTuesday campaign was the seventh held by FLC, and the amount raised surpassed last year’s donation record by more than $250,000. Funds will benefit scholarships, undergraduate research, internships, basic needs programs, athletics, alumni engagement and reconciliation initiatives, according to college officials.
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- Durango Herald, 12.05.25
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SEASONAL CLOSURES IN SAN JUAN NATIONAL FOREST
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On Wednesday, officials of the San Juan National Forest announced seasonal closures in the Dolores, Columbine and Pagosa ranger districts. The closures apply to wheeled motorized vehicles and some nonmotorized trails. The announcement from the U.S. Forest Service states, “Even if snow levels are not deep, wheeled motorized use can damage road surfaces during freezing and thawing periods. Seasonal road and trail closures also protect critical habitat for deer and elk in winter and early spring when temperatures are cold, snow is deep, and food is scarce." Seasonal closures of roads and trails in the Dolores Ranger District started Dec. 1. More closures may be anticipated, depending upon snow conditions.
Closures, meant to protect winter habitat, include:
- National Forest Service Road 328 (Echo Basin area)
- NFSR 504 (Dolores River below McPhee Dam)
- NFSR 528 and 529D (House Creek area)
- NFSR 240 and 241 (Ryman Creek area)
- NFSR 568 (Railroad grade near Mancos Hill and the McPhee Overlook Trail from Dolores to House Creek Campground)
Closures for the Columbine Ranger District are as follows:
- NFSR 578 (Hermosa Park Road). Closed from Nov. 14 to April 30.
- South Mineral, Little Molas and Andrews Lake
The Forest Service advises people to visit the Motor Vehicle Use Maps and Current Conditions pages for more up-to-date forest road statuses.
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- Durango Herald, 12.05.25
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DEBBY & HARRY JASPER HONORED AS 2025 VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR
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Debby and Harry Jasper were honored Sunday by the Vail Valley Foundation as the Vail Valley Volunteers of the Year for 2025. The Jaspers were presented the award between the first and second giant slalom runs at the Stifel Birds of Prey world cup giant slalom races. The Jaspers spent most of their work lives in Denver but bought a home in Vail in 1994 and moved there permanently when they retired in 2004. Both served in many volunteer activities of the Vail Valley Foundation, starting on the Talon Crew for Birds of Prey, preparing the course for racing. Debby later coordinated registration for Birds of Prey and still does that as well as the Mountain Games.
Harry worked in sustainability programs like Walking Mountains and helped grow the Green Team program in many Vail Valley Foundation events. Beyond the Vail Valley Foundation, Debby and Harry have dedicated their time to nearly a dozen organizations across the valley: Starting Hearts; the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens; Hike Wine & Dine; and highway and trail cleanups; among others.
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- vaildaily.com, 12.05.25
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COLORADO’S SKI RESORTS FACE UNCERTAINTY, EXCEPT HIGH-END TRAVEL REMAINS
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As Colorado’s ski resorts rejoice in the weekend snowfall, there remains a great deal of uncertainty as to what the 2025-26 ski season will bring, in terms of visitors. Those resorts that depend heavily upon out-of-state visitors understand international travel, especially from Canada, is down and U.S. travel is likely affected by low consumer confidence and spending due to inflation and other economic stresses. Nonetheless, there are also positive signs, especially in those areas in Summit County and other areas that primarily attract Colorado skiers and boarders.
Loveland, Arapahoe Basin and Copper Mountain all report early season pass sales are up and early season bookings look strong. Analysts do not see the return of Canadian skiers any time soon, but bookings from Mexico, one of the state’s biggest international markets, and Western Europe remain solid. In the U.S. economy, consumer confidence has been trending down for the past 12 months. Patrick Scholes, a Wall Street analyst for Truist Securities who specializes in the ski and hospitality industry, believes Colorado’s more expensive resorts that tend to attract wealthier travelers will do OK, even when those lodging prices soar during the Christmas holidays.
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5280 THE BEST OF THE MOUNTAIN WEST 2025
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Denver-based magazine 5280 produces an annual edition focused on “The Best” of the Mountain West. The 2025 list has places to go, food to eat, things to experience and a true variety of treasures across Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Montana. Check them out:
Adventure
- Stio Ridgecap Low Shoe, Wyoming (stio.com)
- City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho (nps.gov/ciro/index.htm)
- 53rd Annual Summit for the National Brotherhood of Snowsports, Colorado (nbs.org)
- Lehman Caves, Nevada (gov/grba/planyourvisit/lehman-caves-tours.htm)
- Infinite Outdoors’ Access Granted Program, Wyoming (infiniteoutdoorsusa.com)
Culture
- Martiny Saddle Co., Idaho (martinysaddle.com)
- Until Forever Comes: This is Ute Homeland, Colorado (cspm.org/exhibits/until-forever-comes-this-is-ute-homeland)
- Moab Music Festival, Utah (moabmusicfest.org)
- The Incline Lodge, Nevada (theinclinelodge.com)
- Route 66, New Mexico (historic66.com)
- Begin Where You Are: The Colorado Poets Laureate Anthology, Colorado (coloradopoets.org)
- Tucson Folk Festival, Arizona (tucsonfolkfest.org)
- Black Desert Resort, Utah (blackdesertresort.com)
- “Seven Magic Mountains,” Nevada (sevenmagicmountains.com)
- The Sylvan Lodge, Wyoming (snakeriversportingclub.com/stay/the-sylvan-lodge)
- Black Ram Climate Refuge, Montana (therevelator.org/protect-black-ram-forest)
Eat & Drink
- Meriwether Cider, Idaho (meriwethercider.com)
- Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, New Mexico (lospoblanos.com)
- Bidii Baby Foods, New Mexico (bidiibabyfoods.org)
- Old Salt Co-op, Montana (oldsaltco-op.com)
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WITH HOLIDAY TRAVEL YOU CAN REST & SLEEP? AT COLORADO REST STOPS
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As the Christmas -New Year’s holiday period approaches, many will be facing long, and sometimes, difficult drives to see family and friends. Colorado ranks high for drowsy driving fatalities. A 2025 study found Colorado has one of the highest drowsy driving death rates in the U.S., with over 160 lives lost between 2019-2023, and the number of rest stops has been declining (the state has closed more than 10 since 2007.
Here are some tips about Colorado rest stops:
- You can sleep at a rest stop in Colorado - HOWEVER, technically you cannot stay at one overnight
- Overnight parking is prohibited
- Most stops in the state limit the numbers of hours you can stop
- There is no camping allowed
- Some businesses allow overnight parking in their lots - Walmart and some truck-stop chains have overnight parking areas
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MARKET UPDATE - 12/08/2025 Close
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(Courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management*)
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Canadian dollar (per U.S. dollar)
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Mexican peso (per U.S. dollar)
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30-year fixed mortgage rate (Freddie Mac 12/4/2025)
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*Not FDIC insured. May lose value. Not guaranteed by the bank.
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Alpine Bank is an independent, employee-owned organization with headquarters in Glenwood Springs and banking offices across Colorado's Western Slope, mountains and Front Range. Alpine Bank serves customers with retail, business, wealth management*, mortgage and electronic banking services. Learn more at alpinebank.com.
*Alpine Bank Wealth Management services are not FDIC insured, may lose value and are not guaranteed by the bank.
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