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Colorado - Thu. 08/06/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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WORKERS AT CARGILL PLANT IN FORT MORGAN SAY “NO” TO CONTRACT OFFER
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Teamsters Local 455, the union representing some 1,700 meatpacking workers at the Cargill meatpacking plant in Fort Morgan, reached a settlement agreement with the company last Tuesday. On Monday, the union members voted 749-724 to reject the settlement agreement, extending the three-month long labor dispute that has a crippling effect on the local economy. Both Cargill and union representatives said they remain open to further discussions and negotiation. The plant has been largely dark since April, when Cargill stopped beef production amid contentious contract negotiations with the union. In May, the Minnesota-based company locked out its workers.
The two sides remained far apart for months as they volleyed proposals. Local 455 officials said Cargill refused to budge on minimal wage increases, even as the company reported staggering profits. Company representatives, meanwhile, said their proposal offered more than $33 million in investments in its workforce. In Fort Morgan, where roughly 20 percent of the population works at the Cargill plant, the lockout prompted citywide budget cuts, hiring freezes and the prospect of layoffs.
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“ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH” TIME – THE PERSEID METEOR SHOW
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John Denver sang, “I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky,” as a meteor shower was his inspiration for the lyric in “Rocky Mountain High,” and the Perseid Meteor Shower hits its peak in Colorado next week. Colorado astronomy guide Mark Laurin, aka “Astro Mark,” said the Perseids will reach its peak on Wednesday night, Aug 12. Laurin said the Perseid Meteor Shower began in mid-July and lasts through Aug. 24, as the Earth is passing through the debris of the Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, a large comet that takes 133 years to orbit the sun. It was discovered in 1862. While shooting stars will be visible all night, the debris will be hitting the Earth’s atmosphere most directly around 3 a.m. on Aug. 13, which will likely be the height of the show.
The radiant point of the meteor shower — or the place where meteors will appear to emanate from — will appear above the north-to-northeastern horizon around 10 p.m. and slowly arch higher across the sky through the night, Laurin said. He said the radiant point will be just below the constellation of Cassiopeia, which is formed of five stars that create a “W” shape. Find a dark location for viewing the meteor shower. Colorado has 20 certified DarkSky Places, including towns like Breckenridge, Old Snowmass Village, Paonia, Crestone, Ridgway and Westcliffe, as well as locations like Dinosaur National Monument, the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Mesa Verde National Park.
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LONGMONT READY TO SUPPORT SUNDANCE FESTIVAL IN BOULDER
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When the Sundance Film Festival launches its initial opening in Boulder for the 11-day run in January 2027 its impact will be felt well beyond the Boulder city limits. Festival organizers anticipate at least 70,000 attendees, with some estimates as high as 100,000, but in addition there are hundreds of festival staff and volunteers. On Tuesday, the Longmont City Council received an update of the transportation, lodging and marketing efforts underway, with Longmont Mayor Susie Hidalgo-Fahring saying although it is a Boulder event, Longmont wants to be “a good partner.” Longmont is expected to serve as a hub for festival staff and volunteers.
The city has about 1,000 hotel rooms, and six hotels have already entered agreements to house volunteers and staff. City staff plan to bring forward proposed changes to the city’s short-term rental regulations next week, including a pilot program modeled after Boulder that would temporarily expand rental opportunities during the festival. RTD has committed to extending BOLT bus service between Longmont and Boulder to match festival hours, including early morning and late-night service. Longmont’s new airport bus route and RIDE Longmont, which is the city’s door-to-door, micro-transit service, will also help connect visitors.
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TELLURIDE MUSHROOM FESTIVAL IN NEED OF FUNDING SUPPORT
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The 46th edition of the Telluride Mushroom Festival runs from Aug. 12-16. The festival is reputed to be the largest of its kind in North America, with some 3,000 attendees each year. The festival has grown and expanded with all its success and now includes yoga classes, cooking demonstrations, dinners, concerts and more. However, the expansion has brought additional costs and for the first time in memory ticket sales are down this year, actually 40 percent off since March compared to 2025 when the festival sold out. To address the shortfall and provide more security for the future, festival executive Ashley Coady Smith is working to launch the TMF Future Fund, with the goal of raising $100,000.
Since June, Coady Smith and her team have been soliciting donors to bridge the gap in this year’s festival operating budget. Now, they are launching the TMF Future Fund in hopes of raising an additional $100,000 safety net and building a network of members to help sustain the event. Of that $100,000, half will be invested in planning the 2027 festival and half will be kept on hand as “a minimum operating reserve” to ensure the festival does not cease to exist, Coady Smith said. More information about the TMF Future Fund is expected to be published on the festival website soon. In the meantime, people who are interested in donating can do so at tellurideinstitute.org/telluride-mushroom-festival/support-us. Tickets to attend the TMF this year are for sale at tellurideinstitute.org/passes-telluride-mushroom-festival.
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NO GRAZING PERMIT, NO PROBLEM, TAKE YOUR SHEEP TO TOWN OR TRAILS
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Robert Andrews and his son Kyle have a herd of some 300 sheep they keep on a ranch in Mack as part of their company High Country Environmental Grazing, one of the several conservation-oriented businesses they have. Unlike many livestock ranchers, they do not hold any high country or other public land grazing permits. Instead, they provide their sheep on a pro bono basis for grazing on small acreages or backyards or occasionally have paid fire mitigation jobs for local governments or organizations. The sheep were in Fruita doing fire mitigation for the city at Little Salt Wash and Big Salt Wash this week.
The sheep eat green vegetation first and are less destructive than goats. They also provide wool and milk for other enterprises owned by Andrews. In addition, they eat tamarisk, Russian olive and are invaluable for eliminating invasive species as well as overgrowth and ladder fuels for fire mitigation. Steve Martinez, municipal project manager for the city of Fruita, expects to see more grazing efforts in the Grand Valley because of the increased fire danger during the record-setting drought.
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BRECKENRIDGE LOOKS TO THE PAST & ITS LORE FOR MARKETING CAMPAIGN
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Jon Copeland, vice president and chief operating officer for Breckenridge Ski Resort, described the new marketing campaign for the resort as putting together events, competitions and mountain experiences that exemplify the town’s enduring rebellious and playful spirit. And, what better as a basis for the campaign than reverting to the lore of the “Kingdom” of Breckenridge. That is the name of the campaign, “Kingdom of Breck.” The moniker came from 1936, when the town was searching for its identity after the collapse of mining and the onset of the Depression. Members of a local women’s club discovered an 1880s map that mistakenly omitted Breckenridge from the U.S. Claiming the omission meant Breckenridge existed outside the country’s borders, the women declared the town “No Man’s Land” and organized a festival rejoicing in its fictional sovereignty.
With that as background, the town's first Ullr Fest in 1963 formalized Kingdom of Breckenridge. Over the years, tourists encountered mock border checkpoints requiring visas, and organizers even made and distributed their own currency before the U.S Treasury put an end to the practice in the early 1970s. Events include the Founders Day celebration on Dec. 16 to honor founders of the resort; there will be expanded live music options on the mountain and in town; and additional Kingdom of Breck experiences at the resort will be announced closer to the start of the 2026-27 ski season. Find more information at breckenridge.com/explore-the-resort/about-the-resort/kingdom-of-breck.aspx.
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SNOWMASS TOURISM PROMOTES SUSTAINABILITY: “LOVE SNOWMASS BACK”
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Snowmass Tourism has launched a campaign encouraging the community and visitors to “Love Snowmass Back” which corresponds with the Snowmass Tourism's Destination Management Plan, which was launched last fall. The campaign is spearheaded by Scout, a dog emblematic of the personality of the town, and is highlighted by Scout's three basic loves: adventure, nature and community. Loving adventure includes preparing for altitude, not counting on cell service, bringing a map, wearing the right footgear, dressing in layers, using sunscreen and bringing lots of water and snacks. Loving nature means leaving no trace, following fire restrictions, never approaching wildlife, bringing a reusable water bottle, recycling and staying on marked trails. Loving community asks everyone to know the right of way, ring a bike bell or announce when passing and using public transportation. For more information or for additional resources, visit gosnowmass.com/love.
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FRANCE TO BAR UNSOLICITED TELEMARKETING CALLS
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On Tuesday, Aug. 11, France will implement a ban on unsolicited telemarketing calls following the approval of a law, supported by President Emmanuel Macron’s government, and passed by Parliament. Previously in France, people who wanted to avoid marketing calls had to register their number with a government-run service, but consumer groups said some call centers ignored the list. Now, “businesses are prohibited from contacting consumers without their prior consent,” said Alice Vilcot, chief of staff at the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Prevention of Fraud. “That consent can be withdrawn at any time.”
The government says the law is a response to years of consumer complaints. Authorities estimate that about three-quarters of people in France receive at least one unsolicited sales call every week, and many receive more. Individuals who make illegal calls can be fined up to 75,000 euros ($87,000) per call. Companies can face fines of up to 375,000 euros ($435,000) per call. There are exceptions. Consumers may consent to receive marketing calls, for example by checking a consent box on a form. Companies can contact customers with new commercial offers if they already have a contractual relationship. People can report unsolicited calls through a government website.
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HEAT & DROUGHT EXPOSE REMINDERS OF WORLD WAR II
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The Danube River is the second longest in Europe and the record-breaking heat this summer has reduced the Danube to record low levels and forced power plants to the brink of shutting down. Governments served by power from the Danube in Central and Eastern Europe are implementing ways to conserve electricity. The low water level has also revealed historic relics, in this case in the middle of the river separating Serbia and Romania, near the Serbian port of Prahovo, there are the rusty hulls of ships from Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet beginning to appear. The ships, some still laden with weapons, belonged to Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet that the Germans deliberately sank as they retreated from Romania and as Soviet forces advanced deeper into Europe near the end of the war.
Historians say up to 200 German warships were scuttled in September 1944 near Prahovo in the Danube gorge as they came under Soviet fire. The idea behind the deliberate sinking was to slow down the Soviet advance in the Balkans. But Nazi Germany surrendered months later, in May 1945. The sight of the old warships is a reminder that the Serbian government, with European Union financial support, has long been trying to do something about them. Some were removed from the river by Communist Yugoslav authorities, but most have remained because of the explosives they carried. The sunken ships are now a major problem as authorities are trying to keep traffic flowing on the Danube, which flows through 10 nations, as the dropping water levels create dangerous conditions.
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ANOTHER WAY TO EXTRACT OIL…BY INDIVIDUALS, IN INDONESIA
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As communities in Colorado evaluate various systems to extract natural resources, including even the town of Erie taking a vote on whether to allow fracking, there is a location in East Java, Indonesia where there are community-operated oil wells, basically using teak derricks. The Wonocolo oil field in East Java is considered one of the world’s shallowest oil fields, at a depth of only about 1,600 feet. The Wonocolo field is only about 120 acres, and large oil companies consider it commercially insignificant. These are not the only community-run oil wells in Indonesia. There are about 34,000 of these, not counting the few hundred in Wonocolo. But Wonocolo stands out for its history and some savvy marketing. It is known as Little Texas because the local government christened it Teksas Wonocolo, which is a nod to the U.S. state and stands for Tekad Selalu Aman dan Sejahtera, or “Always Safe and Prosperous.”
The wells are not registered with the government, nor are they subject to any safety regulations. In the early development of the Wonocolo, miners operated the pumps manually with 10 working to pull the oil out of the ground. There are now about 200 wells still producing out of the 800 wells scattered across two villages, Wonocolo and Hargomulyo. Most of the crude oil is sold to the state oil company, Pertamina. Today, it can take a week to extract seven to eight barrels of crude from a single well, which sells for about 7.2 million Indonesian rupiah, or about $400, which is below the market rate.
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PROFILE OF OVERSEAS VISITORS TO COLORADO 2024
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The National Travel and Tourism Office released profile information on Overseas Visitors to the United States that included information on each state for 2024.
For Colorado in 2024:
- 1.3 percent of the total overseas visitors to the U.S. came to Colorado
- That was a slight downturn, 1.1 percent, from a year earlier
- For the Main Purpose of Trip:
Vacation/Holiday, 39.2 percent
Visit Family/Friends, 30.6 percent
Business (only), 13.4 percent
- For 12.5 percent of the Overseas visitors to Colorado, it was their first trip to the U.S.
- Those who visited Colorado also visited:
California, 19.4 percent
New York, 13.6 percent
Utah, 12.6 percent
Arizona, 8.6 percent
Nevada, 8.3 percent
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MARKET UPDATE - 08/05/2026 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 07/30/2026)
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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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