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JACKSON, Wyo. — The body counts from the shriveled economy continue in resort-anchored mountain valleys.
In Jackson Hole, architect John Carney reports cutting a quarter of his workforce. “It’s been brutal. We went from being as busy as I’ve ever been … to losing six major projects,” he told the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
Another major firm, Hawtin Jorgensen Architects, reported no layoffs — yet. But this economic downturn seems to cut wider and deeper than others in the past 40 years, says co-owner Bruce Hawtin.
“Many of our clients come from out of state, and if things aren’t going well there, then they won’t go well here.”
The upside of the downside is that agencies that sometimes have a hard time finding warm bodies for service-sector jobs are having no problems this year. The local bus agency, called START, had to turn away applicants for a change, a familiar story in ski towns this winter.
Job listings are another barometer of the times. A year ago, the newspaper had 121 individual classified ads seeking employees. Last week, there were only 40.
CANMORE, Alberta — Coyotes bit three children in Canmore last year. To prevent nipping this winter, wildlife officials intend to live-trap coyotes suspected of harassing people or preying on pets.
Coyotes which are just moving through the town, snagging a few rabbits along the way, will be left alone, fish and wildlife officer Dave Dickson told the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
Why the coyotes bit the children was never determined. None had rabies. One theory is that the coyotes bit the kids because they were making noise, the same as dogs will sometimes do. Coyotes and dogs, after all, are cousins.
To reduce the potential for incidents, parents are asked to accompany their young children to bus stops, particularly those in wooded areas.
The coyotes are drawn to Canmore because of the rabbits, but also the garbage hauled out of canisters by ravens. While there are no more than a dozen coyotes in the town now, up to 50 are expected by January.
Also seen in Canmore recently was a cougar. Dickson believes the cougar was drawn by deer, which in turn were drawn by salt licks placed by residents who may not have realized that deer draw the big cats. Two years ago, an emaciated cougar killed two dogs in Canmore.
In Jackson Hole, architect John Carney reports cutting a quarter of his workforce. “It’s been brutal. We went from being as busy as I’ve ever been … to losing six major projects,” he told the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
Another major firm, Hawtin Jorgensen Architects, reported no layoffs — yet. But this economic downturn seems to cut wider and deeper than others in the past 40 years, says co-owner Bruce Hawtin.
“Many of our clients come from out of state, and if things aren’t going well there, then they won’t go well here.”
The upside of the downside is that agencies that sometimes have a hard time finding warm bodies for service-sector jobs are having no problems this year. The local bus agency, called START, had to turn away applicants for a change, a familiar story in ski towns this winter.
Job listings are another barometer of the times. A year ago, the newspaper had 121 individual classified ads seeking employees. Last week, there were only 40.
CANMORE, Alberta — Coyotes bit three children in Canmore last year. To prevent nipping this winter, wildlife officials intend to live-trap coyotes suspected of harassing people or preying on pets.
Coyotes which are just moving through the town, snagging a few rabbits along the way, will be left alone, fish and wildlife officer Dave Dickson told the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
Why the coyotes bit the children was never determined. None had rabies. One theory is that the coyotes bit the kids because they were making noise, the same as dogs will sometimes do. Coyotes and dogs, after all, are cousins.
To reduce the potential for incidents, parents are asked to accompany their young children to bus stops, particularly those in wooded areas.
The coyotes are drawn to Canmore because of the rabbits, but also the garbage hauled out of canisters by ravens. While there are no more than a dozen coyotes in the town now, up to 50 are expected by January.
Also seen in Canmore recently was a cougar. Dickson believes the cougar was drawn by deer, which in turn were drawn by salt licks placed by residents who may not have realized that deer draw the big cats. Two years ago, an emaciated cougar killed two dogs in Canmore.
Nipping, yipping coyotes to be targeted in Canmore
CANMORE, Alberta — Coyotes bit three children in Canmore last year. To prevent nipping this winter, wildlife officials intend to live-trap coyotes suspected of harassing people or preying on pets.Coyotes which are just moving through the town, snagging a few rabbits along the way, will be left alone, fish and wildlife officer Dave Dickson told the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
Why the coyotes bit the children was never determined. None had rabies. One theory is that the coyotes bit the kids because they were making noise, the same as dogs will sometimes do. Coyotes and dogs, after all, are cousins.
To reduce the potential for incidents, parents are asked to accompany their young children to bus stops, particularly those in wooded areas.
The coyotes are drawn to Canmore because of the rabbits, but also the garbage hauled out of canisters by ravens. While there are no more than a dozen coyotes in the town now, up to 50 are expected by January.
Also seen in Canmore recently was a cougar. Dickson believes the cougar was drawn by deer, which in turn were drawn by salt licks placed by residents who may not have realized that deer draw the big cats. Two years ago, an emaciated cougar killed two dogs in Canmore.
Potty-mouthed columnist extols low-flush toilets
WHISTLER, B.C. — In a self-described potty-mouthed report in Whistler’s Pique, Kevin Damaskie reports on the value of newer, more efficient toilets. The newest, dual-flush models use between 3 and 4.5 litres per flush, which is only 20 to 25 percent as much water as the older models sold prior to the 1980s.
But an even stronger argument was needed to persuade Chateau Whistler to change out 100 hotels in a staff housing complex.
That argument was based on a report in Sun Peaks, another ski area in British Columbia, that found ultra-efficient toilets resulted in fewer calls for maintenance.
Damaskie notes that low-flush toilets also require less energy. That’s because electricity is used to pump water, purify it, and then treat the sewage.
About 20 percent of all electricity consumed in California is used for one of these various water purposes. Less water means less energy.
Jackson solar array nearing completion
JACKSON, Wyo. — An array of solar collectors is nearing completion on the outskirts of Jackson. Town officials had originally thought to install the solar collectors on top of a new three-story parking garage.
But neighbors objected, and putting the solar panels atop the parking garage would have boosted construction costs appreciably, given the prices even a year ago of concrete and steel.
Instead, just a token panel was installed on the parking garage, with the bulk of the panels moved to the sewage-treatment plant. There, land was available for free-standing panels.
But there’s another reason for the treatment plant, in that sewage treatment is a major consumer of electricity, some 5.4 million kilowatt-hours per year, more than any other town building.
The sewage panels may help the town meet its goal of reducing its nonrenewable energy use 10 percent by 2010, city officials tell the Jackson Hole News & Guide.
Power customers split on vision of the future
RIDGWAY — San Miguel Power Association is among the 44 rural electrical co-operatives in Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Wyoming that together form Tri-State Generation and Transmission. Tri-State has been under fire for several years because of its plans to build two coal-fired power plants in Kansas, a move that critics and some members say is financially risky and environmentally a disaster.
So what do members of San Miguel Power — who live in the Telluride, Silverton and Ouray area — think about their options?
According to a recent survey, there is a definite split. While nearly three-quarters hope for renewable energy, little more than half appear willing to pay more to achieve that goal. About half say they favor nuclear energy. Whether that is any cheaper is still unclear.
