Estes Valley Voice Podcast

The Estes Edit by Patti Brown

Last week we celebrated the community’s women, and this week, figuratively, we will wake the dead.

Over the past week Estes Park began waking up from its annual post-holiday winter hibernation.

The season between New Year’s and March is often referred to as the shoulder season, a time when businesses see a contraction in the number of tourists to the Estes Valley.

Many restaurants and lodges use January and February to take a siesta of sorts, closing for days or even weeks. Some take advantage of the time for a deep dive into cleaning and remodeling work. Notchtop Café got new floors. Newspapers covered the windows at the Rocky Mountain Deli for two months as renovations took place. Hunter’s Chop House took time off in January.

Winter breaks allow owners a chance to travel, something they cannot do during the high tourist season, and cutting back on days and hours of operation also provides a bit of a respite.

As March rolls around, while it is still winter in the mountains for weeks and weeks to come, there are some sneak peaks into Spring. Temperatures rise one day only to fall the next. It is not all that unusual to have a 50-degree swing in temperatures during a 24-hour period.

One day it can be bright and sunny, showcasing the Front Range against a brilliant blue sky. The next day, the mountains can be shrouded in a milky white fog that makes it impossible to see across the road.

We can have six inches of snow in a matter of hours. The next day it melts away, then the cycle repeats itself.

Last year in mid-March, more than three feet of snow fell, bringing the community to a standstill for several days while providing an apropos backdrop to Frozen Dead Guy Days.

For the record, March and April are our snowiest months. But snow in early Spring doesn’t mean we will not have a wildfire risk in the summer and fall. In fact, moisture in the Spring can create grassy more fuels when things dry out later in the year.

And the wind, oh my.

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Story by Audrey Brice

Although some checks still need to be counted, One Hundred Women Who Care – Estes Park has already collected more than $12,000 for the Estes Park Salud Family Health Center – the largest amount the philanthropy group has raised to date.

The clinic, a Federally Qualified Health Center, needs to raise $1 million to offset a projected operating shortfall. If the clinic cannot meet its goal, it may not be able to continue operating past May.

Jennifer Morse, vice president of development for Salud Family Health Centers, says the clinic’s fundraising efforts have yielded $385,000.

“We’ve actually been pretty successful so far. We have an incredible foundation in Estes Park, and we’ve been working to connect with donors in the community and meeting with lots of different community groups to really share the story about the impact that Salud makes in Estes Park in terms of providing access to medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy services,” said Morse.

The Estes Park clinic is part of a network of 13 primary health care clinic locations in Colorado operated by Salud, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization that provides healthcare services to low-income, medically underserved populations. The organization also operates a mobile clinic and has clinics in 10 schools in addition to a clinic at the Northern Colorado AIDS project in Ft. Collins.

The Estes Park clinic faces several funding challenges, including flat federal funding for health centers that have not kept up with rising healthcare costs and inflation in the healthcare market.

During the COVID pandemic, a three-year “continuous enrollment” policy protected eligible individuals from being removed from Medicaid, a health insurance program jointly funded by states and the federal government for low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults and people with disabilities.

However, the official end of the COVID public health emergency on May 11, 2023 triggered what is called the “Medicaid unwind” and “disenrollment” of people who were eligible. In Colorado alone, 520,000 people have been officially “disenrolled” according to the Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker a data set collected by KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation

Additional funding threats to the Medicaid program are a major concern. In February, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a concurrent budget resolution by a vote of 217 to 215, the first step in the reconciliation process and opening the door to an estimated $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid over the next 10 years. The Senate is not expected to take up the bill until late March.

“Significant changes that weaken the Medicaid program as a whole would be catastrophic to community health centers across the country,” said Morse. “Just speaking from a Salud perspective, it would be catastrophic.”

In terms of the local Salud Family Health clinic, Morse emphasized the importance of community support in keeping the operation running.

“Local support is everything. It is what is going to determine whether we remain operational. It will determine whether we are able to continue to provide access in the community,” said Morse.

“Salud is designed and created to provide access. That’s what we do. Our mission is to provide access to medical, dental, behavi

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By Barb Boyer Buck

“I’ll explain to you my interest in annexation,” said Town of Estes Park Trustee Bill Brown. “I’m sure you’ve seen a map of the Estes Valley and we’ve got a pretty odd collection of what’s in town and what’s in the county.”

Annexation is one of the issues that inspired Brown to run for Town Board. He is serving his first term after being elected last year.

Brown believes developing policies to promote further annexation would set the stage for a better, more cohesive community and in the case of businesses, increase the revenue to the Town in the form of sales tax collection.

While he understands those who live in the county are happier not paying the local tax, if these properties need town services, there are costs associated with developing and maintaining utility infrastructure.

“The Estes Park Mountain Shop is an example of the kind of property that should be annexed into the town,” he said. Brown said that involuntary annexations require a vote, “and if people don’t want it, you’re never going to get it done. The only real way to get property annexed is through voluntary annexation so we probably need to be a little more aggressive on that.”

Being included within the boundaries of the Town has several benefits, including the right to vote in Town elections, better police protection, and reliable utilities, he said. In Brown’s opinion, properties are usually annexed because a developer wants Town water, which has led to infill development scattered throughout the town without a clear plan.

This spotty annexation policy has led to the patchwork zoning within the Town of Estes Park map. Major improvements to the Town’s water system are planned to be made through the unincorporated Carriage Hills neighborhood.

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Story by Patti Brown

The local rumor mill went wild Monday night after broadcaster Rachel Maddow reported on her cable news show that Rocky Mountain National Park would not be open this summer due to staff cuts.

According to Kyle Patterson, management specialist and public affairs officer for RMNP, the Park has not announced any closures of RMNP and information shared by MSNBC was inaccurate.

The NPS has not provided any details about how many full-time, seasonal, and probationary staff members have been laid off or have not received contracts for the 2025 season since it was announced on Feb. 14 that the size of the NPS would be cut as part of the Trump Administration’s plan to downsize the federal workforce.

In addition, the NPCA is reporting that hundreds of vacant positions cannot be filled due to the federal hiring freeze, and some 700 people have accepted the “Fork in the Road” early retirement buyout plan.

At the same time, 7,700 seasonal positions may be exempt under the current hiring freeze, but with 80 days until the start of the Memorial Day weekend – the start of the summer visitor season – many seasonal employees who have worked for the NPS for years, including those in RMNP,  have not received contracts.

In an interview with one seasonal ranger who has worked in RMNP for more than a decade, the wait is worrisome. Usually, the ranger who begins work the first of May has a contract in hand by early February.  Every day that passes without a start date makes the future more uncertain.

One estimate of the immediate impact on Rocky is that 12 employees with less than a year of seniority in their roles have lost their jobs. At this time, the NPS has not verified this information.

Estes Park, the eastern threshold to RMNP, is the busiest gateway into the Park which sees more than 4 million visitors annually. The Park, which became a National Park on Jan. 26, 1915, is the fifth most visited national park in the U.S. The number one industry in Estes Park is tourism, generating 77.5% of local sales tax according to Visit Estes Park, the local marketing district. A shutdown of RMNP or limiting visitor access to the Park would inflict a severe blow to the Estes Valley’s hospitality industry.

According to Tracy Coppola, Colorado senior program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, an advocacy organization that lobbies on behalf of its 1.6 million members on matters related to the NPS, 9% of NPS staff across the country have been lost to firings and resignations.

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Story by Barb Boyer Buck & Patti Brown

More than 500 people flanked both sides of the road for more than a mile Saturday morning near the entrance to the Beaver Meadows Visitors Center in Rocky Mountain National Park to show their support for Park employees whose jobs have been cut or are at risk.

While the exact number of RMNP full-time and seasonal employees affected is not known because the National Park service will not provide that information despite media inquiries at both the local and national levels, the National Parks Conservation Association, a national nonprofit advocacy organization with 1.6 million members headquartered in Washington D.C., estimates that some 1,700 employees—approximately 9% of all NPS employees—have been fired or resigned since Feb. 14. 

Approximately 1,000 of those were probationary employees in their first year of federal employment or employees who have transitioned to a new job role, and 700 were full-time employees who have opted to take the “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation buyout program. Workers who opted for this plan had to accept the terms by Feb. 12.

Additionally, an estimated 4,000 other federal employees who work for the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other land management offices have received notices that their jobs have been eliminated.

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Story by Suzy Blackhurst

Establishing a permanent home for Encore! — an Estes Park performing arts center — has been an aspiration for arts aficionados in the Estes Park area for decades. The latest attempt to receive the support of the Town for the most recent plan will be considered by the Trustees during its study session Tuesday evening.

On tap for discussion is whether results from a fall 2024 interest survey, along with subsequent information provided by the group promoting the arts facility currently named Encore! is appropriate for development on the proposed property, whether the board is comfortable with financial projections for the center along with town facility relocation expenses, and whether the concept for use of the property should be considered appropriate for inclusion in the Stanley Park master plan.

Stanley Park staff are concerned that construction of an arts center could affect the use of the grounds for horse and dog shows, festivals, rodeos, and other large events. Last spring the town board asked that a community survey to gauge community interest be conducted.

Results from that survey conducted by Design Concepts in September and October 2024 garnered 376 responses.

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Story by Barb Boyer Buck

This is the third in a series the Estes Valley Voice is publishing on the individuals who serve as Estes Park Town Trustees. The first featured Mark Igel. The second featured Frank Lancaster.

“It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had, and every day I feel like I’m not good at it,” said Town of Estes Park Trustee Kirby Hazelton about working in local government. Elected in 2022 after living and working in Estes Park for more than a decade, Hazelton is serving her first term as a trustee.

When she moved to town in 2011, she was hired by Visit Estes Park, the local marketing district, as the director of partnership development. There she quickly became familiar with local issues through the organization’s stakeholders.

“Peggy Campbell hired me, which was the best thing to happen to me because it brought me into such a community experience,” Hazelton said. “I was just thrown into meeting all these people around town and so, I credit it as a big reason why I am now in this seat.”

She didn’t come to town as a complete newcomer, however. Her parents, Ward and Pat Nelson, retired to Estes Park from North Chicago, a suburb about 45 minutes north of the city, in 2008.

“I was 24 when I moved here, and the only people I knew were my parents and my parent’s friends,” she said.

“I loved the family community feel of Estes. It’s like you’re part of a family that lives here. You go through winters together. You go through tough stuff together. And people were so willing to invite me into that from a business perspective, they were always really welcoming. And I think I credit that a lot to what made me fall in love with living here.”

That small-town quality was a surprise to Hazleton, who had grown up and worked in urban areas. After graduating from Colorado College in Colorado Springs with a degree in business and economics, she took a job in Denver and “did the corporate thing for a while,” she said. But this was in the middle of the recession, so her career didn’t take off very quickly. When her lease was up and a relationship ended, she moved to Estes Park to start over.

VEP had just formed when Hazelton was hired. After that, she co-owned a local brewery for a time and then went on to work in marketing for local hospitality businesses.

Currently, she is the communications specialist for the Estes Valley Library and the girls’ soccer coach at Estes Park High School. She’s served on various nonprofit boards in Town over the years, and as a trustee, she is the board liaison to VEP and Estes Park Restorative Justice.

At 37, she’s the youngest member of the current board. She first became interested in participating in local government even earlier, almost from the time she moved to town, but her father, Ward Nelson, ran and served on the board first, so she decided to wait.

“I was attracted to the idea of being one of the decision-makers for our community,” Hazelton said. “I loved the idea of being at that level of strategic planning and visioning, but when I first started thinking about it, (I was thinking) I had a lot of work to do before I would feel qualified to do this job.”

When she’s researching every issue, asking questions about processes she’s not clear on, and listening to all sides of any controversy she rules on, Hazelton is looking for the middle ground. She’s heard the comments and complaints of the local business community since the time she moved here. Working toward compromises seemed like the best use of her time in public service.

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By Mayor Gary Hall

A healthy Rocky is critical for a healthy Estes

My wife Linda and I love RMNP and the other forests that surround our mountain cradle.

When we moved up here in 2003, we already had some experience on the mountains. In these 21 years, we’ve spent a lot of time in the Park. We recharge our batteries there. We feed our souls in the Park.

So, we have great respect for those who keep the Park open and in great shape. The fires and floods have wrought great damage, and we’re likely to have more in the future, with the huge stands of beetle kill in and around the Park. But the most immediate issues facing RMNP—and many other national parks—are related to federal funding and staffing cuts.

Superintendent Gary Ingram and his crew have a tough job, even more so with the federal actions and uncertainties.

Fortunately, the Park team is strong, smart, and resilient. They have a dual mission: Keep the Park experience available to as many as possible and protect that critical resource from overuse and damage.

Environmentally, they’re on the right track with managed entry, though it leads to some unhappy customers. Linda and I are “go-as-early-as-we-need-to” hikers in the summer to often bypass the need for a reservation.

What will the recent swath of federal changes mean? RMNP will, I’m sure, provide the most accurate information, but as of now, I understand that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management has informed Rocky that the exception for emergency management services, including fire response and law enforcement groups to hire seasonal staff, has been rejected.

I also understand that the law enforcement and fire response folks who had seasonal jobs were notified that their offers were rescinded. The off-the-road search and rescue team at Rocky has not yet had seasonal offers extended.

From my understanding, these seasonal jobs are no longer approved. Things are moving rapidly and some of this may change, but that’s my understanding this week.

Fortunately, there are intergovernmental agreements between Rocky, the Estes Park Police Department, and the Estes Valley Fire Protection District. Chief Paul Capo assures me that service will be given to RMNP from the EVFPD through their dispatch anytime they call. This includes search and rescue, wildland fire, and other emergency services.

The Town of Estes Park’s agreement for law enforcement support is still in force. Also, I know the heart and spirit of Guy Beesley and his EMS troops from Estes Park Health, and I’m confident that they’ll be there when needed.

Superintendent Ingram, Public Affairs Officer Kyle Patterson, and Deputy Superintendent Caleb Waters came to the January 28 Town Board meeting and presented status reports. Despite the storm clouds of funding, they’re moving in good tactical directions: resolving automated entry challenges, completing the north entry, and continuing to serve their dual mission. I support this great partner with whom Estes is wedded by geography and mountain spirit.

Many of us remember the Park shutdown a few years back when the federal government didn’t agree on a budget extension by a deadline. While fire or other destruction is the worst-case scenario, shutdown is a bad scene.

In the meantime, whatever they need to do to be open for us is their best course. I know there are some who oppose any type of timed entry, who worry about draconian or capricious use of expanded authority for reservations, and who are bothered by the transponder ups and downs.

These challenges pale in comparison to the federal defunding and staffing dismissals. A healthy Rocky is critical for a healthy Estes.

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Story by Patti Brown

A rally to protest the Valentine’s Day firing of U.S. Forest Service and federal workers is set to take place at 10 a.m. Monday morning by the iconic Rocky Mountain National Park welcome sign near the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center in Estes Park.

According to a press release issued on Feb. 14 by Gov. Jared Polis, “the Trump administration fired at least 90 people in Colorado and 3,400 Forest Service employees as part of much broader cuts to programs that protect health and safety with no replacement plans to deliver basic services.”

While firefighters were spared from the cuts, other jobs that do important wildfire prevention work such as road maintenance, forest management, and watershed restoration were slashed, the governor’s office reported.

The cuts which represent 10% of the USFS workforce are a result of Executive Order 14210: The Department of Government Efficiency ‘Workforce Optimization Initiative‘.

“It’s reckless endangerment to Coloradans and could increase homeowners insurance costs further for the Trump Administration to take a hammer to those who help protect us against wildfires through watershed protection and forest management, tipping the scale toward more fire danger with potentially devastating consequences. It’s fine if they don’t like how the federal government works today, but risking our health and safety with no replacement is reckless,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

On Friday, five Colorado Democratic lawmakers — Senators Michael F. Bennet and John Hickenlooper and Representatives Brittany Pettersen, Jason Crow, and Joe Neguse —signed a letter to U. S. Department of Agriculture Sec. Brooke Rollins to urge reinstatement of the federal employees.

The lawmakers wrote, “The USFS is already critically understaffed, and further employee cuts will have real and immediate consequences for Colorado’s economy, rural communities, and wildfire resilience.”

In a statement posted Friday on X, Bennet wrote “This misguided action will have devastating consequences, and our national forests will pay the price. The USFS was already a chronically understaffed agency, and this will hinder important forest management and wildfire prevention efforts. The Trump Administration must reverse course immediately.”

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by Hank Lacey and Lincoln Roch

Update: Feb. 15, 2025, 9:46 pm

Attorney general Phil Weiser and attorneys general from 17 other states and the District of Columbia obtained on Feb. 5 a preliminary injunction that blocks President Donald Trump’s executive order that purports to strip children of immigrant who are born in the U.S. of American citizenship.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington invoked a late 19th century ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that rejected an effort by the federal government then to attempt a similar rescission of American citizenship. In that 1898 case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the high court faced an argument that a child of a Chinese immigrant who was born in California was not a citizen. The justices confirmed that the Fourteenth Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, enshrined the right to citizenship to all persons born in the United States.

“The Citizenship Clause is clear,” Coughenour wrote, referring to section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment. “[A]ny person who is born in the territorial United States or properly naturalized according to federal procedures is a citizen of this country.”

Weiser said in a Feb. 13 statement that Trump’s behavior is at odds with his oath to uphold the Constitution.

“President Trump may believe that he is above the law, but today’s preliminary injunction sends a clear message,” Weiser said. “He is not a king, and he cannot rewrite the Constitution with the stroke of a pen.”

Another federal judge in Maryland has also blocked Trump’s citizenship executive order from taking effect, as have U.S. district judges in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

— Hank Lacey

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