By Bill Tiedje
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The Ridgway Area Trails group is set to hold the third annual RAT Fest in Ridgway's Hartwell Park, June 7-8, to raise funds for trail construction and youth programs.
The group hopes to use funds generated by the annual fundraiser to begin construction of 20 miles of single track trails on BLM land east of Highway 550 and Ridgway State Park, as well as to support Ridgway Area Mountain Biking School (RAMS), a youth program administered by the Voyager Youth Program.
The celebration of Ridgway's mountain biking culture starts with a showing of New Belgium's "Clips of Faith" at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Sherbino Theatre. Proceeds from New Belgium beer sales will benefit RAT projects.
Saturday, mountain bikers and outdoors enthusiasts of all types will meet at the gazebo in Hartwell Park at 9 a.m. to begin work on new trail construction. Trail-building volunteers should wear light, outdoor work clothing; tools will be provided.

Photo by Beecher Threatt

By Sheridan Block
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Arranged in a meticulous pattern of colors and prints, the 2013 Ouray County Historical Society quilt doubles as a work of art.
The quilt was sewn in a Cathedral Window design, with 542 colored squares strategically placed in a pattern that mimics the colors of the rainbow. Their white cotton frames are intricately folded, creating a near three-dimensional effect that is reminiscent of Japanese origami.
“Cathedral Window is a traditional patchwork technique interpreted in folded squares and a rainbow arrangement of patterned fabric squares hand sewn in ‘window,’” said Sue Hillhouse, one of the master quilters behind the project.

By Sheridan Block
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U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton (CO-3) addressed environmental concerns from Ouray County residents at Tuesday evening's town hall meeting.
Following up on his last visit to Ouray, the main issue at hand surrounded the congressman's lack of support for the San Juan Mountains Wilderness Act.
The bill, which was introduced in 2011 by Colorado Senators Mark Udall (D) and Michael Bennet (D), proposed a plan to protect over 61,000 acres of public lands in Southwestern Colorado. Due to the lack of a vote in Congress' last session, however, the bill was not passed.
Jim Stephenson of Ridgway, a supporter of the Wilderness Act, asked the Congressman what it was about the bill that he doesn't support.
"I think one of the big misnomers (with wilderness) is that the land, if we don't designate it, it will not be protected. That's not true, it is protected. It is still Forest Service land," Tipton responded.

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