News

Oct 27, 2023

In Brief: Chamber Resort Association continues survey

News News | Jun 7, 2023 As part of the Aspen Destination Management Plan

News News | Jun 7, 2023

As part of the Aspen Destination Management Plan launched by Aspen Chamber Resort Association in early 2022, the association has started the second round of resident and visitor surveys.

Association officials said residents and visitor are both key stakeholders in the Aspen community and encouraged them to participate. The official said their feedback is a crucial component of the evolving plan to support the three main pillars of the plan: Address Visitor Pressure, Enhance The Aspen Experience, and Preserve Small Town Character.

"We really appreciate Aspen's engaged community and encourage participation in this second wave of the resident sentiment survey as we continue to refine programming based on results," said Eliza Voss, vice president of destination marketing.

The Chamber Resort Association surveyed the Aspen business community for six months this winter, while visitors and residents are surveyed twice, six months apart to capture a full year of data. Over 2,000 resident surveys were received during the first round in Late November/December 2022.

The Resident Sentiment and Visitor Profile Surveys can be found at aspenchamber.org/membership/economic-development/data-center/reports-surveys/active-surveys.

The Resident Sentiment Survey will be open until June 20, and the Visitor Profile Survey will be open through June. The results will be used to continue to guide the Destination Management Plan with the aim of creating a more sustainable tourism landscape in Aspen. The goal is to protect the quality of life for residents, while also preserving the reason people visit Aspen, association officials said.

Community project planned Saturday at CMC Spring Valley

Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers are organizing a way for community members to play a part in maintaining the public mountain bike trails at Colorado Mountain College's Spring Valley campus.

Volunteer crews are invited Saturday to dig up thistles from the perimeters of CMC's soccer fields and along the entrance to the campus's trail system, as well as reseed an old carriage road that is not used or needed by mountain bikes. Volunteers will be rewarded with thistle lemonade, made from the very thistles crews will be pulling, officials said.

Work will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The campus is at 3000 County Road 114, Glenwood Springs. Those interested in being part of the crew can sign up at rfov.org.

The Ninth Judicial District Nominating Commission has nominated two candidates for a district court judgeship created by the retirement of James Berkley Boyd. The vacancy will occur on July 1. Nominees Elise Victoria Myer of Glenwood Springs and Donald Richard Nottingham of Carbondale were selected by the commission on June 5.

Under the Colorado Constitution, the governor has 15 days from June 6 to appoint one of the nominees as district court judge for the Ninth Judicial District (Garfield, Pitkin, and Rio Blanco counties).

Comments regarding any of the nominees may be sent via e-mail to the governor at [email protected].

Kids First announced the allocation of $50,000 to fund uninterrupted child care for 24 high-risk children enrolled in the Colorado Preschool Program. This initiative aims to provide support and development opportunities for vulnerable children during June, July and August.

Kids First aims to introduce this funded family option starting in May 2024, prioritizing the development of a financial aid program that will cater to unmet needs of families, officials said.

"By ensuring access to quality early childhood education and care during the summer, we are paving the way for these children to thrive and succeed in their academic journey," said Nancy Nichols, Kids First co-manager. "The commitment to the continued development of high-risk children through accessible and stable summer options demonstrates our unwavering dedication to the well-being of the children in our community."

For more information, contact Megan Monaghan, Kids First co-manager, at [email protected] or (970) 920-1978.

The Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies (the Bayer Center), located on the Aspen Institute campus, is pleased to present "Concept of a Visualist: Herbert Bayer's World Geo-Graphic Atlas," opening on June 20 and on view through April 27, 2024.

This exhibition examines Herbert Bayer's "World Geo-Graphic Atlas," a landmark work of visual education and modernist design which transformed subsequent geographic atlases and popular scientific illustrations. Five years in the making, it was first presented at the 1953 International Design Conference hosted by the Aspen Institute, therefore this exhibition marks the 70th anniversary of its publication.

Herbert Bayer (1900–1985) was an Austrian-born artist and designer who studied and taught at the Bauhaus before emigrating from Germany to the U.S. in 1938.

"This Aspen Institute campus-wide exhibition highlights a signature element of Herbert Bayer's career, and will appeal to a broader audience, including art and design aficionados, cartographers, geographers, historians, political scientists, climatologists, and visual educators," said Lissa Ballinger, acting director of the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies.

The Aspen Words writers conference June 19-22 includes craft panel talks open to the public. The participants are Summer Words faculty, agents and editors.

Attendees can purchase a pass for $30 to gain access to all events in the series. All panels will take place at the Viewline Resort Snowmass Conference Center, 100 Elbert Lane, Snowmass Village. Parking is free in the town lots next to the hotel. Doors open 15 minutes prior to the panel start time.

Volunteers of all ages and abilities are invited to participate in one or both days of a weekend campout June 24 and 25 in Marble full of stewardship projects, learning opportunities, and plenty of time to just hang out.

The Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers will work on trail and restoration projects at the in-town Marble Mill site, the Raspberry Creek Trail, and the Marble Wetlands. Special activities include a waterfall hike and history tour of the Marble Mill Site from which white marble was sourced to build the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

The town of Marble has reserved the entire campground for two nights. Roaring Fork staff and volunteers will cook dinner on Friday and breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, while the restaurant Slow Groovin will be donating dinner on Saturday and Sunday.

At the beginning of each day, participants will meet at the Marble Mill Site Park near the fire station to choose where they want to volunteer. Registration links are available on the Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers website.

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