Becky Gillette holds a bird moments after it was netted within Oxbow Preserve as Eilene Lyon frees another from a finely threaded net during a bird-banding project on June 22. The volunteers are helping with a study, now in its third year, that is tracking bird populations in the preserve, located near Animas View Drive. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
An American goldfinch is examined by Cristin Salaz after being netted within Oxbow Preserve on June 22 during a bird-banding project. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
As spring runoff eases and flows slacken in the Animas River, Drew Nelson and his dog, Toby, enjoy a more mellow river ride on June 28. The river peaked at 1,530 cubic feet per second, but flows may increase the next few days with the National Weather Service forecasting thunderstorms through July 1. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Tyler Hold of Green Table Farms in Mancos holds black-seeded Simpson lettuce for sale at the Durango Farmers Market on June 18. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Tina Martinez of Ignacio drops off her primary election ballot on June 28 at the La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office in Bodo Industrial Park. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Nicolas Dungey, an intern at the Center of Southwest Studies, and Elizabeth Quinn, collections manager, hang pieces on June 21 for a new exhibit exploring the history of national parks and monuments in the Four Corners. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Mimi Thurston surveys damage to a center pivot irrigation system on June 29 at the family farm on Florida Mesa south of Durango. Strong winds associated with thunderstorms in the San Juan Mountains came through their Weaselskin Farm a day earlier, pushing the pivot across the field and twisting it like a pretzel. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Celeste Matovich stays dry as she walks to work on July 1 in Durango. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Dennis and Anna Johnson said on June 30 that they decided to close their men’s clothing store because they had no one to take over the business. Anna Johnson said she and her husband are looking forward to retirement. She has helped fit customers at the Main Avenue store for years. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Runners take off at the start of the Durango Half Marathon on July 2 on Hermosa Road. The course went on U.S. Highway 550, and then on East Animas Road (County Road 250), and runners finished back at the start at Animas Valley Elementary School. Some 150 people participated. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Heidi Steltzer packs up the family Land Cruiser on May 31 at her Durango home before heading off to the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory near Crested Butte for a five-week research project with her sons, Roan Banks, 9, and Archer Banks, 6. “The research equipment, which includes steel frames, data loggers, microclimate sensors and instrumentation for automated monitoring of plant canopies in mountain meadows will go into the Cruiser first,” she wrote in her blog about packing the vehicle for the trip. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Eilene Lyon gently removes a bird from a tiny threaded net moments after it was caught June 22 during a bird-banding project within Oxbow Preserve. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Several student researchers and staff with the State of the Rockies Project took an EcoFlight, a program that uses small aircraft to advocate for protecting wildlands and habitat. The June 27 flight from Durango was to survey the Gladstone area and Gold King Mine, just north of Silverton. Photo by Jerry McBride/Durango Herald
Take a look back at the Durango Herald’s photos of the week.
