Outdoors – The Durango Herald

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Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge to allow fishing, expanded hunting

Conservationists supportive as long as hunters and fishers stay within approved areas

DATE: Apr 20, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Smelter Mountain serves as outdoor classroom during COVID-19

Turn a hike into a learning lesson for kids

DATE: Apr 17, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Coronavirus pandemic disrupts Appalachian Trail dreams

COSBY, Tenn. – When Alexandra Eagle first mentioned plans to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alongside her new husband, her sister told her they’d either be divorced in five months or marr...

DATE: Apr 8, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Durango city council warns of potential trail closures

Citizens urged to respect ordinances or lose access

DATE: Apr 7, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Seniors Outdoors! announces weekly events

Seniors Outdoors! has the following activities scheduled: 9 a.m. Wednesday: Hike Haflin Creek Trail. RSVP to Steve Schnarch at ssalivedgo@gmail.com at 749-4478. 9:30 a.m. We...

DATE: Mar 20, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

National parks are free, but some oppose that amid coronavirus

Service closures made matters tricky

DATE: Mar 19, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Purgatory Resort extends closure, still hopes to open this season

No uphill access at Purgatory during closure; Hesperus offering uphill

DATE: Mar 19, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Seniors Outdoors! announces weekly events

Seniors Outdoors! has the following activities scheduled: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday: Wednesday Wanderers hike Animas River Trail. RSVP to Eric Pahlke at pahlkee@aol.com or 247-1130.F...

DATE: Mar 6, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Spring break at the desert mountain of Mount Wrightson

Famous Arizona peak easy to fall in love with

DATE: Feb 21, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Seniors Outdoors! announces weekly events

Seniors Outdoors! has the following activities scheduled: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday: Wednesday Wanderers hike Animas River Trail. RSVP to Eric Pahlke at pahlkee@aol.com or 247-1130. ...

DATE: Feb 21, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Durango’s Ryne Olson finishes sixth at Yukon Quest sled dog race

Durango native completes seventh 1,000-mile race

DATE: Feb 14, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Hesperus man takes second at Idaho sled-dog race

Before Ryne Olson of Durango set out on the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest, another musher from La Plata County showed his prowess on a dog sled in another event. Jesse Flory of Hesperus ...

DATE: Feb 14, 2020 | CATEGORY: Outdoors

Fort Lewis College football takes on Arizona ChristianFLC drops first game of 2022, 52-12

FLC drops first game of 2022, 52-12

Pride parade and festival

Photos: Family fun at the La Plata County Fair

La Plata County Fair is off and running

La Plata County Fair schedule of eventsThursday8:30 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA breeding swine, market swine. 9 a.m.-8 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.9 a.m.: Judging open class home economics, horticulture, floriculture, creative arts.9 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA and open class fleeces.9 a.m.: 4-H poultry judging followed by open class.1 p.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA goat show, all classes followed by open class goat.5 p.m.: Fair Royalty speeches and modeling.7 p.m.: Talent contest, patio.7 p.m.: Livestock verification swine, poultry, goat, general project cards due.

Friday9 a.m.-8 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.9 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA rabbits.10 a.m.: 4-H/FFA breeding beef, beef showmanship.1 p.m.: 4-H/FFA market beef, grand champion and reserve grand champion market beef, champion selection.2 p.m.: Dairy cattle, all classes.3:15 p.m.: Pee wee showmanship.4 p.m.: 4-H/FFA livestock round robin, all-around showmanship.7 p.m.: Asleep at the Wheel concert.7 p.m.: Livestock sale verification rabbit and beef cards due.

Saturday9 a.m.-6:30 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public. 9 a.m.: 4-H dog show.9 a.m.: Judging open class beef all classes.10 a.m.: Rooster crowing contest.10 a.m.: FFA showmanship.11 a.m.: Open class dairy cattle, all classes.12 p.m.: Demolition Derby.12-4 p.m.: Community 4-H barbecue cook off (senior center lawn).2 p.m.: Rabbit costume contest.2 p.m.: Poultry costume contest.5 p.m.: Silver steaks, silver loin and silver chop award presentation.5:45 p.m.: Fair Royalty crowning.6 p.m.: Junior livestock sale pavilion.9 p.m.-midnight: Fair family dance.

Sunday8 a.m.: Cowboy church. 8 a.m.: Carcass animals loaded.9 a.m.- 2 p.m.: Exhibits open to the public.1:30 p.m.: 4-H/FFA Catch-It contest.2-3 p.m.: Payment of premiums. 2-3 p.m.: Exhibits released in all departments. 2-5 p.m.: Booths taken down.2-5 p.m.: Poultry and rabbit exhibits released.2 p.m.: Animals released.Beer garden is open Thursday through Saturday.

La Plata County Fair schedule of events Thursday 8:30 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA breeding s...

Patriotic drone show unfolds above Durango’s night skyAbout 1,200 people watched production from city Transit Center

One hundred forty drones took to the skies above Greenmount Cemetery at 10 p.m. sharp Saturday in a glowing and patriotic spectacle featuring vibrant images colored red, white and blue against the black backdrop of night.About 1,200 people gathered Saturday at the Durango Transit Center to watch the city’s premiere drone show produced by Verge Aero after a street dance and band performance by McCurry Trio and Desert Child for Independence Day celebrations.Spectators were treated to drone depictions of the American flag, star patterns, a soaring bald eagle and a homage to the city with drones flying in formation to spell out “Durango” to close out the street dance that started at 6 p.m. Across the valley from Greenmount Cemetery, the headlights of cars shined from Rim Drive near Fort Lewis College where more spectators watched.

Ellen Babers, Durango community events administrator, said the show went well. She heard “Ooh’s” and “ah’s” from the crowd when the drones transitioned from one image to another.She said a segment that consisted of stars rotating at various intervals, shrinking into smaller stars before expanding into the shape of a larger star, appeared to be a crowd favorite.“People really liked the Durango part,” she said. “When it spelled out Durango, people seemed surprised. Like, ‘Oh, this isn’t just a generic show, this is about us.’”Other images included an outline of the continental United States, the letters “USA,” and a spinning globe shape that gave the drone show a 3D feel.

The drones were laid out earlier in the evening in a square grid, with each drone placed 4 feet apart. Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer of the drone show, worked with a crew of about six people, including volunteers. Saturday evening at Greenmount Cemetery where the drones launched and landed, Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer with Verge Aero, and his crew of about six people, including volunteers, had laid all the drones out on the grass in a square grid. Each drone was placed four feet apart. Smiatek synced the drones to a GPS and radio tower in preparation for the evening’s show. Six minutes before takeoff, a deer wandered straight past the drone grid, narrowly avoiding stepping on them.“That could have been a disaster,” Smiatek said as his crew scanned the nearby area with flashlights. No other deer were visible.Two minutes before takeoff, the crew’s portable generator shut off – out of gas.

“We have double secure power,” he said. “The generator fell off two minutes before the show started. It’s like Murphy’s law, anything that could happen will happen. So it’s best to be prepared.”During prep, the crew ran several tests with the drones. The drones shot up 3 to 4 meters, hovered for about one second and then dropped back to their designated grid space on the grass.

Smiatek worked from a makeshift command station where his laptop and transmission tower were perched.“The base station is the heart of the show,” he said. “It’s a computer and it’s a distribution system connected to radios and an antenna. And that’s it, basically. Very flexible and a good system.”Chris Lutts, vice president of sales at Verge Aero, said he thinks Durangoans enjoyed the performance. From Greenmount Cemetery, he could hear the cheers and whistles of the audience at the Durango Transit Center.“The people we’ve been working with have been great,” he said. “Clearly, the city enjoyed it, so that’s awesome. That’s why we do this. It’s no different than any other entertainment, man. You love that feedback. It’s validation that what you’re doing is something that people really like.”cburney@durangoherald.com