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SNOWMASS VILLAGE — Jam band Widespread Panic's “Big Woolly Mammoth” is now the official song of Snowmass Village. Coming soon are “I Dig Snowmass” swag, a mammoth snow sculpture, the possible renaming of a ski run and other marketing efforts that play up the prehistoric finds recently unearthed near the resort.
The Town Council adopted the official song on a 4-0 vote Monday at the urging of Councilman Reed Lewis. It's the top news on Widespread's official Facebook page, he reported.
“I think we've gotten ourselves out there in the fun category,” said Lewis, who was serving at his final meeting in office.
The council wasn't as quick to decide what else it should do, in the short or long term, to take advantage of the town's new claim to fame. Mayor Bill Boineau urged the town not to rush into big plans, noting local officials will meet next month with Denver Museum of Nature & Science officials to begin setting a course of action.
Boineau did acknowledge that euphoria over the discoveries led to the suggestion that he dress as Fred Flintstone for an event (he said he declined).
Boineau and fellow council members agreed the resort should capitalize on enthusiasm over the finds this winter with events and, ideally, an exhibit of some sort. Visitors will expect to see something, predicted Councilman John Wilkinson.
“They'll all be asking ‘what's with the bones?'” he said.
“I think we need to move more quickly than some might suggest,” said newly seated Councilman Fred Kucker.
He advocated a task force or commission to begin formulating plans for a facility where the town can showcase the discoveries unearthed at Ziegler Reservoir, including the bones of Columbian mammoths and American mastodons.
The Snowmass Village Part-time Residents Advisory Board, meanwhile, is anxious to get to work on fundraising, and the nonprofit Snowmass Community Fund could be used as the fundraising vehicle for an educational center on the discoveries, said former Mayor Doug Mercatoris, president of the fund's board of directors.
Council members agreed to a more in-depth discussion on the potential for a task force and defining its mission at its Dec. 6 meeting.
“Even waiting until our next meeting, Dec. 6, feels like we're missing the boat a little bit,” said newly seated Councilman Jason Haber.
The last of the museum crew members working the dig site at the reservoir finished up on Monday, according to Dr. Kirk Johnson, museum vice president of research and collections and chief curator. He held up a mastodon tooth, found at 3:15 p.m., which he brought to the 4 p.m. council meeting.
At least 503 bones have been removed from the site, according to Johnson, who estimated they come from 30 different animals of several species. The tally includes four mammoths, eight mastodons, two Ice Age deer, several Ice Age bison and a giant ground sloth, he said.
“There's a fairly high and sustained enthusiasm level about this site,” he said. “The museum is fully committed to research on the site and helping Snowmass exploit the site for their own benefits.”
Next year, the Snowmass Water and Sanitation District will begin building an earthen dam to create an expanded reservoir, but there should be a six- to eight-week period when a museum crew can retrieve remaining fossils at the foundation of the dam, said Kit Hamby, district manager. Then, while dam construction is under way, the museum crew can continue working elsewhere at the site, he said.
“I think a lot of it depends on funding,” Hamby said. “That's out of our hands. That's in Kirk's hands and the community's hands.”
The reservoir, which will have the capacity for about 240 acre feet of water, will give the town a water supply in drought years and alleviate the need to draw from Snowmass Creek when it's running low, said Doug Throm, chairman of the district's board. Completing the reservoir remains an important outcome, he said.
janet@aspentimes.com
The Town Council adopted the official song on a 4-0 vote Monday at the urging of Councilman Reed Lewis. It's the top news on Widespread's official Facebook page, he reported.
“I think we've gotten ourselves out there in the fun category,” said Lewis, who was serving at his final meeting in office.
The council wasn't as quick to decide what else it should do, in the short or long term, to take advantage of the town's new claim to fame. Mayor Bill Boineau urged the town not to rush into big plans, noting local officials will meet next month with Denver Museum of Nature & Science officials to begin setting a course of action.
Boineau did acknowledge that euphoria over the discoveries led to the suggestion that he dress as Fred Flintstone for an event (he said he declined).
Boineau and fellow council members agreed the resort should capitalize on enthusiasm over the finds this winter with events and, ideally, an exhibit of some sort. Visitors will expect to see something, predicted Councilman John Wilkinson.
“They'll all be asking ‘what's with the bones?'” he said.
“I think we need to move more quickly than some might suggest,” said newly seated Councilman Fred Kucker.
He advocated a task force or commission to begin formulating plans for a facility where the town can showcase the discoveries unearthed at Ziegler Reservoir, including the bones of Columbian mammoths and American mastodons.
The Snowmass Village Part-time Residents Advisory Board, meanwhile, is anxious to get to work on fundraising, and the nonprofit Snowmass Community Fund could be used as the fundraising vehicle for an educational center on the discoveries, said former Mayor Doug Mercatoris, president of the fund's board of directors.
Council members agreed to a more in-depth discussion on the potential for a task force and defining its mission at its Dec. 6 meeting.
“Even waiting until our next meeting, Dec. 6, feels like we're missing the boat a little bit,” said newly seated Councilman Jason Haber.
The last of the museum crew members working the dig site at the reservoir finished up on Monday, according to Dr. Kirk Johnson, museum vice president of research and collections and chief curator. He held up a mastodon tooth, found at 3:15 p.m., which he brought to the 4 p.m. council meeting.
At least 503 bones have been removed from the site, according to Johnson, who estimated they come from 30 different animals of several species. The tally includes four mammoths, eight mastodons, two Ice Age deer, several Ice Age bison and a giant ground sloth, he said.
“There's a fairly high and sustained enthusiasm level about this site,” he said. “The museum is fully committed to research on the site and helping Snowmass exploit the site for their own benefits.”
Next year, the Snowmass Water and Sanitation District will begin building an earthen dam to create an expanded reservoir, but there should be a six- to eight-week period when a museum crew can retrieve remaining fossils at the foundation of the dam, said Kit Hamby, district manager. Then, while dam construction is under way, the museum crew can continue working elsewhere at the site, he said.
“I think a lot of it depends on funding,” Hamby said. “That's out of our hands. That's in Kirk's hands and the community's hands.”
The reservoir, which will have the capacity for about 240 acre feet of water, will give the town a water supply in drought years and alleviate the need to draw from Snowmass Creek when it's running low, said Doug Throm, chairman of the district's board. Completing the reservoir remains an important outcome, he said.
janet@aspentimes.com
