Top 5 most-read stories: Q&A with wolf experts as Colorado plans to reintroduction; recession looms ahead

We’ve rounded up the top five most-read stories on Aspentimes.com from last week.

1.) Economists worry a recession is on the horizon. How would Aspen be affected?

Since the onset of COVID-19, public officials and the nation’s top economists have warned of a likely recession.

For the past several years, the ominous “R” word has been looming over our heads like storm clouds we can see from miles away. Yet there’s still a great deal of uncertainty as to if and when a recession would happen and what the potential effects would be. 

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As Vox put it recently, “Nobody knows what’s going to happen with the economy. That’s always true, but especially in 2023.” 

— Kristen Mohammadi

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2.) Packed house at Wheeler for a Q&A with wolf experts ahead of state’s reintroduction

Wheeler Opera House was packed Wednesday evening for Aspen Center for Environmental Sciences’ “Living with Wolves: Coexistence in Colorado” event. This sold out show began with a collection of short films and a presentation from keynote speaker Joanna E. Lambert, PhD. 

Lambert is a professor of environmental studies and faculty of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder who has a deep passion for the wild and natural world, resulting in a career spent publishing and teaching about the evolution, ecology and conservation of wild animals.

Following Lambert’s presentation, five panelists from across Colorado, each with a unique perspective on 2020 proposition the state’s voters passed allow for the reintroduction of gray wolves on the West Slope, discussed some of the biggest topics concerning the wolves’ return to the wild here. The panel was moderated by John Calfa III, the host of the “Wolf Connection” podcast, and staff member of the Wolf Connection organization based in California.

— Audrey Ryan

3.) An airport town hall hopes for a greener, smaller future for Aspen’s airside

As Pitkin County grapples over the future of the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, a community group led by one of the valley’s most well-known thinkers stepped up to offer its analysis.

Aspen Fly Right is a nonprofit group whose mission is to offer scientific, actionable information relating to the airport. The group hosted an airport “Town Hall” in the Dunaway Community Room at the Pitkin County Library Monday evening, which drew a crowd of about 60 people.

The meeting consisted of a presentation of findings from Aspen Fly Right President Amory Lovins, Old Snowmass resident since 1982, co-founder and now chairman emeritus of the Rocky Mountain Institute, also current adjunct professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. Lovins’ presentation was followed by an audience Q&A with him and Aspen Airport Advisory Board Chair Jacque Francis. Video of the discussion is available at grassrootstv.org.

— Josie Taris

4.) David and Renie Gorsuch to be inducted into U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame

David and Renie Gorsuch built a retail empire in the Colorado Rockies — this, after a reasonably successful skiing career — and made the Gorsuch name a prominent one within the ski world.

Now, the Gorsuches will be inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame on Friday, March 24, at this year’s ceremony at Big Sky Resort in Montana.

David and Renie Gorsuch are officially part of the 2021 Hall of Fame class, which is being celebrated as part of back-to-back nights of recognition. The 2022 class will be honored on March 25.

— Austin Colbert

5.) Limelight Hotel Aspen billing dispute in arbitration

The messy seven-figure billing battle over the renovated Limelight Hotel Aspen has gone to arbitration.

Pitkin County District Judge Denise Lynch last month granted a pause in the litigation concerning more than $3.4 million in unsettled bills stemming from Aspen Skiing Co.’s 2021 renovation of the 126-guestroom/suite hotel on 355 South Monarch St.

Court records show the remaining businesses in the dispute — Skico, Skico’s Limelight Hotel Aspen, Las Vegas-based PWI Construction, and Georgia-based GAR Mechanical — recently agreed to what’s called a “stay” in legal-speak. 

—Rick Carroll