Be extra careful and respectful in these dry conditions

As the fires burn, we invite a little reflection by drivers throughout this precious region.

Before throwing a cigarette butt from your vehicle — stop! Every couple of weeks, we find 10 to 12 new butts per mile. Many are never stubbed out. A few are still smoldering. Landing in a slightly different place with a puff of wind, that butt could ignite tinder-dry grass and brush. One dumb instant could destroy a home, a neighborhood, much more — even lives. Think! Then use your ashtray and empty it at home.

On daily walks east and west from the T-junction near our home in Old Snowmass, we cut invasive thistles and pick up trash. We’d like drivers who toss a can or bottle or wrapper out their windows to envisage a couple of septuagenarians — us or our neighbors — cautiously descending into the ditch to retrieve that trash and carry it home. Would you really want to make your grandma and grandpa do that?

The world is particularly fragile here and now. Please take care of it and each other.

Judy and Amory Lovins

Old Snowmass