By Leah Thayer NORTH FORK VALLEY- Questions ring in the minds of Coloradans as changes and uncertainty rise in the state. We are living in an age where scientists warn the earth could warm somewhere between 1.5-5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. The latest national climate assessment says such a rise in…
By Mitchell Adams PAONIA– Casually zooming through dimly lit tunnels deep inside a mountain housing Colorado’s last underground coal mine, John Poulos, an engineering manager at West Elk Coal Mine, blinked the headlights of a rugged pickup truck before taking a sharp turn. As Poulos routinely navigated the 7.5-mile long maze, he discussed the future…
By: Olivia Dicks NORTH FORK VALLEY—Younger and middle generations working in industries that are harming and increasing our climate warming are being affected much more as the concern for the climate change increases in the North Fork Valley. In the West Elk Coal Mine, “we’re running out of coal, we’ll be done with this panel…
By Rainy Adkins Recently a small group of student journalists drove seven miles under the earth through narrow tunnels and low ceilings to the only long-wall mining site at the West Elk coal mine. The headlights of the pick-up reflected off walls of coal dusted with limestone. Each turn looked exactly like the last. This…
By Rachel Colchete The mining towns of the North Fork Valley have had a long and reliant relationship with coal, so as America pulls away from the controversial industry, their population feels the direct aftermath. The West Elk Mine, which stands just east of Paonia in the small mining community of Somerset, is the last…
By Johnna Geick Descending into the West Elk Coal Mine is like entering a new world: Lightless, filled with the buzz of machinery and occasional rumble of large vehicles. Underground, almost everything seems like a grayscale image. Heaps of crushed limestone dust coat the floor, flying up each time a heavy boot comes down. There…
By Whitton Feer – Somerset Colorado The modified RAM 3500 bounced through the coal mine at 25mph. It was equipped with a speed limiter to ensure the safety of those in the mine. The driver, John Poulos, flashed his lights before turning one of the many 90 degree, blind corners. This safety precaution was repeated…
By Carly Valerious PAONIA– Three members in the Welt family work at the last functioning coal mine in the north fork valley and they are struggling to deal with implications that result from the dying coal industry. Our planet is getting warmer and the need to switch to renewable energy sources, like solar, is becoming…
