🌟 What’s Inside This Issue

This edition features a vibrant blend of natural history, cultural preservation, visual storytelling, and community insight. Here’s a preview of what you’ll find inside:

• Discover Wilkerson Pass Visitor Center By Katie Dirksen
  Take a closer look at this beloved scenic gateway to South Park, where interpretive trails and awe-inspiring views invite visitors to connect with both landscape and legacy.

• Heritage on the Landscape: The Storied Wildlife Areas of South Park
  Explore the rich heritage of State Wildlife Areas across the region—from the former ranch lands of Cline and Collard to the angler’s paradise at Charlie Meyers SWA—and how their stories are deeply tied to the land.

• Rare and Resilient Plants of South Park Featuring photography by Carrie Edwards
  This stunning photo feature brings readers up close with native plants that have adapted to thrive in South Park’s rugged alpine environment—reminding us of the fragile strength rooted in our landscape.

• Where Community and Learning Meet: A New Exhibit in the Park County Local History Archives
  Step into the Archives’ latest exhibit highlighting the role of education and community in preserving local history. This interactive display brings stories to life and invites visitors to contribute their own.

• Preservation or Bust: A Saga of Salt & Sagebrush By Antoinette Perry Lynch
  This deeply personal piece traces the fight to preserve a family legacy—Salt Works Ranch—and the layers of meaning behind one of Park County’s oldest continuously operated ranches.

• The Hall Valley Mining District: An 1870s Silver Boom By Christie Wright
  Travel back to the silver rush days with this richly researched exploration of Hall Valley’s boomtown beginnings, and how its remnants still echo in the hills today.

• Capturing the Wild Spirit of South Park Featuring photography by Sheila Fuller
  A breathtaking visual journey that captures South Park’s wide-open spaces, elusive wildlife, and moments of mountain light that leave a lasting impression.

• Through the Lens of Time: John Forney – What Remains By Jeff Crane
  Part reflection, part remembrance, this piece tells the story of John Forney, a longtime photographer whose images preserve a South Park now slowly fading—yet still remembered through his lens.