Category Archives: Dexter Gill

Remember your first bicycle? Back in 1950 I got my shiny new $70 Schwinn with leather seat, headlight and even a horn, and with chrome fenders. They were all “one-speed” then. If you went up in the hills you just … Continue reading →

Where was all the smoke in the skies coming from recently? Well, mostly from Montana, Oregon and Washington, but later we had our own wildfire in the Boggy Draw area above Dolores. Started small, but the Forest Service decided to … Continue reading →

Why do we want to eat, have some kind of shelter, a piece of land, clothing and water? Why do we want to go hiking, fishing, boating or biking? Why do we want to work? You probably answered those pretty … Continue reading →

We hear that phrase, but then wonder, what is it really good for? Well, naturally it is good for lumber and firewood, but what else? It always seemed good to snag my fishing hook on a submerged branch or small … Continue reading →

Green green, it’s green they say on the far side of the hill. Remember that old song by the New Christy Minstrels? Dating myself, I guess, oh well. The song simply expressed what we still do today, looking over the … Continue reading →

Answer is – nothing! Shucks, even this Free Press isn’t free of charge, unless you took/stole a copy without paying for it, shame on you! Over the years I have frequently heard the phrase “get some free government money.” More … Continue reading →

Answer is – nothing! Shucks, even this Free Press isn’t free of charge, unless you took/stole a copy without paying for it, shame on you! Over the years I have frequently heard the phrase “get some free government money.” More recently, when … Continue reading →

Anyone who has read my past writings probably realizes I have a passion for seeing the state’s public lands and resources being well cared for and producing the natural resources therein. I really get upset at seeing waste of the … Continue reading →

Anyone who has read my past writings probably realizes I have a passion for seeing the state’s public lands and resources being well cared for and producing the natural resources therein. I really get upset at seeing waste of the … Continue reading →

Now, that is an interesting word! What does it mean to you? It can cover a lot of territory, such as the boss leaving the business under your care while he is gone on a business trip. As a steward, … Continue reading →

Now, that is an interesting word! What does it mean to you? It can cover a lot of territory, such as the boss leaving the business under your care while he is gone on a business trip. As a steward, … Continue reading →

Don’t let them sell off our public land! Keep it open to the public! There is a lot of rhetoric, fears, misinformation and emotions being expressed over so called “public” lands. Today, people and groups are all fighting for control over … Continue reading →

It’s 1956, we are driving our car across the Mexican border into Nogales Sonora. Look, there is a parking place near some shops. We get out, lock the car and immediately a young boy comes up and offers to “watch … Continue reading →

It’s 1956, we are driving our car across the Mexican border into Nogales Sonora. Look, there is a parking place near some shops. We get out, lock the car and immediately a young boy comes up and offers to “watch … Continue reading →

It was Sunday afternoon in southern Arizona, just after a big Christmas dinner. The comment was made that someone knew a good place to go arrowhead and pottery-shard hunting on some BLM-controlled land. After wandering around, we found a few … Continue reading →

It was Sunday afternoon in southern Arizona, just after a big Christmas dinner. The comment was made that someone knew a good place to go arrowhead and pottery-shard hunting on some BLM-controlled land. After wandering around, we found a few … Continue reading →

That is an interesting symbiotic mix. I reckon I better explain the relationship. A groundhog is a mammal that goes by different names such as marmot, woodchuck, whistle pig, and of course groundhog. In this case I am referring to … Continue reading →

After my grandparents proved up on the homestead here in Montezuma County, they rented it out to a neighbor so they could go visit family in Texas. They were travelling by covered wagon and going by way of Wolf Creek … Continue reading →

Sha na na na na, Dip dip dip, Mum mum mum – Get a Job! Remember that song by the Silhouettes in 1957? Probably most of you don’t, but I sure do. I was doing just that, trying to get a job! … Continue reading →

How are trees like salt? Salt is good and in fact is a necessity in sustaining our bodies in a healthy condition besides making many foods more tasty. Having the right amount of sodium in our bodies keeps all the … Continue reading →

Smoke everywhere, wildfires burning up the public forests in the Western states. Wealth of the forests and local economies are going up in smoke. Hey, who is in charge anyway? The firefighters are doing a great job, but the reality … Continue reading →

The wheel goes around and around, where it stops nobody knows! It has no beginning and no end. It has provided the means of transportation for men and women for securing food, wealth, protection and recreational enjoyment since about 3500 … Continue reading →

What is that all over the highway? Strange-looking big greenish blobs, where would they have come from? Wow, look, there is a herd of cattle in the middle of the road! Quick, grab the camera, this is so exciting — … Continue reading →

  Oh, no, we just hit that elk that jumped out in front of us! This is going to be an expensive fix on the truck. We better call the CP&W for a salvage permit so at least the elk … Continue reading →

I am having a hard time adjusting to how time has changed our way of life and what we find important. Growing up so long ago, I never thought about or even heard about such things as vacations or recreation … Continue reading →

My friend has wanted to bag an elk. It doesn’t have to be a monster, just a nice one that will put some meat in the freezer. He calls on the phone and says, “Hey, I hear Colorado is the … Continue reading →

News Flash! On August 1, 1876, a new state was officially formed out of parts of the western territories. The boundaries were defined and it was declared that all the lands therein, were to be the State of Colorado. The … Continue reading →

There is a lot of push to “conserve and protect” the public lands and environment these days. It is being said that we need to make more wilderness areas, national monuments, national parks, national conservation areas to protect and conserve … Continue reading →

Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! Hundreds of wildfires are burning today, consuming timber, wildlife, homes, damaging soils and watersheds. It is kind of interesting how we have become so complacent in our educated ignorance of the … Continue reading →

There’s lots of controversy these days over the Public Lands burning up, being sold and traded away, losing one’s access to them. The chant has gone out, “Keep our public lands public — we want to keep them open!” The real meaning … Continue reading →

There is a lot of talk these days about conserving and protecting forests and public lands. Brown’s Canyon was recently declared a national monument, to protect it and conserve it. That action just added 21,586 acres of public lands to … Continue reading →

Let’s start with a question. Name something you use that is not produced from the earth’s minerals or vegetation and waters. Getting a headache from thinking? Take an aspirin. Wait, aspirin is from the bark of trees. You can stop thinking, there … Continue reading →

Ever heard the phrase “can’t see the forest for the trees”? That is pretty easy to do in this day of emotional environmentalism. Here is a little comparison to think about. The federally controlled lands in the U.S. amount to … Continue reading →

A lot of talk is going on about forest insects and disease and wildfires and the effects upon the forest health and environment. Not too much is said about the impact on local economies and futures. Few people visiting a … Continue reading →

The television ad comes on, “Come and enjoy YOUR National Forest”! Hey, let’s do it, after all it is mine, the government said so! Truth and reality check, it is not your forest! How can 320 million people all own the same … Continue reading →

And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with seed in them, on the earth; and it was so. And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after … Continue reading →