THURSDAY, OCT. 8 PUBLIC FORUM: Forum with the four 2020 candidates for Ouray County Commissioners: Ned Bosworth, Jake Niece, Lynn Padgett and John Peters.

Most of us who live here know that the city and county were named for Chief Ouray. We’ve seen his photos along with his wife Chipeta. Maybe we’ve even visited the Ute Museum in Montrose or attended programs about our region’s history. There’s definitely more to Chief Ouray’s story if you look a little deeper Some of the accounts offer slightly differ ent facts, which makes it challenging for a lay historian.

Hunting accidents have declined rapidly since the passage of two laws in 1970. One law requires hunter education training for all hunters born on or after Jan. 1, 1949. The other requires hunters to wear at least 500 square inches of fluorescent orange clothing above the waist--including a head covering visible from all directions.

Every year more than a few hunters must be rescued from the wilds and high country of Colorado. Hunters get trapped by snowstorms, injured in various types of accidents or simply get lost in the woods.

Popular hunting magazines often display colorful photographs of huge bull elk standing in open meadows presenting easy targets. The reality in the mountains of Colorado, however, is far different.

ELK OR MOOSE? Reintroduced to Colorado more than 30 years ago, moose are thriving in many parts of the state. Unfortunately, almost every year hunters inadvertently shoot moose.

David Emory —Speical to the Ouray County Plaindealer Ouray School cross-country runner Cory Thomsen pushes uphill during the Sweitzer Lake Invitational near Delta on Sept. 25. Thomsen finished 12th out of 48 runners in the 5K run with a time of 19:26.