A message from Bob,
In addition to being a gun shop owner, a business I very much enjoy, my career started as a mining engineer which I followed for many exciting and interesting years In several locations in the US as well as in Canada and South America. I try to keep up with the business with monthly meetings with other professionals and field trips periodically to mine locations. Recently, I was in Durango Colorado with 9 other mining engineers I went to college with to tour the mine areas North of Durango into Silverton. I left the area 1 day before the spill at the Gold King mine north of Silverton that discolored the water from there into Southern CO, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona.
 Having worked with the EPA, Greenpeace, Canadian Environmental agencies etc., I know that if a mine operator had been responsible, the manager would have been hauled off to jail in handcuffs. Since the EPA is responsible, it is being called an accident and the damage is being downplayed to being not that serious, and no one is being held accountable! Anyone involved in mine management accepts the fact that any of their actions that cause environmental or safety violations could result in jail time and disgrace for them and their families. When I took over management of a large chemical plant operation in Connecticut, the previous manager was not there, he had been arrested for supposedly burying hazardous waste on the property. (Joe Lieberman was running for congress at that time and was serving as attorney general in the state of Connecticut and was responsible for the charges) It took me three years of digging and testing to prove there was no hazardous waste, but the former manager had been embarrassed in front of his family and the general public.
 I guess with all the anxiety I and other mine managers have been through with the high level of expectations of their performance, I am disappointed the EPA and their contractors are not held to the same level of expectations. By the way, the trip was very enjoyable and we took the narrow guage railroad to Silverton. The railway was built in 1880 and is still in use. There are some almost vertical drop-offs to the Animas River and for many miles, there are no people or roads so there is a lot of undisturbed beautiful areas. The locomotive was steam and the people running the railroad have a total of 7 steam locomotives, all dating from the late 1800's and early 1900's. There is no shortage of good eating places in Durango or Silverton and there are many interesting activities including river rafting. Also, Mesa Verde is close which has the most numerous and largest ancient cliff dwellings in the country. - Bob | 
Saturday 9 AM-5 PM
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