Dolores County appoints three directors to Rico Cemetery District as transfer plans continue

Erin, a county staff member who has led coordination with the Forest Service, asked the board to formally appoint directors to the Rico Cemetery District to restore governance and enable the district and a local nonprofit to manage daily operations. "I'm actually here to talk about the cemetery," Erin told the commissioners, outlining recent cleanup work, fence repairs and inventory efforts the group has completed with grant support.

The board appointed Genevieve Gilman (two-year term), Mary Hagen (four years) and Aaron Johnson (six years) to stagger terms; motions to appoint each candidate were seconded and approved unanimously. Erin said the district is working to resolve boundary issues and that any transfer of Forest Service land to the district would require an act of Congress and likely take years, but she asked the county to reappoint directors now so the district can operate and coordinate grants and donations in the near term.