The Alliance recently lost a dear friend, an adventuresome spirit, and an inspirational leader. Stu Krebs led a remarkable life. “Timing is everything, and Stu was lucky enough to be born at a time (1934) and place (Montrose, CO) when most of the things that were important to him were possible,” said his spouse of 64 years, Barb Krebs.
Stu had a lifelong love of nature and the mountains. Stu and Barb paddled their kayaks through Glen Canyon before it was flooded under Lake Powell, drove a Volkswagen Beetle through Europe and the Middle East (including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran), climbed the Hindu Kush Mountains, lived in Chile for 18 months and drove home through South and Central America, built two passive solar homes, and raised two sons.
Once Stu and Barb had settled down in Montrose, they continued their adventuring ways. They climbed mountains, cross-country skied on Grand Mesa, kayaked multiple rivers in the West, and, in more recent years, took annual blackberry picking and ocean paddling trips.
In the 1960s, the environmental movement began to take root. Stu recognized that “lots of unhappy environmental things were happening,” and he realized that, in addition to having so much fun in the great outdoors, it was important to “go out and talk to people” and get organized. The flooding of Glen Canyon in particular ignited his fire.
In a 2020 interview, Stu explained how he came to believe that there is power and strength in organized numbers of people. And “you gotta have some fire in your belly, some commitment,” Stu said.
This epiphany led to Stu’s involvement in the Western Colorado Alliance and its local affiliate, the Uncompahgre Valley Alliance. From 1985 to 1990, Stu held various leadership positions on the Alliance board, including President, Vice President, and Secretary. He served many years on the Forest Management (later Public Lands) Committee, actively participated in the Public Lands Partnership, and helped organize a series of Sustainable Living and Energy Fairs.
Stu was a deep thinker and voracious reader, and my home library is richer for the many books that Stu generously shared with me on ecology, local agriculture, democracy, and alternative economic systems. Stu loved to have a conversation, often over a glass of goat’s milk, about whatever book he was reading at the time. He typically began each conversation by saying, ‚Äúto make a short story long.‚Äù
To paraphrase Edward Abbey, death or dying is not tragic for someone who has fully participated in life. Stu, my dear friend, I envision your spirit roaming the San Juan Mountains at this very moment, searching for your next adventure.
A memorial gathering for Stu will be held August 17 at the Ute Museum, 1 to 4 pm. Bring short stories and a loving heart.
