America’s ice-climbing epicenter was facing a bleak future, with climate change endangering its water supply, until an unlikely savior came to its rescue: a nearby silver mine.Nestled in the heart of the Rockies, at an altitude of 2,400 meters (7,800 feet), Ouray is famous among mountaineers around the world for its artificial ice park.For 30 years, the village has piped in water that washes down the walls of a nearby gorge in winter, freezing in place and creating dozens of climbing routes.”It’s definitely an ice climbing Mecca,” said mountain guide Clint Cook.”I can’t think of anywhere else that attracts this many people specifically to one place, just for ice climbing.”But a damaging decades-long drought threatened the area’s water source, even as the number of winter visitors exploded.”I can remember some people going around town and be like ‘Don’t shower tonight! We need that water in the tank to build ice,'” said Cook, 47.But starting next season, all that is set to change, after Ouray Silver Mines stepped in and offered to lease the rights to millions of liters (gallons) of water every year — for a $1 fee.”The water from the mine will give us anywhere from three- to five-times more water than we have access to right now,” said Peter O’Neil, executive director of the nonprofit Ouray Ice Park.”And we’re not dependent on the city water tanks.”- ‘Ghost town’ -That should secure the park’s future not only for the “next generation of ice climbers,” but also for all the local businesses that depend on tourists.”If there was no ice park in the winter, the town would be a ghost town,” said O’Neil. “Most of the hotels and motels would be closed.”Ouray, a village of around 900 people, was founded in the 19th century during the Colorado Silver Rush — a past that is commemorated by the statue of a miner that greets visitors.Silver mining dwindled over the 20th century, but renewed demand from new technologies like solar panels has reinvigorated the industry.Brian Briggs, the former CEO of Ouray Silver Mines, who sealed the partnership transferring water rights to the ice park, said the alliance was a win for everyone.Under Colorado’s water use rights, the mine was entitled to millions of gallons for “recreational use,” simply by dint of being a significant land owner.It wasn’t using them, and Briggs recognized the need to improve the image of his industry.”Most people don’t like things in their backyard that are mining or industrial,” he said.Donating the water, he figured, was a nice way to give back to the community in an effort to build good will.”People need to know that the mine’s not just this bad group of people,” Briggs said.- ‘What if there’s no ice?’ -Earth’s warming climate, caused chiefly by humanity’s unchecked burning of fossil fuels, has not only hit water supplies, but also causes problems with rising temperatures.Ideally, the park needs several consecutive days where the temperatures stays below -7C (19 Fahrenheit) for the ice to form properly, hence the importance of being able to turn the taps on when the weather is right.For the thousands of people who travel to the self-proclaimed “Switzerland of America” spending around $18 million a year, the deal is a real boost.Jen Brinkley, from California, has been visiting Ouray almost every season for 30 years.When she was younger, she said, she would ask: “How many times can we get up there this year? It was more about like, how many trips could we take?””There was never a thought of, ‘oh, wait, what if there’s no ice?'” Brinkley hopes the water from the mine — which is pumped from a river and returns there when it melts in the Spring — will secure the park’s future and make the climbing there even better.”With more routes open you definitely have people that can spread out and so everybody can have a chance to climb,” she said.

US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an order Thursday aiming to dismantle the Department of Education, fulfilling a long-held goal of American conservatives.The order, which several media outlets on Wednesday reported would be signed during a White House ceremony, comes as efforts are already underway in the department to drastically downsize its staffing and slash funding.Trump’s education secretary, former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, issued a memo shortly after her swearing in on March 3 saying the agency would be beginning its “final mission.”The next week, she moved to halve the department’s staff.Trump, 78, promised to decentralize education as he campaigned for a return to the White House, saying he would devolve the department’s powers to state governments, as desired for decades by many Republicans.Traditionally, the federal government has had a limited role in education in the United States, with only about 13 percent of funding for primary and secondary schools coming from federal coffers, the rest being funded by states and local communities.But federal funding is invaluable for low-income schools and students with special needs. And the federal government has been essential in enforcing key civil rights protections for students.The order directs McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate” the department’s closure, according to a copy seen by Politico, which reported several Republican governors would be attending the ceremony.Several key programs are to be spared, such as those providing grants to university students and funding for low-income schools across the country, multiple outlets reported.Such an order has been widely expected after a circulating draft was obtained by media outlets shortly after McMahon took over.By law, the Education Department, created in 1979, cannot be shuttered without the approval of Congress and Republicans do not have the votes to push that through.However, as with other federal agencies under Trump’s second administration, the department is likely to see further cuts to programs and employees, which could significantly cripple its work.The moves are being spearheaded by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), whose rapid actions have met pushback in courts for possibly exceeding executive authority.A similar move to dismantle the US Agency for International Development was halted on Monday by a federal judge, who said the push likely violated the Constitution.McMahon, after she ordered the halving of her staff, told Fox News it was a step toward fulfilling Trump’s demand that she “put herself out of a job.””His directive to me, clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education, which we know we’ll have to work with Congress, you know, to get that accomplished,” she said.

Nvidia boss Jensen Huang expressed confidence Wednesday that the artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant can handle US President Donald Trump’s trade war.”We have a really agile network of suppliers; they are not just in Taiwan or Mexico or Vietnam,” Huang said while meeting with journalists at Nvidia’s annual developers conference in San Jose, California.”If we add onshore manufacturing by the end of this year, we should be quite good.”Nvidia is not expecting tariffs to significantly affect its financial performance in the short term, according to Huang.He noted that the tariff situation is evolving, and that what it does to Nvidia costs will depend on which countries are targeted by Trump.Trump has threatened to slap extra tariffs on imports of computer chips to the United States, which will heap pressure on Nvidia’s business, which depends on imported components mainly from Taiwan.Since returning to power in January, Trump has imposed tariffs on Washington’s three main trading partners, Mexico, Canada, and China.Trump has talked of imposing “reciprocal tariffs” against other countries in early April, creating uncertainty for businesses and financial markets.The White House recently put out a release saying Trump is intent on making the US a “manufacturing superpower,” ramping up pressure to shift production back to this country.However, chip fabrication facilities can take years to build.Since its founding in 1993, Nvidia has specialized in graphics processing units (GPUs) coveted by video game enthusiasts.GPUs are also ideally suited for AI and the rise of that technology has catapulted the Silicon Valley-based chip maker into the spotlight.”We’re not making chips anymore; those were the good old days,” Huang quipped. “What we do now is build AI infrastructure.”High-end versions of Nvidia’s chips face US export restrictions to the major market of China, part of Washington’s efforts to slow its Asian adversary’s advancement in the strategic technology.Asked about this, Huang replied that his company is not alone in needing to respect each country’s laws.