Editing Paonia, Colorado (section)

==Economy==
===Coal mining===
The valley's principal coal mines are all now closed except for [[Arch Coal]]'s West Elk Mine,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uprr.com/customers/energy/coal/colorado/west_elk.shtml|title=Union Pacific|website=Uprr.com|access-date=August 20, 2017}}</ref> [[Bucyrus International]], a supplier of underground coal mining equipment, operates a small warehouse in Paonia for support of the underground longwall systems that are operating in the North Fork valley. [[Union Pacific]] provides service to the mine, loading 100 car trains in two hours. The most recent mine closure shuttered Bowie #2 Mine.

The community has mounted legal challenges to proposed oil and gas drilling [[Hydraulic fracturing|fracking]] in the surrounding North Fork Valley.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18122019/colorado-fracking-threat-sustainable-agriculture-industry-paonia-north-fork-valley|title=As Coal Declined, This Valley Turned to Sustainable Farming. Now Fracking Threatens Its Future.|last=Berwyn|first=Bob|date=December 20, 2019|website=InsideClimate News|language=en-US|access-date=December 21, 2019}}</ref>

===Agriculture===
The area around Paonia is known for its orchards which produce peaches, apples, cherries, pears, and plums.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northforkvalley.net/page.cfm?pageid=14118|title=Local Produce Local Eating North Fork Valley Colorado|website=Northforkvalley.net|access-date=August 20, 2017}}</ref> In addition, several vineyards and wineries have been established in the area, and are some of the highest wineries in North America. Five of the more well-known wineries are Alfred Eames Winery, Black Bridge Winery, Stone Cottage Cellars, Azura Cellars, and Endless Endeavor Winery.<ref>{{cite web|title=Home|url=https://www.orchardvalleyfarms.com/|access-date=September 1, 2021|website=Orchard Valley Farms & Black Bridge Winery|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=john|title=Home|url=https://www.stonecottagecellars.com/|access-date=September 1, 2021|website=Stone Cottage Cellars|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.endlessendeavorwinery.com |title=Endless Endeavor Winery |website=endlessendeavorwinery.com}}</ref> This is one of the few regions of Colorado that has successfully cultivated and bottled a [[pinot noir]]. The Paonia wineries are part of the West Elk Wineries Trail and annual Tour held the second week of June.

Some of Colorado's best livestock also comes from this region. The livestock includes cattle, sheep, poultry, and pigs.

===Schools===
The Delta County School District Board of Education decided in February 2021 to close separate high schools in Paonia and [[Hotchkiss, Colorado]], and build a joint high school, North Fork High School, located in Hotchkiss. Both schools have been losing students as coal mines in the area have closed. Kindergarten to 8th grade education will continue in both communities.<ref name="GJS022721">{{cite news |author1=Nathan Deal |title=Hotchkiss, Paonia high schools to merge |url=https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/hotchkiss-paonia-high-schools-to-merge/article_eb3f358a-788c-11eb-a134-9fb81bfaf58c.html |access-date=May 16, 2021 |work=Grand Junction Sentinel |date=February 27, 2021 |quote=“We’re going to have a kindergarten-eighth grade school in Paonia, a kindergarten-eighth grade school in Hotchkiss, and then there will be one high school in Hotchkiss next year.”}}</ref>

===Media===
The noted Western newspaper, ''[[High Country News]]'', is based in Paonia. ''High Country News'' reports on the western United States and is focused on the environment, land use, and public lands issues.

Community radio station [[KVNF]] was founded in Paonia and continues to have studios in downtown Paonia. KVNF also now serves a number of towns in the North Fork and Uncompaghre valleys in western Colorado through a network of stations and translators.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kvnf.org|title=KVNF Public Radio|website=Kvnf.org|access-date=August 20, 2017}}</ref>

Paonia does not have a local newspaper. It is served by ''The North Fork Times'', formerly an independent paper and now a section in the ''Delta County Independent''. The area is also served by the monthly ''North Fork Merchant Herald'', published in nearby Hotchkiss. The weekly ''Mountain Valley News'' was published in Cedaredge and distributed widely throughout Delta County, but closed in September 2013. Their sister publication, ''The High Country Shopper'', is published in Paonia.