Posted on July 29, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams.
White River National Forest supervisor discusses management of the Meadow Creek Fire, near Rifle, Colorado
Read a related story on early planning by White River Forest Service experts to use fire as a restoration tool
By Scott Fitzwilliams
The Meadow Creek Fire started on June 26 near the top of a deep canyon on the edge of Clinetop Mesa. At this time it is 1,452 acres, a small figure compared to the ten-year average of 3.5 million acres of U.S. wildlands that burn every year.
The decision to not put firefighters into a steep-walled canyon with fire rolling downhill was an easy decision to make. Viewing the live web-cam made available for viewing the fire answers that inevitable question, “why didn’t you put it out right away.”
Managing wildland fire is a risky business. Responding to nature’s blazes is a complicated endeavor filled with uncertainty. Success happens when preparation meets opportunity.
The Meadow Creek Fire presented an opportunity that as a land manager I feel will prepare us for success. Keep in mind that my utmost consideration was, is and will always be responder and public safety and minimizing the impacts of fire to local communities. Next in importance comes protecting values including facilities and natural resources which could be damaged by fire. Using taxpayer money responsibly is also a priority. Read more »
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Filed under: Colorado, Environment, News, Summit County Colorado, forest fires, forests | Tagged: Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, White River National Forest, US Forest Service, Wildfires, controlled burns, forest fires, Meadow Creek Fire, Scott Fitzwilliams, fires benefit environment | Leave a Comment »
Posted on July 29, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
The NOAA satellite image Thursday morning shows a substantial plume of monsoon moisture streaming from Mexico across the Four Corners states, including western Colorado.
Safety: Plan an escape route to higher ground, be aware that flash floods can start far upstream
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — The National Weather Service has expanded a flash flood watch to cover all of western Colorado, from the Four Corners area north to the Wyoming border and east to near the Continental Divide.
A big patch of monsoon moisture over the area could once again trigger heavy and persistent rains in some spots, leading to potential danger on steep slopes and in narrow canyons. The watch is in effect from 12 p.m. through Thursday evening.
If you’re recreating in the area, you need to be prepared. Have an escape route to higher ground planned and be aware that it doesn’t have to be raining hard right where you are — a flash flood in a local canyon could be triggered by rains that are miles away upstream. In these weather conditions, stream crossings on backcountry trails can go from a shallow trickle to a heavy torrent in just a few minutes. There’s enough moisture in the atmosphere to dump up to 1 inch of rain in an hour, according to the NWS. Read more »
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Filed under: Colorado, News, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: Summit County News, summit county weather, Colorado weather, Colorado monsoon, flash flood watch July 29, flash flood safety | Leave a Comment »
Posted on July 29, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
A marine iguana rests on a Galapagos Island rock in this photo released to the public domain via Wikipedia.
Islands removed from world heritage ‘red list’ despite continued threats from fishing, tourism and invasive species
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — Although tourism, invasive species and over-fishing are still threats to the Galapagos Islands, the World Heritage Committee decided to remove islands from the list of endangered sites, saying that Ecuador has made progress in addressing the management challenges.
The committee is meeting this week in Brasilia to consider adding new sites to the list and reviewing threats to existing world heritage sites. World Heritage designation recognizes outstanding environmental and cultural features that have global value. Mesa Verde National Park is the only global heritage site in Colorado. Others in the U.S. include Yellowstone and Yosemite.
This year’s nominations for natural sites include the Putorana Plateau, Russian Federation, The Pitons, Cirques and Remparts of La Réunion, France and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Hawai’i as well as an extension into Italy of Monte San Giorgio, Switzerland. George Washington’s Mt. Vernon estate in Virginia is under consideration as a cultural site. Read more »
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Filed under: Colorado, News, Summit County Colorado, World heritage sites, World news | Tagged: Summit County News, conservation, world heritage sites, Galapagos Islands | Leave a Comment »
Posted on July 29, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
Morning sky on fire over the Continental Divide
Sunrise after a stormy night reflected in the Meadow Creek wetlands in Frisco, Colorado.
SUMMIT COUNTY — Today’s morning photo is actually a photo from this morning, as I managed to scare myself out of bed in time to watch the sun come up. Luckily I didn’t have to go very far — about a three-minute walk — to catch this scene near the edge of Dillon Reservoir, where Meadow Creek spills into a patch of healthy wetlands near the shoreline. To see more of Meadow Creek, click here for a photo essay tracing the stream from near it’s high country source to where it wends through the urban core of Frisco. And please read the rest of this post to see some pics of a gray heron living the Frisco wetlands, as well some of the first mushrooms of the season. Read more »
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Filed under: Arts, Colorado, Summit County Colorado, photography | Tagged: Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, sunrise, wetlands, Dillon Reservoir, Summit County pictures, Summit County photography, gray heron, mushrooms, red-capped scaber stalk, Leccinum Aurantiacum, fungi | 1 Comment »
Posted on July 28, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
Pre-treating plastic with heat, light and exposure to fungus could reduce release of BPA to environment.
Study shows exposing plastics to heat, light and and fungi helps them break down faster without releasing BPA to the environment
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — BPA has been in the headlines recently after studies fingered the ubiquitous plastic compound for having adverse health effects. The latest warning came earlier this year from the Food and Drug Administration, raising further concerns about exposure of infants and young children.
The polycarbonate plastic (scientifically known as bisphenol A) is used in everything from screwdriver handles, DVDs and CDS to eyeglass lenses, and yes, water bottles.
It’s also an endocrine disrupter, and when some research suggested that leaving a water bottle made with BPA in the car can release some of the compound into the water, manufacturers raced to use plastic without BPA. Read more »
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Filed under: Colorado, Environment, News, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, Environment, BPA, plastics | 1 Comment »
Posted on July 28, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
A C-130 Hercules from the Air Force Reserve Command's 910th Airlift Wing at Youngstown-Warren Air Reserve Station, Ohio, drops an oil-dispersing chemical into the Gulf of Mexico May 5, 2010, as part of the Deepwater Horizon Response effort.
Federal researchers say there are hopeful signs that bacteria are breaking up the dispersed clouds of oil; independent scientists aren’t so sure
By Bob Berwyn
SUMMIT COUNTY — Federal officials and BP executives seem to be downplaying the extent of the environmental impacts of millions of gallons of oils and dispersant seething below the surface of the sea in a toxic mix, while independent scientists warn that the dispersed oil can build up in the marine food chain, with widespread and long-lasting impacts.
In their July 26 update on the spill, Coast Guard Commander Thad Allen and NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco tried to convince the public that it’s getting harder to find oil to clean up — at least on the surface of the sea. Some mainstream media outlets repeated the claims, despite reports from residents and independent observers that huge oil mats are still floating up into coastal marshes, and that on many beaches, oil is buried just under the top layer of sand.
Lubchenco then went on to say there are indications that the crude oil still in the water is being quickly biodegraded by naturally occurring bacteria — finding disputed by several teams of independent university researchers working in the Gulf, who say it’s too early to make conclusions about the oil-dispersant mix. Read more »
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Filed under: BP Gulf oil spill, Colorado, Environment, News, Summit County Colorado, oil drilling | Tagged: Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, Environment, NOAA, Gulf oil spill, BP, underwater oil plumes, dispersant oil mix | 3 Comments »
Posted on July 28, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
Monsoon moisture has arrived in Summit County
Wild daisies seem to reach up toward a building thundercloud in Frisco, Colorado.
SUMMIT COUNTY —I had a chance to lie down in the thick grass for this image, thinking to myself that this is what the world might look like to an ant. I’ve never been able to figure out if this species of daisy is truly a native to this area or if it’s an escaped garden perennial. I’m going to do a bit more research to try and learn the answer.
Cool off with a powder-day slideshow from A-Basin.
In the meantime, mid-summer thunderstorms and heat prevail in Summit County, so it’s might be a good time to cool off with some winter memories. I snapped a couple of decent pictures during one of the last powder days of the year at A-Basin and compiled them in a slide show. Weather experts are saying that the Pacific Ocean patterns this winter could favor north-central Colorado with snow once again, so we might be looking forward to more frequent powder scenes in the coming season.
Explore the La Sals with Stan Wagon.
And contributor Stan Wagon enjoyed an excellent spring backcountry expedition to the La Sals, and documented the adventure in this photo essay. Check Wagon’s website here for more interesting content, including wonderful wildflower photography.
Bighorn Materials, celebrating 25 years in Summit County, supports Summit Voice photojournalism. Click on the image for more information.
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Filed under: Arts, Colorado, News, Summit County Colorado, photography | Tagged: Summit County Colorado, Summit County News, Summit County pictures, Summit County photography, wildflowers | 1 Comment »
Posted on July 28, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
Hot!
Pro-active measures could avert future costs associated with a changing climate, researchers say
By Bob Berwyn
SUMMIT COUNTY — Using statistical methods borrowed from the insurance industry, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories say they’e calculated the potential economic costs of global warming for each of the lower 48 states. The results suggest that Colorado, along with California and the Pacific Northwest are the only parts of the country that might benefit economically, as people leave the states hit hardest by reduced water availability and move to less affected areas.
The experts at the lab said they did the study to pin some real numbers to climate change impacts.
“Absent any idea of costs, the need to address climate change seems remote and has a diluted sense of urgency,” study lead George Backus said. “It is the uncertainty associated with climate change that validates the need to act protectively and proactively.”
The study seems to indicated that some investments in pro-active mitigation — a kind of upfront insurance payment — could help forestall much larger economic problems down the road. For example, the study mentions building sea walls to protect against rising sea levels, developing and planting drought-resistant crops and removing carbon from the atmosphere through reforestation or geological sequestration. Read more »
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Filed under: Colorado, News, Summit County Colorado, global warming | Tagged: Summit County News, Environment, global warming, climate change, Sandia National Lab | Leave a Comment »
Posted on July 28, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
A long-term study in Colorado shows marmot populations increasing in size and number as their habitat heats up.
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — Our international story on the status of Lake Baikal picked up page views from all over the world the past few days, as UNESCO’s world heritage committee meets to decide which new spots could be added to the list of world heritage sites. Baikal is the world’s oldest and deepest lake and even has a population of freshwater seals. But water quality is endangered by effluent from a pulp mill.
A global warming story describing some definitive science showing that marmots are getting bigger because of climate change was also popular. Check the rest of the headlines and pass it on. Help grow independent journalism in Colorado by sharing these stories on your social network!
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Filed under: Colorado, News, Summit County Colorado, Uncategorized | Tagged: Summit County News, Environment, global warming, World Heritage Committee, Lake Baikal, marmots | Leave a Comment »
Posted on July 28, 2010 by Bob Berwyn
A National Weather Service map shows the extent of a flash flood watch in effect for parts of Colorado. Click on the map for details.
Lightning kills two, injures 11 in the past four days
By Summit Voice
SUMMIT COUNTY — With abundant monsoon moisture over the area, the National Weather Service has expanded a flash flood watch to cover parts of the I-70 corridor just west of Summit County. Heavy thunderstorms could lead to rockslides and mudslides in susceptible areas.
Winds aloft are light, so some of the thunderstorms could remain almost stationary, dumping several inches of rain in just a few hours. Thunderstorm activity is expected peak during the late afternoon and evening hours as daytime heating enhances cloud formation. Read more »
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Filed under: Colorado, News, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: Summit County News, summit county weather, Colorado weather, Colorado monsoon, flash floods Colorado | Leave a Comment »
