Summit Voice: Most-view & weekend headlines

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Crime, wildfires and climate …

Week in review.

The roundup is sponsored Trippons. Click the logo to find E-coupons for your mountain town.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A short initial story about a rare local murder was the most-viewed story of the past week, followed by reports on regional wildfire and stories about last week’s solar eclipse. Google searches and Google News referrals were the big traffic drivers, along with a decent number of referrals from Facebook and Twitter.

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Mountain news roundup

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Jenney Coberly

A “blinkered view” of large mammal migration, preserving Colorado’s historic buildings, giant sea monsters in Montana, and more

A lynx in the San Juan Mountains — photo courtesy Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Compiled by Jenney Coberly

Understanding animal migration crucial in increasingly developed landscape

Here’s a story that resonates here in Summit County, with the current debate on the effect of the proposed Breckenridge Peak 6 expansion on local wildlife.

The Denver Post reported on Monday that GPS tracking data collected from radio collars on mountain lions, lynx, wolves and other large mammals are challenging scientific understanding of the animals’ range and habitat. Colorado Division of Wildlife and other western biologists are tracking more animals using satellites and computers and seeing them wander farther, more frequently and far beyond the bounds of what is believed to be their normal habitat.

“We may have had a blinkered view of what their behavior and territory really is,” according to Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman Theo Stein.

“We’re going to see more development,” said Jodi Hilty, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s programs in North America. Understanding wildlife migration is crucial “to make sure we don’t accidentally cut off routes.”

(more…)

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Mountain news roundup

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Jenney Coberly

Snow drought in New Zealand, more on fracking, prairie dogs roaming free, and the Path of the Pronghorn

Summer mountain biking in Crested Butte — Photo by JC Leacock, courtesy Crested Butte Mountain Resort.

Crested Butte Bike Week starts June 23

Crested Butte Bike Week, formerly Fat Tire Bike Week, returns for its 31st year with a new name to celebrate the evolution of mountain biking in a town recognized by many as the sport’s birthplace. The 4-day event kicks off June 23 with a Night at the Museum party at the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame to honor past supporters and visionaries who helped discover and further the sport.

Racing begins on Friday, June 24, with the Wildflower Rush, the fifth stop of the 2011 Mountain States Cup tour. This year’s downhill event is part of the Pro-GRT series, bringing the best gravity racers to the slopes of Crested Butte Mountain Resort to test their skills in the Evolution Bike Park.

This year the organizers have added reggae to the mix, hosting Toots and the Maytals and The Melodians on Saturday night, June 25, at the Red Lady Stage at Mt. Crested Butte.

Read more stories after the break …

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Mountain news roundup

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Jenney Coberly

Raging rivers, roaring wildfires, spewing volcanoes and a South Pole adventure

The Blue River at Valley Brook in Breckenridge. Photo by Jenney Coberly

Compiled by Jenney Coberly

Elk River breaks stream flow record

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — The Elk River broke its all-time record early Tuesday morning, according to provisional data recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey. A measuring station at the Routt County Road 42 bridge measured the peak at 7,520 cubic feet per second at 4:45 am on Tuesday.

“Preliminarily, that is a new peak of record,” said Michael Lewis, associate director of the USGS Colorado Water Science Center.

Read the full story at Steamboat Today.

(more…)

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Mountain news roundup

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Jenney Coberly

Dust on snow, roadless rule updates, grizzly cubs delight Grand Teton crowds

A slide reveals a dust-on-snow layer underneath in 2010 — photo by Jenney Coberly

Compiled by Jenney Coberly

Dust on snow density less this year than in 2009 and 2010

Snow watchers have counted nine significant dust events in Colorado, but unlike in recent years, the density of the dust seems less this season, especially in the northern and central regions of the state. “We don’t have as much dust on snow layers to enhance the heat that is sure to come … so it removes one variable on how this runoff will come,” said Jim Pokrandt, spokesman for the Colorado River Water Conservation District.

Portions of Colorado’s high country could possibly see snowpack carrying through summer, a rarity in the last decade.

“It is certainly cleaner than it was in the last couple of years, but it still remains to be seen what’s going to happen,” UCLA research scientist Tom Painter said. “It’s certainly an interesting year.”

Read the full article in the Denver Post.

(more…)

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Mountain news roundup

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Jenney Coberly

The bone bonanza continues, and huge snowdrifts put damper on Memorial Day mountain pass openings

Dr. Joe Sertich excavates a mastodon humerus - PHOTO COURTESY DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE

Compiled by Jenney Coberly

Dem bones just keep on comin’

The amazing ice-age fossil finds just keep on coming at Ziegler Reservoir in Snowmass Village. Denver Museum of Nature & Science crews have pulled more than 100 prehistoric bones from the dig site since they began their work earlier this month. The team is now more than a week into its largest-ever fossil excavation in very challenging spring weather conditions. “It’s extremely rewarding work, thanks to these amazing finds so far,” said Kirk Johnson, leader of the museum’s excavation team and vice president of the research and collections division. “With only 40 days to go we are shoveling like mad in a race against time and we continue to bump into bone after bone.” Read the story in the Aspen Daily News, and learn more about the project at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science Snowmastodon Project webpage.

Lawn tickets still available for Lovett/Hiatt concert

Reserved indoor seating for the June 16th Lyle Lovett/John Hiatt concert is sold out, but lawn seating is still available either from Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge, or Ticketmaster. The general admission lawn area for this event will be fenced in and will feature video and sound. Read more about the upcoming concert in the April 27th Summit Voice story.

(more…)

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Mountain news roundup

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Jenney Coberly

Custom snowboards for soldiers, state-of-the-art bike sharing in Boulder, and more ice-age discoveries at Ziegler Reservoir

Compiled by Jenney Coberly

Custom snowboards for soldiers

When soldiers from the G Company 2-135th General Support Aviation Battalion, a helicopter MEDEVAC unit, returned from a year in Iraq, they were greeted not only by their families and friends, but also by custom snowboards provided by Never Summer Industries of Denver, Colorado. For the board graphic, Never Summer Art Director Jeremy Salyer designed a silhouette of a Black Hawk helicopter like the ones the battalion flew in Iraq. Check out the coverage in the Mountain Weekly News to see photos of the snowboard and the ceremony.

New bike-sharing program in Boulder

Boulder is already a bike-friendly town, and will become even more so with the launch of the Boulder B-cycle program this Friday. The program will launch with 12 stations, 7 of which are completely solar-powered. The stations are state of the art, with computer touchscreens and encrypted wireless data transmission for the bike rentals. The bikes are state of the art as well, with adjustable seats, specially designed brakes that work even when wet, durable tires that rarely go flat, utility baskets, and bike locks with removable keys for parking away from B-cycle stations. Read more in the article in the Boulder Daily Camera or the Boulder B-cycle website. (more…)

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Mountain news roundup

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Jenney Coberly

State Bridge readies for re-opening, tweeting from the summit of Mt. Everest, no Buffalo Springfield in Telluride, and more….

The wide open road - scenic route 131 heading for State Bridge. PHOTO BY JENNEY COBERLY

State Bridge – a great road trip leading to a magical destination.

Much anticipation awaits the grand opening of the newly built State Bridge amphitheater in Bond, Colorado. Volunteers have been busy helping to ready the new venue for the opening — check out the activities at the State Bridge Facebook page. The State Bridge Lodge burned down in 2007, and the new amphitheater has been built in the burned-out footprint of the old lodge. Every seat in the new multi-terraced amphitheater has great views of the stage and the river. State Bridge was the first public bridge across the Colorado River in Colorado, and has been a popular gathering place since the late 1800′s.

The inaugural event is Campout for the Cause III — check out the great lineup for this year’s event here. In addition to great music, attendees will enjoy rafting, drum circles, yoga and more. Future concerts include Leftover Salmon on June 12.

Tweeting from the summit of Mt. Everest – accompanied by product placement?

On May 6, British mountaineer Kenton Cool tweeted from the summit of Mt. Everest: “Everest summit no 9! 1st tweet from the top of the world thanks to a weak 3G signal & the awesome Samsung Galaxy S2 handset!”. The shoutout can be explained by the fact that the company sponsored his climb.

Hopefully Cool meant the first tweet for him, since he isn’t the first person to tweet from the summit. That honor goes to Eric Larsen, who six months ago simply tweeted “Everest summit!” (last year Larsen also tweeted from The North Pole.) The mast used to tweet from the lofty heights of Everest was constructed by a Nepalese mobile operator in October 2010. Read the full story at PlanetSki. (more…)

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Most-viewed and week in review

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Biodiversity, climate change, snowpack and the Colorado River …

This chinstrap penguin may soon be even more lonely, as global warming depletes the species' food source. Chinstrap penguin numbers have dropped by half the past 30 years. COPYRIGHTED PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN.

SUMMIT COUNTY — An environmental story about a stunning decline in Antarctic penguin populations was the most-viewed story the past few days at Summit Voice, garnering more than 700 page views. Stories on record snowpack, national forest plans and the Colorado River next on the list, and, showing the global voice of Summit Voice, a pair of stories about oceanography rounded out the top six. Click on the headlines to read the stories and please pass them along via your own social media networks with the share button at the end of each story.

Filed under: biodiversity, Breckenridge, Colorado, Dillon, Dillon Ranger District, Dillon Reservoir, Environment, Frisco, Hidden Gems wilderness, Marine biology, mountain news roundup, public lands, rivers, Silverthorne, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, Summit County snow and weather, US Forest Service, water, wetlands, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Mountain news roundup

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Jenney Coberly

Pioneers in viticulture, déjà vu all over again in Aspen, a chicken coop raid in Steamboat, riding high in Silverton, and a PhD … in snowboarding?

Independence Pass - photo by Jenney Coberly.

By Summit Voice

Sustainability and the grape

In the wine world, being organic is more than just a marketing campaign. “I think, for the most part… wineries that are organic are doing it because they know you have to treat your crop right and, in turn, it will treat you right,” said David Courtney, a sommelier at Beaver Liquors in Avon. “On my many visits to Europe when talking with the winemakers, they all know that if you keep using harsh chemicals you will eventually change your terroir, which is what Euro wines are all about,” Courtney said. “Most don’t even have a word for organic farming because that is just how it’s done.”

Mickey Werner, manager of Alpine Wine & Sprits, said there is some evidence that wine produced from organic grapes has a different taste profile from that made with conventionally farmed grapes. In a recent article about an Oregon winery, he said “they farmed both sides of a shallow valley, half biodynamic, half conventional — same clones, root stock — the majority of the tasters said there was a taste-profile difference in every flight that went through. Better is subjective, but there is a more profound taste profile difference between the two.”

Read the full story in the Vail Daily.

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