Federal judge says Forest Service must consider critical habitat designations in regional forest plan guidance for lynx

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Federal agencies rebuked for violating Endangered Species Act. Photo courtesy USFWS.

Decision will trigger new reviews of forest plans and projects in northern Rockies

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — The U.S. Forest Service has once again been called out for failing to live up to its legal obligations to protect endangered species, this time by a federal judge in Montana, who ruled last week that the agency violated the Endangered Species Act when it failed to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on a regional forest plan amendment.

Dana L. Christensen, chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the State of Montana, ordered the Forest Service to re-initiate consultation, but did not block any specific projects on the affected forests, saying that plaintiffs couldn’t show any “irreparable harm.” (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment, public lands, Uncategorized, US Forest Service | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Outdoors: Forest Service adds ‘new’ trails in Summit County

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
Some of the "new" trails on national forest lands in Summit County lead to hidden coves along the shore of Dillon Reservoir.

Some of the “new” trails on national forest lands in Summit County lead to hidden coves along the shore of Dillon Reservoir.

Travel management plan update results in some user-created trails becoming an official part of the trail network

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — If you’ve never heard of the Hippo Trail or the Bodhi Trail, don’t feel too bad. Both are newly named trail segments in Summit County that have just recently been formally added to the national forest trail system managed by the U.S. Forest Service’s Dillon Ranger District.

Many of the user-created have been popular with locals for years, but now they’re officially on the map, said Ken Waugh, recreation staff officer for the district.

“Many of these have never been maintained and have not been on District maps,” Waugh said, adding that the Forest Service is making an outreach effort to let hikers and cyclists know about the new trails.

As part of that effort, the Dillon District is preparing Recreation Opportunity Guides for these new trails. The one-page sheets  have a map on one side and information about the trails on the other. When they’re done, they’ll be posted online at this White River National Forest website. Some of the guides are already posted at www.dillonrangerdistrict.com. The guides include directions to the trailhead, mileage, range in elevation, difficulty, and trail highlights. They’re also avaiable at the USFS visitor center in Silverthorne. (more…)

Filed under: biking, Colorado, Dillon, Dillon Ranger District, Dillon Reservoir, Frisco, hiking, recreation, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Wildfires: Budget woes to affect fuels treatments, post-fire rehab

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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A wildfire burns in Keystone Gulch, near the base of Keystone Ski Area, in June, 2011.

Fewer firefighers, less wildfire fuels treatments and less post-fire rehab

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — The federal budget crunch means firefighters will have to do more with less this summer, federal officials said this week. Because of the sequester, the Forest Service will not fill 500 firefighting positions and will make do with 50 less engines on the ground.

“We are facing another dangerous wildfire season. We are prepared; we’re not as funded as we might be about 5 years from now, so teamwork is really critical to what we have to do,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, speaking Monday at a briefing at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise Idaho.

In particular, parts of the West are facing another challenging fire season, with greatest potential threats in the Pacific Coast states and into the interior northwest, including Idaho and southwest Montana, according to the center’s predictive services team. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, forest fires, Forest health, pine beetles and wildfires, public lands, US Forest Service, wildfires | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Wildfires: Forest Service moves on upgrading air tankers

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Contract awards should enable some aircraft to come online this year

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A MAFFS-equipped Air National Guard C-130 Hercules drops fire retardant on wildfires in southern California,

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — With its old-school propeller airtanker fleet dwindling, the U.S. Forest Service announced this week that it’s taking the next step to upgrade aerial firefighting capabilities by bringing bigger and faster next generation planes online.

Specifically, Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said the agency issued a notice of intent to award contracts to five companies to provide a total of seven new airtankers for wildfire suppression. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Drought, forest fires, wildfires | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Wildfires: Repeat of 2012 not likely in Colorado

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Wildfire season off to slowest start in past 10 years, but parts of the far West are at high risk for early season activity

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April brought above average precipitation to the northern Rockies, but much of the far West, as well as the Southern Plains, remained very dry, setting the stage for wildfire danger.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The western wildfire season has started slowly, but patchy winter snowfall means some areas will be more at-risk than other, especially California, where parts of the state reported record- or near-record low snowpack for this past winter.

In Colorado, a repeat of the early and deadly Colorado wildfire season is not likely, federal wildfire experts said in their May update, explaining that a wetter and cooler spring will help delay the onset of the season, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

But a dry winter in parts of the Colorado San Juans means some of the higher-elevation forests in the southwestern part of the state may be at higher risk of fires this spring and summer, the center’s monthly report said. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Drought, Environment, forest fires, forests, wildfires | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Skier donations build forest conservation legacy

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

National Forest Foundation awards $650,000 for stewardship work

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Ski area visitors leave behind a year-round stewardship legacy when they contribute to the Ski Conservation Fund. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Thanks to voluntary contributions from ski resort visitors, the the U.S. Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation will partner to invest about $650,000 in forest restoration and recreation projects. The donations are collected in a voluntary add-on to ticket and lodging sales, a dollar or two at a time.

The grants were awarded recently to organizations like the Blue River Watershed Group, the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, the Colorado Mountain Club and the Colorado Natural Heritage Program for projects like trail improvements, wildlife habitat enhancement, tree planting and stream restoration. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Ranger District, Environment, forests, public lands, ski industry, Ski Resorts, US Forest Service, Vail Resorts, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Wildfires: What does it take to scorch soils?

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Summit County firefighters extinguish a wildfire along Montezuma Road in March, 2012.

Dense ground cover protects soil by holding moisture; areas in direct sunlight with sparse, dry vegetation suffered more damage

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Fire scientists trying to learn more about how and when to set prescribed burns came to a surprising conclusion when they torched a 22-acre watershed in Portugal.

After mapping the watershed and setting up an array of instruments, they carefully monitored the fire and especially soil temperatures, finding that large, hot fires do not necessarily scorch soils.

The test fire showed that in areas with dense vegetation, where the fire burned hotter, the underlying soil stayed cooler — a finding they described as an inverse effect running contrary to  previous studies and conventional wisdom. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Environment, forest fires, forests, wildfires | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Forest Service revamps fees for bikepath events

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Policy change enables agency to charge per-person fees

The 2012 Colorado Cyclist Copper Triangle, a cycling tour in Lake, Summit, and Eagle Counties, and based in Copper Mountain, Colorado, on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012. Photo Steve Peterson

Cyclists cruise the Summit County recpath on Forest Service land during the 2012 Colorado Cyclist Copper Triangle, a cycling tour in Lake, Summit, and Eagle Counties based at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Photo courtesy Steve Peterson/Copper Triangle.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — The White River National Forest has revamped its fee structure for special events using local bike paths that cross national forest lands. Under the changes, organizers of cycling events like the Copper Triangle will pay a graduated per-person fee ranging from $1 per person, up to $2 per person for larger events.

The new fees, authorized under a local special use amendment, will affect special events using three specific bike paths: Vail Pass, Glenwood Canyon and the recpath system around Dillon Reservoir in Summit County, according to WRNF supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams. (more…)

Filed under: biking, Colorado, economy, events, recreation, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Summit County plans large-scale wildfire training exercise

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Evacuation and communications seen as critical elements in emergency response

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Summit County emergency responders along U.S. Highway 6 during a June, 2011 fire in Keystone Gulch, Colorado. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Summit Voice

Register for emergency notifications at www.SCAlert.org.

Follow the Summit County Sheriff’s Department on Twitter.

FRISCO — Next week’s large-scale emergency response test in Summit County will include door-to-door visits by uniformed officials in the Ruby Ranch, Willowbrook Highlands and Ptarmigan Ranch subdivisions, notifying residents about evacuation procedures in case of a wildfire.

The April 30 exercise includes more than 100 local emergency responders and will test the ability of local agencies to respond to a mock scenario revolving around a number of wildfires which spread due to high winds. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office in particular will be testing plans for evacuation and public information. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, forest fires, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Environment: Trees cause pollution — but not on their own

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Isoprene, a chemical emitted by trees interacts with manmade nitrogen oxides to create particulate pollution. Bob Berwyn photo.

Tree chemicals combine with nitrogen oxides to form potentially dangerous particulates

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — President Ronald Reagan might have been on to something when he infamously claimed that trees cause pollution. While he was widely ridiculed for his statement, scientists later confirmed that a certain chemical emitted by trees also contributes to the production of particulate matter in the atmosphere.

The chemical in question is isoprene, an abundant molecule in the air that protects leaves from oxygen damage and temperature fluctuations. But those chemical processes have not been well understood, so researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill set out to look for answers. (more…)

Filed under: air quality, Environment, forests | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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