Travel: BLM improving campgrounds in western Colorado

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Popular Rabbit Valley campground enlarged

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The BLM is improving some facilities in the popular McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, west of Grand Junction, Colorado. Photo courtesy BLM.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Campers in western Colorado will have more options this summer, as the Bureau of Land Management quadruples the size of the Rabbit Valley Campground, from four spots to 16.

The campground, in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area west of Grand Junction, will be closed for several weeks while the work — including two new group campsites — is under way. The campground road will be improved, and each campsite will now have a tent pad, fire ring and picnic table.

“Rabbit Valley is a great place to car camp, and these improvements are designed to enhance the camping experience for visitors,” said Ben Blom, acting National Conservation Area manager for the BLM Grand Junction Field Office. (more…)

Filed under: BLM, boating, camping, Colorado, public lands, recreation | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Bears getting hungry as they prepare for a long winter’s nap; wildlife managers urge caution

Posted on September 1, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A hungry bear climbs into a Dumpster in search of food. Photo courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Forest Service orders special precautions in Vail area

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Numerous encounters between people and bears in the high country have prompted the White River National Forest to require campers to store all food and refuse in a bear-resistant container or inside a vehicle in a sealed container.

“Due to a lack of forage bears are on the hunt for alternative sources of food, campsites and picnic areas can appear, to a bear, an easy target,” said Eagle Holy Cross deputy district ranger Matt McCombs.

“We’ve had multiple encounters at our campgrounds where bears have been rewarded for their efforts … putting their safety and campers at risk.”  McCombs said, “With fall on its way and bears stocking up before hibernation, ensuring campers are being bear aware is the best way to keep everyone safe.” (more…)

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Morning photo: Summer!

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy …

Summer starts with the solstice, the longest day of the year, photographed at Loveland Pass, Colorado, 11,999 feet above the sea.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Mid-July is definitely the height of the summer season pretty much anywhere in the northern hemisphere, so when #FriFotos host and founder @EpsteinTravels announced this week’s theme for the popular Twitter chat, I zipped through the archives to find a few shots from this summer, as well as year’s past. And as much as I love cold powder snow and skiing, there’s something to be said for being able to go outside without putting on multiple layers, hats, gloves … you know what I mean, right? Join in the fun by uploading pics to Twitter and tagging them with #FriFotos.

The Tiki Bar at the Dillon Marina is definitely a good place to celebrate the summer season.

(more…)

Filed under: camping, Colorado, hiking, recreation, seasons, Travel, West | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Hungry bear forces Aspen camping restrictions

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Some bears look cute and cuddly from afar, but they can cause trouble when habituated to humans and human food. PHOTO COURTESY USFSW.

Forest Service temporarily limits camping to hard-sided campers at Difficult campground

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — He might not be quite as smart as Yogi, but a black bear in the Aspen area seems to know that a campground might be an easy place to score a free meal.

Repeated sightings of the bear in the Difficult Campground, 6 miles east of the Aspen, have prompted Forest Service officials to enact camping restrictions, with to tents or soft-sided trailers or campers permitted for the time being. As per normal precautions, all unattended food and coolers must be contained in a bear box or locked vehicle and all garbage must be disposed of in trash containers. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Colorado Division of Wildlife, US Forest Service, White River National Forest, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Summit County: Green Mountain campground work starts

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Access to Cow Creek South campground to be improved; project will result in some lane closures and delays along Highway 9

The U.S. Forest Service is starting work on improvements at Cow Creek South campground, on the shore of Green Mountain Reservoir. PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A big chunk of federal stimulus dollars are finally hitting the ground in Summit County, as crews begin improving the access from Highway 9 into  the Cow Creek South campground at Green Mountain Reservoir. The Dillon District was awarded $1.474 million dollars for the project.

The new intersection includes deceleration lanes to improve safety at the junction. The project also includes construction of twelve campsites and two campground host sites at the campground.
Work hours for the new campground intersection project will be Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. No work on State Highway 9 is scheduled on weekends or holidays, including Labor Day, when work will temporarily be suspended.

We regret any inconvenience from traffic delays or loss of camping at Cow Creek South the public may experience during this time,” said Jan Cutts, Dillon District Ranger for the Forest Service. “This short term impact will result in a far safer and more enjoyable recreation experience in the long run.” (more…)

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

Colorado: Unattended campfires a huge concern

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Fire officials report finding several unattended campfires

Unattended campfires can quickly grow into out of control wildfires. PHOTO COURTESY U.S. FOREST SERVICE.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Unattended campfires across western Colorado are once again causing concern for land managers, who are warning campers that the fire danger is increasing as warm and windy weather melts the snowpack and dries out fuels.

Since early May, fire crews from the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit have responded to several reports of unattended campfires.

Fire officials are forecasting a moderate to very high fire danger over the next few days. While there are no fire restrictions in effect at this time, all recreationists are urged to exercise caution with open campfires, leaving no fire unattended and to make sure fires are completely out prior to leaving them. Avoid building fires you don’t need. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, forest fires, Forest health, pine beetles, pine beetles and wildfires, Summit County Colorado, US Forest Service | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Summit County: New campsites at Green Mountain Reservoir

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

The Forest Service will spend $1.475 million on improvements at Green Mountain Reservoir this summer.

Improved sites for hosts at Cow Creek South, upgraded highway intersection in the works

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — About $1.475 million in federal stimulus funding will be spent on improvements at Green Mountain Reservoir this summer, as the U.S. Forest Service finalized contracts for the work at the end of 2010.

The key projects are improving the intersection at Highway 9 and the Cow Creek campground access road, as well as a new camping loop with 13 sites at Cow Creek South with improved spots for campground hosts. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, forests, Summit County Colorado, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Rangers finding unattended campfires in Colorado

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

An unattended campfire sparked the 15,000 acre Schultz Fire in Arizona's San Francisco Peaks area, resulting in significant damage to natural resources and impacts to residents of the area. PHOTO COURTESY THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE.

Fire danger will range from moderate to very high during the Fourth of July weekend

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — When a thoughtless camper left his campfire in the San Francisco Peaks of Arizona unattended, high winds and dry conditions fueled a wildfire that quickly grew to 15,000 acres.

The Schultz Fire has charred big swaths of forest on a mountain that’s sacred to Native Americans, and resulted in numerous evacuations and dangerous conditions for firefighters.

The same thing could easily happen in Colorado, fire officials warned, as they said that they’ve already received reports of 25 unattended campfires in the Upper Colorado fire management area in the last two months. (more…)

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Forest Service: Be wary of falling trees!

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

The Forest Service has cleared some of the dead lodgepoles from around the parking area at the Old Dillon Reservoir trail, but the threat of falling trees persists along the trail.

Rains, wind and dead lodgepoles create potential hazard for national forest visitors

By Summit Voice

Summit County — Recent rains and forecast windy conditions have prompted the U.S. Forest Service to warn of falling trees. Hikers should avoid dense patches of dead trees that can fall without warning, and should head for a clearing, out of the reach of falling trees, if winds pick up, rangers said.

Campers should also be aware of where they set up tents and park cars, the Forest Service said in a set of safety guidelines for national forest visitors. Motorists traveling on forest roads should also carry a chainsaw or an axe to remove trees that could fall across the road. (more…)

Filed under: Dillon Ranger District, Environment, forests, pine beetles and wildfires, public lands, recreation, Summit County Colorado, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Green Mountain Reservoir: ‘Everybody loves a campground’

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

At a public meeting in Heeney, White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams said the agency will try to address local concerns about a plan to improve campgrounds and boat launch facilities at Green Mountain Reservoir.

Forest Service gets input on Green Mountain plan,  will drop proposal for overhead power lines and may scale back some other parts of the plan; decision expected in the next few weeks

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — The U.S. Forest Service won’t pursue a new set of overhead power lines for a campground improvement project at Green Mountain Reservoir, and may cut some other parts of a large-scale proposal that is nearing final approval. Read the Forest Service draft environmental assessment here.

“When I came to the White River National Forest six months ago, one of the first questions I asked was, what ARRA projects do we have,” forest supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams said, referring to federal stimulus funds allocated to the Forest Service last year.

As part of the economic recovery program, the Dillon District was awarded $1.475 million for Green Mountain Reservoir. Those funds have to be obligated by Sept. 30, 2010, Fitzwilliams said.

Speaking at public meeting in Heeney Thursday, Fitzwilliams said he was pleased with the answer when he learned that the Green Mountain improvements probably could qualify for the federal subsidy.

“I said, excellent. We’ll have a ribbon-cutting, a barbecue … Everybody loves a campground,” he said wryly, explaining that he wasn’t expecting the plan to be controversial.

But when a draft study for the campground and boat-launch improvements was released late last month, local officials started to wave warning flags. They said parts of the plan to add developed camp sites, a boat launch and even a full-fledged marina operation don’t mesh with the county’s vision of the Lower Blue valley. Millions of dollars have been spent on protecting the rural agricultural character of the area. Large-scale development, even if it’s for recreation, is not appropriate, according to the county commissioners. (more…)

Filed under: forests, public lands, recreation, Summit County Colorado, US Forest Service | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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