Colorado gets new state forester

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Mike Lester says Colorado forests face ‘extraordinary changes’

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Colorado’s aspen forests may see more die-offs as a result of last summer’s drought.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Colorado’s new state forester and director of the Colorado State Forest Service may be moving here from Pennsylvania, but his forestry roots are pure Colorado.

Mike Lester is a CSU alumnus and spent time with the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. He currently serves as assistant state forester for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, a position in which he is responsible for more than 300 staff, manages 2 million acres of state forest land, oversees the Pennsylvania State nursery manager, and manages a silviculture program that yields $25 million in annual revenues.

As Colorado  state forester, Lester is responsible for the protection of Colorado’s forest resources; ensuring forestry education, outreach and technical assistance to private landowners; and carrying out the duties of the Division of Forestry within the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. (more…)

Filed under: agriculture, climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, forests, public lands | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Water: Lake Powell may dry up within a few decades

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Southwest, Great Plains most vulnerable to future water shortages

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Under some climate change scenarios, Lake Powell is at risk, according to a new study from the US. Forest Service. Photo courtesy Mission 31, ISS, via the Wikimedia Commons.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Some of the West’s biggest reservoirs could dry up completely as the region gets warmer and drier in coming decades, and major increases in storage capacity probably won’t help address regional water shortages, according to a new study authored by researchers with Colorado State University, Princeton and the U.S. Forest Service.

In the Colorado River Basin, “Lakes Powell and Mead are projected to drop to zero and  only occasionally thereafter add rather small amounts of storage before emptying  again,” the scientists concluded, adding that smaller upstream reservoirs might still be useful.

The report, published by the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, combined climate projections with socio-economic scenarios of population growth and water use to determine future water supply and demand, to assess the likelihood of future water shortages region by region. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, water | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

Colorado: State to study drilling emissions

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
Methane leakage from the gas production fields of northeastern Colorado may be twice as high as previously estimated, according to new research from NOAA.

Methane leakage from the gas production fields of northeastern Colorado may be twice as high as previously estimated, according to new research from NOAA.

Energy boom contributes to regional haze problems and potential health impacts

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Colorado officials took another small step to address growing public concerns about the impacts of the state’s energy boom by announcing a $1.3 million study of emissions from oil and gas drilling operations.

According to a press release from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the study will help provide information about how oil and gas emissions behave, how they travel and their characteristics in areas along the northern Front Range.

A second phase would assess possible health effects using data collected in the first phase. Testimony at this week’s Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission rulemaking hearing reinforced the views of experts for both industry and the conservation community that more and better science is needed related to oil and gas emissions. (more…)

Filed under: air quality, Colorado, energy, Environment, gas drilling, oil drilling | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado to revamp wildfire response

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

The Lower North Fork Fire burning March 26 in Jefferson County. PHOTO COURTESY JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF.

Gov. Hickenlooper proposes reshuffling agencies to unify command structure

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY —Scrambling to beef up the state’s response capability at the start of what could be a long, hot fire season, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said Monday he’ll ask the State Legislature to shake up the agencies charged with responding to public safety emergencies.

Based on the recommendations of a review panel, Hickenlooper said he’ll propose legislation that would put the Division of Emergency Management and wildfire resources at the Colorado State Forest Service under the authority of the Colorado Department of Public Safety. (more…)

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

Breckenridge: Forest summit meeting comes to CMC

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Panels will focus on science and management

There are still considerable areas of healthy forest in Summit County, but nobody really talks about them anymore.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Conservation experts, forest managers, loggers and scientists will gather at Colorado Mountain College in Breckenridge this week to pow-wow once again on the condition of Colorado’s devastated lodgepole pine stands.

The Colorado Bark Beetle Collaborative summit meeting is set for Friday, October 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Colorado Mountain College in Breckenridge. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, Forest health, forests, pine beetles, pine beetles and wildfires, US Forest Service | Tagged: , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Summit County: How do you measure forest recovery?

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Local forest health group to discuss restoration and monitoring at a Sept. 15 lunch meeting in Frisco; the public is invited

The Summit Forest Health Task Force will focus on restoration and monitoring at a Sept. 15 lunch session.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — After nearly a decade of pine beetle infestation and widespread clear-cutting in Summit County, the local forest health task force is starting to look at how to monitor and measure the success of forest health treatments.

At the group’s Sept. 15 lunch meeting at the Backcountry Brewery in Frisco, Dr. Tony Cheng, director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute will lead a conversation about how to enhance  capacities of local land managers, landowners, governments, and communities to mitigate forest wildfire risk and restore forest resilience. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Environment, Forest health, forests, pine beetles and wildfires, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Global warming to take big toll on western trout

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Habitat expected to shrink by 50 percent in coming decades

Anglers may have to climb high to find fish as global warming takes a toll on trout.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — A combination of rising temperatures and changes in the timing of runoff and streamflows could reduce trout habitat in the western U.S. by about 50 percent during the next 70 years, with some populations disappearing completely within just a few decades.

The mechanisms for temperature-driven extirpations are complex, but the bottom line is that an ever-warming world isn’t going to leave much room for cold-blooded fish.

“They operate within a very narrow temperature range,” said U.S. Geological Survey biologist Andrew Todd. Variations in temperature can affect spawning, even if the temperatures don’t reach levels that are directly lethal to the fish, Todd said.

And the hydrology is also important, he explained. Even small changes in the amount and timing of precipitation can have a big impact on smaller headwaters streams. And unlike birds or mammals, trout don’t have the ability to move freely if conditions become unsuitable.

“They can’t just go to Montana,” Todd said. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Environment, global warming, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

Colorado scientists predict big 2011 hurricane season

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A NASA satellite image shows a 2010 Atlantic hurricane in full force over the Gulf of Mexico.

5 major storms expected, with 2 making U.S. landfall

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Early indications are that 2011 hurricane activity will be above normal, with predictions for 16 named storms to form, according to Penn State Earth Science Center researchers Michael Mann and Michael Kozar.

Their outlook meshes with an earlier prediction from Colorado State University’s tropical meteorology project where William Gray and Phillip Klotzbach said they expect net tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic to be about 175 percent of the long-term average.

Warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the primary hurricane development zone are likely help fuel development of storms. The Pacific Ocean is another key factor, as the region is forecast to be neutral between El Niño and La Niña conditions. That means less chance strong winds that could sheer the tops of the storms before reaching full hurricane strength. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, El Niño, global warming, La Niña | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

CDOW honors John Creeden as wildlife officer of the year

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Fruita-based wildlife officer has cracked some key poaching cases

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — District Wildlife Manager Paul Creeden of Fruita, whose work on law enforcement cases has won him acclaim from prosecutors, was selected by fellow officers as the 2010 John D. Hart Wildlife Officer of the Year.

Creeden, a 25-year veteran of the Colorado Division of Wildlife, was presented with the award on March 1 at the Division’s annual law enforcement in-service training in Colorado Springs.

“I serve with phenomenal officers,” said Creeden. “Just to be nominated is a great honor and I am very humbled and proud to have been selected by my peers to win the award.” (more…)

Filed under: Colorado Division of Wildlife, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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