Summit Voice: Most-viewed and weekend headlines

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Monthly weather stats, oil and gas drilling and global warming …

Mountain and environmental news from Summit Voice.

SUMMIT COUNTY — We slow down the flow of stories a bit on Summit Voice during the weekend, but we don’t stop altogether, so it’s always good to recap the weekend headlines, including last Friday’s late-breaking news that two of the biggest conservation groups in Colorado will merge to form a new organization, Conservation Colorado.

We also reported on the monthly and year-end weather stats (the water year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30), and reported on Gov. Hickenlooper’s upcoming visit to Summit County.

Weekend headlines:

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Travel: Denali National Park finalizes new roads plan

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Traffic limits shift from seasonal to daily

Denali and Wonder Lake. Photo courtesy NPS.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Motorized visitors to Denali National Park will be facing a new set of rules next summer, as the National Park Service has updated a road vehicle management plan that dates back to 1986 (with a 1997 amendment).

The big change is a switch from seasonal to daily limits for all vehicles, including buses, park service vehicles and contractors, traveling on the controlled portion of the park road. Under the new plan no more than 160 vehicles will be allowed beyond the Savage River Check Station each day. Previously, only buses had daily limits.

The plan incorporates an adaptive management strategy that involves regular monitoring to assess whether the plan meets park standards, including the quality of wildlife viewing, identified by guests a a major reason for visiting the park. The daily number of vehicles could be cut back even more based on the results of monitoring. (more…)

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Denali rangers continue to investigate fatal grizzly attack

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

The Tokat River, looking north toward the area where Richard White was killed by a grizzly. Photo by Kim Fenske.

Park Service confirms victim’s identity, find photos hiker took of the bear just before the attack

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Denali National Park has enacted an emergency closure in the area where a backcountry hiker was killed by a grizzly bear last week. The closure is indefinite, park officials said as they resumed their investigation into the first fatal mauling in the park’s history.

Most of the backcountry units that were closed as a result of the incident are now open. Unit 10, where the attack took place, will remain closed for the next few days for continued monitoring and investigation. The unit encompasses an area of almost 50 square miles.

Richard White, age 49 of San Diego, had been in the Denali backcountry for three nights when he was killed by the bear Aug. 24. He may have recently hiked in other areas of Alaska prior to coming to the park, but it is not known at this time if he had previous backcountry experience in Denali. (more…)

Filed under: hiking, national parks, public lands, recreation, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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