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 »

Colorado: River otters, bald eagles move into Summit County

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
One of a pair of dead rivers otters recently found along Dillon Dam Road (foot shown for size).

One of a pair of dead rivers otters recently found along Dillon Dam Road (foot shown for size). Bob Berwyn photo.

Rare species find a home in the heart of a mountain resort community

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Along with the well-documented saga of threatened Canada lynx making a comeback in Summit County, the local mountains are also home to several other rare species that are making comebacks.

It’s a sure sign that Summit County is a key biodiversity crossroads— something worth remembering on Endangered Species Day.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Colorado Parks and Wildlife district manager Sean Shepherd confirmed the first sighting of river otters in the Upper Blue Basin. Unfortunately, the pair of otters was found dead along Dillon Dam Road, most likely hit by cars.

But the fact that they are showing up in new places is nonetheless an encouraging sign, Shepherd said, adding that another otter was also killed recently along Highway 9 north of Silverthorne, near the Blue River campground.

Bald eagles, which can be spotted frequently along the Lower Blue River, have recently been reported around Dillon Reservoir, where a pair is setting up a nest on a platform built for ospreys. A pair of nesting ospreys, meanwhile, has built a nest atop a dead lodgepole pine in the vicinity of Heaton Bay campground. Wildlife biologists say bald eagles will sometimes kick osprey out their nest and take it over. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Environment, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning Photo: Celebrating Dillon Reservoir

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Water level to rise quickly the next few weeks

asdf

Monsoon lightning over a dwindling Dillon Reservoir in July 2012.

FRISCO — After months of so-so snowfall, Mother Nature opened the taps in April and early May, delivering well above-average precipitation. Denver Water’s latest projections suggest that Dillon Reservoir may come close to filling this summer, a huge turnaround from earlier predictions. This body of water in the heart of Summit County is gorgeous even when levels are low. In fact, I enjoyed cruising around the shoreline last summer and fall and finding new spots that aren’t accessible when the reservoir is at an average level, but it’s still nice to know that boaters will be able to enjoy nearly the full expanse of Dillon Reservoir this summer.

This November 2012 moonrise scene was photographed from a spot that would normally be under a few feet of water.

This November 2012 moonrise scene was photographed from a spot that would normally be under a few feet of water.

(more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Morning photo, photography, Summit County Colorado, water | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: Cloudplay

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Fire in the sky

kjkj

Changing weather …

FRISCO —Working on a story today about the formation of cirrus clouds made me realize how intrinsic clouds are to my photography. Yes, a clear blue sky is wonderful if your out trying get a tan, but for a dramatic image, there’s nothing like a roiling thundercloud, or a layered wave cloud lighting up in the fiery light of dawn. When I look out the window before heading out the door, it’s usually for a cloud check, trying to assess whether there’s going to be some good color in the morning or evening sky. I’ve compiled a few of my favorite cloud shots from the past six months here and invite you to visit our online FineArt America gallery for a selection of Summit County landscapes, available as fine are prints or greeting cards. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Morning photo, photography | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: Best of the week

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Winter to spring …

Summit County went from winter to spring in one quick week, a typical May in the Colorado high country.

Summit County went from winter to spring in one quick week, a typical May in the Colorado high country.

FRISCO —A crazy week, with blinding snow, rain, thunder (no hail, anyway) and, for the end of the weekend, the warmest temps we’ve seen since last October, with the reaching 62 degrees in Frisco Sunday afternoon. Dillon Reservoir is still low, but if warm temps prevail this week, look for stream flows to pick up quickly. That should help the reservoir level to start rising slowly. It should be  fun watching it come up and trying to guess how close it will come to filling. If you enjoy these Summit snapshots, please visit our onlinegallery, with a great selection of fine art Summit County landscapes, also available as greeting cards: FineArt America. (more…)

Filed under: Summit County Colorado, Snow and weather, photography, Summit County snow and weather, climate and weather, Morning photo | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Summit Voice: Week in review & most-viewed stories

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
Atmospheric CO2 now at 400 parts per million - how high will it go?

Atmospheric CO2 now at 400 parts per million – how high will it go?

Oil spill, climate and weather stories top the list

FRISCO — Out story on lingering Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacts to Gulf of Mexico aquatic ecosystems got a lot of social media love to become the most-viewed story of the week, while local weather, marked by a series of wet spring storms, also garnered reader attention. Also of note, two Summit Voice photo essays, as well as a guest post by Stan Wagon, also cracked the top 10 list:

A few more stories worth reading from the past week:

 

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Environment, Snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: One more time …

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Snowy bliss

dsfg

Shooting into the sun can be dicey, but sometimes it’s worth the try.

FRISCO — I’m still shorting through shots from our early May snowstorm and working up a few edits of the iPhone and DSLR shots, including the top image, which is literally a roadside view right here in our Frisco neighborhood, if you know where to look. I used an iPhone for the scene, but instead of using an Instagram filter to try and lighten up the foreground, I ran it through the iPhoto program on my laptop to try and preserve some of the snoothness that gets lost in Instagram sometimes. The rest of the images were all taken with the Nikon. (more…)

Filed under: Summit County Colorado, snow, photography, Summit County snow and weather, seasons, Morning photo | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Morning photo: Let the meltdown begin!

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

It’s May already, right?

kj

Dusk light over Peak One, Frisco, Colorado

FRISCO — It doesn’t take long after the snow stops falling for the melting to begin. That’s just the nature of the season. By early May, the sun is strong, so as soon as the clouds lift, it starts to happen. I look for for puddles on the edge of Dillon Reservoir for a good dose of reflection, and here’s how it looked the last few days. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Morning photo, photography, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: May snow

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Bonus powder

Fence line.

Fence line.

FRISCO —I never thought I’d be shooting snowscapes in early May, but then again, living at 9,000 feet in the Colorado high country, you just never know. At this point, it can’t even be billed as the last storm, with the National Weather Service forecasting a chance of more unsettled weather next week. Of course, cool conditions in late spring aren’t unprecedented. Old-timers will remember Cinco de Mayo powder days at A-Basin and even Breckenridge back in the 1980s. A wet spring often helps ease Colorado out one of its periodic droughts. In any case Frisco was sparkling Thursday morning. Here’s what it looked like. (more…)

Filed under: Summit County Colorado, Snow and weather, photography, Summit County snow and weather, seasons, climate and weather, Morning photo | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Morning photo: Best of April

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Spring … or winter?

sadfg

Moon set over the Gore Range.

FRISCO — With measurable snowfall on almost half the days in April, it felt a bit more like winter than spring in Summit County — although there were a few balmy days just to hint at the season ahead. And all in all, it ended up being a good month for photography, with a great moon set, some wonderfully snowy scenes (that April snow really sticks to everything) and even some great closeups of nesting ospreys … (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Morning photo, photography, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Next Page »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 5,553 other followers