Colorado: Conservation group challenges BLM decision to ‘suspend’ Thompson Divide oil and gas leases

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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Wrangling continues over oil and gas leasing in Colorado.

Appeal asks state BLM director to let leases expire

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Conservation advocates are challenging a decision by the Bureau of Land Management to extend the life of several oil and gas leases in the Thompson Divide area of Colorado’s White River National Forest.

The leases have been unused for 10 years and were illegally sold to begin with, according to Earthjustice, which is filing the administrative appeal on behalf of Wilderness Workshop.

“Sometimes BLM needs to just say no to the oil and gas industry,” said Earthjustice attorney Michael Freeman. “If we can’t keep energy development out of a place like the Thompson Divide, what part of Colorado is safe? We can meet our energy needs in responsible fashion without destroying our most important public lands,” Freeman said. (more…)

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

Colorado: Forest Service finalizes plan to protect bats

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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White-nose syndrome is spreading outward from the Northeast. Graphic courtesy whitenosesyndrome.org.

White River National Forest keeps a few caves closed permanently, requires cave registration and decontamination

*Click here for more Summit Voice coverage of white-nose syndrome

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — The White River National Forest is well-known for its many ski areas and stunning high-elevation wilderness areas, but the forest is also a Rocky Mountain stronghold for bats. And with a deadly disease poised to move into the region, resource managers are taking steps to try and protect the flying mammals with a new cave access policy.

Based on a regional study completed a few weeks ago, WRNF supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams has decided to keep several caves with biologically significant populations closed all year, and other caves may be closed seasonally. Year-round closures are to be enacted on ranger districts if white-nose syndrome is documented within 250 miles. The regional policy and supporting documents are online at this Forest Service website. (more…)

Filed under: Summit County Colorado, Environment, Summit County news, biodiversity, endangered species, Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 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: Stakeholder group to take another close look at proposal for motorized trails on Tenderfoot Mountain

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Consensus sought on divisive plan to build new trails

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Local dirt bike riders hope to create a new system of challenging single-track trails.

Click here to read full Summit Voice coverage of the Tenderfoot issue.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — The White River National Forest has hit the pause button on its proposal to develop a new motorized trail system on Tenderfoot Mountain. Before issuing a final decision on the plan, forest supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams will consider the input of a stakeholder group that’s meeting in a process facilitated by the Keystone Center.

The stakeholder group includes Forest Service representatives, local government officials and planners, conservation advocates, motorized users and local homeowner groups. The hope is to find some sort of consensus on the contentious plan, said Peech Keller, who coordinates environmental reviews for the Forest Service’s Dillon Ranger District. The group will meet about every two weeks through mid-June, she added. All the Forest Service documents related to the proposal are online here. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Ranger District, Environment, Summit County Colorado, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Skiing: Vail, Beaver Creek plan lift upgrades

Posted on March 2, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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The U.S. Forest Service is taking public comments on planned infrastructure improvements at Vail and Beaver Creek.

Eagle County resorts to add some six-seater lifts

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Vail Resorts is looking to boost uphill capacity at its Eagle County resorts by replacing a few aging quad chairlifts with six-seaters, as well as making a few other on-mountain infrastructure improvements. The upgrades are consistent with previously approved master plans for Vail and Beaver Creek, but the U.S. Forest Service is taking  public input on the projects before approving them. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, recreation, Ski Resorts, skiing and riding, Vail Resorts | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Summit County: Forest Service requests $96,000 state trails grant for OHV management

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
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The grant proposal includes examples of how the funding would be used.

Local stakeholders support idea of summer motorized trail crew

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — The Forest Service’s Dillon Ranger District is applying for a $96,000 state trails grant partly to patrol and maintain a trail system on Tenderfoot Mountain that hasn’t been approved or built yet.

An off-highway vehicle subcommittee heard the grant request earlier this month in the first step of a three-stage approval process.

The grant request has support from the Summit County Commissioners, the town of Breckenridge and several nonprofit stewardship groups in the area. (more…)

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

Colorado ski industry should embrace wolverine restoration

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
Bob Berwyn.

Bob Berwyn.

Opinion: Obstructing conservation runs counter the interest of most skiers

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — The upcoming listing of North American wolverines as an endangered or threatened species has huge implications for Colorado, and also gives the Colorado ski industry a chance to work off some of the bad karma it earned for opposing the reintroduction of lynx to the mountains of our state.

Wolverines are largest member of the weasel family and need rugged alpine terrain covered with deep snow to reproduce. Sometime soon, within the next few weeks, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will announce its listing decision, with the best available science suggesting that global warming is likely to reduce habitat for denning and breeding to the point that it will threaten the existence of the species.

That’s were Colorado comes in. With more high-elevation terrain than any other state in the Rockies, and plenty of steep, remote brush- and rock-strewn avalanche paths, our mountains could be a climate refuge for the animals, according to conservation biologists working on recovery plans for the rare critter. (more…)

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

Colorado: New snowmobile rules on national forest lands

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Winter travel maps detail new closures and designated trails

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New winter travel maps available for national forest lands in Summit County. Click on the image to view, download or print maps for your area.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — The White River National Forest has started enforcing new winter motorized travel rules on the Dillon Ranger District, including the closure of some areas that were previously open to snowmobiles.

The winter travel maps are available at the Dillon Ranger District visitor center in Silverthorne and also online at this Forest Service web page. Dillon District winter rangers will be educating the public about the new changes, checking snowmobile registrations, and responding to snowmobiles in closed areas.  Anyone observing snowmobiles in closed areas is encouraged to record detailed information and report it to the Dillon Ranger District at 970-468-5400.

Motorized users are responsible for obtaining a map to determine where they can ride.  “NO SNOWMOBLE” signs will not be posted except in key areas. More information is available on the White River National Forest recreation web page. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, Dillon Ranger District, public lands, recreation, Summit County Colorado, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Summit County asks for delay on Tenderfoot motorized trail decision and suggests collaborative planning process

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Bob Berwyn
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Can Summit County and the Forest Service find common ground for a motorized trail system on Tenderfoot Mountain? Bob Berwyn photo.

‘Rewarding illegal trail creation is not good public policy’

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Summit County commissioners continue to express concerns with a U.S. Forest Service proposal to build more than 10 miles of new trail primarily for motorized use on Tenderfoot Mountain, between Dillon and Keystone. All the Forest Service documents for the Tenderfoot proposal are online at this WRNF web page.

In a formal comment letter submitted last week, the BOCC asked the Forest Service to delay making a decision on the project pending a joint collaborative planning process with the county, and offered to come to the table with some funds for maintenance and management of a trail system.

“I don’t think anyone on the planning commission is opposed to finding a place … But I don’t think the Forest Service did its job in looking at other places and saying why they won’t work,” said Craig Suwinski, chair of the Snake River Planning Commission, representing those citizens potentially most affected by noise and other impacts a motorized trail system could have. (more…)

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

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