Carbondale’s much-loved trail system on Red Hill is now seeing more than 70,000 visits a year. That’s according to Davis Farrar, a member of the volunteer group, the Red Hill Council. While most of the Red Hill trail system is Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, the council exists to help steward the popular trails. […]
Olivia Emmer
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Coal Basin Ranch opens for mountain biking
Coal Basin Ranch opened for mountain biking on Saturday, May 28 for the property’s first full season. To get there, visitors drive up the winding Coal Basin Road for about four miles, following Coal Creek around steep hillsides of shale and sandstone before arriving at a parking lot and closure gate. The area first opened […]
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CORE seeks to measure escaping methane from Coal Basin
On Thursday, March 31, approximately 70 people gathered at the Third Street Center for a presentation about a potential methane capture project in Coal Basin, near Redstone. Coal Basin was once the site of a large coal mining operation that removed an estimated 22 million tons of coal during its lifetime. Shuttered in the early […]
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If you’re leaving footprints, turn around
It’s March again, which means it’s time for our annual reminder that it’s not great to use muddy trails. With current trail counts for Red Hill coming in between 65,000 and 70,000 uses per year, it’s more important than ever for trail users to be aware of best practices. “If it’s muddy, turn around,” says […]
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Marble Wetlands Preserve created through land donation
A long-sought Marble-area land donation was completed at the end of 2021 between an anonymous donor and the Trust for Land Restoration (TLR), a Ridgway-based nonprofit. The property, a 54-acre strip of land with wetlands on one side and steep forested hillside on the other, has been used by the public for river access for […]
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Ayudando a las truchas en Canyon Creek
Traducción por Dolores Duarte Cuando se construyó la alcantarilla en los años 70, los planificadores sabían que sería un problema para los peces. La alcantarilla consta de dos canales, cada uno de 10 pies de ancho y 300 pies de largo. Pasa por debajo de la interestatal 70 al oeste de Glenwood Springs, conectando el […]
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Relying on a wild river: Reflections from the Crystal watershed
Editor’s note: Water supply, climate change and the Colorado River seem to be in the news constantly. The West’s major reservoirs have reached record lows and scientists have released discouraging forecasts for future supplies. This article seeks to provide local context for these headlines by reviewing the state of the Crystal River watershed, the rules […]
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Helping out the trout at Canyon Creek
When the culvert was built in the ‘70s, planners knew it would be a problem for fish. The box culvert is two channels, each 10 feet wide and 300 feet long. It runs beneath Interstate 70 west of Glenwood Springs, connecting the cascading Canyon Creek with its final yards before it joins the Colorado River. […]
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Drought inspires collaboration by water users
For the third summer in a row, the Colorado Water Trust (CWT) has acquired water from Ruedi Reservoir to support endangered fish near Palisade. The unique agreement aligns environmental organizations, irrigation districts, federal agencies and philanthropists. The CWT led a coalition that includes Grand Valley Water Users Association, Orchard Mesa Irrigation District, Colorado River District, […]
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Habitat and working ranch conserved near Carbondale
On Tuesday, Aug. 31, a handful of giddy Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT) staff members gathered at the Coffman Ranch, 1.5 miles east of downtown Carbondale. They were there to celebrate the organization’s purchase of the verdant property from longtime owners Rex and JoAnn Coffman. The Coffmans purchased the property in the 1950s from the […]