Spring Gulch
An afternoon of rain and fog at Spring Gulch on Feb. 12 diminished the thin base of snow, prompting a cautionary closure. If the next storm brings sufficient snowpack, the course will reopen. “In the meantime: go to the car wash, sleep with a spoon under your pillow and make a few sacrifices to Ullr,” a press release advised. “This has been a tough season.” According to Natural Resources Conservation Service SNOTEL data (beginning in the 1980s), both local and statewide snowpack is currently the worst on record. Pre-SNOTEL measurements indicate the winters of 1976-77 and 1980-81 had even less snowpack.
Avalanche danger
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) warns that this latest storm is expected to produce the season’s most dangerous and widespread avalanche conditions. With heavy snowfall and strong winds on top of a weak underlying layer, natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely. CAIC advises backcountry travelers to avoid avalanche terrain at this time.
Carbondale wildfire planning
The Roaring Fork Valley Wildfire Collaborative is working with Dr. Hussam Mahmoud, a nationally recognized wildfire and infrastructure resilience researcher at Vanderbilt University, and utilizing his AGNI-NAR wildfire model to scientifically analyze risks locally with precision. “This is currently the only wildfire modeling approach that has been statistically validated against real wildfire events, demonstrating near-90% accuracy in predicting fire spread and building damage,” claimed a press release. Residents in and around Carbondale are being asked to complete a survey collecting basic information about their homes to help inform a study that will be used for future planning. The survey can be found at www.tinyurl.com/CarbondaleWildfireModel and will be open until early March.
Glenwood Flock cameras
On Feb. 12, the City of Glenwood Springs issued a press release stating that, going forward, it will fully restrict all outside agency access to data collected from Flock cameras capturing images of license plates. This comes on the heels of a group of locals airing concerns during a City Council meeting that the information collected could potentially be used for immigration enforcement. The City will also release results from Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) requests pertaining to search queries from law enforcement agencies across the country. While at least some searches did reference immigration enforcement and corresponding agencies, the press release stated that the “Glenwood Springs Police Department has conducted no searches related to immigration.” CORA results will be uploaded to www.gwsco.info/cora
Eagle County land use
Eagle County is undergoing a rewrite of its land use regulations in alignment with the county’s Comprehensive Plan. Interested parties can review the Eagle County Master Plan for an understanding of the land use vision and policies and actions intended to achieve that vision. A public work session on the topic will be hosted at 20 Eagle County Road in El Jebel on Feb. 19 at 2:30pm. Learn more at www.bit.ly/Eagle-regs
Pitkin County draft plan
After years of community engagement, Pitkin County has released a draft of its updated Comprehensive Plan for public review and comment. Written comments can be submitted to vision5050@pitkincounty.com by Feb. 23 for inclusion in the Planning Commission packet materials for the first scheduled public hearing on March 3 at 5pm. Check it out at www.bit.ly/PitCo-vision
Landfill regulation
Colorado Air Quality Control Commission’s adoption of an updated standard in December, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, could require some costly infrastructural changes at landfills. Garfield County estimates as much as $100,000 annually and $2 million to install a greenhouse gas control system, a potential requirement if methane rates aren’t under a certain threshold, at the landfill near Rifle. The regulation is expected to take effect this spring, but public landfills will have a three-year grace period to budget and plan.
Teacher of the Year nominations
The Colorado Department of Education invites you to nominate a beloved educator for the state’s 2027 Teacher of the Year award. The nomination window closes on March 20 and semi-finalists will be announced on May 22. Find details at www.bit.ly/CO-2027-teacher
Forest Service hiring
The White River National Forest is hiring seasonal employees for the upcoming recreation season and encourages local residents to apply. Positions in recreation and visitor services, trail and facility maintenance, and active resource management are expected to be posted on Feb. 20 at USAJOBS.gov
They say it’s your birthday!
Tom Paxton, Jess Pedersen and Ingrid Zúniga (Feb. 20); Pati Edquist, Wyatt Farris, Max Herriott-Frank, Mike Lemmer and Collin Stewart (Feb. 21); Libertad Lee Rico Bustillos, Lucas Leone and Yesenia Silva-Estrada (Feb. 22); David Ackerman, Sophia Clark, Susan Drinker and Rachael Schultz (Feb. 23); Quentin Farris, Toni Gross, Nuria Moya, Steve Skinner and Kyle Watts (Feb. 24).
