A recent decision to temporarily close the White River National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Glenwood Springs to public walk-in services for lack of staff may forebode staffing difficulties when it comes time to open the new Aspen-Sopris Ranger District Office in Carbondale later this year. The “public room” at the Glenwood office had already been […]
Aspen-Sopris Ranger District
Posted inBusiness
Four wheeling to Crystal Mill can get costly
Four wheeling up to the Crystal Mill near Marble will cost you a few bucks for gas, but getting back down could cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars in towing and/or recovery charges.Author Roger A. Neal has summered in Crystal since the 1950s and wrote a 79-page book that includes the potential trials and […]
Posted inNews
Defiende Nuestra Tierra celebrates bilingual signage in the White River National Forest
Defiende Nuestra Tierra celebrated the ribbon-cutting and inauguration of the first bilingual signage in the U.S. Forest Service’s Aspen-Sopris Ranger District on Saturday, June 22. Also in June, Defiende Nuestra Tierra, a program of Wilderness Workshop that focuses on engaging the Latino community in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys in public lands advocacy, […]
Posted inNews
MainStreet Alliance still wants USFS to put project on hold, listen to citizens
Carbondale citizens continue to protest U.S. Forest Service (USFS) plans for a complete redesign of the property at the corner of Main Street and Weant Boulevard. The MainStreet Alliance gathered Sunday at the Fourth Street Plaza. The group says the USFS has ignored public comment.“The people filled Town Hall in August, unanimously against cutting down […]
Posted inNews
Carbondale resident files complaint alleging USFS fence blocks public right-of-way
Longtime Carbondale resident and former trustee Pam Zentmyer filed a complaint with the Town of Carbondale Wednesday, listing Town Clerk Jessica Markham and Carbondale Police Chief Kirk Wilson as recipients, regarding the fence surrounding the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District construction zone near the corner of Main Street and Weant Boulevard. Dare-Case Contracting Services LLC erected the […]
Posted inNews
Scuttlebutt & Calendar
X-stangFor the first time ever, the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Bustang will partner with X Games and Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) to provide a travel option for fans traveling from Denver to the X Games in Aspen through Sunday, Jan. 28. The Bustang West Line goes from Denver’s Union Station to Glenwood Springs five […]
Posted inNews
Seeing the Forest Service for the trees
Construction on the new Aspen-Sopris Ranger District buildings in Carbondale is one step closer to becoming reality. The White River National Forest (WRNF) awarded a $6.3 million contract to Dare-Case Contracting Services LLC of Grand Junction on Sept. 28 — one day after WRNF Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams signed a new decision memo for the project. […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Why prescribed fires in Avalanche Creek?
Memorial Day weekend, campers and hikers might have been surprised at the sight of 600-plus acres of newly burned, south-facing terrain above Avalanche Creek. As part of the Aspen-Sopris District wildlife habitat improvement project, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management partnered with Pitkin County and Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District on […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
WRNF calls for campground concessionaire bids
Most of the 68 campgrounds dotting the vast 2.3 million acres of the White River National Forest (WRNF) are managed by one private company, Vista Recreation (VR). According to VR’s website, it is now the largest operator of outdoor recreation facilities in the nation with a “footprint in 16 states and over 700 locations.” VR […]
Posted inNews, Uncategorized
Forest Service prepares to redo Carbondale office
Sitting across from Carbondale’s post office is a familiar brown building with yellow trim. The Aspen-Sopris Ranger District office was built in 1939 to serve as a residence, rather than a visitor center with offices. Touring the building, it’s clear that the space is creatively utilized to make the most of its design, with uniforms […]