At a town hall-style meeting in late 1971, the White River National Forest (USFS) presented its vision to designate the Chair Mountain-McClure Pass area as “primitive.” The area was basically untouched save for a horse and foot trail starting at the top of the 8,755-foot pass and an annual sheep grazing permit. There was, however, […]
USFS
Posted inNews
Coal Basin methane capture project awaits USFS approval
Though the coal mines in Redstone have sat unused for several decades, their impact on carbon emissions is far from over. Methane continues to steadily leak from the mines, and for the past four years, Aspen-based nonprofit Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) and Delta Brick & Climate Company have been preparing the solution. The […]
Posted inEnvironment
McClure Pass Trail from Redstone meanders toward completion in 2027
A new trail from the village of Redstone to the top of McClure Pass has been controversial in recent years. The seven-mile trail is a planned segment of an aspirational Carbondale to Crested Butte trail, offering an over 80-mile alternative to popular existing hikes between the Roaring Fork Valley and towns south of the Elk […]
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Fired Forest Service worker says cuts could impact everything from recreation management to wildfire response
Jamie Werner got the call from White River National Forest (WRNF) Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams on Sunday of President’s Day Weekend in February that she was among the recent new Forest Service employees being fired “for performance-based reasons” under the Trump Administration’s federal government downsizing. It wasn’t a huge surprise. Of the 15 WRNF workers who […]
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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 […]
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Scuttlebutt & Calendar
Tree pruningColorado Edible Forest, UpRoot Colorado, CSU Extension and Pitkin County Open Space and Trails are once again offering free fruit tree pruning workshops from New Castle to Basalt, Feb. 24 to March 30. The first four workshops are designed around the basics, while the fifth workshop emphasizes hands-on practice in Emma. To sign up, […]
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Vigil sets somber scene at USFS office in Carbondale
A vigil for the trees in front of the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District office in Carbondale on First Friday set a somber tone. Close to 20 people formed a circle in the front yard to honor the iconic evergreen trees that may be lost when the 1930s-era buildings are demolished.Carbondale resident Richard Vottero, a vigil organizer, […]
Posted inEnvironment
USFS seeks input for Thompson Divide withdrawal proposal
On Dec. 8, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a draft environmental assessment for the Thompson Divide Withdrawal. If approved, this would withdraw nearly 225,000 acres of public land from future mining and oil and gas development for a period of 20 years.The draft assessment is […]
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Scuttlebutt & Calendar – Oct. 12, 2023
Welcoming Brian Lorch Colorado Wild Public Lands, an organization dedicated to monitoring land exchanges and advocating on behalf of the public, hired Brian Lorch as its first full-time executive director. Lorch worked for nearly two decades leading Summit County’s open space and trails program. During that time, he worked closely with the Forest Service and […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion, Uncategorized
The last time I saw Rob Lowe
When I was a kid, my sisters and I would ride our bikes endlessly around Sopris Village in El Jebel. Our dad lived there, and it was like sci-fi Nancy Drew because it was this suburban “village” surrounded by miles and miles of empty fields: no City Market shopping center, no Movieland, nothing to do […]