In addition to drier soils, aspen forests across the world are under stress from human activities such as mining, logging and urban development — as well as from some of the very wildlife they help support.
Author Archives: Elizabeth Stewart-Severy
Elizabeth Stewart-Severy is a freelance journalist based in Snowmass Village. She grew up in Aspen and has worked as an editor at Aspen Journalism, reporter at Aspen Public Radio and an English and journalism teacher at Aspen High School.
Posted inEnvironment
Degrees of warming: Rising temperatures, shorter winters and a declining snowpack are impacting Aspen’s snow-dependent culture
Pitkin County is warming, the number of frost-free days is increasing and snowpack is declining, with notable impacts on the underpinning of modern Aspen’s economy: snow and skiing.
Posted inEnvironment
Changes ahead for commercial operations at North Star Nature Preserve
Open Space staff is now proposing firm deadlines; any business who misses the deadline wouldn’t be eligible for a permit.
Posted inEnvironment
Anxiety, grief about climate change lead to new support group in Aspen
As awareness of the potential effects of climate change grows, so does anxiety and grief about the seriousness of the crisis.
Posted inEnvironment
Plan for Penny Hot Springs bans dogs, calls for Leave No Trace ethics
The plan hinges on an agreement with CDOT. Pitkin County actually only owns about a tenth of an acre, and the rest of the property that people know as Penny Hot Springs sits in a CDOT right of way.
Posted inEnvironment
Moose settle in to Colorado and hunters take aim
There are now moose in just about every drainage in the upper Roaring Fork River valley, but wildlife officials can’t pin down specific numbers.
Posted inEnvironment
Holy Cross looks to build energy resilience post-Lake Christine Fire
The Lake Christine wildfire last summer not only destroyed three homes and torched thousands of acres of forest, it also came dangerously close to taking down poles holding the full loop of power lines in Basalt.
Posted inEnvironment
After clean electricity, Colorado to focus on green transportation, buildings
Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, said the three top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions are electricity generation, transportation and buildings. As electricity gets cleaner, he said the focus will shift to transportation and buildings.
Posted inEnvironment
Beavers work hard for river ecosystems
The rodents also create natural water storage — even in dry years — and restore wetlands.
Posted inEnvironment
As Elk Herds Decline, Researchers Point To Recreation
CPW biologist Julie Mao points to two likely culprits: climate change and a boom in recreation. She said there’s real urgency to preserve the habitat that gives elk the best chance for survival.