Category: Environment

In studying what led to the March 2019 avalanche cycle, snow scientists are identifying some elements — such as warmer temperatures, wetter air and snow, and more-intense storms — that are not so unusual and are consistent with a warming climate.

The Rocky Mountain Wolf Project identified several potential reintroduction sites, including the Flat Tops Wilderness north of Glenwood Springs; Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests; Weminuche Wilderness in San Juan National Forest; and Carson National Forest.

“I would say that the most important thing that we could do is ultimately stop deforestation, not just because of the amount of carbon they store, but also because of all of the important services that we get from forests.”

The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, turned 50 years old on Jan. 1. NEPA has evolved over the years, but the biggest change may come in a new proposal from President Donald Trump.

After wildfires burn through vegetation and scorch soils, there’s an increased risk of erosion, flooding and debris flows. On Basalt Mountain, the unusual topography added a new layer to the hydrology.

“I’m coming to Aspen mostly because, frankly, it’s where lots and lots of people in the financial industry come to play, and the financial industry — the biggest banks and asset managers in the world — are increasingly the focus of efforts to try and slow down climate change.”

The Gunnison sage-grouse disappeared from Pitkin County in the 1960s; in the 1990s, it was extirpated in Eagle and Garfield counties.

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.

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.