While the commissioners did not enact a de facto moratorium on OHV, ATV and UTV traffic on the county road leading to the Lead King Loop, the discovery of a language error in a county resolution served to elevate the issue.
Category: Environment
Aspen Journalism’s “Connie Harvey Environment Desk” is named in honor of the longtime Aspen environmentalist.
Posted inEnvironment
Gunnison County appears unlikely to ban off-highway vehicles on road to Lead King Loop this summer
Gunnison County commissioners expressed concern that an immediate, partial ban would be counterproductive but called for partner agencies to ‘lean in’ to long-term solutions.
Posted inEnvironment
New dust-on-snow monitoring technology coming to Steamboat lab, expanding a growing snowpack data network
The Storm Peak Lab station will be the latest added to a growing network of dust-on-snow monitoring towers across Colorado and Utah. Such stations offer key insights to researchers studying how dust impacts the timing and intensity of snowpack melt.
Posted inEnvironment
Enforcement, education campaign to debut on Lead King Loop this summer near Marble
An academic study found broad-based concern among residents about “degraded quality of life” related to the increasing number of visitors.
Posted inEnvironment
Soil-moisture monitoring station high in Castle Creek Valley completes local water-research network
Gathering data at all elevations throughout the Roaring Fork Valley provides scientists with a localized, clearer picture of how climate change is impacting the hydrologic cycle at the Colorado basin’s headwaters.
Posted inEnvironment
Pitkin County trail use spiked 44%, reaching record levels in 2020
“This use, combined with new patterns of social distancing, has translated into visible impacts and degradation on the land,” according to OST director Tennenbaum.
Posted inEnvironment
Cellphone towers in Glenwood Canyon a tall task
“Overburdening the canyon with unsightly towers and related wireless network infrastructure is in conflict with the environmental ideals that underpin the overall management and stewardship of the corridor,” says an FCC complaint letter.
Posted inEnvironment
Air quality study near Aspen airport finds no adverse effects
More monitoring may be recommended; “We definitely need to dig deeper,” said one Pitkin County official
Posted inEnvironment
Microgrid feasibility study underway to connect Aspen airport, RFTA, public works
Greater efficiency, renewable energy storage are implementation goals.
Posted inEnvironment
Thompson Divide conservation agreement is a step forward for Pitkin County, AVLT
Public access to be determined in the context of biodiversity using ’best available science’ as the guide.