Although humans are accustomed to thinking about land uses altered or pollution choking the atmosphere, more attention ought to be paid to sounds we produce, and the natural sound patterns we alter.
Category: Environment
Aspen Journalism’s “Connie Harvey Environment Desk” is named in honor of the longtime Aspen environmentalist.
CPW plan could mean more bear hunting and better trash management
Colorado Parks and Wildlife released its black bear management draft plan earlier this month, amid long-term growth in the number of conflicts between bears and humans. The plan proposes two options: maintaining the bear population’s status quo or actively decreasing the bear population.
In Coal Basin, a hidden source of climate pollution
A coalition is pushing land managers to deal with the methane leaks by authorizing a project to capture the methane and either use it somehow or destroy it. To do that, they’ll have to surmount a host of bureaucratic challenges.
More intense backside land use a sticking point for Pandora’s
SkiCo officials have taken the position that broader character and use concerns on the backside should not hinder the review of their ski area proposal. County planning staffers disagree.
Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness overnight overuse continues to increase
Total overnight visitors accessing the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness via the 10 most popular trailheads reached a new record in 2020, with 18,324 entering the backcountry to camp, according to data collected by the Forest Service.
Parking is a choke point in Marble’s motorized-use conundrum
There is no designated parking near the Lead King Loop trailhead for the trucks and trailers needed to haul the machines. Many in Marble feel this has put the squeeze on their town, population 140, which has limited resources and infrastructure to handle the influx.
Environmental analysis puts Marble wetlands donation within reach
This spring, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) completed its analysis of the site and determined that contaminant levels in the material are within the range considered to be non-threatening to human health for a day-use recreation site.
OHV authorization will continue near Marble, but clock is ticking
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.
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.
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.