GRAND COUNTY ECO-NEWS BLOG

Important press release about local forests and trails…

Granby, Colo. (April 30, 2012) – Wind storms have brought thousands of trees to the ground across the Arapaho National Forest’s Sulphur Ranger District this winter and spring.

U.S. Forest Service trail crews spent last month clearing hundreds of trees from popular trails, including Flume, Strawberry Lake, Doe Creek and Monarch Lake. And in the past week alone, crews have cleared dozens of trees from roads in the Church Park and Stillwater areas.

Meanwhile, more trees are coming down on the trails every day. Some 30 trees were cut off of Flume only a few weeks ago and already another 30 trees have fallen across the trail.

“We just can’t keep up with it,” said Sulphur Ranger District recreation manager Miles Miller. “We appreciate the public’s patience while we work to open up roads and trails for the summer season.”

Both live and dead trees are falling without warning, and sometimes even without the wind blowing.

“The dead trees are rotting at the base,” Miller said. “And the live trees, with all their needles, are catching the wind like sails, blowing over and pulling the dead trees down with them.”

Forest visitors are advised to be extremely cautious when traveling on forest service roads and trails. Look for open areas when selecting a location to camp or park. Take a hand saw with you to remove fallen trees from roads and trails to avoid becoming trapped. Remember, safety is your responsibility.

Contract and forest service crews plan to cut thousands of hazardous trees along roads and trails this summer to address public safety. This will cause temporary closures of roads, trails, trailheads and dispersed campsites throughout the summer and fall, so be sure to call ahead to the visitor information hotline at 970-887-4100 to get the latest status.

For more information, sign up for email updates at SRDUpdates@fs.fed.us; check the website at www.fs.usda.gov/arp; follow the Arapaho National Forest on Twitter at www.twitter.com/usfsarp; or stop by the Sulphur Ranger Station at 9 Ten Mile Drive in Granby.

Katherine “Reid” Armstrong
Public Affairs Specialist
Sulphur Ranger District
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest
Pawnee National Grassland
Phone: 970-887-4145
Cell: 970-222-7607
Web: www.fs.usda.gov/arp
Follow on Twitter at:  www.twitter.com/usfsarp

There is a rally this Thursday, January 26th in downtown Denver to show support for keeping the upper Colorado River alive despite threats to its flows and future.

The Rally for the Colorado River kicks off at 12pm on the corner of 16th street and Wynkoop in front of the EPA Region 8 headquarters in downtown Denver.
Bring your friends. Pizza and signs will be provided to all, along with free t-shirts to the first 100 participants.

Continue reading →

Did you know that you can purchase your groceries and raise money for a sustainable Grand County at the same time? If you purchase Safeway gift cards from Infinite West, Safeway will donate a as much as 5% of your purchase to the organization. It’s that easy. Please contact Infinite West if you would like to help their cause while you shop. So far, they have raised over $1,500 to help fund programs in 2011. Learn more about what they are doing at www.infinitewest.org.

They have $300 and $500 cards available immediately, but can order other denominations for you as well. To reserve a card, simply email infinitewest@live.com.

Sound Community Models of Economic and Environmental Innovation Sought by BCLC and Siemens

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 04, /CSRwire/ – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) is calling for nominations for the 2012 Siemens Sustainable Community Awards. Now in its fifth year, the program recognizes local governments, chambers of commerce, and other local organizations for the tremendous steps they’ve taken to improve quality of life and enhance their ability to sustain a successful community for generations to come.

“Sustainability, simply put, is figuring out ways to make tomorrow better than today – economically, environmentally, and socially,” said Stephen Jordan, founder and executive director of the Chamber BCLC. “The Siemens Sustainable Community Awards are designed to recognize innovators in this field and raise awareness about new strategies for community and economic development, which, in these challenging times, are badly needed.”

The Siemens Sustainable Community Awards recognize communities in the categories of small, midsize, and large, based on population. Nominations will be accepted until January 13, 2012. Community-based coalitions, chambers of commerce, community developers, and other local agencies are encouraged to complete the application process. The winning community in each category will receive $20,000 worth of trees from Siemens Corporation.

To continue reading the press release, click here.

Join BWB and BEDA on September 14 at 6:00 p.m. at the Mountain Parks Electric Community Room in Granby for a workshop featuring Jack Taylor of the Small Business Development Center as he discusses the services that the SBDC provides to small businesses.

Jack will talk about small business funding, effective and inexpensive marketing ideas and much, much more!  Bring your questions along. Light fare and beverages will be provided.

Workshop Details
What: Free SBDC Workshop
When: September 14, 2011 6 p.m.
Where: Mountain Parks Electric Community Room, 321 West Agate Ave, Granby, CO 80446

Light fare will be served. Download the event flyer

Brews and Crews Spirit of the Lake Regatta set for Aug. 27
This fun event raises headwaters awareness in a fun way

GRAND LAKE, CO — The first-ever Grand Lake Brews and Crews Spirit of the Lake Regatta is set to take place Saturday, Aug. 27 in Grand Lake.

The event, billed as an effort to help save the headwaters of the Colorado River, features Grand Lake’s first rowing regatta, a canoe race, kayak race and stand-up paddleboard race. This will be a timed event over a specified course on Grand Lake in each category.

There’s even a fun race for the fun-seekers and more socially adventurous. It’s called the Chiller Caterpillar Water Crawl, with awards for best-dressed boat and the esteemed Martin and Lewis Award.

The Water Crawl is a fun race, which consists of six-person teams (maximum) of men and women, boys and girls or a combination of all in a single canoe. No paddles allowed. Contestants will use their hands. One canoe per team and life jackets for every member. Awards for ‘Best Dressed Team’ and ‘Best Dressed Boat’ so bring your costumes!

This event is a joint effort between Infinite West and the Colorado Environmental Coalition’s “Beer Not Water” campaign, a light-hearted way to raise awareness of water conservation issues in the sensitive habitat surrounding the Colorado River’s headwaters — that is, Grand Lake and most of Grand County.

Infinite West is a non-profit focused on promoting sustainable communities in the rural mountain west. For more information, visit infinitewest.org

Live music will be featured during the Grand Lake Brewfest to include Washboard Annie and the Acme Tribute band.

Registration takes place from noon to 7 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce office 14700 U.S. Highway 34, Grand Lake and the day of the event from 6-7 a.m. on the lake.  For more information, call 970-390-1292 or call the Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce at 970-627-3402.

It’s also possible to register on-line. Go to http://roninregistration.com/index.asp?p=default&pt=rowing

For more information on the event, go to spiritlakeregatta.com