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The I-70 Scout & Eastern Colorado News

Author: I-70 Scout

  • CPW recognizes outstanding partnership contributions with the 2022 Partners in the Outdoors Awards and Grants

    Colorado Parks and Wildlife presents the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative with its Statewide Partner of the Year Award.

    CPW’s annual Partners in the Outdoors awards recognize partner organizations that have made outstanding efforts in support of Colorado’s Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) and CPW’s Strategic Plan. Organizations are nominated by CPW staff for their significant efforts in conservation, stewardship, outdoor education and/or research, with award winners selected by CPW regional leadership.

    This year, CPW awarded $100,000 in grant funding through its Partners in the Outdoors Grants program. These grants are a unique element of the conference, with all organizations attending the annual conference eligible to apply. Besides the Statewide Partner of the Year and the Statewide Collaboration award, each of CPW’s four regions honors a partner organization for working to uphold those strategic goals.

    In the introduction to the awards ceremony, CPW Director Dan Prenzlow said, “The Partner of the Year Awards are presented to those who have displayed outstanding efforts in support of Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s mission. Each of the organizations honored plays an integral role in advancing and balancing outdoor recreation and conservation in Colorado.”

    Statewide Partner of the Year: Colorado Fourteeners Initiative

    Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) protects and preserves the natural integrity of Colorado’s 14,000–foot peaks —the “Fourteeners”— through active stewardship and public education.

    Established in 1994, CFI hires crews and passionate volunteers to maintain, reroute and repair the trails that take an estimated 415,000 hikers every year to special alpine places. The work conditions require long hikes, the ability to move heavy rocks and 5 a.m. start times to conduct much-needed trail maintenance.

    CFI’s work contributes to the goals of SCORP by supporting public land access, building a stewardship ethic and addressing recreation impacts. To provide a more robust understanding of changing conditions on 14er trails, CFI began the Sustainable Trails Program in 2010. This effort was conducted foot-by-foot, with GPS-based inventories of all constructed trail features and resource concerns. Over two phases and five years of data collection, CFI assessed the condition of all 56 principle 14er routes. The updated 2019 “14er Report Card” outlines $12.8 million in needed new summit trail construction projects and a further $5.6 million in major improvements to existing trails. CFI uses this data to both educate and prioritize future work plans. CFI has become the nation’s leading high altitude trail building, terrain restoration and visitor education organization through its ongoing work protecting this special network of trails, and its work has garnered honors and awards from Congress, the U.S. Forest Service and the Coalition for Recreational Trails.

    Statewide Collaboration Award: Colorado Department of Education; Colorado Alliance for Environmental Educators 

    The Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) is a professional organization for environmental educators in Colorado. CAEE was established as a nonprofit in 1989 to serve the shared interests of public agencies, businesses, teachers, community organizations and individuals providing environmental education materials and programs. Since then, CAEE has grown to more than 850 members across Colorado. Members cover virtually every subject discipline from anthropology to zoology, and have learners across the lifespan, from early childhood educators, elementary and high school teachers, camp counselors and university professors.

    Fostering a love of the outdoors and an interest in being active stewards of our natural resources starts by building lifelong habits from an early age. CAEE, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and CPW have been collaborating on a number of projects to support K-12 students by building a solid understanding of Colorado’s precious natural resources. The Colorado Environmental Education Plan was adopted by the Colorado State Board of Education in 2012 and is currently in the final stages of updating by CAEE, CDE and CPW. The plan includes goals to support educators in strengthening collaborations with key stakeholders, access to professional development, access to outdoor experiences for all students and support in creating pathways for career exploration opportunities. These goals directly align with CPW’s goals to maintain dedicated personnel and volunteers, increase awareness and trust for CPW and connect people to the outdoors.

    Northwest Region Partner of the Year: Headwaters Trails Alliance

    Headwaters Trails Alliance (HTA) is a nonprofit advocacy organization for trails in scenic Grand County, Colorado. Surrounded by mountain peaks and passes, Grand County streams are the headwaters of the Colorado River. HTA works hard to provide high-quality trails linking towns and recreational areas within Grand County, with secondary trail systems connecting historical, cultural and recreational sites within the local communities.

    During the 2021 field season, HTA reported 1,351 hours spent on trails with a total of 6,158 volunteer hours. This includes 530 miles of trail maintenance, 9,718 hazardous trees removed, 2,320 drains cleared or constructed in wetlands, 27,720-feet of new trail construction, and 18,480-feet of trail reroutes to promote sustainability and social trail decommissioning.

    HTA works closely with outdoor government agencies, local land management agencies, local municipalities, land developers and CPW to promote sustainable trail systems for public use. CPW has partnered with HTA on a variety of projects to promote developing trails with wildlife in mind, advocate for sustainable trail systems and sponsor educational events around the community.

    Southeast Region Partner of the Year: Get Outdoors Leadville!

    Get Outdoors Leadville! (GOL!) supports a mission to deepen the community’s connection to the natural world by expanding equitable access to culturally informed and enriching outdoor experiences.

    GOL! is dedicated to helping the Leadville community to find connections in nature, and they work to facilitate access and remove barriers so that all can enjoy the outdoors. They partner not only with CPW but with other local organizations to support outdoor community and school programming. GOL! works with many local and trusted community-based organizations to help expand their reach. One such organization is Full Circle of Lake County whose mission focuses on youth development, community empowerment and family services. Full Circle also works with immigrant families in Leadville and helps GOL! bridge the gap between Spanish-speaking members of the community. Other unique programs they launched include a Latinx Family Campout program. GOL! also expands its reach beyond Lake County with its Taking Kids Outdoors training for teachers and administrations across the state. The training focuses on teaching how to take students and their learning outside in a safe and inclusive way.

    Northeast Region Partner of the Year: Jeffco Open Space

    Jeffco Open Space (JCOS) was founded as a land conservation organization in 1972 by PLAN Jeffco and The League of Women Voters of Jefferson County. Funded with a one-half of one percent sales tax, JCOS contributes to city and park district projects and preserves more than 56,000 acres, manages 27 open space parks and more than 261 miles of trails in Jefferson County, Colorado.

    The willingness of JCOS to assist CPW with wildlife management, wildlife education and hunter outreach efforts is exemplary. From raptor monitoring to coordinating access for CPW hunter outreach programs, and providing support when contentious wildlife conflicts arise, JCOS staff go above and beyond to provide detailed documentation of wildlife sightings, wildlife population monitoring and wildlife conflicts on JCOS properties. This communication with CPW on all wildlife matters helps ensure that a collaborative approach is taken when solving wildlife management challenges in the county.

    JCOS’s partnership and support of CPW outreach hunting programs, disease monitoring, and an elk radio collar study are helping pave the way for better management of healthy elk and deer populations. JCOS works to keep wildlife in mind, and their actions to conserve wildlife and habitat to ensure healthy, sustainable populations and ecosystems are right in line with the CPW Strategic Plan.

    Southwest Region Partner of the Year: Friends of Youth and Nature

    Friends of Youth and Nature (FOYAN) promotes, supports and facilitates opportunities for youth and family to go outside. Their goal is to get kids outside in nature to explore, learn and have fun.

    The FOYAN is a leader in outdoor experiences for youth in the Colorado counties of Montrose, Delta and Ouray. FOYAN staff is dedicated to bringing kids to the outdoors in collaboration with their community partners, and work through their partnerships to better understand what the needs of the youth are so they can customize and accommodate a positive outdoor experience. Each outing they create provides opportunities for youth to build knowledge, awareness and personal success in a natural setting through experiential learning. Through grant funding, FOYAN has removed obstacles, particularly for underserved youth. Their approach is to comprehensively plan and provide activities, including equipment, transportation and food as needed to foster a happy outdoor adventure.

    CPW’s SCORP and Strategic Plan aligns with FOYAN’s mission to connect people to the outdoors. An example is a recent grant designed specifically for families associated with CASA and the Families Plus Organization out of Delta county to have access to outdoor equipment so underserved local communities have the ability to spend quality time outside and enjoy Colorado’s great outdoors.

    About the Partners in the Outdoors Conference
    CPW hosts its annual Partners in the Outdoors Conference to provide a platform for those involved in the outdoor industry to network, collaborate and stay abreast of current issues and initiatives. This year’s conference was held in Vail from April 18 – 20, 2022, with over 600 participants from more than 250 organizations attending.

    Goals of the conference include: providing professional development on current issues affecting the industry, providing funds for our Partners in the Outdoors Grant program, and recognizing the work our partners across the state do to advance outdoor recreation and conservation through our Partners in the Outdoors Awards program.

    More information about the Partners in the Outdoors Conference is available on CPW’s website.

  • Just a little windy today…

    Taken on Bradbury-Krebs Road between Byers and Strasburg.

  • Stage 2 Open Burning Ban

    Due to the extremely dry conditions in unincorporated Arapahoe County, Centennial, Foxfield, and Deer Trail, Arapahoe County is in stage 2 open burn ban.

    In stage 2 open burn ban:

    No fireworks or any other outdoor fires including, but not limited to, campfires, fires in constructed, permanent fire pits; fire grates within developed camp and picnic grounds and recreation sites; charcoal fueled fires, warming fires, fires in outdoor wood-burning stoves (chimney sparks or embers); the prescribed burning of fence lines, fence rows, fields, farmlands, rangelands, wildlands, trash, and debris.

  • Colorado State Patrol Seeks Information For Vehicle Pedestrian Fatal

    (Superior, COLO)

    Colorado State patrol investigators are asking for the public’s assistance with a vehicle/pedestrian crash that happened on Tuesday night at approximately 9:11p.m. on Highway 36 just West of the McCaslin Boulevard overpass.

    A pedestrian was running across the highway and was struck.  Investigators believe the pedestrian was hit by multiple vehicles before one stopped at the scene.  Investigators are asking anyone that was in the area at that time and think they might have struck or run over anything not realizing it was a pedestrian to please call with any information they may have on the incident.

    Please call 303-239-4583 and refer case #1D221241

  • Colorado launches new Crisis Guidelines informed by school tragedies

    Panel of school safety experts will discuss Crisis Guidelines in virtual news conference

    (April 20, 2022) – After convening experts from across the state who have dealt with unimaginable crises in educational settings, the Colorado School Safety Resource Center (CSSRC) recently released new Crisis Guidelines to help K-12 schools and institutions of higher education prepare for and respond to large-scale emergencies.

    The new Crisis Guidelines incorporate recommendations based on lessons learned from school tragedies in Colorado and across the country in an effort to prepare others for the possibility of one of these events. The guidelines also incorporate the input of K-12 and higher education school security experts, mental health providers, and crisis responders.

    On April 21, the Colorado Department of Public Safety will host a panel of representatives to discuss the Crisis Guidelines, lessons learned, and key takeaways for school safety.

    WHAT: Colorado School Crisis Guidelines News Conference

    WHEN: 9:30 am, Thursday, April 21, 2022

    WHERE: Virtual, join via: meet.google.com/nxa-kjvj-xvx

    WHO: School safety experts including:

    • Chris Harms, Director, Colorado School Safety Resource Center
    • John McDonald, Executive Director, Department of School Safety, Jeffco Public Schools
    • Greg Busch, Emergency Manager, Colorado Community College System 
    • Nate Thompson, Director of Social, Emotional, & Behavior Services, Littleton Public Schools
    • Kati Garner, Regional Training Consultant, Colorado School Safety Resource Center

    “No two crises are the same and therefore it is impossible to anticipate all situations. However, knowing what worked previously and what educators had wished were in place before an emergency, can help others before tragedy strikes,” said CSSRC Director Chris Harms.

    For more information about the guidelines or school safety, visit cssrc.colorado.gov.

  • Communication is Key in Lending

    Photo by micheile dot com on Unsplash

    Farm Service Agency (FSA) is committed to providing our farm loan borrowers the tools necessary to be successful. FSA staff will provide guidance and counsel from the loan application process through the borrower’s graduation to commercial credit. While it is FSA’s commitment to advise borrowers as they identify goals and evaluate progress, it is crucial for borrowers to communicate with their farm loan staff when changes occur. It is the borrower’s responsibility to alert FSA to any of the following:

    • Any proposed or significant changes in the farming operation
    • Any significant changes to family income or expenses
    • The development of problem situations
    • Any losses or proposed significant changes in security

    If a farm loan borrower can’t make payments to suppliers, other creditors, or FSA on time, contact your farm loan staff immediately to discuss loan servicing options.

  • Keeping Livestock Inventory Records

    Photo by Amber Kipp on Unsplash

    Livestock inventory records are necessary in the event of a natural disaster, so remember to keep them updated

    When disasters strike, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) can help you if you’ve suffered excessive livestock death losses and grazing or feed losses due to eligible natural disasters.

    To participate in livestock disaster assistance programs, you’ll be required to provide verifiable documentation of death losses resulting from an eligible adverse weather event and must submit a notice of loss to your local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent. For grazing or feed losses, you must submit a notice of loss to your local FSA office within 30 calendar days of when the loss is apparent and should maintain documentation and receipts.

    You should record all pertinent information regarding livestock inventory records including:

    • Documentation of the number, kind, type, and weight range of livestock
    • Beginning inventory supported by birth recordings or purchase receipts.

    For more information on documentation requirements, contact your local County USDA Service Center or visit fsa.usda.gov.

  • Biosecurity Basis: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)

    Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected across the country in wild, commercial, and backyard flocks of birds. In order to prevent the continued spread of HPAI in Colorado, biosecurity policy must be followed. NRCS has the responsibility to ensure that we do not carry disease with us as we go from farm to farm. The NRCS biosecurity policy is applicable when the producer, CO State Veterinarian or USDA-APHIS have not established a more stringent policy.

    NRCS Biosecurity Policy: Planning a Farm Visit

    • Make an appointment.
    • Discuss biosecurity protocol with the producer beforehand.
    • Postpone your visit if there is an active outbreak at the farm.
    • Follow Animal Production Areas Biosecurity Protocol when there is a perceived threat

    Biosecurity Before Coming to Work

    Those who farm or have backyard poultry operations outside of NRCS work time should take extra precautions. Make sure to avoid bringing harmful agents to a client’s operation or taking agents from a client’s operation to your own. Ensure your clothing is clean when you come to work, and before you begin work on your own farm. Consider having separate clothes and boots for NRCS and home farm work. This also applies if you visit a farm on your own time; visit a fair, livestock show or sale barn; hunt, hike, or otherwise are potentially exposed to harmful agents.

  • Weather Buffs Invited to Report Moisture

    Weather Buffs Invited to Report Moisture

    Do you keep a rain gauge and check it regularly?

    Does it seem that the Drought Monitor doesn’t ‘see’ the droughts you experience?

    If so, you may be interested in participating in the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network or CoCoRaHS.

    Who Uses CoCoRaHS Data?

    CoCoRaHS is not just a fun activity.  The reports are used by many agencies and weather scientists.  The National Weather Service (NWS) looks at reports to track storms and their variability. Reports also help inform the U.S. Drought Monitor creators.  Weather modelers compare reports to radar information to improve predictions.  In addition to their weather spotters the NWS warning system relies on CoCoRaHS ‘significant weather reports’.  Many others use the data including emergency managers, insurance adjusters, USDA, and engineers.

    Additionally, various drought and range condition models and monitors are looking at using CoCoRaHS data.  Currently, most of these models use National Weather Service COOP stations and/or state sponsored automated weather stations.   But these stations are widely scattered across the west.  This leaves large gaps to fill in with statistics – and opportunities for error.

    Those gaps would shrink enormously if every person that has rain gauge(s) reported their results.  Knowing what rain or snow did, or didn’t, fall would vastly improve drought monitoring, forage & crop production predictions, and disaster assistance planning.

    Can I Use My Rain Gauge?

    CoCoRaHS does require that you use a 4” diameter high-capacity manual precipitation gauge.  Most automated rain gauges report less rainfall than the reference NWS Standard manual rain gauge.  These differences can be 10% or more – especially for storms with high intensity rainfall.  Gauges with small openings are also notoriously inaccurate.  The 4” gauges are within 1-5% of the NWS gauges.

    The gauge is easy to purchase from weatheryourway.com (or other sources) for about $40.  One nice feature is that the funnel reduces evaporation significantly.  So, you don’t have to beat the sun to your gauge every morning. If your gauge is in a remote location, you can simply submit multi-day reports.  You do not have to read it every day.  If it will be several days between checks, you can add a small amount of vegetable oil to your gauge to reduce evaporation even more.  Just remember to subtract the oil from your report!

    Because the gauge holds 11 inches of water, most Eastern Colorado downpours are not a problem.

    How Do I Join CoCoRaHS?

    Curious?  Check out their website www.cocorahs.org.  On the front page you will see the maps the volunteers make possible.  If you want to volunteer, the sign-up link is on the left-hand side.  Once you have a gauge, simply log in and report your moisture.  Zeros often are more important than rain, so don’t skip the days when your gauge is empty!

    Each volunteer is valuable in helping to fill in a piece of the weather puzzle.  These pieces are crucial for researchers, drought and flood monitors, and many others to make accurate assessments of conditions in your area.

    For more information contact your NRCS office.

  • Aerial Survey: Spruce Beetle Remains Most Deadly Forest Pest

    Aerial Survey: Spruce Beetle Remains Most Deadly Forest Pest

    LAKEWOOD, Colo., April 14, 2022 – During their annual hearing before the Colorado General Assembly, State Forester Matthew McCombs and Regional Forester Frank Beum announced a report detailing the results of the 2021 aerial detection survey led by the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, and Colorado State Forest Service. Every year, the agencies aerially monitor forest health conditions on millions of acres across Colorado and work together to address continued outbreaks of insects and disease, including the spruce beetle, which remains the deadliest forest pest in Colorado for the 10th consecutive year.

    “This report offers a snapshot of the dynamic landscape changes that continually affect our forest lands in Colorado,” said Frank Beum, regional forester for the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. “By monitoring the native tree pest populations on an annual basis, land managers can better maintain healthy, resilient forests while providing timber, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities on public and private forest lands.”  

    Beetle-Killed Trees on the Rio Grande National Forest – Photo courtesy of Dan West, CSFS.

    Impacts from Bark Beetles

    In 2021, spruce beetle affected roughly 53,400 acres of high-elevation Engelmann spruce forests in Colorado. While overall activity of this native beetle is declining statewide, it continues to expand its impact to previously unaffected areas. Forests within Chaffee and Park counties and in and around Rocky Mountain National Park experienced new infestations in 2021, indicating spruce beetle has not fully depleted trees susceptible to attack and the spruce beetle outbreak in those locations is still on the move. 

    Spruce beetle is causing more tree mortality than any other bark beetle in Colorado. The total acreage impacted by spruce beetle in the state since 2000 has reached 1.89 million acres of spruce-fir forests. 

    Another native bark beetle, the Douglas-fir beetle continues to cause significant tree mortality in the state’s central and southern mixed-conifer forests, affecting about 8,000 acres of forests statewide last year. Douglas, Gunnison, Jefferson, Eagle, Pitkin and Custer counties have severely affected Douglas-fir stands and this beetle has depleted many of the largest trees in these areas over the past decade.

    Roundheaded Pine Beetles in Pitch Tubes – Photo courtesy of Dan West, CSFS.

    Spurred by Drought Conditions 

    Weather continues to play an important role in creating conditions that are spurring the activity of spruce and Douglas-fir beetles, as well as other bark beetles, in Colorado. As temperatures and precipitation levels change, so do the defenses within trees. Ongoing drought conditions continue to stress trees across Colorado, leaving them more susceptible to attack by bark beetles. Last year was also warm with above-average temperatures from June through December, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    Spurred by these dry, warm conditions, piñon Ips beetle affected about 17,600 acres of piñon-juniper forests across Colorado in 2021, with significant mortality of piñon trees occurring in Delta, Montrose and Mesa counties. Other counties in the state are experiencing pockets of mortality that have increased in recent years.

    Roundheaded pine beetle and associated native bark beetles are also thriving during prolonged dry conditions in southwest Colorado. They continue to expand in forests with ponderosa pine in La Plata, Montezuma and Dolores counties, and new infestations were identified in San Miguel County last year during the aerial survey.

    Western Spruce Budworm Caterpillars – Photo courtesy of Sam Pankratz, CSFS.

    Most Widespread Forest Pest

    The aerial survey also revealed that western spruce budworm continues to affect more acres of forest than any other pest and is Colorado’s most widespread forest defoliator. The budworm affected about 91,500 acres of forests statewide last year, with the most intense infestations in south-central Colorado. Saguache, Gunnison, Chaffee, Park, Teller and Fremont counties were among the most affected by the budworm in 2021. Over several years, defoliation from western spruce budworm may weaken a tree to the point where the Douglas-fir beetle and other bark beetles can easily overcome the tree and kill it.  

    “Years of persistent drought, an indicator of a warming climate, remains a key driver for outbreaks of bark beetles in our forests,” said Matt McCombs, State Forester and Director of the Colorado State Forest Service. “Our partnership with the USDA Forest Service on the annual aerial survey offers another great example of shared stewardship in action, noting bugs don’t know boundaries. With information from the survey, we can track the health of our forests, which helps focus our efforts where they are needed most.”

    The aerial detection survey exemplifies the continued support of the USDA Forest Service and Colorado State Forest Service for shared stewardship and the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019, which establishes a framework for federal and state agencies to work collaboratively to accomplish mutual goals and respond to ecological, natural resource and recreational challenges and concerns for the 24 million acres of forest lands in Colorado. The USDA Forest Service and Colorado State Forest Service will continue to work together to create and maintain healthy, resilient forests in Colorado capable of delivering clean air and water, carbon sequestration, habitat for native fish and wildlife, forest products and outdoor recreation opportunities.

    For more results from the 2021 aerial survey, including a map of insect and disease activity in Colorado, please visit csfs.colostate.edu/forest-management/common-forest-insects-diseases/. 

    To view 2021 Forest Insect and Disease Conditions in the Rocky Mountain Region, visit https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/f94c49f939104e31bb9a6b63f619060d.

    For more information on the insects and diseases of Colorado’s forests, and support for landowners seeking to achieve healthier forests, contact your local CSFS field office or visit csfs.colostate.edu.