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The I-70 Scout & Eastern Colorado News

Category: Front Page

  • Parking lot and campsite improvements coming to the Jumbo (Julesburg) Reservoir State Wildlife Area

    Parking lot and campsite improvements coming to the Jumbo (Julesburg) Reservoir State Wildlife Area

    A draft of construction plans for the parking lot and campsite improvements that will begin next week, the last week of March.

    BRUSH, Colo. – Starting next week, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will be making parking and campsite improvements at the Jumbo (Julesburg) Reservoir State Wildlife Area (SWA) to enhance the visitor experience and alleviate safety concerns.

    The $145,000 project will take place at the east boat ramp. The improvement project will develop defined parking spaces for up to 71 boat trailers, 12 additional day-use personal vehicle parking spots and nine traditional campsites. 

    “Over the last three or four years, and especially with the spike in outdoor recreation that we’ve experienced during COVID, we were finding on our busy weekends that the day-use and boat trailer parking was spilling out onto the county road,” said Area Wildlife Manager Todd Schmidt. “We appreciate the opportunity to work with the county to alleviate a potential safety issue there. For our water-based recreationists – boaters and anglers – I think they will appreciate the improvements because more people will have the opportunity to park a trailer in a reasonable fashion.” 

    Jumbo Reservoir will open to boating on Friday, April 1. For the first half of April, the reservoir will be open to boating on weekends only, Friday through Sunday (being open April 1-3 and 8-10). The Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) inspection station hours of operation will be from one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset.

    The schedule would be that the reservoir will open to boating seven days a week starting on Friday, April 15. The ANS inspection station will operate with the same hours, one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset, daily, at that point.

    CPW has prioritized work with contractors to finish the boat and trailer parking area first to minimize impacts at the boat ramp. 

    “Typically, the first couple of weeks in April are slow, but towards the end of April we get a lot of boats on the reservoir,” Schmidt said.

    Jumbo Reservoir currently has four campgrounds – Boy Scout, Ditch Rider, East and West – all considered dispersed camping on a first-come, first-served basis.

    The installment of nine established campsites at the East campground will shift it from what previously had been a dispersed camping area into one with designated sites. Each of the nine sites will have a high-use pad that can fit up to two tents, a picnic table and fire ring. Each site would be able to accommodate one trailer or two vehicles.

    This East campground will remain on a first-come, first-served basis. No water or electricity will be available in the campground. 

    This campground will remain closed until construction is complete.


    Jumbo Reservoir SWA is located in Logan and Sedgwick Counties. From I-76 take Exit 155 and head three miles north to Highway 138. Take Highway 138 one mile northeast to County Road 95. Take County Road 95 two miles north to the reservoir.

    The state wildlife area offers hunting for rabbit, pheasant, waterfowl and doves, camping and wildlife viewing, but its main attraction is fishing.

    Anglers are treated to excellent fishing for walleye and crappie, as well as quality fishing for channel catfish, smallmouth bass and bluegill. Fishing pressure at Jumbo Reservoir is moderate to high. 

    For more fishing insight on Jumbo Reservoir, which includes stocking and fishery management information, please visit our recently published fish survey summary.

    A valid hunting or fishing license OR SWA pass is required for everyone 16 or older accessing this state wildlife area. The annual SWA pass costs $36.71 and is valid from April 1 through March 31 annually. Permits are available from any Division licensing agent, with CPW’s Brush office, Jackson Lake State Park or North Sterling State Park being the three closest licensing distributors to Jumbo Reservoir SWA.

  • CPW reaches goal of collecting 130 million walleye eggs in only 18 days, securing another great year of fishing opportunities in Colorado

    Clockwise, left to right: CPW Aquatic Biologist Tyler Swarr holds a large male walleye at Cherry Creek State Park. CPW Aquatic Biologist Carrie Tucker holds a large walleye at Lake Pueblo State Park. Volunteers prepare the nets each day at Lake Pueblo State Park. 

    ENVER – CPW’s aquatic biologists and volunteers spent 18 days from March 14 – 30 collecting more than 132 million eggs during the 2022 walleye spawn that will be used to create great fishing opportunities for Coloradans.  

    Each spring, CPW biologists and volunteers head out at dawn, usually in freezing temperatures, to Front Range reservoirs and spend weeks capturing thousands of walleye and spawning them. This year, the eggs were collected from reservoirs at Lake Pueblo State Park and Cherry Creek State Park.

    “Our team of aquatic biologists, other CPW staff, and volunteers were able to collect the eggs we needed in only 18 days,” said CPW Assistant Aquatic Section Manager Josh Nehring. “Anglers ought to be thrilled because it’s going to mean great fishing in the coming years in Colorado.”

    Teams strip the popular gamefish, one slippery walleye after another, of their milt and roe (sperm and eggs) as the fish wriggle furiously in the biologists’ cold, wet hands.

    See videos of the teams at work at Cherry Creek State Park and Lake Pueblo State Park. 

    The eggs are fertilized in a boathouse at Lake Pueblo and on a floating barge at Cherry Creek Reservoir. The fertilized eggs – often millions a day – are sent to CPW hatcheries at Pueblo and Wray where they are hatched and nurtured until the fry and fingerlings are ready to be stocked in waters across Colorado.

    Why does CPW go to all the effort?

    Because anglers love walleye for the valiant fight they put up on the end of a line and for the way they taste at the end of a fork.

    The walleye eggs also are valuable as CPW’s hatchery staff trade them to other states in exchange for desirable gamefish otherwise unavailable in Colorado.

    The annual effort has gone on since 1988 at Lake Pueblo. CPW aquatic biologists, other staff and volunteers spend hours each day alongside the biologists untangling dozens of nets – each longer than a football field – deployed each afternoon and left overnight in the lakes for the next morning’s catch.
     
    2022 walleye spawn facts
    18 days of spawning 7 days a week (March 14 – March 30).
    Collected 132,374,000 eggs in 2022 from 1,813 female walleye.

    • 89,430,000 Walleye
    • 40,381,000 Saugeye
    • 2,563,000 Triploid Walleye – sterile walleye created by a precise technique of pressurizing the just fertilized eggs to 10,000 psi
    • Spawned fish at Cherry Creek and Pueblo State Parks
    • Normally, Cherry Creek would start earlier but due to late season ice could not start until March 23. Pueblo started spawning on March 14.
    • Over two full weeks of spawning 7 days a week, rain or shine.
    • Between the two operations we have over 30 people assisting each day

    Included CPW staff from:

    • All Area aquatic biologists from Southeast and Northeast Region (13 individuals)
    • Some Area aquatic biologists from Southwest and Northwest Region
    • Hatchery staff – Pueblo, Wray, Rifle
    • Area staff from Area 1, 2,3,4,5,11,12,14
    • Park staff help from Cherry Creek, Lake Pueblo, Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, and Cheyenne Mountain State Parks
    • Budgeting staff
    • Terrestrial biologists
    • Volunteer Coordinator
    • Water Section (River Watch)
    • 10 – 15 volunteers each day
    • Set, pulled, picked, cleaned and organized, and reset 31, 6’ x 400’ gill nets every day (total of over 27 miles of nets set over the course of the spawn)

    Trades with other states for other warm water fish (catfish, wiper)

    • 4 million eggs to Oklahoma
    • 4.5 million eggs to Texas
    • 10 million eggs to Nebraska (Colorado gets 10 million late spawn eggs back)
    • 2.6 million eggs to North Dakota

    Photo captions below: left, CPW Assistant Aquatics Section Manager Josh Nehring holds a large walleye at Lake Pueblo State Park. right, CPW Aquatic Biologist Kyle Battige collects eggs from a walleye.

  • Anythink Foundation participates in annual Library Giving Day

    Anythink joins libraries nationwide to celebrate Library Giving Day on Wednesday, April 6, 2022. This year, the Anythink Foundation is raising money to fund pollinator gardens at multiple Anythink locations. Plans are underway for a garden at Anythink Wright Farms, which is designed to help further the learning and understanding of the importance of pollinators in the Adams County, Colo., region. Funds raised will help with enhancements to this project and will support future gardens at other Anythink locations. 
     
                               Anythink’s pollinator gardens will include flowers and plants that attract bees and butterflies, walkways, water features and learning prompts to help community members better understand the role pollinators play in environmental stewardship. Pollinators are critically important animals that help maintain our ecosystem and pollinate the plants that people and animals eat.  
     
                               Now through April 9, visitors to all Anythink locations can take home free lavender seed packets to start their own pollinator gardens. Seed packets are available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. More details about the pollinator gardens and a link to donate can be found at anythinklibraries.org/pollinatorgardens. 
     
                               Library Giving Day is a one-day fundraising event with the goal of encouraging people who depend on and enjoy public libraries to donate to their individual library system. Funds raised will go toward the incredible programs, services and materials provided by local libraries all over the country. Library Giving Day was created by the Seattle Public Library Foundation in partnership with their strategic library fundraising partner, Carl Bloom Associates.
                             
     
    WHEN:            April 5-9, 2022 
    WHERE:           All Anythink Locations 
  • “CPW on Tap” celebrates investing in Colorado’s outdoors and local libations

    “CPW on Tap” celebrates investing in Colorado’s outdoors and local libations

    DENVER – As the Colorado Brewers Guild’s Colorado Pint Day is celebrated on Apr. 6 at breweries across the state, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has a special project of its own on tap for 2022.

    Colorado Parks and Wildlife continues to celebrate its 125th anniversary and has partnered with 18 Colorado-owned beverage companies to produce products that highlight and celebrate Colorado and the outdoors. Companies include breweries, wineries, distilleries, kombucharies, cideries and coffee shops.

    Established in 1897, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has conserved Colorado’s lands, water and wildlife for 125 years. This year’s anniversary gives an opportunity to reflect on the past, present and future of Colorado’s outdoor heritage – and shine a spotlight on how our state government and local communities work together to sustain the Colorado way of life and keep our landscapes healthy and desirable destinations to experience.

    CPW on Tap partnerships and events honor Coloradans’ passions for living life outside and using Colorado’s natural resources to create unique byproducts for people to savor.

    “One of the reasons we wanted to do this project was to highlight how integral our outdoors are to local small businesses,” said CPW Integrated Parks and Wildlife System Administrator and Advanced Cicerone Devon Adams. “None of these companies can exist without our beautiful, clean water. CPW’s partnerships with Colorado landowners mirrors the partnerships these small businesses have with those same agricultural producers for grains, hops and fruit.”

    Each partner is focusing on a unique aspect of Colorado and their own relationship with parks and wildlife. Participating companies are generously donating money to Colorado Parks and Wildlife from proceeds from the sale of specialty produced products throughout the year. Money generated from CPW on Tap products and events will be used to fund state park improvement projects, wildlife conservation programs and to help expand outdoor educational opportunities.

    “At Upslope Brewing Company, we have a passion for living life outdoors and brewing the perfect beer to cap off any adventure,” said Katie Ferguson, social media and digital marketing director for Upslope. “Similarly to the mission of CPW, we want to keep our wild spaces viable and well maintained, and we believe that it is our responsibility to leave as little a footprint as possible. We work with numerous organizations to keep the environment healthy and Colorado’s beer hoppy, because we know there is no Planet B.”

    Partners were selected through an application process and evaluated based on Colorado ownership, Colorado ingredients, location, and, most importantly, an alignment with CPW values and mission. After rating applications, staff selected 18 companies from a pool of 84 applicants.

    “The vision and mission of CPW align with that of Square Peg Brewerks through shared conservation practices,” said Derek Heersink, co-owner of Square Peg Brewerks in Alamosa. “A tie with CPW brings our story full circle to help consumers understand how our wildlife resources fit into the broader picture of soil conservation and a healthy ecosystem, especially concerning water as a resource in the San Luis Valley.”

    All public CPW on Tap events will be posted on the CPW on Tap calendar and shared on CPW’s social media channels (@coparkswildlife) and email newsletters. The public is encouraged to share photos and videos on social media using #CPWonTAP.

    Along with release parties throughout the year, CPW will also host a CPW Libations Festival on Sept. 10 at Chatfield State Park to showcase the CPW on Tap partners and the unique beverages created to celebrate what makes Colorado so colorful.

    For more information, go to Colorado Outdoors Online to read featured stories of CPW’s long history and evolution of wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation.

    CPW on Tap Partners:
    3rd Bird Kombucha, Denver
    Axe and the Oak Distillery, Colorado Springs
    Broken Compass Brewing Company, Breckenridge
    Copper Club Brewing Co., Fruita
    Dry Dock Brewing, Aurora
    Elevation Beer Co., Poncha Springs
    Lost Friend Brewing Company, Colorado Springs
    Marble Distilling Co., Carbondale
    Boxing Brothers (Monte Cervino), Colorado Springs
    Odell Brewing Company, Fort Collins
    San Juan Brews, Montrose
    Sauvage Spectrum, Palisade
    Square Peg Brewerks, Alamosa
    Talnua Distillery, Arvada
    Telluride Brewing Co, Telluride
    Upslope Brewing Company, Boulder
    Waldschanke Ciders & Coffee, Denver
    Woods Boss Brewing Company, Denver

  • Fire Danger

    Fire danger is on the rise this week. The US National Weather Service Denver/Boulder Colorado is reminding residents that with fire danger on the rise this week for the lower foothills and plains, it’s a good time to remind folks to be vigilant and take extra precautions to avoid accidental ignitions.

  • Celebrate Library Giving Day

    Celebrate Library Giving Day

    People nationwide are donating locally to the libraries they enjoy and depend on in honor of Library Giving Day on Wednesday, April 6, 2022. Show your love for Anythink and donate to the Anythink Foundation!  

    Your support will help expand Anythink’s pollinator gardens. Plans are already underway for a pollinator garden at Anythink Wright Farms, and it will be designed to help further the learning and understanding of the importance of pollinators in our area. We are raising money to enhance this project and to build pollinator gardens at additional Anythink locations. 

    Anythink’s goal is to raise $2,500. We need your help to create beautiful, soothing spaces for our community to connect with nature and for pollinator animals to thrive. 

    Donate today

    What’s the buzz about Anythink’s pollinator gardens? 

    • They will provide food (pollen and nectar) for pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds 
    • They will include flowers, plants, walkways and water features 
    • They will share learning prompts to help us better understand the role pollinators play in environmental stewardship 

    Looking for more ways to give? Become an Anythink Foundation member. 

    Thank you for being part of our Anythink community and for supporting the pollinator gardens! 

    Donate today

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  • Air Quality Health Advisory for Blowing Dust

    Issued for the eastern Colorado plains and the San Luis Valley Issued at 8:00 AM MDT, Tuesday April 5th, 2022

    Issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

    Affected Area: Morgan, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Washington, Yuma, Elbert, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Cheyenne, Pueblo, Crowley, Kiowa, Otero, Bent, Prowers, Baca, Saguache, Rio Grande, Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla and eastern parts of Weld, Adams, Arapahoe, El Paso and Las Animas counties. Locations include, but are not limited to, Fort Morgan, Sterling, Julesburg, Holyoke, Akron, Wray, Kiowa, Limon, Hugo, Burlington, Cheyenne Wells, Pueblo, Ordway, Eads, La Junta, Las Animas, Lamar, Springfield, Deer Trail, Kim, Saguache, Del Norte, Alamosa, Conejos, and San Luis.

    Advisory in Effect: 10:00 AM MDT, Tuesday, April 5, 2022 to 8:00 PM MDT, Tuesday, April 5, 2022.

    Public Health Recommendations: If significant blowing dust is present and reducing visibility to less than 10 miles across a wide area, People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children in the affected area should reduce prolonged or heavy indoor and outdoor exertion.

    Outlook: Strong and gusty winds will produce areas of blowing dust across large sections of eastern and south-central Colorado on Tuesday. The highest threat for blowing dust will be across the plains of northeastern Colorado for areas to the north of Interstate 70, however blowing dust can also be expected at times for southeastern Colorado and the San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado. Areas of blowing dust will likely be most widespread across the entire advisory area during the afternoon hours before gradually tapering off Tuesday evening.

    For the latest Colorado statewide air quality conditions, forecasts, and advisories, visit: http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/colorado_summary.aspx

    Social Media:

    http://www.facebook.com/cdphe.apcd

  • Farming — in a parking lot? Top 10 cities for urban gardening

    It seems everyone has a green thumb, but where can city-dwelling gardeners find their patch of paradise?

    To mark April as Lawn and Garden Month, LawnStarter ranked 2022’s Best Cities for Urban Gardening. We looked for cities with easy access to gardening space and supplies, an ideal climate, and a local gardening community.

    What exactly is urban gardening? Think empty parking lot-turned-communal veggie plot, rooftop container garden, or vertical plant wall — and sharing your bounty. This global movement is as much about growing food as it is about cultivating community.

    See the 10 best (and 10 worst) cities for urban gardening below, followed by highlights and lowlights from our report.

    Highlights and Lowlights

    • Setting the Standard in St. Louis: The Gateway to the West is also the gateway to urban agriculture. Our 2022 Urban Gardening Capital not only leads the nation’s 196 biggest cities in access to gardening space, but it also provides ample social space for cross-pollinating ideas with other urban farmers.

      Urban Harvest STL sets a prime example. This nonprofit network of urban farms donates most of its harvest to underserved populations and educates the local community.

    • Georgia on My Mind: Urban gardening is just peachy in the Peach State, the only state with more than one city in our top 10, including Atlanta, Macon, and Augusta. Each provides top access to private and public gardening spaces and has well-established gardening communities.

      Some of those communities help maintain the nation’s largest free-food forest, which Atlanta built in 2021 to address its population’s food insecurity problem.

    • Rough Patches in Colorado: The Centennial State has sown a reputation as a sustainability leader, but the emphasis on urban gardening seems to be lacking in its biggest cities.

      Half of the Colorado cities in our ranking are among those in our bottom 10. But there’s one bright spot: Denver leads the Colorado pack at No. 73, thanks to one of the highest numbers of community gardens and gardening Meetup groups among all 196 cities.

    • Northern Gardening Exposure: Urban gardening clearly is tougher in colder regions. Our worst city is Anchorage, Alaska. Its one sunny quality: above-average access to gardening space, ranking No. 45 overall in this category.

      Other cold cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, also fared poorly. With more frigid days, these Northern cities have to work harder at urban gardening — making the most of those warmer days and investing in greenhouses and hoop houses.
       

    Our full ranking and analysis can be found here: https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-cities-urban-gardening/

  • Colorado Saw a 52% Drop in Travel Spending During COVID

    Colorado Saw a 52% Drop in Travel Spending During COVID

    For the first two years of the pandemic, the shifting landscape around COVID-19 affected travel more than almost any sector of the economy. Concerns about the spread of the virus and changes in travel restrictions and public health guidance led many would-be travelers to hold off on trips. As a result, industries like air travel and lodging saw much lower than usual demand throughout 2020 and 2021, and closely related businesses like restaurants and arts, entertainment, and recreation facilities also suffered. But according to recent data from the U.S. Travel Association, many indicators like hotel room demand and overall travel spending are at or near pre-pandemic levels.

    A recovery in travel spending would be welcome news given the dramatic drop brought on by COVID-19. The onset of the pandemic in 2020 sharply reversed an upward trend in travel spending over more than two decades. From 1997 to 2019, annual per capita travel spending—defined as the summation of air transportation and accommodations spending—increased from $504 to $856 in inflation-adjusted dollars. Over that span, spending only declined in the two years following the September 11 attacks, which produced a decline in air travel, and from 2008 to 2009 with the onset of the Great Recession. But from 2019 to 2020, the pandemic set off a historic drop of almost 55% in travel spending, to just $388 per capita.


    But the rapid drop in travel spending played out differently across the country based on varying geographic trends in spending on air travel and accommodations. For example, residents of the Midwest and parts of the South tended to be the lowest spenders on travel in both 2019 and 2020, which may be a product of lower incomes in these regions. Other states like Alaska and Hawaii—which are more costly to travel to and from due to geography—were among top spenders in both years but saw significant declines in dollars spent.


    By percentages, however, the greatest drops in travel spending were in the Mideast (-61.4%) and New England (-59.8%) regions. Some of these locations were hard-hit early in the pandemic, with severe early outbreaks in locations like the New York and Boston metros that may have discouraged travel. Many Northeastern states were also among the most stringent in terms of public health restrictions like testing or quarantine requirements for travelers entering or returning to the state. All of these factors reduced interest (and spending) on travel from states in these regions. In contrast, states in the interior of the U.S., including the Plains (-51.7%), Far West (-49.5%), and Rocky Mountain (-48.5%) regions saw lower declines in travel spending from 2019 to 2020.


    The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Personal Consumption Expenditures. To determine the states with the biggest drop in travel spending during COVID, researchers at Filterbuy calculated the percentage change in air transportation and accommodations spending from 2019 to 2020. In the event of a tie, the state with the greater total change in air transportation and accommodations spending from 2019 to 2020 was ranked higher.

    The analysis found that travel spending in Colorado declined by 51.9%—a decrease of $3.3 billion—during the pandemic. Here is a summary of the data for Colorado:

    • Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -51.9%
    • Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$3,282,100,000
    • Per capita travel spending (2020): $524
    • Per capita travel spending (2019): $1,099

    For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

    • Percentage change in travel spending (2019-2020): -53.9%
    • Total change in travel spending (2019-2020): -$149,797,900,000
    • Per capita travel spending (2020): $388
    • Per capita travel spending (2019): $846

    For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Filterbuy’s website: https://filterbuy.com/resources/covid-impact-on-tourism/

  • Jackson Lake State Park to open to boating on April 1

    Jackson Lake State Park to open to boating on April 1

    The four-lane boat ramp on the west shore of the reservoir

    ORCHARD, Colo. – Jackson Lake State Park, a popular fishing and water-sport destination in Morgan County, will open its reservoir to boating on Friday, April 1.

    The four-lane boat ramp is located on the west shore of the reservoir. The Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) inspections will take place at the park’s visitor center during weekdays. For weekends, those will be out at the regular ANS station. Hours of operation for all ANS inspections will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily in April and most of May.

    For weekends after Memorial Day through Labor Day, the ANS station will be in operation from 7 a.m. to sunset.

    All boats must comply with current Colorado boating rules and regulations, which are also available at the park’s entrance stations and visitor center.

    Things to know about boating at Jackson Lake: 

    • Boats are allowed in designated areas only. 

    • Weather changes can have boaters rushing to get off the lake, creating lines for the dock. If the weather looks like it’s going to turn, start early to dock your boat. 

    • The Shoreline Marina is located on the west side of the lake​.

    • Both an observer and an operator must be on any vessel that is towing a skier. Ski counter-clockwise, and please spread out across the reservoir to avoid dangerous congestion. 

    • Since Jackson Lake was built for irrigation purposes, please check conditions on the main page for up-to-date information regarding water levels, boating conditions, etc.​

    Jackson Reservoir is a 2,967 acre water body (at full capacity) and anglers can expect quality fishing for walleye, saugeye, wiper and channel catfish. Crappie and trout can also be caught, and yellow perch were also stocked into the reservoir last year. WATCH video of the yellow perch stocking.

    For more detailed information on fishing and the fishery management of Jackson Reservoir, please see our fish survey summary.

    You can learn more about Jackson Lake and its many offerings by visiting the park’s website.