Hayman timber salvage begins
Giant machines have begun to cut, stack and haul away fire-blackened trees from the Pike National Forest in the first major timber-salvage sale after the devastating Hayman fire of 2002. Full Story
01.30.04 @ 01:31 PM MST [link]

Fly-fishing, an alternative to snowsliding
There is a proverb that explains, "If you give a man a fish, he has one meal. If you teach a man to fish, he has a pastime that will give him an exciting alternative to skiing and golf while in the Vail Valley."

Fly-fishing has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity in the last few years, and it's not just in the baby boomer mid-life-crisis demographic. Full Story
01.30.04 @ 10:30 AM MST [link]

Mag vs. sand: What's better?
Basalt isn't buying the Colorado Department of Transportation's slick new campaign touting the use of magnesium chloride.

In its first winter as owner of Two Rivers Road, Basalt has expanded its ban of mag chloride to the sensitive roadway. The council ruled in the late 1990s to stop using the liquid deicer on its streets.

The mag chloride vs. sand and gravel debate is perhaps as revelent to the Two Rivers Road as it is on Vail Pass. The Basalt road is perched over the Roaring Fork River for most of its three-mile distance. Any substance used to treat ice is certain to make its way down an embankment and into the river. Sand and gravel will get kicked off the shoulder just as easily as mag chloride will slop over the edge. Full Story
01.30.04 @ 09:01 AM MST [link]

Report: Insect Attacks On Colorado Forests Beneficial
DENVER -- The unprecedented insect outbreak ravaging Colorado forests may eventually result in thriving hillsides of aspen, improved stream flows and attractive habitat for the lynx and showshoe hare, a new report says.

A dozen species of native beetles, preying on aging, drought-stressed forests, are attacking trees from the pinon-juniper woodlands of southern Colorado to high-elevation spruce and firs, Colorado lawmakers were told on Wednesday in the state's annual forest report. Full Story
01.29.04 @ 11:18 AM MST [link]

State likely to need 60% more water by year 2030
Colorado will need at least the equivalent of 4? more Green Mountain Reservoirs of water by 2030, initial findings of the Statewide Water Supply Initiative show.

A series of 22 meetings with the public and water officials, surveys from nearly 170 water providers, urban water-use demand studies, projected growth numbers, demographic studies and weather data provided the information for the estimates, compiled by Colorado Water Conservation Board staff. The initial projections, presented to the Colorado Water Conservation Board on Wednesday, indicate the state will need 60 percent more water by 2030, about 708,000 acre-feet, enough water to supply a city of 2.5 million people, said Rick Brown, CWCB project manager. Full Story
01.29.04 @ 10:52 AM MST [link]

Snowpack forecasts a dry summer
Snowpack forecasts a dry summer for Aurora Restrictions likely as Aurora's Upper South Platte Basin numbers lag 57% below average

Without significant moisture in the next three months, Aurora residents will see a continued mandatory watering restriction program that limits outdoor water use as in 2002 and 2003.

The city or Aurora receives 95 percent of its water supply from snowmelt, and so far this winter, the snow hasn't arrived in the watersheds from which Aurora collects its water.

posted on Wed, 01.28.04 @ 11:17 AM MST [more..]

Hayman scars run deep
TRUMBULL - The U.S. Forest Service is taking the first steps toward a rebirth for parts of the area devastated 18 months ago in the Hayman fire by salvaging acres of burned timber.

But rebirth could come too late for some. Full story

01.28.04 @ 08:44 AM MST [link]

Smart Worm Wiggles Fast
Wily E-Mail Worm Spreading Fast
NEW YORK , Jan. 27, 2004

(CBS/AP) The continued spread Tuesday of a cleverly engineered computer virus exposes a key flaw in the global embrace of technology: Its users are human.

Posing as a legitimate computer error message, the worm successfully tricked e-mail recipients into spreading it to friends, co-workers and business associates.

Read the rest of the story at CBS.com

01.27.04 @ 09:46 PM MST [link]

Got gear?Buying a beacon is only the first step in backcountry preparedness
Gear for exploring the backcountry -- skis, bindings, avalanche beacons and probes - are flying off the shelves at some local and online retailers.

Of course there are differences in the types of gear people are purchasing for expeditions into uncharted territory: climbing skins and snowshoes, for example, are used to enter the backcountry; safety gear like beacons and shovels are about recognizing risks - and maybe saving lives. Retailers say sales of these types of gear go hand in hand. Full Story
01.26.04 @ 03:12 PM MST [link]