- Created: 24 July 2014 24 July 2014
A well-written news article on the pine beetles, the forest fires, and the effects on our economy.
The fire, which consumed 110,000 acres of beetle-killed spruce, stole a year’s worth of sales for many businesses in a 100-mile radius after tourists were unable to reach the region, says Eric Grossman, mayor of Creede, a town of about 400. The blaze reversed a tentative economic rebound for several tourist-dependent towns in the nation’s largest alpine valley, which sits at the base of 14,000-foot peaks. “The economy is delicate, and a lot of us exist on $20,000 a year,” Grossman says. “If we don’t turn the corner in the right way, it’s going to impact the town for generations to come.” Read more...