Free-use firewood available on the Divide Ranger District
- Created: 22 April 2015 22 April 2015
RIO GRANDE NATIONAL FOREST
1803 W. Highway 160, MONTE VISTA, CO 81144
Contact: Mike Blakeman, 719-852-6212
CREEDE, Colo. – The Rio Grande National Forest’s Divide Ranger District will be offering free-use firewood permits to anyone interested in gathering firewood from log decks within Thirty Mile Campground this spring. Thirty Mile Campground is located along Forest Service Road 520, near Rio Grande Reservoir. Permits will be available starting Monday, April 20 at the Divide Ranger District office located in Del Norte. Permits will also be available at the Creede Chamber of Commerce on Wednesdays.
The Rio Grande Watershed Emergency Action Coordination Team (RWEACT) partnered with the Rio Grande National Forest to fund hazard tree removal in Thirty Mile Campground during the winter. Trees harvested were de-limbed and stacked in small decks throughout the campground.
SOUTH FORK, Colo. – The Rio Grande National Forest’s Divide Ranger District will be offering free-use firewood permits to anyone interested in gathering firewood from log decks within Tucker Ponds Campground this spring. Tucker Ponds Campground is located along Forest Service Road 390 (Pass Creek Road), near Wolf Creek Pass. The campground will be opened for firewood beginning Friday, May 1. Permits are available in advance at the Divide Ranger District office located in Del Norte. Permits will also be available at the Creede Chamber of Commerce on Wednesdays.
The Rio Grande Watershed Emergency Action Coordination Team (RWEACT) partnered with the Rio Grande National Forest to fund hazard tree removal in Tucker Ponds Campground during the winter. Trees harvested were de-limbed and stacked in small decks throughout the campground.
For more information, contact the Divide Ranger District at 719-657-3321.
Weather Spotter Training
- Created: 20 April 2015 20 April 2015
CREEDE, COLO., (April 20, 2015) — Weather spotter training is upcoming since post-fire forest conditions and areas downstream from a burn area can be prone to flash flooding and debris flows. Tom Magnuson from the National Weather Service will provide weather spotter training in the afternoon of May 4th in Creede at 5 p.m. and May 5th at 6 p.m. in Alamosa. Volunteers are asked to pre-register for the training here: http://www.weather.gov/pub/spotterTalks
The three counties of Mineral, Hinsdale, and Rio Grande – along with the Office of Emergency Management and RWEACT – are working to improve communications in the Upper Rio Grande through improved communication infrastructure, increased monitoring of conditions for early warning, a system for notification, and a volunteer cadre of “eyes on the ground.”
For more information on the training, please call Dave Osborn at 719-587-5213.
RWEACT (Rio Grande Watershed Emergency Action Coordination Team) -- together with the Rio Grande National Forest -- brings together local, state and federal partners as a collective to address fire-caused natural hazards and impacts on human life, property, community economies, and the health of the Rio Grande Watershed following the West Fork and Papoose Fires. More information can be found at www.rweact.org
Post-Disaster Marketing Plan Completed
- Created: 16 April 2015 16 April 2015
MONTE VISTA, COLO., (April 15, 2015) — The West Fork Complex fires affected our communities. As the forest land continues to recover, so do our local businesses and economies. The Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) provided a grant to Rio Grande County to oversee a regional marketing planning process and implementation strategy for this recovery.
RWEACT partnered with B4 Studio, LLC, to work with the counties of Archuleta, Hinsdale, Mineral, and Rio Grande to develop a comprehensive plan to guide the local marketing programs over the next three years. This strategy seeks to increase the collaboration between communities, boost regional branding, and support economic development efforts. The 114-page document provides information on target markets, key recommendations, overall assessments of each County, a recommended budget and community-generated ideas. The Silver Thread Scenic Byway connects the region and the Strategy emphasizes this program.
The DOLA grant – along with the Office of Emergency Management (OEM)’s Executive Order for economic recovery – has designed a program of work to support local businesses, increase regional marketing, emphasize heritage tourism and recreational opportunities in the region, and research biomass and watershed stewardship opportunities. Communities situated in a public-lands dominated region rely significantly on tourism as an economic driver. This work seeks to further support tourism work and diversify economies.
RWEACT (Rio Grande Watershed Emergency Action Coordination Team) -- together with the Rio Grande National Forest -- brings together local, state and federal partners as a collective to address fire-caused natural hazards and impacts on human life, property, community economies, and the health of the Rio Grande Watershed following the West Fork and Papoose Fires.
Spruce Beetle Safety Efforts Continue
- Created: 14 April 2015 14 April 2015
USDA Forest Service
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests
2250 Highway 50, Delta, CO 81416-2485
Contact(s): Lee Ann Loupe, Public Affairs Officer, 970.874.6717
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The State Highway 149 Project involves approximately 330 acres between Spring Creek Pass and the town of Lake City. Treatment will consist of removing dead/dying Engelmann spruce surrounding the highway to improve safety for travelers and create an effective firebreak. Merchantable timber will be removed from the site and non-merchantable trees and debris will be piled accordingly to allow for future pile burning. These piles are not available to fuelwood cutters due to concerns about access and public safety and the contractor has specific requirements for constructing the piles to receive payment. Eleven temporary accesses will be created off of Highway 149 to allow contractors to access the area and remove materials. These accesses will be closed and obliterated after the contractor’s work is completed.
It is important for travelers to know that work along the highway is anticipated to begin on or around June 1 (depending upon final approval from the Colorado Department of Transportation and ground conditions). While work is occurring on the accesses and while trees that may affect the highway are being felled, traffic on Highway 149 in both directions will be stopped. The public should anticipate delays up to 20 minutes in their travels and plan accordingly. While the Forest Service and its contractors plan to work as diligently as possible to complete this project in a timely manner, work may continue through the end of 2016 or later.
The Forest Service apologizes for any inconvenience this may provide to citizens. However, the large amount of dead and dying spruce pose travel hazards along the highway and in recreation areas requiring treatment for public health and safety. The Forest Service has worked closely with the Hinsdale County Board of County Commissioners and the Colorado Department of Transportation to implement these projects.
Theme-based Forest Plan Meetings - Creede & Monte Vista
- Created: 11 March 2015 11 March 2015
March 9, 2015
ALAMOSA, Colo. – The U.S. Forest Service and National Forest Foundation (NFF) will hold two public meetings during the week of March 16 to discuss and receive public input for the Rio Grande National Forest’s plan revision.
The first meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 16, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Creede Community Center, 503 Forest Service Rd #9, Creede. Participants at this meeting will help identify activities and areas of concern regarding management of the national forest’s soil and water resources.
The Rio Grande National Forest contains the headwaters of the 1800 mile long Rio Grande. Natural disturbances such as fires, floods and climate change; management activities such as timber management, grazing, and recreation; and infrastructure such as roads and trails have the potential to affect water and soil resources. The forest service is seeking assistance from the public to help identify areas and activities of concern related to water and soil quality, watershed health, and water supply to support a variety of multiple uses.
The second meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18 from 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at Monte Vista High School, 295 East Prospect Avenue, Monte Vista. Participants at this meeting will help identify current issues and foreseeable trends concerning management of infrastructure and public access to the Rio Grande National Forest.
The forest is seeking public input to assess the existing condition of infrastructure to meet current and future demands. Infrastructure includes roads, bridges and trails, range improvements, recreation sites, water facilities, and utilities. The forest is also seeking public input on ways infrastructure is affecting the environment and how it supports the local economy.
Intermingled land ownership between National Forest System lands, private lands and other public agencies may present management challenges or restrict access to public lands. The forest service is seeking input to identify public access concerns and other issues related to managing resources across intermingled land ownerships. The Rio Grande National Forest is also looking for opportunities to provide open space connections across jurisdictional boundaries.
The forest plan is the overarching document that guides all management decisions and activities on the entire Rio Grande National Forest, including activities such as preservation of cultural and historic resources, grazing, timber production, recreation, wildlife management, firewood cutting and gathering of special forest products.
The forest plan revision is expected to be completed by the autumn of 2017. There will be two more public meetings concerning soil and water, but the March 18 meeting will be the only one focused on lands and infrastructure during this assessment phase of the forest plan revision.
For more information, visit the RGNF plan revision website at http://riograndeplanning.mindmixer.com/ or contact Mike Blakeman at the SLV Public Lands Center, 719-852-5941.