Volunteers Needed in South Fork: July 19-20

Volunteers are needed to help with restoration in the area impacted by the West Fork Fire Complex outside South Fork the weekend of July 19-20, 9am-4pm. A variety of tasks will be available for most levels of physical ability. Must be 16 yrs or older to volunteer. Free camping available Friday and Saturday nights. Meals provided Saturday breakfast through Sunday lunch. Register at www.voc.org/volunteer or by calling 303-715-1010.

volunteers colorado mineral county

Fishermen "are in for a treat" a year after West Fork Complex fire

Check out this article from The Denver Post. Our fishing is awesome this summer, and we have some very succesful and happy fishermen to vouch for it! 

http://www.denverpost.com/Sports/ci_26026756/Fishermen-%22are-in-for-a-treat%22


The Disappearing Rio Grande

For more than 3,000 years the Rio Grande has been the lifeblood of the valleys and civilizations it flowed through. It recharged fields and forests and provided safe passage through an inhospitable desert. Now, cities and farms are sucking it dry and a warming climate is making it evaporate faster. What is left is hidden behind a border fence and fought over by the states and countries that agreed to share it.

The river’s future has never been more uncertain.

To understand the effects and evaluate possible solutions, reporter Colin McDonald and photojournalist Erich Schlegel are traveling the length of the Rio Grande. Along the way, they will interview and spend time with those who depend on and control the river, take photos and videos and catalog the chemistry and biology of the river from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico.

Their work will be uploaded from the banks of the river via satellite and shared on this blog as they spend seven months on this 1,900-mile journey.


Weather Spotter Training - May 12

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 12th in Creede.

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 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. 

Beaver Reservoir Closure

4/29/14

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is currently working with the USFS to restore the dam at Beaver Creek Reservoir SWA.
 
We completed some work last summer and partially drained the reservoir to prepare for the remainder of the work (Phase II construction) this summer. Beginning February 1, 2014 we authorized an "emergency public salvage," allowing the public to harvest any remaining trout prior to our completely draining the reservoir for Phase II.
 
We began releasing additional water ASAP this spring. The fish salvage will end on April 30th as the reservoir will be "drained" for all practical purposes. Fishing opportunity will essentially be nil and conditions at the reservoir for the public will be dangerous: mud, steep banks, rocks, intense construction activity, possible falling rock, etc.
 
Based upon these dangerous conditions, in the interest of public safety, we made the decision to close Beaver Creek Reservoir to the public. We will be posting the area at an area where it is safe for the public to turn around. Access to the USFS Lower Beaver Creek Campground and to the Beaver Mountain and Million Reservoir trail heads will not be affected.
 
We are providing press releases and will provide additional information through our website letting the public know that there are many great fishing opportunities nearby including: Smith, Mountain Home, Road Canyon, Rio Grande, Big Meadows, Tucker Ponds and Alberta Park reservoirs, and Brown Lakes. Public access is also available for fishing the Rio Grande River at the Coller, Del Norte and Creede state wildlife areas.
 
We are planning to start storing water as soon as the restoration is complete and the State Engineers office has certified the safety of the repairs. With a pool in the reservoir, we will restock the reservoir to restore the fishing opportunities.
 
We know that you understand how important it is to restore Beaver Creek Reservoir from a dam safety perspective. Likewise, this restoration will benefit the entire Rio Grande Basin as it allows increased flexibility in how we manage water for watershed health, recreational and environmental purposes along with wildfire control and agricultural uses.  
 
Thanks for the updates on the good work that RWEACT is doing!
 
Patt Dorsey
Southwest Region Manager
Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Request for Proposals: 2014 Post-Disaster Economic Recovery Marketing Plan

Rio Grande County is working with Colorado Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) to address post-disaster economic impacts through increased regional marketing.  Other partners include Hinsdale and Mineral counties, RWEACT (Rio Grande Watershed Emergency Action Coordination Team), and local Chambers of Commerce and other economic development groups.  Rio Grande County is seeking proposals for a marketing consultant to design implementation of each component of its 2014 Post Disaster Economic Recovery Marketing efforts focused on the Silver Thread Scenic Byway. This marketing implementation process includes working with communities affected by the West Fork Complex fires.

Submission Deadline: Must be received in the Rio Grande County Administrator’s office no later than 9:30 a.m., May 14, 2014
Submit to Suzanne Benton
719-657-4215
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.