Fatality On Broadway Ledge On Longs Peak

Early yesterday morning, Thursday, July 30, park rangers received an emergency call from a group of climbers on Broadway Ledge, near Fields Chimney, on the east face of Longs Peak, who witnessed an unroped climber in another climbing group fall while traversing Broadway.

Park rangers responded and reached the 26-year-old male from Golden, Colorado, at the base of the Chimney. The man died from injuries sustained in an approximate 600 to 800 foot fall.

The victim’s body was flown by Northern Colorado Interagency Helitak to a helispot in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of the park at 3:45 p.m. His body was then transferred to the Boulder County Coroner. The man’s name will be released after next of kin are notified.




Jeff
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Search and Rescue Responds to Gunshot Injury near Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

On Sunday afternoon, July 19, park rangers responded to a report of a 70-year-old male, from Missouri, with a gunshot wound at Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Bystanders assisted the man with initial first aid. Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members responded and provided advanced medical care. The man was carried out via a wheeled litter to the Bear Lake Trailhead where he was taken by Estes Health Ambulance to a meadow in the Glacier Basin Campground where he was flown by Lifeguard Two Air Ambulance to Medical Center of the Rockies.

Park rangers investigated the incident. The man was hiking in the area with a handgun in his backpack. When he set the backpack on the rock, the gun discharged firing a round. The round struck the man in his leg. The round did not exit the man’s body. There were numerous visitors in the Emerald Lake area when this incident occurred.

It is the responsibility of visitors to understand and comply with all applicable state, local, and federal firearm laws before entering the park. Open carry of handguns and rifles, and transport of the same in vehicles, is permitted. Concealed carry is allowed pursuant to a legal Colorado concealed carry permit and applicable state reciprocity laws. Federal law prohibits firearms in certain facilities (visitor centers, ranger stations, government offices); places that are marked with signs at all public entrances. Recreational target shooting or discharge of a firearm is not allowed in Rocky Mountain National Park. Firearms should not be considered a wildlife protection strategy. Bear spray and other safety precautions are the proven methods for preventing bear and other wildlife interactions.

The investigation is ongoing, no further information is available at this time.








Jeff
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Celebrate Colorado Day with Free Entrance into State Parks on August 3

In celebration of Colorado Day, and the 144th birthday of the state, Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers free entry to 41 state parks on Monday, August 3. Although the state recognizes this annual holiday on the first of the month, state parks celebrate the occasion with free entrance on the first Monday of August.

Colorado Day was created by the state legislature to mark the anniversary of statehood, granted in 1876 by President Ulysses S. Grant.

“Colorado Day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the natural beauty of our state and spend time outside,” said State Trails Program Manager Fletcher Jacobs. “Coloradans have a rich tradition of embracing an outdoor lifestyle, and our state parks offer a variety of outdoor activities that people of all ages and physical levels can enjoy.”

This free entry day provides an opportunity to experience Colorado’s state parks and the diverse landscapes they showcase. All other park fees remain in effect, including camping reservations, boat and off-highway vehicle registrations, and hunting and fishing licenses.

In an effort to thank military members for their service, CPW offers active duty and veterans free admission to all state parks for the entire month of August. Military members and veterans can pick up a free August Military Pass at any Colorado state park or CPW office by showing proof of military service. Passes become available on August 1, 2020.

For more information about Colorado’s state parks and outdoor recreation, visit: https://cpw.state.co.us/








Jeff
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Alluvial Fan Hiking Area Closed To Visitor Use July 27 Through September 21

Beginning on July 27 through September 24, the Alluvial Fan area in Rocky Mountain National Park will be closed for major trail work. This closure will be in effect on weekends as well. Due to materials and equipment staging, there will very limited parking available on the west side and the east side parking area will be closed. In September, the west side parking area will have additional closures tied to an exclosure fence project.

The Alluvial Fan Trail project includes stringent accessibility standards. Heavy equipment will be used to complete significant grading and rock wall work. Once this is complete, a new tread surface will be placed. A large park trail crew, comprising of up to 20 members at a time, will be constructing this trail.

The Alluvial Fan was created as a result of the Lawn Lake Dam break and major flood in 1982. In 1985, an asphalt trail and pedestrian bridge was built in the Alluvial Fan because it had become a popular visitor attraction. A major flood event in 2013 destroyed the bridge and trail.

The project is being funded by $200,000 in federal funds as part of the Centennial Challenge program and is being matched by $200,000 from the Rocky Mountain Conservancy (RMC), the park’s nonprofit partner. Approximately $125,000 of recreational fee funds are also being used to assist in funding this project.

For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park please visit www.nps.gov/romo or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206.




Jeff
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Rocky Mountain National Park answers FAQs about Timed Entry Permit System

Earlier today Rocky Mountain National Park posted the following that answers several frequently asked questions about their Timed Entry Permit System:

Visitors must have a timed entry permit to visit any area of Rocky Mountain National Park when arriving by vehicle between 6am and 5pm, whether parking within the park or outside the park boundary. This includes driving through the park on Trail Ridge Road and visiting any outlying areas like Lumpy Ridge, Lily Lake, Longs Peak, Wild Basin, East Inlet, and North Inlet.

- Timed entry permits can only be reserved online via Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/300013.

- One permit covers one vehicle and all passengers.

- The timed entry system applies to all visitors, including annual, lifetime, and senior passholders.

- You may enter at any time during your permit’s two-hour block. Blocks are 6–8am, 8–10am, 10am–12pm, 12–2pm, 2–3pm, and 3–5pm.

- At the entrance booth, you’ll be asked to show your email confirmation (on your phone or printed out), along with your annual/lifetime/senior pass if relevant.

- Once you’ve arrived during your entry window, you may exit and re-enter the park as often as needed for the rest of the day, and you can stay in the park as long as you’d like.

- A timed entry permit isn’t needed before 6am or after 5pm, but the park remains open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

-On August 1, reservations will become available for the month of September.

-10% of permits are marked "not yet released" on recreation.gov and held until 8am Mountain Time two days prior to the entry date. For example, at 8am on Monday, July 27, "not yet released" tickets will be released for Wednesday, July 29.

- If you have a campground reservation or wilderness camping permit, that serves as your timed entry permit. Learn more at go.nps.gov/RockyFees.

Why was a timed entry system put in place?

On June 4, 2020, Rocky Mountain National Park implemented a timed entry system to increase park access while providing the public a reasonable opportunity to comply with COVID-19 public health guidelines by reducing crowding. Rocky Mountain National Park was the third most visited national park in 2019 with over 4.6 million visitors, leading to congestion in many areas of the park throughout summer and fall. The system helps address this.

With more than 350 miles of trails meandering throughout the park, hiking is the absolute best way to see Rocky Mountain National Park. In fact, the park offers a wide variety of outstanding hikes that take-in the best scenery the park has to offer. If you do plan to visit Rocky Mountain this year, please note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your trip planning.




Jeff
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Lost Lake area near Nederland to re-open Monday

On Saturday, July 11, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers euthanized a bear suspected to have been involved in conflicts at the Lost Lake backcountry campground going back to 2017.

The Roosevelt National Forest and CPW had closed the area around Lost Lake to all use on Wednesday, July 8, over safety concerns with an aggressive bear that had been observed there frequently over the past three years. Officials had received 16 reports of the bear ripping through unoccupied tents, retrieving food that was left unsecured and showing little to no fear of humans, even approaching within 20 feet of people.

Wildlife officers were confident it was one individual bear due to matching descriptions from conflict reports, being a low-density area for bears and a 2018 video posted on Instagram showing the bear entering an unoccupied tent.

While searching for it Saturday evening, the bear had come into the camping area where it was euthanized by wildlife officers.

“We don't normally manage conflict bears in the backcountry,” said Area Wildlife Manager Jason Duetsch. “If backcountry campers want to prevent something like this from happening again, they should invest in a bear canister to secure their food and scented items so bears do not get rewarded and become conditioned to living off of human food sources. When they do, they become aggressive working to get what they can smell is there, and that is when public safety is at risk.”

The boar (male bear) was estimated to weigh 200 pounds, be between four-to-eight years old, was discovered to have birdshot in both hindquarters as well as an injury to the rear left leg that did not allow it to straighten out completely. Wildlife officers donated the meat.

Wildlife officers are continuing to actively monitor the area for bear activity, and the Lost Lake area will re-open to public use on Monday, July 20.

“We are grateful for the close coordination with Colorado Parks and Wildlife,” said Boulder District Ranger Angela Gee with the Forest Service. “We hope future campers to the area will continue to be vigilant and will come prepared for camping in bear country.”




Jeff
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Incident On McHenry Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park

On Sunday night, July 12, park rangers were notified that a 55-year-old man from Estes Park, Colorado, had taken a 75-foot tumbling fall below the summit of McHenry Peak on the west face at an elevation of 12,900 feet. He was traveling from the summit to Stone Man Pass when he fell. He was traveling from the summit to Stone Man Pass when he fell. He received numerous serious injuries. Park rangers reached him early this morning and provided advanced medical care.

Due to his location and injuries, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members requested assistance from a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base to extricate him via a hoist operation, using a winch operated cable. This occurred at approximately 10 a.m. Rocky Mountain Rescue assisted with the helicopter hoist operations. The man was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to a Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance and then flown to St. Anthony Hospital.









Jeff
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Rocky Mountain National Park to conduct aerial survey of moose and elk

Rocky Mountain National Park announced on their Facebook page this afternoon that they will be conducting an aerial survey of moose and elk populations this week:

Park staff began a moose research project in 2017 to better understand how moose use habitat in #RMNP. Moose presence has been increasing annually on both the east and west sides of the park, with recent reports showing animals observed in every major drainage in Rocky.

Beginning Tuesday, July 14, through potentially Saturday, July 18, an aerial survey of moose and elk on the summer range will be taking place in a variety of locations in the park. These flights will take place early each morning. The flights will produce information on the number of moose and elk on the landscape, as well as composition information (i.e. information on the number of cows, calves, and bulls in the population). While this aerial survey is designed to best collect information on moose, it is an opportunity to obtain information on the park’s elk population size and composition on the summer range as well. This data will be collected using an infrared, or thermal imaging, camera, as well as with high definition color video. Infrared capability allows for improved detection of animals in thick forests and wetlands.

Jeff
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Colorado Parks Entering Stage I Fire Restrictions

Current and predicted weather, coupled with dry conditions, has necessitated the implementation of fire restrictions for many public lands throughout the state. Effective July 10, in alignment with both Gunnison and Montrose Counties, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area will be under Stage I Fire Restrictions.

Under Stage 1, the following applies:

* Campfires are only allowed within designated fire grates in developed campgrounds (i.e. metal, in- ground containment structure). Fire pans and rock campfire rings are not acceptable. Beach fires are prohibited.

* No fires of any type, including charcoal, outside of developed areas

* No smoking except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or a barren area free of vegetation

* No use of explosive materials

* No welding or operation of an acetylene or other similar torch with open flame except from an area that has been cleared of vegetation

* No operation of any internal combustion engine without a spark-arresting device, properly installed and in working order

Stage I fire restrictions will be in place until further notice. For more information, https://www.westslopefireinfo.com/




Jeff
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Lost Lake area near Nederland to close over human-bear safety concerns

The Roosevelt National Forest and Colorado Parks and Wildlife are closing the area around Lost Lake to all use starting Wednesday, July 8, 2020, over safety concerns with a bear in the area.

This bear has been involved in conflicts at the campground since 2017, entering unoccupied tents, retrieving people's food left unsecured and showing little fear of humans. Colorado Parks and Wildlife is confident it is the same individual bear due to matching descriptions from conflict reports.

"We are concerned for the safety of backcountry campers, as this bear has become an issue," said Kristin Cannon, Deputy Regional Manager for CPW's Northeast Region. "For the time being, we feel it is best to keep campers safe and close down the area."

The entire area is closed to camping from the Hessie Trailhead near Nederland to the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area boundary. Day use along the King Lake Trail or Devil’s Thumb Trail will be permitted; but the Lost Lake Trail spurs off of King Lake Trail will be closed and no use will be permitted beyond that trail junction.

“This area closure is a rare step that we take only in the most critical circumstances and is necessary for public safety,” said Boulder District Ranger Angela Gee. “We understand that this is the height of camping and hiking season and our hope is this closure will be brief.”

The closure will remain in place until further notice.

“We would like to remind the public that no matter where you are camping this summer, especially if you are in the backcountry, please use a bear resistant canister to store any scented items and pack out all trash," said Jason Duetsch, Area Wildlife Manager for CPW. “This is the best way to avoid dangerous bear encounters and to prevent unnatural food rewards.”








Jeff
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Volunteers needed to gather information on Pole Mountain Gateways trails

The USDA Forest Service, Laramie Ranger District, is requesting public involvement to inform long-term management of non-motorized recreation on the Pole Mountain unit of the Medicine Bow National Forest. Two volunteer days are scheduled, and an interactive web site is online, in preparation for the large-scale analysis referred to as the Pole Mountain Gateways project.

Proceeding the project and public meetings this fall, the Forest Service has partnered with Common Outdoor Ground (COG), a community organization in southeast Wyoming, to utilize volunteers and assess non-system trail conditions this summer using a consistent approach.

The University of Wyoming Ruckelshaus Institute is also assisting the Forest Service with pre-project information gathering and is working with COG to provide multiple opportunities for the public to participate.

Common Outdoor Ground will be coordinating two trail assessment days in coming weeks, Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 19. On those days, volunteers will be asked to hike, bike, or ride non-system trails and utilize GPS units to gather information on those trails. Participants will need to have knowledge of non-system trails in two general areas of interest: north of Wyoming Highway 210 (July 11) and south of Highway 210 (July 19). Specific locations for desired mapping will be established at event check-in.

No more than 20 individuals are needed for each day and those interested in participating will need to sign up in advance for one of two GPS unit/orientation pick-up timeslots: 8-9 a.m. or 9-10 a.m. Check-in on July 11 will be at Tie City Trailhead and on July 19 at the Vedauwoo fee booth. All volunteers will be asked to wear a mask during check-in. Register on the COG website.

Non-system trails are neither maintained or designated by the Forest Service, but may exist on the landscape for many reasons, such as use by livestock and wild game, old roadbeds, or user-created routes pioneered by recreationists. Such trails will be analyzed for some form of future management action during the Pole Mountain Gateways project.

In addition to the volunteer days, the Ruckelshaus Institute has coordinated with WyGISC to produce an online mapping tool for the project. Within the web site, Forest users can input information relevant to the upcoming Gateways project, such as preferred access points, photos, suggestions for signage and infrastructure, maintenance needs, trail conditions, and so on. Data will be collected all summer long and members of the public can contribute at their convenience. The web site will serve to provide information and give updates about the upcoming project, as well as provide details about how to use the mapping tool. Social media sites will also be created for the pre-project analysis, information-gathering effort.

Users are encouraged to engage in their activities with these driving questions in mind: What do you value about Pole Mountain? What do you want Pole Mountain to look like in 10, 20, and/or 50 years?

The Forest Service and Ruckelshaus Institute are in conversations about re-structuring public meetings for fall 2020 or considering creative alternatives to in-person events. Check the project website and social media pages for regular updates.

The pre-project public meetings are planned to help establish a starting point for the Forest Service environmental analysis of the entire Pole Mountain administrative unit. Trails, facilities, parking, signage and other aspects of non-motorized recreation will all be reviewed by the analysis.

The project has been named Pole Mountain Gateways to reflect the area’s designation as a Wyoming Forest Gateway Community Priority Area, which resulted from implementation of the National Trails Stewardship Act.

For details on the Pole Mountain area, contact the Laramie Ranger District at (307) 745-2300.








Jeff
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Old Fall River Road Opens For The Season In Rocky Mountain National Park

Old Fall River Road and the Endovalley Road and Picnic Area will open to vehicles today, Friday, July 3, according to Rocky's Twitter feed. The road typically opens by fourth of July weekend.

Old Fall River Road was built between 1913 and 1920. It is an unpaved road which travels from Endovalley Picnic Area to above treeline at Fall River Pass, following the steep slope of Mount Chapin’s south face. Due to the winding, narrow nature of the road, the scenic 9.4-mile route leading to Trail Ridge Road is one-way only. Vehicles over 25 feet and vehicles pulling trailers are prohibited on the road.

The historic route provides access to Chasm Falls, as well as the spectacular hike to the summits of Mt. Chapin, Mt. Chiquita and Ypsilon Mountain.

With more than 350 miles of trails meandering throughout the park, hiking is the absolute best way to see Rocky Mountain National Park. In fact, the park offers a wide variety of outstanding hikes that take-in the best scenery the park has to offer. If you do plan to visit Rocky Mountain this year, please note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your trip planning.




Jeff
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Hikers will now need a hunting or fishing license to hike in Colorado State Wildlife Areas

he Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission recently adopted a rule change, requiring all visitors 18 or older to possess a valid hunting or fishing license to access any State Wildlife Area or State Trust Land leased by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. This new rule will be in effect beginning July 1, 2020. “Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages over 350 State Wildlife Areas and holds leases on nearly 240 State Trust Lands in Colorado, which are funded through the purchase of hunting and fishing licenses,” said Southeast Regional Manager Brett Ackerman. “The purpose of these properties is to conserve and improve wildlife habitat, and provide access to wildlife-related recreation like hunting and fishing that are a deep part of Colorado’s conservation legacy.”

Because these properties have always been open to the public, not just to the hunters and anglers that purchased them and pay for their maintenance, many people visit these properties and use them as they would any other public land. As Colorado’s population - and desire for outdoor recreation - has continued to grow, a significant increase in traffic to these SWAs and STLs has disrupted wildlife, the habitat the areas were acquired to protect, and the hunters and anglers whose contributions were critical to acquiring these properties.

Because funding for these properties is specifically generated by hunting and fishing license sales and the resulting federal match, requested options such as “hiking licenses” or “conservation permits” would not allow for the maintenance and management needed. Any funding from one of these conceptual licenses or permits would reduce the federal grant dollar for dollar and thus fail to increase CPW’s ability to protect and manage the properties.

“This new rule change will help our agency begin to address some of the unintended uses we’re seeing at many of our State Wildlife Areas and State Trust Lands,” said CPW Director Dan Prenzlow. "We have seen so much more non-wildlife related use of these properties that we need to bring it back to the intended use - conservation and protection of wildlife and their habitat."

“We do anticipate some confusion based on how the properties are funded, and the high amount of unintended use over time in these areas. We plan to spend a good amount of time educating the public on this change,” said Ackerman. “But in its simplest form, it is just as any other user-funded access works. You cannot use a fishing license to enter a state park, because the park is not purchased and developed specifically for fishing. Similarly, you cannot use a park pass to enter lands that are intended for the sole purpose of wildlife conservation, because a park pass is designed to pay for parks.” State law requires that the agency keep these funding sources separated.

CPW is a user-funded agency and, unlike most government agencies, receives very little money from the general fund. The new rule requires all users to contribute to the source of funding that makes the acquisition and maintenance of these properties possible. But the activities that interfere with wildlife-related uses or that negatively impact wildlife habitat don't become acceptable just because an individual possesses a hunting or fishing license. Each SWA and STL is unique and only certain activities are compatible with each property.

Many questions on the new rule are answered through our State Wildlife Area Frequently Asked Questions document.








Jeff
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Gov. Polis signs funding bill to aid CPW in developing next state park

In a sun-soaked open space flanked by 9,633-foot Fishers Peak, Gov. Jared Polis signed into law Monday a bill that provides $1 million to support Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s development of Colorado’s next state park.

Polis called the funding critical toward achieving his goal of CPW opening the 19,200-acre park to the public as the 42 state park.

The governor also called the next state park an economic engine that will drive the economy of Trinidad and the region as he signed Senate Bill 3 in front of a small group of lawmakers and dignitaries including Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Department of Natural Resources, and CPW Director Dan Prenzlow. “Th

is is a big day because developing our 42nd state park is not as simple as opening the gates and inviting the public,” Prenzlow said. “CPW parks staff, wildlife and aquatic biologists, engineers, wildlife managers and all our partners are deep into the process of transforming this former ranch into a showplace for all who might want to recreate here.

“CPW staff is committed to meeting the governor’s challenge to open this park by 2021 by accelerating the designing and construction of state parks from a multi-year process down to a single year. This funding will help us expedite the process. I’m confident when we finally open these gates, the public will be thrilled at the park that will greet them.”

Gibbs and Prenzlow were joined by Representatives Daneya Esgar and Perry Will, local government and business officials from Trinidad and Las Animas County as well as leaders of CPW’s non-profit partners The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), each playing a critical role in the purchase of the Fishers Peak property.

“We could not have gotten this far without the hard work of our partners from GOCO, the City of Trinidad, TNC and TPL,” Prenzlow said. “Nor could this happen without our partners in the Legislature and in the hunting and fishing communities who provided millions in revenue from hunting and fishing license sales.”

In February 2019, CPW partnered with the City of Trinidad, TNC, TPL and GOCO to purchase the mostly undeveloped property, prized for its variety of habitat, wildlife and the linkage it provides between grasslands to the east with foothills and mountains to the west.

On April 2, the partners signed over ownership of the property to CPW and the agency, with its partners, immediately ramped up master-planning efforts to create a park that will protect the natural treasures and wildlife found there while welcoming visitors, including hunters, hikers, mountain bikers, wildlife watchers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

For months, biologists have been combing the property to inventory the flora and fauna. Among their discoveries was the presence of the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse. In 2014, the mouse was listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to loss of habitat and low population numbers.

Bird surveys continue and are going well; biologists believe they have found a potential golden eagle nest as well as a nesting pair of peregrine falcons. They also report owl sightings.

Herptile surveys have found an unusual lizard species, a variable skink, making the property likely the only state park with this species.

Biologists have also deployed dozens of trail cameras across the property to study everything moving on the ground. There’s even coordinated weed-mapping underway with experts studying plants to formulate the appropriate seed mixture to use when landscaping areas of the park.

The information gathered will then be combined with research into the archaeological and cultural history of the property. Next comes the public process as planners gather input to set management goals for the property and design recreation areas that include roads, parking lots, restrooms, picnic areas, trails and wildlife-viewing areas for the public to enjoy.

In recent weeks, crews have begun grading and laying gravel on a new access road and parking lot.

Installing vault toilets is expected to be completed in the coming days. To stay informed on continuing progress of the park, please sign up to receive CPW eNews emails or visit cpw.state.co.us.

The property remains closed to public access.








Jeff
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