Noticias

• A Gold Mountain Fire Update
• Telluride Town Council Names Resident Advisory Committee
• Cat Movie Fisher with Risho Unda

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A Gold Mountain Fire Update

The Gold Mountain Fire outside of Ouray continues to burn, moving northeast toward Montrose, Gunnison and Hinsdale counties.

The fire had burned more than 18,000 acres and was 0% contained as of broadcast deadline.

Mandatory evacuations remain in place for residents in the Ouray area and along U.S. Highway 550. On Thursday, Montrose and Gunnison counties announced pre-evacuation notices for people in the Cimarron area.

Jeremy Dietz, operations section chief for the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team — the federal team now leading the fire response — said during an operations briefing Thursday that crews continue working to protect the city of Ouray and the U.S. Highway 550 corridor.

“Really successful day, for the folks yesterday and into the night shift. The fire is still checked up high, hasn’t moved down to the structures, so we’re still protecting our resources, and our structures. The 550 corridor, the structures, transmission lines are still a very big area of concern for us. Topography reasons, it’s really steep, rugged, firefighter and public safety, so we’re putting our people where they can be fully successful,” Dietz said.

He said crews are focusing on structure triage and protection, especially as rocks and vegetation continue falling from the burn area.

On the west and north sides of the fire, Dietz said crews are identifying places where they can build fire lines and use natural barriers to get ahead of the fire’s movement.

“We’re scouting out where the fire moved north of Cow Creek, looking at some areas up to the north for possible advantages areas for line placement and looking out ahead for the next couple of operational periods off the Cimarron area that we can maybe use some terrain features, some topographic features to tie our lines into. Looking for best places of line placement for our resources to be successful,” Dietz said.

On the east side of the fire, Dietz said crews are focused on protecting structures and property should the fire continue moving in that direction.

Dietz said firefighters also continue monitoring the southern edge of the fire north of Ouray.

“It hasn’t moved anything. It’s a lot of rockier, granite country down there. So we still have a heavy presence there,” Dietz said.

An interactive evacuation map is available at ouraycountyco.gov. Ongoing updates are available on the Gold Mountain Fire Facebook page.

It has been a fast and difficult start to the fire season in the Mountain West, with several large wildfires burning tens of thousands of acres in Colorado and Utah.

In addition to the Gold Mountain Fire, the Ferris Fire in Dolores County and the Snyder Fire in Mesa County have each burned about 30,000 acres. The Aspen Acres Fire in Custer and Pueblo counties has burned more than 50,000 acres.

Camille Stevens-Rumann, a fire ecologist at Colorado State University and former wildland firefighter, said human-caused climate change has created conditions that leave abundant fuel for large wildfires.

“The earlier snowmelt, allowing fuels to get dried down quicker, the hotter temperatures mean more water demand from our plants. So those plants are drying out even if they got a lot of moisture in the winter. And then we’re also seeing snow later in the year,” Stevens-Rumann said.

She said that when snow does not fall until November or December, the wildfire season is extended by several months.

Stevens-Rumann said cooler temperatures are not in the forecast over the coming days, meaning fire weather could continue.

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Telluride Town Council Names Resident Advisory Committee

Telluride’s newest committee officially has its members.

On Tuesday, Town Council appointed seven community members to serve on the Resident Advisory Committee, which is made up of residents who live in the town’s rental properties. The committee is intended to help the town gather ongoing feedback and suggestions about what is working well and what could be improved at the properties.

“We get a lot of people coming in and telling us what they hate or what doesn’t work for them. I think a more solutions-oriented perspective is what I think would be more helpful to me as someone who sits on this board,” Councilmember Elena Levin said during a Town Council meeting earlier this year.

“The [Telluride Housing Authority] board determined they wanted a seven-member board. They wanted three members from Shandoka — as the largest property, one from Sunnyside, one from Virginia Placer, one from Voodoo, and one from the Boarding House,” Community Services Director DeLanie Tapson told Town Council on Tuesday.

“You will see you received enough applications for each of those seats to be filled. It is now up to you to determine who would like to serve on the board,” Tapson said.

Applicants said they wanted to serve on the committee to strengthen communication between residents, housing staff and community organizations, to be part of the solution rather than the problem, and to help improve housing so residents can thrive.

Council members, including Councilmember Dan Enright, said the quality of applicant was high.

“Nothing was disqualifying in any way for any of the applicants. It’s tough because you could make a case for just about everybody,” Enright said.

In the end, Priscilla Morales, George Belcher, Karen Clarke, India Hilburn, Julia Millan, Ruth Rivas and PJ Kelley were appointed to the committee.

Committee members include lifelong Telluride residents, community organizers and advocates. Three members of the committee are bilingual, which Town Council noted was an important consideration.

“I think it’s really important that we are including all voices and perspectives in this Resident Advisory Committee. I think that would be a great access point for people where English might not be their primary language,” Levin said.

Levin added her appreciation of the applicants and encouraged them to stay involved.

“We were really excited to see so many applicants, and so many qualified applicants who seem to have a lot of passion. We encourage you to go to these meetings if you’re interested and speak to your representative, because that’s how this works. If you do have issues and you’re not able to attend a meeting, reach out to a representative,” Levin said.

The Resident Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet quarterly, or as needed. All residents of town-owned rental properties are invited and encouraged to participate in committee meetings and share feedback about living in town rental housing.

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Cat Movie Fisher with Risho Unda

Risho Unda is back for a summer season of Cat Movie Fisher, a segment in which he interviews members of the community about their favorite movies.

This week, he’s talking with none other than KOTO’s own local legend, Ben Kerr.

Story begins at 7:25.

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Mountain Village Expands Wildfire Incentives

As wildfires continue burning across Colorado, the Town of Mountain Village and the Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association are working to help residents reduce wildfire risk around their homes and properties.

The new Dead Wood Vacant Lot Incentive Program, funded by the TMVOA, helps owners of vacant single-family lots offset the cost of removing standing dead trees and dead-and-down timber.

The program will reimburse 50% of removal costs, up to $10,000 per lot. Ten projects will receive funding during the first round, with applications evaluated based on wildfire risk, proximity to homes and infrastructure, and the potential to reduce fire risk across neighboring properties.

Applications will be accepted through July 24.

Mountain Village and TMVOA also partner on the Wildfire Mitigation Defensible Space Incentive Program, which reimburses homeowners for 75% of the cost of creating defensible space around their homes, up to $20,000 per property. Funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The partners also offer the Cedar Shake Incentive Fire Mitigation Program, which waives building permit fees of up to $25,000 for property owners who replace cedar shake roofs with town-approved fire-rated roofing materials.

More information and applications for all three programs are available at townofmountainvillage.com/incentives.

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Telluride Library Hosts Annual Pie Contest

Think you have a shot at the upper crust of pie society?

It’s that time of year again. The Wilkinson Public Library is hosting its annual Pie Contest on Monday, July 6, at 6 p.m.

Bakers are required to register in advance. Sign up on the library’s website to secure your slice of the competition. Don’t wait — spots are expected to fill quickly.

Bakers of all ages are welcome to enter a pie. Bring your mouth-watering masterpiece to the library between 5 and 6 p.m. July 6.

A panel of esteemed pie experts will decide the fate of your flaky masterpiece based on appearance, creativity and, of course, taste. Bakers will compete for prizes and, of course, some appetizing bragging rights.

If you’d rather admire — and sample — the sweet submissions, pie don’t you stop by to check it out?

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New Colorado Laws Take Effect

More than a dozen new state laws take effect this week in Colorado.

One law focuses on conversion therapy, a widely discredited practice that attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The new law allows victims of the practice to sue their mental health providers, with no statute of limitations.

Another new law tightens regulations on 3D-printed firearms.

Other changes include updates to Colorado’s affordable homeownership program and adjustments to how the state calculates certain marijuana taxes.

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Colorado River Closed Due to Snyder Fire

A stretch of the Colorado River on the Western Slope is closed to recreation due to the Snyder Fire.

As KDNK’s Amy Hadden Marsh reports for Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Colorado Parks and Wildlife issued an emergency closure Monday for all public access and recreation downstream from the James M. Robb–Colorado River State Park in Fruita to the Utah state line. In a press release, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the closure is immediate to ensure public and firefighter safety due to the Snyder Fire, which as of Monday night had burned more than 30,000 acres and was burning in McInnis Canyon.

Rafters and boaters are encouraged to take out in Grand Junction at the Blue Heron boat launch or farther upstream.

All boating activities are prohibited within the restricted area, including jet boats, rafting, kayaking, canoeing, tubing and paddleboarding.

Horsethief State Wildlife Area and Loma Boat Launch State Wildlife Area are also closed, as are all Bureau of Land Management-managed public lands in McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.

The river closure is expected to remain in place through the Fourth of July weekend. Everything upstream of Fruita remains open to the public.

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Boulder County Gun Safe Program Promotes Safety

Gun policy is one of the country’s most polarizing issues. But in Boulder County, a gun safe giveaway program is bringing together gun owners and community organizations around a shared goal: keeping firearms out of the wrong hands.

Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Maeve Conran reports.

Story begins at 19:30.