News

• A Gold Mountain Fire Update
• Smoke Fills the San Juans

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A Gold Mountain Fire Update

After more than a week of burning, firefighters have reached 3% containment on the Gold Mountain Fire outside Ouray.

“We had a successful day yesterday. We were able to combine Alpha and Bravo, get some containment on the map. That was a big win for our responders for the last couple days of hard work,” said Jeremy Dietz, operations section chief for the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team, the federal team now leading the fire response, during an operations briefing Monday.

The incident management team has divided the fire into several operational divisions, including Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Foxtrot and Papa. Alpha and Bravo are the divisions just outside the city of Ouray.

“We’ll continue to have a presence strong in the Alpha Bravo area – securing the resources, mopping up the line, making sure everything is looking good with containment. There’s still a possibility so we want to stay vigilant in that area. We still have a heavy presence in there with our folks, and we’ll continue that for the next couple operational periods,” Dietz said.

Dietz said firefighters are also looking to establish additional containment on the southern end of the fire, north of Ouray but away from U.S. Highway 550.

Moving north toward Ridgway, Dietz said crews were able to build fire lines over the weekend to better manage the fire’s movement.

“This fire, around the Charlie Delta area, where it’s up high, it’s very rough and rugged, so we don’t want to put our responders in there because we have a hard time getting them out. So, we were able to put the mastication line in here, and we started offensive firing. What that did, is it gave us the opportunity to bring fire, on our firing operation, down around the line we’ve done, so we’re able to control the tempo of the fire on our terms versus having the fire chase us down to that line,” Dietz said.

Dietz said the strategy helps protect homes and other values at risk along the U.S. Highway 550 corridor, the town of Ridgway and private property to the north.

Officials are also planning containment efforts on the northern end of the fire toward Cimarron, though the fire has not yet reached that area.

“It’s a ways out, but we looked at all the areas between where the fire is currently at until where the line that we planned – exposure wise, trying to get our folks out, limited time, no good place to put our resources or to get them out – so we’ve done the research and looked at this area north, that gives us the highest probability of success to put this line in here in Papa and then work this down,” Dietz said.

Dietz said the completed fire lines will allow crews to adjust their strategy as conditions change.

“We want to make sure that primary line is our primary line, but if the opportunity arises, we could always come down here with our firing operation and bring that closer. So, we make sure that we’re able to adjust as necessary,” he said.

On Monday, Gunnison County issued mandatory evacuation orders for the southwestern corner of the county. Mandatory evacuations remain in place for neighborhoods in Ouray County, while Montrose and Gunnison counties have also issued pre-evacuation and voluntary evacuation notices.

An evacuation shelter remains open at Ridgway Secondary School. Animal shelters are available at the Montrose County Fairgrounds and the Montrose Animal Shelter.

At broadcast deadline, the Gold Mountain Fire had burned more than 27,000 acres and was 3% contained. Fire officials estimate the blaze will not be fully contained until the end of October.

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Smoke Fills the San Juans

As wildfires continue burning across the Mountain West, smoke has settled into much of the region, leading to fluctuating air quality.

“Currently in our region, the Telluride air quality monitor is registering about 84 on the AQI index, which is not the worst we’ve seen in the last couple of days,” said Suryaveer Sankineni, an environmental health specialist with the San Miguel County Public Health Department.

AQI stands for Air Quality Index.

Air quality can fluctuate throughout the day. At 7 a.m. Monday, the Telluride monitor registered an AQI of 148. By Sunday evening, it reached 177.

“That is definitely ‘moderate’ to ‘hazardous’. It falls right under ‘very unhealthy’ on the AQI index, it goes up to a 500 scale. Generally, we say if you’re sensitive to any sort of fluctuation in air quality, or you have heart conditions or lung conditions, you shouldn’t be outside breathing that air,” Sankineni said.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory because of wildfire smoke. The advisory covers much of the state, including San Miguel, Ouray, Dolores and Montrose counties.

The Environmental Protection Agency classifies AQI readings from “good,” which ranges from 0 to 50 and indicates satisfactory air quality, to “hazardous,” which begins at 301 and carries a health warning for emergency conditions.

“When I would start to be worried about certain, more sensitive groups, or those who are compromised in their health, it would be anything over 101,” Sankineni said.

He said respiratory symptoms are the primary health concern during periods of poor air quality.

“If you’re outside for extended periods of time, I would definitely keep an eye out for things like shortness of breath, anything that has to do with respiratory illness. If you’re feeling sick or you’re starting to feel short of breath, definitely head back inside and maybe close the windows,” he said.

However, Sankineni said the smell of smoke or hazy skies does not necessarily mean air quality has reached dangerous levels.

“On the index, right now we’re sitting at 84, and maybe if we’re outside it still smells a little smoky. This morning we were sitting at about 117 and it definitely smelled smoky. But in that case, that’s not something I personally would be concerned with. At right about 100, if you’re not compromised in any other way, I wouldn’t feel to be breathing those in,” he said.

Because conditions can change quickly, Sankineni encouraged residents to check local AQI readings before spending time outdoors.

“In early morning times, or early evening time, when that temperature shift happens, we see there’s a lot more smoke. That has to do with temperature inversion and wind patterns. If you are trying to spend a lot more time outside, or continue to spend the time you’ve been spending outside, I’d pay attention to the AQI, and the time of day that you’re wanting to spend outside. Mid-day tends to have the best air quality, as opposed to early morning or early evening,” he said.

Sankineni said the best thing residents can do is stay informed and monitor changing conditions. AirNow.gov provides continuously updated air quality data from monitoring stations.

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Lawton Eddy Featured at Bardic Trails Poetry Night

Lawton Eddy is a poet, performer and advocate.

Originally from New England, she has called Salida home for the past 30 years. A poet since childhood, she is the co-founder of the Sparrows Poetry Festival in Salida, runs the Season of Words poetry series and is the author of Chasing Grace: Poems of a Life.

This week, Eddy will be the featured poet at the Talking Gourds Poetry Program’s Bardic Trails Poetry Night.

At the event, Eddy will share selections of her work. Attendees will also have time for questions and are encouraged to share a poem, either their own or one by another poet. This month’s theme is “Chasing Grace.”

The Bardic Trails Poetry Night will be held Tuesday, July 7, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The Zoom link is available at the Telluride Institute website.

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Oil, Gas Fees Go Towards Conservation Efforts

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is directing revenue from oil and gas production fees toward conservation projects across the state.

The agency announced eight conservation projects this week.

Efforts include a Greenback Cutthroat Trout recovery capacity program to support conservation of the species. Another initiative focuses on black-footed ferret and prairie dog management.

A Colorado Wildlife Habitat Program will provide funding opportunities for landowners who want to protect habitat, provide public recreation access or sell property to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).

Additional funding will support Habitat Conservation and Connectivity Plan implementation, as well as a native plant coordinator and warehouse.

Money will also go toward State Wildlife Action Plan species management and the development of a database to track past and present habitat loss due to human activity across the state.

Finally, funding will be used to purchase senior water rights for Golden Gate Canyon State Park and Ralston Creek State Wildlife Area. Officials say the purchases will help protect and restore watersheds and riparian habitats in Colorado.

The funds come from fees outlined in a 2024 Colorado legislative bill aimed at addressing the impacts of oil and gas production on the state’s wildlife and ecosystems.

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Gov. Polis Fires Clemency Board Members

Gov. Jared Polis has fired two members of Colorado’s clemency board after they spoke out against his decision to shorten the sentence of Tina Peters.

The two members are Denver attorneys Hannah Seigel Proff and Azra Taslimi.

They objected to Polis’ decision and wrote a Denver Post op-ed last month revealing the board had unanimously rejected Peters’ requests for early release twice. They also told The New York Times they believed Polis’ decision was motivated by politics and influence.

Polis said they were fired for violating the confidentiality essential to the clemency process.

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Bandaloop Blossoms in Aspen

America is celebrating its 250th birthday this July, and so is Aspen.

Over the July Fourth weekend, a new — and all-American — art form came to the city for the first time as part of the celebration.

As Aspen Public Radio’s Regan Mertz reports for Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Bandaloop combines the technical sport of climbing with the graceful movements of dance.

The performance style has been around for about 35 years and was founded in the western United States.

Melecio Estrella, the company’s artistic director, said no other dancers have access to the same kinds of performance spaces.

“No other dancer has access to these spaces. They could be dancing on a skyscraper 200 feet off the ground. They can be 3,000 feet in Yosemite on a cliff,” Estrella said.

Estrella said this and other forms of art can transcend political divides.

“The 250 years to us is about creativity and respecting the histories of our country … But we’re still dancing,” Estrella said. “We’re still coming together as communities. That’s really important to us at Bandaloop. We do that through art, and that’s what art can do.”

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Natures Fireworks Glimmer in the Night Sky

Fireworks often light up the night sky this time of year. But nature has a nighttime display of its own.

Late at night, in wetlands and marshes across parts of the Mountain West, fireflies put on a quiet light show.

To find them, naturalists Steve Jones and Ruth Carol Cushman head into the same damp habitats favored by mosquitoes, armed with bug spray, gloves and netted hats.

For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KGNU’s Shelley Schlender brings us this audio postcard.

Story begins at 11:15.