The Protect the West Act is sponsored by U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, as well as U.S. Rep. Jason Crow
Cameron Peak fire
Posted inOutdoors
Colorado biologists hope their Poudre River fish restocking efforts don’t go up in smoke
Volunteers hope planting tiny fish in a 40-mile stretch of the river fouled by fire and mud will restore the Poudre River’s status as one of the best fisheries in Colorado
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
State Rep. Amabile and Sens. Fenberg and Rankin: Filing a wildfire insurance claim shouldn’t be another trauma
Many Coloradans who lost their homes and all of their personal belongings in fire disasters are living another nightmare as they seek reimbursement from their homeowner’s insurance policies. Most of these folks chose policies based on what their mortgage holder required and insurance agent recommended. They paid their premiums in good faith, some for decades. […]
Posted inNews
“Where do we go to escape this?” The Marshall fire is Colorado’s new reality.
SUPERIOR – Out one window was bright sunshine. Out the other, wildfire smoke billowing over pastures. Brenda Leighton started grabbing things as she scrambled through her house of 18 years in Superior’s Sagamore neighborhood. A couple pieces of jewelry. A few mementos. It was her first-ever evacuation. One she never imagined. “When I opened my […]
Posted inNews
Hiker finds remains of 4th, final victim of Colorado flood that followed Cameron Peak fire
FORT COLLINS — A hiker found the remains of the fourth and final person who died during flooding and mudslides in an area of northern Colorado that was burned by a massive wildfire, authorities said. The remains of Diana Brown, 57, of San Antonio, were found Saturday, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. She […]
Posted inClimate, News, Transportation, Wildfire
U.S. 6 over Loveland Pass shut by mudslides, hazmat vehicles must now go through Eisenhower tunnel
A mudslide late Saturday near Arapahoe Basin ski area shut down traffic on U.S. 6 over Loveland Pass which means traffic on Interstate 70 must occasionally stop to allow trucks carrying hazardous materials to pass through Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels. The Colorado Department of Transportation on Sunday evening said the road had reopened. Heavy rains across […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Transportation
Mudslides and flash flooding along Colorado’s burn scars could cause disasters, or mere travel delays, all summer long. Here’s why.
Areas scorched during last year’s historic wildfire season could pose flash flooding risks through the summer as rain picks up speed along steep terrain in the burn scars, sweeping debris onto major roads. While heavy rain is typical of the summer monsoon season, Colorado is seeing “an abnormal year of flooding events,” partly because of […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: As megafires menace us, tech innovation can lead to smarter firefighting
Record-breaking fires over the past decade suggest the western U.S. has entered a new era of megafires. Fire itself is not the problem – it has been characteristic of the North American West for millennia. The problem is when fires, fueled by dry and overgrown forests, grow into giant blazes that move fast, fill the […]
Posted inClimate, Environment, News, Outdoors, Wildfire
20 years of planning saved Rocky Mountain National Park from the worst of the East Troublesome fire. It will take 20 more to fix the damage.
Early on the morning of Oct. 23, Mike Lewelling stood at the Forest Canyon Overlook on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park and stared 2,500 feet down into what he called a cauldron of fire and swirling wood smoke. The East Troublesome fire had Lewelling, the park’s fire management officer for 15 years, […]
Posted inClimate, Environment, News, Wildfire
Opinion: Climate change is making Rocky Mountain forests more flammable now than at any time in the past 2,000 years
By Philip Higuera, The University of Montana; Bryan Shuman, University of Wyoming; and Kyra Wolf, The University of Montana The exceptional drought in the U.S. West has people across the region on edge after the record-setting fires of 2020. Last year, Colorado alone saw its three largest fires in recorded state history, one burning late […]