When he’s nosing his widebody jet into narrow, smoke-choked Colorado canyons, Capt. Dan Montelli says that’s when things get “sporty.” It’s smoky. The massive jet with a 155-foot wingspan is barreling 300-feet off the deck. The trees that are 150-feet tall feel like they are tickling the plane’s belly. The flames can be taller than […]
firefighters
Posted inColoradans, COVID, News, Outdoors, Wildfire
No mess-tent meals, no giant camps: This is wildfire fighting in Colorado during coronavirus
The base camp for the fourth-largest wildfire in Colorado’s history would normally be teeming with ash-smudged firefighters coming in from shifts on the Pine Gulch fire burning north of Grand Junction. But this camp in a parking lot at the Mesa County Fairgrounds is a mostly deserted lineup of yurts, supply trucks, personal vehicles, shade […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Politics and Government, Wildfire
Joe Neguse wants to direct billions to public lands to help Western states recover from coronavirus
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse on Thursday introduced comprehensive legislation that aims to help Western economies better recover from the pandemic while addressing long standing conservation, forest management and wildfire challenges on public lands. The Boulder County Democrat’s 21st Century Conservation Corps for Our Health and Our Jobs Act is a mouthful and a big ask. […]
Posted inEnvironment, News
Wildfire base camps are prone to coronavirus outbreaks, government report says
By Rebecca Boone, The Associated Press BOISE, Idaho — Outbreaks of the coronavirus could sweep through large camps where crews typically stay as they fight wildfires across the U.S., according to a federal document obtained by The Associated Press, and the problem is likely to get worse the longer the fire season lasts. The U.S. […]