Daily Archives: June 21, 2011

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CAR SHOW WINNERS

Bear River Young Life Director David Pressgrove was happy with this past weekend’s car show in downtown Craig.  He estimates about 2,000 people showed up to check out the cars that were lined up along Yampa Avenue, between 4th and 6th Streets.  The Colorado Cruisers Car Club was a big part of the show, bringing in participants from all over the state, and even some from outside Colorado.  There were a number of prizes handed out in different categories.  Those prizes are listed below.

Best of SHow – John Smith (of Craig) maroon/red 1951 Mercury Coupe
Best of show motorcycle Robert Clayton of Craig – 2005 Custom Pro Street Bike (black) — People’s choice motorcycle Dominic Colangelo of Craig he was also the best custom motorcycle he had a 1995 Springer (black) — Best Rad Rod Jeff Connett of Phippsburg he had a 1935 Chervolet Master (rusty) – Best muscle car – Denny Lee of Craig with his Black 1966 Chevy Chevelle  — Best Truck – Charley Tileston of Grand Junction had a lime green 1946 Ford Pickup – Best hot rod – Mark Timlin from Rock Springs and his white 1932 Ford Vicky – Best Under Construction was Charles getcher’s (of craig) 1957 Dodge D-100 truck (turquoise) Farthest traveled went to Bob Kempley of Redding, CA 1004 miles (he drove a blue and white ford shelby mustang) —Mayor’s choice went to Kevin Kleckler’s 1968 Chevy C-10 (orange and black) that the Hayden High Schoolers rebuilt – People’s choice and Young Life choice for next year’s logo and t-shirt went to Dick Casey from Rifle with his 1958 Chevrolet Corvette (black and grey)

 

PALEONTOLOGISTS HOST MAKE-A-WISH FAMILY

Nathan McDermott along with his mother, father, and sister visited Dinosaur National Monument and Brigham Young University as a Make-A-Wish family. They were hosted by Dinosaur National Monument Paleontologist Dan Chure and Brooks Britt, Professor of Geology at Brigham Young University (BYU) Nathan is a seven year old cancer survivor. His Make-A-Wish was not to do touristy things with fossils but to spend time with paleontologists doing field and lab work.  Nathan came at the right time, when Dinosaur National Monument and BYU were collecting large blocks of fossil bearing rock from a new and important dinosaur quarry said Dan Chure.  He was able to work with staff and students in the field and lab and get the total paleontological experience.  He is a natural when it comes to working with fossils.  Nathan spent Tuesday, May 24th at BYU where he worked in the lab preparing fossils in their collection from the Cedar Mountain Formation, meeting staff, and touring facilities, exhibits, and collections. Nathan and his family then travelled to Dinosaur National Monument. They spent Thursday and Friday morning with BYU at the Saints and Sinners Quarry just outside the Monument boundary, where he did field preparation of bones using pen-sized air powered chisels, helped operate the crane and lift large blocks into the trucks, and hiked the area looking at other fossils found nearby, including dinosaur tracks.

On Friday Nathan and his family went on a tour with Dan on the Fossil
Discovery Trail. They were treated to a peak of the Quarry Exhibit Hall
construction and the quarry face. Nathan’s favorite dinosaur is the small
meat eater Compsognathus and a local business donated a cast of one of the
two known Compsognathus skeletons (one from Bavaria, the other from France) for Nathan to take home.

More information on Dinosaur National monument can be found at
www.nps.gov/dino or call (435) 781-7700. You can also find us on facebook or follow DinosaurNPS on twitter.

STEAMBOAT WOMAN HIT IN PARKING LOT

A woman was hit in the City Market parking lot in Steamboat yesterday afternoon.  She and the driver of the vehicle were taken to Yampa Valley Medical Center.  It’s not clear why the driver was taken, but it was reported she may have had a medical condition.  No citations have been issued yet, but the investigation is ongoing.

 

STEAMBOAT SUPERINTENDENT

The Steamboat School Board has all but hired Bradley Meeks as the new Superintendent of Schools.  At last night’s board meeting, Meeks was chosen as the top candidate for the position left vacant by Shalee Cunningham.  Meeks is from Farmington, Minnesota, where he is currently Superintendent.  Contract negotiations are next, and will begin this week.

 

COLORADO STATE PARKS JOINS CRACKDOWN ON ALCOHOL IMPAIRED BOATERS

Marine law enforcement officers from Colorado State Parks will participate in “Operation Dry Water” and will be out in force June 24 – 26 looking for boaters whose blood alcohol content exceeds the state limit of .08 %. “Operation Dry Water,” a national campaign, will include increased patrols and checkpoints as well as boater education and outreach. Impaired boaters can expect penalties to be severe. In Colorado, boaters can be fined, jailed and lose boating privileges.

“We intend to stop intoxicated boaters and to educate as many boaters as possible about the hazards of Boating Under the Influence (BUI),” says Kris Wahlers, an investigator with Colorado State Parks. Gov. John W. Hickenlooper officially declared June 24 – 26 as “Operation Dry Water” in Colorado and called upon all citizens and agencies to promote awareness of the danger of boating under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

A boat operator with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit runs a significantly increased risk of being involved in a boating accident. When the boat operator is impaired by alcohol, boating accidents are more likely and more deadly for both passengers and boat operators, many of whom capsize their vessel or fall overboard.

BUI is a primary contributing factor in nearly one-fifth of boating fatalities nationwide and Colorado has gotten tougher in recent years in enforcing laws against this high-risk behavior.  Boaters found operating a recreational vessel with a blood alcohol concentration of .08% or higher will find their voyage terminated and will have their vessel impounded.

“The combination of our responsible boat operators and increased enforcement has dropped Colorado’s BUI fatality rate well below the national average,” said Wahlers.  “But one in eight is still entirely too many when prevention is so simple.”

The inherent danger of drinking and boating is also understood by the leaders of the state, including Gov. Hickenlooper.

“Having this level of support from our Governor is an outstanding gesture of his commitment to public safety in the state” said Wahlers.

“Operation Dry Water,”  a multi-agency, education and enforcement initiative launched by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) in 2009 in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, puts thousands of local, state and federal marine law enforcement officers on the water nationwide the last weekend in June to give BUI enforcement high visibility during the peak boating season.

“There will be arrests this weekend, and some boaters will face the consequences of boating under the influence,” said Wahlers.  ”We want recreational boaters to enjoy themselves, but there will be zero tolerance for BUI.”

“Operation Dry Water” is a joint program of Colorado State Parks, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, the U.S. Coast Guard and other state & county partners. For more information, visit www.operationdrywater.org.

Colorado State Parks get everyone outdoors! Attracting more than 12 million visitors per year, Colorado’s 42 State Parks are a vital cornerstone of Colorado’s economy and quality of life. Colorado State Parks encompass 224,447 land and water acres, offering some of the best outdoor recreation destinations in the state. Colorado State Parks is a leader in providing opportunities for outdoor recreation, protecting the state’s favorite landscapes, teaching generations about nature and partnering with communities. Colorado State Parks also manage more than 4,300 campsites, and 63 cabins and yurts.  For more information on Colorado State Parks or to purchase an annual pass online, visit www.parks.state.co.us.

 

HABITAT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM AWARDS GRANTS

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Division of Wildlife’s Habitat Partnership Program is has awarded $500,000 to five recipients in Colorado that will fund habitat enhancement projects on private and public land with the goal of keeping big game animals from coming into conflict with adjacent private agricultural landowners.
The recipients this year are:

• White River National Forest Milk Creek Enhancement Project near Meeker

Rio Grande National Forest San Luis Valley Water Development project near Saguache

• Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest Uncompahgre Plateau Habitat Restoration project
• Uncompahgre Partnerships North Rim Landscape Restoration project near Hotchkiss
• Three Rivers Alliances Russian olive and tamarisk removal project in Yuma County

Landowners will use the funds to launch improvement projects that will include the use of brush manipulation, weed control, water developments and reseeding with a goal of increasing available habitat and forage for big-game animals. The deadline for completing the work is June 2012.

The HPP State Council evaluated each proposal based on several criteria including the size and scale of treatments and the type of improvements proposed. One critical component the Council examined before presenting the awards was the extent of the recipient’s partnerships. The selected projects exemplified the partnership component that HPP encourages and develops.

“The criteria that the State Council used to evaluate the applicants ensures that we can leverage everyone’s limited funds while creating a successful project for both landowners and wildlife,” said Division of Wildlife HPP coordinator Pat Tucker.

HPP began these grants in 2009 to encourage larger scale habitat improvement projects and this is the second time that the HPP program has granted funds for them. By the end of June 2012, an additional $1 million will have been spent by HPP to improve habitat and reduce conflicts between big game and agricultural operators. This does not include additional money spent by project partners, which can easily double or triple HPP’s investment.

The Colorado General Assembly and the Colorado Wildlife Commission established the Habitat Partnership Program in 1990 with a goal to reduce wildlife conflicts by facilitating cooperation between landowners, land managers, sportsmen, the DOW and others to minimize and resolve conflicts between ungulates and agricultural users.

“These grants have proven to be a very effective way to help reduce big game conflicts with private landowners,” said Northwest Regional Manager Ron Velarde. “We appreciate the cooperation with both public and private landowners and their efforts to improve natural habitat for wildlife.”

While applications for this habitat improvement grant offer are no longer being accepted, people interested in local HPP projects should contact their local Division of Wildlife office or go to the Division’s website, www.wildlife.state.co.us/landwater for more information.

 

CDOT TO BEGIN MAJOR RESURFACING PROJECT ON
US 40 OVER MUDDY PASS

GRAND/JACKSON COUNTIES – This Wednesday, June 22, the Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor A & S Construction will begin a project to resurface US 40 over Muddy Pass, between MP 165 and 179 (east and west of SH 14). The work was contracted to A & S Construction for $4.2 million.

Work involves recycling and replacement of the top two inches of asphalt, followed by a two-inch overlay of new asphalt. The asphalt recycling process reduces reflective cracking up into the top layer of asphalt, thereby extending the life of this new surface. This project also includes guardrail adjustment and new striping on US 40 in Grand County. The work is scheduled for completion this September.

TRAVEL IMPACTS: Working hours will be from 6:00 AM until 8:00 PM, Monday through Friday. There will be single-lane, alternating traffic through the work zone and motorists can anticipate delays of about 15 minutes, depending upon summer traffic volumes.  No weekend work is anticipated at this point. Crews thank motorists for driving alert and going “Slow for the Cone Zone!”

For more information contact Bill Flowers, A & S Construction, toll-free at (800) 380-9739. In case of an emergency call our main office at (719) 275-4555.

For information on other CDOT projects, call 511 or log onto www.cotrip.org (or sign up for FREE highway updates by going to www.colorododot.info and choosing the green phone icon.)

 

BIKE TOUR

The Bicycle Tour of Colorado arrives in Steamboat today.  The tour is a seven day bike ride through the Rocky Mountains.  Riders started in Central City, and will be coming from Granby today.  They’ll stay tonight in Steamboat and then make their way to Glenwood tomorrow, riding through Yampa in the process.  About 1,500 cyclists will trickle in throughout the day.  The City of Steamboat is asking residents to give them a warm welcome.  A beer garden will be set up at Memorial Park from 5 to 8 tonight.

 

STEAMBOAT LAKE STATE PARK’S GUIDED NATURALIST PROGRAMS

CLARK, Colo. – Steamboat Lake State Park embraces June’s warmer weather and awakening wildlife with our “Summer Sensation’s Nature Programs.” These naturalist guided programs reveal the park’s beauty through nature education, interactive hikes and hands-on activities. Our programs are free to visitors; however, a $7 vehicle day pass or a $70 annual pass is required for all vehicles that enter the park.  Call (970) 879-3922 for updated program lists, and remember that the programs do not require a reservation. Just show up and expect to be amazed!  Below are the programs for the week of June 20:

 

 

Colorado State Parks get everyone outdoors! Attracting more than 12 million visitors per year, Colorado’s 42 State Parks are a vital cornerstone of Colorado’s economy and quality of life. Colorado State Parks encompass 224,447 land and water acres, offering some of the best outdoor recreation destinations in the state. Colorado State Parks is a leader in providing opportunities for outdoor recreation, protecting the state’s favorite landscapes, teaching generations about nature and partnering with communities. Colorado State Parks also manage more than 4,300 campsites, and 63 cabins and yurts.  For more information on Colorado State Parks or to purchase an annual pass online, visit www.parks.state.co.us.