Making news in the New West today: plotting the future of the former Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. property, a properly reverential visit to the Shire of Montana from a self-proclaimed Lord of the Rings nerd, the opening of the Beartooth Highway, the return of Patrick Roy to the Colorado Avalanche, and a study indicating Montana pets live longer. Read More »
The industrial-scale art project proposed by the artist Christo Javacheff and his Over the River Corporation (OTR) will significantly impact the Arkansas River corridor from Salida, Colo., downstream to Canon City. The artist proposes to suspend 5.9 miles of fabric panels over several segments of a 45-mile reach of the river, eight to 20 feet off the surface in areas of prized public fishing access. In order to anchor the cables that will support the fabric, OTR must drill 9,100 anchor holes within and adjacent to the riparian zone. These holes must be drilled by large industrial machines that require hazardous and toxic fluids to operate and maintain. Read More »
As drought continues to hammer southern states—drying out Texas streams, lakes and water supplies—the only things empty in most Colorado rivers are the fishing nets. “I haven’t seen water like this so late since my first year here in 1985,” said Thomas Schneider, owner of Boulder-based Sunrise Anglers, LLC. “I was guiding last weekend in the park (Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado) and I haven’t seen the Roaring River that high, ever.” Read More »
Yesterday’s announcement by the Canadian company, Mosquito Consolidated Gold Mines Ltd., that it had received final approval from the U.S. Forest Service to begin exploring for molybdenum in Idaho’s Boise National Forest is bound to refocus attention on an old federal law that plays a central role in mining decisions. The 1872 National Mining Act, which still governs how mining occurs on federal lands, has been a bone of contention between environmental groups and mining companies for decades. Read More »
Informal talks this week between Denver’s mayor and Colorado’s governor about the 2022 Winter Olympics would be the start of a long process full of hurdles, should Denver make a serious bid for the Games. On Sunday, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper confirmed to the Denver Post that the idea interests them, but both expressed awareness of how long and winding any road to the Olympics would be. Read More »
After the State Department released its final environmental impact statement Friday on the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, which is intended to carry crude oil from the Alberta tar sands in Canada through eastern Montana and down to the Gulf Coast, supporters and opponents of the project raised an immediate hue and cry. In Montana, the Rocky Mountain state that would be most directly affected by the pipeline, the controversy was encapsulated in two releases. The Northern Plains Resource Council is very worried, but Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, is delighted. Those opposing reactions are published here. Read More »
The web is abuzz with news of the U.S. State Department report released today, which concludes that the proposed Keystone XL pipeline from the oil sands developments in Alberta, Canada to the Gulf Coast will have minimal environmental impacts. The $13 billion pipeline of TransCanada Corp (TRP) would extend 1,661 miles from Alberta through parts of Saskatchewan and eastern Montana on its way through five more states to Houston, Tx., and Port Arthur, La. Read More »
Impromptu adventures tend to be the finest. Case in point, last Friday afternoon I called a girlfriend to see if she’d like a reprieve from the August heat by taking a dip in Whitefish Lake. She upped the ante and offered me a spot on a raft for a twilight float on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. Already dressed for playtime on the water, I added my lifejacket to my bag and made my way to my girlfriend’s to load dogs, coolers, and prep for our whitewater float. Read More »
I think the first time I heard anything about Chesler Park, I was being a non-productive REI employee and flipping through a copy of Peter Potterfield’s Classic Hikes of the World at the Paradise Valley store in Phoenix. A couple months later, I would move from Phoenix to Denver, on the way stopping at four of Utah’s five national parks, and hike through this incredible area for the first time. I’ve been back four times, and it’s a good seven-hour drive from my house in Denver. Read More »
New West Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming
