Welcome to the August 2025 Keep Routt Wild Newsletter!

Hello, Keep Routt Wild followers!

Our newsletter this month covers several items:

·      Five Open Positions for Volunteering

·      New Research Suggests Moose are Native to Colorado

·      Stage 2 Fire Restrictions now in effect

·      Mad Rabbit Trails Project update

We will also include our usual section “What we are reading and watching” that includes interesting reading on local wildlife and conservation issues.

For those who are unfamiliar with Keep Routt Wild, we are a community organization dedicated to the preservation of wildlife and wild places in Routt County. To find out more about Keep Routt Wild, go to our website, or follow our nearly daily postings on Facebook. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit, and you can donate to Keep Routt Wild here.

Five Volunteer Positions now open on Routt Recreation and Conservation Roundtable

If you’re looking for a volunteer opportunity, consider applying for one of the five open seats on the Routt Recreation and Conservation Roundtable (RRCR).

RRCR was developed and designed to be a diverse, representative body that provides non-binding input to the agencies and organizations undertaking recreation and conservation activities in Routt County. The RRCR was founded in 2019 and is part of the Colorado Outdoor Regional Partnership network funded by Colorado Parks & Wildlife and Great Outdoors Colorado.

In addition to providing input and recommendations to local land management agencies and related organizations, the RRCR is also implementing project priorities within its Conservation & Recreation Strategy. Members of the RRCR meet for 2.5 hours every other month in Steamboat Springs and voluntarily participate in regular, virtual subcommittee meetings to implement current project priorities.

Any person residing in Routt County can now apply for any seat on the RRCR by challenging an incumbent or applying for a vacant seat.

The following five seats are vacant:

• Hunting & Fishing

• Land Trusts

• Ranching & Farming

• Road & Gravel Biking

• Trail Running

Current members are listed here. Learn more about RRCR here.

The RRCR Executive Committee will select the final candidates. Our own ideal candidates would be those who have a passion for the seat they represent while simultaneously conserving Routt County’s wild resources.

The application can be download here: RRCR Application

Applications are due by 5pm on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. Email applications to czenel@keystone.org.

New Research Suggests Moose are Native to Colorado

Image courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife

The conventional wisdom asserts that moose are non-native to Colorado, being introduced by Colorado Division of Wildlife in the late 1970s. Now a new study claims that moose actually are native to Colorado.

From the authors of the study:

"The contemporary idea of moose as non-native animals reflects a different understanding than was common only a few decades ago. In the 1940s, some biologists described moose as a native species that had been “extirpated except for stragglers.” As recently as the early 1970s, Rocky Mountain National Park officials understood their moose work as a reintroduction of “wild animals once native to the park.” Our findings suggest that the valid knowledge of earlier scientists has since faded or been replaced, repositioning moose as ecological outsiders."

Read the entire article from the Colorado Sun here.

As the article highlights, this is more than a theoretical debate. Whether moose are native or an invasive species has far-reaching management implications. From the authors of the study:

"The historical evidence indicates that moose are not foreign intruders. Archival, archaeological and anthropological data shows that moose have been in the southern Rockies for centuries, if not millennia. Rather than treat moose as a threat, we urge Rocky Mountain National Park and other agencies to work in partnership with tribes, paleoecologists and the public to carefully develop historically grounded management plans for this Colorado native."

Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are now in effect across Routt County. With several fires currently across northwest Colorado, this should come as no surprise. We ask that you respect these restrictions, enumerated below:

1. All open fires and campfires are prohibited except petroleum-fueled stoves, lanterns, and heating devices that are underwriter approved.

2. Smoking is restricted to enclosed vehicles and buildings.

3. All chainsaws and other internal combustion engines, including motorcycles and ATVs, must have spark arresting devices that are properly installed and in working order.

4. Use of fireworks of any variety is prohibited.

5. Use of explosives is prohibited.

6. Outdoor use of welding and cutting torch devices is prohibited.

7. Use of tracer rounds or incendiary targets for all shooting activities in the county is prohibited.

What we’ve been reading and watching

(Click on any title to read the article.)

Colorado has a wild horse problem. Could its expanded birth control darting program be a model for the West?

“Nationwide, more wild horses are now held in federal facilities than are free-roaming in the West… The costs of keeping those horses off the range eats up two-thirds of the BLM’s spending, leaving little money to address the underlying issue. More than 60,000 horses sit in holding facilities, which cost taxpayers more than $100 million a year."

Aspen area included in 'release zone' for wolverine reintroduction

“The “central zone” will cover Aspen to Gunnison. The other two general release zones that have been identified are the “northern zone,” including the areas near Rocky Mountain National Park, and the “southern zone,” including the San Juans between Montrose and Durango."

Meet a Colorado Range Rider - Shelby Neiberger

Nice reporting by Steamboat Radio, showing what a range rider does through the eyes of an individual range rider, Shelby Neiberger.

Evacuated South Routt residents breathe easier after ‘phenomenal’ response to Crosho Fire

“Rain fell across the Flat Tops Friday afternoon, along with a collective sigh of relief from the South Routt community that spent a harrowing week in the clutches of the Crosho Fire."

Quote of the Day

DONATE TO KEEP ROUTT WILD

If you would like to support Keep Routt Wild and its efforts to save Routt County’s wildlife and wild spaces, please donate at the link below.

For more information about Keep Routt Wild, please visit our website, Facebook page, and Instagram feed. Our Facebook page has nearly daily updates on news related to local wildlife and conservation. You can sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our home page at our website.