September 20th volunteer effort for wet meadow restoration project in California Park.

A big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who came out to aid the US Forest in restoring wet meadows in the Armstrong Creek drainage of California Park, an area in Routt National Forest north of Hayden.

USFS wildlife biologist Missy Dressen had promised, “A day in California Park is like nothing better. I can guarantee beautiful scenery, wildlife, and lots of hard work that bring satisfaction that no one should miss.” Missy was right on target! We had a beautiful day, and saw elk, cranes, deer, and pronghorn on the way to the restoration site.

We spent the day building “Zeedyk” structures in erosion-driven culverts. Zeedyk structures are low profile, hand-built treatments made of rock intended to restore hydrologic and ecological function of wet meadows and small streams impacted by head-cutting, gully erosion, and channel incision. The structures help to slow and disperse water, dissipate energy, capture sediment, and increase soil moisture thereby promoting mesic and wetland plant species expansion that prevents further degradation and fosters channel recovery. Fourteen structures were built that day.

This is the beginning of Keep Routt Wild building a volunteer organization addressing conservation projects in Routt County. We enjoyed the camaraderie with the Forest Service employees who oversaw the projects and pitched in, and we look forward to further collaboration with the Forest Service. Send us an email if you wish to be on future volunteer lists at keeprouttwild@gmail.com

10 Questions, and their responses, for Routt County Commissioner candidates.

Where do the two Routt County Commissioner candidates, Sonja Macys and Kathi Meyer, stand on conservation issues? We asked them! Read their 10 responses to questions ranging from Referendum 1A to wolves here or click on the image below.

We don’t endorse candidates for office. That said, we are grateful for the thoughtful responses from both candidates. To our knowledge this is the first published Q&A for this election. This is all part of our mission of promoting conservation through education and engagement. The candidates spent considerable time crafting their responses- give it a read!

Keep Routt Wild endorses Routt County Referendum 1A

While we don’t endorse candidates, we have chosen to endorse Routt County Referendum 1A, the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program. The PDR program has a proven track record of conserving Routt County water, land, and wildlife at a very affordable price. We think the taxpayers should reauthorize it. Read about it at the links below:

https://yesforwaterwildlifeworkingranches.com

https://www.steamboatpilot.com/news/column-vote-yes-for-measure-1a-to-conserve-routt-countys-water-wildlife-working-ranches/

https://mailchi.mp/bda0c64aee39/vote-yes-on-1a-conserve-water-wildlife-working-ranches?e=24f1d38710

Denver Post: “Colorado’s world-class elk herd in bull’s-eye of outdoor recreation boom, report warns”

“Elk seem particularly like a canary in a coal mine for trail-based disturbance. They seem particularly sensitive to trail use,” said Holst, a wildlife biologist formerly with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

“If we didn’t have this iconic, world-renowned resource, we’ve lost something, something that makes Colorado Colorado.”

That’s just a few of the gems in an excellent front page article by Denver Post reporter Judith Kohler. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) spearheaded a trail disturbance study of the entire state of Colorado and found that nearly 40% of current elk habitat is being impacted by trail-based recreation. We independently reviewed the TRCP methodology and found it valid. In fact, the study’s trail disturbance distances match our own to the meter. We are happy to see a scientific consensus forming about how industrial strength recreation is impacting elk habitat.

This study further confirms what we’ve been saying about the proposed Mad Rabbit Trails Proposal. Many species are sensitive to trail-based recreation, and new trail-based recreation should be located at already disturbed areas, and not in sensitive habitat, such as elk calving areas and summer range, as would be the case in the 2019 Mad Rabbit proposal. Speaking of Mad Rabbit, we’ve learned that the draft Environmental Assessment will be released soon for public comment. We’ll be releasing a special edition of the Keep Routt Wild newsletter when that happens.

You can read the Denver Post story here:

https://www.denverpost.com/2022/10/04/colorado-elk-herd-outdoor-recreation-mountain-biking/

Keep Routt Wild receives Yampa Valley Community Foundation grant

We are grateful to have received a grant from Yampa Valley Community Foundation for $6375!

Our first purchase with the grant money is a KRW tent, which you can see in the top story above. We claim to deliver the best conservation value per dollar in Routt County, and it’s great to see YVCF increase the grant amount from last year. Last year we funded educational outreach and a study on trail-based recreation’s impact to elk and elk habitat, a prelude to TRCP’s statewide study.

You too can help preserve wildlife and wild places in Routt County by donating to Keep Routt Wild. Visit our Donations page here:
https://www.keeprouttwild.com/donate

Keep Routt Wild hats now available!

Show your support for Routt County’s wildlife and wild places by wearing one of our new cool Keep Routt Wild hats! They are $25 each and come in different colors. Contact KRW Board member Cedar Beauregard at cedarbeauregard@gmail.com or call him at (970) 879-0953.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: