Bears will wake up in Routt County soon.

The first bear to emerge from hibernation in Yellowstone was spotted March 7. This is a signal that it won’t be long until the first bears will be seen in Routt County.

When bears emerge from hibernation, they search for calories from any sources they can find. Unfortunately, that often means human sources – trash, pet food, bird feeders, and the like. This often makes them lose their natural fear of humans leading to human/bear conflicts. They are often relocated or euthanized when this occurs.

In order to keep our bears wild and alive, and our residents safe, we ask you to follow the bear-aware practices. Thank you!

Steamboat Parks and Rec could consider increasing number of outfitters renting tubes on the Yampa River

From the Pilot: “The Steamboat Springs Parks and Recreation Commission wants to have a larger conversation about outfitters on the Yampa River, potentially including other businesses being allowed to rent tubes on the river.”

“[Parks and Recreation Director Angela] Cosby recommended the commission not rush into significant policy changes ahead of this summer season and perhaps do a larger review of river policies later in the summer.”
Being cautious is well warranted. The Yampa River is a wonderful resource that is seeing the impacts of overuse. Our own informal poll, along with the robust set of comments under the Pilot article, shows the community is decidedly against the proposal.

Steamboat Resort bike park to completely open for first time since 2018

We reported this in February, but here is the recent Steamboat Pilot article confirming the bike park would open this summer. This is an appropriate location for this type of concentrated activity, and we support it, since the ski resort area is already highly disturbed. Furthermore, our understanding is that there are approximately 20 miles of approved trails yet to be constructed at the resort. Pursuing new trails within the resort boundary is much more environmentally sustainable than, let’s say, building trails through elk calving habitat and roadless areas. A policy of focusing new trail development in already disturbed areas is a best practice and shows that we can increase recreational opportunities while protecting wildlife and wild places.

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