Author: Jonathan Romeo
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New Colorado fire forces evacuations by helicopter of hikers at Ice Lake Basin
A new fire is forcing evacuations of more than a dozen hikers at one of the most popular hikes in southwestern Colorado, Ice Lake Basin, The Durango Herald reported Monday. The fire is estimated to be burning across 15 to 20 acres. As many as 18 hikers are to be airlifted from the nearly 9 mile-long…
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Coal-fired tourist trains converting to oil in Durango
DURANGO • The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has debuted its first locomotive that runs on oil, a more environmentally friendly fuel source that holds less fire risk than a traditional coal-burning engine. For the past two years, the D&SNG’s crews have worked to convert the No. 493, an early 1900s coal-burning locomotive, to…
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Animas River suffered 80% die-off after 416 Fire ash flows
Colorado wildlife officials have confirmed the fish population in the Animas River has been severely depleted by flooding and debris flows from the 416 Fire burn scar. The 416 Fire in 2018 scorched an estimated 54,000 acres of mostly U.S. Forest Service land in the Hermosa Creek watershed, historically one of the Animas River’s cleanest…
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Over 100 Durango properties could have radioactive waste
DURANGO — It turns out more than 100 properties in Durango were missed during a massive, multi-million dollar cleanup in the 1980s of radioactive waste that was once used for the construction of homes, buildings and roads. Now, more than three decades later, the state of Colorado’s health department says these hot spots that slipped…
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416 fire near Durango grows to nearly 26k acrees
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Multiple media sources Wednesday are reporting that the 416 fire has now burned 25,900 acres and is 15 percent contained. More than 900 firefighters are fighting the fire in rough and inaccessible terrain. In an…
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Backfires, fire lines and structure protection rule the day on 416 fire near Durango, Hermosa
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save DURANGO • San Juan National Forest is to close Tuesday for the first time ever, as the 416 fire continues to rage on the forest, along with the uncontained 1,000-acre Burro fire. The 416 fire…
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Is the Animas truly the ‘River of Lost Souls’?
DURANGO — By all historical accounts, there is no “River of Lost Souls” running through Durango. So how is it that over the years that’s become the adopted, dramatized name of the Animas River? “It’s just not a black and white issue,” said Robert McDaniel, a former director of the Animas Museum. “There’s been a…
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Silverton gets its first avalanche rescue dog in decades
SILVERTON — Meet Ed, Silverton avalanche rescue team’s first avalanche rescue dog in training in nearly five decades. With an increasing number of people taking to the backcountry, the addition of an avalanche rescue dog is considered a major aid in the event a skier without a beacon is caught in an avalanche. “Having a…
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Pine beetle poses new threat to additional Colorado forests
DURANGO — The forests of southwest Colorado may be facing yet another new and highly destructive threat: the pine beetle. “It’s not completely unexpected, but it’s worrisome,” said Gretchen Fitzgerald, a forester for the U.S. Forest Service’s Columbine District, which manages nearly 700,000 acres of the San Juan National Forest in La Plata and San…
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In fight to ward off bears, man builds ‘unwelcome mats’
DURANGO, Colo. — People spend thousands of dollars on home security systems to ward off would-be burglars, but as it turns out, it only takes a couple of tacks and some wood to do the same for curious bears. This year, human-bear conflicts have reached a sort of fever pitch. Poor human habits, such as…