A local landmark will go beneath the blade in coming weeks. The Bureau of Land Management will kick off its effort to mitigate wildfire hazard on Animas Mountain in late June.

Following a mandate from the National Fire Plan, San Juan National Forest and BLM lands in the vicinity of Durango have been aggressively treated in recent years. The local agencies use three approaches to curbing fire threat – prescribed burning, hand thinning and hydromowing, where a large spinning drum with carbide teeth shreds small trees and brush. Hydromowing has been used extensively in the Grandview Ridge, Hermosa Creek and Hidden Valley areas but drawn mixed public reactions after each application.

Early in 2007, the BLM announced that Animas Mountain – one of Durango’s most popular recreation areas for hiking, biking and climbing – would be the next area to go beneath the hydromower blade. The resource, which is part Durango City Park but predominantly BLM land, is also surrounded on three sides by homes and was identified in the La Plata County Community Fire Plan as an area of high concern and risk.

The BLM’s original plan entailed treating the mountain’s 1,900 acres with hydromowing and building a road over a large piece of the trail. This incited strong public reactions and made for one the great local controversies of 2007.

This April, the BLM offered a new approach to thinning Animas. Responding to dozens of concerns, the agency unveiled its “mini-mower” alternative, which proposes pairing a smaller hydromower with hand-thinning. Under the new plan, only minor trail maintenance will be needed, and no closures will be implemented. Reactions to the new Animas Mountain plan have been positive and as a result the agency is about to begin work with the kinder, gentler approach.

“Our goal is to reduce the risk of wildfire to these public lands and adjacent private property for the long term, while mitigating short-term adverse effects to recreation and natural resources,” said Matt Janowiak, Columbine BLM Field Office Manager.A Veterans Green Corps crew will begin hand thinning the parcel behind Sailing Hawks Subdivision this month. A mini mower and hand crews will be working on the top of the mountain beginning in July and running through the fall. The goal of the project is to remove smaller trees and shrubs, while leaving older trees intact.

In addition, several mitigation measures will be implemented to lighten the impacts of the project on trail users and neighbors. Trail and area closures will be staggered during project implementation; ATVs, chainsaws and other equipment will not be operated before 7 a.m. or after 6 p.m. weekdays, and no work will take place on weekends or holidays; and there will be no changes to the existing trail network on Animas Mountain. Any impacted trail will be restored to a condition similar to what it was prior to project activities. In addition, areas adjacent to trails will be thinned by hand to leave a visual buffer.

Pride of the West secures $1M investor

Hardrock mining took a million dollar step back into the San Juan Mountains last week. Colorado Goldfields Inc. has announced a $1 million investor in its quest to reactivate the Pride of the West Mill.

In early May, San Juan County commissioners unanimously endorsed Colorado Goldfields’ plans to reopen the Pride of the West Mill in Howardsville, a few miles north of Silverton. The Lakewood-based Colorado Goldfields bought the 120-acre property in 2007 from Tusco, and plans to refine 700 tons of ore per day at the currently retired facility. If it opens, the mill would be the only ore-processing plant in Southwest Colorado and the Four Corners region.

Gaining the new funding source marks a major step toward reopening the Pride of the West, according to Stephen Guyer,

Colorado Goldfields says dozens of small mines in the region have expressed interest in using the mill for processing. The company is also involved in mineral exploration of its own throughout the region and signed a lease with option to buy the Brooklyn Mine last November. Colorado Goldfields expects the mill to be a big economic driver for Silverton and for its shareholders.

“Assuming approximately $750,000 in new funding to re-activate the mill, toll milling will generate $6 million in gross revenue over the next 24 months,” Guyer said. “During that time, exploration and development of the company’s own mines will continue, and subject to additional development capital, the company will begin milling its own ore in June 2011.”

Ride the Rockies returning to town

Thousands of bikes and cyclists will roll into Durango this week and next. The 25th annual Ride the Rockies lands in town June 16, and the Race Across America pays its annual visit to Durango beginning this weekend.

For Ride the Rockies, Durango will host more than 2,000 cyclists next Wednesday for a one-night stay as they continue on their seven-day, 540-mile tour. Other host communities include Grand Junction, Ouray, Delta, Pagosa Springs, Alamosa and Salida.

“This is the eighth year that Durango has graciously embraced our tour. It’s become one of the more popular destinations of our cyclists because of the many great restaurants, boutiques and people,” said Chandler Smith, tour director.

Another group of riders will be taking a less leisurely route through Durango in coming days. Beginning June 12, competitors in the Race Across America and Race Across the West will pass through Durango city limits. The racers left Oceanside, Calif., beginning June 8 and are racing their way across the nation to Annapolis, Md.

In all, successful RAAM competitors will climb more than 109,000 vertical feet, cross 14 states and pedal 3,047 miles.

Sleep-deprived and struggling racers will be in the Four Corners region after crossing California’s Coast Range and making their way through the Mojave and Painted deserts. The 2010 route will make for a seventh Durango stopover as well as a seventh visit to “RAAM’s classic trio of mammoth passes.” From Durango, cyclists will tackle Wolf Creek, La Veta and Cuchara passes before rolling into the windy plains of Kansas.

Film fest kicks of Animas River Days

Animas River Days jumps onto the silver screen this week. The annual celebration of the river kicks off Friday with the Reel Paddling Film Festival at the Smiley Building Theater. River Days runs throughout the weekend, showcasing a variety of events.

The Reel Paddling Film Festival is an international film tour presenting the world’s best whitewater and sea kayaking action and lifestyle films of the year. With six separate offerings, audiences can expect everything from hairy whitewater action and international river travel to sea kayaking on remote coastlines and comedic shorts.

The festival gets under way at 7 p.m. on June 11, and tickets are available at Maria’s Bookshop, 4 Corners Riversports and at the door.

The following day, Animas River Days continues with downriver and slalom races, the annual river parade, an Animas clean-up, a variety of dog contests, BBQs, concerts and more. For details, visit www.animasriverdays.org.

– Will Sands