Residents asked to turn in bear surveys
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is giving Durango-area residents a second chance to help bear researchers understand local attitudes toward black bears in order to better manage the animals.

In January, the agency mailed 5,800 surveys in and around Durango. So far, only about 1,400 have been returned, far short of the 50 percent return rate.  As a result, this week, a second mailing will be sent to households that didn’t complete the first survey. Those who have already filled out and mailed a survey should disregard the second mailing.

“Right now we’re sitting at about 26 percent,” said Stacy Lischka, a researcher with Parks and Wildlife. “We really want to have an accurate picture of how most people in the community feel about bears. It doesn’t matter if you’ve seen a bear or not, we want to get surveys back from everyone no matter what their experience has been.”

She said results from the survey will be used to guide future bear management plans.

Although she hasn’t started to compile the results yet, Lischka said some of the comments she’s read so far illustrate a desire to reduce bear-human encounters. “More than half of the surveys included extra comments, and it’s clear from those that bears are really important to people in Durango,” Lischka said. “People seem willing to take action to prevent conflicts with bears.”

The survey is part of a five-year Colorado Parks and Wildlife study on bears  in the Durango area. The overall goals are to: reduce bear-human interactions in an urban area; develop a better understanding of how urban areas affect bear populations; and improve techniques for estimating bear numbers and trends.

Last summer, researchers captured and collared 26 female bears and ear-tagged more than 40 to be trapped and collared this summer. Although the study is focused on Durango, researchers say results will provide insights on bears statewide.

The survey takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Return postage is included. The survey will arrive in an envelope emblazoned with the Parks and Wildlife logo and will be addressed to the property owner or current resident. Lischka requests that whoever is living at the property, including renters, complete the survey.

“Everyone’s opinion is important in this survey,” she said. “We want a representative cross-section of the Durango community.”
For more information about the survey, contact Lischka at (303) 291-7279. To learn more about bears, go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/LivingWithWildlife/Pages/LivingWith.aspx .

Million pipeline plan springs a leak
A controversial plan to siphon water from the Green River in northwestern Colorado to the Front Range may be dead in the water. Backed by Colorado entrepreneur Aaron Million, the Flaming Gorge Pipeline, aka the Million Pipeline, was rejected Feb. 23 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which was overseeing the permitting process.

The denial of the permit, which was submitted under Million’s Wyco Power and Water Co. was applauded by environmental groups as well as municipalities throughout Western Colorado and Utah. With an estimated $9 billion price tag, the project entailed a 500-mile pipeline with nine pumping stations sending water uphill across Wyoming to the Continental Divide before dropping into a reservoir near Pueblo. It would have diverted 200,000 acre feet of Colorado River Basin water a year, dewatering the Green River and potentially depriving downstream users.

Calling it one of “biggest, most environmentally damaging water projects in the history of the western United States,” environmental groups charged that the project would have devastated native fish and wildlife, and severely harmed the Colorado River’s habitat downstream.
“FERC made the right call,” said McCrystie Adams, Earthjustice staff attorney in Denver. “This proposal would have drained the Green River, placing local economies, recreation, fish and wildlife in jeopardy.”

Million initially sought a permit for his pipeline from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. However, in July 2011, the Corps dropped its review of the project because Million missed multiple deadlines and did not provide requested information. A few months later, Million tried a different route, repackaging the pipeline as a hydropower project, thus necessitating review through FERC.

However, a coalition of conservation groups from Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Arizona, the Colorado River Protection Coalition, intervened, calling upon FERC to deny the permit on numerous grounds. The coalition’s lead argument—and the one FERC cited in its decision—was that the project was first and foremost a water supply project requiring massive environmental review. The Coalition argued that approving the hydro project was premature, as the pipeline was unlikely to pass environmental scrutiny, namely the Endangered Species Act and U.S. Forest Service Roadless Rule.

For his part, Million said the latest decision is just a glitch in the convoluted federal permitting process. “We’ve had some discussion with FERC over the last several weeks and the underlying issue is they want additional information on routing and the timeline,” he told the Deseret News. “We will provide that over the next couple of weeks and move the process forward.”

Million also said the project is gaining investor interest with the recent $3 billion request for proposals to design, build, finance and operate the pipeline.

But opponents say it is unlikely the project will ever be approved. “This pipeline proposal is a complete waste of time and money as well as an environmental nightmare,” said Gary Wockner, coordinator for the Save the Colorado River campaign. “The State of Colorado should also stop wasting the public’s money on this scheme and focus instead on common-sense solutions, including water conservation and water-sharing agreements.”

Free tax help sessions available
Tax season is here again, but help is on the way. Over the next few weeks, the Internal Revenue Service will be offering free income tax advice  through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, or VITA. The individualized sessions take place Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., at the Adult Education Center, on the third floor of the Commons Building, 701 Camino del Rio.

The program is open to anyone, but participants are asked to make an appointment by calling 385-4354.

Senior citizens 60 years and older can also seek tax help through VITA on Mondays from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., at the Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave. Again, an appointment is required by calling 382-6445.

Participants must bring a photo ID, social security cards for anyone listed on their tax forms, their 2010 tax return, and all paperwork pertaining to taxes. If choosing to file jointly, both parties must be in attendance.

Some complex tax situations might be outside the scope of VITA. For additional information about the program, call 375-1870.

– Missy Votel and Tracy Chamberlin