Piñon Ridge site plan up for public comment
The controversial Piñon Ridge uranium mill is churning ever closer to a reality. Last week, the mill's parent company, Energy Fuels, released its site and decommission funding plan as per the state permitting process. The public now has until Sept. 13 to submit comments to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment on the plans. If approved, the mill could begin operation as soon as 2017.

The mill, which would be sited on 880 acres in the Paradox Valley, 12 miles west of Naturita, was sent back to the drawing board last year when a  judge ruled proper public process had not been followed in permitting the mill. However, that was laid to rest last April, when the CDPHE re-issued Energy Fuels its radioactive materials license.

The proposed site plans call for a mill facility, administration building, ore stockpile pads, tailings cells, evaporation ponds and surface water control features. The mill would employ about 85 people and process up to 500 tons of uranium and vanadium ore every day, around the clock. If approved, construction is planned for 2016-17.

The other major piece of the proposal is the funding plan for decommissioning, or reclaiming, the plant when it closes. Such an insurance policy is required by the state, and Energy Fuels says it plans to fund it with a $15 million bond. The bond will cover the cost of decontamination; dewatering the tailings impoundment; an impoundment cover; demolition of the mill and ore pad; decommissioning the evaporation ponds; a radon barrier; and site grading, topsoil replacement and revegetation.

This comment period is the latest chapter for the contentious mill, which is supported by nearby communities, where it would presumably bring jobs. It has been vehemently opposed by Telluride-based Sheep Mountain Alliance as well as the towns of Telluride and Ophir out of concerns over the amount of water the mill would require in an area already grappling with drought. There are also fears of a return to uranium's toxic past – Piñon Ridge is the first uranium mill proposed in the United states in more than 30 years.

“There’s never been a uranium mill in Colorado that has been operated and cleaned up without problems,” said Jennifer Thurston with Sheep Mountain Alliance. “We have deep concerns about how the Colorado Deptartment of Public Health and Environment regulates uranium mills.”
To view the documents, go to www.colorado.gov and search "CDPHE and Energy Fuels."

Volunteers needed to look out for pika
It may look like a cute, cuddly little critter, but the tiny pika is a big bellwether for climate change.

Extremely susceptible to warm temperatures – pikas can die with even just brief exposure to temperatures above 78 degrees – pika typically live at elevations over 10,000 feet where the winters are cold and snowy, and summers are cool. However, as the earth warms, the small animals, who are actually members of the rabbit family, are running out of altitude.

Although there are 30 species of pika in the world, there is just one species in Colorado: the American pika. Not only have some populations of American pika disappeared in the West (seven of 25 populations in the Great Basin), but those that remain are moving farther and farther up in elevation.  In 2009, pikas were considered for endangered species status by the U.S .Fish and Wildlife Service. In the end, they were not listed, although USFWS did find that "climate change is a potential threat to the long-term survival of the American pika."

In order to better gauge the plight of the pika, Silverton's nonprofit, Mountain Studies Institute (MSI), has teamed up with several other organizations, including the University of Denver, to put together PikaNET. The goal of the citizen-driven science program is to help determine the status of the pika in the southern Rocky Mountains. With this program, citizens are trained to spot pika, pika sign (such as hay piles and scat) and the vegetation found near pika. The information gleaned in the field will then be sent to researchers and land managers. There are two upcoming trainings for PikaNET participants: Aug. 25 in Silverton and Sept. 7 in Telluride.

For more information, contact Adrienne Antonsen at MSI at vista@mountainstudies.org or 970-387-5161 or visit the MSI PikaNET page at mountainstudies.org.

Church offers free back-to-school duds
Durango's Faith Community Church of the Nazarene will once again be holding a back to school clothing giveaway for local families. The event will take place from 3 - 6 p.m. Sat., Aug. 17 at the church, located at 1400 Highway 172, about a mile south of Elmore's Corner. The church will have racks of clothes for people to choose from, and the event is open to anyone, no questions asked.

The event is part of the church's ongoing clothing program, "Twice Blessed Clothing," which provides clothes year round.
"Around this time, people really need school clothes, and we have plenty to share," says Twice Blessed Director Bea Foster. "We have clothes for kids of all sizes. This community has been so generous with giving us clothes, and it's great to see them put to good use."
For more information, contact Karen Lemke at 946-2527.

Chipper rebates through FireWise
FireWise of Southwest Colorado has announced a wood chipper rental rebate program for residents needing to reduce the slash from wildfire-fuels mitigation on private lands in La Plata and Archuleta counties. The program will reimburse residents the lesser of $100/day or 50 percent of the chipper rental cost or the cost to have a mitigation company provide the chipping services.

The program is valid through September 30 or until funds are expended. For more information or to request an application in La Plata County, call Pam at 385-8909 or e-mail swcoloradofirewise@gmail.com.

– Missy Votel