Jackson Hole surges to 60,000 in summer

JACKSON, Wyo. – A study conducted on behalf of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance shows the population of Teton County triples during summer. Even that estimate may be low, say some seasoned local observers.

Using July 15, 2012, as the benchmark, the study found visitors outnumbered the full-time population of 21,675 people. Out-of-valley commuters, seasonal workers and part-time residents swelled the total number of people in Jackson Hole to more than 60,000. Jackson Hole is largely the same as Teton County.

The valley sees a far greater influx of visitors during summer than winter. Contributing to that summer surge is the proximity of two national parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

The Jackson Hole News&Guide explains that the $7,500 study was commissioned to help define what critical facilities should be provided for an acceptable level of service for the peak population.

Local analyst Jonathan Schechter said the study helps document why more government services are needed. “We get blasted by watchdog groups as having much bigger government than we need,” he said. “When the county population swells three times over during the summer, you need more cops, you need a bigger sewer system, you need more employees. You just need more stuff.”

New technology for slides and highways

EMPIRE – Enough of this World War I-style shelling of snow-laden slopes to bring down avalanches. The Colorado Department of Transportation wants to test a new system of triggering avalanches above highways already used in Europe plus three U.S. states.

C-DOT proposes to test a system called Gazes, which ignites propane and oxygen at the bottom of a galvanized 12-foot steel tube. The explosion is remotely detonated, creating a shockwave and initiating an avalanche.

The test site for this technology would be the Stanley Slide, which originates on the eponymously named peak along the Continental Divide above Berthoud Pass, about 45 miles west of Denver. The path slides during most winters, endangering cars and trucks on Highway 40, which goes to Winter Park and other destinations.

To reduce the risk, state crews since World War II have used artillery, firing shells into the start zones of the path. This same technique is also used on Loveland, McClure and many other passes in Colorado. Shells don’t always detonate, however, even if they do, debris remains.

The new technology could be set off remotely – assuming traffic had been stopped and backcountry travelers warned, notes the Sky-Hi Daily News. State highway officials say they believe the technology could result in more, smaller avalanches and fewer avalanches that reach the road, blocking traffic.
 

Groundswell lacking for secessionist vote

HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS – The secessionist movement that has some rural counties of Colorado talking about forming a 51st state seems to be lacking a groundswell of support in Grand County.

Located at the headwaters of the Colorado River, the county includes Winter Park and Grand Lake and several other ranching-dominated towns. Some residents are aggrieved that they are forced to share representation in the Colorado State Senate with Boulder County. If physically proximate, the two counties are separated by the giant wall of the Continental Divide. Further, they tend to be polar opposites in political philosophies.

However, county commissioners failed to hear a “groundswell” of discontent at a recent meeting. Failing further evidence in that regard, the commissioners will likely let the matter drop, reports the Sky-Hi Daily News.

Folk Festival diverts 94 percent of landfill waste

CANMORE, Alberta – Since 2008, the Canmore Folk Music Festival has aimed to divert more than 80 percent of waste from the landfill. This year’s festival reached a new benchmark, hitting 94 percent diversion. Eliminating bottled water sales helped, organizers of the Toward Zero Waste Initiative say, as did the active efforts of the 52 volunteers. They also tell the Rocky Mountain Outlook that working with vendors was crucial to hitting the higher mark, as food vendors are eliminating throwaway packaging.

 

A birthday ritual of leaping into thin air

WHITEFISH, Mont. – Age doesn't matter, says Giselle “Jessie” Harring, a retired microbiologist who has hardly retired from adventurous pursuits. Five years ago, she began leaping from airplanes at 20,000 feet to celebrate her birthday.

This year, she continued that tradition in the company of her two grandsons. She’s 90.

Harring was in an 8,000-foot freefall for nearly a minute before the parachute was deployed. She described that first minute as a “bit hairy.” After that, “It’s just beautiful. It’s heaven.”

 

Uranium warriors of Cold War gather

URAVAN – Little other than a historical marker remains to indicate the presence of Uravan, a company town once located along the banks of the Dolores River. This is in the canyon country between Telluride and Moab.

The hamlet existed for a few decades, flourishing after World War II as the United States scrambled to build a stock of uranium for creation of nuclear weaponry and, it was hoped, a host of peaceful uses.

The town was abandoned in 1986 and the site reclaimed. But every Labor Day, according to The Telluride Watch, 500 to 600 people gather to celebrate what once was. The event is co-hosted by the Rimrocker Historical Society and the Cold War Patriots.

 

Ketchum tries to return to normal

HAILEY, Idaho – After nearly a month of fire and smoke, the Beaver Creek Fire that burned 111,000 acres and forced 5,000 people to be evacuated from homes in the Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley areas is now extinguished.

Even before the last hot spots were put out, Ketchum had determined to return to life as normal, as best it could. A tradition of Labor Day weekend since 1975 is an event called Wagon Days, which celebrates the mining history of Ketchum. Those old ore wagons from 1890 rolled once again.

Started by lightning, the fire burned for almost a month and cost $25 million to extinguish, most of which will be paid by the U.S. government. At the peak of operations, 1,800 firefighters were at the scene, aided by 12 helicopters and 6 planes.

The fire also cost the local economy. The Idaho Mountain Express reports that hotel occupancy dipped to 37 percent at the height of the fire, just half that of the same week during 2012.

Remarkably, just one house was destroyed, that being a million-dollar log house with a wood-shake roof. But firefighters saved 30 others in the same area of Greenhorn Gulch, aided by strips of lawn that were not amenable to spread of fire.

Mike Elle, the fire chief in Ketchum, told the Idaho Mountain Express that he will be “fighting tooth and nail” to get wood-shake roofs banned on new construction in Blaine County. Flammable roofs put firefighters in danger and slow their response to other homes.

Also in question are defensible space requirements. Blaine County has a $1,000-per-day fine for those who do not clear their yards of brush and other flammable materials for 30 feet away from their homes. But fire officials say they have little time to spend on enforcement.

 

Aspen studies winter outdoor markets

ASPEN – Can an outdoor winter market add zip to the winter in Aspen, especially during the weeks leading up to Christmas?

Nobody in Aspen seems to know, but the idea is intriguing enough to the City Council that it agreed to spend $3,500 to send a delegation of two people to study outdoor markets in Chicago, reports The Aspen Daily News.

Once in Chicago, the two Aspen representatives are to meet with representatives from the German/American Chamber of Commerce, which is the largest producer of “Kris Kringle” outdoor winter markets in the United States. Originating in Europe, the outdoor markets feature a combination of food and merchandise.

 

Aspen has much left in carbon reduction

ASPEN – In promulgating the Canary Initiative in 2005, Aspen had hoped to reduce the community’s carbon footprint by 11 percent by now. Instead, it has gone down only 6 percent.

But to get to a 30 percent reduction by 2020, as the plan specified, or 80 percent by 2050, giant steps must be taken in coming years. Now at the helm is Ashley Perl, the fourth director of the program in eight years.

Perl tells the Aspen Journalism Project that ground transportation, which was responsible for 43 percent of the city’s greenhouse gas output, must be tackled in a more substantive way. Electricity consumption was the second largest, at 28 percent.

“These are our two biggest pieces of the pie,” she said. “These are where we will put the majority of our time.”

Just how do you reduce ground transportation? Perl confesses to being overwhelmed. Already, the Aspen area has one of Colorado’s best public transit systems. Aspen also has car-share and bike-share programs.

As for reducing electrical consumption, the city’s municipal utility is already providing 70 to 80 percent of its power from renewable sources and expects to bump that up next year when it begins buying power from the Ridgway Dam, located near Telluride. The dam is currently being retrofitted with a hydroelectric generator.

 

We evict you, but we really don’t mean it

PARK CITY, Utah – Make what you will of this latest round of snarls in Park City. Vail Resorts has now served an eviction notice on Park City Mountain Resort effective Labor Day.

But no, we really don’t mean it, says Vail spokeswoman Kelly Ladyga. There is no intent, she said, “to take any action that would prevent PCMR’s ability to operate their resort during the 2013-14 season,” she said in a statement.

It’s a complicated legal case. Canada-based Talisker owns Canyons ski resort but also the bulk of land underneath the Park City Mountain Resort. PCMR had leased the former mining properties from Talisker since 2004, but the lease renewal in 2011 did not go smoothly. The dispute ended up in court.

Then Vail leased Talisker’s operations and, in so doing, took over the legal fight.

The Salt Lake Tribune explains that PCMR owns its base facilities and has stated in court documents that it invested $100 million in improvements in recent years with assurances that it could lease the ski acreage until at least 2051.

The lease specifies payment of $155,000 a year to Talisker, a figure originally set in the 1960s when Park City began skiing operations on the land. In contrast, explains the Tribune, Talisker pays the private company that owns the terrain where the Canyons is located $3 million annually. Talisker, in turn, now gets $25 million from Vail Resorts.

The Tribune also notes the obvious problems of this uncertainty just when ski resorts are trying to sell passes and reservations for winter months. Nathan Rafferty, the president of Ski Utah, a trade group, took a neutral stance but urged resolution. “I don’t think that there won’t be skiing on that mountain this winter, one way or the other. There’s too much at stake for that to be a realistic option.”

Mike Lindbloom, who owns a deli in Park City, said he’s not overly worried, but cautious. “It’s all lawyers, so who knows what’s going to happen.”

– Allen Best www.mountaintownnews.net