County

Opinion: Club 20 endorses proposed rule

RBC I Club 20 urged U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to adopt and implement the “Colorado Roadless Rule” as originally submitted by former Governor Bill Ritter in 2008. The proposed rule and the exhaustive collaborative process which was employed to develop it represent a thoughtful example of a coordinated multiple use approach to federal land management. It represents a consensus recommendation for appropriate management of Colorado’s forests developed by a diverse group of people who best know and utilize these lands.
Even though the originally submitted plan includes numerous compromises to strike the appropriate balance between various public land uses and was scrutinized through multiple public comment periods, Secretary Vilsack directed the Forest Service to “analyze the potential of adding significantly to the number of acres receiving a higher level of protection than the 2001 rule.” As a result, the Colorado Roadless Rule proposal now includes 562,200 acres designated as “Upper Tier.” Upper Tier areas provide for a higher level of protection than the 2001 Roadless Rule. Exceptions in the 2001 Roadless Rule to allow tree-cutting, sale or removal for species habitat and for maintenance and restoration of ecosystem composition and structure, including the reduction of risk of uncharacteristic wildfire effect, are not applied to the Upper Tier in the proposal.
“Changes of this magnitude deserve proper public input, and the thousands who have participated in this process should not be dismissed so easily,” said Bonnie Petersen, Club 20 executive director. “Club 20 supports the adoption of the original proposal; if changes to the rule are to be made, then they should be made through a fully transparent process. Rules and regulations developed in a top-down approach often result in a number of unintended consequences; local professionals know their forests better than anyone and should be very involved in any decisions regarding the proper management of the lands they have responsibility for. Club 20 has longstanding policies that oppose top down decision making processes, especially when they have not been vetted to the public.”
Club 20 is concerned about the designation of more than one half million acres as “Upper Tier” for a number of reasons:
n The Upper Tier designation, for this number of acres, was not given full benefit of the public process; indeed it was added as an afterthought minimizing the efforts of thousands of people who spent thousands of hours developing the originally submitted proposal.
n Forest management decisions should be local; forest managers know their forests better than anyone. A top down tiered approach often does not take into consideration local issues and concerns related to specific properties.
n Given the fact that there are nearly four million acres of beetle-killed timber standing in our forests, catastrophic wildfires could alter our landscape for generations.
n Communities near forests with large beetle kill stands will be at risk physically and economically should a catastrophic wildfire break out; designated community protection zones may not be enough to save a community.
n There is no provision for mitigation to aid in habitat recovery or restoration of scenic view-sheds in upper tier areas which could leave nearby communities crippled economically for many years.
n The cost of fighting a forest fire where hazardous fuels are abundant is more expensive in terms of dollars as well as threatened and non-threatened species, potential erosion and other impacts to the land than properly maintaining a healthy forest ecosystem.
Public comments are being taken on the proposed Colorado Roadless Rule through July 14, 2011. Comments can be submitted to [email protected].

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
  • The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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  • It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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