Wilson Park set for road work

MEEKER I The White River National Forest will soon be conducting extensive road maintenance in and around the Wilson Park area on the Blanco Ranger District.
The road maintenance is in conjunction with the Butterfly and Burrell uranium mines restoration project and includes clearing roadside vegetation, removal and installation of culverts and roadbed reconditioning.
The work may begin as soon as Sept. 9 but not later than Sept. 16 and will be completed prior to first rifle season starting Oct. 11.
The area will remain open to the public. However, visitors could experience intermittent road closures for up to two hours. Specifically, the area affected will be forest road 250 from the forest boundary to Wilson Park and forest road 260 from Wilson Park south approximately 1-1/2 miles.
The road work is necessary to facilitate large trucks and heavy equipment that will need to access the Butterfly and Burrell mine sites next summer, when restoration of the site begins.
“In order to complete the restoration of the Butterfly/Burrell mine site in one field season, reconditioning of the road needs to happen this fall,” said Blanco District Ranger Ken Coffin. “I realize this is a popular destination for many visitors. By completing the road work this fall, we hope to limit the overall impact to visitors to this fall and next summer. In the end, we will have a much better road into Wilson Park.”
Restoration of the mine is in partnership with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety and the White River National Forest. Beginning in June of 2014, crews will re-contour tailings piles and establish a vegetative cap to halt erosion.
Please contact the Blanco Ranger District at 970-878-4039 for further information.