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Data dashboard: Lake Powell’s water levels down, Roaring Fork snowpack is up
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin reached an average of 13.4 inches of snow-water equivalent per site on March 3, or 100% of median. That’s up from 12.2 inches on Feb. 25 and from 96% of median, according to NRCS.
Data dashboard: Swinging air temperatures
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin reached an average of 12.2 inches of snow-water equivalent per site on Feb. 25, or 96% of median. That’s up from 11.8 inches on Feb. 18 but down from 102% of median, according to NRCS.
SkiCo closes Hero’s ski area boundary, impacting backcountry access
Aspen Skiing Co. has closed the operating boundary around the skier’s right and bottom portion of the new Hero’s terrain on Aspen Mountain, in a departure from its preexisting open-boundary policy in place with few exceptions across its four local ski areas. The move to close the boundary,...
Pitkin County exploring concern that Shoshone deal could harm Roaring Fork
An historic deal to put a senior water right in the hands of the Colorado River Water Conservation District has been celebrated as a victory for the Western Slope. But Pitkin County officials say there’s a chance it could harm the upper Roaring Fork River. In December, the Glenwood...
Data dashboard: January occupancy influenced by global economy
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Paid occupancy in Aspen reached 69.3% in January, down from 79.3% last year. Snowmass recorded 72% paid occupancy, down from 2023’s 73.1%, according to the January 2023 occupancy report for Aspen and Snowmass lodges, compiled by local tourism officials and reservations tracking firm Destimetrics. January occupancy reached 71.6% for the two towns combined this year, down from 76.1% last year.
Auction of Colorado River water nets $4.7 million
LONGMONT — Longmont dairy farmer Jim Docheff has been in the dairy business for all of his 88 years, and his son Joe grows the corn and alfalfa for the dairy cows on the farm east of the city. On Wednesday, Docheff acquired six units of Colorado River water to use on his family farm by outbidding other would-be buyers in a water auction.
Data dashboard: Roaring Fork basin snowpack still close to normal
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin reached an average of 10.9 inches of snow-water equivalent per site on Feb. 11, or 103% of median. That’s up from 10.1 inches on Feb. 4, according to NRCS.
The battle for the Aspen Idea: Community or commodity?
“Aspen is caught between two competing triads: The Platonic – representing the good, the true and the beautiful; and the Machiavellian – representing money, fame and power.”. – Mortimer Adler, resident philosopher of the Aspen Institute. When Elizabeth Paepcke (1902-1994), in her final years, reflected on the Aspen...
Colorado Springs agrees to give up water rights for Summit County reservoirs
Colorado Springs has agreed to give up water rights tied to reservoirs in the Blue River basin in exchange for the ability to expand Montgomery Reservoir on the east side of the Continental Divide without opposition from Western Slope entities. Colorado Springs Utilities had been fighting in water court since...
Data dashboard: Weekend winter storm boosts snowpack
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Roaring Fork basin snowpack gained an inch over the weekend. This weekend’s snowstorm boosted snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin reaching an average of 10.1 inches of snow-water equivalent per site on Feb. 4, or 102% of median. That’s up from 9.2 inches on Feb. 2 and 9 inches on Jan. 28, according to NRCS, as snowpack had remained unchanged since last Monday.
Presentation details Lincoln Creek contamination but solutions unclear
Presenters at a public meeting Thursday about contamination on Lincoln Creek hosted by agencies that oversee water quality offered a lot of information, but few solutions yet to the problem. The meeting, held at the Rocky Mountain Institute in Basalt, featured the results of water quality sampling and presentations from...
Post-war rise of skiing and culture creates both opportunity and rift
Editor’s note: A thorough examination of the evolution of the Aspen community requires the division of five historic epochs: the Utes, silver mining, the Quiet Years, culture and skiing, and the age of affluence. As a subset of the “In search of community” series from Aspen Journalism and Paul Andersen, we examine this progression in a four-part story “Aspen’s embattled community.” This is the third part, looking at the post-war rise of skiing and culture. Read other stories in the series here.
Pitkin County moving to place a cap on exterior energy use
Pitkin County is poised to limit the exterior energy use of new homes to help meet its climate-action goals. The Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on Dec. 6 approved on first reading a package of code amendments that place a cap on exterior energy use at 200 million British thermal units (Btu) per year and per parcel and implement new “electric-ready” requirements.
Bill limiting nonfunctional turf planting clears Colorado Senate
This story was produced as a collaboration between Big Pivots and Aspen Journalism — two nonprofit news organizations covering Colorado’s water. It follows a five-part series that examined the intersection of water and urban landscapes in Colorado. Colorado legislators in 2022 passed a bill that delivered $2 million...
Company drops bid for Thompson Creek reservoir water rights
A company with ties to oil shale development in western Colorado has dropped its attempt to maintain water rights for a proposed reservoir on Thompson Creek. Puckett Land Co. on Jan. 26 filed a motion to dismiss its diligence application for conditional water rights that date to 1966 and are associated with the construction of a 23,983-acre-foot reservoir on Thompson Creek, a tributary of the Crystal River just south of Carbondale. Later that day, a water court judge signed off on the motion, meaning the water rights have now been abandoned.
Data dashboard: Lake Powell’s water levels are slowing dropping but remain higher than last year
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Roaring Fork basin snowpack has been constant since last week. Snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin reached an average of 9 inches of snow-water equivalent per site on Jan. 28, or 100% of median. That’s the same as Jan. 21, according to NRCS.
Data dashboard: Snowstorms boost snowpack
Aspen Journalism is compiling a data dashboard highlighting metrics of local public interest, updated weekly. Recent snowstorms boosted snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin, reaching an average of 9 inches of snow-water equivalent per site on Jan. 21, or 107% of median. That’s up from 7.3 inches on Jan. 14, according to NRCS.
During Aspen’s Quiet Years, a challenged but cohesive community takes hold
“As the heartbeat of silver mining slowed and then stopped, the lifeblood of the city ceased to circulate,” wrote Malcolm Rohrbough in “Aspen: The History of a Silver Mining Town,” of how the silver crash of 1893 induced a community coma. “One day the mines teemed with workers and the streets with shoppers; a week later, both lay silent.”
Aspen’s embattled community first experienced by the Utes, then came the silver crash
Today’s hand-wringing over the lost soul or vanquished spirit of Aspen is nothing new. Such laments have echoed throughout every epoch in Aspen’s storied past. This doesn’t diminish the shared sense of loss felt by Aspenites when familiarity with what they love is eroded or erased. Rather, it reveals a continuum of attachment to a place and a time that has never been and never can be static.
Company with oil and gas interests seeking to keep rights alive for reservoir on Thompson Creek
A company with an interest in oil shale development in western Colorado is seeking to maintain its water rights associated with a proposed reservoir on Thompson Creek that would be located within an area proposed for oil and gas lease withdrawal. Puckett Land Co. is seeking to hold on to...
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Aspen Journalism is a local, nonprofit and investigative journalism organization in Aspen, Colorado. Our mission is to produce excellent journalism, as well-informed citizens make better decisions and journalism is key to a functioning democracy.
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