Olivia Siegel Protecting wild places and wildlife, for their sake – and ours June 2013 PEOPLE POWER Citizen activists are following their passions to help save the Thompson Divide. JIM AND SHARILL HAWKINS Sharill got involved with the Thomp- son Divide issue three years ago, helping B&B owners galvanized by with a Thompson Divide Coalition study haul route threat Clay Hawkins Clay to establish the baseline quality of water or 16 years, Sharill and Jim Hawk- in area creeks and rivers prior to any Fins have owned and operated the drilling occurring. More recently, she Four Mile Creek Bed and Breakfast, a hit on the idea of using the Whimsical quiet slice of paradise halfway between Women of the West art show, which In this issue Glenwood Springs and Sunlight Ski she hosts at her property, as a way to Area. The Thompson Divide is literally help the cause, convincing her fellow A plan for Aspen's backyard 2 their backyard – and the potential haul artists to donate a portion of proceeds to route for drilling operations runs through Go wolverines 3 groups working to protect the Thompson the front yard. Divide. The December show benefited Wilderness proposals progress 4 The Hawkinses are the face of a tour- TDC, and the May show the Wilderness Suspension of disbelief 7 ism- and recreation-based local econo- Workshop. Do your thing for the my that would gain little from develop- Thompson Divide 9 ment of the Thompson Divide, and has LEA LINSE everything to lose. “Our business would A student leader finds her voice Skytruth or dare 10 basically be ruined,” says Jim. “As far as Lea Linse first heard about natural gas Remember the Roan 11 I’m concerned we’ve sacrificed one half leases in the Thompson Divide during Goodbye, Lone Ranger 12 of this county for energy exploration. We CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 Donor hall of fame 14 don’t need to sacrifice the other half.” Get ready for Naturalist Nights - see schedule, page 7 >> Summer events calendar 5 June 2013 | Wild Works 1 A PLAN FOR ASPEN’S BACKYARD f you live in the Roaring Fork Mountain Cooperative Plan began one that emphasizes letting natural I Valley, you’ve probably biked with the goal of saving the forest processes accomplish some of the or hiked up Smuggler Mountain or from a forecasted mountain pine plan’s goals.” into Hunter Creek and marveled at beetle outbreak. Fortunately, the Because no specific projects for how lucky Aspen is to have such an beetles never reached epidemic treating vegetation are listed in the incredible area so close to town. It’s levels in our diverse local forests; proposed plan, we’ve asked the rightly called “Aspen’s backyard.” recent surveys indicate the statewide Forest Service to solicit public com- ment and formally examine potential WW is pushing for a lighter touch on the environmental impacts as it moves ahead with future projects. Hunter Creek-Smuggler Mountain Plan. We’ve also called for an emphasis on trail quality over trail quantity. It Because of its proximity to Aspen, epidemic is over, and beetle activity just makes sense to prioritize limited its important wildlife habitat and has returned to endemic levels. management resources to maximize its recreational values, this area de- As a result, the plan now focuses the trail system we already have. The serves extra attention. Over the past on enhancing wildlife habitat and south side of Smuggler Mountain 18 months, the Forest Service, Aspen recreational use. The Forest Service (home of the illegally built Balcony Center for Environmental Studies, has begun an environmental as- Trail) should be preserved for its eco- Pitkin County and the City of Aspen sessment of the proposal, aiming to logical and wilderness values. This (with input from several stakeholder complete it in time to allow work area provides important bear and groups including WW) have gone to start this summer or fall. WW elk habitat, and Colorado Parks and through a cooperative planning pro- submitted comments in the initial Wildlife has specifically requested cess to develop a management plan “scoping” phase of the process in that there be no trails in this area. for this special area. mid-May. Thanks to all of you who Lastly, we’ve asked the Forest The Hunter Creek-Smuggler sent emails to the Forest Service sup- Service to minimize the use of me- porting our points. chanical treatments, (e.g., bulldozers Hunter Creek Cutoff “We think the and chainsaws), and instead to use plan has the poten- prescribed fire (where it can be done Smuggler Loop tial to do a lot of safely) or natural disturbances (such Smuggler Mountain Rd. good things for rec- as endemic levels of pine beetles) to reation and wildlife enhance forest diversity and improve habitat in the area, wildlife habitat. Balcony Trail but there are a few You gotta love the irony: a plan key ways it could whose original purpose was to com- be improved,” says bat pine beetles may end up em- WW’s Will Roush. bracing the bugs as a management “We’re pushing tool. Mother Nature is the original for a lighter touch, aikido master. ASPEN The illegally constructed Balcony Trail passes through high- value wildlife habitat, posing a challenge to recreation planning in the area. The Forest Service will evaluate whether a sustain- able trail alignment is possible. 2 Wild Works | June JUNE 2013 2012 GO WOLVERINES The iconic species may be heading for a comeback in Colorado. n February, the U.S. Fish and support for a reintroduction much redoubts for wolverines as their IWildlife Service announced its more likely. remaining habitat shrinks due to intention to list the wolverine as a Wolverines are a rare, wide- climate change. threatened species. The proposed ranging member of the weasel Wolverines historically lived in listing is an overdue recognition that family that thrive in remote alpine Colorado until the early 1900s, this iconic carnivore – much like the environments. They birth their young when they were eliminated by polar bear – stands to lose much of poisoning and trapping. In 2009, re- its habitat to climate change. searchers tracked M56, a lone male Fortunately, this action opens the wolverine, as he traveled 500 miles door for Colorado Parks and Wildlife from near Grand Teton National Park to restart discussions about reintro- into Colorado. He’s thought to be ducing wolverines into our state. the region’s first confirmed wolver- This is an exciting opportunity, and it ine in over 90 years. will be a priority for WW to assist in In 2010, CPW officials began this process in the coming years. Cameron Miller conversations with interested stake- We do have concerns about a The only known sighting of M56. holders about a wolverine reintro- provision of the listing that desig- duction program. However, discus- nates the Southern Rocky Mountains in dens dug deep into the snow just sions were put on hold pending a (Colorado, southern Wyoming and above treeline in February, and need decision by the federal Fish and northern New Mexico) as an experi- that snow to remain in place through Wildlife Service. February’s decision mental population area for wolver- mid-spring, when kits are weaned is key in allowing CPW to re-engage ines. But while this will limit the and can safely travel on their own. with stakeholders about the poten- protections given by the Endangered Colorado’s high-elevation islands tial for a wolverine reintroduction Species Act, it will make broad of snow could serve as important program. TREKWEST PITSTOP IN ASPEN ast fall, WW staff and board paddling from northern Mexico to Aspen on Saturday, July 6, and we’ll Lmembers were privileged to southern British Columbia to call host a public event with him at hold a retreat with Michael Soulé attention to the need for an interna- Hallam Lake that and John Davis, co-founders of the tional wildlife conservation corri- afternoon or eve- Wildlands Network. An illustri- dor. TrekWest, as this expedition is ning. Please make ous conservationist-explorer, John called, is highlighting the regional sure you’re on had recently completed TrekEast, a efforts of conservation organizations, our email list, and 7,600-mile human-powered jour- private landowners and others dedi- like our Facebook ney linking up the wildest and most cated to wildlife connectivity along page, to get the intact ecosystems from Florida to the “spine of the continent.” WW is details when we Quebec. pleased to be one of TrekWest’s col- announce them. Now John is performing a similar laborating organizations. feat in the West, hiking/biking/ John will be passing through John Davis sets off. Kim Vacariu June 2013 | Wild Works 3 WILDERNESS PROPOSALS PROGRESS etting new wilderness would Admiring the view Gbe a good deal simpler if we in the proposed had only one chamber of Congress Treasure Mountain (the Senate) to deal with. Both our addition to the Senators from Colorado are working Raggeds Wilderness, on proposals to make historic addi- one of the areas in tions to the wilderness acreage of Sen. Udall's Central Mountains our region, but efforts in the House proposal. are best described as mixed. While we can’t speak for Sen. Mark Udall, we can report that his Central Mountains Outdoor Samantha Pickard Heritage proposal is making steady Arkansas River; now that a Browns progress. This draft legislation, which Canyon bill is nearing introduction, would protect over 235,000 acres we’re hoping that a Central Moun- HOW YOU across Pitkin, Eagle and Summit tains bill might not be far behind.