Briefs County

Keeping the passes passable
The county has begun maintenance on Kebler Pass and Cottonwood Pass in preparation for the summer travel season. According to Marlene Crosby, public works director, gravel hauling on Kebler began this week and crews will begin putting down mag chloride on Tuesday, June 11. Drivers should expect to run into crews the following Wednesday and Thursday, as well as Tuesday, June 18 through Friday, June 21.
After that, the county will shift its attention to Cottonwood Pass during the last week of June. Crews will begin putting down mag chloride on Tuesday, June 25 with a short break at the end of the week for the Bicycle Tour of Colorado. Crosby expects work to be completed in time for the Fourth of July holiday.

Cleaning up Gothic… on paper
The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) got approval from the county commissioners this week to vacate certain streets and alleys as well as blocks and lots within the town site of Gothic. The sites are owned by RMBL.
“None of them are actually in place,” explained attorney Jim Starr at a public hearing on Tuesday, June 4. “What has evolved over the years is driveways and other entryways to the buildings that exist as opposed to the streets and alleys [on the plat].”
This becomes a problem as RMBL conducts ongoing expansion, which included a new research center last summer and will also include the relocation of other buildings. With the streets and alleys in place, RMBL needs to follow specific setbacks for roads that don’t exist.
“In order for RMBL to do most effective expansion they can within the property they own, the plan here is to vacate those streets and alleys as well as lots and blocks,” Starr explained.
He added that RMBL had also arranged a land swap with Lee and Polly Spann, who have an inholding within RMBL property. “In order to provide them with access and at the same time vacate the streets and alleys that now legally give them access but don’t exist, we have agreed with the Spanns to do a land exchange,” Starr said.
In addition to passing a resolution in support of vacating the streets, alleys, blocks and lots, the commissioners also passed a resolution exempting RMBL and the Spanns from going through a full subdivision process in order to complete the land swap.
One additional public hearing will be held to vacate streets and alleys and lots and blocks on a small portion of Gothic that is not owned by RMBL and was not included in the public notice for Tuesday’s public hearing.

Drones for science?
Gunnison resident Butch Clark went before the county commissioners on Tuesday, June 4 to suggest the county consider using drones to monitor the Gunnison sage grouse population.
In other parts of the state, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is using drones (much smaller and less expensive than those used by the military) to monitor wildlife. Drones have been used in Summit County and Monte Vista. In the latter, they helped CPAW monitor sand hill cranes.
Commissioner Paula Swenson said she has a lunch coming up with the CPAW commissioners, which would be a good time to bring up that idea and see whether there might be a way to use drones to study sage grouse populations.