The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Need a really wet spring to make up for poor snowpack
By Mark Reaman
To say it is has been an unusually dry winter would be an understatement. The dearth of snow this ski season certainly impacted the trails Crested Butte Mountain Resort could open and the number of guests it was able to attract, especially after last season’s epic snowfall. But the effects are not just immediate. Summer will feel the ramifications of a low snow year as well.
The danger of wildfire is almost always a summer concern in the county and, given the current snowpack, wildfire is already on the radar for those who must deal with the threat.
“We usually start meeting in late March to discuss the upcoming wildfire season but we have already held meetings because of the lack of good snowpack,” explained Gunnison Basin Wildfire Council chairperson Dennis Spritzer. “We want to know what resources we have and who will be here in the spring. We have seen low snow years in the past but this one ranks among the lowest for sure. It is unusual for us.”
The local wildfire council is comprised of emergency management personnel from throughout the county. They typically monitor conditions and communicate about availability of resources and changing situations in different parts of the county.
According to statistics on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service website, as of March 12, the Gunnison Basin was at about 54 percent of normal median snowpack. It is at about 40 percent of last year’s snowpack measured at the same time.
From a snowpack perspective, Colorado Snow Survey supervisor Brian Domonkos of the U.S.D.A. said, “Greater than 200 percent of normal snowfall through the end of April would be necessary to overcome current deficits.”
That is a difficult mark to reach through two straight months following some of the driest periods on record, Domonkos noted in a press release.
“We have had dry winters before and then been fortunate to have wet springs and summer monsoons to go with them,” said Spritzer. “These conditions are definitely a concern for all of us with the upcoming potential but it is still a question mark. We will just have to wait and see what it brings. We met with a meteorologist last week and he wasn’t able to give us a lot of information, but he said there was some hope for good summer monsoons.”
While it is too early to make decisions on fire restrictions, they are being discussed. “We are looking at spring, April and May, and if things don’t change we could implement some stage 1 restrictions early,” said Spritzer. “I have heard that some people are trying to get their spring burns done now while we have some moisture on the ground. That’s not a bad idea. And it is not just us. I’m sure the ranchers are worried about moisture as they start to think about hay. The jet stream is just not working with us so we need to keep a close eye on it and we are preparing early. It all remains to be seen but we are preparing.”
