The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
By Katherine Nettles
Progress on local wildland urban interfaces
In an update from the West Region Wildfire Council last week, Gunnison County commissioners heard how wildland urban interface programs have been going in the valley and in Marble.
The vegetation management program kicked off last year and 27 landowners have enrolled in the program that provides technical assistance and financial assistance when possible; 968 acres have been treated throughout the county, and there are 16 planned treatments across another 148 acres. These include high-risk areas, such as Trapper’s Crossing and the Quartz Creek area.
The council identified 148 acres of vegetation management that needs funding for 2026, which will cost around $763,000.
Council members spoke to the severity of the risk Marble is facing with large swaths of forest in need of thinning, and emphasized that models show danger of a major fire in that area and there is risk to human life with limited egress. They said they have begun making site visits and sharing this message to begin addressing the risks there.
Free soup on Mondays
The Dilly Deli in Gunnison has begun offering free soup and sourdough to the community on Monday evenings this month, and intends to continue its offering of “Mutual Aid Mondays” all winter if possible. Commissioner Liz Smith drew attention to this development as another resource for those facing food insecurity due to the federal freeze on SNAP benefits. Everyone is welcome and they ask that you bring your own bowl; soup is served 5 to 7 p.m.
