A half-dozen topics from VRBOs to the mine to special events

Based on a review of stated priorities, the Crested Butte Town Council has about a half dozen primary goals for 2015: shore up the town’s special event permitting process; develop affordable housing strategies; see how things such as short-term rentals like VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner) fit into the town mix; decide whether to try again for a sales tax increase earmarked for parks funding; decide whether or not to reach out to U.S. Energy concerning the proposed molybdenum mine on Mt. Emmons; develop an open space strategy; and develop overall integral strategic planning. Read More »

Daisy Mine and Gunsight next up for reclamation

Any day now the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition (CCWC) will receive final approval of its Upper Slate River Watershed Plan, a comprehensive document intended to guide efforts to improve local water quality.

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U.S. Energy Corp. announced Tuesday that the company’s president and COO Mark Larsen has notified the board of directors that he will retire, effective December 31, 2014.     Read More »

Too many hurdles to overcome…

U.S. Energy has withdrawn its application with the state to enter into a Voluntary Cleanup Plan (VCUP) at the old Keystone mine.
Doug Jamison, the Superfund/Brownfields unit leader of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), said that after looking at the water treatment situation with USE and considering the fact that contaminated water coming from the mine was currently being treated with a wastewater treatment plant on Mt. Emmons, the VCUP “might not have been the appropriate tool. There were a lot of hurdles to overcome and a lot more information was needed for the VCUP route.”

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Too many hurdles to overcome…

U.S. Energy has withdrawn its application with the state to enter into a Voluntary Cleanup Plan (VCUP) at the old Keystone mine

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LIC calls off protest

A decision by the High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA) to host a fundraising event at Eleven’s Scarp Ridge Lodge this Sunday has alienated some of its longtime members. In fact, a protest was scheduled to coincide with the event but that has been called off in deference to the speaker, renowned nature photographer John Fielder. Read More »

A conversation with the Crested Butte Land Trust

With opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, wildflower viewing and horseback riding in the summer, and Nordic skiing, backcountry skiing and snowshoeing in the winter, Snodgrass Mountain has long been a popular destination for visitors and residents to the upper valley. Yet, despite its accessibility and well-traveled trails, Snodgrass is not wholly public land. Use of large portions of the mountain by the public is at the discretion of the landowners, and in recent years access has been threatened by the possible development and sale of the private property.

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Local stakeholders ask: Is three years of monitoring enough?

U.S. Energy, the mining company with mineral rights beneath Mt. Emmons, submitted additional information to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) last week concerning its proposed VCUP (voluntary clean-up plan) for the old Keystone mine on Red Lady. The local stakeholders are reviewing the new proposal and will comment on the plan to the state by next month. No official timeline for comments and review has been established by the state but they hope to have a completed analysis in July.

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