Local science making a difference with latest technology

[  By Mark Reaman  ]

Major efforts are underway to monitor and measure the local snowpack which in turn could more efficiently manage the water produced from the winter snows that fall on the local mountains and valleys. Local scientists are involved in a broad program that could have impacts across the nation and the globe.

Four times this spring, local resident and Desert Research Institute scientist Rosemary Carroll will aid Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) field scientists, Alex Newman and Curtis Beutler. They will perform ground surveys as airplanes use high resolution lasers to measure the depth of the snowpack and snowpack reflectivity, or albedo. They will dig snow pits for detailed measurements of snow depth, hardness and density. In addition, they will look at snow grain size and shape and note any dust layers. The data helps determine the accuracy of the measurements conducted by the air.

“These airborne data collection efforts provide a map of our snowpack at high-spatial resolution from the mountain tops to the valley bottom. When ASO (Airborne Snow Observatory) is combined with ground surveys and snow observations over time at our snow telemetry (SNOTEL) network, we can better track our snowpack and manage our water resources,” Carroll explained. “As climate changes, stream water forecasting models built on historical precedence, are not able to adequately predict stream runoff. The ASO methodology has been shown effective in California for improving stream water forecasting. 

“We have used ASO in recent years in the East River basin for scientific research,” Carroll continued. “Scientific research has been funded by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, via the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, and the Colorado Water Control Board. Now Colorado sees an opportunity to incorporate ASO to understand snowpack in several basins across the state to better inform hydrologic models that predict streamflow.” 

The state of Colorado has recently allocated nearly $1.9 million to track snow using ASO.

Carroll explained that ASO flies a fixed-wing aircraft across the basin using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) with no snow, and then again with snow. The difference between the two data sets produces a snapshot in time of snow depth every three meters. ASO also uses a spectrometer to measure snow reflectivity. New snowfall has a very high reflectivity, while older snow or snow with dust has a lower reflectivity. Less reflective snowpack will melt more quickly than high reflective snowpack. The resulting ASO data helps to generate precise readings on the amount of water in the snow and guide estimates on where and when this snow may melt soonest. ASO not only quantifies total snow volume but also indicates where snow has moved across the landscape through things like avalanches and wind.

ASO-informed stream water forecasts have been shown to have accuracy rates of close to 98% or almost double traditional forecasts.

“ASO provides snow water equivalent (SWE) measurements across the entire basin, even at locations significantly above the SNOTEL network,” Carroll said. “SWE is a critical metric for understanding seasonal streamflow and managing water resources. The total amount of water at peak SWE (generally assumed at/near April 1) is not the whole picture. The timing and amount of snow loss is also important. Hence, multiple ASO flights help to understand snow accumulation and snowmelt across the basin.” Four ASO flights are planned this year. Two funded by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and two by the State of Colorado. These flights will occur April through June. 

Carroll emphasizes, “More accurate snowpack estimates allow us to better inform our hydrology models. Hydrologic forecast models can take the ASO data and update their snowfall estimates and this will greatly improve our predictions on streamflow.” Hydrologic forecast models are used for water management decisions that benefit both economies and the environment at the seasonal time scale, but also help longer-term planning. 

As an example, she said ASO data collected in the East River can help irrigators and municipalities plan for the water year accordingly. In Taylor River, ASO can inform reservoir operations to better meet the needs of all its local users. Overall, the hope is ASO will benefit how Colorado manages water across the state for multiple uses and to meet downstream compact obligations. “Knowing where the snow accumulates and where/when it melts is critical to all these management decisions,” Carroll said.

Carroll is also managing a local stream discharge network so that there is high spatial and temporal data of streamflow across the smaller-order streams in the East River. She has stream gauges on Quigley, Rustlers, Rock and Copper Creek, to name a few. She currently manages 13 stream gauges. By measuring streamflow across the upper East River and in combination with the stream gauges maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), she can monitor sub-watershed response to different snow conditions. 

“My main scientific research objective is to better understand the source of streamflow in our mountains as a function of changing snowpack with emphasis on the groundwater component,” she explained. “The ASO data helps my hydrologic models better represent snowfall, and to implicitly have snowfall end up where it eventually melts. I am now expanding my domain to the entire East River down to the Almont stream gauge. The increased domain size allows me to evaluate across a larger range in geology, vegetation, and snow condition. My first questions are: how sensitive is East River streamflow to drought magnitude and duration in a warming climate? And where in the East River are the effects of drought most acute and why? The use of ASO to inform water input amount and timing at every location in the basin is fundamental to getting at these water resources questions.”  

Carroll emphasized that mountain snowpack is a critical water resource globally and is also extremely sensitive to climate change. “The East River is emblematic of these mountain systems, and it has become the largest field observatory for integrated mountain hydroclimate and biogeochemical response,” she said. “Work between entities like the Department of Energy, NASA, NOAA, the USGS and others, and with help from RMBL, the research in the East River is critical to understanding how mountain systems store and release water and solutes. It is extremely exciting!”

Filling in measurement gaps and improving water cycle predictions

[  By Katherine Nettles  ]

Representatives from an ongoing Upper Gunnison/East River Valley atmosphere study have reported that research for the project is going well and the valley is an ideal location for major progress on a global research level. Before the end of the ski season, Heath Powers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Ken Williams, a geologist with the Berkeley National Laboratory presented their oversight to Gunnison County commissioners of a long running research project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy that is focused on the future of water in the United States. 

The National Laboratories are conducting a Surface Atmospheric Integrated Laboratory (SAIL) project, a two-year study of the atmosphere in the East River Valley, as previously reported in the Crested Butte News. The study involves close collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) and Colorado State University.  

“What’s so great about working in the Upper Gunnison Valley is that it’s reflective or emblematic of mountain systems throughout the United States,” said Williams. From the sage in Gunnison to the high alpine areas above treeline, to the bedrock composition of the surrounding areas, he said the complex terrain of the valley represents an incredible place to explore the processes that impact water flows.

“We could not have found a better place to perform our research than the Upper Gunnison,” said Williams. The teams are studying the landscapes to understand how plants and soils, forests and bedrock take on the “hand-offs of water” from snowmelt and other precipitation, and ultimately release it back into the atmosphere. He said that groundwater inputs have shown a 55 to 60% return rate. 

“What we’ve seen to date is really surprising. We’ve seen decreases in ground water elevation over broad spatial areas of upwards of six to seven or eight feet over the past few years,” he said of natural variations.  The project is linking the network of ground-based and atmospheric measurements to develop numerical models. 

“And while that sounds fancy and sophisticated, it’s critically important because it’s those models that allow you to take individual data points and put them within a context that allows you to understand a system,” said Williams.

Powers echoed that the SAIL project will be instrumental in filling in measurement gaps around the western portion of Colorado, and thereby improving predictions of the water cycles and better understanding the Colorado River Basin. “We are basically flying blind in the headwaters of the headwater state,” he said of the need for the research. “Also, this research will be representative of mountainous areas around the world,” said Powers. “This will truly help us across the globe.”

Powers thanked RMBL executive director Ian Billick, who also attended the presentation, for the collaboration. Billick in turn commented on how important the county staff’s support has been in placing the project research apparatus on various county plots of land. “What we do is very unusual, it’s unique and it’s not something people usually have a lot of experience with. The county staff have been very generous…I recognize that sometimes we’ve been a little challenging. We’re a square peg trying to fit in a round glass,” he said. 

County commissioner chair Jonathan Houck suggested a future work session with RMBL and the commissioners would be instrumental. “Some of the opportunities that happen in this county and this watershed are pretty unique. And they contribute way outside of what’s going on here,” he said. 

“The scientific community has found a place here that appreciates science, believes in science and wants to see these opportunities utilized for things that are important to all of us,” said Houck.

Small contribution could result in significant impacts

[  By Mark Reaman  ]

The town of Crested Butte is hoping a relatively modest contribution will have a big impact on water quality in Coal Creek. The town council agreed on March 21 to commit to donate $65,000 over five years to support a Coal Creek Watershed Coalition (CCWC) proposal to restore a gossan located in the town’s watershed on Mt. Emmons three miles west of town. Crested Butte public works director Shea Earley described a gossan as a naturally occurring mineralized geologic formation. 

According to Ashley Bembenek of the CCWC, that organization along with several other organizations have identified the gossan as a major source of metals in the Coal Creek Watershed. She said the CCWC began exploring options to restore the gossan as early as 2011. Although very important to the health of Coal Creek, the project was tabled for a number of reasons.

“In November 2021, the State’s Natural Resource Damages (NRD) program announced that there was a settlement that would provide more than $230,000.00 for restoration and water quality improvement projects in Gunnison County,” Bembenek explained. “The settlement is part of a larger penalty paid by Standard Metals, that once operated the Standard Mine. In the last several months, CCWC hosted a number of stakeholder meetings to identify a local project. After much discussion and data analysis, it’s clear that the gossan restoration project is the best candidate for the settlement funds. We are thrilled that the Town of Crested Butte, Gunnison County, and the Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety have signed on to support the project along with the landowners, MEMC and the USFS.”

According to Earley, the project would “establish vegetation and improve drainage pathways to reduce erosion and metals mobilization from the portion of the gossan that was burned in the late 1970s due to a fire started by welding activities at the Keystone Mine site. By increasing vegetation density and improving water drainage patterns, the project partners hope to reduce metals loading in Coal Creek upstream of the town’s drinking water supply intake.”

Earley projected that even if the project results in a 20% reduction in mineral loading, it will have “substantial water quality and environmental benefits.”

The project is estimated to cost $1.5 million. The gossan is located on both land controlled by the U.S. Forest Service and the Mt. Emmons Mining Company (MEMC). Earley indicated MEMC has tentatively agreed to fund the project to the tune of $720,000. The Upper Gunnison River Basin Natural Resources Damages Fund is contributing $240,000. Town will donate $20,000 for the first and second year of construction which is scheduled to start in 2024 and last two to three years. After that the town will contribute $5,000 annually for five years for project monitoring. The town is also on board to help develop and administer a watershed permit for the project.

In his memo to council, Earley stated that the gossan is one of the largest contributors to metals loading in Coal Creek so the project is expected to significantly decrease metals loading into Coal Creek. The project thus could reduce the treatment load at the town’s water treatment plant. He said that the resulting decreased metal concentrations, particularly zinc, may reduce the need for capital improvements and additional energy and material consumption at the water and wastewater treatment facilities.

Mayor Ian Billick thanked the staff for finding the time and resources to participate in such projects given all the other issues in front of them.

Bembenek said the CCWC is putting the finishing touches on the NRD application this week. “We hope to hear back from the NRD program in September,” she said. “In the meantime, we’ll be writing additional grants to fund this project. If our wonderful community is so inclined, CCWC is also fundraising for the project- please visit www.coalcreek.org to learn more!”

[  By Dawne Belloise  ]

In her early youth, Darcie Perkins lived in a typical Chicago suburban house that backed up to a green belt with a park. There were soccer fields, bike paths and ponds that she’d ice skate on in the winter. She was an outdoorsy, sporty, soccer playing, self-proclaimed tomboy who remembers planting flowers, going summer camping, and when the family moved to Milwaukee, swimming in the many lakes. 

In Milwaukee, Darcie attended a very artsy school where the academic curriculum was of high standards. “There was so much freedom. We could walk to school and home to go see my mom for lunch. I remember so much joy in those classes and loved school and then, we moved to Dallas,” she recalls, and expresses how things were radically and distressingly different for her. “My first day of school in Dallas was a big transition, you couldn’t talk at lunch and you had 15 minutes to eat, recess was very short, only 15 minutes to play. As a girl, there were dress codes. I wanted to go run around and play, but the girls just sat on the swings and the boys were playing with balls.” Darcie was instantly ostracized. “It made me very aware of the value of culture and gender norms in sixth grade. It was a completely different culture.” She notes that the differences in the perspectives, from Milwaukee to Dallas, of what a girl could or should be was a painful experience and transition for her. ”It was very hard as a young girl but it also made me aware that there were different expectations for girls in Dallas and those expectations were confining and limiting. It was culture shock.”

Darcie slowly adapted, although she feels it wasn’t a good year for her whatsoever, she did make some friends. “I had to conform but I shook off that conformity once out of high school and I never went back to Dallas. I have worked my entire life to challenge what I consider gender stereotypes and inequality.” She was able to play sports through high school, playing for the Dallas Sting, the high school’s club soccer team that was considered one of the best in the nation for girls. Darcie graduated in 1991. “I knew I was a soccer player and wanted to play in college. I knew I wanted to be as far away from Dallas and Texas as I could.” 

Darcie decided on the University of Connecticut in Storrs. “It was cow country and I was used to living in big cities and I just loved it,” she says of the contrast. “I joined the soccer team and never looked back. I was so happy being in a place that treated women a little differently. We started to get the same per diem as the men’s team and we were treated more equal. It was liberating. I could be me, I felt valued. It gave me hope and I felt like I could do anything.”

Darcie says she loved the concept of self actualization, of being the best you can be. She created her own degree based on that theory since it didn’t exist in that college. “It was called Self Actualization Studies. I did an individualized major that combined course work from psychology, business and philosophy. I was really interested in working with businesses to help them be successful in terms of working with their employees or leadership. Rope courses were really popular at the time, which was outdoorsy, experiential and taught how to work as a group or team.” When she graduated in 1995 with BA in Business Psychology, it was the field Darcie thought she’d enter, “But I got a soccer coaching job at the University of Maine.”

It was in Maine as a coach Darcie met her husband, Dusty Perkins, who was a soccer player and captain of the team there, so they had to do many events together, then they both went off to the same graduate school at the University of Massachusetts in Conway. “It was a small, private program that focused on environmental, energy-wise landscape design and planning – native plant palates and properly siting for passive solar, sun position, site orientation, a program meant to transform energy, environment, and sustainability.” Darcie had become interested in environmental landscaping in college in Connecticut and was involved in greenhouse growing. “I had a keen interest in doing what was right for the environment, and it was exactly what I thought I wanted to do.” 

She was then hired by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, which was the first established land trust in the U.S. “I was a land protection associate, drafting land conservation easements. What was happening to the people in that region is what is happening here now. These were hardworking fisherman and lobster men, and for generations they had hundreds of acres of land, some of them thousands of acres, with cranberry bogs, blueberry fields and undeveloped land. Land values went up because people from cities, who wanted to get out and have space, were moving up. These rural areas and coastal properties were becoming scarce and the areas were pretty depressed.” 

The land trust would work with the landowners to put conservation easements on their property, “The result of those easements was that their land values would go down and their taxes would decrease because they couldn’t afford to pay the increasing taxes on their land anymore and we were conserving resources for the future so it was a win-win in a lot of cases,” she explains. She stayed for three and a half years.

Dusty had gotten his Ph. D in Wildlife Ecology and found a job in the Everglades with U.S. Fish and Wildlife. By then, they had had their first son, Tanner, born in 2001, so the tiny family moved to Naples, Florida. “We could afford to have me stay home with Tanner,” she smiles. And she decided to start up a business, making a product that attached to the mandated hurricane shutters, “It was an aluminum window flower box attached to the shutters and could be removed should a hurricane come through. The prototypes sold out in two days, just in my little neighborhood, and they were expensive,” she muses. She had a patent pending on the box, but was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and wasn’t able to follow up. Their second son, Jack, had been born 2004, and was only 10 months old when she was diagnosed. “It paused a lot of things. My focus was on my family first. I was afraid my boys would grow up without me.” 

The family moved again when Dusty was hired at another position in Dripping Springs, Texas, just outside of Austin. Darcie homeschooled Tanner and started another business as she saw another opportunity, “English as a second language is big in Texas but there was no opportunity for an English-speaking child to learn Spanish,” she surmised. “I created a curriculum for homeschooling with a native Spanish speaking woman who would read and do crafts that revolved around native folk stories and songs all in Spanish,” she describes her full immersion program. “Word got out and my house wasn’t big enough, so it developed into placing an additional Spanish speaker into three preschools and a few private schools.”

Darcie sold her teaching business after her hubby’s job relocated them to the Western Slope of Colorado, this time with the National Parks Services overseeing ecological research in 16 national parks of the northern Colorado plateau, which included the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. “And that’s how we got to Colorado,” she smiles. 

They moved to Grand Junction. After her cancer treatments, Darcie was exhausted and needed to heal and recalibrate, which took a couple of years. Although still recuperating she started running and became a trail runner. “I became addicted to it, it healed me. I focused on my boys again. It was three great years there. Dusty had to travel all the time and we traveled with him. I’d be homeschooling the boys in places like Arches, Fossil Butte, Chaco and revolved our curriculum 100% around our trips. We had so much fun and my boys got a lot out of it.”

They loved western Colorado and on one trip, they discovered and fell in love with Crested Butte and began searching for a home here. “We were able to offset our mortgage by buying a place in CB South with a rental unit on it. We wanted stability for our boys, Tanner was now 10 and had lived in four states and five different homes. We wanted to give them community. We love the outdoors, the beauty, and we hike, we camp, and my boys love to fish and hunt. It was a good choice. For me, being in Crested Butte was the first time I started living again. It was when I realized I was going to be okay.” 

These days in the Gunnison Valley, Darcie wears a lot of hats. She is the former executive director for Living Journeys, and is currently a step consultant with the Community Foundation, helping non-profits in various strategic planning and best practices. She also works as a consultant with Managing Results, a national consulting firm who also works with non-profits and governmental agencies around the country. As a natural entrepreneur, she’s again started her own small, seasonal business named Decorate CB. “It’s a holiday decoration installation business. I do interior holiday decorating and exterior lighting displays, both residential and commercial,” she explains.

Three years ago, they found land at Jack’s Cabin and built a house, selling their place in CB South. It allowed them to have their horse, which Darcie rescued from the wild and trained. “That horse has changed my life. We feel extremely grateful and fortunate and we hope to stay here the rest of our lives.”

Arch Coal to comply with pollution reduction, Clean Air Act 

[  By Katherine Nettles  ]

A federal judge approved a settlement agreement last week that obligates one of the largest coal mines in Colorado to operate pollution control equipment and obtain and comply with a Clean Air Act permit for its operations in Gunnison County. West Elk Coal Mine is located in the West Elk Mountains between the towns of Paonia and Crested Butte, and owned by Mountain Coal Company, a subsidiary of Arch Coal. The company has also reportedly remediated its highly controversial work to clear forests and expand drill pad operations in the Sunset Roadless Area of the North Fork and abandoned those previous efforts to take advantage of an exemption granted by the U.S. Forest Service. 

This is a double win for Gunnison County-based High Country Conservation Advocates (HCCA), which together with WildEarth Guardians, the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Wilderness Workshop has challenged the mine’s expansion and the U.S. Forest Service’s allowance of it for years. After a number of legal actions, which included suing Arch Coal over illegally polluting without permits at the West Elk mine, it appears the HCCA coalition has prevailed in securing compliance with the Clean Air Act for the mining operation and protecting the Sunset Roadless Area from future road building.

Clean Air compliance settlement 

The two-year settlement agreement, approved by U.S. District Judge Raymond P. Moore on January 18, obligates Mountain Coal to both operate pollution control equipment, and obtain and comply with a Clean Air Act permit for the West Elk mine. Under Title V of the Clean Air Act, major sources cannot emit air pollutants without an operating permit. The permit requires flares that will burn mine gases, reducing methane and volatile organic compound (VOCs).

The agreement will expire after Mountain Coal has complied with the terms of its pollution permits for two years.

Matt Reed, public lands director at HCCA, commented to the Crested Butte News that the settlement is a significant step in the right direction. 

“While this doesn’t prevent coal mining at the West Elk, it does ensure that formerly voluntary methane pollution mitigation is now legally mandatory. But also critical in this settlement is that the mine is required to proceed with the Title V permitting under the Clean Air Act, which will ensure compliance with the Clean Air Act’s pollution control provisions. That’s a big deal.”

According to the HCCA, the mine emitted more than 312,000 tons of carbon dioxide in 2020, which is equal to the annual emissions from nearly 68,000 vehicles.

 “Today’s agreement is a critical step forward in holding Arch Coal accountable to protecting clean air and to limiting harmful methane emissions,” said Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director for WildEarth Guardians, in a press release. WildEarth was one of the plaintiffs in the multi-year legal battle against the coal mine expansion and methane emissions. 

“While we ultimately need to transition completely away from coal to protect our climate, we have certainty in the meantime that the West Elk mine will be reducing harmful methane and other toxic gases.”

“The settlement will hold Arch’s feet to the fire so it gets and complies with the required permit and reduces the mine’s pollution,” said Allison Melton, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This settlement means tangible benefits for Colorado’s air quality, the public’s health and the climate. Protecting our health and climate also requires that we transition away from coal entirely.”

Sierra Club attorney Nathaniel Shoaff echoed those sentiments. “Today’s agreement helps protect the air we breathe and limits the climate damage that can be caused by this massive coal mine,” he said. “Fossil fuel companies shouldn’t get a free pass to bypass the Clean Air Act, and this agreement assures this will not happen at the West Elk mine.”

A new outlook for Sunset Roadless area

The HCCA coalition first filed a lawsuit in 2014 to protest the West Elk Coal Mine’s expansion into the Sunset Roadless area of the North Fork using a “North Fork Exception” granted by the Forest Service. This exemption had allowed the Mountain Coal Company to develop roads and other surface-level infrastructure to expand its mining operations on Forest Service land, despite a 2012 Colorado Roadless Rule that prohibits road construction in roadless areas. 

The Colorado Roadless rule protects more than four million acres of Roadless forests in Colorado from most road construction and commercial logging. After the coalition’s successful challenge, the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) ordered the mine to stop bulldozing a forested area in 2020 and constructing and expanding drill pads within the Sunset Roadless area.  

Then on January 12, 2022, DRMS determined that Mountain Coal had reclaimed this road and modified its mine plan to no longer include any further surface disturbance in the Roadless area. If Mountain Coal were to seek approval in the future to construct roads under its state permit, it would have to request a technical revision in a public process, according to Reed.

“However, because the North Fork Coal area exemption has been vacated, Mountain Coal no longer maintains a legal right of entry, a requirement for such a revision to be approved,” stated Reed, noting the DRMS declaration. That declaration letter asserts: “[Mountain Coal Company] does not maintain legal right of entry for the Sunset Roadless area.”

Reed believes re-implementation of the former exemption is unlikely to occur. “This is great news for the future of the Sunset Roadless area,” he said.

Arch Coal did not respond to requests for comment on abandoning Sunset Roadless expansion efforts or the settlement as of press time. 

“I just reset and recharged the batteries”

[ by Than Acuff ]

Aaron Blunck’s quest to compete in the ski halfpipe at the Winter Olympics in China in February started last March with a bang when Blunck won the first Olympic qualifier event, the U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen.

It set him up well for the start of this season this year as he jumped back into Olympic qualifier fray at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain the first week of December. It’s the second of five Olympic qualifier events and with a win under his belt in the first one, things were looking good for Blunck heading into Copper.

“The whole week leading up I was feeling really good and skiing really well,” says Blunck.

But, Blunck suffered a couple big crashes during practice runs heading into the event and his struggles continued in the finals as he crashed on all three runs to end up in 10th place in the end, including popping out of his ski on his first hit during his second and third run.

“That was on me,” says Blunck. “I didn’t check my bindings and my forward pressure was off just a marginal amount. Hard to have that happen but live and learn.”

Blunck admits that the pressure of qualifying for the Olympics weighed heavy on him at that first Copper event so he stepped back before the next qualifying event, the Dew Tour at Copper Mountain December 15-19.

“That was the issue with the first event at Copper,” says Blunck. “There was just so much pressure and I needed to stop thinking about the Olympics.”

Rather than remain at Copper for the week and dwell on what happened and prepare for the Dew Tour event, he hit the road to head to Vail.

“It’s tough when you’re tubed up in Summit for two weeks,” says Blunck. “I went back to my high school roots in Vail, revisited some of my favorite places and paid homage to a teacher there who had passed away. I just reset and recharged the batteries. I wanted to bring more of a spiritual feeling into the next event.”

It just so happens that the Dew Tour events are also some of Blunck’s favorites and when he returned to Copper, the energy around the event ramped Blunck up even more to compete on his terms.

“Dew Tour is such a rad event because of the people who make it happen,” says Blunck. “I wanted to take that energy and put it into my skiing. Stop thinking about the Olympics and just go ski for the love of it.”

The mind shift played out as hoped as Blunck had a solid day of qualifying on Wednesday and then two days off before the finals on Saturday, December 18.

The first run of the three-run final on Saturday didn’t pan out, but Blunck scored high enough to move into fourth place after two runs. He then sealed his podium finish on his third and final run to place second at the Dew Tour event for his second podium out of three Olympic qualifying events.

“I was just so charged but so relaxed at the same time,” says Blunck.

The Olympic qualifier competition calendar takes athletes to Calgary this week but Blunck is opting out of the event to keep the bigger picture in focus. After years of pinning it all season long, Blunck has opted for quality over quantity and a commitment to remain rested and healthy.

“I’m sitting in a great position right now with two podiums,” says Blunck. “I haven’t made it through an entire season because I get so banged up and it’s important to me to make it through a season healthy and happy.”

In addition, with COVID ramping back up, a positive COVID test could end Blunck’s goal to make his third Olympic games so he’s playing it safe.

“I’m going to stay stateside, stay safe and make it to the Olympics,” says Blunck. “I’m very competitive and I hate to sit out an event but health is a priority here. This is a serious matter and I want to play it safe.”

His commitment includes missing time with his family over the holidays and living out of his van for a week while he continues training at Copper as he prepares for the final Olympic qualifier event of the year, the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain January 6-9.
“It’s tough but I’ll do what I have to do, stay safe, get to Mammoth and hope for the best,” says Blunck.

You can feel the growing angst in the early season. It is probably the same at every western ski town right now. The current drought has made for an uneasy opening for the new ski season and people who farm snow for a living – pretty much all of us – walk around looking at the blue sky with a worried smile knowing the medium to long-term phone forecast contains mostly sun icons.

It might be time to jump into the metaverse — that virtual reality world with avatars and commerce being pushed by Facebook — and spend some of my Shiba Inu on some snowy property at the base of a ski hill where the weather is always perfect, the snow always soft and the turns always deep.

But let’s not all give up on our real world just yet. We’ve seen lean starts to winter ski seasons before. I’ve seen the strip in November and into December but by about now the snow guns are blasting all day as the winter temps allow the humps to grow. You could normally see the whales on Upper Park getting ready to be smoothed into an exit from Paradise Bowl. There are no whales on Upper Park. It is supposed to cross 50 degrees this week – in Crested Butte, not Gunnison.

I’ve ridden my bike in the valley in Novembers and Decembers and Januarys. I don’t remember sweating while riding my bike on any trail after Thanksgiving. This past weekend was a ski, bike, outdoor pickleball (insert joke here) kind of weekend. Again, sweating in early fall temps instead of layering up for the mild winter conditions was the difference.

The world famous billy barr posted last week that according to his numbers, new snowfall records are being set and not in a good way. He said the driest September thru November snowfall amount (in Gothic) was the winter of 1976-77 with 81 cm (32”) for that three-month period. That was the infamous “Winter of Un” when locals were dragging snow bits and hay to Warming House Hill for skiers to have something to slide on. Sounds like a metaverse nightmare. So far this year in Gothic, billy reports that there has been 56 cm (22”).

Weather determines today’s high temperature while climate change has an impact on our continued existence as a ski town. According to the Climate Impact Lab the number of days with snow at ski resorts has shrunk significantly the last three decades and that isn’t slowing down. “Within the next 20 years, the number of days at or below freezing in some of the most popular ski towns in the U.S. will decline by weeks or even a month. If global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise at the same pace that they did in the first decade of this century, ski resorts could see half as many sub-freezing days compared to historical averages by late century.” Sorry kids.

The worry is that the lower elevation resorts will lose any ability to have skiable snow while places like Crested Butte – higher elevation resorts – will be much more limited in a much shorter season. CB fares better than some but no one escapes the impacts.
We all know that ski resorts are carbon heavy, but I don’t know many people living here that are willing to give up what we have. It’s hard to call yourself an environmentalist when you choose to live and work at 9,000 feet above sea level in the (normally) cold Rocky Mountains. Tourists travel hundreds of miles in planes and SUVs to ride chairlifts powered by fossil fuels and stay warm in heated swimming pools before going out to eat at places where everything is imported from around the world by trucks. I don’t call myself an environmentalist. While ski resorts are not centered on an environmentally-friendly economy, the best places do what they can to at least address the reality. Crested Butte and Gunnison County are trying.

CB is looking at a number of measures to mitigate climate impacts as part of its Climate Action Plan. A solar farm is slated for the entrance of town. The county is really good at implementing energy saving measures, such as relying on geothermal systems to heat most of its buildings and designing the new airport terminal with its partners to be a net-zero energy facility with its extensive geothermal and solar measures. And while a single new coal fired power plant in China erases every gain put in place here, you have to try.

Reality is rough these days. No wonder the metaverse is attractive for people who I envision weighing 500 pounds as they slip on the 3-D goggles while sinking into the couch to ski the steeps without getting tired.

Speaking of reality, these are the shortest days and longest nights of the year. The local Resiliency Project is once again bringing some light to the season. They are promoting a valley-wide endeavor to have people put out luminarias on the Winter Solstice, December 21. The paper bags with the tea candles are cheap but powerful. You can pick them up in Gunnison on December 3 and in Crested Butte on December 8. The idea is for everyone to light them on the longest night of the year.

You have to figure that 7,000 luminarias won’t change the weather pattern, but it will enhance a feeling of community so try to take the time to get a few and put them out in the front yard or the deck or the driveway with your neighbors. Last year was a great success and anything we can do to bring more light to the valley this time of year is a good thing.

Anyway, back to impacts of climate. The local absolutists who rail against all tourism and make the argument tourism isn’t needed in the valley may get a taste of their vision if the weather doesn’t change.

Right now, the planes that bring the high spenders here for the ski season are filling up pretty fast. According to the RTA, the holiday air traffic and for most of the rest of the ski season looks “solid.” People are currently booked to come and share the holidays with us. The upcoming reservations for ski rental fittings and even restaurants are significant. And they’ll probably come no matter what to spend holiday family time in the mountains. But I’d guess those people who come here to ski the rest of the season are watching the weather and if there is nothing much more than a strip to ride in 2022, chances are a lot of them will cancel or postpone their trip. We’ll see how many people who rage against tourism actually rage against it when there’s 30 or 50-percent less of it. And while second homeowners and more full-time locals make up a firm economic base in the North Valley these days, tourism brings the gravy and variety. My guess is TAPP would be working overtime to make up for the deficit.

But that is almost a month from now and we have all seen it dump late and change everything — the snow coverage, the open lifts, the general community attitude. As much as I love riding my bike and playing outdoor pickleball (insert another joke here), I prefer skiing Staircase and Funnel in the winter.

These are some trying times. It is dark. It is dry. It is warm when it shouldn’t be. Skiing the new Peachtree lift Monday felt like a late April day. The lift ops needed more sunscreen and a Hawaiian shirt.

It is still early but it is what it is. We can do what we can do. Ski the strip. Do your snow dance to Ullr. Build your next house with geothermal instead of a gas line. Require new developments to be electrified so alternative energy sources can be used for power. Heck, light a luminaria. And let’s see what happens this season — and the seasons to come. Don’t run to the metaverse yet — powder guru Joel Gratz says the signs are looking good for real (not virtual) snow as early as next week!

—Mark Reaman

Running September 1 through July 2023

[ by Mark Reaman ]

Starting September 1 the East River Valley has gone active in one the most comprehensive water and atmospheric studies in the country. Weather balloons will be launched daily for months, radar will keep an eye on the sky and probes will determine how much water is in the soil along the East River Valley.

The SAIL (Surface Atmospheric Integrated Laboratory) mobile atmospheric observatory has been set up and the pieces are in place to begin a two-year research project to collect data on precipitation, hydrology and water flows in the area that can then be modeled for other parts of the American West and the world.

The research is being run by the U.S. Department of Energy in coordination with the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) and involves a number of universities and government agencies. Using instruments like radar, weather balloons, cameras and probes, the goal is to study every detail of how, why and where precipitation forms in the watershed and how that might translate to issues with drought and a decreasing Colorado River.

In a Zoom call with several of the researchers on August 24, Dan Feldmen from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory noted that the recent water shortage announcement from the U.S. government on the Colorado River was a “giant wake-up call and quite sobering.” The research being done in the East River Valley, he said, might help develop better models to prepare for the future and see what might be in store for the Colorado River. “This will provide rich detail on how precipitation forms in the mountains,” he explained.

“The research will be broadly applicable to the U.S. where snowfall is the main contributor to water supplies,” added scientist Ken Williams also of Berkeley. “The linkage between measurement and modeling will be very unique. The data from SAIL can be linked to the timing and seasonal snowfall and how it contributes to things like recharging groundwater. It is an incredible opportunity to look at the future of water.”

Jessie Creamean from Colorado State University said she would be studying the connection of aerosols, small particulates in the air formed from things like dust storms or wildfires, and the impact on air quality and type of precipitation that ultimately is created. “I’ll be looking at how precipitation forms in the mountains and how aerosols interact with clouds. They can act like seeds. This data is not only crucial for looking at water supply but as a backcountry skier it is important to my personal joy and fun.”

Alejandro Flores of Boise State said preparing more accurate models for water supplies is becoming more crucial as the climate warms and more people move to the western U.S.

“Mountain environments are so important,” he said. “Most people think there is a gradual increase through the winter of snowfall that then feeds the streams. But it actually comes in large individual events. This SAIL campaign can be a game changer on seeing how the land and the atmosphere interact to get water into our mountains.”

Flores said with the sophisticated radar system being used, scientists could watch minute by minute how the snow events interact with the mountain landscape and how ultimately it provides stream flows. “There is a lot of pressure on water in the western United States given climate change and population growth so what we discover through this study will apply all over the west.”

Feldmen said the information could apply all over the world including places like the Snowy Mountains in Australia.

The $8 million project will run over the course of two years through July of 2023. Most of the equipment is situated near Gothic and scientists and technicians will be housed in Gothic year-round to evaluate the data collected every day.

Williams said the timing came together in part because of the changing world and the growing interest in such research from a variety of agencies. “This is bringing together a tremendous community of researchers,” Williams noted. Agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will jump on the bandwagon and deploy a variety of instruments in the area as well.

“As a westerner it is obvious to see that the last few summers and winters have brought more fires and worse drought,” said Flores. “The mountain environments are changing so rapidly and that will have major ramifications for society.”

“This will help us see why it rains and snows in this complex Rocky Mountain terrain and where it does it more often,” said Feldmen. “The main ski area nearby gets a lot of snow but just ten miles up the road (at Irwin) there is a lot more snow. Why is that? This will help improve weather and water forecasting. It will provide benchmark data sets and I see it as an entry ticket for hydrology models.”

“There are a lot of exciting opportunities from this,” said Williams. “How runoff is impacted by the lack of groundwater storage is important. Drawing the connection between the mountain snowpack, runoff, groundwater and ultimately stream flows is interesting and important.”

“This is informing how better to estimate important facets of the water cycle in the region,” added Flores.

“It should help set up the foundation for future predictions related to water,” concluded Feldmen.

The observatory consists basically of several portable shipping containers that house instruments, communications, power and data systems. The weather balloons are made of biodegradable material. This observatory has been deployed around the world and the instruments involved pose no danger to people.

“It has been a very rewarding experience working with the scientists, engineers and technicians as they prepare for the September start date,” concluded RMBL senior project manager Erik Hulm. “This is the culmination of many months of planning and represents an exciting new frontier for RMBL research.”

Forest Service and BLM land included

[ By Katherine Nettles ]

As local drought conditions have worsened and wildfires have broken out across the state and the West, Gunnison County joined the list of counties in the region to impose Stage 1 fire restrictions this week. The Gunnison County sheriff’s department, in coordination with the Gunnison Basin Wildfire Council, has enacted a Stage 1 fire ban effective Thursday, June 24 at 12:01 a.m. The restriction is in effect for all U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land as well as all municipalities and unincorporated areas within Gunnison County.

Stage 1 fire restrictions prohibit any open flame that is not in a permanently constructed fire ring in a developed campground or picnic area; smoking in an open area; fireworks or explosives; and restrict operating a chainsaw and welding or other use of a torch with an open flame.

The decision to go to Stage 1 restrictions came after the Wildfire Council’s meeting on Wednesday, June 23. This was the first time the sheriff’s department has exercised its new authority to impose or remove Stage 1 or 2 fire restrictions since Gunnison County commissioners passed a formal resolution to that effect on Tuesday, June 22.

Gunnison County emergency services director Scott Morrill said the Wildfire Council has been meeting weekly since April of this year to keep a close eye on fire danger and forest fuels within the county. “Which is pretty early,” he said. “But when conditions get like this we want to be in regular communication because things can change quickly. In the wetter years, we will meet every month or every two months.”

Morrill explained that he defers to the expertise of both the USFS and BLM officers who have instruments to go out in the field and measure forest fuels. While the Gunnison Valley has been in better shape than many surrounding areas, persistent drought conditions have tipped the scales.

James Ramirez, east zone assistant fire management officer with the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest (GMUG), just returned from the Robinson Fire in Wyoming and described the intricate system through which the USFS determines fire danger for a given area.

“We use science, predications, modeling and data collection to give us the best picture possible for our decision making. We use a combination of the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS) and taking fuel moisture samples from our local fuels.  The NFDRS takes weather inputs from our Remote Automated Weather Stations, that are placed throughout the forest and comes up with calculations to inform us on the status of our fuels.

“We then take local samples to also compare with on site readings. Here we take live and dead fuels and dry them in an oven to get our numbers.  The NFDRS gives out several different outputs, but the biggest numbers we look at here on the GMUG are ERC (Energy Release Component) and BI (Burning Index). These numbers are compared to historical averages from the previous 11 years to give us an idea of how dry we are compared to previous years,” explains Ramirez.

Ramirez says we are in better shape than other counties due mainly to our higher elevations and proximity to the Continental Divide, which typically gets more moisture from storms.

“While we have similar fuel types to other areas, they are also different, if that makes sense; for example no two areas are exactly the same. Typically our fuels dry up slower than other areas, but this year with the high temps and low humidity we are seeing drying quicker than normal.  There is a lot that goes into this,” says Ramirez.

The new authority for the sheriff’s department is meant to allow for faster decision-making and clarity for the public. While commissioners were previously required to pass restrictions in a publicly noticed meeting, they can now ratify the sheriff’s decision during their next scheduled meeting without delaying the action. The county can now more quickly coordinate with USFS and BLM fire restrictions.

County attorney Matthew Hoyt reviewed the new resolution. “It also provides some checks and balances in that the sheriff is to check with the board [of commissioners] within three business days, formally, to let the board know of the decisions chosen by the sheriff, “ he said. “It also requires the sheriff to consult with other fire managers in the county so he is not making this decision on his own.” The resolution will sunset at the end of the year, and sheriff John Gallowich agreed that at that time he would like to consult with commissioners about any fine-tuning needed.

In the meantime, Gallowich said he would remain in close communication with commissioners wherever possible.
“I think it’s a good idea, and at the end of the season we can get together and see if it worked well,” said Gallowich.
“I think this is a good move, and it’s going to make it much easier to respond as things change with this drought,” said Morrill.

Fire restrictions are now in place in all counties to the north, west and southwest of Gunnison County, and the Pitkin County sheriff implemented Stage 2 restrictions there on Tuesday. The White River National Forest is going to Stage 2 fire restrictions on Thursday at 12:01 a.m.

Weather balloons and radars

[ By Mark Reaman ]

The Upper East River Valley will soon be the focus of a major two-year atmospheric research project being run by the U.S. Department of Energy in coordination with the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL). The goal is to dig deep into the hydrology of the area and collect data that will help predict future threats to water resources throughout the American West. The research project will begin setting up this summer and start collecting information in the fall of 2021.

A mobile atmospheric observatory called SAIL (Surface Atmosphere Integrated Laboratory) will bring dozens of instruments to the area and involve scientists from a range of other government, research and academic institutions around the country.

“RMBL is very excited to have cutting edge atmospherics research coming to the Gunnison Basin. This project will improve our understanding of water, one of our most critical resources, and snow and weather forecasting,” explained RMBL executive director Ian Billick.

The observatory has been deployed around the world and before coming to Crested Butte it was located on a ship collecting data in the Arctic Ocean. The instruments are quiet and pose no danger to people. The radars transmit very low frequency radio waves that are not considered dangerous or hazardous.

The observatory consists of several portable shipping containers that house instruments, communications, power and data systems. Individual instruments are also dispersed around the containers and come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from small probes and cameras to larger towers and radars. Most of the instruments will be located along the edge of the Gothic townsite in the East River Valley. There may also be a few instruments on Mt. Crested Butte just above the Red Lady and Teocalli lift area, pending evaluation by the ski resort and US Forest Service.

“Approximately three dozen instruments will be deployed with the observatory. They will measure precipitation, clouds, aerosols, winds, radiative energy, temperature and humidity from the ground surface to thousands of feet into the atmosphere,” explained Erik Hulm, RMBL’s senior project manager. “Some of the instruments will measure microscopic particles and others will measure areas that span tens of miles.”

RMBL intimately involved with project
The biological laboratory will be hosting the project. There will be technicians living year-round in Gothic to monitor the equipment. Weather balloons will be released daily. RMBL will also assist with permitting, hosting some of the sensors on RMBL property, and providing logistical support for the project. The project has been reviewed by RMBL’s Research Committee, which evaluates the scientific value of the project, assesses environmental impacts of projects, and identifies potential conflicts with ongoing research.
“RMBL accelerates scientific discovery by creating synergies between projects,” said Billick. “Adding atmospherics research to one of the largest collections of long-term field studies, and recent investments by the Department of Energy in water research, will create unique scientific opportunities for understanding the environmental processes that support food security, water quality and quantity and human health.”

As for coordinating the project from Gothic in the winter, Billick said people should not see any major increase in use. “We will be coordinating winter snowmobile trips to support the project with grooming of the Gothic track as much as possible, to minimize any increase in motorized traffic,” he said. “RMBL does not anticipate using the weekly snowmobile trips for which it is approved and we are not requesting additional motorized access. If RMBL does need to bring in a snowmobile, we will do it after mid-day to minimize conflicts with non-motorized recreation.”

Weather balloons will be released regularly to provide direct measurements of the temperature and wind speed and direction within the atmosphere. Depending on weather conditions the balloons will travel from a few miles to many tens of miles from the site before safely returning to the ground. The balloons are made of biodegradable materials and is attached to a small radiosonde which records atmospheric data. All the material is safe to handle and a sticker on the radiosonde provides instructions on what to do and where to find additional information if a balloon is found.

Synergies with other research
Bringing the SAIL project to the valley will attract other research projects to the area. According to Hulm, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will deploy a variety of instruments at several sites near and down valley from the SAIL installation. In addition, researchers from a range of academic institutions are planning small-scale deployments within the same timeframe.

The SAIL project is expected to complement ongoing research in the area led by Berkeley Lab’s Watershed Function Scientific Focus Area (SFA) project. The Watershed Function SFA project was established in 2016 and is focused on understanding how water flows through mountainous regions in response to changing climate, land use and extreme weather events. Billick said the SAIL project would collect valuable information on how water is delivered to the watershed in the form of rain and snow.

“This provides a unique opportunity for atmospheric scientists to collaborate with geologists, hydrologists and other scientists working within the same watershed to develop an integrated view of how precipitation moves from the atmosphere through the bedrock and into our mountain drainages,” he said. “Mountains act as nature’s water towers, providing freshwater for many of the worlds communities and natural systems. This research will generate new insights and approaches to understanding the timing and availability of water resources in the East River drainage. It will also be used to constrain climate prediction models in similar environments around the world to better predict the impacts of drought and climate change which threaten this valuable resource.“

Better weather forecasts possible
In the short-term, having the instruments in the valley can help with local forecasts. Some of the instruments such as the X-Band radar and weather balloons provide direct measurements of temperature, precipitation, wind speed and wind direction that can be used to improve local forecasting. This could benefit the Crested Butte Avalanche Center, Crested Butte Mountain Resort and anyone else interested in how the weather may impact their activities in the valley. A link to this data will be provided this fall when the instruments are up and running.

During mid to late summer of 2021, RMBL expects to be giving tours of the SAIL observatory. These will be based out of the RMBL Visitor’s Center.

The observatory will be in the valley for two years. Installation will begin during the summer of 2021 and the instruments will record data from the fall of 2021 through the summer of 2023. When the $5 million project is finished, all the instruments will be removed, and the sites restored to their native state.