WEST SLOPE BLM LEASES SOLD ON LINE
GRAND JUNCTION— Several oil and gas leases on the western slope were sold by the Bureau of Land Management online. 28 Colorado parcels covering more than 19,000 acres were sold in yesterday’s sale generating over one and a half million dollars in revenue. Most of the leases were in Mesa County, where 16,000 acres were auctioned off. Nearly 2,000 acres were auctioned off in Garfield County and the rest were on the front range. Black Hills Exploration & Production bought a dozen parcels at auction and Laramie Energy bought eight. Chevron paid the highest price at $260 an acre on an 80-acre parcel in Garfield County. The BLM began doing online lease auctions this year after getting the okay from congress.
C’DALE TO CRESTED BUTTE TRAIL RECEIVES GRANT
Aspen—A trail covering over 80 miles from Carbondale to Crested Butte got a financial shot in the arm from Great Outdoors Colorado. A 100 thousand dollar grant was awarded to Pitkin County to help plan for the “Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail.” The project was placed on a list of 16 priority trails across the state by Governor John Hickenlooper as part of his Colorado the Beautiful Initiative. The year-long planning process will require a collaborative effort between Pitkin County, Gunnison County, Crested Butte, the forest service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and C-DOT. Pitkin County Open Space and Trails invested 200 thousand dollars toward the planning process and plans to hold the first public open house on January 12th from 5 to 7 pm at the Church at Redstone.
RF RE-1 BOARD CREATES SAFE HAVENS FOR IMMIGRANT STUDENTS
Glenwood Springs—Immigrant students from Glenwood Springs to Basalt have nothing to worry about despite the political and racial tension in the country. The Roaring Fork Re-1 School District Board of Directors voted unanimously this week in favor of a resolution declaring every campus as a “safe haven” for immigrant students. According to the resolution, the district will not discriminate in offering an education to students whose immigration status may be in question. It also reaffirms that public schools in Colorado are required to provide an education to any resident of the state between the ages of 6 and 21, regardless of immigration status.
