FEDS SAY NO LISTING NEEDED FOR GROUSE
Denver—It’s a victory for Colorado and 10 neighboring states in the west. Today, U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced that the Greater Sage Grouse will not be listed as endangered or threatened. The announcement is welcome news in Garfield County which has invested a great deal of money in scientific research and studies challenging the government’s population estimates of the grouse and mapping. County Commission Chairman John Martin says however, the bird still needs to be watched closely. County Community Development Director Fred Jarman says there’s more work to do. He says the federal government is now saying local governments like Garfield County must work cooperatively with the local BLM field offices.
FED BILL DEALING WITH MINE SPILL
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – The federal government would be required to identify the most dangerous abandoned mines in the West and make plans to clean them up under a bill by members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation. Sen. Tom Udall said today it’s a response to the torrent of toxic wastewater from a Silverton mine that fouled rivers in three Western states.
ONE DEAD IN GARCO ATV ACCIDENT
DE BEQUE (AP) – Authorities say one man was killed and another was injured when two all-terrain vehicles crashed into each other near Debeque. A sheriff’s deputy says the man who was killed was in his 50s, and the man who was injured is 19. He says the two men were part of the same group, but he did not know their relationship. The victims’ names have not been released.
BIG CROWDS AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK (AP) – Rocky Mountain National Park is on pace to break last year’s annual visitor record. The park has attracted 2.9 million visitors through August, up 20 percent over the same period last year. Park officials say they expect to break the record in September, which is their busiest month.
