|
Colorado - Mon. 04/06/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
|
|
View in Browser
|
|
|
| |
VAIL MOUNTAIN IS CALLING IT QUITS FOR THE SEASON EARLY TOO, ON APRIL 8
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Officials at Vail Resorts had maintained throughout the spring season that Vail Mountain would remain open until its scheduled closing date of April 19. However, on Friday, VR officials announced a change saying Vail will close for the season on Wednesday, April 8, 11 days before the scheduled closing date. Despite a fresh foot of snow from a Thursday night storm, Vail officials said warm temperatures and spring conditions caused them to call the season. “We’re incredibly grateful to our teams across the mountain who made the most of every opportunity and kept things going through a challenging winter, especially these past few weeks,” the resort said in a post on Instagram.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
STRIKING WORKERS AT JBS PACKING PLANT IN GREELEY WILL RETURN TO WORK TUESDAY
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Saturday evening, officials of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 announced that the 3,800 JBS workers who had been on strike since March 16 will return to work on Tuesday, April 7 at 5 a.m. The announcement follows an agreement between JBS officials and the union to resume negotiations on Thursday and Friday. JBS, known by its subsidiary name, Swift Beef Company, is the largest employer in Greeley and processes as much as 6 percent to 8 percent of the beef in the U.S. JBS is the world’s largest meatpacking company with a market capitalization of $176 billion.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
MORE CONFIRMATION OF THE LOWEST SNOWPACK EVER
|
| |
|
|
| |
In a normal year, the first weeks of April are dates for recording the maximum snow depth for the winter. This year, of the 64 sites across the mountains where manual snow course data has been collected monthly for more than half a century, 60 either tied or had the lowest measurements on record for April 1, according to the Colorado Climate Center. Moreover, according to the state climatologist, Colorado's snowpack is now officially the worst on record. Unlike Colorado’s snow telemetry, or SNOTEL, system, which was built out during the mid-1980s, the manual snow course data captures two of the worst snowpack seasons in the state’s history: the winters of 1976-77 and 1980-81.
All winter long, as the SNOTEL system showed Colorado’s snowpack at its lowest levels in decades, climatologists said the snowpack was only the second or third worst on record, pointing to 1976-77 and 1980-81 winters as worse. Colorado State Climatologist Russ Schumacher on Thursday wrote in a blog that “It’s now safe to conclude that this has been the worst year for Colorado snowpack in recorded history.” As of April 1, the snow-water equivalent average across Colorado’s 115 snow telemetry sites was 3.3 inches, just 22 percent of the 30-year median. That’s less than 40 percent of the water stored in the snow compared to that time in 2012, which was the previous lowest year on record, according to the Colorado Climate Center.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
CDOT BEGINS REPLACEMENT OF CAMERAS ON ROADS ACROSS THE STATE
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Over the next two years, the Colorado Dept. of Transportation will be replacing some of the cameras that it removed in rural areas last summer following the expiration of a contract with a private company that operated the cameras. CDOT is transitioning to a “state-owned, state-managed network designed for long-term reliability, cost savings and operational control.” The current plans call for five new cameras on U.S. Hwy. 6 at Loveland Pass, one at U.S. Hwy. 9 and Heeney Road north of Silverthorne, one on Hwy. 9 in Blue River, five on U.S. Hwy. 40 at Berthoud Pass and three along Hwy. 40 at Rabbit Ears Pass. A map showing where the new cameras are planned for installation is available at tinyurl.com/CDOTCameras. Statewide, CDOT operates more than 1,000 cameras.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
UNEXPECTEDLY HIGH GROWTH IN JOBS IN MARCH
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Friday released its jobs report for March, which showed nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 178,000 during the month, a reversal from the 133,000 decline in February and better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 59,000. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent, down from February’s 4.4 percent. However, in terms of the unemployment rate, the labor force declined by nearly 400,000 workers, meaning fewer Americans were counted as unemployed. The share of Americans working or looking for work slipped to 61.9 percent, its lowest level since the fall of 2021.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
VISITOR NUMBERS AT COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT DOWN VERY SLIGHTLY LAST YEAR
|
| |
|
|
| |
The National Park Service announced that the Colorado National Monument recorded 483,436 visits in 2025, down less than one percent from the little over 488,000 visits in 2024. Nationwide, there were about 323 million recreation visits to NPS sites, a 2.7 percent drop from the record visitation in 2024. Colorado National Monument visitation grew from less than 400,000 in 2019 to more than 435,000 in 2020 and nearly 500,000 in 2021, as it experienced a pandemic-related visitation bump as did many other outdoor recreation sites.
- Recreation visits then fell to just over 480,000 in 2022 and showed minor growth the next two years before experiencing last year’s drop.
- Bicycle traffic at Colorado National Monument last year fell by 6.2 percent, to 10,121 cyclists.
- Recreational vehicle overnight stays fell by 23.3 percent, to 10,463.
- Tent overnight stays grew by almost 40 percent, to 19,269, reflecting the completion of tent pad renovations at the park campground that had forced some tent site closures in 2024.
- The monument saw a 46 percent increase in usage of the Monument Canyon Trail, which had 18,267 hikers last year.
- But use of the Serpents Trail fell 21 percent, to 16,144 hikers, and Liberty Cap Trail use fell 19.1 percent, to 9,716 hikers.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
CANADIAN NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT FIRM COMING TO GRAND JUNCTION
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
On Wednesday last week, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and the Grand Junction Economic Partnership (GJEP) announced that Bioriginal Food and Science Corp., a Canada-based manufacturer of nutritional ingredients, has selected Grand Junction as the site of its newest U.S. expansion. Bioriginal is headquartered in Saskatoon, with facilities throughout Canada, the U.S. and Asia. The company specializes in manufacturing supplements like softgels, tinctures, bulk ingredients, and private and white-label solutions for human and pet nutrition markets. Bioriginal selected Grand Junction because of the availability of an established manufacturing facility at 2202½ H Road, a highly skilled workforce, and a business environment well-suited for nutraceutical production. This year, Bioriginal plans to invest around $2 million in the Grand Junction facility and is expected to create some 20 new primary jobs over the next eight years.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
TOWN OF VAIL’S FRONTAGE ROAD TRAFFIC CAMERAS: GENERALLY EFFECTIVE
|
| |
|
|
| |
The town of Vail’s speed enforcement traffic cameras went into operation last November on the North and South Frontage roads, and, with a few minor problems, primarily related to mail delivery of citations, they have worked as expected, particularly in producing citations for speeding violations. The Dacra Tech cameras went live on Nov. 16 for both east- and westbound South Frontage Road in West Vail near City Market, and Nov. 22 for just westbound South Frontage Road near the Vail Transportation Center.
Between the time they became operational and Monday, March 30, there have been 44,164 citations issued for a grand total of $475,390 in fines. Net revenue to the town, however, from November through February has been just $73,922 because of fees paid to the vendor and the lag time between issuing citations and collecting from the people who received them. The contractor charges the town $6 for every citation issued and then collects another $6 when payment is received, before remitting the rest to the town.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
NEW STUDY: LOW SNOWPACK RESULTS IN EARLIER, MORE SEVERE FIRE SEASON
|
| |
|
|
| |
A new research paper from Western Colorado University's Clark School of Environment and Sustainability, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, documented that early snow melt, normally due to warm temperatures and low snowpack, is associated with fire seasons starting earlier, with more acreage burned and is also linked to more severe wildfires. Western Colorado lead researchers Jared Balik and Jonathan Coop analyzed 36 years of snowpack and wildfire data across forests in the western United States. They identified two related but distinct patterns: early snowmelt was strongly associated with earlier fire seasons and greater total area burned.
In addition, low snow water content, the amount of water stored in winter snowpack, was linked to more severe fires, leading to higher tree mortality, greater impacts to ecosystem functions, and increased likelihood of long-term forest loss. “As snowpack continues its long-term decline, we should expect not just more fire, but more severe fire,” Coop said. “Understanding those connections not only allows us to plan ahead in years like this one but also compels forest management interventions like prescribed fire that can reduce wildfire impacts.” Despite a gloomy outlook for the upcoming wildfire season, there is still reason to be hopeful. “It’s only March, and a wet spring could still make a lot of difference,” Balik said.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
STUDY & TESTING SUBSTANCES TO KEEP PEACH BLOSSOMS FROM FREEZING
|
| |
|
|
| |
Peach growers from Palisade to Paonia know the impact of freezing temperatures on peach buds. A killing frost can cause losses of $15,000 to $20,000 per acre. David Sterle, a horticulturist with the Colorado State University Western Colorado Research Center, has been studying ways to make fruit crops hardier since 2014. He has concentrated on finding something that is affordable and effective in preventing losses from freezing. His research centered on examining the more than 3,000 compounds contained in each peach blossom to understand what actually happens when a blossom freezes. In 2023, Sterle came across one compound that actually made a difference when blossoms were exposed to cold…amino acids. Since then, he has conducted extensive testing, including spraying trees when there were freezing temperatures expected.
Over the course of six actual tests in the field, he discovered each time 50 percent to 100 percent more buds survived than those nearby that were unsprayed. By 2024, Kaleb Easter, operations manager at Cunningham Orchards, one of the largest orchard operations in Palisade, was testing the amino acid spray prior to forecast freezing temperatures. By 2025, the spray was used on a third of Cunningham’s 100 acres of trees. Easter’s assessment, “Our sprayed trees did much better than our untreated trees. It was very compelling.” Now he has a 400-gallon sprayer ready to load with a fertilizer containing amino acids if the thermometer approaches freezing level.
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
MORE OF USA TODAY’S 10BEST FOR COLORADO: RUNNING & CYCLING
|
| |
|
|
| |
Colorado has always been known as a state for runners and cyclists and has some very famous races and rides as well, such as Bolder Boulder and, at one point, the Coors Classic. Here are the running and cycling events that were rated in the 2026 USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards:
- No. 5 in the Road Cycling category: Colorado’s Ride
- No. 6 in the Best 5K running: Boulderthon Heart to Heart 5K
- No. 7 in the Best Road Cycling: Tour of the Moon
- No. 7 in the Best Spring Triathlon: Desert’s Edge Triathlon
- No. 9 in the Best Spring Triathlon: Loveland Lake to Lake Triathlon
- No. 9 in the Best Half Marathon: Slacker Half Marathon
- No. 10 in the Best Half Marathon: Rim Rock Half Marathon
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
2026 BEST PLACES TO LIVE IN COLORADO, BASED ON NICHE ANALYSIS
|
| |
|
|
| |
Niche, a firm that assesses neighborhoods and is designed to help families find the best fit in terms of schools, livability, etc. ranked 2026 Best Places to Live in Colorado.
The top 10 are in the metro Denver area:
- Holly Hills, incorporated suburb of Denver
- Cherry Creek, suburb of Denver
- Inverness, suburb of Denver
- Downtown Denver
- North Park Hill, Denver neighborhood
- Greenwood Village, suburb of Denver
- Castle Pines, suburb of Denver
- Centennial, town adjacent to Denver
- City Park, neighborhood of Denver
- Cherry Hills Village, suburb of Denver
Some Colorado towns, cities and neighborhoods outside of metro Denver:
- 64. Breckenridge
- 71. Aspen
- 76. Gleneagle
- 80. Timnath
- 81. Frisco
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
MARKET UPDATE - 04/02/2026 Close
|
| |
|
(Courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management*)
|
| |
|
Canadian dollar (per U.S. dollar)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Mexican peso (per U.S. dollar)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
30-year fixed mortgage rate (Freddie Mac 04/02/2026)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
*Not FDIC insured. May lose value. Not guaranteed by the bank.
|
| |
|
| |
Alpine Bank is an independent, employee-owned organization with headquarters in Glenwood Springs and banking offices across Colorado's Western Slope, mountains and Front Range. Alpine Bank serves customers with retail, business, wealth management*, mortgage and electronic banking services. Learn more at alpinebank.com.
*Alpine Bank Wealth Management services are not FDIC insured, may lose value and are not guaranteed by the bank.
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Make changes to your subscription or unsubscribe here. |
| © 2026 Alpine Bank. |
| |
|
|
