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Colorado - Thu. 12/18/25 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION WILL DISMANTLE NCAR
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The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado," Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said in an announcement Tuesday. Vought went on to say, "This facility [NCAR] is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country. A comprehensive review is underway and any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.” The plan is to begin immediately to dissolve NCAR and fully shut down the center’s Mesa Laboratory in Boulder. The I.M. Pei-designed Mesa Laboratory opened in 1967.
NCAR's staff is made up of about 830 employees who are part of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a nonprofit consortium of more than 130 colleges and universities focused on research and training in Earth system sciences. It is unclear how many jobs and programs the dismantling could affect. The National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency, contracts the university consortium to manage the center. The NSF provided $123 million to the NCAR in the 2025 fiscal year, accounting for about half the center's budget.
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CDOT OPENS GREENLAND WILDLIFE OVERPASS, LARGEST IN NORTH AMERICA
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The Colorado Dept. of Transportation announced that the $15 million Greenland Wildlife Overpass is now open for wildlife to safely cross Interstate 25 in southern Douglas County. The overpass connects wildlife habitats on both sides of I-25 allowing safe passage for even big game species like elk and antelope, as well as mule deer, black bears, mountain lions and more. It is strategically located in a wildlife corridor connecting 39,000 acres of habitat on both sides, at mile point 165.4 between Larkspur and Monument. The wildlife bridge is 200 feet wide and 209 feet long, covers 41,800 square feet, and crosses six lanes of traffic on I-25. CDOT says the overpass is the largest one of its kind in North America. Prior to the wildlife overpass, CDOT officials said there was an average of one wildlife-vehicle crash a day in the area during fall and spring wildlife movement seasons. More than 100,000 vehicles pass through the area daily.
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PARK COUNTY RANCH DONATES 36 TONS OF HAY TO RIO BLANCO COUNTY RANCHERS
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The Gottenborg family own and operate the Eagle Rock Ranch, a cattle and certified weed-free hay ranch in Jefferson in Park County. Dave and Jean Gottenborg also cut hay under contract with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and they stack the CPW hay at their ranch. In August, Gottenborg said his CPW contact called him saying he didn’t think they were going to use what was left over from the prior year and said Gottenborg could get rid of the CPW hay if he needed it out of his stackyard. Almost immediately, Gottenborg launched a plan to send leftover hay to those affected by the Lee Fire in Rio Blanco County.
Gottenborg enlisted the aid of the Habitat Partnership Program State Council in Colorado and CPW to contact Casey and Heather Burke in the Piceance Creek area south of Meeker. Their ranch could accommodate a semi-truck driving in and out of their property, making it a great place to house the hay. Joe O’Dea of CEI Constructors agreed to cover the fuel costs to transport the hay to Rio Blanco County and their effort resulted in 36 tons (72,000 pounds) of hay going to help out those affected by the fire in Rio Blanco County.
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GYPSUM, BRECKENRIDGE JOIN IN PLEDGING FUNDING FOR BUYING SHOSHONE WATER
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Thirty-three Western Slope governments and utilities have committed to providing contributions toward the Colorado River District’s $99 million acquisition of the Shoshone water rights. Now the town of Breckenridge has pledged $100,000 and the town of Gypsum has committed $15,000. With these additions, the Western Slope entities have committed over $37.3 million. The Colorado River District is a governmental entity representing water interests across 15 counties on the West Slope and it has been working to complete the acquisition of the water rights from Xcel Energy since reaching a purchase agreement with Xcel in December 2023.
There remain some issues to be settled by Colorado's water court, but once settled, the Colorado River District will need to secure funding for the purchase and obtain approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to complete the transaction. In addition to the $37.5 million secured by Western Slope communities, $20 million was pledged by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, $20 million from the River District’s board, and $40 million from the federal government, which was granted in the waning days of the Biden administration and frozen in the first days of the second Trump administration.
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SNOWMASS: NEW REGULATIONS FOR SHORT-TERM RENTALS, PERMIT FEES GO UP
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The Snowmass Town Council Monday approved new regulations for short-term rentals, with the new rules going into effect Dec. 30. The major change was a $100 increase to the annual STR permit fee. The $300 fee for short-term rental owners will go to $400. The town made no change in the $85 business license fee for STR owners. The new short-term rental permit fee will go into effect Jan. 1, 2026. Short-term rentals are defined as hotels, multifamily dwellings, homes or units rented for fewer than 30 consecutive days. Another change to the regulations was to set April 30 as a common expiration date, annually, for short-term rental permit renewals.
The town also made trespassing on private property in Snowmass a major violation of the town’s code. According to town staff, the community expressed concern to the town that short-term rental guests illegally pass through neighboring properties to access the ski resort. “First major violation may result in loss of your STR permit and/or business license for up to two years, as well as fines up to $1,000,” the town code reads.
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WHAT IS THE BACKUP FOR THE COUNTY SHERIFFS & DEPUTIES?
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One of the long-held traditions in the West is the posse, that group of volunteer lawmen who were called into action when official law enforcement officers needed help. Under Colorado law, judges, coroners and sheriffs can call up posses, but today the power is used almost exclusively by sheriffs. In a survey of all 64 Colorado counties, more than one-third still maintain active posses. Most sheriffs keep uncertified posses, with civilian volunteers performing duties like search and rescue, traffic control, patrols, crowd control and crime scene security. A handful of Colorado posses also include reserve officers, i.e., state-certified, volunteer police officers with almost full police power, but more often, reserves are a separate unit. There are no statewide standards for posse members; each sheriff sets their own training regimen.
Reserve officers, on the other hand, must complete at least 254 hours of training and be certified by the state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, board. Some sheriffs have come to rely more on posse members in recent years as the number of reserve officers has steadily declined. Colorado counted 528 certified reserve officers in 2015; that number slid to just 360 this year, a 32 percent drop over the last decade. In 2018, the POST board certified 149 new reserve officers. In 2024, it certified just 19.
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AS NATIONAL WESTERN NEARS, PETE COORS WILL BE GRAND MARSHAL OF THE PARADE
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The National Western Stock Show, presented by CommonSpirit Health, has announced Pete Coors as the Grand Marshal of the 2026 Stock Show Kick-Off Parade. On Thursday, Jan. 8, Coors will lead the iconic parade, marking the start of the 120th National Western Stock Show. The parade will start at noon outside Denver Union Station and will march 12 blocks down 17th Street to Glenarm Place. Coors, born in Golden, formerly served as the president and chairman of Coors Brewing Company and chairman of the Molson Coors Brewing Company and MillerCoors. He is the great-grandson of Adolph Coors, who founded the Golden brewery in 1873. The world-famous brewery has been a bedrock employer and regional economic engine for more than 150 years.
Coors is a longtime Western Stock Show Association board member. He serves as president and chairman of the Adolph Coors Foundation, whose grants span youth development, vocational training, integrative medicine, and public policy. He is a trustee and member of the Denver Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. And the avid outdoorsman and conservationist is a trustee and former national president and chairman of Ducks Unlimited. Since 2016, Coors has served as chairman of the Honoring the Legacy capital campaign that has raised $150 million to build the core facilities of the National Western’s new home at the National Western Center redevelopment.
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THE WORLD'S HIGHEST-PAID FEMALE ATHLETES 2025
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This month, Forbes released its list of The World’s Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2025 and the top 20 earners hauled in a combined $293 million this year, up 13 percent from 2024. That $293 million represents a 13 percent increase from 2024’s $258 million. Meanwhile, the cutoff for the top 20 is up to $8.1 million, from $6.3 million a year earlier.
Eight of the top 10 are tennis players:
- Coco Gauff: $33 million; Sport: Tennis | Nationality: U.S. | Age: 21
- Aryna Sabalenka: $30 million; Sport: Tennis | Nationality: Belarus | Age: 27
- Iga Swiatek: $25.1 million; Sport: Tennis | Nationality: Poland | Age: 24
- Eileen Gu: $23.1 million; Sport: Freestyle Skiing | Nationality: China | Age: 22
- Qinwen Zheng: $22.6 million; Sport: Tennis | Nationality: China | Age: 23
- Madison Keys: $13.4 million; Sport: Tennis | Nationality: U.S. | Age: 30
- Nelly Korda: $13 million; Sport: Golf | Nationality: U.S. | Age: 27
- Naomi Osaka: $12.5 million; Sport: Tennis | Nationality: Japan | Age: 28
- Elena Rybakina: $12.5 million; Sport: Tennis | Nationality: Kazakhstan | Age: 26
- Jessica Pegula: $12.3 million; Sport: Tennis | Nationality: U.S. | Age: 31
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TRAVEL BAN TO U.S. EXPANDED, NOW TOTALS 39 COUNTRIES
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A news release from the White House Tuesday announced an expansion of the number of countries included on the list of those from which residents are banned from entering the U.S. The White House said the restrictions are aimed at preventing foreign nationals from entering the country if American officials don't have "sufficient information" about their background, along with other foreign policy goals. The expanded ban goes into effect Jan. 1.
The Dec. 16 move bans citizens from:
- Burkina Faso
- Mali
- Niger
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Travelers with documents issued by the Palestinian Authority
Nationals holding passports from the following 15 countries are now restricted from entering the U.S.:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Dominica
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
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MARKET UPDATE - 12/17/2025 Close
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(Courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management*)
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Canadian dollar (per U.S. dollar)
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Mexican peso (per U.S. dollar)
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30-year fixed mortgage rate (Freddie Mac 12/11/2025)
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*Not FDIC insured. May lose value. Not guaranteed by the bank.
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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.
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