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Colorado - Thu. 03/12/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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IEA WILL RELEASE 400 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL, LARGEST-EVER RELEASE
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The International Energy Agency (IEA), the intergovernmental coalition formed in 1974 with founding nations: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway (under a special Agreement), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States, announced Wednesday its member nations will release 400 million barrels of oil. This is the largest reserves distribution in history. The release of oil would more than double the agency’s biggest prior release, when IEA member countries in 2022 put 182 million barrels on the market after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, IEA officials said. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said, “IEA countries have unanimously decided to launch the largest-ever release of emergency oil stocks in our agency’s history. This is a major action aiming to alleviate the immediate impacts of the disruption in markets.”
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COLORADO DMV SCAMS ON THE RISE: BE AWARE OF FRAUDULENT TEXTS
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Officials of the Colorado Dept. of Motor Vehicles advise Coloradans that scammers impersonating the DMV are using threats and misinformation to get payment for fraudulent fees. The scammers are falsely claiming text recipients have unpaid tickets and are threatening severe consequences, including prosecution, vehicle registration suspension and the revocation of driving privileges. These messages are not from the DMV, state officials said. The DMV does not initiate contact via unsolicited text messages to demand payment for tickets or to threaten consequences in this manner. Complete information is available at dmv.colorado.gov/fraud-alertsscams.
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TAKE A SPRING WALK IN CLEAR CREEK CANYON: TRAIL EXTENSION NOW OPEN
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The Clear Creek Canyon Trail now extends 3.25 miles up Clear Creek, from just west of Golden, with the opening last November of a 1.5-mile extension. The new portion has multiple access points and a new trailhead with a 42-space parking lot and restrooms located off U.S. Hwy. 6. There are four new bridges, with 1,200 feet of the trail elevated over the bank on decking similar to that of the highway and trail decks in Glenwood Canyon. The first 1.75-mile segment, which opened in 2021, begins at the Gateway Trailhead, located at the entrance to the canyon at the foot of Mount Zion.
A third segment, adding another 1.5 miles upstream from where the trail now ends, is expected to open in late summer. That will bring the length of the trail in the canyon to 4.75 miles, with still more extensions coming in future years. The trail also connects with the long-established Clear Creek Trail east of the Gateway Trailhead, which passes through downtown Golden and extends all the way to the South Platte River in Adams County.
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INFLATION HOLDS STEADY, RIGHT ON TARGET WITH PROJECTIONS: 2.4%
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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Wednesday reported the consumer price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent for the month, putting the 12-month inflation rate at 2.4 percent. That compared with 2.4 percent in January and was even with what economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal had expected. Core prices, which exclude volatile food and energy items, rose 2.5 percent from a year earlier, in line with expectations. The annual rates were unchanged from January, indicating that inflation was holding above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target but not getting worse. While the report showed inflation was broadly stable, prices rose modestly for shelter and services while several goods categories, including used vehicles and auto insurance, saw declines.
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BLM: PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR ALLOWING CLASS 1 E-BIKES ON SINGLETRACK TRAILS
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In the first step in its environmental review process, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is currently accepting public comment on a proposal to allow class 1 e-bikes on these areas/trails: Hardscrabble in Eagle, New Castle, as well as The Crown, Red Hill and Thompson Creek areas near Carbondale. It would also impact the following Bureau-managed trail areas: Catamount, Dry Rifle, East Glenwood Canyon, Fisher Creek, Horse Mountain, Red Hill in Gypsum, Sheep Creek and Windy Point. The comment period is open through March 25.
The BLM's Colorado River Valley Field Office currently allows all classes of e-bikes on motorized trails. Class 1 e-bikes are allowed on 18 miles of single-track mountain bike trails within the Grand Hogback Trails north of Rifle. All classes of e-bikes are banned from the remaining 200 miles of singletrack mountain bike trails in systems across the field office in Glenwood Springs, Rifle, New Castle, Eagle, Gypsum and Carbondale. The BLM will host a public meeting on the proposal Wednesday, March 18 at the BLM’s Field Office in Silt (2300 River Frontage Road). To submit a comment, go to eplanning.blm.gov/Project-Home/?id=4CBC8245-E20C-F111-8406-001DD8029ED0 and follow the directions for submission.
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CITY OF ASPEN LAUNCHES WATER CONSERVING GARDEN PROGRAM
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The city of Aspen is partnering with the conservation non-profit organization Resource Central to provide “Garden in a Box” kits to residents. Residents can pre-order a professionally designed kit…there are eight versions…that consist of plants native to Colorado that require less than half as much water as a traditional lawn. Each Garden In A Box includes anywhere between 15 to 29 potted starter plants, a plant-by-numbers map and detailed maintenance and preparation tips. The garden kits vary in size from 60 to 100 square feet, recreating some of Colorado’s most iconic landscapes from painted prairies to butterfly havens.
Pre-orders for the gardens can be made directly on Resource Central’s website, resourcecentral.org/gardens/shop, with a second opportunity in June. Once ordered, the gardens will be available for pickup June 4 at Aspen Middle School from 5-6:30 p.m. The gardens generally require eight gallons of water per square foot per season. That compares with an average lawn requiring about 19 gallons of water per square foot per season.
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STEAMBOAT SKI CORP. TO CHARGE FOR MEADOWS PARKING NEXT SKI SEASON
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The Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. will change its parking program at the base area beginning with the 2026-27 ski season. Beginning on Opening Day of the 2026-27 ski season, Ski Corp. will introduce a mix of free, paid and reservation-based parking options designed to balance space availability and cut down on the number of single-occupancy vehicles. Weekday skiers will find no-cost parking in the Meadows Lot on Monday through Thursday but will have to pay for parking on weekends and peak periods unless they arrive after 1 p.m. or have three or more people in their vehicle.
Paid parking will apply at both the Upper Knoll and Lower Knoll lots on both weekdays and weekends, though the Upper Knoll remains free after 1 p.m. Visitors with three or more people in their vehicle can park at Upper Knoll for free at any time but must reserve in advance. Ski Corp. also plans to sell a limited number of seasonal parking passes priced at $600 for Upper Knoll and Meadows access or $300 for Meadows only. The passes go on sale April 9 and are first-come, first-served. Overflow lots, when in use, will remain free.
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TOWN OF OAK CREEK LOOKING TO RAISE $90,000 TO EXPAND MOUNTAIN PARK
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The town of Oak Creek received a $55,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado to assist in funding the construction of a new two-mile beginner-to-advanced trail in Oak Creek Mountain Park. Now, the town of Oak Creek is seeking to raise $90,000 to cover the costs of design, machine work and the final shaping of the trail. The GOCO grant will allow the town to partner with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps for the trail construction. The Oak Creek Mountain Park currently offers 5 miles of trails through aspen and oak groves and open space, with the park covering some 150 acres on the northwest side of Oak Creek. Trails have 800 feet in elevation gain, and the community park has become a source of outdoor recreation and community pride since its opening in 2020. Its terrain supports mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, skiing and dog walking year-round. To donate to the project, visit tinyurl.com/3dxh43bx. Contributions may be tax-deductible.
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WORLD’S MOST COMMON FOOD & HEALING REMEDY: BROTH
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Across all cultures the most common serving is a version of broth…it serves to soothe and heal illnesses, is an element of celebrations or provides nourishment when limited ingredients are at hand. In the U.S., it may be chicken noodle soup, while Italians might crave nonna's homemade pastina in brodo, tiny pasta in a simple vegetable or bone broth. Across Asia, it's congee and other rice porridges simmered slowly in water or stock, cooked by Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Indonesian mothers for their children. In Eastern Europe, it's borscht, a sour beetroot soup often made with meat stock and sauteed vegetables that's widely associated with Ukraine cuisine. The terms stock and broth are often used interchangeably, but they are not identical. Broths are typically made by simmering meat, vegetables and aromatics for a few hours, resulting in a lighter liquid.
Stock is made primarily from bones, producing a richer, more gelatinous base. Scientific research into broth's benefits is ongoing. Some studies suggest broth-based soups may help reduce inflammation and ease cold symptoms, while bone broths contain collagen and amino acids. While stocks and broths are often associated with illness, they also anchor moments of celebration. In Emilia-Romagna, preparing and eating tortellini in brodo is a Christmas tradition. Poland shares a similar festive spirit. On Christmas Eve, families gather for the main event of the season: Wigilia, a vegetarian 12-dish vigil supper. One of the key dishes, barszcz wigiljny, is a fermented beetroot broth served with tiny mushroom dumplings. In Hong Kong and parts of China, double-boiled soups are one of the most opulent courses in a banquet meal. In Japan, the new year is not complete without o-zōni, a soup made with mochi rice cakes and dashi broth.
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SOME PLACES IN THE WORLD ARE LOOKING FOR VISITORS
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One of the most pronounced elements in global travel now is the growing number of destinations seeking to limit the number of visitors arriving. European cities, in particular, are debating how to impose caps on numbers, bans on cruises, visitor surcharges and other means of limiting arrival. However, many destinations across Africa, South America and Asia are expanding airports, relaxing visa rules and designing programs that target international visitors. Here are some countries working to attract international visitors:
- Namibia: the government has worked to improve roads and access to remote locations like Etosha and Namib-Naukluft national parks and the Namibia Tourism Board recently launched a marketing campaign to attract visitors from Asia, the Middle East and North America
- Brazil: Brazil already attracts international visitors, but locations like the Pantanal in central-west Brazil, which is about the size of Portugal has only 20 traditional lodges, most with just 10-15 rooms
- Vietnam: Vietnam has eased entry requirements for countries including the UK, Germany, France, as well as others. This year, the Long Thanh International Airport is expected to begin full commercial operations outside Ho Chi Minh City. The first phase will handle up to 25 million passengers annually
- Lithuania: In 2024, Lithuania approved its first national Tourism Roadmap, setting a goal of doubling tourism's contribution to the economy by 2030
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MARKET UPDATE - 03/11/2026 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 03/05/2026)
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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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