USGS TO BUILD $240 MILLION LAB IN GOLDEN

The U.S. Geological Survey announced plans to build a new $240 million state-of-the-art lab in Golden to house scientists who research the locations of critical minerals such as tantalum, neodymium and yttrium as well as lithium. The lab, which will be located on campus at the Colorado School of Mines, will also research other geological concerns such as forecasting landslides and even investigation of rocks from Mars. The search for critical minerals will be a top priority and it is difficult because the minerals are widely scattered and difficult to extract.

DENVER'S FOODIE LOCATION… DIA? NEW RESTAURANTS COMING

Officials at Denver International Airport Wednesday announced more than 25 Colorado-based restaurants and businesses that are coming to newly constructed dining areas or replacing existing operations at DIA. Here are just some of the new restaurants coming this year:

• Concourse A: Dazbog Coffee, Market 5280, Mercantile Dining & Provision, Plaza Premium Lounge, WH Smith
• Concourse B: Half Moon Empanadas, High Dune Market & Goods, VooDoo Doughnut
• Concourse C: Black Canyon Market & Goods, Longs Peak Market & Goods
• In 2023 these are among the new establishments: Uncle, Tocabe, D Bar, Tacos Tequila Whiskey, Mizu Izakaya and Sushi, El Chingon, Señor Bear, Marczyk Fine Food

MEXICAN AVOCADOS ARE BACK

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced last Friday that the U.S. has resumed inspections of avocados and are again importing avocados from Mexico. Inspections were halted Feb. 11 after a U.S. inspector in the principal avocado producing state of Michoacán received a threatening phone call. Michoacán is the only Mexican state certified to export avocados to the U.S., but its avocado growing regions are also battlegrounds for drug cartels, with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and a number of local allies fighting over territory with a half-dozen or more local gangs. Gangs in Michoacán have long been in the business of extorting avocado producers.

NEW HANGARS COMING TO GARFIELD COUNTY AIRPORT

Earlier this month, the Garfield County commissioners approved the leasing of 20,400 square feet to GarCo Premier Hangars to build two new hangars at the Garfield County Airport in Rifle. Premier Hangars will build a five-unit hangar this year, with a second facility to be built in the near future. The hangars will be built for private and commercial use, ranging from single-engine props to mid-size jets. The airport director Brian Condie told the commissioners that there is more interest in developing more hangars at the airport.

KEEPING A DAY SHELTER OPEN IN ASPEN

The Aspen Homeless Shelter Board announced in December it would be ending its operation of the day shelter located at the Pitkin County Health and Human Services Building across from Aspen Valley Hospital on March 31. The AHS operated the day shelter for 13 years. Nan Sundeen, Pitkin County Director of Human Services, said there is need to keep the day shelter going and the human services staff is working to keep the day shelter open. The county's Healthy Community Fund contributed $60,000 to $80,000 annually to pay for day and night shelters. Currently, the night shelter remains closed after being closed due to the omicron variant.

CLUB 20 TO HOST ITS FIRST FORUM ON WESTERN WATERSHEDS

Club 20 will host its first-ever forum focused on restoring and protecting watersheds. The two-day event, "Before the Fire: Protecting the Water Towers of the West Summit," will be held all day March 24 and the morning of March 25. The primary focus of the forum will be on how forestry and vegetation management can help protect watersheds and community water supplies from fire. Speakers scheduled include the regional forester for the Rocky Mountain region; the Colorado state forester; and representatives from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation and the Nature Conservancy.

IT'S A DOG'S LIFE: WORKING WITH THE TELLURIDE SKI PATROL

The Telluride Ski Patrol currently has five certified avalanche dogs working with patrol members on the mountain, and there is a new nine-week-old yellow lab puppy in training. The dogs receive their ultimate certification from the Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment Organization (C-rad). The working dogs are: Mona, Lady Bee, Sadie, Stella, Quill and Gretchen. Veteran yellow Lab Wiley retired last year. The puppy is Pika. On average, the dogs are certified after their second year of training.

UN REPORT: "GLOBAL WILDFIRE CRISIS"

A landmark United Nations report, produced by more than 50 researchers from six continents, has concluded that the risk of devastating wildfires around the world will surge in coming decades as climate change continues to intensify. The report defines the situation as a "Global Wildfire Crisis." This is the first scientific assessment by the UN's environmental authority to evaluate wildfire risks worldwide. The study came as a result of gigantic fires that raged across the American West, vast stretches of Australia and even the Arctic.
The report estimates the worldwide risk of highly devastating fires could increase by 57 percent by the end of the century. However, the risks are not distributed equally as some regions are likely to experience more fire activity; some less. That uneven distribution is reflected already in wildfire activity as there has been activity in areas where it has not occurred before, such as Russia, northern India and Tibet, while parts of sub-Saharan Africa fire activity has declined over the past 20 years, in part because drought has killed off the grass. Hot weather and weak rainfall can actually decrease the amount of vegetation that is available as fuel. In other places, the decreased humidity can make vegetation more flammable.

COUNTRIES NOW OPEN FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELERS

Most countries in the world are now open to travelers from the United States. The most recent to open were Australian and New Zealand. In Europe:

• England, Sweden and Denmark have a few COVID-related restrictions
• France, Italy and the Netherlands have mask rules and health pass requirements in place

In Asia:

• Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are open to U.S. visitors, with some restrictions
• Malaysia and Indonesia allow access to some specific areas popular with tourists

For return to the U.S.:

• All travelers must show documentation of a negative viral test result taken within one day of the flight’s departure to the United States before boarding. You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight. That includes all travelers – U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals.

For a complete list of countries open to U.S. citizens as of Feb. 22, 2022, visit the link below.