DENVERITE, HEAD OF BPX ENERGY, TO TAKE HELM OF BP

David Lawler, a Denver native, graduate of the Colorado School of Mines and CEO of BPX Energy, will assume the position of CEO of BP America on July 1. He succeeds Susan Dio, who is retiring after 36 years with the company. BPX Energy opened its headquarters in Denver in 2018 and BPX Energy is responsible for the U.S. onshore operations of BP, the London-based energy giant. BP said its U.S. operations are larger than any others around the globe and U.S. operations account for a third of global revenue of the multinational giant.

ESTES PARK LOOKS TO REOPENING OF RMNP AS RETURN TO NORMALCY

Visitors returned to Rocky Mountain National Park Wednesday after the park had been closed down for more than two months. The national park is the major driver of the economy of nearby Estes Park, as last year, a record 4.6 million people visited the park. Although the park has reopened, access is limited, with visitor centers remaining closed and reservations will be required to enter the park beginning June 4. Reservations can be made at recreation.gov for a timed entry permit.

30-YEAR MORTGAGE RATE FALLS TO ANOTHER RECORD LOW

The average rate for the standard 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.15 percent Thursday, according to Freddie Mac. It is a record low for the rate and marks the third time that U.S. mortgage rates have hit a record low since March. Rates fell to 3.29 percent in March and 3.23 in April. The mortgage rates followed the lead of long-term US Treasury bond yields, which reached record lows in March. The low rates will likely help the housing market rebound. Last week, applications to purchase a home jumped again for the sixth week in a row.

REDUCTIONS IN FLIGHTS INTO ASPEN COMING?

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have asked the U.S. Department of Transportation if they can temporarily suspend service to and from Aspen. The carriers had been obligated to maintain their schedules through May as a condition of their eligibility for stimulus funds from the federal CARES Act. Because of the CARES requirement, American had instituted its unique "Mountain Hopper," which routed service from Dallas-Ft. Worth to Eagle, then to Aspen and on to Montrose before returning to DFW. American wants to scrap the "Hopper" route as it plans to resume DFW – Aspen service June 4. Delta is seeking to suspend its daily service from Aspen to Salt Lake City.

ASPEN, PITCO BUSINESSES BEGIN "ROLLING" REOPENING

On Thursday, Aspen and Pitkin County officials released the plan for reopening businesses in the city and county with businesses scheduled to reopen each week through June. This week, on Wednesday, restaurants and lodging opened at 50 percent capacity. On Monday, June 1, summer day camps, playgrounds and outfitters can begin; Monday, June 8: gyms, fitness centers, recreation centers, places of worship; Monday, June 15: theaters and passenger capacity on public transportation will be re-evaluated; Monday, June 22: events with up to 50 people will be allowed with a permit.

AIR SERVICE TO GJ REVIEWED

Officials with the Grand Junction Regional Airport held a virtual meeting with the Mesa County commissioners and officials of the city of Grand Junction to review air service as the summer season begins. Currently, because of requirements from the federal CARES Act, the flight from GJT to Denver has also made a stop in Montrose. The Montrose stop for the United Airlines flight is due to end June 25. Airport officials project it will take three years to return to the 2019 level of service.

HOT AND DRY ALREADY, WATER RESTRICTIONS, FIRE WARNINGS

The town of Mountain Village Thursday implemented watering restrictions which will go into effect Monday. The restrictions cover Mountain Village, Ski Ranches, Elk Run and Skyfield, with designated areas limited to watering residences either Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays only. All exterior water features must be turned off. During the week, there was both a Fire Weather Watch and a Red Flag Warning issued for Ridgway. For the entire month of June, the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho predicts an above average chance for wildfires in southwest Colorado and for all of western Colorado by July.

LONG AWAITED BRIDAL VEIL TRAIL OPENS

The Telluride Mountain Club (TMtC) announced that the Bridal Veil Creek Trail is open to hikers and mountain bikers. The trail has been long awaited as an alternative to the 4WD road that is very busy. The trail begins at the east end of the town of Telluride from the parking area next to the Idarado Mining Company's settling ponds and goes about a mile to the base of the iconic Bridal Veil Falls. The TMtC is now raising money to install a bridge over a creek on the trail.

S.W. COLORADO IRRIGATORS FACE SHORTER SEASON

Lemon Reservoir, northeast of Durango, is struggling to fill this spring and as a result, Florida Water irrigators are faced with the prospect of a short irrigation season. As of this week, Lemon Reservoir stood at only 71 percent of capacity. Lemon Reservoir is managed by the Florida Water Conservancy District and releases water into the Florida River. The reservoir serves about 1,000 downstream irrigators. Vallecito Reservoir, which releases water into the Pine River, is in better shape at about 96 percent of capacity this week. It serves about 1,100 irrigators.

RARE CUTTHROAT TROUT SAVED FROM 416 FIRE TO BE RELEASED BACK IN THE WILD

In 2018, after some 50 years of searching, Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists confirmed with DNA testing that trout found in some small streams in southwest Colorado were pure Colorado River cutthroat trout, pure native fish. When the 416 Fire broke out, CPW was able to hike into one of those small streams before it was totally closed due to the fire and they recovered 54 of the pure cutthroats. The fish were brought back to the hatchery in Durango where they have been kept in isolation. CPW was able to retain some eggs from the fish and now are ready for a limited amount of stocking. This summer, CPW crews will take some of the cutthroats back to their native habitat and release them. CPW will retain some fish in the hatchery to restock other streams.

WE HAVE BEEN GROUNDED

Certainly one of the sectors most heavily impacted by the economic shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic is the airline industry. Airline travel in March plummeted by more than 90 percent from a year earlier. The Transportation Security Administration's U.S. checkpoint passenger count says it all. TSA passenger checkpoint numbers for selected dates in 2020 and 2019:

• March 1, 2020: 2,280,522; 2019: 2,301,439
• March 15: 1,519,192; 2,545,742
• March 30: 154,080; 2,360,053
• April 10: 108,977; 2,590,499
• April 20: 99,344; 2,594,171
• April 30: 154,695; 2,499,461
• May 10: 200,815; 2,419,114
• May 27: 261,170; 2,269,035

SNOWMASS TOWN CLEAN UP GOES VIRTUAL

The Snowmass Town Clean Up is going on now through June 15. Pick your favorite spot in Snowmass Village to pick up litter. Snap a photo of the area, yourself, and any treasures. Upload it to www.TOSV.com/Cleanup to be entered into a virtual prize drawing with prizes from Snowmass Village businesses. Please practice social distancing and limit group sizes to 10 people or less. More rules and information can be found at www.TOSV.com/Cleanup. Please feel free to clean all over Snowmass Village, including your favorite haunts and trails. If you are looking for suggestions, the following areas need a little TLC:

• Cathy Robinson Park and Parking Lot
• Nature Trail
• South Rim Parking Lot and South Rim Connector
• Rodeo Lot
• Melton Trail (Snowmass Center)
• Fanny Hill
• Owl Creek Trail

Winners will be contacted on June 16 and listed on the Town of Snowmass Village website. To learn more, please visit the link below.

ALPINE BANK ALTERNATIVE BANKING OPTIONS

• Alpine Bank customers can use Alpine Online to pay companies and individuals electronically, transfer money to and from your Alpine accounts and other financial institutions
• Bank anytime, anywhere with our AlpineMobile app. Find us on the app store on your iPhone, iPad or Android device - Must be enrolled in Alpine Online banking
• Visit a surcharge-free ATM. Alpine Bank is part of the Allpoint ATM network, 43,000+ ATMs across the U.S.
• Use our automated information phone line, 888-4-Alpine (888-425-7463), for 24-hour access to account balance, account history, transfer funds, make payments, and activate or report a lost or stolen debit card
• Use our green Live Chat button found on the right side of every alpinebank.com page
• To learn more, call your local Alpine Bank branch, or visit online www.alpinebank.com