BLM WILL RETURN HEADQUARTERS TO WASHINGTON, D.C., GJ TO BE WESTERN HQ

U.S. Dept. of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Friday announced the national headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management will return to Washington, D.C. The move reverses the decision made by President Donald Trump in 2019 to move the headquarters to Grand Junction. In a press release, Haaland said, “There’s no doubt that the BLM should have a leadership presence in Washington, D.C. — like all the other land management agencies — to ensure that it has access to the policy-, budget-, and decision-making levers to best carry out its mission." However, not only will the BLM maintain a presence in Grand Junction, but it "will grow and expand as the bureau's official Western headquarters," according to Haaland.

COLORADO WILL OPEN FOUR MASS VACCINE SITES

Today, the Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment will open four new mass COVID-19 vaccination sites to address the increased demand as employer vaccine mandates kick in this fall. Each of the sites will be able to handle as many as 1,000 doses of vaccine per day. The sites will be open seven days a week through Sept. 30. Appointments are not required. The four sites are: the Aurora Municipal Center; the Southwest Plaza Mall in Littleton; Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs; and Dick's Sporting Goods in Commerce City.

DENVER HAS LONG COMMUTES, JUST LIKE THE WESTERN SLOPE

It is well known that housing costs and other factors limiting the availability of a local work force cause many mountain resort communities to rely on workers who make long commutes to work. The same circumstances are present on the northern Front Range, according to a new report from Apartment List. The report identifies the so-called "super commuters," or those workers who travel at least 3 hours a day getting to and from their jobs. In 2019, about 2.1 percent of the Denver region's workforce, or about 37,000 people, faced commutes that long. That is up more than 45 percent from the number in 2010 who faced that long of a commute. In the northern Front Range, Elbert County has the highest share of super commuters, with 6 percent.

FINALLY, A TERMINAL FOR THE NORTHERN COLORADO REGIONAL AIRPORT

For 17 years, the terminal at Northern Colorado Regional Airport (FNL) in Loveland has been a temporary facility. That will change by 2024, thanks to federal funding, with a new $26 million terminal planned. The proposed terminal will be 26,000 square feet with two ticket counters, baggage and security areas, departure lounges, a concession area, and offices. It is planned to construct a second story when it is needed. The current, temporary facility would not be razed until the second expansion phase. In addition to new service from Avelo Airlines, FNL also has "wingless flights" from United Airlines, with passengers checking in and checking baggage at the airport, then boarding a bus to Denver International Airport for their flight.

DISASTER RELIEF LOANS AVAILABLE TO GLENWOOD SPRINGS BUSINESSES

In a news release Friday, Gov. Jared Polis, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness announced that businesses affected by the closure of Interstate 70 and the closure of the Colorado River due to flooding and debris flows are eligible to apply for disaster relief loans. Businesses in Garfield, Eagle, Mesa, Pitkin, Rio Blanco and Routt counties are eligible to apply. Eligibility is based on financial impact of the disaster only, not on any actual property damage, the release said. The loans have a 2.855 percent interest rate for small businesses and 2 percent for private, nonprofit organizations, with terms up to 30 years. The loans can be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that are unpaid because of the disaster. Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications on the website of the Small Business Administration, sba.gov.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS COUNCIL OK'S ANOTHER $740,000 FOR SOUTH BRIDGE

At their regular meeting last Thursday, the Glenwood Springs City Council voted unanimously in favor of providing an additional $741,000 for the South Bridge project. The design of the project is nearly completed and now includes insulating a proposed tunnel under the Glenwood Springs Municipal Airport runway, a flared entrance for the tunnel to accommodate semi-trucks’ turning radiuses, sound barriers between the housing developments, and the proposed traffic route connecting South Midland Ave. to Colorado Hwy. 82 via Airport Road. There are now three sound barriers planned along Airport Road.

UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS IMPROVE IN COLORADO AND MESA COUNTY

On Friday, the Colorado Dept. of Labor reported the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 5.9 percent in August. That is down two-tenths of a percent from July and the lowest it has been in the pandemic period. The unemployment rate in Mesa County (not seasonally adjusted) fell to 5.7 percent. Even with the improvement in August, the jobless rate in Mesa County was higher than adjacent counties, with Montrose at 5.1 percent; Delta at 5 percent; Garfield at 4.6 percent; Pitkin at 4.7 percent; and Gunnison down to 3.4 percent. Pueblo County was the highest in the state at 7.9 percent.

CPW SURVEYING EAGLE COUNTY RESIDENTS ON WILDLIFE, LAND USE, OUTDOOR REC

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has sent out a questionnaire to a random sample of 3,000 residents of Eagle County, surveying opinions about wildlife, wildlife habitat, land use and outdoor recreation participation and preferences. The study is part of ongoing efforts from the Eagle County Community Wildlife Roundtable, a community partnership between Eagle County, the White River National Forest, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, local municipalities, nonprofits, businesses and the community. For those who do not receive a questionnaire, a shorter online version is planned in the coming months.

AUGUST OCCUPANCY NUMBERS FALL IN BRECKENRIDGE COMPARED TO 2020

The occupancy report for Breckenridge for August, a combined effort of the Breckenridge Tourism Office, Inntopia and various lodging companies, showed room nights were down about 6 percent from August 2020. The reason for the dip in August occupancy, according to Bill Wishowski, director of operations for the Breckenridge Tourism Office, was a change in travel trends. This year, there were fewer last-minute bookings than in 2020 or 2019. Much of the last-minute bookings last year were due to the pent-up demand and people being able to travel again. This year, there was impact from the Delta variant, which slowed August travel.

AGRICULTURE, WATER: WHAT IS THE FUTURE?

Agriculture is a major industry in Colorado, contributing $47 billion annually and providing some 200,000 jobs, according to the state of Colorado. Colorado has been in the throes of drought. This summer was the second-warmest on record in western Colorado according to the Colorado Climate Center. Statewide, August was the 14th-warmest August in 127 years. The key to food production in Colorado is water, and in Colorado, as in other western states, the majority of water use is for agriculture. The Colorado Dept. of Natural Resources says 85.2 percent of water in Colorado goes to agriculture, while 6.6 percent goes to commercial and municipal uses.
In view of the need for water and the ongoing drought, a state task force projects that drought could cost the state an additional $830 million in annual damages by 2050, with $511 million of that in agriculture alone. Water conservation is becoming a key element for the state's farmers and ranchers. Paul Bruchez, a fifth-generation farmer, who has a ranch near Kremmling and is vice chairman of the Colorado Basin Roundtable, has encouraged area ranchers to participate in a study to determine how much water hay grown at high altitudes consumes and how long it takes a field to recover after a period of no irrigation.

TRAVEL & LEISURE'S TOP 10 COLORADO RESORTS

Travel & Leisure released its World's Best Awards, 2021, based on surveys of readers conducted Jan. 11 through May 10. There were no Colorado hotels listed in T&L's top 100 this year, but, for the first time, it revealed a list of the Best Resorts in Colorado:

1. Viceroy Snowmass, Snowmass Village
2. C Lazy U Ranch, Granby
3. Madeline Hotel & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection, Telluride
4. Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection, Aspen
5. Sonnenalp Hotel, Vail
6. The Sebastian – Vail
7. The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, Avon
8. Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa, Beaver Creek
9. Gateway Canyons Resort & Spa, Gateway
10. The Little Nell, Aspen