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Colorado - Mon. 06/15/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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USDA MAKES GRAZING EASIER ON FEDERAL LANDS
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On June 12, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins issued a "comprehensive directive" to all U.S. Forest Service employees, ordering them to make arrangements for easier cattle grazing on public lands.
The key elements of the directive were:
- Expanding access to prioritize permitting vacant and closed allotments
- Maximizing grazing flexibility to keep working lands working
- Eliminating delays by streamlining permitting and allotment authorizations
- Elevating rural Americans by giving ranchers a better voice
- Improving service by setting expectations for positive engagement with ranchers
In the directive the secretary said that advancing grazing as a priority, the USDA " is protecting the roughly 23,000 permittees and lessees who rely on public rangelands while delivering more affordable, American-raised protein to consumers."
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COLORADO’S HIGHEST DAM IS BUILT…WILL IT EVER BE FILLED?
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On June 3, workers poured the last concrete to complete the Gross Dam on South Boulder Creek. It was a 12-year project, costing some $600 million to build the 470-foot-high dam which replaces the old Gross Dam, potentially tripling the reservoir’s storage. There is still work left to finish the spillway and other items, but what remains unclear is whether Denver Water will ever be able to fill the reservoir. In 2024, U.S. District Court Judge Christine Arguello found that federal regulators violated environmental protection laws when they failed to properly analyze the environmental impact of the project or consider reasonable alternatives to the dam expansion that would be less harmful. She later issued an order against filling the reservoir.
A panel of three judges for the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments in the case on July 31 in Santa Fe. The appeals judges will evaluate whether the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers followed federal environmental protection laws when issuing permits for the dam expansion and whether Arguello’s order blocking the filling of the reservoir was reasonable.
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COLORADO’S “OTHER” RIVER COMPACT IS ALSO PROBLEMATIC
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There has been endless controversy surrounding the Colorado River Compact as the seven states in the agreement seek resolution on how to deal with allocations of lower water in the river. Colorado’s other compact, the Republican River Compact, also has a problem with low water levels, but this compact is different as it deals with water generated from underground instead of snow and rainfall. Water in the Republican River Basin comes almost entirely from the Ogallala, an aquifer formed over two million years. The river itself originates more than 100 miles from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The states in the Republican River Compact, which was adopted in 1943 are Colorado, where the headwaters are located, and down-river states Nebraska and Kansas. The Republican River Basin consists of parts or all of eight counties in northeastern Colorado. Again, this basin gets no runoff from the Rocky Mountains. It does not include the South Platte Valley.
Farming that occurred before the 1950s was nearly all drylands. Arrival of high-capacity pumps changed farming entirely. The aquifer is being rapidly depleted in Colorado. To address the diminishing water from the aquifer, the Republican River Water Conservation District has been digging new wells and using water from eight existing wells north of Wray to augment the North Fork of the Republican as it enters Nebraska. The water from the aquifer makes Yuma one of the most productive agricultural areas in Colorado and the Republican River Basin receives an annual benefit of up to $1.5 billion from water extracted from the Ogallala according to a recent study from Colorado State University. With the aquifer coming to the end of its existence, the Republican River Basin faces a situation very similar to the Colorado River Basin states, how to conserve as much water as possible and utilize it in the most productive ways.
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SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL IS 7 MONTHS AWAY, ARE BOULDER’S HOTELS ALREADY FULL?
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Sundance will move to Boulder next year after decades of hosting the festival in Park City, Utah, bringing one of the country’s best-known independent film gatherings to Colorado for the first year of a 10-year agreement. The move has already prompted questions about whether Boulder’s lodging market can absorb the festival’s hefty mix of filmmakers, industry workers, sponsors, staff, press, volunteers and regular filmgoers. For Sundance, lodging affordability was one reason for leaving Park City. The festival’s long-time Utah home had become increasingly expensive for attendees, including the independent filmmakers and regular festivalgoers who are central to Sundance’s identity. Paula DuPré Pesmen, managing director of festival and institute operations at the Sundance Film Festival, said, “One of the main reasons we moved the Festival to Boulder was the ever-increasing cost of lodging for our attendees..."
However, whether Boulder can accommodate the lodging needs of the festival is a consideration. Still more than seven months from its start, a recent survey of Boulder hotel rooms during the Sundance Film Festival, in Boulder from Jan. 21-31, 2027, turns up a patchwork of sold-out listings, blocked calendars, unavailable dates, unpublished rates, waitlists and a few rooms priced well above what a January visitor might otherwise expect to pay. Charlene Hoffman, CEO of Visit Boulder, the city’s convention and visitors bureau, said those public searches do not necessarily show the full lodging picture. “At this stage in the festival booking process, many hotels have not yet released their full inventory for festival dates, and some properties may temporarily block rooms while they finalize pricing strategies, group allocations, staffing plans or contractual commitments related to the festival,” Hoffman said.
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CAR SALES IN COLORADO DROP IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2026
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The Colorado Auto Dealers Association (CADA) reported 43,514 vehicles were registered in the state in the first quarter. That is an 18.4 percent drop from the statewide numbers in the first quarter of last year and a 13.5 percent drop for regional sales. The slump, according to CADA, was primarily due to reduced incentives for EVs and manufacturers beginning to pass along the cost of tariffs to buyers. CADA forecasts a 5.3 percent decline in new car sales this year, which would end a three-year run of increasing sales. CADA attributed much of the first-quarter sales drop to lower demand for electric vehicles. Federal incentives ended in September, and state incentives have been scaled back significantly. Last year, the federal government provided a $7,500 tax credit for a new EV purchase. Colorado’s incentive decreased from $3,500 to $750.
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COLORADO RANCHERS FACE LOW YIELDS, WATER SHORTAGES FOR LIVESTOCK
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With low snowfall and warm winter temperatures, ranches in Routt County, as well as most of Colorado, experienced early growth of hay, with many already in first cutting, at least two to three weeks early. Although the El Niño conditions are expected to produce a good summer monsoon season, most of the rainfall is not expected until July. Projected yields of hay are much lower than the typical yields of a ton an acre for dryland property and two tons per acre for irrigated properties. The other concern for ranchers is water for livestock. In normal snowfall years, the runoff fills ponds and streams that animals drink from. This year, the water simply isn’t there. It means many ranchers will have to haul water for their livestock.
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WRNF TO HOLD MEETINGS ON PROPOSED FOREST THINNING
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The White River National Forest plans to thin areas of forest that were cut 20 to 30 years ago to maintain the effectiveness of those treatments, and the U.S. Forest Service will host informational sessions in Eagle and Summit counties on June 16 and 17, respectively. The White River National Forest approved the Forest Health and Fuels Management Project in 2021 to maintain areas across the forest that were thinned several decades ago, including critical fuel breaks and other treatment areas. The plan allows up to 10,000 acres of National Forest System lands to be thinned through 2036. To date, the White River National Forest has thinned 1,360 acres under this plan. Many lodgepole pine stands treated in response to the mountain pine beetle outbreak have regenerated with dense, young lodgepole trees. Thinning these areas will reduce competition and promote individual tree growth to improve forest health.
Proposed treatment areas in Eagle County include Tigiwon and the No Name area near Camp Hale. The Eagle County informational session will be June 16 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District, 24747 U.S. 24 in Minturn. In Summit County, proposed treatment units include Red Tail Ranch, Farmer’s Corner, and Swan Mountain Road, and the informational session will be June 17 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Dillon Ranger District, 680 Blue River Parkway in Silverthorne.
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JULY 4TH SILVERTON’S BIGGEST CELEBRATION OF THE YEAR, WITH OR WITHOUT FIREWORKS
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After a meeting of town officials last Thursday, the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management did not arrive at a decision on whether fireworks would be safe and feasible on Independence Day in Silverton. However, regardless of whether or not it includes fireworks, the town’s celebration on the Fourth of July will continue as the largest event of the year. A block party is planned for the evening of the Fourth of July, and it will feature live music, beer, food, games and concessions...and maybe fireworks. Regional popular country singer Hugh Phillips will take the main stage.
The town of Silverton hasn’t held a block party with streets closed off for Independence Day in a decade. Given Durango has already canceled its fireworks show, Silverton is expecting visitors from as far away as Albuquerque and Grand Junction. Other Fourth of July festivities include the Silverton Family Learning Center Pancake Breakfast in Silverton’s Memorial Park, the annual Blue Ribbon 5K and 10K Fun Run, and a parade starting outside San Juan County Courthouse.
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STEAMBOAT RESORT OPENS BIKE PARK FOR THE SUMMER
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The Steamboat Ski Resort Bike Park opened for the summer season on June 5, with a large number of dedicated bikers showing up. Trail projects that took place in the offseason included resurfacing Buckin’ Bronc, which remained closed to riders on opening day, and Rustlers. Lasso is still closed as well. The park will be open every day from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Riders can take either the Steamboat Gondola or Wild Blue Gondola to the upper levels of trails, and hop on beginner, intermediate and advanced trails. The resort also has a variety of private and group lessons. There are also specialized clinics for kids. For information on the bike park, bike rentals, lessons, trail map and more, go to steamboat.com/plan-your-trip/bike-park.
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SPACEX IPO: LARGEST EVER, GOES SMOOTHLY, CLOSES 19% HIGHER
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The SpaceX initial public offering Friday went very smoothly, becoming the largest-ever IPO, with shares soaring 19 percent, boosting the rocket-maker to a $2.1 trillion market value. Shares, trading under the ticker symbol SPCX, opened on the Nasdaq Stock Market, a little before noon, 11 percent above the IPO price of $135. By the end of the day, $75 billion in shares had been sold and the closing price was $160.95. The offering handed long-standing SpaceX investors and employees billions in collective gains and turned Musk into the world’s first trillionaire.
For Musk, the offering was the finish line of a sprint that began last year. After founding SpaceX in 2002 with proceeds from the sale of the internet company PayPal, Musk showed little interest in taking SpaceX public as it slowly grew to become one of the world’s most valuable private companies. That all changed in the middle of last year as the AI race heated up and Musk realized SpaceX would need large amounts of capital for its ambitious plans. He also saw the IPO as a way for his fledgling AI company, xAI, to catch up with rivals. SpaceX acquired xAI earlier this year after xAI had acquired his social-media platform X last year.
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FROM BARS TO BIG SCREENS: LOCATIONS IN DENVER TO WATCH WORLD CUP
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There will be many watch parties for the World Cup games and Denver has some big screen outdoor venues as well as “soccer” bars. Here are some places to watch the World Cup:
- Skyline Park, 1501 Arapahoe St.: screens have been put up, digital tickets required
- McGregor Square, 1901 Wazee St.: book a ticket in advance
- Mission Ballroom Plaza, 4242 Wynkoop St.: drinks available at bars around the plaza
- Number Thirty Eight, 3560 Chestnut Place: party packs available for a table
- The Celtic, 1400 Market St.: Irish pub is noted soccer bar
- The British Bulldog, 2052 Stout St.: will show every World Cup match with outside patio added
- DNVR Bar, 2239 E. Colfax Ave.: will show all World Cup matches
- Sie Film Center, 2510 E. Colfax Ave.: the theater will show selected games, tickets required
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MARKET UPDATE - 06/12/2026 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 06/11/2026)
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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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