Western Colorado Congress organizer Bill Patterson recently talked with Lynn Lewis, minerals specialist at the Montrose BLM field office, who informed Patterson that the public notice for the parcels up for auction on August 11 in Denver was scheduled to be released on June 27. The BLM has been auctioning parcels for lease to oil and gas companies, a process that has proved controversial with private property owners whose property is affected.
Lewis emphasized that the parcels deferred from the May 12 sale will be up for auction again on August 11. The BLM website is still down, and Lewis said the local office does not know when the website will be restored.
Rocky Mountain Ark Gets Permit
The Ouray County Commissioners on June 13 approved an application for a special use permit to provide a shelter for disabled wild animals that will be located at the Laughing Bear Ranch, just north of Ridgway State Park. A bid to acquire the ranch has been tendered to the owners.
According to a sketch plan submitted by the Rocky Mountain Ark's Lissa Margetts, the facility will be situated on 12 acres and contain from 30 to 32 animals that are permanently unable to return to the wild. Ouray commissioners required that the Ark submit an annual management plan and animal contamination mitigation plans.
Spurge War
The Ouray County Board of Commissioners has been following up on its 2004 resolution to require landowners to implement individual management plans to control or eradicate noxious weeds.
On June 13, the commissioners endorsed letters mailed on June 2 to several property owners in Ouray County whose land is infested with Leafy Spurge, asking them to prevent the weed from producing seed and to cut down the infestations by half each year. Stiff penalties will apply pursuant to the Colorado Noxious Weed Act.
An informational meeting was conducted on Thursday, June 16, at the 4-H Center with San Miguel County weed control officer Sheila Grother, who has
agreed to be a consultant to Ouray County in its weed war.
New Trail Systems Sought by COPMOBA Group
The Ouray County chapter of the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Association is in dialogue with the Ridgway State Park and the Bureau of Land Management in an effort to expand multi-use trail systems on land in Ridgway.
The group, which had its first meeting recently, is seeking input from citizens who might know of locations that could be appropriately accessible to the public for trail runners, mountain bikers and horseback riders. Contact Brad McCardle at 970/325-4875 or Rich Durnan at 970/626-4138 for input.
EMS Gets Defibrillators from State Department of Health
Three of eight LIFEPAK 500 Automatic External Defibrillators being sought by Ouray County Emergency Medical Services from grant funding have arrived courtesy of a Colorado State Department of Health grant. The equipment will be used on Ridgway and Ouray ambulances and one will be posted at the Ridgway State Park.
The defibrillators are capable of instantly analyzing and identifying cardiac rhythms and provide an electrical pulse that is calculated to resuscitate the heart to its normal rhythm.
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