Day: July 25, 2015

No flouride dosing for Snowmass

Calcium fluoride
Calcium fluoride

From The Aspen Times (Jill Beathard):

With no members of the public present other than two dental professionals and a journalist, the Snowmass Water and Sanitation District board of directors voted Friday to stop fluoridating its drinking water.

The board began reconsidering its practice in May after the federal government revised its recommendations regarding public-water fluoridation. Snowmass already followed the new standards, but the announcement sparked a debate that continued for three board meetings.

Friday’s meeting began with public comment from Ward Johnson, a Snowmass Village resident who practices dentistry in Aspen.

“Being a dentist in Aspen since 1992, of course I am in favor of continuing the fluoridation in the water,” Johnson said, citing a reduction in the rate of cavities in areas of the valley that have fluoridated drinking water. “In my opinion, the only thing that has changed is we have toothpaste with fluoride now. Without systemically ingesting that fluoride, … you do not get the lifetime of benefit that you get when fluoride is in your enamel.”

A report prepared by Glenwood Springs-based engineering company SGM agreed with Johnson’s statement on the dental-health benefits of fluoridation but noted that ingesting too much has proven to have negative health consequences and that research is limited on other potential impacts.

“Only recently have the studies been done on the effects of fluoride beyond your teeth,” board member Dave Dawson said Friday. “People can fluoridate if they wish. I don’t see it as our business to medicate the public.”

Board members Michael Shore and Willard Humphrey said they agreed with Dawson’s position, but board President Joe Farrell, who said he has many dentists in his family, did not.

More water treatment coverage here.

Browns Canyon National Monument celebration

Browns Canyon via BrownsCanyon.org
Browns Canyon via BrownsCanyon.org
Browns Canyon -- John Fielder photo via BrownsCanyon.org
Browns Canyon — John Fielder photo via BrownsCanyon.org

From The Chaffee County Times (Mason Miller) via The Leadville Herald:

After an effort spanning several decades, a commemorative ceremony was held for Browns Canyon Saturday to celebrate its national monument status.

The event was held at Buena Vista High School gym after rain and wind relocated the ceremony from the Buena Vista River Park.

Browns Canyon was officially designated a national monument in February by President Obama.

Speakers included Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, as well as other state, federal and local representatives.

“We did it,” Jewell proclaimed to the crowd of more than 700 supporters, summarizing the theme of many of the speeches made.

“I feel like the guy who kicked the field goal at the end of the game,” Executive Director for Friends of Browns Canyon Keith Baker said. “There were so many people involved throughout the years. This wouldn’t be possible without all of them.”

Jewell, a former CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc., a retail company for sporting goods and outdoor recreation gear, said the economic impact that national monuments like Browns Canyon have on local economies should not be underestimated.

“In Browns Canyon alone, as I understand it, it’s nearly a $60 million dollar business per year in the rafting industry,” Jewell said.

“When you think about the impact on the community that having a national monument has, there is no question that specially protected landscapes like this are very good for local economies.”
Buena Vista Mayor Joel Benson expressed similar sentiments.

“I’ve talked with many people at my own business and so many of them tell me they’ve come all the way to our community just to visit Browns Canyon.”

Both Hickenlooper and Bennet spoke about the divisiveness the declaration of national monuments creates politically, but in spite of these differences citizens and government officials have to persevere to protect these places for generations to come.

“We have to make sure these wilderness areas are accessible for our children and their children,” Hickenlooper said.

“Keep doing what you’re doing, because it’s working,” Bennet exclaimed during his speech. “It’s no surprise that D.C. is gridlocked when it comes to issues like this, but you see what’s possible when we come together to work with all of the stakeholders.”

Tom Tidwell, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, talked about what’s next for Browns Canyon.

“We have three years to develop a land management plan,” he said. “It’s important to take our time. We’ll have to work closely with the Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Parks and Wildlife to see this plan through to the end.”

Tidwell said the management plan will involve surveying the area to see what additional recreational facilities might be needed. Additionally, his staff will work closely with organizations like Friends of Browns Canyon to finish the plan in a timely manner.

Many of the speakers gave a special thanks to former U.S. Sen. Mark Udall for his tireless efforts as a supporter of both national monuments throughout the nation and of Browns Canyon. Udall was not in attendance.

More Arkansas River Basin coverage here.

Fishing to be a big part of Rueter-Hess recreation — The Parker Chronicle

Rueter Hess Reservoir
Rueter Hess Reservoir

From the Parker Chronicle (Chris Michlewicz):

Parker Water has begun the first phase of a fish-stocking program that will excite anglers for years to come.

The district’s initial purpose in stocking the reservoir is to follow through with an aquatic vegetation management plan, required by the district’s environmental impact statement.

“The reservoir’s volume has now reached a point that we are comfortable with implementing the stocking plan,” said Ron Redd, district manager.

The approved fish-stocking strategy was developed by Aquatics Associates Inc., with the initial plan being implemented from 2015-19. The recommended phased approach is to first stock the reservoir with forage species, including fathead minnows and bluegill.

Each stocking phase, at an anticipated cost of $27,000-$29,000, will span four consecutive years, with populations expanding on their own as the reservoir increases with size. Other game fish will be introduced in 2016 or later, including, but not limited to, channel catfish and rainbow trout. Stocking largemouth bass in 2017 will help to maintain a balanced and successful fishery.

The fishery biologists at Aquatics Associates predict that in future years, the reservoir will be able to support up to 20-pound rainbow trout.

To find out more about recreation at Rueter-Hess Reservoir, click here.

More Rueter-Hess Reservoir coverage here and here.

Southwestern youth organize to conserve the #ColoradoRiver — The Colorado Independent #COriver

Two dozen college kids from all over the Southwest have flocked to Denver this weekend to learn about the history and future of the Colorado River – their source of water.
Two dozen college kids from all over the Southwest have flocked to Denver this weekend to learn about the history and future of the Colorado River – their source of water.

From The Colorado Independent (Nat Stein):

“… the Colorado River system is not bounded by state lines, but by history, culture, and watersheds, and … everyone in the basin needs to be committed to working together to solve the challenges facing the river.”

Two dozen college kids from all over the Southwest have flocked to Denver this weekend to learn about the history and future of the Colorado River – their source of water.

The event, the Nuestro Rio Youth Leadership Summit, was put on by Nuestro Rio (Our River), a nonprofit that organizes Latinos in the Southwest to conserve the Colorado River.

From July 23-25, at Denver Metro University, participants will learn about the river’s history, its critical role in the region’s ecosystem, the strain it’s under and how to engage communities in conservation efforts.

“Not only is the Colorado River a great source for life in the western deserts, it is also a “book” with countless tales of America’s natural and cultural history,” said Adrian Hernandez Lopez, a participant from southern California, in a release.

Nuestro Rio bills the summit as representative of “the growing engagement of Latino and Native Americans, who recognize that the Colorado River system is not bounded by state lines, but by history, culture, and watersheds, and that everyone in the basin needs to be committed to working together to solve the challenges facing the river.”

Photo credit: Denny Armstrong, Creative Commons, “>Flickr.