Gunnison Basin and Crested Butte Conservation News from HCCA

HCCA to host Annual Meeting featuring John Fielder on Nov. 18

2010-11-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

November 18 Annual Meeting with guest John Fielder

High Country Citizens’ Alliance will be holding its Annual Meeting on November 18, 2010 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts. The annual meeting offers a chance to provide updates to the community and members on the organization’s recent work and elect new board members. This year HCCA is proud to feature John Fielder, Colorado’s renowned landscape photographer as a guest speaker. John will be presenting his collection of photos from the Gunnison River Valley, and will have books available to purchase.

It is also time for our Board of Directors election. Members in good standing will elect three board members as well as a President. Nominations may be made with a petition signed by ten HCCA members of at least six months. Nominations for the three board seats will be accepted until Wednesday, October 13, 2010. The HCCA Board of Directors also may make nominations. Ballots will be mailed to members current as of October 18, 2010, and will be accepted until the annual meeting begins on November 18. Results will be announced at the meeting.

There will be opportunities at the meeting to renew your membership or join HCCA. You can also purchase Red Lady Prayer Flags and HCCA merchandise Red Lady Prayer Flags and HCCA merchandise. Pizza and beverages will be served at 6:00 p.m. for a suggested donation of $5.00. This is a community event, so please invite others to join us! We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, November 18th.

Please mail nominations to: HCCA, P.O. Box 1066, Crested Butte, CO 81224. For more information, please call Susan Williams at 970-349-7104 ext. 5 or email susan@hccaonline.org.

HCCA Announces Annual Meeting & Guest Speaker

2010-10-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

October 7, 2010

High Country Citizens’ Alliance is pleased to announce that our Annual Meeting will take place on Thursday, November 18, 2010, at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts in Crested Butte beginning at 6:00 p.m. We will report on the past year’s happenings, present the 2010 Volunteer of the Year Award, and hear from guest speaker, John Fielder, Colorado’s renowned landscape photographer.

Nominations for the three board seats will be accepted until Wednesday, October 13, 2010. The HCCA Board of Directors also may make nominations.

Ballots will be mailed to members current as of October 18, 2010, and will be accepted until the annual meeting begins on November 18. Results will be announced at the meeting. Please mail nominations to: HCCA, P.O. Box 1066, Crested Butte, CO 81224. For more information, please call Susan Williams at 970-349-7104 ext. 5 or email susan@hccaonline.org.

Administrator & Outreach Coordinator position opening

2010-08-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

Vacancy Announcement: Administrator & Outreach Coordinator position opening

JOB DESCRIPTION: Administrator and Outreach Coordinator

OVERVIEW: The Administrator and Outreach Coordinator is responsible for the smooth and efficient operation of the High Country Citizens’ Alliance office. The coordinator will perform all bookkeeping functions, be responsible for all of the organization’s financial and operational reporting, manage operations of the office, support program staff, coordinate outreach including events, recruit and manage volunteers, and maintain HCCA’s membership and donor database.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
# Manage daily office operations including, but not limited to, all aspects of bookkeeping, office supplies, receptionist duties, and meeting and greeting clients and visitors
# Manage monthly and annual office operations including, but not limited to, insurance renewals (Workers Comp, General Liability, employee benefits, etc.), service and/or rental
contracts, supply inventory, database management
# Perform general clerical duties and support program staff administrative needs
# Operate and maintain critical office systems including phones, computers, copiers, fax machines and computer network
# Maintain HCCA’s electronic and paper filing system of relevant administrative information
# Perform all payroll functions including monthly payroll & grant spending, quarterly and yearly tax reporting to the Internal Revenue Service & the State of Colorado
# Complete yearly tax reporting and generation of tax documents for HCCA’s accountant.
# Prepare quarterly sales tax and raffle license reports, annual Federal non-profit reports, monthly financial reports
# Assist the Executive Director with implementation and management of annual budget
# Manage sales of HCCA goods and process online store sales
# Produce membership renewal letters and fundraising appeals with the Executive Director and/or Fundraising Committee
# Process new and renewing memberships and donations in Quickbooks and the membership database; produce appropriate thank you letters
# Manage and update membership and donor database for use in direct mailing campaigns, electronic mailings, fundraising drives, and to solicit attendance at outreach and fundraising events
# Assist with the publishing and distribution of HCCA’s semi-annual newsletter
# Coordinate monthly program update emails and action alerts about upcoming issues and events
# Coordinate outreach and fundraising events with the Executive Director and other staff members
# Organize HCCA events including supplies, volunteers, venues and presentation materials
# Coordinate accurate and timely updates to the HCCA website, Facebook, Twitter and blogsite with program staff

DESIRED KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:
# Commitment to the mission, vision and values of High Country Citizens’ Alliance
# Degree in relevant area or equivalent experience
# Knowledge of non-profit administration
# Excellent organizational skills
# Excellent written and verbal communication skills
# Strong computer and software skills
# Bookkeeping skills, including proficiency with QuickBooks
# Event organizing and volunteer management
# Ability to work a full time, 40-hour week, and occasional weekends and nights

HOW TO APPLY
Please submit cover letter, resume and 3 references via email, subject heading “Administrator” to dan@hccaonline.org.

Volunteer Board Member Openings

2010-07-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

High Country Citizens' Alliance (HCCA) has opportunities for volunteers interested in joining its Board of Directors. HCCA is a Crested Butte, Colorado based non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to champion the protection, conservation and preservation of the natural ecosystems within the Upper Gunnison River Basin. HCCA engages in a variety of local and regional conservation issues including the effort to prevent a mine on Mt. Emmons, protecting the area’s public lands, conserving water resources and transitioning to renewable energy sources. We’d like candidates who have interest and experience in some or all of the following areas: non-profit governance and finance, legal expertise, environmental advocacy or science background and volunteer coordination. We seek individuals willing to actively participate in oversight of the organization’s activities and assist with shaping policy and goals. Familiarity with the Gunnison Basin, local residency and year-round availability are desirable. Please contact Gwen Pettit, Board President at gpspiral@crestedbutte.net if you’d like to join us.

4th of July Parade

2010-07-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

It’s time to put on your wildest red - tutus, tuxes, sequins and more.

High Country Citizens’ Alliance invites all children - young and old - locals and visitors alike, to express your support for protecting Red Lady (Mount Emmons) by donning your flashiest red and marching in the 4th of July Parade. Younger children are invited to wear their animal costumes as a reminder of the wildlife we are committed to protecting.

Please help decorate the float by bringing your creativity to the Depot (716 Elk Ave.) on Friday July 2, from 3:00 – 6:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to join in the fun.

To be in the parade simply join us at the Depot, decked out in your best Red, (716 Elk Ave.) on July 4th from 9:00 to 10:45 am. The parade begins at 11:00am.

For more details or to offer your brilliant ideas please contact Susan at 349-7104 or susan@hccaonline.org.
Save Red Lady!

HCCA Invites You to Attend the 2010 Red Lady Forum on June 23

2010-06-15T13:42:00.001-07:00

High Country Citizens’ Alliance will host the 2010 Red Lady Forum on Wednesday, June 23 at the Crested Butte Town Hall from 6:30p.m. to 8:30p.m. This is a chance for community members to learn about current developments on the Red Lady mining proposal, as well as HCCA’s work to prevent the mine on Mt. Emmons. The forum will feature presentations from the HCCA staff and one of HCCA’s attorneys working on the Mount Emmons issue. There will also be an opportunity for individuals to ask any questions they might have concerning Mount Emmons and the mine proposal. For further information click here, or call 349 – 7104 extension 5.

Tri-State public meetings - RSVP by Apr. 9, agenda now available

2010-04-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

From Tri-State Generation and Transmission

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. is developing its 2010 resource plans to meet the electricity needs of its 44 member electric cooperatives. The planning process involves projecting future needs, assessing the existing assets available to meet those needs and identifying any resource gap so that Tri-State can continue to provide reliable and affordable electricity.

Planning for resources involves developing and assessing alternative scenarios that are based on a range of growth rates, resource costs, capital costs, types of generation resources, energy efficiency programs, levels of emissions, water usage and other considerations. The various alternative resource plans are compared on the basis of cost, environmental characteristics and other factors.

A component of the development of Tri-State's resource plan is public input. Tri-State will hold a series of public resource planning meetings in 2010. The first two meetings are intended to inform the public about Tri-State's resource requirements and guidelines and will discuss the planning process and modeling alternatives.

For more details, visit http://www.tristate.coop/ResourcePlanning/

Tri-State Public Meeting

Friday, April 16
8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
View meeting agenda >>

Location: Tri-State Headquarters
1100 W. 116th Avenue
Westminster, Colorado 80234

> Please register online by April 9 >>
The meeting will be available by Webcast. Registration now available >>

The meeting will begin promptly at 8:00 a.m.
We recommend you arrive early to check in at security.
You must have a photo ID.
Light refreshments will be served.

Tri-State is a not-for-profit electric cooperative, owned and governed by the members its serves. Tri-State generates and transmits electricity safely and reliably to its 44 member systems throughout a 250,000 square-mile service territory across Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming.

Copyright, Tri-State 2010

HCCA Press Release: Interior decision would allow unlimited use of public land for toxic mine waste dumping

2010-04-06T09:59:00.001-07:00

From: 2010 Press Releases

No Fooling: Obama's gifts to extractive industries continue with defense of Bush mining policy

Interior decision would allow unlimited use of public land for toxic mine waste dumping

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 1st, 2010 -- In addition to opening up vast areas of our coastline to offshore oil drilling, the Obama administration yesterday elected to defend a Bush-era policy that allows unlimited amounts of our nation's treasured public lands to be used as toxic waste dumps for the multinational hardrock mining industry. This decision -- in the form of a response to federal litigation filed by a coalition of conservation and Native American groups -- is completely inconsistent with earlier remarks by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on the importance of updating our federal mineral policies to protect public lands.

"Increased oil and gas drilling off our coasts, and now unlimited toxic waste dumping on our public lands send the message that profits are more important than water, wildlife and communities," said Lauren Pagel, Policy Director for EARTHWORKS, one of the plaintiffs in the case against the regulations. She continued, "With this move the Obama administration, like the Bush administration before it, is abandoning clean water and communities in favor of gifts to extractive industries."

The Bush-era policies allow multinational mining companies unlimited amounts of public land to dump toxic mine waste and tailings from large-scale industrial mining operations. The challenged regulation, first issued in 2003, reinterpreted what is known as the "millsite provision" of the 1872 Mining Law. The 1872 Mining Law currently allows mining companies to take valuable minerals like gold, copper and uranium from public lands for free.

"The Obama administration's unfortunate decision to defend the Bush-era mining regulations means that Crested Butte and other communities across the west would continue to face severe threats from mines and mine pollution", said Dan Morse, Executive Director of High Country Citizens' Alliance, another plaintiff in the case. He continued, "allowing mines to use unlimited amounts of public land for mine waste and mine facilities is a severe disservice to the American people. Allowing these companies to pollute public lands essentially for free is unfair and unjust. We will strongly oppose these poorly considered policies."

Another challenged regulation, issued in the waning days of the Bush Administration in December, 2008, reversed a legal ruling that required the payment of "fair market value" for the use of public lands not specifically protected by valid mining and millsite claims. Here, the new regulation ignored a ruling from the federal court in Washington in 2003, which ordered the Interior Department to issue regulations so that mining companies would have to compensate the public for the use of public lands. Instead, the new regulation eliminates the mining industry's obligations to pay fair market value.

"The administration has claimed support for reforming one of the most outdated laws on the books -- the 1872 Mining Law -- yet they choose to perpetuate the gross giveaways to an already subsidized industry without regard for other valuable uses of the public's land," said Pagel. She continued, "It's time for the Obama administration to walk their talk when it comes to our shorelines and our public lands, and responsibly balance resource extraction with protections for communities and taxpayers," said Pagel.

The groups that filed the lawsuit are EARTHWORKS (based in Washington, D.C.), High Country Citizens' Alliance (in Crested Butte, Colorado), Great Basin Resource Watch (in Reno, Nevada), Save the Scenic Santa Ritas (in Tucson, Arizona), and the Western Shoshone Defense Project (in Nevada). The Defendants are the U.S. Interior - the agency that issued the regulations, as well as the Agriculture Department, which along with Interior, oversees mining operations on western public lands.

-- ENDS --
For More Information

Background:

* Backgrounder on the millsite issue
* Secretary Salazar's remarks in support of mining law reform
* Interior Department legal defense of Bush policy

Contact:

* Lauren Pagel, EARTHWORKS, 202-887-1872x207
* Gayle Hartmann, Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, 520-325-6974
* Dan Morse, High Country Citizens' Alliance, 970-349-7104
* Jeff Parsons, Western Mining Action Project, 303-823-5738

Take Action: People's Petition to Cap Carbon Dioxide Pollution at 350 Parts Per Million

2010-04-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Join half a million people in calling on the EPA to scientifically establish national safe limits for CO2 and other greenhouse gas pollution under the Clean Air Act. The legal petition is a bold step that President Obama can use to rein in climate change. Click the link below to sign the petition!

Take Action for the Center for Biological Diversity

Jeremy Jones: Saving winter - Why the snow sports community should ask senate to approve climate change legislation

2010-03-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

Last week, The Crested Butte News published a letter submitted by famed big-mountain snowboarding legend Jeremy Jones. Other newspapers form the northeast to the northwest have also published the opinion piece. While Jeremy's amazing snowboard-mountaineering feats have electrified both skiers and snowboarders worldwide for the past decade, he has witnessed the impacts of climate change on mountain communities firsthand. Please read his informed perspective below.

Why the snow sports community should ask senate to approve climate change legislation, by Jeremy Jones

The impacts of climate change are often highlighted with far-off and dramatic examples: the loss of the polar icecap, rising sea levels and unpredictable seasonality. But for those of us living and working in mountain communities throughout the United States, the effects can be felt and seen much closer to home — in the form of shortened winter seasons resulting in lost tourism revenue, incomes and jobs.

Climate change and the boom or busts of winter are realities that mountain communities now live with each season. What might come as a surprise though, is the scale of importance winter recreation plays in the national and local economies. In a 2006 Southwick Associates study, snow-based recreation in the United States was estimated to contribute an estimated $66 billion annually to the U.S. economy and support approximately 556,000 jobs.

More than just an abbreviated ski and snowboard season, continued loss of snow will exact a significant economic toll on the mountain communities that have developed alongside U.S. ski resorts. From Maine to California, hotels, restaurants, hotels, shops and thousands of other small businesses all rely on the draw and the economic inputs of snow sports to maintain their vibrancy and welfare. The prime ski conditions of the Rockies attract about 35 percent of all U.S. skiers every season. Snow sports recreation contributes 11 billion to the regional economy, annually and support over 100,000 jobs. If conditions decline due to warmer temperatures, the region would loose a major source of revenue. A relatively “normal” winter climate is a necessary ingredient for many local commodities beyond the ski hill, including maple syrup in the North East, trout fishing in Montana, and agricultural irrigation in California.

I founded the non-profit, Protect Our Winters to unite the snow sport's community and industry in a fight to curb climate change. A few weeks ago, I joined a snow sports coalition on Capitol Hill to share our perspective on the importance of protecting winter from the effects of climate change, in order to maintain the economic vitality and culture of our mountain communities.

While we met with a great response and connected with many allies, it became clear that the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which passed through the House last year, is in danger of being held up in the Senate.

The bill aims to cut America's production of greenhouse gases by 17 percent by 2020, and 83 percent by 2050. It will create millions of new jobs and move the U.S. towards a new, clean energy economy, while protecting the winter season that fuels our passions.

It's an amazing step forward, but now this landmark legislation is currently in the Senate's hands — and for a bill that could be decided by one or two votes, holdouts will make all the difference.

The general opinion is that any new climate change legislation needs to be passed by the Senate within the next 60 days or we run the risk of losing any momentum gained, and witnessing a very different future.

So now is the time to collectively reach out to our senators, and ask that they approve climate change legislation, starting us down the road to a proper regulation of the emissions that are warming our planet, shortening our winters, and threatening our local economies. My hope and goal in writing this is that all of us who live in mountain communities around the U.S. will recognize the unique stake and voice we have in making sure this legislation is passed and take action. We have a lot at stake and a powerful voice, which needs to be heard.

For information on which senators support climate change legislation, who is still undecided, and who is in opposition, and to send an e-mail urging our respective senators to vote yes on strong climate change legislation, please visit http://www.60daysto.org/

-Jeremy Jones is founder of Protect Our Winters

Denver 7 News: Avatar Based On Colorado Town's History?

2010-03-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

Recently, Denver based channel 7 News ran a story on a possible connection between the popular movie Avatar and Crested Butte's history of natural resource protection.

Both a transcript of the story and the Channel 7 VIDEO (includes interviews with CB locals) are available at the following link: Avatar Based On Colorado Town's History?

Here's a leading snippet from the 7 News website:

"CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. -- "Avatar" is shattering box office records, scoring nine Oscar nominations and setting a new standard for visual effects.
But could the story that's making history actually be the veiled tale of a Colorado town?
It's an isolated land where locals live in harmony with nature and on top of a mineral a mining company is determined to get.
Sound familiar?
Well, it's not the plot of James Cameron's blockbuster hit "Avatar."
It's the history of Colorado's Crested Butte."

You can read the full story and see the video HERE.

HCCA's Climate and Energy News Roundup for February 2010 available online now!

2010-03-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

Our monthly Climate and Energy News Roundup is geared towards individuals with interest in local, regional and national electricity issues - particularly those relating to Tri-State and its member cooperatives. The goal of this monthly service is to provide links to a selection of the most relevant electricity news over the past month. Each edition includes sections on Tri-State, Cooperative and Regional Energy News, Colorado Energy News, National/International Energy News and Policy, Climate/Climate Change News and Energy Technology News.

Click HERE to view the February 2010 Climate and Energy News Roundup

SMPA to Leave Colorado Rural Electric Association

2010-02-25T13:34:00.000-08:00

SMPA to Leave Colorado Rural Electric Association

The following is an exerpt from the Telluride Watch Article at:
http://watchnewspapers.com/view/full_story/6449513/article-SMPA-and-DMEA-to-Investigate-a-Merger?

"Just over two weeks after the Delta-Montrose Electric Association announced that it was resigning its membership from the Colorado Rural Electric Association, the San Miguel Power Association announced this week that it was doing the same.

SMPA’s Board of Directors, according to an announcement released last Monday, voted to withdraw from the CREA at its regular meeting on Feb. 18. The decision to leave the statewide association is due in part to philosophical differences.

“The Board has recognized for some time that there are philosophical differences,” SMPA Board President Wes Perrin said. “We are always kind of outside the vote on CREA and it is a different type of organization. We did a survey in 2008 that indicated what the most important issues are for our members and that is reliability, cost, information on conservation, and renewable energy. We took that information seriously and we redirected our strategic planning. We are a progressive organization and we are seeing that it may be best for our members to start lobbying in a different fashion so we decided to separate from the legislative arm of CREA.”

SMPA expresses sincere appreciation for the past work CREA has accomplished on behalf of all Colorado electric cooperatives, the announcement stated. However, in order to assure that the values of SMPA’s members are reflected in our legislative lobbying efforts, SMPA finds it necessary to end participation in CREA’s legislative division."

ENERGY: Coal-Fired Power on the Way Out? - IPS ipsnews.net

2010-02-24T15:55:00.001-08:00

ENERGY: Coal-Fired Power on the Way Out? - IPS ipsnews.net

Posted using ShareThis

HCCA's January 2010 Program Update available online!

2010-02-18T12:02:00.000-08:00

Each month HCCA compiles an email Program Update on a significant issue from each program area: Save Red Lady, Public Lands, Water and Climate and Clean Energy. Reviewing our Program Updates is the best way to read the latest news from each of these program areas.

To view the January 2010 Program Update, simply click here.

HCCA's Climate and Energy News Roundup for January 2010 available online now!

2010-02-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

HCCA's November Climate and Energy News Roundup is available online

2009-12-03T10:31:00.001-08:00

Each month, HCCA's Climate and Clean Energy Program compiles a hit list of relevant climate and energy news articles from reputable sources. Please CLICK HERE to view November's edition.

2009’s Progress at Tri-State and GCEA and the Challenges that lie ahead

2009-11-19T14:18:00.000-08:00

Everyday it becomes increasingly clear that we must make significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid catastrophic human, economic and ecologic consequences. One of the best ways to address the climate crisis while safeguarding electricity rates and bolstering the economy is to address how efficiently the electricity we consume is used and also how it’s generated.

2009 has seen auspicious progress in this regard. Pressure from conservation groups like HCCA, ratepayers like Gunnison County residents, and the current financial and regulatory climate have influenced Tri-State Transmission and Generation and many of their member cooperatives like Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) to begin implementing energy efficiency measures and considering renewable generation over coal for future capacity building projects. Of note, in the past year, Tri-State has:

Announced the 30 MW Cimarron 1 photovoltaic power plant in New Mexico (operational by 2010).
Announced the development of the 51 MW Kit Carson wind farm in Eastern Colorado (operational by 2010).
Participated in launching the Together We Save campaign for energy efficiency.
Created rebates for energy efficient appliances and other incentives to encourage energy efficiency.
Developed pilot programs which they are kicking off at different cooperatives that are examining things like local renewable generation opportunities and smart grid technologies.

At the local cooperative level, progress has also been made. This year, GCEA has:

Reconvened their technology committee, a group of board members who works with GCEA staff to develop and implement energy efficiency and examine the potential for local renewable generation projects.
Launched in the Taylor Hydro feasibility study.
Launched an Energy Efficiency Rebate Program.
Created new programs to offer home energy audits to their members.
Designed and held outreach events like the Women's Weatherization Workshop.

While there have certainly been some positive developments, our efforts must remain vigilant. In contrast to the 81 MW of renewable capacity announced by Tri-State in the past year, they are still actively pursuing the development of an 895 MW coal plant. Additionally, the lobbying groups supported by Tri-State and its cooperatives like the Colorado Rural Electric Association and the National Renewable Electric Association are heavy organizing and lobbying presences that seek to prevent what could be negative legislative consequences to the status quo of coal-based electrification. Additionally, we hear through credible sources that many cooperative directors simply do not believe in human caused climate change or that coal has anything to do with some of the current ecological, health and resource challenges we face. Indeed, this is a challenging culture to change.

Contrary to investor-owned utilities like Xcel energy (the largest utility in the state), cooperative utilities like Tri-State (Colorado’s second-largest utility) are not regulated by the Public Utilities Commission

and therefore face less stringent renewable energy standards.

Change at our cooperative utilities lies in the ability of their membership to demand it. HCCA continues to work actively to organize a voice for this demand and produce tangible results.

HCCA’s Climate and Clean Energy Program now publishes a monthly Climate and Energy News Roundup. If you’re interested in receiving this monthly compilation of the most relevant climate and energy news, please email chris@hccaonline.org to sign up.

Tell Governor Ritter to Protect Colorado's Roadless Areas

2009-09-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Your input is needed by October 2nd!!!

Over 4 Million Acres of Colorado's Roadless Area forests are at risk and your help is needed right now to keep these forests intact. Roadless Areas within National Forests are protected by law . . . specifically the 2001 National Roadless Rule. The Bush Administration tried its best to dismantle this law but a federal court recently reinstated the 2001 National Roadless Rule. Despite this court ruling, the state of Colorado is continuing efforts to open up these Roadless Areas to widespread logging, new coal mines, and road building through a state Roadless Rule

The proposed state Roadless Rule falls short of the protections our National Forest Roadless Areas deserve, and overall, it would result in less protection for forests here than in any other state in this country.

As currently drafted, the proposed state Roadless Rule would:

Open important wildlife areas to roads for new coal mines and for unspecified electrical lines.
Allow fragmentation of important natural areas with roads for new dams, reservoirs, and ditches.
Divert scarce fuels-reduction resources from areas near communities that are at-risk of wildfire, for logging in the backcountry.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources is seeking comments on this flawed state Roadless Rule and the deadline for those comments is October 2nd.

Please email or send a letter with the above points opposing the state Roadless Rule as it is currently drafted. Let them know that the 2001 National Roadless Rule provides Colorado and the rest of the country a roadless policy that is consistent with national conservation priorities and that truly protects our national forests and communities.

Send comments to:

Roadless.Comments@state.co.us

or

Roadless Rule Comments
Colorado Department Of Natural Resources
1313 Sherman Street, Room 718
Denver, CO 80203

These lands belong to all Americans and a National Roadless Rule will preserve them for future generations. Thanks for making a difference.

Roadless Road Show Coming to Town

2009-09-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

Friends of Colorado’s Backcountry Forests will launch a state tour and ‘Roadless Road Show’ giving citizens the opportunity to post messages in support of National Roadless protection. The Roadless Road Show will gather these messages for the state’s comment period on the proposed rule for Colorado’s Roadless Areas on National Forests.

The Road Show will be a traveling wall, providing an opportunity for people to add their comments to the display, building momentum as it travels the state. The Road Show will begin in Durango the weekend of Sept. 12th, then start its traverse across the state, arriving in Denver at the end of the comment period in late September.

The Roadless Road Show will be at the following locations in Gunnison County during its tour:

-Tuesday, September 15th (11-1 PM): In Front of Western State College Student Center in Gunnison

-Wednesday, September 16th (9-11 AM): At Elk Ave & 3rd in Crested Butte

Come out and show your support for Roadless Area protection and sign the wall!

Green Jobs for a Green Future - Real Jobs for Real People (Video)

2009-08-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

From The White House Blog

"We have heard from Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, on some of the seedlings of a clean energy economy before. And back in May he introduced us to the enormous potential of weatherizing buildings and homes. Today, as part of a week where the Cabinet is out in force pushing through key energy-related projects and initiatives, Van comes back again to show us how weatherizing homes will be a major source of jobs in neighborhoods like yours as the President’s vision for a clean energy economy becomes reality. See if you can watch the video and not be excited about what the future holds here."

Beyond Coal - Showdown at Highwood - VIDEO

2009-08-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

In Great Falls, Mont., a diverse coalition of ranchers, farmers, local residents, doctors, lawyers and conservationists has been fighting to protect their clean water, productive soil and pure Western air from the Highwood Generating Station, a dirty coal-fired power plant that developers want to build on the banks of the Missouri River. Beyond Coal: Showdown at Highwood, documents how these many voices have been able to find strength in their opposition to the common goal of keeping their homes, health, and heritage from being tainted by the dirtiest source of energy available.

Press Release on proposed State Roadless Rule

2009-08-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

Today, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources is releasing proposed revisions to the draft Colorado Roadless Rule for public review and comment.

Our groups will closely examine the proposed state rule, but from what we already know it is a bad deal for Colorado. It would result in less protection for roadless national forests here than in any other state. As citizens here and across the nation have called for time and again, these national lands deserve the strong protections found in the 2001 Roadless Rule.

The proposed Colorado rule falls far short.

The proposed Colorado rule would allow coal mining in a fragile watershed where no mine exists and no land has been leased for coal mining. It allows roadbuilding and logging more than a mile into the backcountry, diverting scarce resources away from communities potentially at-risk from wildfire. The proposed rule offers an open-ended invitation for roads to new damsites including private reservoirs. It gives the Forest Service so much leeway that the purpose of the 2001 Rule - to provide clear direction to protect these areas from further ecological damage - is lost.

In the coming days, we will review the proposal more closely and encourage citizens and community leaders to provide input to the Governor as well as the Secretary of Agriculture who oversees Colorado's national forests.

Our bottom line is that we support strong measures for the protection of roadless areas provided by the 2001 Roadless Rule. We believe Colorado's roadless national forests deserve the same standards of protection as those in every other state. The proposed Colorado rule simply doesn’t measure up.

Contacts:

Ryan Demmy Bidwell, Colorado Wild 970-385-9833
Peter Hart, Wilderness Workshop 970-963-3977
Carrie Curtiss, Colorado Environmental Coalition 303-405-6709
Andrea Robinsong, Western Colorado Congress 970-623-2113
Bryan Martin, Colorado Mountain Club 303- 519-2027
Amy Mall, Natural Resources Defense Council 720-565-0188
Lawton Grinter, High Country Citizens' Alliance 970-349-7104

Comment on San Juan Wilderness Act

2009-07-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

One of our SRCA partner organizations, Sheep Mountain Alliance out of Telluride, is encouraging folks to contact Rep. John Salazar in support of the San Juan Mountain Wilderness Act.

Highlights of the bill include the expansion of the Mt. Sneffels & Lizard Head Wilderness Areas in addition to Wilderness designation for the northern half of the McKenna Peak Wilderness Study Area. You can find more info on this bill and a sample comment letter to Rep. Salazar on Sheep Mountain Alliance's website.

Climate and Energy News Roundup for June, 2009

2009-07-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

The Climate and Energy News Roundup for June, 2009 is available online! Click here to view it.

Brought to you by the Climate and Clean Energy program at High Country Citizens' Alliance.

Local Groups Encourage Attendance at GCEA Annual Meeting

2009-06-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted to the Crested Butte News and Gunnison Country Times on June 9, 2009.

Local Groups Encourage Attendance at GCEA Annual Meeting

Dear Editor:

You may have noticed that in recent weeks our electricity supplier, Tri-State Generation and Transmission, has launched a media blitz promoting its intentions of changing the way they provide power. Tri-State claims that it will invest in new technology, develop renewable energy and improve energy efficiency. Given the unprecedented acceleration and certainty of climate change coupled with legislation that will make coal-based power increasingly expensive, these measures are exactly what is needed to maintain human and environmental health while preventing your electricity bill from skyrocketing.

Your local Alliance for Clean Electricity (www.allianceforcleanelectricity.org) and the Climate and Clean Energy Program at High Country Citizens’ Alliance wholeheartedly endorse the measures that Tri-State claims to be taking. Developing renewable generation and implementing energy efficiency measures to be provided locally through Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) are among the most important ways to protect the climate and your electric rates. It is critical however, that our community can collectively hold them to their word, making sure these claims are actually delivered. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is currently considering a closer working relationship with Tri-State to assist them in achieving this New Energy Economy. By supporting the PUC’s initiative, you’ll be helping this progress and our collective future.

Several reasons exist to maintain some skepticism about Tri-State’s actual direction, including the recent approval of a 795 MegaWatt coal-fired power plant at Holcomb, Kansas. While the development of new coal-fired generation at Holcomb was blocked three times by the former Governor, the new governor of Kansas quickly drafted legislation to allow the project. Originally, Tri-State was the principal investor in this proposed coal plant(s), having invested $50 million of their members’ (including GCEA’s) money. Now, given their shift in mindset, plans to develop renewables and the recognition that new coal-fired development makes little economic sense, Tri-State is unsure about whether or not to remain a partner.

As a member and owner of GCEA (if you receive an electric bill for them you are a member/owner) you have the ability to influence their policy as well as Tri-State's. Don't let Tri-State simply market their progressive new strategies -- make sure they follow through! Attend the GCEA Annual Meeting on June 23, 2009 at 5 p.m at their headquarters in Gunnison. In addition to enjoying a free barbecue, you can meet and mingle with GCEA's staff, board of directors and manager Mike Wells. Let them know that you support a new direction that develops renewable generation and invests in energy efficiency and that you want GCEA to make sure Tri-State delivers on their advertised claims. Additionally, remember to support the Colorado PUC’s initiative to work more closely with Tri-State to help them move towards a New Energy Economy. Even if you are unable to attend the GCEA annual meeting, please consider a donation to HCCA's Climate and Clean Energy program to support efforts to advocate for our energy future.

Chris Menges,

HCCA Climate and Clean Energy Coordinator

Alliance for Clean Electricity coordinator

_____________________________________________________

Want to help promote clean energy and slow climate change through local action? Please donate to the Climate and Clean Energy Program by clicking the button below. Your much needed tax deductible contribution is payable via credit card or PayPal.

Basic Car Clinic -June 13

2009-06-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

Dave Rose, a long time car mechanic, will look under the hood with you and explain the idiosyncrasies of your model, common problems to watch for, and anything not quite right he may detect.

The Class Includes:
• A Layperson’s review of auto mechanics
• Discussion of oil and other car fluids
• List of items to check
• What to always carry in your car
• Maintenance Schedules
• How to keep your maintenance records
• One–on–One discussion with you about your car and also includes an additional 2-3 hour session to be arranged with Dave to go over individual cars with each owner.

Cost is $50 and all proceeds benefit HCCA.
To register for this event please call High Country Citizens’ Alliance at:
(970) 349-7104 ext. 7 or email us at office@hccaonline.org.

Saturday, June 13 at the Historic Train Depot (716 Elk Ave.)
The class begins at 11:00 am.
Please bring drinks and snacks for the short break!

Climate and Energy News Roundup for May 25 - May 31, 2009

2009-06-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

Climate and Energy News Roundup for May 25 - May 31, 2009

Instructions: Click the article title, which is a link, to read the story.

Tri-State Related and Local News

The Empire Strikes Back! Tri-State G&T Counters its Critics.

Kansas Enacts Renewable Energy Standard, Permits Disputed Coal Plant

Finances Could Inhibit Crested Butte Energy Action Plan Implementation

Energy

With Billions at Stake, Trying to Expand the Meaning of ‘Renewable Energy’

DOE Announces $467M For Solar and Geothermal

Climate

Climate change causes 315,000 deaths a year (Quote - "annual death toll is expected to rise to half a million by 2030.")

Climate health costs: bug-borne ills, killer heat (Quote - "Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century.")

U.N.'s Ban says climate change pace "alarming" (Quote - “The impact of climate change is accelerating at an "alarming" pace and urgent action must be taken” -U.N. Secretary-General)

Greenland ice could fuel severe U.S. sea level rise

Refugees Join List of Climate-Change Issues

National Policy / International Affairs

U.S. says climate policies among world's toughest

Emissions traders expect U.S. carbon market soon

Travel Plan Update

2009-05-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

Gunnison County Commissioner’s Travel Plan Work Session

Tuesday May 26th from 10:50 – 11:50 AM – Let Your Voice be Heard

On Tuesday, May 26th from 10:50 – 11:50 AM (time subject to change – check website), the Gunnison Board of County Commissioners will be holding a work session on the Gunnison Travel Management Plan. This session is open to the public and the Commissioners will be taking comments on trail designations and travel management on the 1.6 million acres of public land in the Gunnison Basin & North Fork Valley. Come to the meeting and let your voice be heard!

With the June 3rd comment deadline for the Travel Management Plan fast approaching, it’s important to weigh in NOW. The county will be writing a comment letter to the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and you have a chance to help shape what’s in that letter by attending this meeting and voicing your concerns.

There are 3 action alternatives in the Travel Management Plan and HCCA is encouraging its members to support a travel plan with Alternative 3 as its basis because:

• Alternative 3 is the most conservation friendly.
• Alternative 3 offers the best protection for Gunnison sage-grouse because of road closures near leks.
• Alternative 3 offers the best protection for the Whetstone Roadless Area & Cochetopa Hills.
• Alternative 3 is the only alternative that contains more non-motorized trails than motorized trails.

Let the county commissioners know that you value conservation issues in the Upper Gunnison River Basin and that you support Alternative 3.

In addition, write a comment letter to the USFS to let them know how you feel. Tell them you support Alternative 3 and also let them know what specific trails you would like to see remain open to your preferred mode of recreation. The USFS is looking for personalized letters that let them know what you agree with and disagree with in addition to which alternative you support and what improvements you would like to see.

Attend the May 26th County Commissioners Meeting on the 2nd Floor of the County Courthouse located at 200 E. Virginia Avenue.

And send in comments to the USFS . . . Email or Write:

Gunnison Basin Travel Management DEIS
2250 Hwy 50
Delta, CO 81416

E-mail: r2_gmug_gunnison_travel@fs.fed.us

Gunnison Travel Plan Presentation

2009-05-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

GOT TRAVEL COMMENTS?

High Country Citizens' Alliance will be giving a public presentation on the Gunnison Travel Management Plan and EIS.

When: Thursday May 14 from 6 - 7 PM

Where: Crested Butte Town Hall (Council Chambers)

Why: Because YOU need to know about Forest Service and BLM road and trail designations.

With the June 3rd comment deadline fast approaching, the time to send in your travel plan comments is NOW! If you hike, horseback ride, rock climb, mountain bike, fish or recreate on the 1.6 million acres of federal lands in the Gunnison Basin, this presentation is for you. We will have a table set up for writing comment letters and a question and answer session will follow the presentation. Get involved with your public lands!

For questions or more information, contact HCCA Conservation Analyst Lawton Grinter at 349-7104 or lawton@hccaonline.org. Visit our website at www.hccaonline.org for more information.

Community Meeting with United States Senator Michael Bennet

2009-04-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

Please join United States Senator Michael Bennet for a Community Meeting on Friday, April 17th in Gunnison to discuss issues of importance to our area. Your ideas and insights are very important to the Senator and he looks forward to visiting with you so that he might better serve you and, with your help, continue to make Colorado a great place today and for future generations.

You might consider asking the Senator about some of the important issues facing our area, including:

1.) Mt. Emmons and 1872 Mining Law Reform. Tell the Senator that this community is opposed to a mine on Mt. Emmons because of the impacts it would cause and ask him to support our efforts to protect our environment and economy. Ask him to support substantive reform of the 1872 Mining Law during this congress by backing the Hardrock Mining Reform bill that has been introduced in the Senate Energy Committee.

2.) Climate & Clean Energy. Tell the Senator that the threats of global climate change are particularly alarming for this community, Colorado and the West. Ask him to support legislation that would enable our region to use energy more efficiently and expedite our transition from coal-fired to renewable energy generation. Additionally, ask Bennet to support legislation that helps our state and nation transition to a clean energy economy, particularly cap and trade or a carbon tax.

3.) Public Lands. Tell the Senator that you want protection for Colorado’s 4.4 million acres of Roadless Areas that is equal to or greater than the protection given to these areas under the 2001 National Roadless Rule.

Please RSVP which meeting you plan to attend by emailing Randy See at randy_see@bennet.senate.gov or calling 970-241-6631. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS INVITATION TO YOUR MEMBERSHIP AND OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES

Gunnison, CO: April 17 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting Room, Gunnison County Courthouse, 200 East Virginia Avenue, Gunnison, Colorado.

New FERC Director will make climate change "a big priority" and envisions "smart grid."

2009-03-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

Climate Change 'Big Priority' For Energy Commission Chief

By Steven Mufson
Saturday, March 21, 2009; A03

Add a new name to the list of Obama appointees devoted to aggressive
action on climate change.

President Obama yesterday named Jon Wellinghoff -- a lawyer who once
served as Nevada's consumer advocate and a believer that electric-car
owners could someday get paid to provide backup battery power to the
electricity grid -- as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission.

Wellinghoff joined the commission in 2006 and has been serving as
acting chairman since January. He takes charge of an agency that has
long been dominated by oil and gas or utility lawyers and that focuses
on the wholesale part of the oil, natural gas and electricity markets.
The agency oversees about 368,000 miles of electricity transmission
lines and more than 11,000 miles of natural gas pipelines, and
regulates hydroelectric projects and energy markets.

But Wellinghoff, who conducted a full energy audit of the shortcomings
of FERC's headquarters soon after he arrived, had previously helped
write Nevada's renewable electricity standard requiring utilities to
increase their use of wind, solar and geothermal power. He was the
lead attorney for a big solar installation near Las Vegas. And on his
windowsill, he keeps a small Stirling engine, a device used in many
geothermal and solar installations that runs when it comes in contact
with the heat of a hand or computer monitor.

In an interview Thursday, he said climate change would remain "a big
priority for me. From everything I've read, we're in big trouble and
we need to do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint."

To do that, Wellinghoff envisions a more sophisticated electricity
system with more big transmission lines and a "smart grid" with
greater ability to coordinate fluctuations in wind and solar power
with the demand from households, buildings and factories.

On Thursday, he supported a proposal that sets rules for smart-grid
devices so they can communicate with each other more easily. He is
also seeking greater authority over the siting of transmission lines
that could carry renewable resources from sparsely populated places
where they are plentiful to the cities and suburbs where those
resources are most needed.

"How do we do that without steamrolling the states" is a key issue,
Wellinghoff said. And while he said that the less FERC intrudes on the
power of states the better, he also said that "at the end of the day
you need the power to overrule them" in order to make sure that "we
get the upgrades done that are essential to the national interest,
national security and our environmental interest with respect to
carbon and greenhouse gas emissions."

A recent court ruling, which asserted states' rights to block
transmission lines, could complicate that task. But Senate Majority
Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) favors an increase in FERC's authority;
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman
(D-N.M.) plans to push the idea as part of an energy bill.

Another potential conflict was defused this week. The Interior
Department and FERC agreed to divide responsibility for regulating
offshore alternative energy sources such as wind and wave power,
ending a year-and-a-half-long interagency turf battle. Interior will
decide on wind power proposals in federal waters, while FERC will
oversee wave, tidal and ocean-current projects.

In Wellinghoff's view, the U.S. electricity system will ultimately
become more decentralized, with local solar projects generating power
and automobiles serving as storage devices for utility companies. He
said that in five to 10 years, if the cost of including the price of
household solar installation in a mortgage is less than the money
saved on utility bills, "everybody will put solar on their houses."

Ultimately, Wellington hopes to find ways to better manage electricity
demand so renewable power sources can be integrated into the system.
For instance, he is a proponent of using electric cars to send
electricity back to the electrical grid as well as draw from it.
Electric-car owners could sign up with a company that would amalgamate
hundreds or thousands of car owners and, based on their average
behavior, promise to either draw down or send back electricity to the
grid. Car owners would be paid, which would help offset the cost of
electric vehicles, currently priced at least $8,000 or as much as
$12,000 more than non-electric versions.

"It makes the grid more efficient, but it could also benefit vehicle
owners because they would be getting money back," he said.

____________________________________________

Link to Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/20/AR2009032003194_pf.html

Vote to Support Coal Creek

2009-02-26T09:11:00.000-08:00

VOTE TO SUPPORT COAL CREEK

The Coal Creek Watershed Coalition is competing for a grant from MillerCoors and River Network. The Coalition is one of 8 finalists from an initial pool of 32 applicants. The top 4 vote-getters will receive $10,000. Funds from this grant will be used to do some cleanup at the Forest Queen Mine, conduct a study of how Magnesium Chloride might be affecting Coal Creek and to work with the Office for Resource Efficiency (ORE) with an educational program on water conservation.

The finalists will be picked by popular vote. COAL CREEK WATERSHED COALITION NEEDS YOUR VOTE! It will only take a minute. High Country Citizens' Alliance appreciates all of you and your friends voting in support of Coal Creek. Please help spread the word. Votes must be received by March 6th.

This is the direct link to the voting form:

http://www.rivernetwork.org/forms/vote-millercoors-grants

Regards,

Steve Glazer
HCCA Water Program Director
President, Coal Creek Watershed Coalition

COGCC Rules in Jeopardy - Act Now !

2009-02-19T16:19:00.000-08:00

Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission

Rules in Jeopardy

~~~

Contact Rep. Kathleen Curry to support her

in opposing HB 1255

~~~

Vote Scheduled for Friday, February 20th at 1:30 pm

Colorado is on the front edge of a dramatic oil and gas drilling boom, necessitating the updated oversight of drilling. Since 1999, drilling permits are up 600% and projections call for 120,000 new wells to be drilled in Colorado in the next 30 years.

In early December, the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) updated its regulations by and 8-0 vote. The unanimous, 8-0 vote demonstrates the consensus achieved on the Commission in support of these rules. HCCA realizes it took tremendous compromise to reach an agreement on these rules. The COGCC is to be commended for the enormous amount of time they spent on this process and for ensuring the final protections achieve a fair balance. However, attempts to gut these regulations are under way and the updated rules need your voice to keep them in place.

Ultimately these updated rules will help protect Colorado's air/water quality and wildlife habitat while still allowing oil & gas companies to continue to operate in the state. Other noteworthy improvements in the new rules include:

• Establishing a 300 foot no drill buffer around streams that serve public drinking water supplies.

• Requiring companies to keep track of and disclose to state and emergency responders chemicals they use in drilling operations.

Colorado State Representative Kathleen Curry has been working tirelessly to make sure the COGCC's efforts don't get thwarted by misguided attempts to scale back the new rules. The introduction of HB 1255 by Cory Gardner (R-Wray) is one such effort that would gut wildlife protections and eliminate important feedback from public health and wildlife experts in oil & gas drilling.

Please show your support for Rep. Curry by contacting her TODAY to thank her for her leadership on this issue and ask her to oppose HB 1255. Write a letter to the editor of the Gunnison Times and Crested Butte News in support of her work on the COGCC rules.

Email, Call or Write:

State Representative Kathleen Curry

200 E. Colfax

Denver, CO 80203

Capitol Phone: (303) 866-2945

E-mail: kathleen.curry.house@state.co.us

Gunnison Times

218 N. Wisconsin

Gunnison, CO 81230

E-mail: editor@gunnisontimes.com

Crested Butte News

PO Box 369

Crested Butte, CO 81224

E-mail: editorial@crestedbuttenews.com

************************************************************************************

UPDATE

************************************************************************************

Thanks to your letters and your support of Rep. Curry, HB 1255 was killed in committee of February 20th in a 7-6 vote.

32nd Annual Red Lady Salvation Ball

2009-02-12T09:16:00.000-08:00

The 32^nd Annual Red Lady Salvation will take place on Saturday, March 7, at The Eldo and will feature Delta blues sensation Papa Mali, with opener, local favorite Second Time Around. Tickets are $25 and include a one-year membership with High Country Citizens’ Alliance (HCCA)! Doors will open at 8:00 pm.

The Red Lady Ball is HCCA’s annual fundraiser and membership drive to support protection of the natural world that surrounds us. The evening is highlighted by the coronation of the Red Lady, a tradition of this long-time community event. Nominations are currently being accepted from the public, so if you know of someone who should be the next Red Lady, please nominate her or him. For more information on our website please click HERE.

Red Lady candidates should be Gunnison Valley residents who have made a commitment towards protection of the natural ecosystems of the Upper Gunnison River Basin. The next Red Lady can be male or female, no matter their age. The Red Lady makes appearances during parades and festivals, various community functions, and also volunteers throughout the year representing HCCA’s work to keep Red Lady (Mt. Emmons) free of a molybdenum mine. Nominations can be either phoned in to 349.7104 or emailed to office@hccaonline.org until Monday, February 23. Please include a sentence or two about your nomination.

The evening also features a raffle of fabulous prizes donated by local and regional businesses, such as vacation lodging, nordic ski passes, massages, wine, lunches, dinners, artwork, outdoors equipment and clothing. Tickets for the raffle go on sale Monday, March 2, in front of the Crested Butte Post Office and at the HCCA office in the Depot, 716 Elk Avenue. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. Watch for red-clad ticket sellers outside the Post Office to get your chance to win great prizes.

Note: We have posted this as an event on Facebook - Click here to view the event and RSVP.

HCCA is on Twitter!

2009-02-04T15:51:00.000-08:00

High Country Citizens' Alliance has a Twitter page! Join us as a "friend" or "follower" on Twitter. CLICK HERE to go to our Twitter Page.

Twitter is a social networking service that allows you to answer the question, "What am I doing right now?" HCCA will be using Twitter to update the community on what we are doing both online with blog posts, video updates, facebook updates and website updates as well as in the community with local events and outreach programs.

You do not need a Twitter account to view our page but you will if you want to become a friend or follower.

Once on our page, please register to setup your own Twitter account, become a friend or follower and stay informed with HCCA happenings in the Gunnison Valley.

And please spread the word that HCCA is on Twitter!

Has anyone noticed 2.5 million dollars lying around the Gunnison Valley?

2009-01-23T10:05:00.000-08:00

Has anyone noticed 2.5 million dollars lying around the Gunnison Valley?

You read the title correctly - no need to clean your glasses or rub your weary eyes. Someone seems to have misplaced two and a half million bucks and we ought to help them find it. Who, you ask? Why the Mt. Emmons Project of course - our very own Thompson Creek Metals Company and US Energy. You may have recently read about Thompson Creek’s one million dollar payment to US Energy at the end of 2008. US Energy confirmed this payment in a January 12^th press release, saying:

“…the January 1, 2009 $1 million option payment was paid by Thompson Creek Metals Company USA on January 2, 2009 on behalf of Mt. Emmons Moly Company pursuant to the Exploration, Development and Mine Operating Agreement signed in August 2008.”

Oddly missing from that press release was ‘the rest of the story.’ The rest of the story is that Thompson Creek’s agreement with US Energy goes beyond the simple payment of a million bucks a year. (Simple for them maybe, but that’s another story…) In fact, Thompson Creek is obligated to another $2.5 million each year in project expenditures. The agreement says, in part:

“At any time before but no later than December 31, 2008, TCM shall incur at least $2,500,000 in Expenditures on or related to the Property. … TCM may elect to pay to an interest bearing escrow account on or before a due date specified in Section 6.1(a) the dollar amount equal to any shortfall in Expenditures required to be completed by TCM by such due date in lieu of completing such Expenditures…”

US Energy’s January 12^th press release makes no mention of the fact that Thompson Creek was required spend $2.5 million on the Mt. Emmons Project during 2008 or put that amount away to make up for a shortfall. It is also interesting to note the complete lack of any substantial work on the Mt. Emmons Project since Thompson Creek came to town. New decals for the company trucks, fancy new baseball caps for their skeleton staff and a dormant website may have some costs, but surely not $2.5 million. So the natural question is - where’s the rest of the cash? In the unlikely event that someone finds that cash lying around, I’d suggest rushing it straight over to US Energy.

In the perhaps more likely scenario that US Energy and Thompson Creek are playing shell games with their investors’ money and the future of the Gunnison Valley we should all take note of one more example of the Mt. Emmons Project hiding facts and intentions from the public.

USGS Snodgrass Geology Report Released – Comment Now

2009-01-14T15:34:00.000-08:00

On Monday January 12, 2009, the US Forest Service (USFS) released a US Geological Survey (USGS) Report on Slope Stability on Snodgrass Mountain. The USGS report is intended to assist Forest Supervisor Charlie Richmond in deciding whether to accept the proposal by Crested Butte Mountain Resort to expand the ski area on to Snodgrass Mountain.

HCCA encourages anyone interested in the geology issue to submit comments by January 22nd. The time for providing public input is now! Comments to the Forest Service will be most effective if they address your geology concerns in your own words. HCCA has identified the following important topics from the USGS report:

The USGS report lists 5 specific analyses that need to be performed before the geology on Snodgrass and its possible consequences can be fully understood:

More deep boreholes and inclinometers are needed for slope stability analysis.

A longer period of record and more piezometers are needed to understand surface water and ground water interactions.

Additional stability analyses are needed.

Further analysis is needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed drainage measures in reducing ground-water pressures and increasing slope stability.

Analyses are needed to assess the potential for landslides originating on Snodgrass to impact homes in proposed residential developments nearby

The USGS report lists potential risks to human safety, residential property and the environment that could be caused by landslides and debris flows:

Depending on the rate of movement, reactivation of one of these large landslides has slight to moderate potential for causing death and injuries.

Although debris flows are unlikely during ski season, they move rapidly and have great potential for causing deaths and injuries, as well as environmental degradation and property damage.

Debris flows also have great potential to move great distances rapidly, including from National Forest lands to neighboring proposed residential areas.

Please ask Charlie Richmond to postpone a decision on whether to accept a proposal until these studies have been completed and the geology issues resolved.

Please address your comments to:

USDA Forest Service
Forest Supervisor Charlie Richmond
2250 Highway 50
Delta, CO 81416

New Year, New Energy Goals - Obama’s national energy plans and local effects

2008-12-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

New Year, New Energy Goals - Obama’s national energy plans and local effects

Proponents say that if implemented, Barack Obama’s New Energy for America plan has the potential to help improve the national economy, create millions of jobs, dramatically decrease pollution and allow us to pass on a healthy environment to future generations.

When it comes to electricity, there are three aspects of President-elect Obama’s energy strategy that would require a positive and dramatic shift. The new presidential administration plans on proposing that 25% of our electricity come from renewable sources by 2025 and that the United States becomes a world leader in fighting climate change, initially by re-engaging with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). Perhaps most significantly, the new administration plans on implementing an economy wide cap and trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050.

So what is a cap and trade program and how does it work? Sightline, a Seattle-based think tank defines it as a system that “enforces an economy-wide limit on greenhouse gas emissions; sets realistic goals for reducing emissions over time; and harnesses the creativity and dynamism of the market to achieve these goals." In simpler terms, the cap limits greenhouse gas emissions and the trade achieves environmental results at the lowest cost. This type of program is credited with dramatically reducing acid rain in the 1990s. The bottom line for coal-fired power plants is that their emissions will be “taxed” like never before and this formerly “cheap” energy source will become much more expensive.

How might you feel the effects here in the Gunnison Valley? Cap and trade programs may significantly affect the ability of Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) and Tri-State Generation and Transmission, GCEA’s electricity provider, to fulfill the part of their missions of providing their members (you) with affordable electricity. If Tri-State chooses to continue the pursuit of new coal-fired power plants using 20^th century technology instead of investing in energy efficiency, renewable energy technology and other zero- or low-emitting power plants, electricity users in much of Gunnison County over the long-run likely would be saddled with the increased rates for power that climate legislation would bring. Essentially, it is a near certainty that this new legislation will make old-style coal-based electricity more and more expensive as it assigns a cost to greenhouse gas emissions. In order to safeguard local consumers from increasingly expensive electricity bills, our electricity providers must look to the future and develop strategies to provide us with clean, efficient power and quickly implement local energy efficiency measures.

If you agree that moving away from dated technology like old-style pulverized coal fired power plants is essential to protecting both your long term financial well-being and the environment, you can help this effort locally in several ways. Write a letter to GCEA and Tri-State asking for more electricity produced from renewable sources and increased energy efficiency measures. A letter template is available on our website. You can also participate by attending monthly Alliance for Clean Electricity (ACE) meetings which alternate between Gunnison and Crested Butte. The time, date and location of the meetings are posted here. For more details and a list of how to take action or get involved, visit the Climate and Clean Energy page at www.hccaonline.org. Learn more about cap and trade by viewing the video about how this program defeated acid rain below -

(Video by Environmental Defense Fund)

Chris Menges,

Alliance for Clean Electricity and

Climate and Clean Energy Coordinator at

High Country Citizens' Alliance

HCCA is on Facebook!

2008-12-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

High Country Citizens' Alliance has a Facebook page! Join us as a fan. CLICK HERE to go to our Facebook Page.

You do not need a Facebook account to view our page.

Once on our page, please register to setup your account, become a fan and add some photos of your favorite spots or people in the Crested Butte area or perhaps some photos of your Red Lady Prayer flags hanging. Please feel free to start a conversation about an environmental or conservation issue or become a member of the' Cause' to Save Red Lady (see bottom of our page for the cause tab).
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Show us your Red Lady Prayer Flags!

2008-12-19T14:37:00.000-08:00

Red Lady Prayer Flags Project

Red Lady, or Mt. Emmons, is the sentinel peak of Crested Butte, Colorado. Visible from anywhere in town, it lies at the western end of Elk Avenue. One mile outside of the town’s boundaries, it is the place where the sun and the moon set. It is also a favorite place for skiing, hiking and seeing boundless wildflowers. At its base is the source of our drinking water – Coal Creek. It is home to elk, black bear, deer, lynx, mountain lion and a myriad of other, smaller creatures living in the old growth spruce, fir and aspen forests that blanket its ridges and valleys.

The Lady has a looming threat, however. Mining companies are proposing to open a massive scale molybdenum mine on the mountain. The Red Lady Prayer Flags are a symbol of the fierce opposition to such a proposal. Pins on the map below show where those who oppose a mine on Mt. Emmons have hung their flags
Click on the map below to add the locations of your flags.

Prayer Flags Map FAQ

Q. I tried to place my flag pin, but an alert said I have to leave a message. What does this mean?
A. You need to add some kind of description in the field labeled message, such as the flags’ location. The message can be a description of your flags, their location or anything you’d like to say about Red Lady.

Q. The map doesn’t show streets or street names. How do I make them appear?
A. Two things can affect whether or not the streets are labeled. One is the zoom level – you may have to zoom in to show streets and street names. The other is the type of map selected. In the upper right hand corner of the map you can select map, satellite or hybrid. Only the hybrid mode will have the satellite image with overlaid street names.

Q. I tried to go back and edit my flag pin, but the program wouldn’t allow editing access. How can I change the location and/or description of my flags?
A. The program allows you 1 hour after first placing your flag pin to edit or delete your pin before it becomes permanent. Any changes to the location or description of your flag have to be made within this time. If you would like to have a flag location removed please send an e-mail to dan@hccaonline.org.

Q. I want to add a photo to my flag pin. How do I do that?
A. After choosing the location of your flags by clicking on the map fill in the test fields then click on the “Choose File” button to select a .jpg file with your desired photo. Recommended photo size is 600 by 400 pixels or smaller.

Q. How do I see a list of all of the prayer flags on the map?
A. Click on the “Message Board” link below the map to see a list of all of the pins, messages and photos.

Q. I have a question not answered here. What do I do?
A. For answers to questions not listed here send and e-mail to dan@hccaonline.org.

2008-12-19T08:31:00.000-08:00

Red Lady Changes with the Seasons

Watch this photo time series taken from the historic Crested Butte Train Depot

HCCA's Annual Meeting is Friday, December 12, 2008

2008-12-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

High Country Citizens' Alliance will host their annual meeting on Friday, December 12, 2008 from 5:30 to 8 PM at the Pump Room in Crested Butte. The Pump Room is located upstairs in the fire station at 306 Maroon Avenue. Bring a dish, enjoy the potluck dinner and vote for HCCA's board members and president. By attending and voting, you'll support your local environmental non profit's efforts to stop a mine on Mount Emmons, conserve public lands, keep our water clean and promote clean energy. For more information, view the event poster by Clicking Here.

Schedule
5:30pm - Holiday Potluck Dinner
6:30pm - Board Elections, Volunteer of the Year, Report on 2008
7:00pm - Keynote Speaker Roger Flynn

About Roger Flynn
Roger Flynn is the Director and Managing Attorney of Western Mining Action Project in Lyons, Colorado and Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado School of Law and University of Wyoming College of Law. He serves as the lead attorney for HCCA on all Mt. Emmons issues. Mr. Flynn will discuss the tools and strategies needed to wage a successful campaign to protect communities and environmental quality from the impacts from industrial mining operations. He will focus on the key areas of citizen involvement in the mine permitting process, with an emphasis on the federal and Colorado state regulatory system applicable to the proposed Mt. Emmons molybdenum mine.

Gunnison Sage-Grouse Video

2008-11-25T11:10:00.000-08:00

This informative 18-minute video developed by the Gunnison Sage Grouse Working Group in 2001 will help you learn about the efforts to return the Gunnison sage-grouse population to a healthy size.

The Gunnison Sage-Grouse ~ A Dance of Survival from HCCA on Vimeo.