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The environment desk at Aspen Public Radio covers issues in the Roaring Fork Valley and throughout the state of Colorado including water use and quality, impact of recreation, population growth and oil and gas development. APR’s Environment Reporter is Elizabeth Stewart-Severy.

Hunting at Sky Mountain Park closes trails

Elizabeth Stewart-Severy
/
Aspen Public Radio

Four trails at Sky Mountain Park will be closed starting tomorrow for an elk hunt.

Five hunters won the chance to hunt one cow elk each in the popular Pitkin County open space through a lottery this past spring. The Sky Mountain Park management plan allows for limited hunting.

Officials from Pitkin County and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) set the number of elk that can be hunted here, and it’s a delicate balance.

 

"Because it is such a small hill, we don't want overcrowding on there," said Kurtis Tesch, CPW’s district wildlife manager.

 
The hunt will cover 1,200 acres between Highway 82 near the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport and Snowmass Village.

Airline, Cozyline, Skyline Ridge and Ditchline trails will be closed starting Wednesday, Nov. 15 and are expected to reopen on Monday, Nov. 20. The Sky Mountain Park area closes to protect winter wildlife habitat on Dec. 1.

 

Aspen native Elizabeth Stewart-Severy is excited to be making a return to both the Red Brick, where she attended kindergarten, and the field of journalism. She has spent her entire life playing in the mountains and rivers around Aspen, and is thrilled to be reporting about all things environmental in this special place. She attended the University of Colorado with a Boettcher Scholarship, and graduated as the top student from the School of Journalism in 2006. Her lifelong love of hockey lead to a stint working for the Colorado Avalanche, and she still plays in local leagues and coaches the Aspen Junior Hockey U-19 girls.
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