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Environment
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.

Trail closures ‘stack the deck’ for wildlife

Aspen Public Radio | By Elizabeth Stewart-Severy
Published November 30, 2016 at 4:41 PM MST
Courtesy of pitkincounty.com

The immensely popular Sky Mountain Park trails close Thursday for the winter season.

 
Pitkin County Open Space and Trails lead ranger Pryce Hadley said the closures are key to protecting wildlife, especially elk, during the most stressful season.

 

“Our hobbies — hiking, biking and all those things — still have an impact on the wildlife,” Hadley said. “These habitat closures are one way to passively give these animals a fighting chance to survive the winter.”

 
The closures are not limited to Sky Mountain Park; nearly 20 trails managed by Open Space and Trails have seasonal restrictions.

 
Open Space and Trails staff monitor the closures with motion-sensing cameras and violators face a $100 fine.

 

 

es_hadley_2_way_web.mp3
A longer conversation with Hadley
Tags
Sky Mountain ParkPitkin County Open Space and TrailsWildlifeColorado Department of Parks and WildlifeEnvironment
Elizabeth Stewart-Severy
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.
See stories by Elizabeth Stewart-Severy
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