BLM Seems Basalt Mountain Input
The Bureau of Land Management is taking public comment on a plan to reduce fuels for wildfire from the base of Basalt Mountain.
The BLM would target more than 1,000 acres north of El Jebel, near Spring Park Reservoir. Most of it would be treated with prescribed fire. The idea is to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires from entering private property from public lands.
The BLM will hold an open house on the proposal on January 12th at the Eagle County Community Center. Comments will be collected until mid-February.
“12 Days of Aspen” in High Gear
The Aspen Chamber Resort Association is hosting its annual “12 days of Aspen” series this holiday season.
The 12 days series has everything from children’s story hour to menorah lighting to Christmas buffet to New Year’s Eve celebrations. One recent event was at the end of Aspen’s pedestrian mall, with a classic American dessert. Jennifer Albright Carney is Vice President of Event Marketing with the chamber.
“We are doing make your own s'mores. So it’s free, open to the public, little holiday spirit.”
Carney explains the idea behind the series is to have some continuity to the holiday season for visitors. Twelve days of Aspen continues through the end of Wednesday.
Winter Break is a Hungry Time for Some
The holidays are a time of plenty for many in the Roaring Fork Valley. But for families without enough to eat, it’s especially tough. Families on an extremely tight budget can qualify for free or reduced lunch at school. But, when those kids are on holiday break, sometimes they don’t eat at home. In Pitkin County, nearly a hundred kids qualify for free or reduced lunch. That’s true of more than five thousand kids in Garfield County, and nearly three thousand in Eagle County. Kathy Underhill is Executive Director of Hunger Free Colorado. She says the problem likely is greater.
“Eligibility for these programs are based on the federal poverty line. Which this year, for a family of four, is just over $23,000 a year. That is the same no matter where you live.”
Underhill says in a place that’s much more expensive, like parts of the Roaring Fork Valley, more kids may be hungry at home than the numbers reveal.
Study: Legal Pot Problems Hit the ER
A new study on marijuana legalization in Colorado finds a rise in some emergency room visits since recreational pot became legal almost one year ago. Doctors are seeing more children for eating pot edibles, and more burn patients who got hurt trying to make hash oil. University of Colorado emergency doctor Andrew Monte is an author of the report. He says there is more to learn.
“We’re gonna learn more about the positive effects of marijuana on some health conditions, and we’re also going to learn more about the negative effects that may have been hidden due to the stigmatization of drug use in the past.”
The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
