Apr 16 2006; Cortez, CO, USA; Colorado motorcycle news article; Region attracts Rally in the Rockies; Organizers consider fairgrounds, Echo Basin as possible sites;By Steve Grazier | Journal Staff Writer ; An organizer of the Four Corners Rally in the Rockies - a motorcycle event - is slated to pitch an idea to county commissioners about holding the annual event in Montezuma County. Dan Bradshaw, director of the rally group, is on tap to meet with the commission at 10:30 a.m. Monday to propose moving main events of the celebration to the county fairgrounds with entertainment targeted for the Echo Basin Dude Ranch, which is located above Mancos off County Road 44. “It’s not set in stone, but it’s something we’re working toward,” Bradshaw said. “We’re in the planning stages and want to see how the county commissioners view it along with the sheriff and the public.” Bradshaw did not offer a specific time frame on when the group is hoping to move the rally to the county. He said a decision on when would be up to local officials, and discussion on the topic would likely be broached at Monday’s meeting. More on this colorado motorcycle news event storiy here...

 

March 15, 2006; Denver,CO,USA; Fun, fun, fun in winter; Six plans released for Yellowstone, Grand Teton access BILLINGS, Mont. - The National Park Service on Tuesday released six alternatives it's considering as it looks at the future of winter activities in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. The wide-ranging options include an all-out ban on snowmobiles and an increase in snowmobile numbers over what is allowed currently. The Park Service did not identify a preferred alternative among the draft options or indicate a direction in which it's leaning, Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said. Some of the alternatives tinker with the temporary plan that's in place through next winter. That plan allows 720 snowmobiles a day in Yellowstone, though all snowmobiles must be part of commercially guided trips and meet park standards as cleaner and quieter. The plan also allows for 140 snowmobiles a day, with no guiding requirement, in Grand Teton and on the parkway connecting the parks. One alternative would boost snowmobile use from current levels and allow some snowmobilers to tour Yellowstone without a commercial guide after completing a special training course. Another would essentially adopt the temporary plan but place limits on the number and type of snow vehicles, which would also have to meet "best available technology" standards. Read the rest of this snowmobile news story here...
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February 22, 2006; High-powered powder riding; Snowmobilers are carving their own corners in Vail’s playground; Caramie Schnell, schnell@vailtrail.com; Christian Charter is a self-proclaimed speed junkie, so it’s no surprise that he had a grin on his face from the time he arrived at Nova Guides to the time he left. Though Charter was in town with his brother, Jamey, and friend, Blake Stephens, for only two full days, he chose to spend one day on a snowboard in Vail’s Back Bowls and one day on a snowmobile in the backcountry – a perfect duo, he said. When Charter was in Vail three years ago, he went snowmobiling with friends and family, and chose Nova Guides because it was the only company they could find in the area that offered unguided snowmobile rentals. “I had so much fun that first time and I knew that if we went with a guide that we wouldn’t have the same kind of freedom to roam around where we wanted,” he said. more
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MINTURN - On a starvation diet and approaching her third trimester, this mother is not having a happy pregnancy. And to make matters worse, every once in a while, someone will sneak up on her and chase her around, which stresses her out and wastes the precious energy she's working to preserve. such is the plight of almost all cow elk this year, said Bill Andree, a district wildlife manager with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The heavy snows have pushed elk down the mountain to where people recreate, and the clash of wildlife and humans is creating a dangerous situation for everyone involved. The elk are forced to burn calories to get away from humans and people run the risk of getting gored by the critters, said David Van Norman with the U.S. Forest Service.

Even though snowshoeing, skiing and other nonmotorized activities are allowed in the elk's winter range - the area where elk find food and hang out during the winter - if you so much as look crosswise at the elk, the division of wildlife can slap you with a fine for harassing wildlife. According to Andree, as soon as an elk sees a human, its heart rate escalates, which wears on the animal. "When they're looking at you, you're taking time away from them feeding," he said. So even if you're not running at the beast brandishing a stick, if the elk see you, you're harassing them. And if anyone else sees you and an elk in a staring match, you're may wind up in trouble with wildlife officials.

The Eagle County branch of the Forest Service has also been receiving many complaints of people snowmobiling in winter range, especially east of U.S. Highway 24 in Minturn, which is prohibited, Van Norman said. But the loud whine of a snowmobile is less stressful to deer and elk than a quiet cross-country skier. "A snowmobile doesn't sneak up on them," Andree said. "And a snowmobile doesn't look like a human." more on this snowmobile news story here...

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