(and other items of interest)
Nestlé Permit Granted
SALIDA – Despite overwhelming public opposition, the Nestlé Corporation of Vevey, Switzerland was given unanimous consent on August 26 by the Chaffee County Commissioners for its application to remove water from a private spring adjacent to the Arkansas River and truck it to Denver to be bottled and sold.
All three county commissioners approved the application, which would draw about 65 million gallons annually from a spring four miles south of Johnson Village.
The county attached a list of 40 conditions to the permit including; replacing water upstream of the spring, hiring some locals to build the pipeline and drive some of the many water trucks shuttling water to Denver along U.S. 285.
Commissioner Tim Glenn cited Nestlé’s promise of a permanent conservation easement on the property and a dedicated Cost Reimbursement Fund in choosing to support the permit.
Opponents were concerned about aquifer depletion, future possible litigation and increased truck traffic on U.S. 285. They did take some comfort in the fact that their organized opposition forced additional requirements to the permit and helped shed light on the Nestlé Corporation’s impacts in other communities across the U.S..
According to the Mountain Mail, Nestlé spokesman Bruce Lauerman said he was “pleased with the result. It was a good deliberation. Nestlé will be a good neighbor.”
Four Soldiers Killed In Crash near Leadville
LEADVILLE – Four U.S. Army soldiers died in a helicopter accident on August 26 on 14,421-foot Mount Massive southwest of Leadville.
The MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed about 200 feet below the summit during the afternoon killing all four crew members.
The soldiers were part of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Ft. Campbell, Ky. The flight originated at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, about 90 miles east of the crash site.
Mount Massive has the second-largest summit in Colorado.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Earlier this year a Black Hawk helicopter crashed on Monarch Pass west of Salida during a snowstorm. All three crew members of the Alaska Army National Guard walked away uninjured from that March 27 crash.
Yet Another Top Ten List
Salida has made another top ten list, this time it’s Outside Magazine’s “Ten Best Small Towns 2009.”
The magazine cites – among other scintillating features – an “unpretentious, bike-friendly town.”
Maybe someone ought to send the article to the Salida Police Department, who seem to have recently placed cyclists on their own top ten most-wanted list.
Camper Struck by Stray Bullet
BUENA VISTA – A Pueblo man who was camping west of Buena Vista was struck in the leg by a stray bullet sometime around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 15.
The victim, Richar Zoorob, 36, was camping with family members about four miles west of the intersection of CRs 334 and 306 when the bullet came out of nowhere and entered his right leg.
Zoorob is recovering from the wound and the Chaffee County Sheriffs Office is seeking the unknown shooter.
Armstrong Wins Trail 100 Race
LEADVILLE – Lance Armstrong, the only person to win the Tour de France seven times, was the winner of the 2009 Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike race beating out local favorite, Gunnison resident David Wiens, 44, by just over 15 minutes with a time of 6:28:50.9.
The race, held Aug. 15, is a 50 mile up and 50 back mountain course that starts and finishes in downtown Leadville. It has been held since 1994.
In 2008, six-time Trail 100 winner Weins beat Armstrong by just under two minutes.
Armstrong finished in third place overall in this year’s 2009 Tour de France.
Coming Home to Roost
LEADVILLE – An ordinance allowing chickens to be raised within city limits was approved on first reading by the Leadville City Council on Aug. 4. A public hearing is set for Sept. 1 for final approval of the ordinance. Current city ordinance allows for backyard chickens, with written permission, in some parts of town but not others.
TABOR Author Arrested
COLORADO SPRINGS – Doug Bruce, the author of Colorado’s Taxpayer Bill of Rights amendment, was arrested Aug. 15 at a Costco store on a misdemeanor trespassing charge. The manager told the Colorado Springs Gazette that Bruce was “making a scene” while collecting signatures for a ballot measure and that shoppers were complaining. A police spokesperson said officers went to the store and arrested Bruce after he and another man, Douglas Stinehagen, refused to leave.
Bruce is also a former state representative who was censured last year by the Colorado House after kicking a newspaper photographer who took his picture during the session-opening prayer.
Gunnison Sage Grouse may get Federal Protection
DENVER – The Gunnison sage grouse, considered among the most endangered birds in the U.S., will be reconsidered for the endangered species list after environmental groups won a lawsuit in federal court.
A recent federal report found that Bush administration officials interfered with federal biologists’ decision-making for multiple species including the grouse.
The sage grouse’s range once extended to northeastern Arizona and southeastern Utah to northwestern New Mexico, but has shrunk to about 4,000, most of which are in Colorado’s Gunnison Basin.
Notable Quotes:
“BV’s getting cool. Who would have thought?” – Buena Vista resident Fil Payne regarding the South Main Project in Buena Vista.
The Denver Post, Aug. 12, 2009.
“Right now I don’t even know what I’m doing for dinner.” – Gunnison resident and Leadville 100 Mountain Bike racer, David Wiens when asked if he plans on racing next year.
Leadville Herald-Democrat, Aug. 20, 2009.
“You don’t need to feel bad about being mean to our furry friends.” – DOW spokesman, Joe Lewandowski regarding an increase in bear-human encounters this year around Crested Butte.
Gunnison Country Times, Aug. 20, 2009.
