(3of3) Village at Wolf Creek, Ryan Bidwell 'the early years' 2009

Ryan Bidwell’s informative VWC backstory, given in Pagosa Springs back in 2009, at about the end of the first LMJV epoch, and the beginning of Red McCombs' land swap epoch, which ended a couple years ago.  I've transcribed the talk and added some important links where appropriate.  

This problem will flash back into the limelight once the Court hands down its decision and Leavell McCombs Joint Venture announces it's updated development plans for their high altitude luxury village on top of Alberta Park the hydrological heart of the Wolf Creek watershed. 

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Wolf Creek Village Presentation from Colorado Wild -- Part 7

Ryan Bidwell - (7/9)

Oct 22, 2009:  Ryan Bidwell, Executive Director of Colorado Wild, provides his group's position on the proposed Village at Wolf Creek. 

Filmed by D. West Davies  (AllThingsPagosa.com/), and of Jim Smith Realty at the Riverwalk Cafe in downtown Pagosa Springs.

Colorado Wild joined with the Center for Native Ecosystems and are now 

Rocky Mountain Wild

 

(2of3) Village at Wolf Creek, Ryan Bidwell 'the early years' 2009

Ryan Bidwell’s informative VWC backstory, given in Pagosa Springs back in 2009, at about the end of the first LMJV epoch, and the beginning of Red McCombs' land swap epoch, which ended a couple years ago.  I've transcribed the talk and added some important links where appropriate.  

What follows is part two of a three part series and it's intended to help inform a younger generation about this decades old unresolved issue.  A problem that will come back into the public limelight once the Court hands down its decision regarding the access road in the next months.

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Wolf Creek Village Presentation from Colorado Wild -- Part 4

Ryan Bidwell - (4/9)

Oct 22, 2009:  Ryan Bidwell, Executive Director of Colorado Wild, provides his group's position on the proposed Village at Wolf Creek. 

Filmed by D. West Davies  (AllThingsPagosa.com/), and of Jim Smith Realty at the Riverwalk Cafe in downtown Pagosa Springs.

Colorado Wild joined with the Center for Native Ecosystems and are now 

Rocky Mountain Wild

(1of3) Village at Wolf Creek, Ryan Bidwell 'the early years' 2009

I intend to produce a series of informative write-ups dedicated to explaining why allowing LMJV to bulldoze a luxury "Village at Wolf Creek" into Alberta Park (~10,300’), - the hydrological heart of the Wolf Creek watershed in the Rio Grande National Forest - is inviting irreparable environmental damage, along with their own business failure, resulting in region wide unintended financial burdens.  

The evidence will argue that it’s in everyone’s best interest (including potential naive investors) to preserve this high elevation hydrological heart of the Wolf Creek watershed, which flows into the much beleaguered Rio Grande River, to leave it alone.  

I recognize I’m a life long unabashed tree-hugger, so it’s self-evident to me.  That’s why I’m going to make a point to minimize my own opining, and to allow the efforts of various authorities and experts to do the explaining.  

Since I've long been impressed with Ryan Bidwell’s informative 2009 backstory, given in Pagosa Springs, at about the end of the first LMJV epoch, and the beginning of Red McCombs' land swap epoch, which itself ended a couple years back - I've transcribed the talk.  

What follows is a three part series, each featuring three (10ish minute) segments and a transcription that I annotated with links to further details where appropriate.

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Wolf Creek Village Presentation from Colorado Wild -- Part 1

Ryan Bidwell - (1/9)

Oct 22, 2009:  Ryan Bidwell, Executive Director of Colorado Wild, provides his group's position on the proposed Village at Wolf Creek. 

Filmed by D. West Davies  (AllThingsPagosa.com/), and of Jim Smith Realty at the Riverwalk Cafe in downtown Pagosa Springs.

Colorado Wild joined with the Center for Native Ecosystems and are now 

Rocky Mountain Wild

Paul Bauer, "The Rio Grande - A Guide To The River's Geology"

A little something about the Rio Grande River,

with appreciation to http://JourneySantaFe.com.

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Paul Bauer, "The Rio Grande - A Guide To The River's Geology" (2/10/2013)

Published on Feb 10, 2013 by OccupyNewMexico

Presented at Collected Works Bookstore in Santa Fe, NM 

as part of the Journey Santa Fe weekly lecture series -- http://journeysantafe.com

Paul Bauer is a principal geologist and associate director at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources at New Mexico Tech. He received a Ph.D. in geology from New Mexico Tech in 1988. He served as manager of the state's Geologic Mapping Program for 12 years, and was coordinator for the New Mexico Decision-Makers Field Conferences for 10 years, a program designed to bridge the gap between earth scientists and policy makers in New Mexico.

Since his first Taos Box rafting trip in 1980, he has spent much of the last 30 years investigating the geology and hydrogeology of north-central New Mexico. He has led many field trips to the area, including educational whitewater rafting tours. His current research is focused on using geologic field studies to describe the evolution of the mountains and basins of northern New Mexico, and the hydrogeologic conditions of the Upper Rio Grande region.

He has co-authored a series of geologic quadrangle maps of Taos County, has written a wide variety of books and articles on the geology of the region, and in 2007 completed a study of the springs of the Rio Grande gorge.

In 2011, he combined an enthusiasm for whitewater adventures with an interest in earth science education by publishing the award-winning book The Rio Grande: A River Guide to the Geology and Landscapes of Northern New Mexico. 

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The changing face of our forests - bark beetle and global warming

This is an article I wrote for the Four Corners Free Press out of Cortez, Colorado.  

It's the culmination of my day listening in on the "San Juan Bark Beetles and Watersheds Workshop" {which was organized by the Western Water Assessment and Mountain Studies Institute} plus discussions with some participants.

In particular, I thank Mike Blakeman from the Rio Grande National Forest.  Although Mike was a spectator, he has a scientific background and has a long standing familiarity with the developing scientific understanding.  He spent a good deal of time clarifying and offering further details, not all of which made it into this essay.  

Of course, any errors are mine alone and I will gladly fix any that are pointed out to me.  At the end of this essay I include links to authoritative information sources.

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Have you ever driven over Wolf Creek Pass, the one in southern Colorado straddling the Great Divide? At 10,857 ft. elevation, it's an example of America at its most magnificent; with high mountains and spruce forests stretching out in every direction.