Two climbers have died on Colorado 14ers in separate incidents less than a week apart
Last week, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s office was contacted about an overdue climber believed to be in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. The following day, September 3rd, Mountain Rescue Aspen searched the area with CareFlight of the Rockies, located the body of the climber in very technical and difficult terrain to access. The recovery effort was so complicated that it had to be scheduled six days out. Starting in the early hours of yesterday morning, ground and technical rescue teams worked to reach and secure the area. At first light, Flight for Life Colorado dropped off three MRA technical climbers on the ridge south of Maroon Peak. From there, the rescue climbers ascended for about an hour, until they were roughly 1,000 feet above the body, then rappelled down to reach it.
If that wasn’t complicated enough, no aircraft with long line extraction capability was available in Colorado. But the Utah Department of Public Safety Aviation Unit was able to provide a specialty helicopter based out of Salt Lake City, which extracted the body and flower to T Lazy 7 Ranch, where the Pitkin County Coroner was located. It then returned to Maroon Peak to extract the three technical rescue climbers.
And on Sunday, between the first body’s discovery and retrieval, authorities were made aware of another fallen climber on Castle Peak, south of Aspen. Flight for Life located the body, then transported MRA team members to the area. They reached the climber, and determined the individual had passed from injuries that were not survivable. The body was then carefully recovered from the mountain.
As of production time, no information about either individual has been made public.
Mountain Rescue Aspen and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging those traveling in the backcountry to minimize risk by being prepared for their outing, familiarize themselves with their route and conditions, and understand the limits of their experience and abilities.
Trump approves disaster designation for Colorado counties facing fire destruction
President Trump had approved the disaster designation for Ouray, Pueblo, Dolores and Custer counties, due to the Gold Mountain Fire and the Aspen Acres Fire. All ten members of Colorado’s congressional delegation came together at the end of last month to send a bipartisan letter urging the President to expedite his review and approve the State’s request. Congressman Jeff Hurd, who represents the Western Slope in US Congress, announced the approval on friday and said this means federal resources can begin helping with debris removal, emergency work, damaged roads, water systems, utilities, and other critical public infrastructure.
Polis asks feds to pause wild horse roundups
The federal government is trying to remove thousands of wild horses from public lands across the West by the end of the month. But Colorado officials are asking for an "immediate freeze" to the roundups, citing animal welfare concerns. The Mountain West News Bureau's Rachel Cohen brings us the story.
Dave Frank resigns from city council amid tensions largely stemming from proposed charter amendments
The past several months have been tense for members of the Montrose City Council. Just yesterday, member Dave Frank resigned, saying, “The stress and conflict of being a Council member take a toll on both our public and personal lives.”
Some of this tension stems from different opinions on a slate of ballot measures that, if passed, would make significant changes to the city charter. Councilmember J. David Reed pushed for the council to assemble a charter review commission that would have allowed citizens to review and recommend amendments to the charter. Getting ballot measures properly drafted, reviewed, and filed with the county is a lengthy process, and assembling a commission would have taken too long to get these measures on the ballot. Councilors Adam Woodden and Ed Ulibarri joined Mayor Badagliacco in voting against the formation of a citizens’ commission.
So, Montrose city voters will have to vote for or against a few measures proposed by city council.
The first would move municipal elections from April to November. Spring elections are referred to as off-season elections, while elections held in November in conjunction with wider races, are referred to as on-season. Election experts say that the primary benefit of off-season elections, which is Montrose’s current practice, is that it allows voters to focus on local issues and local candidates. When local elections are held in the Spring, voters are less distracted by state or federal races– which usually get more attention. There are two primary benefits of on-season elections. The first is larger turnout. When more races are on the ballot, and the election gets more attention, turnout increases significantly. In turn, those who cast a ballot are likely more representative of the electorate than the few who show up for April elections. On-season elections also save money, because adding municipal candidates to the November ballot is much cheaper than running a separate election.
The second would institute eight-year lifetime term limits for councilors. Here’s J. David Reed said he felt that the amendment is solving a problem that doesn't exist. Mayor Badagliacco, however, says it's intended to encourage periodic turnover and create opportunities for new leaders.
City council has also proposed ballot measures that would change the city charter back to its pre-2014 structure, which would give city council say over the hiring and firing of the police chief and city clerk. Right now, that decision is solely at the discretion of the City Manager. Adam Wooden says, "Having the people be able to elect the City Council to have a say in the hiring or firing I think is brings that accountability is close to the public."
Not everyone saw it that way. Resident Cliff Farr said during public comment he felt the amendment is "government overreach."
Council members have had heated debates over these ballot measures, with Badagliacco, Ulibarri, and Wooden typically in the majority and Reed and Frank issuing strong dissent.
Immediately after Frank’s resignation was made public yesterday, J. David Reed and MJB put out a joint statement saying that they were committed to working together and finding common ground, in order to better serve Montrose. The statement says that, “Following the November election and consideration of the proposed amendments, we will jointly ask the City Council to establish a citizens’ charter review commission. The commission should broadly represent the community, examine the charter as a whole, invite meaningful public participation, and recommend whether additional changes would serve the long-term interests of Montrose. Whatever recommendations it may make, if any, and whether the Council and voters ultimately accept or reject them, the process itself can provide a constructive opportunity for citizens with different perspectives to work together on the future of their city government.”
Though tensions have been steadily rising over the summer, Badagliacco and Reed seem to be ready to turn a new leaf, and present a united front heading into the fall.
