Montrose County chair votes no as wolf ordinance moves forward
Montrose County commissioners on Oct. 7 approved on first reading an ordinance that would prohibit intentionally introducing, releasing or transporting non-native wildlife in unincorporated Montrose County. Commissioner Sean Pond wrote it in response to Colorado's voter-approved wolf reintroduction. He said it isn't a "cure-all" but gives the county "a seat at the table." Board Chair Kirstin Copeland voted no; she said she supports the goal but "it's happened very rapidly." The vote was 2-1, and a final vote is set for Nov. 18. KVNF reported on Pond's 2025 version.
Delta County leaves its CAFO setback question to a working group
Delta County commissioners on Oct. 6 sent a package of land use code changes to the county planning commission but held code item back. The code lets the county cut the required distance between a confined animal feeding operation, or CAFO, and nearby homes by up to half; the planning commission had recommended capping that at a quarter. Commissioners left the question to a CAFO working group formed Sept. 15. The planning commission takes up the rest Oct. 14.
"We should be charging what it costs": Ouray County pushes back on policing contract terms
Ouray County and the City of Ouray are negotiating a contract for the Ouray County Sheriff's Office to take over the city's law enforcement. At an Oct. 6 work session, Commission Chair Jake Niece said the county's overhead charge had been negotiated down from an estimated 18% to 10%. "That sounds like a big problem to me, that we should be charging what it costs," he said. County staff said the city cut its law enforcement budget at the last minute, from about $1.3 million to $1.1 million. Commissioners told staff to push for 15% and to restore IT support - part of the county's overhead
"A ticking time bomb": neighbors of Montrose High School want permit parking back
Seven neighbors of Montrose High School asked the Montrose City Council on Oct. 6 to bring back permit-only parking on their streets. They described students speeding, running stop signs, littering and trespassing during school hours. One neighbor who gathered petition signatures worries someone will get hit and called it "a ticking time bomb." "We're definitely going to take a look at everything," Mayor Michael Badagliacco said.
Montrose's wastewater plant upgrade is about a third done
Montrose's upgrade of its wastewater treatment plant is on schedule, Utilities Director David Bries told the City Council Oct. 6. "It's a $33 million project," he said, and the city has spent a little over $11 million so far. A new ultraviolet disinfection system came online in July, and new aerators begin arriving in December. Completion is set for fall or winter 2027.
Poll for conservation groups finds broad opposition to selling public lands in the 3rd District
A Sept. 13-17 poll of 994 voters in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, conducted by Magellan Strategies for the Keep It Public CO coalition of conservation groups, found 91% oppose selling federal public lands to private owners. The coalition includes Paonia's Western Slope Conservation Center. Respondents also backed the GORP Act (84%), a proposed Dolores River National Conservation Area (84%) and the CORE Act (75%).
A seedkeeper reflects on the Old Fort's Blue Corn Harvest and its significance to the Diné people
The Old Fort in Hesperus, once a military fort and federal Indian boarding school and now home to Fort Lewis College's farmer training and incubator programs, held its annual Blue Corn Harvest Sept. 29. In an audio postcard by KDUR's Jamie Wanzek, shared through Rocky Mountain Community Radio, scientist and seed keeper Brandon Francis reflects on the place and on blue corn. Listen at KSUT.
