Articles Tagged With: Outdoor Recreation
For nearly a decade now landowners and sportsmen have been fighting over access to the Ruby River in Southwestern Montana - a dispute that came to the fore recently following an ill-advised letter from media mogul (and Ruby Valley ranch owner) James C. Kennedy to the University of Montana Foundation. Now Tony Schoonen, a long-time stream access advocate, and Jackie Corr, a Butte writer and political activist, are organizing "Montana Public Stream Access Float Day" on the Ruby for July 17. Floaters will put in at one of two disputed access points on the Ruby and float to Jesson Park in Twin Bridges. It promises to be an interesting day; for more information contact Corr at jcorr@bigskyhsd.com, or Schoonen at 406-782-1560.
New Urbanism, Old Mines & Scenic Rivers
Local pride is breaking out in Idaho over Twin Falls native and U of Idaho grad W. Mark Felt, aka "Deep Throat". Dan Popkey has a nice column in the Statesman rounding up what some old friends and acquaintances had to say about him. Meanwhile, in Utah, Congressman Bob Bennett tells the Deseret News that he'll be glad to finally end the speculation that he was the one to bring the Nixon Administration down.
In real estate development, the The New York Times weighs in on Denver's Stapleton project, calling the effort to convert the old airport into a mixed-use neighborhood a great example of "new urbanism." Homes are "going up faster than anyone anticipated," says author Terry Pristin, but in her enthusiasm she does bury one ominous detail: only 34,000 square feet of office space has been built, out of 10 million original projected. And on the housing beat in Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune reports that job growth and low interest are making for a booming and cutthroat real estate market.
Theo Stein in the Denver Post has a nice feature on a crusty Wet Mountain Valley rancher whose become an unlikely advocate for conservation easements.
In one of the more inspiring examples of new uses for old mines, physicists in Colorado are hoping to transform the old Henderson mine west of Denver into a $300 million research facility known as the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. The Rocky Mountain News reports that Federal officials are expected to choose among proposals from six states later this month.
On the national forest beat, the Durango Herald writes about the jobs of rangers, both past and present and in Montana, former Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck tells the locals in a timber town to take control of their forests.
In river conservation news, U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas says he will work to preserve parts of the Snake River in Wyoming as “wild and scenic.�
