Roan Plateau management plan delayed until summer
Grand Junction – A final management plan for the 73,600-acre Roan Plateau is not likely to be completed until mid- to late summer, Bureau of Land Management officials said.
BLM officials had hoped to complete the 20-year management plan in May, said David Boyd, public affairs specialist for the BLM office in Glenwood Springs.
“Right now, we’re continuing to get the last analyses done, and we’re working with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Colorado Division of Wildlife to finish the document,” Boyd said.
The plan would detail how the species-rich, 9,000-foot plateau between Rifle and Parachute should be managed, including how much drilling for natural gas should be allowed.
The public will be given 30 days to comment on the plan.
More than 75,000 comments were submitted in the public process influencing the final version of the plan.
The plateau is home to huge deer and elk herds, mountain lions, bear, peregrine falcons and what biologists say is a genetically pure strain of cutthroat trout. It also is valued for drawing out-of-state hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts who contribute to the area’s economy.
BOULDER
Prescription drug abuse up in Boulder
The misuse of prescription drugs appears to be skyrocketing in Boulder County.
Of all arrests for drug possession made by University of Colorado police in 2004, 4 percent were for non-narcotics, which mostly includes prescription medication, campus police Lt. Tim McGraw said. That rose to 21 percent last year.
“We hadn’t heard of it at all until a few years ago,” McGraw told the Boulder Daily Camera.
In 2000, 2.9 percent of people treated locally for drug- and alcohol-related problems had misused prescription drugs. Last year that figure rose to 4.3 percent, according to the Colorado Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division.
People using prescription drugs for recreational purposes usually get them through valid prescriptions or from people who obtain them legally. That makes them harder to track.
COLORADO SPRINGS
Judge tosses charges in Fort Carson case
A federal judge has dismissed charges against a Fort Carson employee accused of approving $150,000 in payments to businesses in which he held a financial interest.
Robert C. Stack, 63, was indicted in February on conflict-of- interest charges. A day after his trial began last week, U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham ruled that no reasonable jury would conclude he broke the law.
The U.S. attorney’s office had said Stack, who oversaw training ranges at Fort Carson, was also a manager and member of Red Canyon LLC and Sierra- Delta LLC. The companies owned property containing a quarry and had an agreement under which Rocky Mountain Materials and Asphalt Inc. paid royalties to Red Canyon to operate the quarry, prosecutors said.
At Fort Carson, Stack approved requests for and reimbursements to Rocky Mountain Materials and Asphalt Inc. for materials from the quarry, an indictment alleged.
“The government felt this was an important case to pursue, because we believe ensuring the integrity of government employees is important regardless of the dollar amount involved,” said Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Denver.
CHEYENNE
Fight fire by clearing brush, residents urged
Laramie County officials are urging residents to clear the area around their homes and other buildings.
They say residents should keep all dead grass and vegetation cleared from within 3 feet of houses and structures.
Dry grass should be mowed short within 30 feet of structures.Grass and brush should be cleared at least 15 feet around propane gas tanks, while firewood should be stacked at least 30 feet from houses and structures.
Fire officials also are urging people to find ways of disposing of brush and trash other than burning it.
GILLETTE, Wyo.
Oil and gas drilling highest in 20 years
Wyoming’s oil and gas drilling rate is the highest it’s been in more than 20 years.
The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission reports there were 106 drilling rigs operating in the state in April, the highest number since 1985.
Wyoming averaged 96 operating rigs over the first four months of the year, a 32 percent increase over the same period a year ago, the commission reported.
“Demand is high,” said Patrick Hladky of Cyclone Drilling in Gillette. “How long it will last, I don’t know.”
Hladky added five drilling rigs to his fleet last year and will add two more this year.
“I don’t think it’s slowing down anytime soon,” he said.
Deep-well drilling is driving the high rig count.
