FRISCO, Colo.—Pine beetles chomping their way through acres of lodgepole forests are also biting into the mountain camping scene.
Tree removal projects have kept the Heaton Bay and Peak One campgrounds in Summit County closed this summer. That has hurt Thousand Trails, the private company that operates several local National Forest campgrounds, said Thousand Trails area manager Bessie Lamoreaux.
“We turned people away all summer,” Lamoreaux said. “We haven’t taken a detailed look at the numbers yet. I’m almost afraid to. But if you can imagine being without almost 300 campsites all summer, at $15 to $16 per night … it’s a significant impact.”
The closures have boosted crowds at other campgrounds. Lamoreaux said the Blue River campground, north of Silverthorne, reported a 95 percent occupancy rate all summer. In previous years, that campground would be about half-full midweek.
The closures also have boosted use at National Forest campgrounds around Green Mountain Reservoir, said Ken Waugh, recreation staff officer for the Dillon Ranger District.
Pine beetles have infested about 44 percent of the state’s 1.5 million acres of lodgepole pine, or about 660,000 acres. This year the state offered $1 million to help local projects remove those trees, especially those near watersheds, to help prevent wildfires from triggering erosion and dropping ash in rivers and reservoirs.
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Information from: Summit Daily News,
