Rocky Mountain News

Last Thursday, a convoy of cameramen and reporters was supposed to be taken past Many Parks Curve on U.S. 34 to film the country’s bravest plow drivers trying to dig out Trail Ridge Road.Rocky Mountain National Park’s annual media day was postponed, however, because good old Mother Nature had other plans.

A bill that would grant wilderness protection to Rocky Mountain National Park moved closer to becoming law on Wednesday -- despite an unresolved issue that will likely stall the bill's progress for the coming months. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved the bill on Wednesday in what Sean Conway, chief of staff for Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., said was merely a move to keep the bill from dying in committee.

Water Supply and Storage Co. has agreed to pay $9 million for damages to natural resources in Rocky Mountain National Park five years ago. The settlement was announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Park Service. The settlement will be used to restore areas within the park that were damaged by the breach of the Grand River Ditch. Water Supply and Storage owns and operates the Grand River Ditch.

Despite its overall eco-friendliness, camping in the Colorado forest this summer might be a little less green. The forest canopy important to so many campers is under attack by epidemic proportions of the mountain pine beetle, and campgrounds around the state are closing or cutting down trees to protect human forest wanderers.

Officials hope chemically treating thousands of trees at several campgrounds and visitor centers at National Mountain National Park will be completed by Memorial Day.Carbaryl will be applied to as many as 5,000 trees to protect them from bark beetles at 14 developed areas, including the Fall River Entrance, Glacier Basin Campground, Timber Creek Campground, and Moraine Park Campground.

When the final bell rang last June 6, we were at the curb of our son's school, ready to roll on our first-ever big road trip. The van bulged with snacks and luggage. The front seat overflowed with maps. Our destination: the Colorado Rockies, 2,400 miles away. Why the rush? We didn't want to get sucked into summer activities that crowd out a family vacation. Plus, there's a small window the first two weeks of June or last two weeks of August when you can not only dodge peak crowds, but you may score great lodging without booking ahead.

U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), Republican leader of the Interior Appropriations Committee, announced today that $225,000 will be provided to Rocky Mountain National Park to fund youth outreach efforts."The Junior Ranger program is very popular and will allow youngsters to play an active role at the park while enhancing their learning opportunities," said Allard. "This is wonderful news for the young people who visit Rocky Mountain National Park."