A sampling of green building, sustainable and conservation practices employed at Marabou includes:

- Preservation of a sharptail grouse lek

- Community buildings sided with wood recycled from miles of aging snow fences in Wyoming

- Grazing cattle kept away from the river corridor to allow the recruitment of young cottonwood trees

- Use of solar panels and wind energy certificates to generate electricity for community buildings

- Construction of a settling pond so silt from man-made streams doesn’t return to the Elk River

- Introducing limestone boulders to the river, streams and trout ponds to increase alkalinity, which supports the health of aquatic invertebrates

- Seasonal trail closure to protect elk calving areas

- Orienting buildings to make the most of passive solar opportunities

- Use of internal gravel pits to provide all of the road base for roads, reducing the number of truck trips needed to build the subdivision

- Insisting contractor utilize small pieces trimmed from lumber - kept estimated 14,000 pounds of construction waste out of landfill

- Attention to interior air quality in community buildings - no carpets that give off toxic gases

- Design guidelines requiring all homes to use exterior lighting that conforms to dark skies standard

http://www.yoursteamboathome.com/archived_article.php?newsID=22

Steamboat Springs - The log rail fence stretching along the hay and wheat fields on County Road 42 is brand new, but it already has been modified. It was too tall to allow elk to cross it during their seasonal migrations.

“We’re taking off the top rail along the county road,” Jeff Temple said this week. “That gets it down to 42 inches, where the elk can get over it. We’re not perfect, but we’re learning more every day. We want the wildlife habitat to be better next year than it is this year.”

Temple is a principal - along with Mark Hall and Jeff Jepson - in Due West Land and Elk River Partners, the development entities creating a sprawling “ranch preservation subdivision” called Marabou just west of Steamboat Springs.

Marabou will offer 55 multimillion-dollar, single-family home lots clustered on 1,800 acres west of Steamboat Springs.

When complete, Marabou will comprise 1,325 acres of open space along the lower Elk River.

Temple and his partners are determined to set new standards in the Yampa Valley for green building. So it wasn’t surprising they reserved a booth this week to tell their story at Economic Summit 2007, where the theme was “The Economics of Sustainability.”

Several clusters of community buildings that will be enjoyed by the owners are nearing completion within sight of the river this spring. Temple said his company has spent $940,000 in improvements over and above the building code to construct the community barn, recreation buildings, children’s adventure center, outing center and several guest cabins to green standards.

Joe Jones, project manager for general contractor TCD, said Marabou’s developers urged him from the beginning to score as many green points as he possibly could in the construction of the community buildings.

“What we’re most proud of,” Jones said, “is that from the foundations up through the finished roof, we’ve used a lot of recycled and manmade material. There’s 8 linear miles of interior trim in the buildings and 90 percent of it is reclaimed or rescued wood.”

The buildings have passed every test for their insulating properties, he said.

“We built these buildings almost too tight,” he said. “They almost failed the air transfer test.”

Marabou’s efforts recently won it a spot on the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of Green Power Partners.

Marabou is spending more money to improve wildlife habitat, rebuild agricultural fences and improve the grazing for the grass-fed cattle that will be reared on the ranch.

Unlike homeowners who might expect to gradually recoup the expense of energy-saving features over time, Temple said as builders of a subdivision, he and his partners don’t have that opportunity.

“Here’s the dilemma for a developer,” Temple said. “We won’t enjoy the payback over time. Still, I look at it as a good business decision. We expect the home sites to sell more quickly and for a higher price.”

The people who will build luxurious second or third homes at Marabou, except for a handful, will be limited to houses that are no larger than 10,000 square feet. A few others will be larger, mostly because they will be built on secluded lots that are out of view. Others will win an exception because they agreed to install costly geothermal heating systems that further offset their carbon footprints, Temple said.

Almost by definition, homes that reach 10,000 square feet represent conspicuous consumption.

How does Temple reconcile the size of the homes his buyers may build with his determination to achieve a green subdivision?

“It’s about, how do you do the best job you can?” he said. “How do you mitigate it? It’s all about the future.”

Steamboat contractor Mike Roberts, who sat on a panel with Temple at Environment 2007, said the size of buildings clearly is an issue in green building.

“The first consideration is size, regardless of what else you do,” said Roberts, who is the owner of Habitat Design and Construction.

“You can use all of the salvaged lumber and recycled glass tile there is, but that’s not necessarily a green house,” Roberts said. “The success has to be based strictly on its carbon footprint. The bigger the house is, the more greenhouse emissions that are typically associated with it.”

Temple said Marabou is taking an extra step to give homeowners an incentive to build green. If they score sufficient green building points, he said, his company will write them a check for $10,000 when their home is complete and green building practices have been verified.

The design guidelines for Marabou require all homes to score at least 50 “sustainability points.” However, homes in the 10,000-square-foot range will need to collect another 50 points to score the $10,000 premium.

They can earn points through a variety of means, including installing low-flow showerheads and water-efficient clothes and dish washers, using pine beetle-impacted salvage wood harvested in Colorado, installing insulated concrete forms on foundations and utilizing pre-cut wall studs to reduce waste.

Roberts said Marabou’s land practices are commendable and acknowledges there was a time in his building career when he built large homes.

“I wrestle with that,” he said. “I’ve been in this business for 30 years and I feel like I’ve been hypocritical like so many of us have been.”

However, he believes there may come a day when the market shifts and smaller, green-built homes will appraise higher and be more desirable than 10,000-square-foot homes.

Temple said he hopes Marabou’s sustainability will be judged on all of the programs at place on the ranch, from the restoration of a breeding trout population, to the creation of “bio islands” in the midst of hayfield for songbirds, the establishment of a grass-fed beef program and the construction of buildings that are highly energy efficient.

He promises to openly share the strategies employed at Marabou with other resort developers who want to follow in its path.

“My hope is that we get on the radar screen of the development community,” Temple said. “When we convince them this has paid off and that it’s the right thing to do, we’ll have been successful.”

Marabou river keeper Pat Stefanek explains to a visiting group from Economic Summit 2007 on Thursday how the project’s developers have spent almost two years on efforts to improve trout habitat.   http://www.yoursteamboathome.com/archived_article.php?newsID=22  

Steamboat Springs, CO (January 16, 2007) - Less than 6 months after Steamboat Springs City Council approved the development plan for Steamboat Springs’ first master planned residential resort community, Steamboat-based developer, Resort Ventures West now has a final development plat approved, 33 homesite owners and construction underway at Wildhorse Meadows.  The 47-acre site is centrally located between the mountain and downtown and will be connected to the base of Steamboat Ski Area via the proposed Wildhorse Gondola.

The Wildhorse Meadows master plan has been designed to marry old with new, fostering simple, un-complicated living that pays tribute to the area’s western culture. The developer’s vision is to preserve Steamboat’s history and distinct Western feel while incorporating the modern facilities of a new resort neighborhood. This special residential resort community plans to offer a mix of housing types including resort lodge suites, townhomes, mountain lofts, a branded hotel, and attainable housing, and include a range of community amenities.  With the slopes of Steamboat Springs at the community’s back door, the proposed gondola will tie the development to the base of the mountain, eliminating the hassle of shuttle schedules or parking.  An extensive walking and biking trail system will connect the neighborhoods within Wildhorse to the town of Steamboat.

“Wildhorse Meadows is meant to combine the charm of a quiet Western town with mountain community amenities,” said David Hill, President, Resort Ventures West. “Very few mountain developments successfully embrace the area’s character and architectural spirit, while also providing the modern design and amenities of today.  Wildhorse will do this.” 

Amenities of Wildhorse Meadows will include: The Ranch House with a fitness facility, pools, grotto hot tubsand a kids’ lounge; the soon-to-be-developed Wildhorse Gondola, and an interactive Culture & Education Barn for all ages.  Also within walking distance is the Steamboat Country Store, an authentic general store that will serve as a meeting place for the community with fresh brewed coffee, prepared foods and postal services.

Wildhorse Meadows is being developed by ,Resort Ventures West, a Steamboat-based developer, in strategic partnership with S&P Destination Properties, a real estate company specializing in the master planning, marketing and sales of resort and luxury real estate across the world.

http://www.allaboutsteamboat.com/news-releases/74.php

Colorado Group Realty on Tuesday hosted a talk with Steamboat 700 project manager Danny Mulcahy. Mulcahy briefly shared his philosophy on affordable housing in Steamboat.
Steamboat Springs - Steamboat 700 is no place for speculation, Project Manager Danny Mulcahy said Tuesday.

Mulcahy delivered this message at a talk hosted by Colorado Group Realty. His presentation drew about 50 people. Colorado Group Realty Chief Operating Officer Bart Kounovsky said the crowd that packed the meeting room at Tread of Pioneers Museum was about 50 percent real estate agents, and many of Mulcahy’s comments were directed at such an audience.

“People’s ability to speculate on this property will be limited,” Mulcahy said. “For the Realtors in here, that’s a shame, but it helps the attainability.”

Mulcahy outlined some mech­anisms he would use to limit speculation and keep his proposed community one for the working-class, full-time resident. The most important one, he said, will be to bring large amounts of real estate to the market at the same time. He predicted there could be 200 sales a year in Steamboat 700 in its first years on the market.

“The way speculation is limited is by the pure volume I have on the market,” Mulcahy said. “It’s going to be real hard for speculators to compete with me.”

Mulcahy offered some insight into how his product might be brought to the market and when. He said he won’t be the only developer and that there also would be lot sales for people to build their own homes. He predicted it would take about 20 years to build out the entire property.

“There will be several developers,” Mulcahy said. “There will be lots of lot sales.”

Mulcahy was asked when such sales might start, but he could not be specific.

“I can’t even have that conversation until I get annexed,” Mulcahy said. “With your guys’ help, I’ll be annexed this year. If I get annexed this year, my first sale is 2010. … I won’t take reservations at least until I get annexed.”

Mulcahy said a school, a community center and a quick-care clinic could be included in his project, but not a recreation center. He also spoke about what he hopes Steamboat 700 will look like from a design standpoint.

“I like the eclectic nature of downtown, and that’s what I want to create out here,” he said. “I like the pink house, next to the stone house, next to the wood house.”

Mulcahy admitted that his goal of getting annexed by the city of Steamboat Springs in the next nine months is an aggressive one, but he also noted that the city has identified his 700-acre property as a target for growth in area plans and should be able to move quickly. He also said the longer it takes the city to annex Steamboat 700, the higher prices will be on the approximately 2,000 homes he proposes. Nonetheless, Mulcahy said he would not abandon the project no matter how long it takes.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “It will happen.”

By Brandon Gee - Steamboat Pilot
Wednesday, March 26, 2008

http://www.steamboatpilot.com/

Steamboat Springs - Steamboat 700 developers told city planners Wednesday that they intend to move forward with pared-down development and annexation proposals after their application to extend the urban growth boundary was denied Tuesday night.

“They said they are moving forward, full-speed ahead,” Planning Services Manager John Eastman said.

The UGB is a provision of the Steamboat Springs Area Community Plan that delineates land appropriate and not appropriate for urban development. The Routt County Board of Commissioners voted, 3-0, against Steamboat 700’s request to extend the urban growth boundary by 185 acres at a joint meeting with the Steamboat Springs City Council on Tuesday. Although council approved the application, 4-2, amendments to the community plan must receive joint approval.

Steamboat 700 Project Man­ager Danny Mulcahy did not return a message left on his cell phone, but Eastman said the developers met with city planning staff Tuesday and committed to moving forward with an application for the project’s remaining 515 acres, which already are within the UGB.

Eastman said 515 acres still is a substantial project and noted that of a potential 2,200 residences, only 190 were intended for the 185 acres that lie outside the UGB. Eastman said Steamboat 700 developers still intend to meet an Oct. 31 deadline for submitting a petition and application for annexation.

By committing to a 515-acre application, Steamboat 700 would avoid presenting City Council with a volatile proposition: considering an annexation of the full 700 acres that would ignore the urban growth boundary and the area community plan. While Councilwoman Cari Hermacinski said Monday it would be “political suicide” to disregard the area community plan, Councilman Jon Quinn said Wednesday, “Everything’s on the table right now for me.”

Such a move would be legal because annexations are governed by state statute and master plans are considered only advisory, but Eastman said such a move would violate the terms of the city’s pre-annexation agreement with Steamboat 700, which stipulates that the development will conform to the Steamboat Springs Area Community Plan and West of Steamboat Springs Area Plan.

That agreement, approved at an Aug. 5 meeting of City Council, is not affected by Tuesday’s denial of a UGB expansion, City Attorney Tony Lettunich said.

“The concepts are still applicable, regardless of the size,” Lettunich said.

Per the agreement, Steam­boat 700 developers must complete a number of studies - on issues such as traffic, visual impacts, fiscal impacts, water capacity and environmental assessments - before they petition for annexation.

Quinn and other council members who voted in favor of Steamboat 700’s UGB expansion expressed disappointment Wednesday.

By denying the request, the community could lose out on some potential public benefits that would have been associated with the project, Quinn said.

“There’s no question, with a smaller parcel, they’re only going to be able to do portions of what they thought they could do,” Quinn said.

But Eastman noted that the city would only make demands of Steamboat 700 commensurate with the impacts of the development.

“We’re not asking for it to pay extra,” Eastman said. “If there’s less development, it’s got less it needs to pay for.”

www.steamboatpilot.com

BREAKING GROUND

              Edgemont

 Two of the buildings will be filled with condos, and the rest will be smaller structures with duplex units. All the units will have views of the mountain, and they will range from 900 to 4,300 square feet. There will be a heated outdoor pool, whirlpools and a fire pit, and within the building will be lounges, rooms for spa treatments, a fitness center, ski lockers, a game room and a media room with a flat-screen TV. But what will surely be the project’s main draw is its close proximity to the resort. On either end of the site are a gondola and an express lift, providing access to 165 trails and nearly 3,000 acres of terrain. The Yampa Valley Regional Airport is about 22 miles west in Hayden, Colo.

 www.nytimes.com

Colorado’s mountain resorts haven’t escaped a downturn in the economy, but premium product at premium locations is unscathed.

The Atira Group recently presold $45 million in a single day at Edgemont, kicking off construction of the first phase of the high-end residential development on the slopes at Steamboat Ski Resort. Sales averaged $2 million.

“I think what we have in Edgemont and what you’ll continue to see in the market is a quality location and a quality project. The better projects in the best locations with good partners and capitalized well will be the success stories in this market,” said Gerry Engle, The Atira Group founding partner.

According to Engle, a longtime resort developer, residential sales in Steamboat Springs and other mountain resorts are down year over year. “I think in every market, you see year-to-year decreases in overall volume - not drastic, but certainly a decrease,” he said, estimating Steamboat Springs has declined 18 percent to 20 percent since peaking last year.

In Vail, slow sales have stalled some developments, yet premium product like the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton is moving ahead as the resort community’s nearly $2 billion renaissance continues. The Residences at Little Nell in Aspen experienced strong sales, and Snowmass Village also is doing well with Little Nell and Viceroy branded resorts, said Engle.

“They are all premium locations, premium brands, which I think is also a key thing,” he said. “I think you’re going to see more of that.”

With Edgemont, “I think there was pent-up demand for a ski-in, ski-out product,” said Engle, adding, “I think we really had the market because of the location and the concept.”

Edgemont’s residences, situated just above the base area between the gondola and Christie Peak Express, will have open floor plans, views and amenities including an outdoor heated pool, hot tubs, fire pit, ski lockers, family game and media rooms, a fitness facility and underground parking. There will be approximately 42 residences in the first building and approximately 130 at build-out.

Initial sales ranged from $900,000 to $4.8 million, attaining a new price point for the market at an average $1,150 per square foot. The launch drew buyers from Texas, Southern California and the Midwest, including former White House counsel Jack Quinn.

Edgemont’s first phase will be delivered within approximately 18 months. The development is designed by OZ Architecture. S&P Destination Properties is the listing broker.

The Atira Group, developer of Granby Ranch in Granby, also is working with Cafritz Interests to redevelop Ski Time Square and the Thunderhead Lodge at the Steamboat base area into a new mixed-use neighborhood. Plans

are in the entitlement process.

by Jill Jamieson-Nichols Colorado Real Estate Journal

One Steamboat Place is an integral part of the revitalization of Steamboat’s base area and a member of the “Steamboat Unbridled” campaign. The base area redevelopment vision, named Steamboat Unbridled, is a $23 million, multi-year project that encompasses improvements from infrastructure to signage.

When builders started developing Steamboat’s base areaforty years ago, their thoughts were mostly focused on skiing. Steamboat Unbridled’s vision will create a destination where visitors and residents alike will want to spend time year-round. The seasonal day lighting of Burgess Creek will give the area back its original summer state while enhancing the visitor experience with bridge crossings, gathering areas along the creek, large lawn areas and improved mountain bike trail connections. In the winter, the promenade will provide a more clear separation between skiers/snowboarders and pedestrian traffic.

Already underway are utility upgrades, roadway and pedestrian circulation projects, transit improvements and streetscape beautification projects. Coming soon is the development of the Burgess Creek Promenade from One Steamboat Place to the Thunderhead building, which will create a better interface from Gondola Square to Ski Time Square. With improved way finding and better signage from Mt. Werner Road as well as at the base area, guests will have a better sense of entry into the resort.

The approach to the ski area along Mt. Werner Road will include ranch fencing and landscaping that will reflect the Valley’s natural vegetation and ranching history.

Development at One Steamboat is moving right along, withHaselden Resort Constructors making progress on several fronts for a targeted completion date of the fall of 2009. According to Mark Norris, Timbers Resorts’ Director of Construction, “Everything is proceeding very nicely with all site utility work finished, fire protection upgrades made to the Gondola Square garage, as well as upgrades made to the Gondola Transit Center. The building’s lower levels are also underway with cranes soaring above.”

With the massive amounts of snow throughout the ski season, snow removal was a constant focus at the site. “Haselden leased a snow-melting machine called the Snow Dragon that helps with snow management efficiency,” said One Steamboat Place Project Manager Chris Burden. “It’s been interesting to see how the construction site is modified for winter conditions.”

This spring and summer, as One Steamboat Place enters the vertical phase of construction, the main focus will be completing structural concrete work for all three buildings that comprise One Steamboat Place and starting structural steel erection. Exterior framing will begin in the late summer along with roofing. The objective is to enclose the buildings prior to winter to allow interior trades work to begin their work inside. It’s exciting to watch the various stages of development as One Steamboat Place gets closer and closer to completion.

www.onesteamboatplace.com

MOFFAT COUNTY - Of the nearly 300 miles the Yampa River travels from its origin in the Flat Tops of northwestern Colorado, the most famous by far are the final 46.

There, the mature Rocky Mountain river dives deep into a 2,500-foot cut to carve a spectacular canyon through the heart of Dinosaur National Monument on the Colorado-Utah border. With wild flows rolling past sheer sandstone cliffs, stunning slickrock walls and towering hoodoo formations, the silt-laden waterway dons a new cloak of adventure and discovery that draws thousands annually.

But that wasn’t always the case.

Certainly mystery has long been a commodity in this corner of Canyon Country that Butch Cassidy’s infamous Hole in the Wall Gang once called home. But beyond the bandits, few others were buying.

It was on Aug. 19, 1928, that a party of four men from The Denver Post launched what was then believed to be the first river expedition through the as-yet unmapped Yampa Canyon. That trip by greenhorns in turn helped launch the modern whitewater recreation industry, which last year generated more than $150 million in Colorado.

While at the time the trip was deemed a disaster, the 1928 expedition was a complete success. Sure, the men sank one boat and after 14 days emerged from Echo Park as battered as the second vessel they abandoned at the site.

But they survived to give the world its first glimpse into this diamond in the Colorado rough, launching a legacy of preservation and an industry of recreation along the way - far more than they, or anyone before, had ever sought to do.

Promotions manager A.G. Birch was responsible for organizing the historic expedition, planning it for more than a year and recruiting for months before settling on a team composed of photographers Charles E. Mace and Frederick E. Dunham. University of Colorado student Bert Moritz Jr. also joined the crew, selected as much for his skills as an “expert swimmer” as his ability as a handyman.

Both, it turned out, would be quite useful.

Before embarking, the men made no pretense of whitewater experience or ability wielding oars. They had neither, and naively hoped to gain mastery as they made their way. More than once, it nearly cost them their lives.

But the mission might be described just as easily as inspirational. Birch’s stories and Mace’s photos, published nationally through the North American Newspaper Alliance, gave the world its first glimpse of this scenic treasure.

And 10 years after Birch first suggested it in print, a presidential proclamation by Franklin D. Roosevelt set aside some 210,000 acres surrounding the river corridor as a national monument that soon would become the most controversial

Janet Taylor, front, and husband Don, from Leander, Texas, ride whitewater near Rainbow Park. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post )in the nation.”I don’t know who championed the idea specifically, but obviously when you are talking about the preservation of (the Yampa and Green) rivers, that 1938 presidential proclamation was huge,” said Dinosaur National Monument superintendent Mary Risser. “From what I understand, the stories and movies that came out of the early river trips helped introduce people to the joys of river running, and specifically river running in Dinosaur.”

Publication . . . will ensure wide publicity, with the probable result that numbers of wealthy sportsmen, looking for a real “last frontier,” will be attracted to this state.

As it turns out, the Yampa River Canyon was not entirely unexplored in 1928. Fabled Western

click on image to enlarge boatman Nathaniel Galloway of Vernal, Utah, was first to run the length of the canyon in June 1909, with his 10-year-old son, Parley.But Galloway, a fur trapper by trade, wasn’t much for documentation, essentially granting the men of The Denver Post credit for putting the Yampa on the map.

Before the 1928 expedition, little was known about the region beyond Carnegie Museum paleontologist Earl Douglass’ 1909 discovery of dinosaur bones. In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson then established the surrounding 80 acres as Dinosaur National Monument, giving slight thought to the adjacent jumble of rocks and water.

But a year after the 1928 trip, Vernal’s Bus Hatch guided what is considered Colorado’s first recreational whitewater trip

Yampa River Canyon rafters float by the Tiger Wall, striped over the ages by trickling water and oxidation. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post )for paying clients on the Green River through Dinosaur and the Yampa shortly thereafter, initiating what has since become the state’s No. 1 summer tourism industry.”It’s sure caught on,” said Colorado River Outfitters Association (CROA) president Tom Kleinschnitz, owner of Grand Junction-based Adventure Bound Expeditions, one of the longest permit holders for commercial trips on the Yampa River. “I believe that (the Denver Post expedition) had to have part of the inspiration for guys like Bus Hatch, who had some ideas on how to make it easier. Those kinds of expeditions show these incredible places to the world, and people want to play there.”

According to a report on commercial river use commissioned by CROA, more than 539,000 people went rafting in Colorado in 2007, generating a record $153 million.

While the Arkansas River accounts for nearly half of the state’s annual user days, the strictly managed Yampa is limited to fewer than 8,000 people a year within Dinosaur, sharing 300 private and 300 commercial launches of 25 people or less with the neighboring Green River. Competition for private permits is fierce, with a success rate of less than 5 percent of the nearly 2,500 applications for launches during a window from May 14 to July 14 last year.

“It seems like the numbers we have going down there are appropriate for the resource and providing a wilderness sort of experience on a river,” Risser said. “A lot of it is based on available campsites because the area is so rich in archaeological history and there are so many cultural resources out there.”

If this spot ever could be opened to tourists, it would make several of our popular national parks take a remote back seat.

Among those drawn to the Yampa River Canyon’s recreational resources was Adventure Bound founder Keith Counts, a former physics teacher at Adams City High School in Commerce City. He began taking Boy Scout troops down the river as early as 1961.

Counts shared the same sense of adventure as the men of The Post expedition, and eventually made 83 voyages.

Now living in Wichita, Counts still recalls what he considers the golden era of river running through the monument. It was a time highlighted by the birth of the modern conservation movement when former Sierra Club director David Brower led a successful battle to prevent damming of the Green and Yampa rivers just below their Echo Park confluence in the heart of Dinosaur.

The attention garnered during that intense struggle in the mid-1960s further exposed Dinosaur and the Yampa to the nation, even drawing several members of the Kennedy family to the river in 1969. That same year, Counts purchased the Deerlodge property at the put-in on the east side of the park and became a full-time outfitter.

“It’s my opinion that the park was really saved by the rafters and notoriety they brought it at that time,” said Counts, 70. “There was a tremendous amount of publicity at that time. Going down the river just became the thing to do.”

We have no idea how long the trip will take us; our one effort is to make it in safety and get a corking record of an unknown land.

The modern sport of river running has certainly evolved in the past 80 years. Experience is not a prerequisite for adventure; awareness, however, just may be.

In December 2006, the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District laid out plans for a prospective new dam site on the Yampa River upstream of Dinosaur National Monument, potentially diverting as much as a quarter of the river - up to 300,000 acre-feet a year - during spring runoff for Front Range consumption.

This alteration of what’s widely considered the last major free-flowing tributary in the Colorado River system could have a lasting impact on the ecology and recreational opportunities in Dinosaur National Monument downstream, Risser said.

“I think water is going to become one of the driving issues across the entire West and certainly one of our biggest concerns for the park. I do think (the dam proposal) is a huge threat to the park right now,” Risser said. “We already have Flaming Gorge dam upstream on the Green, the free-flowing Yampa and the area below the confluence within the monument boundary, so right now Dinosaur is an incredible lab to determine the impact dams have on rivers.”

Kleinschnitz, who started rowing the Yampa as a teenager, often worries about “the economics of wilderness protection” in a region that remains off the map for so many, comparing the wild Yampa to “a really great PBS show that only 12 people saw.”

“There aren’t hundreds of thousands of advocates out there because only a few thousand people can visit a year,” Kleinschnitz said. “It’s sort of a Catch-22. You don’t want to open it up and turn it into Disneyland, but unless people know about it, they won’t know how important it is to protect.”

But the result was worth it. If there is, anywhere on this earth, a region of such wild, fantastic grandeur that it exhausts all the adjectives in the dictionary, that region is the Yampa River Canyon in northwest Colorado.

http://www.denverpost.com/

http://www.marabouranch.com/