By Shannon Lukens.
Be aware of a wildfire burning about 11 miles east of Meeker in Rio Blanco County. They are calling it the Elk Fire and it was started by lightning, according to the sheriff’s office. It is on private, state, and BLM land. The sheriff’s office says no structures are threatened right now but residents and travelers are being asked to avoid the area. Hotshot crews are being dropped into the fire zone to assist.
Governor Polis has verbally declared a disaster emergency to support the response efforts for the Elk Fire.
From the governor’s office: “Fire conditions in northwest Colorado are at near record levels, and elevated fire weather and fire risk is forecast for the coming week.
With the disaster declaration, the State Emergency Operations and Resource Mobilization Plans are activated and the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) coordinates the state response through management of the State Emergency Operations Center and deployment of field operations staff to directly support county emergency managers with consequence management. The Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) is leading the incident management and suppression efforts in conjunction with the other CDPS Divisions.”
Big Game hunting licenses go on sale at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5. These are licenses not sold in the primary and secondary draw, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife reports plenty are still available. It’s called the Leftover List, and a link is below, as well as the CPW website. Or call 800-244-5613. Or you can go in person to a local CPW office.
Licenses that will become available include:
- Limited licenses leftover after the primary and secondary draws for elk, deer, pronghorn and bear.
- Limited elk, deer, pronghorn, and bear licenses that someone drew but surrendered or did not pay for during the secondary draw that took fewer than five resident preference points to draw.
- Limited licenses that were returned for refund/preference point restoration since the opening of the secondary draw but prior to July 30 and took fewer than five resident preference points to draw
- OTC licenses for elk, archery pronghorn, whitetail deer, and bear
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Office Map
More on the Story — Big Game Hunting Licenses go on sale Tuesday morning
Routt County Board of County Commissioners have a Work Session Monday. The County Lodging Tax will be discussion and there will be a Public Health update.
The future Craig River Park is undergoing construction at the diversion site. Please avoid floating between Pebble Beach and Loudy Simpson Park as construction will be happening on both the right and left banks. Traffic is not allowed on the access road off County Road 184 as it is an active construction site. The Craig River Park should be finished in the fall.
Matt Kireker has been hired as the new Policy Director for Yampa Valley Sustainability Council. Kireker has over ten years of experience in government and renewable energy policy. He’ll be working to increase collaborative, nonpartisan efforts toward emissions reduction and resilience at the state, regional, and local level.
Seminars at Steamboat celebrates 23 years in the Yampa Valley, bringing public policy experts to the Steamboat Springs community. All seminars are nonpartisan and free to the public, starting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4, at Strings Music Pavilion. Doors open at 4:45 p.m. Tonight’s topic and speaker is “Environmental, Social and Economic Impacts of Green Energy Technologies, and the Need for Public Policy” – A conversation with Professor Ricardo Hausmann.
More on the Story – 2025 Seminars at Steamboat
Close to 800 runners and cyclists competed in this weekend’s Emerald Mountain Epic at Howelsen Hill this weekend. Those athletes who biked the full 52 miles on Saturday and then ran the full marathon on Sunday competed for King and Queen of the Mountain. King this year is David Norris of Steamboat Springs.
“The bike was a little more scary with the fact that I was pushing it on the downhills and trying not to crash and just finish in one piece. But then running with the tired legs from yesterday, definitely climbing out of Beall trail was really hard today. It’s definitely cool to be a part of such a Steamboat event.”
Norris beat defending champion, Andrew Farney who grew up in Steamboat Springs, for the title this year.
Queen of the Mountain is Sara Pizzo of Steamboat.
More on the Story — Royalty is crowned in the 2025 Emerald Mountain Epic
The Moffat County Fair is this week at the fairgrounds in Craig. Friday was the Cat Show and we have a few pictures on the KRAI Facebook page. There is a fair schedule on our website or find out more at MoffatCountyFair.com
2025 Moffat County Fair Schedule
Check out what’s happening in the Yampa Valley on the Community Calendar on our website.
For the KRAI Time, Temp, and Weather Hotline, call 970-824-1918.