By Shannon Lukens.
A new climate monitoring station has been installed on Woodchuck Hill, up above the campus of Colorado Mountain College in Steamboat Springs. It is part of a growing network of hydro-meteorological stations in the Yampa River Basin. There are seven now and there will eventually be 30 spanning the entire Yampa River Watershed. Mike Camblin was one of the speakers at the ribbon-cutting Monday. He is a Moffat County rancher from the Maybell area and also with the Colorado Water Conservation District.
“So to me, it’s all about soil. Soil health is so important, we’re trying to build carbon in the soil, and make it healthier soil. So measuring that moisture just makes a huge difference. On our ranch we have six different stations that we check moisture with and it’s just a really good tool to tell us what’s going on underground.”
State and local leaders were also on hand for the ribbon cutting.
Other key partners included Yampa Valley Sustainability Council. Also there were representatives from the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, also known as CW3E, based at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego.
“The goal of YBASIN is to establish long-term soil moisture data to better understand how dry soil conditions impact snowmelt runoff across the watershed,” said CW3E Director Marty Ralph. “As extremes continue to impact precipitation – and correspondingly spring runoff and water availability – a continuous record will support more accurate water supply forecasting and help inform critical management decisions.”
The first station was installed near Stagecoach Reservoir in 2022. Between 2023-2024, the network grew by five additional stations, one in the Trout Creek Basin, one in the lower Elk River watershed, one along the Yampa River at Carpenter Ranch near Hayden, and one in the Elkhead Creek drainage. A sixth station, known as Red Creek, was installed south of Steamboat Lake in August. Funds committed by the local Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District, Glenwood Springs-based Colorado River District, and Colorado Water Conservation Board have enabled the network’s growth to date.
Each station includes six sensors that are buried in the ground and measure the profile of soil’s moisture content and temperature at depths of 5, 10, 15, 20, 50, 100 centimeters.
More on the Story — A climate monitoring station has been installed at CMC
The Routt County Board of County Commissioners has a regular meeting Tuesday. One agenda item is a report from Tinneal Gerber from Yampa Valley Regional Airport and the expansion of the west terminal. Agenda
The Moffat County Board of County Commissioners is participating in the Tri-County District Attorney Budget meeting via ZOOM.
Steamboat Springs City Council has a budget retreat today, Tuesday, Oct. 7. The 2026 budget approval meeting is on the agenda. The Steamboat Stampede Youth Hockey Association is requesting a commitment of $2 million of 2026 city funds to complete a second sheet of ice at Howelsen Ice Arena. SSYHA has identified $4 million committed from private donations to the total cost of $6 million. The second sheet would be an open air NHL-sized sheet of ice with locker rooms and storage. Agenda
The City of Steamboat Springs has named Chris Dover as its new Information Technology Manager. Dover has more than 17 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity.
Hayden Town Council has their special quarterly community meeting from 5-6 p.m. tonight. Residents can stop by and ask town council members questions about the town, council priorities, and another other general questions pertaining to the Hayden community. That’s in the Hayden Center Community Room at 495 West Jefferson Ave.
Courtesy photo
In Moffat County, the Northwest Colorado Chapter of the Parrotheads have just donated five picnic tables to the Brown’s Park Wildlife Refuge. They made the donations Saturday during highway cleanup.
Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue wants to bring awareness of risks with lithium-ion batteries. They’re safe if used correctly. Buy only lithium batteries that are tested in safety labs and meet safety standards. Charged them with approved cords on hard surfaces, and unplug them when fully charged. Don’t charge the batteries on a bed or couch, as it could start a fire. Recycle those batteries at approved locations and not in a household trash can as it could start a fire.
More on the Story – Lithium-Ion Battery Safety Focus Of Fire Prevention Week
More on the Story — La seguridad de las baterías de ionen litio, protagonista de la Semana de Prevención de Incendios
Cancer Screening and Prevention is the topic for the next Community Conversation series at Memorial Regional Health in Craig. It’s at noon on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in the MRH conference rooms. Alexandra Donovan and Bridget Barnhart are the speakers, who will discuss prevention and early detection of cancer, as well as local oncology services that are available.
The Steamboat High School Mountain Bike team wrapped up the season, winning the overall Yampa Region Title this weekend at the Chalk Creek Stampede in Nathrop. And they won the Team Spirit Award again this year, with a rodeo theme. The Steamboat team competes in Division 1 of the Colorado High School Cycling League.
More on the Story — Steamboat Riders Capture Regional Division 1 Title at Chalk Creek Stampede
The Steamboat Sailors Girls Volleyball team hosts Summit this evening.
It is Homecoming Week for the SoRoCo Rams. Today’s dress theme is Rhyme without Reason. The SoRoCo Rams Cross Country team has an away meet this afternoon against Rifle.
The Moffat County Girls Softball team hosts Middle Park this afternoon and it is senior night. Three senior girls (Teryn Carter, Vanessa Herrara, and Camila Nunez-Verdugo) will be recognized between the 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. games. The Moffat County Boys Soccer team has an away game against Caprock Academy today.