By Shannon Lukens.
Southwest Airlines flights are being canceled across the country, more than 2,600 of them on Tuesday, and close to 3,000 on Monday.
That includes Yampa Valley Regional Airport in Hayden. Matt Hurd is visiting family in Steamboat Springs and was supposed to fly home to Washington DC Tuesday, via Dallas.
Airport Manager Kevin Booth says 17 Southwest Airlines round trip flights have been canceled over the past week, with 15 of those from Denver, one from Dallas, and one from Nashville. Booth said he doesn’t know when Southwest Operations will return to normal but to expect more cancellations until they do.
File photo
The Steamboat Springs office of Colorado Parks and Wildlife is reporting a bear getting into the trash on Conestoga Circle Monday, which means they aren’t all hibernating. Conestoga Circle is on the west side of town, near the cemetery. They ask that you remove any bird feeders and secure your trash if you live in that area.
The next time you renew your license plates, you’ll find a $29 fee. It’s the Keep Colorado Wild Pass added to vehicle registrations through the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles. It starts Jan. 3. Here’s Bridget O’Rourke who is the Statewide Public Information Officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
“This pass is exciting because it aligns with the Colorado way of life, where our residents really want to connect with our outdoors and our residents care for Colorado and we’re very grateful to live in this state and we really want to take steps to keep our landscapes healthy. It also supports our local communities. They money raised from this pass goes towards helping our Search and Rescue teams, avalanche control and growing our outdoor educational programs and outdoor accessibility for our residents.”
Money raised from the pass fee also goes to local search and rescue teams, avalanche safety programs and outdoor education programs. You can opt out of the $29 fee. Traditionally a State Park Pass is $80. Your registration card will have a sticker on it that shows you’ve paid.
Colorado State Parks in Northwest Colorado include Stagecoach, Yampa River State Park, Elkhead Reservoir, Steamboat Lake and Pearl Lake.
From Colorado Parks and Wildlife —
State Parks & Recreation– The goal is to generate at least $36 million annually. The first $32.5 million will go toward state park maintenance and development, the next $2.5 million will go towards search and rescue teams and $1 million to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Any revenue beyond that will go to wildlife projects and outdoor educational programs.
Backcountry Safety– With the Keep Colorado Wild Pass sales, there may be $2.5 million generated funds annually that will be used to better support the volunteer and equipment needs of search and rescue professionals across Colorado. The next $1 million dollars raised will benefit avalanche safety programs through the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Because of your support and the tremendous generosity of our search and rescue responders, Colorado will be a safer place to play.
Wildlife Conservation– Additional money raised not used for state parks and outdoor safety will be used to support the State Wildlife Action Plan, which helps fund wildlife and habitat conservation work for the 960 species that CPW manages.
Local Communities– The new Keep Colorado Wild Pass gives all Coloradans an easy way to support Colorado’s natural resources, outdoor recreation, wildlife and local communities in an important and meaningful way.
Courtesy photo
The City of Steamboat Springs is hosting three community sessions to discuss the proposed Commercial Recycling Ordinance. The first one is at noon Thursday, Jan. 5, at Centennial Hall on 10th Street. The ordinance is for businesses and multi-family residences within city limits. All solid waste collectors must provide recycling to commercial accounts. Two other meetings are at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, and noon on Thursday, Jan. 26, all at Centennial Hall.
Check out upcoming events in the Yampa Valley on the Community Calendar on our website.
For the KRAI Time, Temp, and Weather Hotline, call 970-824-1918.