By Shannon Lukens.

Yampa Valley Regional Airport has been selected as Colorado’s 2025 Airport of the Year. The announcement came at the recent Colorado Airport Operators Association Spring Conference, which was in Steamboat Springs. Airport Manager Kevin Booth is retiring and his last day is this Friday. He is being replaced by Tinneal Gerber.

More on the Story — Yampa Valley Regional Airport is honored as Airport of the Year

 

 

Courtesy photo

A trap is set for a bear has been getting into homes in Old Town Steamboat Springs. Kris Middledorf is the Area Wildlife Manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. He says the bear has entered at least four unsecured homes in less than a week, through open doors or open windows that may have been easy to push open.

 “We’ve had multiple intrusions into homes by black bears in Steamboat Springs over the past week. We think it’s a single bear. But we have to remind everyone. Please make sure to keep all your ground level windows closed. Make sure your doors are locked. Reminder for your cars as well. Take out the trash in your car and lock your cars at night.”

 Middledorf says to keep your bear-proof trash containers inside your garage, if you can. Hummingbird, and regular bird feeders cannot be out right now. Keep your garage door shut. If you see a bear near your home, make a lot of noise to scare it away.

Middledorf says if they capture the bear, they’ll make an assessment on what to do with it.

Keep Bears Wild – Steamboat has a summer talk coming up at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, at Library Hall.

 More on the Story — CPW looks for a bear that has been getting into homes in Steamboat Springs

 Here’s more from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website.

Dealing with Bears
Bears spend their day searching for any possible food sources. Once they successfully get food in a location, they will come back again hoping for another food reward.

• Do not provide any possible food or scent attractants for bears
• Store trash in your house, garage, or shed until trash day. Clean your trash can with bleach once a week to get rid of residual smells.
• Keep bird feeders out of reach of bears with a pulley system that keeps the feeder 10 feet off ground and 10 feet away from trees or climbable structures.
• Do not store pet food or feed pets outside.
• Clean grills after use, clean out grease traps.
• Secure bee hives and chickens with electric fencing.
• Be vigilant when leaving your house in the morning or evening. Make noise as you leave to let a bear know you are coming. If they hear you they will usually leave the area.
• If a bear will not leave, do not approach it. From a safe location, make some noise and throw things at it. If the bear will not leave, call your local wildlife office.
• Call your local wildlife office and report bear incidents. Wildlife officers can do site checks to help you secure your specific property.
• If a bear enters your home, open doors and windows and make sure it can leave the same way it got in. Don’t approach the bear, corner the bear or block escape routes. Call 911.
• If you see a bear hanging around your neighborhood or property, call your local Colorado Parks and Wildlife office to report it.
• Flashing lights, noise makers, alarms and sprinkler systems may startle bears and cause them to leave the area. Products that randomly produce a different noise each time they’re activated or have lights that flash in different patterns may be more effective than something with repetition.
• Leaving a radio tuned to a talk show can make it sound like someone is home and may persuade bears to leave the area. If you’ll be gone for an extended period of time, you can put a radio on a timer.
• Spraying bear spray on things you’d like bears to avoid doesn’t work — when the spray dries, the pepper residue left behind mellows out and creates odors that can actually attract bears.
• People have had some success with covered buckets or other containers filled with bleach or ammonia, with holes punched in the lids to let the scent out, placed outside bear-accessible doors and windows. Never mix bleach and ammonia; the combination produces fumes that can be deadly to both people and bears. Be careful with ammonia and bleach; it can blind bears.
• Unwelcome mats are typically made of sheets of sturdy plywood that have been carefully studded with small nails pointing up that can be placed in front of bear-accessible doors and windows. It’s very important that unwelcome mats be made, installed and used properly to avoid injuring bears, humans and pets.

 

The SBT GRVL cycling event returns to Routt County this coming weekend. This year’s event is sold out. SBT GRVL is being held in June this year, and not August, so as not to conflict with haying season and the Routt County Fair, at the request of the ranching and agriculture communities. SBT GRVL founder and owner Amy Charity recently spoke to Steamboat Springs City Council. She said they listened to the community and heard the rural issues, and have changed 86 items to comply to those concerns. She said riders and their families spend more than $6 million on race weekend.

The SBT GRVL Expo is Thursday and Friday on Yampa Street. Other activities include the Canyon Costume Hill Climb Friday evening at Howelsen Hill. The ride with three different course distances is Saturday, starting in Steamboat Springs. Then the pro race is on gravel roads south of Hayden on Sunday.

More on the Story — SBT GRVL is in Steamboat Springs and Hayden, June 26-29

Guest Column from Routt County Commissioners on SBT GRVL

 

Work continues in Craig this week at Yampa Avenue and 9^th Street. Pull boxes that hold cables and electrical wiring are being installed as are cabinet and pedestal bases at each intersection. Expect delays.

 

The Routt County Board of County Commissioners meets today. Agenda items include a discussion with outgoing Yampa Valley Regional Airport Director Kevin Booth about a terminal expansion at the airport. County Accounting Director Dan Strnad will discuss County Property Tax Limitations.

 

The Moffat County Board of County Commissioners also meets this morning. Moffat County Sheriff KC Hume is on the agenda for his retirement, and vacancy appointment. Another staff report is from Candance Miller in the Office of Development Services.

 

Another Community Engagement session is today for a Craig Sports Complex, hosted by Craig Parks and Recreation.  City website with details

It starts at 8 a.m. at Prodigal & Sons Coffee on Victory Way. Questions? Contact Ryan Dennison at RDennison@CityofCraig.org or call 970-826-2004.

 

Craig City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. today. Craig Calendar

 

There is a Town Hall tonight with Senator Dylan Roberts and Representative Meghan Lukens, on an “Overview of the 2025 Legislative Session.”

• 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, in the Routt County Commissioners Hearing Room in the Historic Routt County Courthouse
• 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26, at the Meeker Public Library in Rio Blanco County

 

The Board of Directors of the Yampa Valley Housing Authority meets at noon today. The topic is “board conflict of interest and expectations.” The board will also meet in executive session.

 

Mosquito Mitigation is scheduled to take place tonight in Hayden, with an aerial application, if the weather cooperates.