A very large boulder fell in the Big Thompson Canyon today, Saturday June 12.

With all this wet, rainy weather, the large rocks on the canyon walls can sometimes come loose.

Crews took a few hours to clear the boulder from the road. Drive carefully!

Photo courtesy Roxy Whalley

UPDATE – US Hwy 34 between Loveland and Estes Park is open to traffic.

Friday evening at approximately 5:30 p.m., about a dozen rocks fell onto US 34 at milepost 75, just west of Drake. Initially, US 34 was closed in both directions between Estes Park and milepost 75. CDOT maintenance crews quickly began working to repair minor damage to the roadway.

US 34 just west of Drake remained closed overnight due to this rockfall event as the slope where the rocks came from was determined to be unstable and crews were unable to thoroughly assess its safety in the dark.

By Saturday afternoon crews had completed rockfall mitigation by blasting and scaling loose rock. Approximately 500 cubic yards of material came down in the mitigation efforts today. Crews are now beginning the cleanup process and roadway repairs.

CDOT anticipates that more rockfall mitigation will need to take place early next week, which may require additional closures of US 34. More information on the additional work will be released on Monday.

The Board of Larimer County Commissioners will hold a community meeting to listen to  citizen input concerning Big Thompson River Properties and associated options regarding  fishing access and the Hayden Subdivision on Monday, March 30, from 7-9 p.m. at the Drake Community Building, 1479 Big Thompson Canyon Road, Drake, Colorado.

Please visit the Larimer County web site at www.larimer.org/bigthompson/ for information on the Hayden Subdivision Proposal.

Larimer County’s newest open space remains an undiscovered gem, especially in the off-season. Come on out in the winter and enjoy the solitude at Hermit Park Open Space.

Camper cabins are available at the off-season rate of $60 per night. For the truly hearty campers, a few campsites are available for $20 per night. On-site trails include the Kruger Rock Trail and the Homestead Meadows Connector Depending on the snowpack, a day’s fun might include snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. With Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park right down the road, recreation and entertainment opportunities abound.

Larimer County entrance permits are required. Daily entrance permits are $6 and can be purchased at the gate.

For further information, call (970) 679-4570 or go online to www.larimer.org/naturalresources.

The Big Thompson Watershed Forum will have its 10th Annual Meeting, “Voices From The Watershed” on Tuesday, October 28, 2008. The Big Thompson River Watershed, an area encompassing approximately 900 square miles, provides drinking water to numerous cities in Northern Colorado including Estes Park, Loveland and Greeley. The Big Thompson River Watershed is important to more than 800,000 people as it carries water from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT) and is used for residential, commercial, agricultural, recreation, and wildlife habitat purposes. The mission of the Forum is to protect and improve water quality in the Big Thompson River Watershed through collaborative monitoring, assessment, education and restoration projects.

This year’s topics include: Mercury in the Rocky Mountains; water quality impacts in the brewing industry; emerging contaminants in Colorado water resources; aquatic nuisance species in Colorado – Zebra & Quagga mussels; nutrient enrichment and disease emergence in freshwater ecosystems; effects of beetle-killed trees on water quantity and quality in North-Central Colorado; and three lakes water quality issues on the west slope Colorado-Big Thompson (C-BT) project system – Grand Lake, Lake Granby & Shadow Mountain Reservoir.
The 10th Annual Meeting will be held at the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District headquarters in Berthoud, CO from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The cost is $15 per person, which includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Seating is limited. For additional information and details, please contact Zack Shelley at zshelley@btwatershed.org.

The Board of Larimer County Commissioners today dropped fire restrictions due to the recent precipitation. Restrictions had originally been put in place in July 29 and were to last until September 2nd. Restrictions, as well as dropping restrictions, are based on a recommendation from Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden. There are currently no fire restrictions in place in Larimer County.