Government, enviro-groups eye Coal Basin restoration Sopris Sun Staff Report A decade after a Mid-Continent Resources-funded reclamation project at Coal Basin ended, the 27-square-mile former coal-mining site west of Redstone has once again caught the attention of local environmental groups, the Forest Service and other government agencies. On May 1-2, the non-proďŹ t Roaring Fork Conservancy and U.S. Forest Service hosted a workshop in Redstone that attracted almost 50 resource experts to develop a strategy for carrying out restoration work at Coal Basin. The effort continues on June 22 with a day-long public tour that will be led by several resource experts.The Colorado Water Conservation Board also awarded the Roaring Fork Conservancy a $40,000 grant to be applied toward a pilot project that will evaluate the use of biochar to enhance watershed restoration in Coal Basin, according to a press release. Pitkin County’s Healthy Rivers and Streams Board contributed more than $48,000 toward the overall restoration project, including funds to host the recent workshop. “Forty years of large-scale coal mining in an area characterized by extremely unstable, steep slopes has resulted in widespread erosion and debris ows that are consistently degrading water quality and stream habitat throughout Coal Basin and contributing to sedimentation issues in the Crystal River,â€?said Roaring Fork Conservancy spokeswoman Sharon Clarke. Coal was ďŹ rst mined in Coal Basin in the early 20th century by John Cleveland Osgood, who founded Redstone as a place to house miners and their families. The mines closed after a few years but Mid-Continent reopened them in the 1950s, then closed them again in the late 1990s. Using about $3 million in funds from Mid-Continent’s forfeited reclamation bond, and additional grant money, the Colorado Department of Reclamation, Mining and Safety completed a series of restoration projects in Coal Basin from 1994-2002.
Coal Creek ows down from the former Mid-Continent coal mine site and empties into the Crystal River at Redstone, bringing with it unwanted sediment. Photo by Lynn Burton Rain and snow runoff feeds Coal Creek, which in turn empties into the Crystal River at Redstone. During the recent workshops in Redstone, participants addressed the need to coordinate the Coal Basin efforts with projects already planned for the downstream conuence area where Coal Creek meets the Crystal River, Clarke said. The workshop brought hydrologists, soils scientists, geomorphologists, ďŹ sh biologists, water quality analysts, plant ecologists and other technical experts together with highway engineers, mining reclamation experts, recreational planners and other key stakeholders from multiple federal, state and local government entities, as well as local nonproďŹ ts and private interests. Through a series of work sessions and site visits, workshop participants identiďŹ ed a framework of site assessments,
speciďŹ c types of restoration projects and potential funding opportunities that would allow them to collaborate on a longterm comprehensive restoration initiative. Despite earlier reclamation efforts, nearly 650 acres of disturbed area directly connected to the Coal Basin stream system remains. This area was targeted for “Urgent Actionâ€? in the Roaring Fork Conservancy’s recently completed Roaring Fork Watershed Plan. Clarke said the restoration effort will involve a series of projects staged over a number of years, as data and study gaps are closed, funding is obtained and individual project sponsors are identiďŹ ed. Roaring Fork Conservancy will coordinate the restoration effort with the assistance of a working group consisting of multiple stakeholders, including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Colorado Department of Transportation, Pitkin County, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Coal Creek Cattleman’s Association, private landowners, and the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association. “A comprehensive public outreach and communications plan will be a critical component of this initiative, as speciďŹ c projects are scoped and prioritized for implementation,â€? Clarke continued. “We are privileged to have been selected to coordinate this multi-faceted restoration effort,â€? said Rick Lofaro, executive director of Roaring Fork Conservancy.“We built a strong network of partners, associates and volunteers during our years of work on the Roaring Fork Watershed Plan and we are excited to have another opportunity to use the full scope of our combined expertise. Like our Forest Service partners, we see this as a very signiďŹ cant, high-proďŹ le project for the Roaring Fork watershed. In Coal Basin we have a real-world laboratory to study, develop, and demonstrate restoration techniques that can potentially be used in many degraded areas of the western United States.â€?
CCAH adds development director to sta Sopris Sun Staff Report For the ďŹ rst time in its 38 years, the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities has hired a director of development. She’s Gabrielle Greeves and she’ll be working part-time for CCAH. Greeves is also the part-time development director for WindWalkers Equine Assisted Learning on Missouri Heights. “Gabrielle has extensive knowledge in all aspects of fund-raising and her skills will allow CCAH to expand its contributed support,â€?said CCAH Executive Director Amy Kimberly. Kimberly said the director of development is responsible for planning and executing the organization’s strategic and operational development. “She will work closely with the board of directors, CCAH staff, local, regional and na-
tional foundations, corporate and individual funders, and the Carbondale community to identify and grow the resources to support CCAH’s vision, arts education programs and strategic organizational development,â€? Kimberly continued. Greeves joins CCAH after several years as an independent fund-raiser, consulting on a variety of projects for non-proďŹ t organizations in the ďŹ elds of music, dance, arts, human rights, women rights and adaptive sports. “More importantly, she comes to us with experience and enthusiasm that will be a perfect match for the challenges of maintaining and garnering the additional support CCAH needs,â€? Kimberly said. Prior to her years as an independent fundraiser, Greeves was principle of fund-rais-
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ing for the Man Up Campaign in New York, and director of foundation and corporate relations for the Achilles Track Club in New York. She holds a degree in business administration and marketing from Boston University and was amended a certiďŹ cate in the ďŹ eld of philanthropy and fund-raising strategy from New York University. “It is truly exciting to take on this important role to sustain and grow a vibrant cultural arts community,â€?Greeves said.“At CCAH, we are not merely teaching a child to play piano, to produce a ďŹ lm or to dance. We are shaping meaningful, passionate lives. Working with such a dedicated, creative history to achieve this excites me.â€? Greeves said she calls herself a fund-raiser,
Gabrielle Greeves has joined the CCAH staff as its ďŹ rst director of development. Her hiring comes as CCAH continues to offer art education in Carbondale schools. Photo by Jane Bachrach
CCAH page 14
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