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Boulder High winds and Fire Danger today. Small fire on Lee Hill #boulderfire
Nov 12th
The fire in Fourmile is in the 3000 block of Fourmile. The fire was last estimated to be approximately 200 feet wide. Latest reports indicate figrefighters have contained the fire. Lee Hill and Old Stage are re open and evacs cancelled. Deertrail remains closed.
163 reverse 911 calls went out. Fire department is monitoring both fires but danger has been lifter. Lee Hill fire appears to be started by wind blowing branch on power lines. 1 structure, a garage was lost and and auto was burned.
Fire command center is at Lee Hill.
3000 block of Fourmile fire ( carterfire was started by down power lines according to OEM spokesperson.
OEM reports:
11/12 12:05 p.m. – Boulder Wildfires
There are two fires in Boulder County. There is currently no threat to the City of Boulder.
First responders are on scene at both sites. The Emergency Operations Center is open and monitoring the situation, providing support as needed.
The fire at Lee Hill and Deer Trail is approximately 1-2 acres in size. An evacuation order has been issued for all residents in a one mile radius of the intersection of Deer Trail and Lee Hill. Roughly 50 firefighters are on scene right now.
The fire in Fourmile is in the 3000 block of Fourmile. The fire was last estimated to be approximately 200 feet wide. Latest reports indicate figrefighters have contained the fire. Lee Hill and Old Stage are re open and evacs cancelled. Deertrail remains closed.
Carter fire second fire: 5 engines 18 firefighters on scene up hill approximately 400 feet and second fire has broken out next to it. near 3000 block Four Mile according to Boulder county dispatch. 30% containment
High Wind Warning today.
A 1/2 acre fire has broken out at Deer Trail and Lee Hill Road. Many agencies are on scene. Wild land fire department are putting out hot spots according to Boulder county dispatch. Staff at OEM is starting to show up according to Mike Chard
Twitter reports road closures at Old Stage and Lee Hill but Boulder County dispatch says no. 163 reverse 911 calls 50 firefighters
In the City:
A few transformers blew today and are being repaired by Xcel
City of Boulder is working a garage fire at 9th and Marine according to city of boulder dispatch
High Wind warnings
URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
404 AM MST SAT NOV 12 2011
…HIGH WINDS TO IMPACT THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS TODAY…
.A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
ACROSS COLORADO ON SATURDAY. WESTERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE IN
ADVANCE OF THIS SYSTEM THIS MORNING…AND THEN CONTINUE THROUGH
DAY AS THE STORM SYSTEM PASSES ACROSS THE REGION.
PEOPLE PLANNING TRAVEL SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR STRONG CROSS WINDS
CAUSING HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. DRIVERS OF LIGHT WEIGHT OR
HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES SHOULD CONSIDER DELAYING TRAVEL OR USE
ALTERNATE ROUTES. IF YOU ARE DRIVING ON THE ROADWAYS SLOW DOWN
AND REMAIN ALERT FOR SUDDEN AND STRONG WIND GUSTS.
COZ035-036-038-039-121900-
/O.CON.KBOU.HW.W.0007.000000T0000Z-111113T0100Z/
LARIMER AND BOULDER COUNTIES BETWEEN 6000 AND 9000 FEET-
JEFFERSON AND WEST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET/GILPIN/CLEAR
CREEK/NORTHEAST PARK COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-
LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-
BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES BELOW 6000 FEET/WEST BROOMFIELD
COUNTY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…ESTES PARK…GLENDEVEY…NEDERLAND…
RED FEATHER LAKES…BAILEY…CENTRAL CITY…EVERGREEN…
GEORGETOWN…IDAHO SPRINGS…WESTCREEK…FORT COLLINS…
HEREFORD…LOVELAND…NUNN…ARVADA…BOULDER…GOLDEN…
LAKEWOOD…LONGMONT
404 AM MST SAT NOV 12 2011
…HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MST THIS
EVENING…
A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MST THIS
EVENING.
* TIMING…WESTERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS THIS MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH DAY.
* WINDS…WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 30 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS IN
EXCESS OF 75 MPH POSSIBLE.
* IMPACTS…TRAVEL ACROSS NORTH TO SOUTH HIGHWAYS AND ROADS WILL
BE VERY DIFFICULT DUE TO STRONG AND GUSTY CROSS WINDS. AREAS
SUSCEPTIBLE TO HIGH WINDS INCLUDE…HIGHWAY 93 BETWEEN GOLDEN
AND BOULDER…HIGHWAY C-470 ALONG THE FOOTHILLS IN JEFFERSON
COUNTY…U.S. HIGHWAY 36 BETWEEN BROOMFIELD AND ESTES PARK…
THE PEAK TO PEAK HIGHWAY FROM ESTES PARK THROUGH BLACKHAWK…
U.S. HIGHWAY 287 FROM LAFAYETTE TO THE WYOMING BORDER…AS
WELL AS THE CARTER LAKE AND HORSETOOTH RESERVOIR AREAS IN
LARIMER COUNTY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
REMEMBER…A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS THAT STRONG AND POTENTIALLY
DAMAGING WINDS ARE EITHER OCCURRING OR HIGHLY LIKELY.
CU Boulder trains new generation of “greenies”
Nov 9th
IN GROWING FIELD OF SUSTAINABILITY
The Sustainable Practices Program at the University of Colorado Boulder offers individual courses and a sustainability management certificate to help workers and job seekers meet the growing need for green knowledge and credentials in the workplace.
“This is a megatrend, similar to electrification or manufacturing,” said program manager Kelly Simmons. “The public and private sectors are realizing that sustainability-driven practices make constituents happier and save money, in addition to the obvious boon of helping to protect the environment.”
About 290 people have enrolled in CU’s Sustainable Practices Program since its 2007 inception, including a journalist who now covers the “smart grid” energy system, and professionals updating their credentials in LEED standards — a U.S. benchmark for “green” building design, construction and operation. The program is open to the public.
Chris Berry, a former mayor of Lafayette, Colo., earned a professional certificate from the program last year and now works for Trane, an international energy services company.
“The Sustainable Practices Program gave me a boost on my resume that helped me move into the kind of work that I wanted to do, where there’s a lot of opportunity,” said Berry. “I use what I learned in class to talk with public, private and nonprofit groups about sustainability — making assessments, planning and how to get things done. The groups are very interested in energy and water conservation to reduce their carbon footprint and save money.
“I think there are success stories throughout the Sustainable Practices Program in terms of participants and how they’ve been able to use the training to further their careers,” he said. “Mine is definitely one of them.”
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment this fall selected the CU-Boulder program as an official provider of green jobs training for Coloradans.
Among an array of statewide sustainability training opportunities, CU-Boulder’s program is the only public university offering for which participants may receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding. Some scholarships remain for Coloradans interested in the statewide programs, which can be applied for through state workforce centers.
Fifty-year-old Nikki Jackson of Denver, who hasn’t held a full-time position in three years, is in the process of applying for the Sustainable Practices Program. She thinks it would put her ahead professionally and have a domino effect on the Colorado job market.
“As somebody who’s in the position of many people — middle-aged and having to recreate themselves in this economy — enhancing my sustainability expertise at CU would give me more than an edge. It would make me credible,” said Jackson. “The program would help me to not only create my own job, but to create many jobs for others.”
Jackson is launching a communications firm called Sustainable Storytelling. The move comes after years of work in television news, public relations, marketing and political campaign management, as well as a period of caring for her husband, who now is in cancer remission.
The Sustainable Practices Program’s interdisciplinary courses, taught by industry experts, range from “Understanding the U.S. Energy Landscape” to “Creative Financing of Sustainability Initiatives.” Participants need not be registered at CU-Boulder and may apply for and begin the program at any time.
Classes, which are not for university credit, can be taken individually, or as part of a professional certificate track. Most courses are one day and held on campus on various dates throughout the school year.
Most courses are worth 10 program credit hours. To earn the professional certificate, 100 program credit hours are required including the completion of three core classes: “Organizational Change for Sustainability,” “Communication Strategies for Sustainability” and “Tools and Techniques for Sustainability.” The average cost of each course is $265.
For more information on CU-Boulder’s Sustainable Practices Program visit http://sustainable.colorado.edu/.
Boulder County gets lottery “star” for trail network
Nov 8th
Boulder County awarded Colorado Lottery Starburst Award for Mayhoffer-Singletree Trail
Boulder County, Colo. – The Colorado Lottery will present Boulder County with the Starburst Award for the Mayhoffer-Singletree Trail project. The ceremony will take place this Thursday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Boulder County Courthouse in Boulder in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room.
The Starburst Awards recognize excellence in the use of lottery funds for community and conservation projects. Starburst nominations are reviewed by lottery commissioners and winning projects are chosen based on the creativity of the project, economic and social impact to the community, and whether the project achieved its goal.
In 2009 and 2010, the Boulder County Transportation and Parks and Open Space departments added 1.5 miles of new trail in eastern Boulder County near the Town of Superior that provided a tremendous opportunity for recreational trail users with the assistance of a lottery-funded Great Outdoors Colorado trails grant.
This trail extension completed a 13-mile loop trail that includes the City of Boulder’s Greenbelt Plateau, Community Ditch Trail and Cowdrey Draw trails that now connect to the Town of Superior and Boulder County trails. The project area includes the former route of the Morgul-Bismarck Loop of the Coors International Bicycle Classic from the 1980s. This new section of trail also provides a highly anticipated link to the City of Boulder Marshall-Mesa trails, the Rock Creek Trail system and the Coal Creek Trail system.
Trail users can now connect to significant open space in Boulder County, including the Southern Grasslands open space complex to the south of this trail, to the City of Boulder open space, to Eldorado State Park open space, U.S. Forest Service open space to the west, Town of Superior open space, City of Louisville open space, City of Lafayette open space and City and County of Broomfield open space to the east.
Project partners include:
- Boulder Area Trails Coalition
- Boulder County Horse Association
- Boulder County Parks and Open Space Foundation
- Boulder County Youth Corps
- Boulder Trail Runners
- City of Boulder
- Colorado Lottery
- Great Outdoors Colorado
- Town of Superior