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Managing
money in tough times
 Wildfires
Gilpin County is in the process of developing a County-wide Community
wildfire protection plan. Be sure to participate, and look for a
Symposium in March of 2009!
Be sure your house has a good defensible
space. Remember, we live in the midst of thousands of acres
of flammable pine trees - it is not a question of "if"
we have a fire in Gilpin County. It's a question of "when".
Visit the State
Forest Service's Wildfire information.
Seasonal
outlook on fire danger
Drought
If you are wondering about the current snowpack, streamflow and
moisture
conditions in Colorado and the Intermountain West, take a look at
this
document from the Western Water Assessment: Intermountain
west climate summary
Check out the latest
drought map from NOAA.
The seasonal
drought outlook map looks at the likelihood of drought developing
or continuing over the next few months.
More seasonal
precipitation and temperature predictions
Snotel
data for Colorado
In the mountains, we depend on precipitation to recharge our ground
water and our wells. Click for more information on soil
moisture.
Practice water
conservation in and around your home to prevent your well or
your neighbor's well from going dry. Although much water from wells
is returned to recharge the system, this recharge rate is often
very slow. Therefore, it is better to be conservative with the water
already in your well.
Do you know the regulations
concerning the use of your well?
More information
on drought from Colorado State University Extension.
Help provide climatologists with Gilpin County weather information!
This will allow for better information in predicting weather in
the future. Participate in Co-Co-Rahs!
(Community Collaborative Rain and Hail Study - and snow, too!)
Chronic Wasting disease
It's hunting season, and Chronic wasting disease is still with
us. Chronic wasting disease is another TSE, found in deer and elk.
The disease attacks the brains of infected deer and elk, causing
the animals to become emaciated, display abnormal behavior, lose
bodily functions and die. It is unclear whether eating an infected
animal can cause the disease in humans; there are no proven cases
of this happening. However, it may be wise to be cautious and to
test your elk or deer before eating it. For more information, and
to see how to test your elk, go to the Colorado Division of Wildlife's
Chronic Wasting
Disease page or to the USDA
APHIS CWD website.
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