We're feeling a bit left out here in Colorado. It's been quite snowy and cold each of the last two winters, enough so that it's causing problems:
After more than six weeks of near-continuous snow and temperatures plunging well below zero, state wildlife officials are eyeing the start of an emergency deer-feeding program in the Gunnison area.The Colorado Wildlife Commission was set to discuss the planned feeding operation during a Thursday meeting in Denver.
The emergency feeding operation would begin as soon as the feed becomes available, said DOW officials.
Wildlife managers are reluctant to feed big game for several reasons, one being the increased possibility of disease transmission among congregated animals.
Feeding also is a last-resort because it disrupts the natural cycle of winter mortality that helps control wildlife numbers.
But it’s quickly becoming a last-resort situation.
Deep snow (Crested Butte Ski Area reported 190 inches of snow this year, five feet of that coming since Jan. 1) and extremely cold temperatures (it was 23 below zero last week in Gunnison) in the Gunnison basin are causing deer to deplete their energy reserves too early this winter.
Colorado Ski Country USA, a ski-industry trade association, reported snow fell in Colorado 30 of 31 days in December.
In my business, we pay close attention to these things. Last year golf courses in Denver were closed for about 64 consecutive days due to snow cover, the most since the winter of '82 - '83. In spite of Denver's snowy reputation, frequent winter thaws allow for golf courses to be open intermittently through the winter. In normal years, anyway.
This year we've been closed for over a month now, and the forecast shows no relief coming in the foreseeable future. We have a chance to break last years mark.
There's an upside to all this, of course. The skiing has been fantastic these last two years, and the snowpack means more water for the Colorado river basin. It remains to be seen if we'll see a decrease in scary stories about the demise of the local ski industry, but that would be nice, too.
