The recent wild fire at Canon City should be a stark reminder not to be complacent with camp fires. One small ember landing on a single stem of dry cheat grass can quickly turn into a raging conflagration that consumes acres in mere minutes!  The Canon City fire, and any other wild fire that has occured recently, dredges up the frightening memory of the year of the Hayman fire when Governor Owens declared, “The state of Colorado is on fire!”  The impacts of the devastation are still affecting  Coloradoans psyches’ and the popular areas that were enjoyed by millions of front range recreationists are now completely closed off to any use.  This condition is likely to continue for most of the rest of our lives.  The overwhelming majority of all fires are caused by human activity. There is no hyperbole strong enough to capture the genuine seriousness of any wildland fire.

Here at Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area the Park Rangers are truly incredulous.  Every week since Memorial Day weekend we have been extinguishing the abandoned fires of careless campers.  EVERY WEEK WE MUST EXTINGUISH THE ABANDONED, SMOLDERING FIRES OF CARELESS CAMPERS!  Every week from Pueblo Reservoir (where a human caused wild fire burned earlier this summer) to Leadville – over 150 miles of river corridor recreation area – there are smoldering fires that were not properly extinguished with copious amounts of water and stirring to absolutely guarantee that they are dead out.  The wind blows everyday here and will reignite the smallest of embers into a flaming vector for disaster.  The worst cases of adding insult to injury are when we find heaps of non-combustible garbage in the smoldering fire grates, such as the burning/abandoned and trashed out fire ring in the picture.  There was a two foot flame fanned by strong wind in this burning trash mess when I found it!

Please extinguish camp fires with copious amounts of water and stir to absolutely guarantee that they are dead out.

Please dear friends, neighbors, and fellow outdoor lovers – be concientious, take personal responsibility and be good stewards. PROTECT OUR PLAYGROUNDS!  for TODAY and FOREVER!

The river is going to stay around 700 cubic feet per second until August 15th.  This is a great level for all of our sections.  Come on out and cool off with a day on the river.

Your River Ranger

Volunteer Bob Hickey explains rocks found in the area

Don’t Take Arkansas River Valley for Granite! Sure, they may look like common rocks to you, but oh, the stories they can tell. Come and discover how this beautiful area was created.

Saturday July 24th @ 6:30 pm Ruby Mtn. Campground Ampitheatre.

As the native flow keeps dropping, we will continue to increase the project release to maintain the Wellsville gauge at 700 cfs.

Twin Lakes Dam – Monday, July 19, 2010, at 1200 HoursM

Convert 50 cfs of native to a project run. This will not be a physical release but will increase the project run from 150 cfs to 200 cfs. Maintain until further notice.