Lake Christine Fire Grows - Temporary Flight Restrictions in Aspen Airspace Expanded

(Aspen, CO) The Lake Christine fire is now moving in a northeasterly direction in the vicinity of Basalt Mountain. Increased aerial fire attacks have been ordered to help maintain containment of the blaze.

Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs), that have be...

Nominations Sought for 2018 Pitkin County Cares and Greg Mace Awards

^{(Aspen, CO) Pitkin County is now accepting nominations for outstanding volunteers to be honored for the 2018 Pitkin County Cares Volunteer Service Awards. Citizens are invited to submit nominations for people who are making a difference in the community.&...}

Holsinger to serve on state commission

Paul Holsinger, Agriculture and Conservation Easement Administrator for Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, has been appointed by the Governor to serve on Colorado’s Conservation Easement Oversight Commission.

The commission was established to i...

Pitkin County 911 Emergency Dispatchers Rise to the Occasion

Pitkin County 911 Emergency Dispatchers are being credited with some behind-the-scenes heroics in the response to the Lake Christine fire that erupted July 3rd. 

When the first 911 call about the fire was received shortly before 6 pm, there were o...

Commercial Flights to Resume at Aspen Airport

Commercial flights will be allowed to land and take off from Aspen/Pitkin County Airport starting tomorrow, Wednesday 7/11/2018 at 7 am as the Lake Christine fire is further contained. The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) remains in effect but an FAA-ap...

Incentives for Waste Reduction Theme of Draft Ordinance

Pitkin County is in the process of updating its 1991 Waste and Recycling Ordinance with an eye on cost incentives for waste reduction. Under the proposed ordinance, single-stream recycling would be included on all residential and commercial trash bills. T...

Pitkin County Senior Center Manager appointed by Governor to Serve on Commission on Aging

 Manager of Pitkin County Senior Services, Chad Federwitz, has been appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper to the Colorado Commission on Aging to study the issues and challenges of the state’s older adult population. Federwitz will serve a four-...

Pitkin County Courthouse and 911 are Go-To Resources in a Power Outage

The potential for an extended power outage of up to 72-hours remains, even though officials are now saying it is significantly less likely today than it was earlier in the Lake Christine fire incident. The fire that had been threatening utility lines has ...

Emma Open Space to be staging area for Xcel repairs

Pitkin County Open Space and Trails has granted use of part of Emma Open Space to facilitate repairs to the transmission lines damaged by the Lake Christine Fire.

Xcel Energy has requested use of a freshly cut hayfield adjacent to the Emma Schoolhouse at H...

Energy Performance Soars at Pitkin County Library

(Aspen, CO) June 28, 2018 — At the turn of the millennium, when leaders at the Pitkin County Library were participating in the civic master planning process and envisioning the future of the library, creating an energy-efficient building was hig...

Surgeon General to Open Opioid Forum in Aspen

For Media Only: A short, informal Press Conference with Dr. Adams will be held at 5:50 p.m. in the auxiliary gym in the Aspen Elementary School. It will begin promptly at 5:50 and end at 6:00 p.m. Ushers will be available at the entrance to the Aspen Elem...

Sheriff Initiates Stage 1 fire Restrictions in Pitkin County

Pitkin County, Colorado - June 12, 2018 -The Pitkin County Sheriff, with the support of all Fire Chiefs of Aspen, Snowmass, Basalt, and Carbondale, is imposing Stage 1 fire restrictions due to the unseasonably warm weather and lack of moisture th...

Enforcement of Unlicensed Off Highway Vehicle Management Plan Begins on County Roads

With the help of a U.S. Forest Service Ranger, Pitkin County has begun enforcement of the State Law that bans unlicensed off-highway vehicles (OHVs) on public roads, which includes all Pitkin County Roads. Pitkin County Commissioners voted last year to be...

Esteemed Panel of Opioid Experts to Convene in Aspen

“Opioid Crisis Community Forum” Takes Place Wednesday, June 20, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at the Aspen School District Theatre

Aspen, Colo. (June 5, 2018) — An esteemed panel of state and local health leaders is slated to convene in Aspen for a community conversati...

Pitkin County Open Space and Trails launches Town to Crown initiative

PITKIN COUNTY/ASPEN, CO - Pitkin County Open Space and Trails, in partnership with the Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association (RFMBA) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is urging bikers to ride from the Town of Carbondale or Willits Center to the tr...

Colorado Public Radio - On Again

Colorado Public Radio, the popular classical music radio station that has been off the air in Aspen for most of the winter has begun broadcasting again via Pitkin County’s Upper Red Mountain translator tower. 

Engineers in late January d...

Pitkin County Concerned About Trash Along the Highway

Now that winter snows are melting, debris from the back of improperly covered pickup trucks and larger haulers is in full view littering the shoulders of Highway 82 between the Airport Business Center and Solid Waste Center. Pitkin County recently receive...

Pitkin County Adult and Family Services Recognizes Child Abuse Prevention Month

Thousands of pinwheels have been planted across the nation this month, and at the Schultz Health and Human Service building in Aspen to raise awareness during Child Abuse Prevention Month. Each of the 89 spinning, blue and silver pinwheels planted in the ...

Pitkin County Public Assistance Fraud Investigations Collaborative to Launch

The Pitkin County Economic Assistance Department will launch a new Joint Fraud Investigations Collaborative on April 15, 2018. The collaborative will investigate cases of possible public assistance fraud to comply with state and federal statutes establish...

Sky Mountain hunting lottery set March 28

A portion of Sky Mountain Park will again be open to limited hunting in the fall, but a lottery to choose five participating hunters will take place March 28.

The hunt, for cow elk only, will again take place during the fourth season – Nov. 14-18. To quali...

Winter trail closures begin Friday

Trails at Sky Mountain Park and Glassier Open Space will close for the winter on Friday, Dec. 1. Pitkin County Open Space and Trails reminds the public to observe these closures, intended for the benefit wildlife during the winter months. The trails reope...

Hunt to close Sky Mountain Park trails

Four trails at Sky Mountain Park will close for the fourth rifle season, Nov. 15-19, while an elk hunt occurs on a portion of the park.

Cozyline, Airline, Skyline Ridge and Ditchline trails will all be closed to public use during the hunt for safety reason...

Comment deadline for trail alternatives extended to Oct. 30

The public will have an extra month to comment on the potential alignment of a Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail.

During recent public meetings, some members of the community suggested more time should be given for public comment, given the breadth of wild...

Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail alternatives set for release

Three presentations during the first week of September will kick off the next round of discussions on the proposed Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail.

First up is a Sept. 5th presentation on the Clear Creek Canyon Trail in Jefferson County, which serves as ...

History of travel in Crystal Valley to be focus of presentation

The history of travel in the Crystal Valley will be the focus of an Aug. 24^th program that kicks off a series of presentations on the planned Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail.

Dale Will, director of special projects and acquisitions with Pitkin County Ope...

GOCO awards $100,000 to trail planning

The Great Outdoors Colorado Board today awarded a $100,000 grant to Pitkin County for planning the Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail.

The Connect Initiative trail-planning grant will be combined with a $200,000 allocation from Pitkin County Open Space and ...

Pitkin County moves to conserve St. Jude's Ranch

Pitkin County is poised to protect another historic ranch on the edge of Basalt.  The Board of County Commissioners will consider adoption of an agreement to purchase a $5.2 million conservation easement on the Cerise family’s Saint Jud...

Pitkin County Open Space and Trails and US Forest Service to open joint Visitor Information Center

Pitkin County Open Space and Trails will open in its new temporary quarters at the Forest Service Visitor Information Center in Aspen on Tuesday, July 5. The Forest Service will begin welcoming visitors there on July 5, as well.

Both agencies wil...Read on...

Open houses set on Lazy Glen Open Space plan

Public input into the management of Pitkin County’s Lazy Glen Open Space will be the focus of two upcoming open houses.

Pitkin County Open Space and Trails will host a March 7 open house specifically for Lazy Glen Subdivision residents, to take place f...Read on...

Pitkin County Elections Department to Move to New Location

Clerk and Recorder and Motor Vehicle Departments Move Next

The Pitkin County Elections Department, now located on the ground floor of the Courthouse Plaza is moving to its new location in the Ute City Bank building arcade, at 501 E. Hyman Ave, on Fe...Read on...

County Commissioner Appointed to Statewide Public Lands Council

The Bureau of Land Management announced new appointments to its citizen-based Northwest Resource Advisory Council (RAC) this week and Pitkin County Commissioner, George Newman is among the appointees. The RAC, composed to members with diverse interests an...Read on...

Unveiling of Pitkin County Facilities Design Choices at Public Open House Events

Public Feedback Will Influence Design Decision

A series of architectural renderings of building concepts for Pitkin County’s new Public Safety and Administration building will be unveiled at public open house events on December 9th. The new building wi...Read on...

Community Input Sought for the Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Whitewater Wave and Streamside Project

In advance of the construction of a whitewater wave and streamside improvements in the Roaring Fork River in Basalt, the first of a series of public meetings is being held December 7th to gather public input on the streamside improvements. A Recreationa...Read on...

Pitkin County Assumes Control of High Valley Farm Odor Monitoring

The Pitkin County Environmental Health Department has assumed control of the High Valley Farm marijuana growing operation’s 3rd party odor monitoring program. In an agreement reached with Pitkin County Commissioners in September, High Valley Farms is payi...Read on...

Veterans Service Officer Now Based in Pitkin County

A Veterans Service Officer (VSO) is now on the job in Aspen to help veterans in Pitkin County navigate everything from disability compensation and health care to vocational training and pensions. Colorado Veterans Service Officer (CVSO), Scott Ring has j...Read on...

Coffee Chats with Airport Director to Discuss Airport Improvements

Public Invited to Ask Questions and Learn More about Environment Assessment

Pitkin County Airport Director John Kinney wants to share a cup of coffee with anyone who would like to join him at a series of ‘Coffee Chats’ in the coming weeks. The coffee c...Read on...

Volunteers needed to help restore North Star riverbank

ASPEN – Pitkin County Open Space and Trails staff has been busy at work at North Star Nature Preserve in preparation for a hands-on volunteer project to restore two sections of eroded riverbank on the 245-acre open space near Aspen.

Roaring Fork Outdoo...Read on...

East of Aspen boardwalk to close for repairs

ASPEN – The boardwalk portion of the East of Aspen Trail will be closed Sept. 14 and 15 while repair work begins on buckled sections of the structure.

The boardwalk carries the bike/pedestrian trail over wetland areas, southeast of Aspen. The East of A...Read on...

Stein Bridge to close for construction

ASPEN –Stein Bridge and its trail connections in the Roaring Fork Gorge will be closed to traffic starting next week to allow replacement of the span’s aging abutments. The bridge will also be raised by 3 feet to better accommodate boating on the Roaring ...Read on...

Pitkin County Launches Full-Featured Map Website

Citizens in all corners of the globe can now access a powerful new Pitkin County map-making tool that can help them do everything from create a custom neighborhood mailing list to customized themed maps. Such map-making endeavors previously required a v...Read on...

Pitkin County rangers and sheriff's deputies busy at North Star

ASPEN – Rangers with Pitkin County Open Space and Trails have been busy patrolling North Star Nature Preserve, while county sheriff’s deputies have stepped up enforcement efforts along the Highway 82 corridor next to the popular boating area.

The July ...Read on...

Elected Officials to View a Waste Sort at the Landfill

To better understand exactly what our community is tossing into the trash, Aspen and Pitkin County are conducting a Waste Sort this week at the landfill. Elected officials from both jurisdictions will attend the sort on Thursday, July 9th from 8:30am to ...Read on...

American to Launch New Non-Stop Flights From Chicago this Winter

New non-stop flights from Chicago and expanded service from Dallas Fort Worth have been added to the Aspen Snowmass winter flight schedule this winter. The Aspen/Pitkin County Airport today announced that American Airlines will offer new daily non-stop fl...Read on...

Trail repairs to begin June 9

ASPEN – Paving work to repair segments of the Rio Grande, Brush Creek and Basalt-Old Snowmass trails will begin June 9 after rain delays postponed the start of work. Detours will be in place to route trail users around the work zones.

Paving and should...Read on...

Trail repairs begin June 1

ASPEN – Paving work to repair segments of the Rio Grande, Brush Creek and Basalt-Old Snowmass trails will begin next week. Detours will be in place to route trail users around the work zones.

Paving repairs on the upper Brush Creek Trail, on the edge ...Read on...

Pitkin County eyes purchase of scenic Snowmass Canyon parcel

ASPEN – The proposed purchase of a unique Snowmass Canyon property that offers access to both the Roaring Fork River and national forest lands above the valley via Arbaney Gulch will come before Pitkin County commissioners on May 27.

The Pitkin County ...Read on...

City/County Water-Saving Landscape Program

The City of Aspen Water Department and the Pitkin County Landfill are partnering to provide and distribute gardens specially designed for our altitude and climate. The so-called ‘gardens in a box’ will include 28 plants, a plant care guide and an easy to...Read on...

Public input welcome on North Star Management Plan

ASPEN – A draft management plan for one of Pitkin County’s most revered open spaces, North Star Nature Preserve, is open to a five-week public comment period starting today – Monday, May 4. The county’s Open Space and Trails Board and county commissioners...Read on...

Expanded Airport Secure Boarding Area Opens Saturday

Capacity Nearly Doubled for TSA Screen Passengers Awaiting Flights

The airport cafe, bar, gift shop and three additional restrooms will become part of the secure boarding area effective this Saturday. That means the only people allowed access to these ...Read on...

Pitkin County 'Snowfighters' Learn Avalanche Basics

Snowplow Drivers Work in Avalanche Prone Valleys

The Pitkin County Road and Bridge Department is receiving basic avalanche training from Mountain Rescue Aspen so that they are better prepared to protect themselves and the public should an avalanche occ...Read on...

Pitkin County Veterans Coffee

4th Tuesday of each month 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm.

Pitkin County Library Mezzanine Room 

120 North Mill St Aspen. 

For more information contact Janine Barth, Pitkin County Veterans Service Officer janine.barth@pitkincounty.com (970) 429-6115

The ...

Veterans Service Officer Now Based in Pitkin County

A Veterans Service Officer (VSO) is now on the job in Aspen to help veterans in Pitkin County navigate everything from disability compensation and health care to vocational training and pensions. Colorado Veterans Service Officer (CVSO), Scott Ring has j...Read on...