Latest news with #EastTroublesomeFire
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers uncover wildfire protection strategy hiding in plain sight — and it starts with an overlooked species
Beavers are offering forests unexpected protection against wildfires. By bolstering beaver habitats, scientists have found they can prevent parts of the environment from being scorched. A new study shows that beaver dams and the wetlands they create were the only features to survive an incinerated landscape in the wake of recent wildfires in Colorado. In 2020, the East Troublesome Fire became the second-largest wildfire in the state's history, burning nearly 200,000 acres and taking more than a month to contain. While assessing the damage from the fire, wildlife managers reported that only beaver ponds were untouched. Beavers are incredible creatures, building dams to create their own habitat. The semiaquatic rodents block off streams to pool water into ponds and develop wetlands where they can build homes. The water, of course, is not flammable and offers protection against an increasing number of wildfires. Researchers studied five fires from 2000 to 2018. In their findings, they reported that beaver ponds and canals thoroughly irrigate the surrounding land, turning dry, flammable vegetation into lush landscape. Not only did the plants survive, but the green space provided refuge to livestock and wildlife. Wildfires impact human communities in a number of ways. Smoke inhalation increases the risk of heart attack and stroke while reducing the body's immunity. Wildfires also have an effect on mental health, causing trauma when a person is exposed to danger and loss. Wildlife managers are looking for ways to support beaver populations. It's estimated that while there were once 100 to 200 million beavers across North America, today's numbers sit around 10 to 15 million. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is focusing on habitat restoration. In 2018, the National Wildlife Federation adopted a resolution to support beaver restoration as a response to the changing climate. Beavers are often called nature's engineers. Their ingenuity could be the answer to surviving in a world with an ever-changing climate. What would you do if natural disasters were threatening your home? Move somewhere else Reinforce my home Nothing This is happening already Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rocky Mountain National Park entrance could be closed Tuesday for prescribed burn
DENVER (KDVR) — If the weather and forest conditions remain favorable, fire managers at Rocky Mountain National Park plan to conduct a prescribed burn on Tuesday. The goal is to burn about 60 acres of the 334-acre Headquarters Unit, which is located west of Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and south of Highway 36. Because of the location, Highway 36 inside the park will be temporarily closed from just west of the visitor center to the Beaver Meadows Entrance between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. View the latest Weather Alerts in Denver and across Colorado on FOX31 To access the park during this time, visitors will need to use the Fall River Entrance on Highway 34. The Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, the Rocky Mountain Conservancy Nature Store and RMNP's Wilderness office, located inside the visitor center, will remain open as usual. Park officials said that crews will be mostly burning grasses and small shrubs in the area and do not anticipate heavy or prolonged smoke from the planned burn. The park said in its release that the main goal of the prescribed burn is to reduce the threat of wildland fires to adjacent communities, like Estes Park, as well as National Park Service infrastructure. 'When fighting the East Troublesome Fire in 2020 and the Fern Lake Fire in 2012, firefighters were able to take advantage of previous and existing prescribed fire and hazardous fuels treatment areas that provided a buffer between the fire and the town of Estes Park,' RMNP said in a release. 'Prior hazard fuels projects were instrumental in stopping the fire from jumping Bear Lake Road and Trail Ridge Road.' The East Troublesome Fire burned over 193,000 acres after igniting in October 2020. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
