Tom Schweich  

2025

January, 2025

Thursday, 2 January 2025

Walked the Cottonwood Natural Area with several residents and members of Stewards of Golden Open Space.

View to the north across Cottonwood Natural Area.	View to the southeast, high school at left, surge pond in center, Lookout Mountain Youth Services at right.	Berries of a Lycium, either L. barbarum or L. chinense, in Kinney Run.	View to the south across the Cottonwood Natural Area.	Golden High School as seen from the end of the social trail through Cottonwood Natural Area.

Friday, 3 January 2025

Kinney Run South

Continuation of Kinney Run Trail at the end of Tripp Drive.	Just the north side of the bridge.	Along the trail.	Coarse sediments over fine.	Winter scene in Kinney Run South.
Discarded desk chair in Kinney Run South.	Discarded bicycle in Kinney Run South open space.	Method of connecting a barbed-sire fence to the cliff.	View north through Golden Valley.	View south through Kinney Run South.

Monday, 3 February 2025

Wednesday, 5 February 2025

I made Fix-It report #32913

Planted the following seeds:

• Asclepias incarnata
• Arnica fugens
• Helianthus pauciflora subrhomboidea
• Senecio integerrimus
• Erysimum capitatum
• Astragalus drummondii
• Monarda pectinata
• Mentzelia muda
• Leptodactylon pungens
• Ipomopsis aggregata
• Eriogonum effusum
• Sphaeralcea coccinea
• Mirabilis multiflora
• Penstemon secundiflorus
• Penstemon virens
• Penstemon virgatus
• Achnatherum hymenoides
• Sporobolus cryptandrus

Thursday, 6 February 2025

Fix-It report 32943.

Someone has been riding their mountain bikes through the park and surrounding open space (creating new "social trails"). I think some simple signage, filling the hole, and blocking their current paths with simple "do not enter" held by a couple of wooden stakes tape would hopefully discourage further destruction of our park and open space.

Friday, 7 February 2025

Mountain bike jump and trails in New Loveland Mine Park.

Fix-It Report #32971.

Someone has been riding their mountain bikes through the park and surrounding open space (creating new "social trails"). I think some simple signage, filling the hole, and blocking their current paths with simple "do not enter" held by a couple of wooden stakes tape would hopefully discourage further destruction of our park and open space.

The response on Fix-It was:

Thank you for your report. Two previous reports about this trail were already submitted to FixIt! so staff are aware. Staff will be adding signage to that entire area identifying it a s sensitive area and asking to people to stay out. The signs will be located in way that would deter use of this specific trail. It is likely that additional steps may be required but are working to get the signs in place ASAP. Specific to the jump, this afternoon staff worked to remove or replace the material. ~ Parks Staff

Downhill runout from mountain bike jump.	Mountain bike jump.	Mountain bike trails in New Loveland Mine Park.

Sunday, 23 March 2025

Filed Fix-It Report #33832

On Friday, March 21, 2025, a contractor installed the footings for public art in New Loveland Mine Park. While on my way to the Community Center, I observed them setting up, and then working on the footing for the northerly art piece, and observed them again later in the morning digging out the hole for the footing. It was pretty clear they had run their little backhoe down the concrete trail. Unfortunately, after digging out the southerly footing, the contractor used the social trail to return their backhoe to the parking lot. This is evident in the attached photo as there are two new tracks that span the social trail. The damaged width in the natural area of New Loveland Mine Park is now at least 8 feet wide. This is not the first time a piece of equipment has been driven up the social trail. See Fix-It Report #32059, in which one of our own Stormwater guys drove a Skid-Steer up the the same trail. I had understood in your response to Fix-It reports #32913, #32943, and #32971, that there would be some signage placed around the natural area that "identifying it as sensitive area and asking to people to stay out. The signs will be located in way that would deter use of this specific trail. It is likely that additional steps may be required but are working to get the signs in place ASAP." So far there is no signage, and no other obvious attempt to protect the natural area from unnecessary damage. Since the city's contractors dug a pretty big hole and placed forms around it, I assume that concrete will be poured into the holes. Please direct the contractor not to drive a cement truck through the natural area.

Saturday, 29 March 2025

Walk through New Loveland Mine Park.

Signage at the mountain bike trail.

Sunday, 30 March 2025

Signage at lower end of mountain bike trail.

Monday, 31 March 2025

Golden, CO, to Richfield, UT

Tuesday, 1 April 2025

Richfield, UT, to Pahrump, NV

Old Highway 91

View south towards the pass through the Beaver Dam Mountains.	Joshua tree along Old Highway 91.

Red Rock Canyon

Cross-bedded sandstone at Calico I.	Blackbrush along the road.	Calico Basin seen from High Point Overlook.	“Mohave Yucca” — Yucca schidigera K. E. Ortiges in bloom at the High Point Overlook.	View south from High Point Overlook
Looking towards Red Rock Canyon from the High Point Overlook.

Wednesday, 2 April 2025

Pahrump, NV, to Bakersfield, CA.

Just out of Pahrump we drove west and through some small unnamed hills.

Death Valley

Roads in Death Valley Junction.	Last part of the road to Dante's View.	Floor of Death Valley from Dante's View (2025).	Panamint Mountains across Death Valley (2025).	Billie Mine across Furnace Creek Wash.
Ryan.	Manley Beacon from Zabriskie Point.	Diversion of Furnace Creek Wash into Gower Gulch.	Sea Level.	Tucki Mountain from the Sea Level sign.
View south towards Furnace Creek from the Sea Level sign.	Towne Pass, elevation 4956 feet.	Landscape beside the road at Towne Pass.	Looking back across Panamint Valley in the direction of Towne Pass.	Telescope Peak from the floor of Panamint Valley.
Panamint Valley and Panamint Range (2025).

Trona

Chemical plant in Trona.

Walker Pass

Woolgrowers Restaurant

Thursday, 3 April 2025

Bakersfield, CA, to San Luis Obispo, CA

Lost between McKittrick and Taft.

South side of McKittrick.

Carrizo Plain

Shell Creek

North on Shell Creek Road, April 2025.	South on Shell Creek Road, April 2025.	Castilleja exserta (A.Heller) T.I.Chuang & Heckard “Purple Owl's-clover” along Shell Creek Road.	A field of Goldfields.	North on Shell Creek Road.
Baby Blue Eyes, Goldfields, and Tidy-Tips.

Friday, 4 April 2025

San Luis Obispo to Avila Beach, CA

Sea otter and baby by the Port San Luis Pier.	Sunset at San Luis Obispo Bay.	San Luis Obispo Bay in the morning.

Saturday, 5 April 2025

Avila Beach, CA

Headstone for Grammy & Grampy Halter	Headstone for Frank W. Halter	Headstone for Beverley Jane Halter.	Headstone for Lloyd Wilson Halter.

Sunday, 6 April 2025

Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo, and Cambria, CA

Site of the former roundhouse at San Luis Obispo.	Interpretive panel for Terrace Hill.	View northeast from Terrace Hill.	Trail map for Terrace Hill.	City of San Luis Obispo, Open Space Rules.

San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum

Arch bar trucks of the older boxcar.	California, San Luis Obispo County, California, San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum

Fiscalini Ranch Preserve Bluff Trail

Taraxia ovata (Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray) Small in the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve.	Skunk doing some daytime hunting.

Monday, 7 April 2025

Avila Beach, CA, to Las Vegas, NV

Tuesday, 8 April 2025

Las Vegas, NV, to Grand Junction, CO

Wednesday, 9 April 2025

Grand Junction, CO, to Golden, CO

Saturday, 12 April 2025

New Loveland Mine Park

Wednesday, 30 April 2025

Parfet Prehistoric Preserve

Walk through New Loveland Mine Park enroute to Coffee with a Councilor.

SMM, The Leading Metals Information Provider. May 6, 2025. https://news.metal.com/newscontent/103312571

DOI Grants Permit for Colossus Rare Earth Project Development On April 8, the Department of the Interior (DOI) granted Dateline Resources a permit to continue developing the Colossus rare earth project. The project had been long delayed due to its location within the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County. Australian mining company stated that the DOI confirmed their development rights under the Mining Law and the California Desert Protection Act. The DOI's approval has paved the way for the development of the second rare earth mine in the US. Currently, there is only one operational rare earth mine in the US, namely the eponymous rare earth mine of MP Materials, located just 10 kilometers away from the project.

Sunday, 11 May 2025

South Fork of the South Platte River

Recreation Information.	South Platte Hotel.	South Fork (left) and North Fork (right) of the South Platte.

Monday, 12 May 2025

Walk-through of Parfet Prehistoric Preserve.

Old industrial installation, probably related to the former clay mine.

Agoseris, probably A. glauca.

Friday, 16 May 2025

North Table Mountain.

Utah leaders praise Trump’s fast-tracking of a ‘vital’ uranium mine. Environmentalists say the move ‘beggars belief.’

“There’s no reason permitting can’t be both timely and responsible — and we’re hopeful this project will prove just that," said Gov. Spencer Cox.

By Anastasia Hufham | May 16, 2025, 6:00 a.m. | Salt Lake Tribune

State leaders have nothing but praise for the Trump administration’s decision to significantly shorten the environmental review process of a southeastern Utah uranium project.

Earlier this week, the Department of the Interior announced it was fast-tracking the permitting process for Anfield Energy Inc.’s plans to reopen the Velvet-Wood uranium mine in San Juan County. The environmental assessment for the project must be completed by the Bureau of Land Management in just 14 days — as opposed to the prior timeline of months or years.

“We’re excited to see the Department of the Interior highlight a Utah project as one of the first to benefit from a faster, more efficient permitting process,” said Gov. Spencer Cox in a statement. “For years, we’ve called for commonsense reforms that make it easier to build without sacrificing environmental stewardship. There’s no reason permitting can’t be both timely and responsible — and we’re hopeful this project will prove just that.” freestar

President Donald Trump in January issued an executive order announcing a “national energy emergency,” which was followed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s move to shorten environmental reviews.

The Velvet-Wood mine, near Utah’s Lisbon Valley, will produce both uranium and vanadium. The former can be processed into fuel for nuclear reactors, while the latter is commonly used in steel alloys.

The BLM reports the project will “result in only three acres of new surface disturbance given the underground mining plan and the existing surface disturbance from the old Velvet Mine.” The older mine shut down in the 1980s and produced 400,000 tons of ore between 1979 and 1984, according to Anfield Energy. The company said that the site currently boasts over 5 million pounds of uranium ore to be mined.

“As a past-producing uranium and vanadium mine with a small environmental footprint, Velvet-Wood is well-suited for this accelerated review,” said Anfield Energy CEO Corey Dias. “This marks a major milestone for Anfield as we look to play a meaningful role in rebuilding America’s domestic uranium and vanadium supply chain and reducing reliance on imports from Russia and China.”

“We’re deeply concerned about the use of a bogus ‘emergency’ authority to gut a searching environmental review of a uranium mining project, and are watching this one closely,” said Taylor McKinnon, southwest director for the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity.

An environmental assessment, according to the BLM, “identifies environmental effects of a proposed action and determines their significance.” These assessments are mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for certain projects. freestar

“The idea that you can do any NEPA review in 14 days is hard to believe,” said Aaron Weiss, deputy director for the environmental nonprofit Center for Western Priorities.

“The idea that you could do a NEPA review in 14 days for a uranium mine,” he added, “beggars belief.”

A group of 15 states sued the Trump administration last week over his emergency declaration, arguing the president is violating environmental laws by fast-tracking energy projects nationwide.

Sen. John Curtis said in a statement that “the amount of time spent on environmental reviews doesn’t automatically determine their quality or thoroughness. We can streamline permitting without cutting corners or undermining public trust.”

“The Velvet-Wood uranium mine is a vital project — one that will reduce America’s reliance on adversarial nations like Russia for uranium, strengthen our national security and bolster domestic energy production,” Curtis continued. “It will also help advance a cleaner energy future through expanded nuclear power.” freestar

The mine’s reopening comes as Utah’s leaders have increasingly touted nuclear power as a solution to soaring energy demands in the state and nationwide.

Last year, Cox proposed setting aside millions in funding for developing nuclear infrastructure as part of his “Operation Gigawatt.” Lawmakers also passed a sweeping bill aimed at preparing Utah for the construction of small modular reactors, which are still in development.

“Energy development is a national security issue, and I appreciate the Department of the Interior for acting responsibly and expeditiously to address one of the most significant challenges our country is facing,” Utah Senate President Stuart Adams said in a statement about the Velvet-Wood mine’s expedited permitting.

Emy Lesofski, director of the Utah Office of Energy Development, said “our citizens deserve adequate, reliable, affordable and clean energy, and nuclear helps us meet those goals.”

“If the United States is committed to securing its energy independence,” she continued, “the entire nuclear supply chain needs to be seriously considered.”

That supply chain starts with the mining of uranium ore. Then, the mined ore can be transported to a mill, which processes the rock into yellowcake, or “uranium concentrate.” The yellowcake is taken to other facilities for conversion into gas, which further concentrates the uranium, before it is enriched into a powder and compressed into the small pellets that power nuclear reactors.

Utah is home to the last conventional uranium mill in the U.S.: the White Mesa Mill just outside of Blanding, which is owned by Energy Fuels Inc. The company also owns uranium mines in Utah and Arizona.

Curtis Moore, Energy Fuels’ senior vice president of marketing and corporate development, said Anfield Energy has not reached out about processing ore at the mill.

“However, the White Mesa Mill is the only facility in the country able to safely process uranium ore into natural uranium concentrates, the first step in the production of fuel for clean, 24/7/365 nuclear energy,” Moore said. “When the time is right, we would be happy to discuss options for milling their ore to ensure that their operations adhere to the highest safety standards.”

Anfield Energy has plans to open its own mill, also in Utah, called the Shootaring Mill. That mill was built in 1980 and started producing yellowcake in 1982, but closed just six months later due to a sharp decline in the price of uranium.

The Shootaring Mill is not yet accepting or processing ore, Dias said, but Anfield Energy is working with the state to update the mill’s license. The company hopes to begin producing yellowcake there in 2027.

Senecio integerrimus

Agoseris parviflora

Wednesday, 21 May 2025

Tin Cup Ridge

Balsamorhiza sagitatta on Tin Cup Ridge.

Very small Brassicaceae

Rhus trilobata trilobata

Lappula occidentalis

Gilia sp.

Agoseris, likely A. parviflora

Crepis occidentalis

Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Golden, CO to Grand Island, NE

Yuma, Colorado

Eastward on US Highway 34 in Yuma.	Westward on US Highway 34 in Yuma.

Cross into Nebraska.

Thursday, 29 May 2025

Grand Island, NE to Alliance, NE

Scotia, Nebraska

Interesting buildings in Scotia.	Former church in Scotia.

North Loup

North Loup Popcorn Days.

Fort Hartsuff State Historical Park

Commandant's House at Fort Hartsuff.	Package of Mullein in the Pharmacy at Fort Hartsuff.	More of the pharmacy at Fort Hartsuff.	More of the pharmacy at Fort Hartsuff.

Between Brewster and Dunning

Seneca

City Jail, Seneca, NE	Two houses in Seneca, Nebraska.

Gaston Road, into the west side of the Nebraska National Forest.

Upstream view of the Middle Loup River.	Downstream view of Middle Loup River.	Rumex venosus by the Middle Loup River.

Stopped at the Grant County Fairgrounds near Hyannis.

Ranch across the highway from the fairgrounds.

Friday, 30 May 2025

Alliance, NE to Golden, CO

We turned up Country Club Drive for a photo, much to the disgust of local residents.

Scotts Bluff National Monument.

View south of bluff.

View from the top of Scotts Bluff

June, 2025

Sunday, 1 June 2025

Parfet Open Space.

Leaves of winter fat — Krascheninnikovia lanata.	Winter fat (Krascheninnikovia lanata) in Parfet Open Space.	Parasailer lands in Parfet Open Space.

Senecio integerrimus

Juncus, probably J. arcticus var. balticus.

Oenothera howardii.

Hybanthus verticillatus.

Sunday, 8 June 2025

Colorado Native Plant Society field trip to North Table Mountain.

Orobanche fasciculata on top of the mesa.	Head of landslide(?)	Head of landslide(?)

Rosa acicularis ssp. sayi.

Tuesday, 10 June 2025

Weeding at DeLong Park.

Sonchus, maybe S. arvensis.

Wednesday, 11 June 2025

Searching for Crassula aquatica at Ranson/Edwards.

Thursday, 12 June 2025

Wildflower walk for Golden Community Center Front Porch.

Wednesday, 18 June 2025

Collecting at Twin Creeks

Molly Gulch looking upstream.	Molly Gulch looking downstream.	Orobanche fasciculata along FR 211.

Lithospermum multiflorum.

“dogwood,” probably Cornus sericea ssp. sericea.

Geum, probably G. macrophyllum.

Veronica sp.

Serial number 3404 skipped accidently.

Erigeron, probably E. flagillaris.

Something in the Ranunculaceae, maybe Anemonastrum canadense

Cymopterus lemmonii.

Carex inops ssp. heliophila.

Carex, different from above.

A rush of some sort.

Galium boreale.

Hesperostipa comata.

Rosa arkansana.

Humulus sp.

The midpoint of Twin Creek between Goose Creek and FR 211.

Packera fendleri.

Packera fendleri.

North Twin Creek

Penstemon, probably P. virens

Oxytropis lambertii

Sedum lanceolatum

Scutellaria brittonii

Jamesia americana

Heuchera parvifolia

Synthyris plantaginea

Geranium, probably G. caespitosum.

Castilleja integra

Monday, 23 June 2025

North Table Mountain Open Space.

Lupinus argenteus

Bromus japonicus

Monarda fistulosa

Heterotheca villosa

Achillea millefolium

Ligusticum porteri

Acer glabrum

Friday, 27 June 2025

North Table Mountain Open Space.