Quotes
“The tree-lined streets formed golden archways of autumnal colour, and whatever foliage had already fallen formed a russet carpet that came alive and danced around our wheels as we drove over it.”
― Alex Kefford,
“The air had a cool crispness to it and the leaves on the trees had begun turning yellow and red.”
― Carla Reighard,
“If only humans could die like the autumn leaves, with a splash of beauty and the promise of another season.”
― Shana Chartier
How Did Routt County Get Its Name
Routt County is in Northern, Colorado and its County Seat is Steamboat Springs. Skiing and Ranching are the dominant industries. The county was named in honor of John Routt a former Governor of Colorado. His story is interesting in many ways.
In the Civil War Routt served as a captain in the 94th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. After the war, President Grant appointed Routt to be Governor of Colorado Territory. As Governor much of his time was spent in preparing the Territory to become a state, He worked with Jerome Chaffee (whom incidentally also had a county named in honor of him) to write a proposed State Constitution.
After Colorado became a state in 1876, Routt easily won the gubernatorial election without making a single speech in public.
As Governor, John Routt was popular with the ladies of Colorado because he was strongly in favor of women's suffrage,. His wife, Eliza Pickrell Routt, was a pioneer in the women's suffrage movement. At one time, he arranged a speaking tour for popular women's suffragist Susan B. Anthony and personally escorted her around the state. When the Suffragettes won the right to vote Eliza Pickrell Routt was the first to in Colorado to register to vote.
Following his first two terms as Governor of Colorado, Routt entered the private sector, but re-entered public service again to serve as the Mayor of Denver, Colorado from 1883 to 1885. Routt ran successfully for the governorship again in 1891. Thus in his career John Routt served as Territorial Governor, first State Governor and as Colorado's seventh State Governor. He also served as Denver Mayor. An interesting career to be sure.
Reintroducing Wolves in Yellowstone Park
During the seventy years wolves were absent from Yellowstone, coyotes and elk populations exploded. The whole ecosystem fell apart. Elk overgrazed on willows, without willows beaver could build dams, without dams cold-water fish decreased. Many other species like birds and bugs suffered. It is true that Wolves made all tho difference. One change causes another and step by step the ecosystem improved.
Scientists always knew that as the top predator, wolves were the missing piece in this ecosystem. But they were astonished at how quickly the wolve return stimulated a transformation. The elk and deer populations started responding immediately. Within about 10 years, willows rebounded. In 20, the aspen began flourishing. Riverbanks stabilized. Songbirds flourish
Yellowstone is unique in the world as the best place to observe wild wolves, which are generally shy, reclusive and favor remote areas. This is as true for scientists as it is tourists, and as a result, wolf research in the park is considered far more advanced than anywhere else.
From The Guardian Weekly,
“The tree-lined streets formed golden archways of autumnal colour, and whatever foliage had already fallen formed a russet carpet that came alive and danced around our wheels as we drove over it.”
― Alex Kefford,
“The air had a cool crispness to it and the leaves on the trees had begun turning yellow and red.”
― Carla Reighard,
“If only humans could die like the autumn leaves, with a splash of beauty and the promise of another season.”
― Shana Chartier
How Did Routt County Get Its Name
Routt County is in Northern, Colorado and its County Seat is Steamboat Springs. Skiing and Ranching are the dominant industries. The county was named in honor of John Routt a former Governor of Colorado. His story is interesting in many ways.
In the Civil War Routt served as a captain in the 94th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. After the war, President Grant appointed Routt to be Governor of Colorado Territory. As Governor much of his time was spent in preparing the Territory to become a state, He worked with Jerome Chaffee (whom incidentally also had a county named in honor of him) to write a proposed State Constitution.
After Colorado became a state in 1876, Routt easily won the gubernatorial election without making a single speech in public.
As Governor, John Routt was popular with the ladies of Colorado because he was strongly in favor of women's suffrage,. His wife, Eliza Pickrell Routt, was a pioneer in the women's suffrage movement. At one time, he arranged a speaking tour for popular women's suffragist Susan B. Anthony and personally escorted her around the state. When the Suffragettes won the right to vote Eliza Pickrell Routt was the first to in Colorado to register to vote.
Following his first two terms as Governor of Colorado, Routt entered the private sector, but re-entered public service again to serve as the Mayor of Denver, Colorado from 1883 to 1885. Routt ran successfully for the governorship again in 1891. Thus in his career John Routt served as Territorial Governor, first State Governor and as Colorado's seventh State Governor. He also served as Denver Mayor. An interesting career to be sure.
Reintroducing Wolves in Yellowstone Park
During the seventy years wolves were absent from Yellowstone, coyotes and elk populations exploded. The whole ecosystem fell apart. Elk overgrazed on willows, without willows beaver could build dams, without dams cold-water fish decreased. Many other species like birds and bugs suffered. It is true that Wolves made all tho difference. One change causes another and step by step the ecosystem improved.
Scientists always knew that as the top predator, wolves were the missing piece in this ecosystem. But they were astonished at how quickly the wolve return stimulated a transformation. The elk and deer populations started responding immediately. Within about 10 years, willows rebounded. In 20, the aspen began flourishing. Riverbanks stabilized. Songbirds flourish
Yellowstone is unique in the world as the best place to observe wild wolves, which are generally shy, reclusive and favor remote areas. This is as true for scientists as it is tourists, and as a result, wolf research in the park is considered far more advanced than anywhere else.
From The Guardian Weekly,
Elk over population