Rocky Mountain National Park will increase its entrance fees starting Thursday, according to The Daily Camera. The additional revenue will fund park maintenance and improvement projects.
For a seven-day pass, entrants will have to pay $30 per vehicle. Before the change, they paid $20 per vehicle. The annual park pass will now cost $50, up $10 from the previous rate. Camping fees have also gone up to $18 per night during the winter and $26 during the summer.
The Daily Camera reported 80 percent of entrance fees stay within the park for projects that benefit visitors. In the past, fees have supported campground and restroom renovations, trail repairs and other projects in the park.
Eldora plans expansion within resort
The United States Forest Service gave the go-ahead on expansion plans for Eldora Mountain Resort on Thursday. But the expansion is limited to the resort’s existing boundaries, The Daily Camera reported.
Environmentalists expressed concerns about the resort encroaching on wildlife through the Middle Boulder Creek drainage on the resort’s northern boundary. Critics also worry about compromising the health of the watershed and limiting access to Jenny Creek Trail.
Eldora is located 21 miles west of Boulder and occupies about 1,204 acres of land. The Forest Service handles 524 acres of that plot, 220 acres are owned by the resort and 460 acres are on private land.
NCAR develops technology to examine clouds
A new instrument built at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in collaboration with Michigan Technological University will help scientists look inside clouds by using holography, a technique for creating holograms.
The Holographic Detector for Clouds (HOLODEC) uses laser light to take a 3D image of the droplets inside the cloud. Using the device, scientists published a new study that explained droplets have a tendency to evaporate entirely or remain untouched.
NCAR Research Engineer Scott Spuler designed the optics for the HOLODEC.
“The instrument is still somewhat experimental. But we anticipate it will be highly requested in the future,” Spuler said in an NCAR press release.
Under the Flatirons 2016 