Our first trip!

[elundquist]

Please understand these are 100% natural! These are not man made or from out of space.

You will find most of these elements in your standard multi vitamin! Copper is used for your water pipes in your house, aluminum for your soda/ beer cans, and cadmium is in solar panels, batteries, plastics and steel products. We live with, in, around, use, consume, and are comprised of these toxic minerals!

The reason this spill is toxic is as you stated, is due to the concentrations in the water that was released! These concentrations are not because of big corporations or miners dumping them durning the mining.

In my earlier post I presented how these concentrations happen as a result of ground water becoming acidic in the mines and ponds. It is a chemical reaction that happens naturally. It happens at many of the springs and streams in these high mineral areas.

Again naturally and not due to human action. I got this directly from the EPA reports about this spill. The human impacts are these old mines that flood and foster the chemical reaction. In this one case the EPA unplugging a flood mine (a man made cave) full of acidic water that released the minerals.

To remove these materials from the area would require MINING! To the point there would not be mountains! The minerals are naturally abundant in the rocks, again hence the reason it was mined.

I am not saying they are not toxic in high concentrations and I am not saying we don't need to correct the human actions that lead to the problem.

What I am saying is there are problems in the area, but it's not a toxic waste land that needs to be avoided. Yellowstone has toxic water all over the place naturally, but we made it a National Park! And there are no plans to make it a Superfund site to clean it up.

This area is extremely beautiful and should be enjoyed just as Yellowstone.

Well maybe then again...









Erik Lundquist

[drhroo]

Originally Posted by elundquist

My favorite is Corkscrew,

Ha! Did Corkscrew last year. (Came over from California Gulch out of Animas Forks. Pics below.)

Mike, I don't know how you feel about roads with steep drop offs but Highway 550 between Durango, Silverton and Ouray (pronounced "you-ray") always gives me the heebeegeebees. So I am not even considering doing that with our trailer. We'll come in from the north as we'll be driving from Denver. You could also come over the Dallas Divide from Cortez.

A couple much easier, yet very pretty, drives are Last Dollar Road from the Dallas Divide area over into Telluride and there is a county road that is recommended in John Fielder's book on Colorado that goes through the Ralph Lauren ranch to the national forest below Mount Sneffels - a beautiful setting if you are a photographer.

There is also a relatively easy back road drive up Owl Creek Pass and over to the Cimmaron River and Silver Jack Reservoir. Not sure about the fishing there.

The first picture below is an example of a stream that has a lot of minerals in it - particularly iron as this is called the Red Mountain area. The 3rd picture (I think) is Corkscrew Gulch.

[elundquist]

Mike,

I know your original post was about camping with easy fishing spots. Sorry to get it so off topic.

I started digging around my apps looking for other locations besides the Ridgeway State Park campground that might really fit your needs.

I had these saved for scouting on my next trip down there. A few locals talked about these one time is was down there as I too was looking for camping with good fishing. They are hidden down rough gravel roads and you will be boon docking (except Matterhorn - full hook ups).

Beaver Lake - Ridgeway, CO
Silver Jack - Ridgeway, CO
Big Cimarron - Ridgeway, CO
Matterhorn - Telluride, CO
Sunshine - Telluride, CO

I have not stayed or seen these, but one of them I saw pictures of the camp grounds. I think it was Beaver Lake or Silver Jack. The camp sites were at the lake edge! I herd reports of large trout being landed at these.


Hope this helps




Erik Lundquist

[karrun]

Originally Posted by elundquist

Please understand these are 100% natural! These are not man made or from out of space.

You will find most of these elements in your standard multi vitamin! Copper is used for your water pipes in your house, aluminum for your soda/ beer cans, and cadmium is in solar panels, batteries, plastics and steel products. We live with, in, around, use, consume, and are comprised of these toxic minerals!

The reason this spill is toxic is as you stated, is due to the concentrations in the water that was released! These concentrations are not because of big corporations or miners dumping them durning the mining.

In my earlier post I presented how these concentrations happen as a result of ground water becoming acidic in the mines and ponds. It is a chemical reaction that happens naturally. It happens at many of the springs and streams in these high mineral areas.

Again naturally and not due to human action. I got this directly from the EPA reports about this spill. The human impacts are these old mines that flood and foster the chemical reaction. In this one case the EPA unplugging a flood mine (a man made cave) full of acidic water that released the minerals.

To remove these materials from the area would require MINING! To the point there would not be mountains! The minerals are naturally abundant in the rocks, again hence the reason it was mined.

I am not saying they are not toxic in high concentrations and I am not saying we don't need to correct the human actions that lead to the problem.

What I am saying is there are problems in the area, but it's not a toxic waste land that needs to be avoided. Yellowstone has toxic water all over the place naturally, but we made it a National Park! And there are no plans to make it a Superfund site to clean it up.

This area is extremely beautiful and should be enjoyed just as Yellowstone.

Well maybe then again...









Erik Lundquist

Well of course these are not man made. Man cannot create elements, which is what these heavy metals are. To use the word natural like you mean it, so is cyanide, but I wouldn't want to be around it or consume it. You keep using the term minerals like it is interchangeable with the term heavy metals. Arsenic, cadmium, lead, and copper in high doses are not found in nature and their presence is very troubling. They are not caused by a chemical reaction, they are used in the mining process.They are not found normally in the human body and can cause problems up to and including death. Why do you think the EPA is telling people to have their wells tested? Minerals are generally much more benign and don't cause problems with health.

[elundquist]

Karrun,

Here is some education for you.

http://www.sosbluewaters.org/epa-wha...age%5B1%5D.pdf

https://www.earthworksaction.org/fil...ons/FS_AMD.pdf

https://www.earthworksaction.org/iss...e#.Vc5kE2ZOLv4

http://reclamationresearch.net/publi...Review_AMD.pdf


http://www.durangoherald.com/apps/pb...late=mobileart

http://www.durangoherald.com/apps/pb...late=mobileart

http://www.durangoherald.com/apps/pb...late=mobileart

As you will learn these are natural and they are found in nature in high doses.

In this case at the bottom of man made caves. Humans did not make, deposit, dump, or place these element, heavy metals, or toxins in these mines.

The mining problem is that it exposes these elements in such a way water helps concentrate these elements, heavy metals, toxins that then make there way into the water ways.

Again the streams and rivers also have natural contamination as this processes happens on the surface, maybe just not in the levels of concentration has the water is moving.

There are a few high mountain lakes that have heavy metals/ toxins pollution that are a result of natural process.






Erik Lundquist

[elundquist]

I like the second to last one "Gov. John Hickenlooper on Tuesday drank a hearty gulp of the Animas River in an effort to highlight that the river has ..."


Erik Lundquist

[elundquist]

Chemical elements listed by their presence in human body

Read more: http://www.lenntech.com/periodic-cha...#ixzz3iprcLbw6


Erik Lundquist

[drhroo]

Asked my fly fishing guide brother for fishing ideas in the Ouray area. He echoed what Erik said.

"Ridgway State Park has some good access below the dam. Have them check with Rigs Adventure Co in Ridgeway, great shop."

[elundquist]

I will second Rigs Adventure - I took my father in law fly fishing with one of their guides. Great education on the local fishing.


Erik Lundquist

[DK-in-SC]

Wish you guys were on the east side of the country. I'm always looking for some good fishing intel.


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