Ruth Welch hired as BLM’s state director

DENVER – The Bureau of Land Management’s acting state director for Colorado will be hired as the new permanent director.

Ruth Welch’s appointment was announced Monday by BLM director Neil Kornze. He said Welch has broad experience in natural-resource management and a history of collaborating with people on different sides of complex issues.

Welch has been serving as acting director since February, following the retirement of Helen Hankins.

Before that, Welch was director of the BLM’s National Operations Center in Denver. She’s also held leadership positions for the agency in Wyoming, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Fire danger high in the Southwest

DENVER – Warm, hot weather and gusty winds are raising the risk of wildfires in the Southwest.

Red-flag warnings have been posted Monday for Colorado Springs and other parts of Colorado as well as New Mexico and Arizona. The danger is also high in the Texas Panhandle and southwestern Kansas

On the plains of southeastern Colorado, temperatures are expected to hit the 90s.

Any fires that start are likely to spread quickly.

Mad moose attacks 2 in Gilpin County

CENTRAL CITY – An angry moose attacked and injured two women as they walked their dogs near a Gilpin County subdivision Sunday.

The Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office says the women were walking on a trail when they were kicked by the animal.

The women were identified as Ellen Marie Divis, 57, and Jacqueline Boron, 50.

They were taken to St. Anthony Central Hospital, where they are in fair condition in the intensive care unit.

According to The Denver Post, the moose population is growing throughout the state and encounters between the animals and their human neighbors are becoming more frequent.

Associated Press