Spring Snowpack, Celtic Games, Aqueduct Trails Open

Snow pack in the region is slightly below normal for this time of year. Four miles of new trails will open on May 1st and get your Celt on. You're watching the Local News Roundup brought to you by Keesee Motors and Fastsigns. I'm Wendy Graham Settle. Southwest Colorado continues to experience moderate to extreme drought conditions with snow pack levels slightly below normal. According to US Department of Agriculture Snow-Tel sites in the San Juan mountains, snow pack is 91% of normal at this time of year, just slightly higher than last year. Area reservoirs are filling but given water depletion from last year, dust on snow, wind and warmer temperatures could reduce the amount of water that makes it to storage facilities and will affect the amount of water available for irrigation. Vallecito Reservoir is at 43% of capacity. Lemon is at 38% of capacity. McPhee 20% and Navajo 38%. For more detailed information visit the US Bureau of Reclamation website at usbr.gov. Don your kilt and grab your bagpipes, the Cortez Celtic fair returns on Saturday June 25th at the Parque de Vida. The day will include a Highland games competition with a shot put, caber toss, sheaf toss and hammer throw. New this year will be a solo bagpipe contest, the first of its kind in the Four Corners and a Celtic Fest pickle ball tournament, with men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles. A Highland dance competition will be from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM in the recreation center gym. And then for even more entertainment, a tug of war competition will be held. Six-person teams must include at least two women and no substitutions are allowed. You can wear gloves, but not cleats and you can't wrap the rope around your waist or arm. The fair is free to spectators. For more information about Celtic fair events, competition rules and registration for competitors. Visit CortezCelticfair.com. A ribbon cutting ceremony will mark the official opening of four miles of non-motorized trails in the new Aqueduct Trails system on May 1st. The ceremony begins ends at 11:00 AM at the Northwest trail head, off of Montezuma County Road 39. The trails are the first of 12 miles in an 800-acre region on Bureau of Land Management land. Mancos trail group volunteers contributed more than 1500 hours of labor and raised just a little under $6,200 to build the first four miles. The Mancos trail group hopes to complete the remaining eight miles this year. For a map and directions to the Aqueduct System, visit mancostrails.org. Thanks for watching this week's Local News Roundup. I'm Wendy Graham Settle.

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