The City of Steamboat Springs and Mt. Werner Water and Sanitation District are combining to take “enhanced protections” for the wildland urban interface, or WUI, in the Fish Creek watershed area.

Work in the area began in early June and will persist for four to six weeks, depending on weather, crew speed and availability. The project is being completed by Western Timber Management, which is functioning under direction of the Colorado State Forest Service.

Portions of Skyline Trail will be closed Monday through Friday but should be open on weekends. Access from Heavenly View and extending to the top and over to Steamboat Boulevard will be closed for one to two weeks due to heavy machinery. The rest of the trail, or about 1/2 a mile starting from the parking lot near Mt. Werner Water, will remain open.

The project will work to remove any diseased, dead or dying Gambel Oak as well as dead aspen trees. Woody vegetation will be mulched or chipped into smaller pieces and left to decompose or will be piled in slash piles approximately 15 feet apart.

Fire mitigation work in the area is essential, as the 26-square-mile watershed area provides most of the raw water for the city.