Steamboat Springs has adopted a mind set to protect the environment, a primary reason why many generations reside here and visitors from around the globe flock to Ski Town, U.S.A.® This focus creates a balance between population and industry, transportation, energy, and conservation.
Seven thousand feet up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the valley is home to a variety of wildlife that range in size from small to large. Living with wildlife is a big reason many are here
Wildlife originally included grizzly bears, wolves, wolverines, black bears, foxes, mountain lions, elk, deer, and grouse, not to mention a variety of birds and other critters. Throughout the early 1900s grizzly bears, wolves and wolverines were hunted to extinction. With these predators gone, coyotes moved into the territory.
Today mountain lions, black bears, foxes, coyotes, deer, elk and moose can be found in abundance. A recent Colorado bill mandated the reintroduction of wolves in the state. Since then, these elusive animals have been spotted on occasion in Routt County.
Over 150 springs once dotted a two-mile radius around downtown, each said to have its own mineral content and healing properties. Their unique properties have been compared to a mini-Yellowstone. The city is tasked with protecting nine of the most prominent springs and their histories. In 2023, a mineral springs committee was formed in order to enact protections and best practices to preserve the springs in perpetuity.
The Yampa River is one of the last free flowing rivers in the country navigating from its source in the Flat Tops Wilderness to the confluence of the Green River. The Yampa is a critical waterway for wildlife, humans and recreation. The river is named after the Yampa roots that grew along its banks and provided nourishment to the Utes as a food source.