Damage in the high country

  • Damage at Clear Lake. Photo courtesy of Tony Litschewski
    Damage at Clear Lake. Photo courtesy of Tony Litschewski
  • Damage at Clear Lake. Photo courtesy of Tony Litschewsk
    Damage at Clear Lake. Photo courtesy of Tony Litschewsk
The annual summer rush of tourists always provides a welcome boost to Silverton’s local economy, but the massive influx of visitors this season has come at a price to the community’s law enforcement and delicate backcountry. “In the past several years, our backcountry traveler numbers have been growing,” San Juan County Sheriff Bruce Conrad said. “Even with COVID and the lack of the train coming…

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