Associated Press

DURANGO — Weather statistics show Colorado experienced its driest six-month period in more than a century from November through April and the damage is widespread.

Ranchers are selling portions of their cattle herds because they can't be fed. Hungry bears are having difficulty finding food and water. And the 2003 vintage of western Colorado wines appears to be souring as grape yields decline by more than 20 percent.

"People are fighting over water," Ignacio rancher Mark Williams said. "It's bad. I don't think (the public) really knows how bad it is."

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman on Friday declared the state's 64 counties drought disaster areas. The designation frees up money for farmers and ranchers to obtain low interest loans.

Southwest Colorado went with little to no moisture in May, and the drought conditions have been listed as "exceptional" — making it the driest area in the nation, said Scott Stephens, a meteorologist with the National Climatic Data Center.

"Exceptional" is the harshest of the center's four drought designations. Incessant winds have sucked much of the moisture that is present.

Conditions are comparable to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, Stephens said.

"I'm not going to say it is drier than the 1930s, (but) its comparative," he said. "We've had a large part of the country experiencing drought. You are in the worst classification on the map."

Twice the usual amount of cattle was put up for auction this spring at the Delta Sales Yard, owner Dan Varner said. Most of the cattle are going east to Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas and Minnesota.

Kevin Mallow, a La Plata County extension agent, said ranchers who would normally graze 11,000 pounds of livestock are only able to graze 150 to 200 pounds this year.

For farmers, there is not enough moisture to get seeds to germinate and grow, Mallow said.

"In many cases we're looking at not planting or waiting for rain to plant our annual crops like oats and beans," he said.

Many hay producers, used to doing two or three cuttings a year, are expecting to get only one cutting this year, Mallow said. To make up for lost revenues, hay is more expensive, selling for $6 to $8 a bale, instead of $3.50 to $4.

Wildlife manager Melody Miller said the drought is making it hard for bears who are searching for acorns and chokecherries.

"Since there is no water, there is not a lot of spring vegetational growth right now, which is what the bears are looking for," Miller said.

The heat doesn't help their condition either, she said.

Two Rivers Winery near Grand Junction lost 95 percent of this year's crop when vines failed to bloom for lack of water.

"There was not sufficient moisture to push them open," winemaker Glenn Foster said.

He said the winery plans to buy chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes from other local growers this year.

In the North Fork Valley, the drought has prompted panic among water users.

Some landowners have accused neighbors of taking more than their share of irrigation water, said Wayne Schieldt, division engineer at the state Division of Water Resources.

June 3, 2002

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