Fracking And Agriculture Clash In Colorado’s North Fork Valley

…There’s a new alliance of farmers and food producers trying to keep fracking from taking place in the North Fork Valley, an agricultural area in Western Colorado known for its organic farms, orchards, and vineyards.

Brent Helleckson’s vineyard, Stone Cottage Cellars, overlooks the town of Paonia. From his mesa-top property you can see mountain views, lumbering coal trains, and the farms that blanket Colorado’s North Fork Valley.

Helleckson and his wife have been growing grapes in this area for 20 years.

He says the microclimate of the area is unique. It’s compared to other agricultural hubs throughout the world, like the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan or Provence in France.

“The North Fork is also home to the West Elk American Viticultural Area, which is a geographic area designated by the federal government that has a unique climate, geology, geography that results in wines that have a unique character that can be identified,” Helleckson says.

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