Maroon Bells receives federal ‘exception’ to keep area open, for now

Maroon Bells receives federal ‘exception’ to keep area open, for now

As the recent government shutdown is compromising operations for a large swath of the U.S. Forest Service, the iconic Maroon Bells location outside of Aspen has received an “exception” from the federal government for employees to keep it open to visitors, at least through next week. “It’s operations as normal with the Bells right now,” Brian Pettet, Pitkin County Public Works director, said. “While the government shut down, the U.S. Forest Servi…