Colorado Country Life April 2015 YVEA

April 2015

d l r o W s ’ o Ald

oks Kids Bo e Us k That Ma

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April 2015

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Illustration by artist Kendra Spanjer for the Aldo Zelnick book series written by Karla Oceanak and published by Bailiwick Press in Fort Collins.

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4 Viewpoint

20 Recipes

5 Letters

22 Gardening

EnergyWise group brings more energy efficiency options to members

Make your heart and taste buds happy with Mediterranean flavors

6 Calendar

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24 Outdoors

Co-op News

12 NewsClips 14 Irrigation Efficiency

This year’s Arbor Day is the best time to plant a new tree

Books about 10-year-old Aldo Zelnick’s wild adventures in Colorado

2013

the emerald ash borer was first reported in Colorado

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Extra content:

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This month’s online extras 4FIND more information on

Different names for look-alike fly patterns cause confusion

Energy efficiency partnerships paying off 25 Energy Tips

for rural Colorado 29 Funny Stories 16 Aldo Zelnick Makes Kids Smile 30 Discoveries

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Community Events

4SEE a video for a new movie on

the life of a lineman

4LEARN more about a small

g Sp rin

million

Mother’s Day cards exchanged annually, according to Hallmark Cards

hydropower plant

4EXPLORE cooking the Mediterranean way 4ENTER contests and win prizes 4DISCOVER gift ideas just for Mom

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plants distributing a total of nearly 500 gigawatts of natural gas, the leading electricity source in the U.S.

The official publication of the Colorado Rural Electric Association || Volume 46, Number 04 COMMUNICATIONS STAFF: Mona Neeley, CCC, Publisher/Editor@303-455-4111; mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org Donna Wallin, Associate Editor; dwallin@coloradocountrylife.org ADVERTISING: Kris Wendtland@303-902-7276, advertising@coloradocountrylife.org; NCM@800-626-1181 SUBSCRIPTIONS: info@coloradocountrylife.org

EDITORIAL: Denver Corporate Office, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216; Phone: 303-455-4111 • Email: mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org • Website: coloradocountrylife.coop • Facebook: facebook.com/COCountryLifw • Twitter: @COCountryLife Colorado Country Life (USPS 469-400/ISSN 1090-2503) is published monthly for $9/$15 per year by Colorado Rural Electric Association, 5400 N. Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216. Periodical postage paid at Denver, Colorado.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Colorado Country Life, 5400 N. Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216 Publication of an advertisement in Colorado Country Life does not imply endorsement by any Colorado rural electric cooperative or the Colorado Rural Electric Association. Editorial opinions published in Colorado Country Life magazine shall pertain to issues affecting rural electric cooperatives, rural communities and citizens. The opinion of CREA is not necessarily that of any particular cooperative or individual.

[viewpoint]

IDEA SHARING

EnergyWise group designed to bring more energy efficiency options to co-op members

BY KENT SINGER || CREA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR || KSINGER@COLORADOREA.ORG

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The sixth cooperative principle, under which all of Colorado’s electric co-ops operate, is “cooperation among cooperatives.” You see, cooperatives, electric and otherwise, serve their members most effectively by working together.

That’s what the Colorado Rural Electric Association’s member coops are doing under the EnergyWise Kent Singer banner as they work to bring more and better energy efficiency programs to their member-owners.

Energy efficiency is nothing new for electric co-ops, which have always promoted ways to help you save money on your power bill. As not-for-profit utilities, electric co-ops are not big corporations motivated by making money for investors, but locally-owned utilities dedicated to providing reliable electricity at an affordable price.

As part of this effort, we at CREA created the EnergyWise Project a couple of years ago.

Through this initiative, we are encouraging and facilitating energy efficiency efforts in electric co-op service territory, and we are helping our co-ops publicize information on programs they offer their members and ways their members can save energy and money. Every electric co-op in the state promotes energy efficiency and other cost-saving measures. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize what kind of rebates are offered and the types of projects the co-ops are involved in. We probably don’t do enough to tell the world about our energy efficiency work, so we are using the EnergyWise banner to brand these efforts and get the word out.

Our first substantive project under the EnergyWise label last spring involved a partnership between CREA, four of our members and the Colorado Energy Office. As a result of this partnership, eight dairy farms on Colorado’s eastern plains received energy-saving lighting and other equipment that resulted in huge savings on their electric bills. The four co-op participants (Morgan County Rural Electric Association, United Power, Highline Electric Association and Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association) worked with their memberowners to audit their energy usage and implement cost-saving measures. Today, those dairy operators are benefitting from

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lower monthly electricity bills due to the funds provided by CEO and the work of their local electric co-op.

To follow up on that project, we recently hosted the first meeting of the EnergyWise Advisory Council, a meeting of co-op employees who have expertise in energy efficiency and management. At the kickoff meeting, we brought in representatives from CEO, Colorado State University Extension, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Western Area Power Administration, the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association to talk about various efforts by these groups to promote energy efficiency in rural Colorado. We spent a full day discussing potential partnerships between the co-ops and these organizations and our collective ongoing efforts to help co-op member-owners reduce their power bills.

The purpose of the EnergyWise Advisory Council is to create a forum where electric co-op energy efficiency experts can come together a couple of times a year to discuss their individual programs and to also hear about the latest developments in the energy efficiency field.

Colorado has many governmental, nonprofit and private sector organizations and companies that are nationally and internationally recognized as leaders in energy efficiency, and the EnergyWise council can draw on that expertise from time to time.

One of CREA’s functions as a trade organization is to provide opportunities for the employees of our member co-ops to get together to exchange information with their peers. We facilitate meetings of co-op CEOs, accountants, human resources professionals, attorneys, member services employees, operations managers, mechanics and now energy efficiency specialists. We look forward to supporting this newest peer group and believe that it will continue to find ways to help co-op member-owners manage their electricity usage wisely.

After all, that’s the co-op way.

Kent Singer, Executive Director

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[ letters] Boxes of Hope I read “Boxes of Hope” by Julie Simpson with interest (December ’14).

I am a volunteer with a local Colorado organization called Toys for God’s Kids.

We are woodworkers who have made and distributed over 600,000 small toy cars to kids all over the world. We have donated our handmade toys to Operation Christmas Child for the past three years. For information, visit www. toysforgodskids.com.

Don Clasen, Franktown

I wanted to commend you and the rest of the staff on a great holiday edition (December ’14). I found the article “Boxes of Hope” to be quite inspiring. I also enjoyed the poem, complete with nativity picture, called “Spirit of Christmas.” Thank you for a job well done.

Dayna Holman, Durango

Hunting and Fishing Pros and Cons I would like to comment on your Outdoors column (December ’14). Thank you for

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being spot on. I write a small column for a traditional archery association [publication] in Colorado and I know about the topics covered. Thank you.

Theodore Grover, Salida

I do not understand why you have a column every month devoted to the killing of fish and wildlife. Do you just assume that because your membership is mostly rural, we all want to read about the blood sports? This is a publication for the rural electric association, not Field & Stream.

Tom Fitch, Fort Collins

In the December issue, Dennis Smith shares his concerns for the future of hunting and fishing (Outdoors). This sentence is right on the mark: “If hunters are taken out of the wildlife loop in the coming century, it may just undo all the good we accomplished in the last one.”

However, if ethical hunters and responsible gun owners wish to preserve hunting and the habitat required for our activities, we need to look in the mirror once in a while

and try to see ourselves as our neighbors see us. If ethical hunters and responsible gun owners wish to reverse the troubling trend, we need to step outside the box and admit that many hunters are unethical and many gun owners are irresponsible. We need to support reasonable regulations and the means for society to enforce those regulations.

Bob Volger, Ignacio

Fuels for Electricity You published a useful chart on fuels used to generate electricity in Colorado (February ’15). It would be extremely helpful if you could provide a similar chart that would give an historical perspective over the last 10 years for the fuel sources used for generating electricity. I find a lot of useful information in your magazine and read it faithfully each month.

Joe Hendrickson, Fort Collins

GOT A COMMENT? Send your letter to the editor by mail to Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or email mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org.

APRIL 2015

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April

April 10-12 Crested Butte The Ultimate Snowmobile Event Crested Butte Mountain Resort skicb.com

April 10-12 Fort Collins “Romeo & Juliet” Theater Performance Lincoln Center Magnolia Theatre fcgov.com April 11 Calhan Spring Rummage Sale and Quilt Raffle Whittemore Hall at the Fairgrounds 8:30 am-2 pm • 719-347-2873 April 11 Buena Vista Kayaks on Snow Monarch Ski Area 10 am-2 pm • buenavista colorado.org April 11 Steamboat Springs Cardboard Classic Steamboat Ski Area 9 am • steamboat.com April 12 Grand Junction Fly Fishing Expo DoubleTree Hotel 970-683-8879 • grand-valleyanglers.org April 16-18 Greeley Jazz Festival Union Colony Civic Center 7:30-10:30 pm • 970-351-2394 April 18 Denver Cockpit Demo Day Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum 10 am-2 pm • 303-360-5360 April 18 Denver Forgotten Denver Bus Tour History Colorado Center 10 am-3 pm • 303-866-2394

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April 18-19 Salida Chaffee Home and Garden Show Chaffee County Fairgrounds chaffeehomeandgarden.com April 18 Trinidad Peacock Ball Sebastiani Gym 6 pm • 719-846-8578 April 23-25 Denver “Middletown” Theater Performance MSU Denver Studio Theatre 7:30 pm • 303-556-2296 April 25 Conifer 9HealthFair Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church 9healthfair.org April 25 Cotopaxi Spaghetti Dinner Cotopaxi School 5-7 pm • 719-942-4177 April 27 Denver Making Goat’s Milk Class Denver Botanic Gardens 2-5 pm • botanicgardens.org April 28 Boulder Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters Boulder Theater 6:30 pm • bouldertheater.com April 30-May 3 Black Forest Arts and Crafts Spring Show & Sale Black Forest Community Center bfacg.org

Featured Event

CROP Hunger Walk

April 12, 2 pm, starting at Cole Park in Alamosa.

CROP Hunger Walk is a 46-year-old hunger advocacy event that benefits foreign hunger relief and the San Luis Valley Food Bank Network. Visit crophunger walk.org/alamosaco to register to walk.

Call 719-587-3499 or email stephanie. lapuente@gmail.com if you have further questions.

Photo courtesy of San Luis Valley CROP Hunger Walk

May

May 2 Burlington Spring Fling Burlington Community Center 9 am-3 pm • 719-346-8918 May 2 Denver “The Magic Flute” Opera Ellie Caulkins Opera House 7:30-10:30 pm • operacolorado. org May 2-3 Gunnison Kiwanis Fishing Tournament Blue Mesa Reservoir gunnisonchamber.com May 2-3 Monument Pine Forest Show Lewis Palmer High School tlwc.net May 3 Aztec, New Mexico Alien Run Mountain Bike Race Aztec Tiger Park 970-247-8382 • alienrun.com

April 30-May 3 Estes Park Stanley Film Festival Stanley Hotel stanleyfilmfest.com

May 3 Mesa Verde Square Tower House Hike Mesa Verde National Park recreation.gov

April 30 Pueblo Hot Fudge Thursday Sangre de Cristo Arts Center Theater 7:30 pm • 719-295-7200

May 4 Mancos “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” Concert Mancos United Methodist Church 3:30 pm • 970-882-0120

May 6-10 Mesa Verde Birding Festival Various Mesa Verde Locations cortezculturalcenter.org May 7-8 Keystone Partners in the Outdoors Conference Keystone Resort Conference Center cpw.state.co.us May 8 Durango “The May Show” Opening Reception Durango Arts Center 5-7 pm • durangoarts.org May 9 Loveland Plant Sale, Antique and Artisan Market All Saints Episcopal Church 9 am-3 pm • 970-342-9341

SEND CALENDAR ITEMS TWO MONTHS IN ADVANCE TO: CALENDAR Colorado Country Life 5400 N. Washington St. Denver, CO 80216 Fax to 303.455.2807 or email calendar@coloradocountrylife.org.

Items will be printed on a space available basis. For more information on these and other events, visit coloradocountrylife.coop.

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YAMPA VALLEY ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION, INC.

[YVEA News] Cen$ible Energy — “Building Efficient Communities”

BY DIANE JOHNSON || PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER || DJOHNSON@YVEA.COM

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I am happy to introduce a new many ways to get involved with community energy efficiency this program. program called Cen$ible EnSponsor — levels from $2,500ergy. This program is available $10,000 plus: • Logo and link on the to all Yampa Valley Electric Cen$ible Energy website Association residential and • Opportunity to partner small business members/cusduring promotional events tomers. The program gives Diane Johnson • Annual sponsor recognition members the ability to manage their energy costs by improving energy efficiency. Rebates are available for lighting, Outreach and Education Partner — help promote the program in conjunction with appliances, energy audits, programmable your own programming. We ask that thermostats, and weatherization.

Cen$ible Energy was founded in 2014

by Yampa Valley Electric Association and community partners: the City of Steamboat Springs, Yampa Valley Sustainability Council and Yampatika. Through YVEA and the City’s contributions of seed money, the program kicks off April 2, 2015.

YVSC serves as the program’s fiscal agent and administrator. Yampatika supports the program as an outreach and education partner. “The city’s seed money represents a smart community investment, and we value this collaborative partnership,” says City Manager, Deb Hinsvark.

Sarah Jones, YVSC Executive Director said, “YVSC supports energy efficiency to help stabilize the cost of living and promote local economic development. The Cen$ible Energy program helps residents and small businesses save money while creating a more resilient and livable community”.

How can you be a “Partner?” There are

Outreach Partners promote the rebate program through their existing channels and are able to answer questions about the program or direct questions to YVEA and YVSC. Outreach/Education Partners must meet criteria of energy conservation, environmental stewardship, programs that assist fixed income members, or children’s educational programs: Outreach Partners will receive the following recognition and exposure: • Logo and link on the Cen$ible Energy website • Opportunity to partner during promotional events.

Local Vendors: • Include businesses that sell lighting, appliances, provide energy audits, and contractors that provide weatherization services.

Local Resources: • Include resources for recycling or freon removal services and CFL disposal.

Yampatika’s Executive Director, Sonja Macys said, “As an education organization, Yampatika connects people with the information they need to make their own choices about energy consumption.

The Cen$ible Energy program will help people save money and consume less energy if they wish to participate in it. It is hard to argue with that!”

Please visit the website at www.censibleenergy.org for more information and rebate forms. coloradocountrylife.coop

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[YVEA News] Co-op News

CARING CONSUMERS Application deadline is approaching

Caring Consumers is a program that enables you to donate to community causes by automatically rounding up your electric bill to the next highest dollar. The difference will go into a fund from which a separate board of directors is responsible for allocating the funds raised through your participation. The average cost per year is $6. “Small change that changes lives.”

The next application deadline is May 15, 2015. If you wish to apply for funds please visit our website at www.yvea.com/caring-consumers-program for program details. If you wish to participate in the program by rounding up your electric bill, please contact your local YVEA office at 970-879-1160 Steamboat or 970-824-6593 Craig.

YVEA FEE SCHEDULE UPDATED Yampa Valley Electric Association updated our fee schedule to recover costs from the appropriate members. If you should have any questions please call 970-879-1160 or 970-8246593.

Meter Reread Fee $60 Meter Test Fee (Single Phase) $100 Meter Test Fee (Three Phase) $130 Collection Fee $85 Reconnect Fee (non-pay) working hours $140 Dis/Reconnect Fee after hours $330 Meter Tampering Fee $140 New Service Inspection Fee $100 Line Crew Service Change $150

Remembering

Mary Jean Perry June 27, 1926-February 20, 2015

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Mary Jean King Perry served on the Yampa Valley Electric Association Board of Directors from 1976 until 2006. She held the positions of secretary and president, and was the representative of YVEA at the Colorado Rural Electric Association. Mary Jean received the Leckenby Award in 2008.

“Her greatest contribution might have been her determined work on behalf of rural electrification, an effort that spanned three decades,” Jim Stanko said.

Mary Jean was a rancher and a librarian. She began teaching in 1944 at Toponas. She taught at McCoy, then was a substitute teacher in Yampa. She served on the Soroco school board from about 1968 to 1975. Mary Jean, along with others, was instrumental in a campaign to enlarge Colorado Mountain College.

She started the Toponas Public Library in 1978, which later became part of the South Routt Library District.

She was a member of countless clubs, worked on many charitable events and projects and often donated beef from the ranch for meals. Her family says she was the family matriarch and an incredible example of selfless community service to everyone she came in contact with. Mary Jean was loved by many.

We would like to express our condolences to the family of Mary Jean.

Yampa Valley Electric Association Board of Directors and Employees

ARBOR DAY

Let’s get together and celebrate the importance of trees. Stop by one of our offices (in Craig at 3715 East US 40 or Steamboat Springs at 2211 Elk River Road) on April 24 from 8 a.m to 12 p.m. and get a tree and some refreshments.

GO PAPERLESS AND RECEIVE A FREE LED LIGHTBULB SmartHub is our program that allows you to pay online or through your mobile device.

Visit www.yvea.com, click on “Pay Online SmartHub” and you will be prompted at log in to opt out of paper bills.

You can also set up recurring payment through SmartHub or download the form at yvea.com/electricservice/billing-forms. The signed form may be emailed to us at billing@ yvea.com. We also have our pay by phone line at 888-837-5749.

For more information, please visit us online at www.yvea.com. As always, feel free to call us at 970-879-1160 in Steamboat Springs or 970-824-6593 in Craig if you have any questions or need assistance with any of our programs.

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[YVEA News] MEET THE EMPLOYEES AT YVEA KATHY BERTRAND MEMBER RELATIONS MANAGER

Kathy Bertrand is YVEA’s member relations manager. Kathy grew up in Minnesota and moved to Steamboat in 1995. Kathy has been with YVEA for 19 years. In her role as member relations manager she oversees and directs the activities of the billing department, including updating and testing the billing system, running monthly and year-end balance reports, preparing annual audit information and managing large power accounts. Kathy establishes and maintains positive working relationships with existing commercial and industrial customers to ensure the best possible service. She enjoys working at a company that serves the community, where she is able to speak with and assist the members of the co-op.

Kathy is married and has three children. Something unique about Kathy is that her husband is from France and her kids were all born in France where they lived for seven years. During the summer the family makes homemade crepes at the farmers market in downtown Steamboat.

SHAWN STOEHR OPERATIONS TECHNICIAN

Shawn Stoehr is YVEA’s operations technician. He comes to YVEA originally from Cheney, Kansas, where he graduated from high school. He attended Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, and moved to the Steamboat area in 2013. He has been with YVEA for two years and in his role as operations technician Shawn works closely with YVEA’s work in the field, including solar installations, conduit inspections for new services and surge protection program. He assists operations staff as needed. He provides backup for the dispatch team, metering team and technology team and assists member relations with energy surveys. coloradocountrylife.coop

Shawn is married and his wife, Tonia, works for Routt County. He has two children, son Jacob and daughter Jordan. He enjoys skiing and hiking with his children. In his spare time he enjoys photographing the wild horses of Sand Wash Basin. You may have seen one of his horse photos posted on YVEA’s Facebook page.

the meter technician with all scheduled meter exchanges as well. Brett enjoys the interaction and discussions with the members because it is always interesting.

In his spare time Brett likes flying, fishing and sports.

KELLI ROOT IT SUPERVISOR

TODD GREENWOOD JOURNEYMAN LINEMAN/FOREMAN

Kelli Root is YVEA’s information technology supervisor and has been with YVEA for 15 years.

She graduated from Steamboat Springs High School and attended Stevens Henager College in Provo, Utah. In her role as IT supervisor Kelli supervises and performs all administration and support for co-op computer systems, including analyzing, constructing, documenting, testing, maintaining and troubleshooting. She has vast knowledge of PC hardware, operating systems, software applications, peripherals and communication devices for the organization. She enjoys IT because it is constantly changing and gives her a new challenge every day. She also likes the interaction she has with YVEA’s employees.

Kelli has one son and is thrilled to welcome a daughter-in-law when he gets married in June.

In her spare time she loves to play tennis and ski and enjoys being outdoors. Besides Steamboat, another one of her favorite places in Colorado is Rocky Mountain National Park.

Todd Greenwood is a journeyman lineman and foreman with YVEA. He is part of a team that is responsible for installation, maintenance and repairs of the YVEA transmission and distribution electrical system. As foreman he communicates and coordinates daily crew assignments, work orders and schedules and ensures the safety of the team.

BRETT BAGWELL FIELD SERVICE SPECIALIST

Brett Bagwell is one of YVEA’s field service specialists and has been with YVEA for 33 years.

He is orginally from Denver and a college graduate who moved to Steamboat in 1984. In his role as field service specialist he is responsible for meters and service orders to connect or disconnect service. He assists

NEW EMPLOYEE JIM VANDERTOOK MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN Jim VanderTook is YVEA’s new maintenance technician. Jim is originally from Hayden and graduated from Hayden High School and then attended Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Orlando, Florida.

He is part of a team responsible for grounds facilities maintenance and repairs. Jim enjoys problem solving and working with AutoCAD and learning about the team he works with.

In his spare time Jim likes to snowmobile and fish and do anything in the outdoors.

He also has his green belt in Lean Six Sigma and is registered with Federal Emergency Management Agency as an incident commander for natural disasters.

Thanks to our dedicated employees at Yampa Valley Electric APRIL 2015

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[YVEA News]

National Linemen Appreciation Day

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America’s electric cooperatives designated the second Monday of April as National Lineman Appreciation Day. On April 13, 2015, Yampa Valley Electric Association will honor the hard working men and women who often work in challenging conditions to keep the lights on.

The full text of the resolution, which the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Board adopted unanimously, follows: “Whereas linemen leave their families and put their lives on the line every day to keep the power on; Whereas linemen work 365 days a year under dangerous conditions to build, maintain and repair the electric infrastructure; Whereas linemen are the first responders of the electric cooperative family, getting power back on and making things safe for all after storms and accidents; and Whereas there would be no electric cooperatives without the brave men and women who comprise our corps of linemen; “Therefore be it resolved that NRECA recognize the Second Monday of April of each year as National Lineman Appreciation Day and make available to electric cooperatives, materials and support to recognize the contributions of these valuable men and women to America’s Electric Cooperatives.”

We proudly recognize all electric linemen for the services they perform around the clock in dangerous conditions to keep power flowing and protect the public’s safety.

THANKS TO THE YVEA LINEMEN FOR ALL THEY DO!

Yampa Valley Electric Association invites members to take a moment to thank our linemen for the work they do.

Use #ThankaLineman to show your support for the men and women who light our lives.

ENERGY TIP

Summer is right around the corner.

Have you changed your home’s air filter? Filters get loaded with more and more particles as they do their job. This actually has the effect of making them more efficient, but it also increases resistance and reduces airflow. Remember to check filters once a month.

Source: EnergySavers.gov

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PUT SAFETY ON YOUR CHECKLIST When the weather cooperates, it provides a chance to check off items such as cleaning out gutters, trimming trees and mending fences. Regardless of what all is on your to-do list of outdoor projects, electrical safety needs to be a high priority.

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BEWARE OF COUNTERFEIT ELECTRIC PRODUCTS

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[newsclips]

Thank a Lineman on April 13

Photo courtesy of San Luis REC

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If your lights are on and the fridge is cooling, thank a lineman on April 13, National Lineman Appreciation Day. Lineworkers are the people at your local electric co-op who keep the electricity flowing to your home and business, no matter the weather, no matter the time of day.

Lineworkers build and maintain those transmission and distribution lines strung on poles along the road and buried underground through neighborhoods. And they are the ones who are called out when someone digging in the dirt cuts a line and when ice, storms, fires and wayward vehicles above ground take down a pole or two or three.

These men and women trace their honored occupation back to the early 1840s when the first telegraph lines were strung from tree to tree. The trees were quickly replaced with poles that could be set anywhere and as the telegraph spread, so did the need for linemen.

Between 1890 and the 1930, being a lineman was one of the most dangerous jobs available. That led to safety standards for the profession and an apprenticeship program that continues for line workers today.

More linemen were needed after the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 launched loan programs that helped establish rural electric cooperatives. Those co-ops were able to borrow money for materials that could be used to bring electricity to the countryside where only 10 percent of the farms and ranches had

See the life of a lineman at https://vimeo.com/108138313

electricity. In the early years of the co-op movement, linemen traveled from co-op to co-op, helping install the miles and miles of new line needed to bring electricity to rural residents.

Today, all 22 of Colorado’s electric co-ops employ lineworkers who maintain the nearly 80,000 miles of co-op power lines in the state. The co-ops also contract with lineworkers who help with building new lines and in emergencies. April 13 is a day to honor all of these workers. The 13th has been declared National Lineman Appreciation Day by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, a day to thank all of these lineworkers who keep the lights on.

Tomorrow’s Co-op Leaders

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Youthful representatives from each state helped open the annual National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, in February. Colorado’s representative on this Youth Leadership Council was Jill Wilkinson (right), who represents Mountain Parks Electric in Granby.

She was selected for the honor by her peers during the annual June Washington, D.C., Youth Tour.

During the annual meeting, these young people participated in the program and assisted co-op directors and staff members attending the national meeting.

Jill Wilkinson

2015 Youth Leadership Council

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Co-ops Lend a Helping Hand Prior to Meeting

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Electric co-op directors, managers and staff members were in Orlando, Florida, in February for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Annual Meeting.

But before a single speaker took the dais many of those attending put on their work clothes and went to work with Rebuild Orlando, a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing communities.

More than 100 co-op volunteers painted homes and made repairs and updates to homes in the Tangelo Park area of Orlando. These repairs included flooring, weatherization, roof and handrail replacement and accessibility modifications. Other homeowners received Orlando’s Safe and Healthy Housing Kit, which included smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, bath mats, grab bars and security lights.

“This is what cooperatives are all about,” said Mary McLaury, chief operation officer of the electric co-ops’ Touchstone Energy brand. “They’re committed to the people back home, but when they come to a new community, they’re willing to help out people in need.”

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[newsclips]

More Lights Will Come on Around the World, Thanks to Bank Donation

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International outreach by the electric co-op community got a significant boost recently when Colorado-based CoBank donated $250,000 to the NRECA International Foundation. The money will be used to fund the development of NRECA International’s rural electrification projects in Africa, as well as Central and Latin America.

“We are proud to support the mission of NRECA International,” said CoBank CEO Robert B. Engel in February at the NRECA Annual Meeting in Florida.

“Its tireless efforts over many decades have improved the quality of life for more than a hundred million people in developing countries by providing them access to safe, reliable electrical power.”

“We are deeply grateful to CoBank for this generous and timely contribution — the largest single corporate gift in our foundation’s history,” said National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jo Ann Emerson.

Over the last 50 years, NRECA International provided 110 million people in 42 countries access to safe, reliable and affordable electricity.

CoBank is a $107 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America, including electric cooperatives.

Kudos for Co-op Leadership Camp

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Colorado’s electric cooperatives were honored in February with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s national Community Service Award for their dedication to the annual Colorado Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp, an annual weeklong program near Steamboat Springs that teaches the cooperative business model. Liz Fiddes (above left), director of member services and education for the Colorado Rural Electric Association, accepted the award with Y-W Electric’s Andy Molt (right), who represented the many member services employees from the electric co-ops who have helped make the annual Leadership Camp a success.

“CREA’s investment will help sustain the cooperative business model well into the future,” said NRECA CEO Jo Ann Emerson. “This enriching program will prepare these kids not only for running a co-op someday but also for leading any enterprise.”

The Colorado electric co-ops’ Leadership Camp, open to students from co-ops in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming, is an experiential learning program. Participants can run for a seat on the board and serve on committees. The camp builds leadership skills, while providing a deep dive into the seven cooperative principles.

Two Colorado Co-ops Win With Wind

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Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and San Isabel Electric Association were named Wind Cooperatives of the Year for 2014 by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The awards recognize electric co-ops that demonstrate outstanding leadership in advancing U.S. wind power. They were presented in February at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Tech Advantage Conference in Florida.

A panel of experts from industry, government and national laboratories chose Tri-State, which is the power supplier for 18 of Colorado’s 22 electric co-ops, and San Isabel Electric, which distributes electricity throughout Pueblo West and Pueblo, as well as Las Animas, Huerfano, Otero, Fremont, Custer and Costilla counties, for their recent efforts.

Since 1998, Tri-State integrated wind energy into the electricity it supplies to its 44 member distribution cooperatives. With over 140 megawatts of wind capacity on line, and more under construction, Tri-

coloradocountrylife.coop

State is using long-term purchases of new wind energy production to provide affordable electricity to its member co-ops. Tri-State has also taken steps to help its member co-ops diversify their local energy portfolios.

One of those members, San Isabel Electric, is located near some of Colorado’s strongest wind resources. In 2004, San Isabel took steps to make wind energy a part of its energy mix. With its fully operational 8-MW wind farm on line since 2013, San Isabel has the largest community-owned, distributed generation wind facility in the region. In collaboration with Tri-State and the Electric Power Research Institute, San Isabel is also implementing a pilot program to store excess wind energy as hot water for household use.

These awards are supported through the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Learn more at energy.gov/eere/wind/ wind-program.

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[industry]

Pumping Out Electricity While Increasing Efficiency Energy efficiency partnerships paying off throughout Colorado

BY AMY HIGGINS

ACRE³

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Elk View Ranch: Hydroelectric-powered center pivot irrigation system (hydroelectric turbine and grid interconnection equipment in the power house on left)

a 23-kilowatt hydropower plant installed to his center pivot sprinkler irrigation system. The new hydropower plant is saving him $10,000 to $13,000 in avoided electric charges, according to a case study from CEO. Bear River Ranch: HydroWith the RCPP mechanically-powered funding, 60 to 70 center pivot irrigation percent of the costs system of the new irrigation system coupled with hydropower will be covered, according to Eric Lane, CDA director of conservation services. Because there is no cap on how much financial support producers can incur, they can apply for additional funding through programs such as the Rural Energy for America Program, a

Photo courtesy of Colorado Energy Office, Vance Fulton from USDA National Resources Conservation Service.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the Colorado Department of Agriculture $1.8 million as funding for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The CDA’s acquisition of this grant money helped initiate a project called Advancing Colorado’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency program, or ACRE³. The ACRE³ program offers agricultural producers and processors financial and technical assistance and education to help them create energy resources on their own property that will reduce energy costs, including small hydropower plants within existing irrigation systems.

CREA, its member electric cooperatives, the Colorado Energy Office and several other partners are working with the CDA to bring these projects to life.

“Colorado’s electric co-ops have long used hydropower as a renewable source of generating electricity,” says CREA Executive Director Kent Singer. “We’re excited to work with the Colorado Department of Agriculture as it identifies some untapped sources of hydropower that will benefit our co-op member-owners.”

Achieving greater energy efficiency can greatly reduce energy costs. In Meeker, cattle rancher George Wenschhof had

Photo credit: Joseph Bigley, Elk View Ranch

Colorado farmers report spending an average of about $33,000 per year on electricity, and the electricity needed to power irrigation pumps typically makes up more than 50 percent of total farm electricity expenses, according to the Colorado Small Hydro Association. Colorado farmers are essential in our communities, so in an effort to help relieve some of this burden, the Colorado Rural Electric Association and its electric cooperatives are teaming up with like-minded partners to help farmers improve their efficiency and tap into savings.

competitive grant program that funds energy efficiency and up to 25 percent of their cost of renewable energy technologies. “Depending on how they fare with REAP and how competitive it is, they can have the vast majority of the costs covered through those two USDA programs,” Lane says. coloradocountrylife.coop

[industry]

Colorado Dairy & Irrigation Efficiency Program In 2014, Colorado Country Life magazine reported on the Colorado Dairy and Irrigation Efficiency Pilot Program. That program is now out of its infancy and officially launched in March 2015.

“CREA was glad to partner with the Colorado Energy Office and our members to help make the dairy energy efficiency pilot project a success. Thanks to CEO and our four northeastern Colorado co-ops (Morgan County Rural Electric Association, United Power, Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association and Highline Electric Association), eight dairy operations received equipment that will make their operations more efficient,” Singer says.

Wenschhof Cattle Company: HydroThe eight Colorado dairy farms electric turbine in involved in the pilot program power house, part received several energy efficiency of a center pivot irrigation system. improvements, such as lighting upgrades and installation of freeheat tanks. As a result of those energy efficiency projects, CEO anticipates the farm owners will see a payback period of 1.5 years, an impressive time period compared to the 4.8 years originally projected.

Irrigators were initially included in the pilot program, but, regrettably, projects were stalled because audits and upgrades would interrupt business. But that’s not the case this year. “Because we’re launching the program a lot sooner than the pilot last year, we’re hoping that will give those irrigators enough time to sign up and get their audits done prior to their busy season,” Watters says.

“We look forward to working with CEO as it expands the scope of the project to include irrigation systems,” Singer adds.

Farm producers who are interested in participating in the Colorado Dairy and Irrigation Efficiency Program can fill out applications at colorado.gov.

CREA and its electric cooperatives are increasingly improving their renewable energy portfolios, helping electric co-op member-owners save money on their electric bills while becoming more energy efficient.

APRIL 2015

Photo credit: Lindsay George, Applegate Group, Inc.

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“I wish we had done this a long time ago. Getting the energy audit really exposed us to the tremendous value of these improvements,” says Jim McClay, owner of Cottonwood Dairy in Fort Lupton.

Photo courtesy of CEO

Through the ACRE³ program, small hydroelectric plants are created through pressurized irrigation systems, ditch drops in irrigation canals and agricultural dams. (They are not compatible with irrigation systems that are fed by pumped well water.) Once the hydroelectric project is complete, it is connected to the grid.

The agricultural producer uses the electricity produced, and any accumulation of electricity is sold to the electric cooperative through net metering.

“Years ago, when a farmer wanted to apply for a permit to put a small hydropower system on their farm — just a micro hydropower system — they would have to go through very similar types of permitting requirements that a Hoover Dam-sized project would have to go through. And that made zero sense,” says Nate Watters, CEO communications manager and public information officer.

In May 2014, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) signed a bill that loosens government regulation in small hydropower development. CEO worked with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which helped pave the way to the bill’s signing. As a result, the permitting process for small hydropower projects in Colorado is less strenuous.

Two years ago CEO published The Small Hydropower Handbook that offers straightforward information, such as establishing water rights, types of systems and federal and state incentives, to those interested in installing their own hydropower system. CEO’s latest undertaking is a technical guide that will piggyback the hydropower handbook, which will assist the CDA and ag producers when building small hydropower projects to ensure the $1.8 million awarded by the USDA is maximized to the fullest extent.

Several projects are launching in Colorado, and some of the best opportunities were identified in these electric cooperatives’ territories: Delta-Montrose Electric Association, Empire Electric Association, Grand Valley Power, Holy Cross Energy, La Plata Electric Association, Mountain Parks Electric, Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association, Sangre de Cristo Electric Association, San Miguel Power Association and Yampa Valley Electric Association. The co-ops are joining the endeavor to provide ag producers with the technical and procedural assistance they need during the process.

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ALDO ZELNICK

MAKES KIDS SMILE

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Daniel is a happy Aldo Zelnick reader.

Fort Collins children’s author and book publisher

BY CHRISTINE GOOLD

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Karla Oceanak had a dream: Create a series of quality books that elementary-age kids (especially boys) would read and covet as much as the comic books and humorous novels that her three young sons adored, yet would also enrich their lives and minds.

Thus were born the award-winning Aldo Zelnick comic novels, an A-to-Z series of illustrated chapter books for readers age 7-13. Published by Bailiwick Press in Fort Collins, and illustrated by artist Kendra Spanjer, the series focuses on the adventures of chubby, curly-headed protagonist Aldo Zelnick: an “athletically challenged,” artistic 10-year-old who’d rather fill his sketchbooks with cartoons and eat bacon than embark on more stereotypical outdoor Colorado adventures with his diverse group of friends and relatives.

“Our purpose is simple: to produce books kids love to read,” sums up Oceanak on the webpage of Bailiwick Press, the publishing company she and Spanjer, along with graphic designer Launie Parry, started in 2009. “Bailiwick’s books for kids teach, inspire and delight. As we develop our children’s books, we work with teachers and other educators to make sure they will be equally at home in the classroom as they are on kids’ nightstands.”

Or as Spanjer and Oceanak quipped in a recent interview, “Our books are vitamin-fortified ‘Wimpy Kid.’”

coloradocountrylife.coop

So far, Bailiwick Press launched 10 of a projected 26 books in the alphabetical Aldo Zelnick series: Artsy-Fartsy, Bogus, Cahoots, Dumbstruck, Egghead, Finicky, Glitch, Hotdogger, Ignoramus and Jackpot (with Kerfluffle to come in May 2015).

The books are drawing rave reviews from parents, teachers and the most important audience of all: elementary-age readers.

“It was the funniest book I have ever read,” writes young Amazon.com reviewer Tavis of Artsy-Fartsy. “The illustrations are hilarious. It is better than Diary of a Author Karla Oceanak Wimpy Kid.” Illustrator Kendra Spanjer “There are lots and lots of funny parts in Dumbstruck,” writes another young reader on Amazon.com, reviewing the series’ fourth book. “You’ll be happy after you read it!

Thank you for writing funny books. I smile when I read Aldo Zelnick book[s].”

These words are music to the ears of Oceanak, who describes herself as “a children’s author who believes that humor is the key to literacy and thus the solution to pretty much every not-sofunny problem in this world of ours.”

Each book is written and drawn in the form of a sketchbook that Aldo himself creates, and each book follows a month in Aldo’s life. The series starts in June, the summer after Aldo’s fourth-grade year, and continues (so far) through April of fifth grade.

Told in Aldo’s unique, realistic voice, the books are packed with jokes, cartoons and well-paced plots that not only introduce readers to Aldo’s versatile exploits, but also to locales that many Colorado readers will recognize.

In the first two books, for instance, Aldo and his friends establish their fort at the base of a Colorado blue spruce tree and pursue summertime adventures in a Fort Collins neighborhood. In October’s Egghead, the 10-year-olds visit the nearby Rocky Mountains to watch bugling elk and participate in “Eco Week” (a fifth grade event avidly anticipated by real-life Fort Collins-area elementary students).

“When I was a kid, the books I read were set in New York or Los Angeles, places I’d never been,” says Spanjer, who grew up in Fort Collins and also works as a freelance copywriter and illustrator.

“Anything set in between the coasts were books about wilderness survival. I couldn’t relate to something that happened in an urban setting or in the wilderness. A lot of kids grow up in a [smaller] city setting, but not in a major urban population.”

“We thought that Fort Collins deserved its own character who grows up here,” adds Oceanak, who was raised in Minnesota but has lived in Fort Collins for 25 years, working as a writer and editor as she and her husband, Scott, raised their three sons (now ages 22, 18 and 15). “Kids don’t often get to read a book that is set in their town. The series is an ode to Fort Collins and, more broadly, Colorado.”

But the series also features situations that any late-elementary (or “middle-grade”) reader can relate to: dealing with a neighborhood bully; kicking a video game habit; juggling fifth-grade infatuation and insecurity; holding on to new and old friends. As Aldo himself confronts these issues in the books, he is helped by a colorful cast of family members and adult friends (like grandmother “Goosy” and the school “lunch-lady-who’s-a-guy,” Mr. Fodder), as well as loyal sidekicks Jack and Bee. As an added bonus, each book also integrates lively vocabulary words into its plot, and includes a

“You’ll be happy after you read it! Thank you for writing funny books. I smile when I read Aldo Zelnick book[s].”

[continued on page 18]

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[continued from page 17]

“We hear that all the time.

How a child would not read until an Aldo Zelnick book was put in his or her hands for the first time. How a child was more or less turned into a reader with a single book.”

glossary at the end, written and illustrated by Aldo. For instance, in Bogus young readers learn Aldo’s definitions of such “B” words as bewildering, bilingual and blithely (along with his lighter explanations of “buzzkill” and “bazillion”); in Egghead, which deals with differing kinds of intelligence, readers explore the meanings of such “E” words as eccentric, enigmatic, excruciatingly (defined as “uber-painfully”) and even euphemism. All new words are integrated into each book’s story line, and starred (*), so that readers can flip to the glossary in back and look them up.

“In the beginning, we thought that parents and teachers would love the vocabulary words in our books, and that kids would take them or leave them,” says Oceanak, who travels with Spanjer regularly to elementary schools to meet and talk with young readers. “But wherever we go, it’s the kids who want to talk about the words.”

“They ask things like ‘What does cahoots mean?’” says Spanjer. “Or ‘What will your next book be called? What words will be in that one?’ Teachers tell us that when kids are reading the Aldo Zelnick books together, they won’t let each other skip looking up new words in the glossary.”

Due to this kind of high quality content, the A-to-Z series has earned a number of awards, including a Colorado Book Award and a Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Regional Book Award, as well as continuing accolades from parents, teachers, bloggers and librarians.

So how does each new Aldo Zelnick book come together?

“We start by brainstorming about the month in which the book will be set,” explains Oceanak.

“Kendra and I ask, ‘What would normally be going on in a 10-year-old’s life during this time?”

For instance, Artsy-Fartsy and Bogus focus on June and July adventures in Aldo’s neighborhood, while in Cahoots, Aldo travels to his uncle and aunt’s Minnesota farm in August (a month when many families take trips before school starts).

And since January is really boring, says Oceanak, the pair worked that reality into Hotdogger, as well as Aldo’s reluctant foray into skiing.

“Each book has a ‘problem’ and a theme,” continues Oceanak, “and the title is really important. It has to be a word with a real personality, that will make you smile, that will be fun, but also encompasses or refers to the book’s events and theme.”

February’s Ignoramus, for instance, deals with Aldo’s cluelessness about romantic love, while March’s Jackpot teaches Aldo important lessons about fame, wealth and community (but also introduces readers to the hilarious character J.D., the Pawn Shop Guy).

After Oceanak creates an outline, Spanjer goes to work illustrating the 160 pages committed to each book. She tries to make her illustrations rough enough that it would be believable that a 10-yearold kid was keeping such a journal, Spanjer says, and adds details to her covers like authentic apple produce stickers, Dum Dums sucker wrappers and wrinkled patches of duct tape so real-looking that readers want to reach out to smooth them.

Then, in a back-and-forth drafting process, author and illustrator add more and more content until each book has not only a ton of silliness and a strong plot, says Oceanak, but also deeper meaning and the kind of substance the series is known for.

“If our goal is to get and keep kids reading every day, we need to create books they enjoy,” Oceanak emphasizes. “In a 2007 study by the National Endowment for the Arts, researchers found that the highest reading scores on standardized tests correlated with the frequency of reading for fun. For fun.”

“One mother told us, ‘You saved my son’s life,’” recounts Spanjer, her voice still tinged with awe.

The woman’s son, a fourth-grader, hated to read and she worried for her son’s survival in the school years ahead. But when the boy discovered the Aldo Zelnick books, he started to love reading, Spanjer reports.

“We hear that all the time,” Oceanak concludes. “How a child would not read until an Aldo Zelnick book was put in his or her hands for the first time. How a child was more or less turned into a reader with a single book.” She pauses. “We love that.”

Christine Goold is a freelance writer from Durango. Recently retired from over 20 years of teaching English and writing at Fort Lewis College, she is working on a mystery novel series.

Learn more about Aldo’s world and how to host a boys-only book club at www.coloradocountrylife. coop. Look for the bonus articles that accompany this expanded cover story. Also visit Contests at www.coloradocountrylife.coop to find out how to win the first four Aldo Zelnick books.

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MARCH 2015

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[recipes]

Mix in Mediterranean Moxie

Make your heart and taste buds happy with exotic foods

BY AMY HIGGINS || AHIGGINS@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

Write on!

You’re not doing

yourself any favors if your cookbooks look pristine. We all tweak recipes to better suit our

V

Variations of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, herbs and spices are what give Mediterranean dishes piquancy.

In addition to the amazing flavor, a Mediterranean diet can help a person reduce the risk of heart disease, according to research. If you’re more of a meat-and-potatoes person and never tried a Mediterranean dish, take a chance and give one of these recipes a shot. You just might find one that fits nicely in your menu rotation.

tastes, so write your changes in your cookbook for future reference.

Orange, Mint and Onion Salad 3 navel oranges 1/2 sweet yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn 1/4 cup black olives, oil cured pitted Vinaigrette 1/3 cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup canola oil

Absorb the Flavor Chopping herbs when they’re wet can turn them to mush. After rinsing, shake off excess water and place them on a towel to dry completely.

For salad, cut top and bottom off each orange so it sits flat on cutting surface. Remove peel and pith (white part) by taking sharp knife and running it down sides of orange from top to bottom, following shape of each orange. Slice oranges into rounds. Arrange slices, overlapping each one slightly, on large platter.

Scatter onion, mint and olives over oranges.

For vinaigrette, whisk vinegar with honey, mustard, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add oil while whisking constantly, until well combined.

Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and serve immediately.

Mediterranean Chicken Pitas 1 (10-ounce) can chicken breast, drained and flaked 1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained 1/4 cup Greek yogurt 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill 2 whole wheat pitas 4 lettuce leaves In large bowl combine chicken, cucumber, red bell pepper, green chilies, yogurt and dill; toss to mix well. Cut each pita in half horizontally; carefully open each pita half. Fill each half with a lettuce leaf and a quarter of chicken mixture.

Source: CMI

Source: Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee and the National Onion Association

Check Recipes at coloradocountrylife.coop and find more fantastic Mediterranean recipes.

Also visit pinterest.com/cocountrylife for the Kitchen Creations board and our Fun With Food board.

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[gardening]

The (Crab) Apple (Tree) of My Eye April’s Arbor Day is the next best time to plant a new tree

BY KRISTEN HANNUM || GARDENING@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

T

There’s something ancient involved in our love of trees, something so comforting and beloved about their profile against the sky and their sheltering branches. Call me a tree hugger, but I don’t think the human instinct to love trees can be denied.

Festoon their branches with spring’s flowers and it’s almost too much for my winter weary heart to bear.

On the East Coast, cherry trees announce spring’s beginning, but here in Colorado we have glorious crab apples, with their clouds of pink blossoms that drift down like enormous pink snowflakes in our stiff spring breezes.

“I don’t think you can beat the color,” says Dan Komlo, partner and landscape manager at Bookcliff Gardens, a garden center and landscape service in Grand Junction.

Crab apples are a great choice for Colorado gardeners, especially crab apples that bear persistent fruit, which means there’s less mess.

It does depend on the site, but Komlo also favors bur oaks, hawthorns and locusts as good choices for deciduous trees.

Sadly, he advises homeowners may want to stay away from ash

trees because of the despicable, invasive emerald ash borer, first reported in Colorado in September 2013.

What makes a place right for a tree has to do with both design and environment. “We’re always trying to mate the proper tree to the proper location,” Komlo says. “And we’re always concerned about water issues with trees, particularly when they’re young.”

That doesn’t mean that you can’t have a tree if you Xeriscape.

Drip irrigation and tender care gives a little tree a good start and then its roots will tap down or out and, as Komlo puts it, they’ll outgrow the usefulness of that irrigation system. Then they’ll find water on their own except during spells of drought or especially dry winters.

It’s always preferable to plant native species, which gives Colorado gardeners a plethora of evergreen trees: white and corkbark firs; Engelmann and Colorado spruces; lodgepole, limber, ponderosa, southwestern white, pinyon and bristlecone pines; Douglas firs; and all those various junipers.

There are fewer deciduous trees to choose from if you want to go native. Canyon maples, which thrive up to about 7,500 feet and are also known as The Wasatch or bigtooth maple, are native, as are Chinese say thinleaf alders and Rocky Mountain birch.

And then there are the cottonwoods. Cotthat the tonwoods define the West, yet people love best time to hate them. Me? You can count me as a cottonwood lover, not a hater. Cottonwoods to plant a harbor an astonishing variety of songbirds tree is 20 and other wildlife. A few years back, we years ago. walked nearly every day to watch a nest full of great horned owls in a majestic cottonwood near the High Line Canal in Arapahoe County. Call me crazy, but I even love the magical snowy fluff cottonwoods produce for a couple weeks in late spring.

The Chinese say that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is now. As the folks at the Arbor Day Foundation say, planting a tree is an act of optimism and a gift to the future.

Arbor Day comes on April 24 this year.

I’m planting the right tree, a crab apple, in the right place to celebrate.

Read

previous gardening columns at coloradocountrylife.coop. Search for Gardening. Kristen Hannum is a native Colorado gardener. Email or write her with wisdom or comments at gardening@coloradocountrylife.org.

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[outdoors]

Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing, Baby Different names for look-alike fly patterns cause confusion

BY DENNIS SMITH

Do You Want More of Colorado Country Life?

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Keep in touch

F

Fly-fishing is confusing enough. So I don’t get why many fly tiers, vendors, shop owners and outfitters make it even more confusing by arbitrarily assigning catchy new names to slightly-altered old fly patterns and then marketing them as if they were the latest and greatest, must-have creations.

There are no industrywide standards for naming fly patterns, so fly tiers and suppliers are free to tag a fly with whatever clever label they choose and then foist it off as some brand-new, razzle-dazzle killing pattern, when in all probability, it’s just an old standard tied with a different tail, rib or body material or new hook.

Case in point: On a vendor’s website, a fly recently advertised as a brand new partridge and olive emerger turned out to be the venerable hare’s ear soft hackle tied on a short-shanked grub hook with olive-dyed rabbit fur and copper wire ribbing instead of the natural rabbit fur and gold wire used on the old classic. It’s a good-looking fly and no doubt effective, but it’s still just a modified hare’s ear soft hackle. That’s what it should be called, don’t you think?

Equally confusing to me is that a single fly can be known by several different names depending on where you find it.

For example, what might be called a bionic midge in one fly shop could be called a disco midge in another, a crystal chironomid in another and the flash dancer in yet another. Why do they do that? It’s all the same fly. Grrr.

Fly shop owners who recommend store-specific fly patterns (or house flies, as I call them) on their website fishing reports and fail to mention they can only be purchased at their stores just add to

the confusion. You can’t blame them for plugging their own products, of course, but it’s frustrating to anglers who may find themselves running from shop to shop in Colorado looking for a one-eyed flying purple people eater only to find out no one’s ever heard of the darn thing except the shop owner in Montana who’s selling it.

To be fair, there are a number of extremely innovative fly designers out there producing genuinely original fly patterns and they deserve to be recognized

This Skykomish Sunrise, named for its pretty colors, mimics absolutely nothing in the natural world but catches fish like mad. Go figure.

for their talents. They trademark their creations, license professional fly tiers or jobbers to market them and then collect royalties on the sales.

Not all flies are tied to imitate aquatic insects either. They might mimic minnows, frogs, leeches, snails, mice or, sometimes, nothing at all. To further complicate matters, a fly can be tied to replicate any of the several different life stages of a single aquatic insect: its nymph or pupal stage, its emergent or actively hatching stage, a fully hatched adult or even a dead or dying one. All have tricky names, some of which have nothing to do with the bug itself, but they just sound good to the designers. Fly fishermen eagerly embrace all this nonsense, but a lot of folks just use worms. It’s a lot less confusing.

Miss an issue? Catch up at coloradocountrylife.coop. Search for Outdoors.

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&

Bring this Magazine to Life

1

Download our new App on your smartphone or tablet from Google Play or the App store

2

Open the Colorado Country Life Extras App. Look for pages with this icon

3

Scan the page and enjoy the exciting and new interactive content. Find the contest entry form and enter to win a GoPro Kathleen Darlington of Cortez won the Samsung tablet given away in March.

NEW CONTEST

Contest rules at coloradocountrylife.coop Winner will be drawn

June 15

No Tablet or Smartphone? *** Contest rules at coloradocountrylife.coop

Wishing you could scan the magazine pages and bring them to life?

Then enter to

WIN

***

an iPad Mini Send your name, address and phone number via the U.S. mail to: iPad Contest Colorado Country Life • 5400 Washington St. Denver, CO 80216 One entry per month will be accepted. Drawing will be June 15.

Darlene Weis of Holyoke won the March drawing for an iPad Mini.

coloradocountrylife.coop

TIRED DOOR TIPS

BY JAMES DULLEY

How can I improve the efficiency of my older doors?

W

When leaky doors create drafts, people tend to set the furnace thermostat higher.

This wastes energy. Often with wood doors, especially ones with compression weatherstripping, the main problem is simply the latch plate is not holding the door closed tightly against the weatherstripping.

One solution is to reposition the latch plate. This will require filling in the old screw holes and drilling new ones. Chisel away some of the wood in the recess for the latch plate. Another option is to install an adjustable latch plate.

You may want to reposition it for summer and winter as the door and frame expand and contract from seasonal temperatures.

Check the condition of Replaceable vinyl weatherthe hinges and stripping seals well on the hinge side of the door replace them because it gets compressed if needed. If with little rubbing and wear. the hinges and pins are worn, the door will not hang square in the opening and, therefore, will not seal properly. There are many different sizes of hinges, so take an old one along to the store and get an exact match.

Don’t just buy the cheapest ones; there are many to choose from and quality varies.

Try adjusting the floor threshold higher.

There are several height adjustment screws across the threshold, but after years of use they may be filled in with dirt.

Poke around to find them. If the seal on the bottom of the doors against the floor threshold is bad, there are many generic replacement seals you can install.

Photo courtesy Pemko Manufacturing

WIN A GoPro

[energy tips]

Learn more about tired old doors at colorado countrylife.coop. Look under the Energy tab for Energy Tips.

APRIL 2015

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[marketplace]

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[marketplace]

Spring into action — advertise in MarketPlace Watch your products take root.

Call Kris for more information 303-902-7276

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[classifieds] TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD Please type or print your ad on a separate paper. Indicate how many months you would like your ad to run and which month to start. There is a minimum of 12 words at $1.63 per word/ month. Be sure to include your full name and address for our records. Check MUST accompany this order or call to pay by credit card. Send your ad before the 10th of the month to: mail: Colorado Country Life

5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 phone: 303.902.7276 fax: 303.455.2807 email: classifieds@coloradocountrylife.org

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BOOKS/CDs/DVDs CHANT OF A CHAMPION: Auctioneering DVD from World and International Champion Auctioneer John Korrey. Let John show you how to improve all aspects of your auctioneering chant. Order online at www.chantofachampion.com (210-07-15) THE MINER’S CAP, vivid retelling of the 1914 Ludlow Massacre.

Appropriate for both young readers and adults. Availability: bookstores, museum shops, libraries, and online.

(199-04-15)

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$ SIMPLE SYSTEM TO CREATE WEALTH $ Visit http://www. morningstar3777.com. Dial 719-4177000. Listen. (224-08-15)

CLOCK REPAIR & RESTORATION www.clockrepairandrestoration. com DURANGO AREA. CLOCKS of all kinds repaired. Antique and modern. Clocks bought and sold. bob.scott@usa.net Call Robert 970-247-7729, (109-04-15)

EVENTS Ignacio FFA holding Rocky Mountain Oyster/Catfish Fry & Dance, Saturday, May 9, Spring Creek Hall, Ignacio, Colorado.

All you can eat Rocky Mountain Oysters or Catfish, 5:30pm.

Pie auction!!! Dance to Tyller Gummersall, 8pm. Adults $15, 10 & under $10. Dance only, $5/person.

(231-05-15)

FOR SALE DIGITAL HOME THEATRE – 600 watts, 4 surround speakers, 2 center speakers, 1-970-412-5356. (228-04-15) GRASSFED YAK AND BISON meat for sale. Delicious and nutritious.

Delivery available. Quarter, half, or whole. 720-256-3364. (029-04-15) MOSS ROCK, Colorado – 150 pallets of Veneer Moss Rock. Reddish brown, lots of moss. All sizes. Near Weston Co. Call Paul for details, 720-379-8289 (215-04-15)

FOR SALE

REAL ESTATE

RENTALS

OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS — $380 with warranty. Also sell portable concentrators and oxygen supplies. Repair and service of equipment. Aspen Concentrator Repair Service 719-471-9895 (04004-15)

½ ACRE LOT FOR SALE Crestone, CO $12,600. High up in Baca Grande Subdivision Chalet 1. Spectacular mountain and valley views await from this very special piece of property. Tap fees are paid.

Contact owners at clarityjoy7227@ gmail.com (218-04-15)

COLORADO SPRINGS 80925 – 5 acres, 5 bedrooms. Horses OK. $1450. Call 719-390-0457. (229-04-15)

RUSTIC COLORADO WOODS — Sawmill, logs, woodcrafts.

Black Forest – Westcliffe. www. greenleafforestry.com. 719-2357876, 719-429-4404 (219-07-15)

FREE FREE BOOKS/DVDS. Soon the “Mark of the Beast” will be enforced as Church and State unite!

Let the Bible reveal. The Bible Says, POB 99, Lenoir City, TN 37771. thebiblesaystruth@yahoo.com 888-211-1715. (814-04-15)

HELP WANTED LEGITIMATE WORK AT HOME opportunity. No sales, investment, risk. Training/website provided.

Monthly income plus bonuses, benefits. Call Carrie 303-579-4207, www.workathomeunited.com/ ourabundance (932-05+15)

MACHINERY & PARTS www.sawmillexchange.com SAWMILL EXCHANGE: North America’s largest source of used portable sawmills and commercial equipment for woodlot owners and sawmill operations. Over 800 listings. THE place to sell equipment. 800-459-2148. (26709-15)

MISCELLANEOUS COFFINS: Individually handcrafted of solid wood. Designed to return to earth naturally. Call 505-2869410 for brochure or visit www. theoldpinebox.com (220-07-15)

2 ACRES, BEAUTIFUL VIEW, lots in southeast Arizona. Water, gas, electricity available. 928-359-2251 (203-05-15) 35 ACRES, Huerfano County. Great views of Spanish Peaks. Will sell or trade for land in Weld County.

OWC. 303-883-4835 (209-06-15) 40 ACRES, 15 miles west of Walsenburg, CO on CR520. Fenced.

Prime grazing. Small 2bd recently upgraded trailer on property with tenant. 8-10 gal./min. domestic well. $89,500. Serious offers considered. 719-251-1131, 719-9890850, 719-738-3500. (207-04-15) BAYFIELD / VALLECITO – Beautiful mountain retreat, 4bd, 3ba, approximately 3436sf on 1.2 acres, well water, septic, 5 minutes from Vallecito Lake. $467,900.

970-884-9324. Can be seen at HouseForSaleByOwner.com ID# 23024900 (163-08-15) BEAUTIFUL 30 ACRES in SW Colorado: Canyon, pond, live stream, irrigated pasture. Large 3bd, 2ba home, garage, outbuildings.

Deck overlooks canyon. C21 WSR, Joyce Bowles, 970-560-1650. (23004-15)

DEBT RELIEF for Seniors — Nonprofit 888-779-4272 www. careconnectusa.org. (213-04-15)

OWN PROPERTY? NEED INCOME? We’ll rent exclusive hunting rights from you. Looking for antelope, goose, duck, coyote, & prairie dog habitat. Encourage young sportsmen by providing safe, private access. You make the rules.

303-460-0273 (069-04-15)

POULTRY & GAMEBIRDS

RELIGION

FREE COLOR CATALOG. 193 varieties, Cornish Cross, standard breeds, fancy chicks, ducks, geese, turkeys, bantams, guineas, pheasants, quail, supplies, video.

417-532-4581. PO Box 529, Lebanon, MO 65536. www.CackleHatchery. com. (876-08-15)

BECOME AN ORDAINED Minister by correspondence study. Founded in 1988. Free info. Ministers for Christ Outreach, 7558 West Thunderbird Rd, Ste 1 - #114, Peoria, AZ 85381. http://www.ordination.org (44106-15)

“In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.”

TICKETS NFR & PBR RODEO TICKETS – Las Vegas. Call 1-888-NFR-Rodeo (1888-637-7633). www.NFR-rodeo. com A+ rated BBB Member. (91201-16)

VACATIONS 2015 RIVER CRUISES: US *** Europe.

Call for information. Booking now. Bon Voyage, 719-596-7447, joleneowens@hotmail.com (22604-15) CELEBRATE RMNP 100th Birthday, experience Wilderness, Wildlife & Wonder, in Grand Lake, Colorado’s authentic mountain town! Our unique lodging properties are central to lakes, marinas, hiking, horses… and on site: roasting marshmallows, picking herbs & berries, fishing, paddle boating, canoeing. Make memories at Mountain Lakes Lodge and North Shore Resort ! Kitchenettes, private baths, views, fireplaces, WiFi. Pet-friendly! 970-627-8448 www.grandlakelodging.net www. grandlakerentals.net (232-07-15) EUROPE * ALASKA * HAWAII tours and cruises. Book now for best selection. Bon Voyage 719-5967447, joleneowens@hotmail.com (226-04-15)

VACATION RENTAL KAUAI VACATION RENTAL, 2bdr, full kitchen. Minutes from beaches. $600/wk. 808-245-6500; makanacrest.com; kauaiweddings. com. (756-05-15)

WANTED TO BUY NAVAJO RUGS, old and recent, native baskets, pottery. Tribal Rugs, Salida. 719-539-5363, b_inaz@ hotmail.com (817-06-15) OLD COLORADO LIVESTOCK brand books prior to 1975. Call Wes 303757-8553. (889-08-15) OLD COWBOY STUFF–hats, boots, spurs, chaps, Indian rugs, baskets, etc. ANYTHING OLD! Mining & railroad memorabilia, ore carts! We buy whole estates. We’ll come to you! Call 970-759-3455 or 970-5651256. (871-07-15)

— Mark Twain

coloradocountrylife.coop

[funny stories] WANTED TO BUY

WANTED TO BUY

WHAT DID YOU FIND?

OLD GAS AND OIL items: Gas pumps, advertising signs, globes, etc. Pieces, parts, etc. considered.

Also 1932-34 Ford cars and trucks, parts and pieces, too. Any condition. Brandon, 719-250-5721.

(519-11-15)

WANT TO PURCHASE minerals and other oil/gas interests. Send details to: PO Box 13557, Denver, CO 80201.

(402-03-t16)

YOU FOUND THE TREASURE. Send an email with the number of classified ads on pages 28-29 to classifieds@coloradocountrylife. org. Subject line MUST say “Classified Contest.” Include name, mailing address and phone number in email. We’ll draw one name on April 17 from those who enter.

Winner gets a $25 gift card.

OLD MODEL AIRPLANE ENGINES, unbuilt airplane kits. Cash. Will pick up or pay shipping. Don, 970-6693418. (233-07-15) OLD POCKET WATCHES – working or non-working and old repair material. Bob 719-859-4209 watchdoctor@hotmail.com. (87006-15)

WANTED: JEEP CJ OR WRANGLER. Reasonably priced. No rust buckets.

888-735-5337 (099-04-15) WE PAY CASH for minerals and oil/gas interests, producing and nonproducing. 800-733-8122 (09902-16)

FIND HIDDEN TREASURES IN THE CLASSIFIEDS?

The classified ads March winner was John Krizmanich of Howard.

There were 40 ads.

MARCH WINNERS

I work at a fairly professional business, the type of business that requires a résumé with cover letter just to be considered. My boss had me look over some cover letters when I came across one that went like this: “Dear Prospective Employer, I read you needed a Thing. I can TOTALLY Thing. I Thinged for Place and Other Location, and I have additional experience in Activities, Doing and Stuff. Please see my list of Thinging history and give me a call so we can chat about how I can Thing and Stuff for you.

Sincerely, Super Competent Adult” He got the job.

Bryson Barber, Sterling

Read through the ads and FIND the CCL classified explaining how to win a $25 gift card.

It’s easy. You could WIN.

La Plata Electric members Brett and Jill Griffen, Durango, have their magazine along as they visit Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

My parents went away for the weekend, leaving us in Grandma’s care. The weekend was enjoyable for all and upon my parents’ return, my siblings and I were discussing with them the time spent with Grandma.

As we came to a pause in the conversation, my little 6-year-old sister had some input of her own to add and enthusiastically shared, “And she even stopped at all the red and yellow lights!”

Caleb R., age 12, Kiowa

On their way to church service, a Sunday School teacher asked her little children, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”

One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.”

Anonymous

Send us photos of you with —

My 7-year-old grandson, Leo, had a hard time at school. We were happy with the Cs on his report card. When he and the family moved to Iowa, he started earning Bs. I told him I was so happy and I would make cookies for his teacher and the class.

He replied, “Grandma, my teacher already has a wife.”

Lois Perniciaro, Cañon City

Colorado Country Life

We’re Looking for photos of readers and their copy of Colorado Country Life. Got a great picture of you or your family member with the magazine at some fun place? Send it and your name and address to info@coloradocountrylife.org. We’ll post it on our Facebook page and on April 17 we’ll draw a winner from the submissions and send that winner a $25 gift card. coloradocountrylife.coop

We pay $15 to each person who submits a funny story that’s printed in the magazine. At the end of the year we will draw one name from those submitting funny stories and that person will receive $200. Send your 2015 stories to Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or email funnystories@coloradocountrylife.org. Don’t forget to include your mailing address, so we can send you a check.

$15 APRIL 2015

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[discoveries] It’s April, but May is around the corner and so is Mother’s Day. This year, get a jump-start on your Mother’s Day gift buying and find something you know that special lady in your life will flip for. Here are a handful of suggestions to get you started.

Go Ahead and Be Sentimental Moms who display photos of family and friends for everyone to see will go crazy over Artifact Uprising’s wood blocks and prints. The Denver-based company hand makes these charming photo blocks using 100 percent mountain beetle-kill pine sourced from Colorado forests.

Each tree is different, so the wood blocks bear unique markings and a lovely grayish-blue tone. Before you order, choose 12 of mom’s favorite photos and upload them on the company’s website: artifactuprising. com. Those photos will be printed on textured paper to accompany the wood block. Come Mother’s Day, mom will receive something special to show her sentimental side. One wood block plus 12 prints cost $23.99.

If there’s a baking buff in your life, consider buying her Bake Shapes Muffin Toppers.

These clever cooking gizmos make baked muffins look as cute as a button. Just place the batter in the pan, top with the muffin topper molds and bake. Colorado Country Life staff found that these work best for muffins, not for cupcakes. Bake Shapes Muffin Toppers cost $10 on quirky.com.

Buy mom a piece of jewelry as unique as she is this Mother’s Day. Nena, Lia and Sophia Martin, a mother-daughters team, use natural gemstones, freshwater pearls, gold vermeil and sterling silver to create elegant necklaces, bracelets and earrings in their Boulder and Vail studios. Designs are sometimes subtle and other times intricate, but either way Plata Designs will make mom look and feel even more stunning than she already is. Prices range from $28 to $250.

Visit the Plata Jewelry store in Vail or go to platadesigns.com to find out more.

Photos courtesy of Quirky

Do You Know the Muffin Pan?

Pretty in Plata Jewelry

Visit Contest at coloradocountrylife.coop to find out how to win a set of muffin toppers.

Haute Humanitarian

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What do you buy for the mindful mom who would rather give than receive? A gift with a purpose is a good choice. The Base Project’s bracelets are handmade by women and men from the Kunene region of Namibia. Not only are they attractive and beautifully detailed, each bracelet purchased also helps families in this region earn income for school fees, health care and food. Some bracelets are manufactured with discarded plastic water pipe while others are made with brass.

The Base Project urges you to “WEAR YOUR IMPACT.” Bracelet prices range from $22 to $125. Find out more at thebaseproject.com. coloradocountrylife.coop

[discoveries]

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[discoveries]

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