Colorado Country Life Yampa May 2014

May 2014

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365of Days PIKES PEAK

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[contents]

May 2014

Photographer Shaun Daggert shoots Pikes Peak looking east and his son, Jared Daggett, on a distant plateau. Contact Shaun on Facebook at The Pikes Peak Guy or on the web at MyPeak365.com.

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4 Viewpoint

16 Photographic Journey

5 Letters 6 Calendar 7 Co-op News 12 NewsClips 14 Harnessing Hot Water

24 Outdoors 20 Recipes Columnist looks back at 20 years of Try these delicious, healthy options for

CREA represents its member co-ops, their members at the state capitol

22 Gardening

The Pikes Peak Guy photographs 365 day of America’s mountain

on-the-trail snacks

Use an ancient crop-growing method to make gardening fun and fruitful

hunting, fishing, family adventure

25 Energy Tips

Radiant barriers keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter

29 Funny Stories 30 Discoveries

Electric co-ops harness water heaters as energy-conserving batteries

29

1998

year Mountain View Electric Association started its electric resistant water heater program

®

The official publication of the Colorado Rural Electric Association || Volume 45, Number 05

14,115 height of Pikes Peak

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number of years Dennis Smith has contributed to CCL’s Outdoors section

COMMUNICATIONS STAFF: Mona Neeley, CCC, Publisher/Editor@303-455-4111; mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org Donna Wallin, Associate Editor; dwallin@coloradocountrylife.org • Amy Higgins, Editorial Assistant/Writer; ahiggins@coloradocountrylife.org ADVERTISING: Kris Wendtland@303-902-7276, advertising@coloradocountrylife.org; NCM@800-626-1181 OFFICERS: Bill Midcap [Fort Morgan] President; Don Kaufman [Sangre de Cristo] Vice President; Jack Schneider [Poudre Valley] Secretary; Jim Luek [Highline] Treasurer; Kent Singer [CREA] Executive Director BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Bill Patterson [Delta-Montrose]; John Porter [Empire]; Don McClaskey, Tom Walch [Grand Valley]; John Vader [Gunnison]; Jim Lueck [Highline]; Megan Gilman [Holy Cross]; Dan Mills, Tim Power [K.C.]; Jeff Berman [La Plata]; Jeff Hauck [Mountain Parks]; Donna Andersen-Van Ness [Mountain View]; Debbie Rose [San Isabel]; Eleanor Valdez [San Luis Valley]; Dave Alexander, Kevin Ritter [San Miguel]; Randy Phillips [Southeast]; Ginny Buczek [United Power];

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]

2014 Legislative Session

CREA represents its member co-ops, their members at the state capitol

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

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One of the many functions of the Colorado Rural Electric Association is to represent the interests of Colorado’s electric co-ops before the Colorado General Assembly. The legislature meets for 120 days each year and considers approximately 600 bills. CREA reviewed all of those bills to see if they will have any impact on the operations and activities of Colorado’s 22 electric distribution co-ops and one generation and transmission co-op.

We ask two critical questions when we determine whether or not CREA will weigh in on any piece of legislation.

First, we ask: “Will the bill increase the costs of electricity to rural consumers?” The second question is: “Will the bill impact the ability of locally elected co-op boards to make decisions for the co-op?”

If the answer to either of these questions is yes, it’s likely that we will get engaged in the political process as it relates to that piece of legislation. But the way we get involved varies from bill to bill.

Sometimes a bill is so important that we pull out all the stops to have an impact on the outcome of the legislation.

That was the case last year with Senate Bill 13-252, the bill that was introduced late in the 2013 legislative session that doubled the renewable energy requirements for electric co-ops.

The CREA board voted to oppose the bill, and we used every tool at our disposal to defeat it. While the bill passed, we at least made the legislature aware of our concerns and the challenges we now face in implementing some parts of SB 13-252.

Our efforts in relation to SB 13-252, though, were unusual because we normally work with individual legislators and other stakeholders to develop amendments to bills and work out win-win solutions on legislation. Our activities during the 2014 legislative session are much more typical of the work CREA does in the legislative arena.

For example, a bill introduced this year by Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg (HB 14-1216) requires owners of certain types of tall towers to mark those towers so they will be more visible to low-flying aircraft. Given some recent accidents involv-

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ing crop-dusting pilots, Rep. Sonnenberg introduced the bill to enhance public safety. Although the bill as originally introduced applied to a wide variety of utility structures, we worked with Rep. Sonnenberg on an amendment that narrowed its scope but still applied to the towers that are most likely to cause problems.

Another example of a bill we worked on this legislative session is HB 14-1030, a bill that streamlined the permitting requirements for small hydroelectric facilities in Colorado. Electric co-ops So far in 2014 have long been supporters of both large and small hydropower as a carbon-free energy source, and while we supported most of the provisions in the bill, we have been did not support a proposed amendment introduced that would have required co-ops to net

by Colorado’s meter remote hydropower facilities.

General CREA worked with Conservation ColoAssembly rado and other stakeholders to delete this requirement from the bill.

It would have meant co-ops would have to pay the retail rate for power from small hydropower facilities that are not being used to offset the consumption of a co-op member-owner.

The concept of net metering means that individuals can generate their own power to offset their consumption of electricity from their utility.

When electricity is being produced from a facility that is not offsetting the load of a consumer, that is not net metering; we oppose that kind of interference with our exclusive rights to serve our member-owners.

These are just two examples of bills that we worked on during the 2014 legislative session to protect the electric co-op business model and develop solutions that work for both the legislature and our members. The CREA lobbying team works tirelessly to protect the interests of Colorado’s electric co-ops, and I am proud to say that our team is highly respected by both parties in the legislature. We will continue to work on your behalf with the Colorado General Assembly.

593 bills

Kent Singer, Executive Director

[letters] Work With Students Appreciated It was a pleasant surprise to see my students featured in the news section (of the Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association version). These students have been researching how we can be prepared for when natural disasters strike. Teams met with emergency responders and other companies to problem solve issues they encountered while doing their work.

Thank you, Ben Ledington and PVREA for hosting a group of amazing students, providing them with an excellent learning experience and giving me another reason to be proud of my REA.

Jan Nimlo, Zach Elementary, Fort Collins

Tale of Two Views I am fortunate to have two homes, one in Christian County, Missouri, and one in Grand County, which means I am a member of two rural electric cooperatives.

Reading the periodicals from each cooperative reveals an interesting dichotomy.

While both offer social and cultural articles, each cooperative editorializes as well. The political differences are dramatic and revealing.

Colorado Country Life consistently features opinions that promote alternative forms of energy, while Rural Missouri is fixated on one drumbeat advocating for coal. For example, the January 2014 lead editorial in Colorado’s periodical was “Harness the Sun to Benefit All” by Kent Singer, executive director. In contrast, the January 2014 lead editorial in Missouri’s periodical was “Tell the EPA, You Can’t Raise Our Rates!”

The next generation will need to cultivate renewable, sustainable, inexhaustible sources of energy that are clean and that leave the environment uncontaminated.

To those members of the cooperatives with the vision to promote the next generation of fuels, it is important to know the leadership’s bias. Refusing to reject the 20th century carbon infrastructure we inherited is shortsighted. Embracing our transition to the 21st century smart grid infrastructure circulating renewable energy is the real challenge.

Gary Casalo, Ozark, Missouri

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.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop May 2014 5

[calendar]

[May] Through May Loveland Governors Art Show Loveland Art Museum/Gallery 970-962-2410 • governors artshow.org May 7-11 Cortez Birding Festival Cortez Cultural Center 970-565-1151 • cortezcultural center.org May 10 Beulah Spring Wildflower Hike Mountain Park Environmental Center 10 am • hikeandlearn.org May 10-11 Fort Collins Spring Plant Sale Gardens on Spring Creek 970-416-2486 • fcgov.com/ gardens May 15-18 Las Animas Bent on Birding/Heritage Fest Various Bent County Locations 719-456-1296 • bentonbirding @yahoo.com May 16-17 Elizabeth Open Air Market The Carriage Shoppes 8 am-3 pm • 303-646-4672 May 16-18 Grand Junction Llama Show Mesa County Fairgrounds 9 am-3 pm • cajwdj@aol.com May 16 La Junta Wine Tasting Social Event Otero Museum 5:30-7:30 pm • 719-384-7500 May 17 Mancos Mancos Cowboy Half Marathon Boyle Park cowboyhalfmarathon.com

May 17 Westcliffe Military Veterans Appreciation Day A Painted View Ranch 10:30 am • apaintedview.com May 20 Denver “Colorado Mail Stories” Lecture History Colorado Center 1 and 7 pm • 303-866-2394 May 22 Durango Local Nurseries Tour Various Durango Locations 4-7:30 pm • durango botanicalsociety.com May 23-26 Pagosa Springs Local Appreciation Days Chimney Rock National Monument chimneyrockco.org/calendar. php May 24 Antonito Opening Day Ceremony Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad 9 am • 888-286-2737 May 24 Georgetown Opening Day and Anniversary Celebration Hotel de Paris Museum hoteldeparismuseum.org May 24 Grand Lake Opening Day Kauffman House Museum 11 am-5 pm • grandlake history.org May 24 La Veta Opening Day Celebration Francisco Fort Museum 719-742-5501 • franciscofort. org May 25 Collbran Walk/Run & Individual Butterfly Release Collbran Rodeo Grounds 9:30 am-3:30 pm • 970-2505188

Capture our extra layer of content on this page. See page 2 for instructions on how to enhance your reading experience or visit our website calendar.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 6 May 2014

May 26 Howard Pancake Breakfast Howard Fire Station 7:30-10:30 am • 719-942-4213 May 30 Keystone “An Evening of Laughter” Comedy Show & Auction Warren Station 6 pm • 970-668-8444 May 31 Aguilar Opening Day Celebration Apishapa Valley Heritage Center 10 am-2 pm • 719-941-4678 May 31 Colorado Springs The Great Bicycle Carnival Bear Creek Park 8 am-5 pm • 719-355-3573 May 31 Littleton May Bird Walk Hudson Gardens 8-11 am • 303-797-8565 x 306 May 31 Manitou Springs Wine Festival Memorial Park 11 am-6 pm • 719-685-5089 May 31 Summit County Tree Planting Day Various Towns in Summit County 970-668-8444 • bristle conefoundation.org May 31 Swink Barn Dance Swink Sugar Factory 8 pm-12 am • 719-469-0872

[ June] June 5-7 Cortez Ute Mountain Roundup Rodeo Montezuma County Fairgrounds utemountainroundup.org June 5 Durango First Thursdays Art Walk Downtown Durango 5-7 pm • durangoarts.org June 6 Buena Vista Friday Wine Share Casa del Rio Clubhouse 6-7:30 pm • 719-395-4884 June 6-8 Durango Animas River Days Various Durango Locations animasriverdays.org June 6 Pueblo Central Plaza Ribbon Cutting/Grand Opening Pueblo Arts Alliance 855-543-2340 • puebloarts.org June 7-8 Colorado Springs Relay For Life of Falcon/Peyton Sand Creek High School 2 pm-8 am • 719-630-4978 June 7-8 Howard Chili Cook-Off Howard Fire Station 9 am • 719-942-4213 June 7 Lake City Lake San Cristobal 5K/10K Race Silver Street Boardwalk 9 am • lsc10k.com

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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.

YAMPA VALLEY ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION INC.

[YVEA News] [what’s inside] n YVEA’s Balance and Stewardship n Tamper Resistant Receptacles n May Electrical Safety Month n Cooperative Principle 5

YVEA will be closed Monday, May 26, for Memorial Day. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS OFFICE P.O. Box 771218 Steamboat Springs, CO 80477-1218 CRAIG OFFICE P.O. Box 217 Craig, CO 81626 STEAMBOAT SPRINGS ADDRESS 32 10th St. Steamboat Springs, CO 80487 CRAIG ADDRESS 3715 E. US Highway 40 Craig, CO 81625 970-879-1160 [Steamboat Springs] 970-824-6593 [Craig] www.yvea.com [web] BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dean Brosious [chairman] Patrick McClelland [vice chairman] Mike Brinks Larry Ellgen Tom Fox Russell Garrity Scott McGill Frank Roitsch Glynda Sheehan STAFF Diane Johnson [general manager] Robert L. Miller [manager of finance] Steve Johnson [manager of operations] Melissa Watson [manager of member services] Lisa Myers [manager of human resources] facebook.com/YampaValleyElectricAssociation twitter.com/YampaValleyElec

An Energy Mix We Can Be Proud Of

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

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While the prices of so many working toward the second rethings we buy have climbed quirement in the law: 1% of our steadily over the years, electricgeneration must come from ity is still one of the best values renewable, distributed generaout there. That’s comforting tion sources. Projects like the to know, because electricity Community Solar Garden will is essential to energizing our help move us toward meeting lives and keeping us connected this requirement. more than ever before.

YVEA members who want to Diane Johnson These days, there’s more to be even “greener” can purchase electric service than just price. a 100 kilowatt-hour (kWh) Many members expect YVEA to be good block of renewable energy for only $0.60 stewards of the environment and, specifiper block. The green power purchase will cally, utilize renewable generation sources show up on your monthly bill as an itemwhen possible. ized charge and you can sign up at any YVEA works closely with our wholesale power providers, Xcel YVEA buys 95 percent Energy and the Western Area of its power from Xcel Power Administration (WAPA), to maximize the amount of renewable Energy and 5 percent energy that we buy. YVEA buys from WAPA. 95% of our power from Xcel Energy and 5% from the WAPA. WAPA’s energy is generated from hydroelectricity. time by simply calling YVEA. Xcel Energy is a leader among indepenYampa Valley Electric Association serves dently owned utilities (IOUs) in the area very diverse members who don’t always of renewable energy. Their current mix of share the same values and goals. We realgeneration includes 17% renewables. As a ize that not all members support having member of YVEA, this renewable energy is renewable energy as part of the Associapassed on to you. tion’s energy mix. Therefore, YVEA takes Xcel Energy’s portfolio of renewable a moderate and reasonable approach to energy resources includes wind, solar, meeting regulations and offering those biomass and hydroelectric power that is members who do want a varied fuel mix both produced at its facilities and bought choice. from suppliers under power-purchase The Association was founded by people agreements. who came together to create a better fuColorado State law requires YVEA to ture. As members, we still share that goal ensure that 10% of our power output and I’m confident we will find balanced comes from renewable sources by 2020. solutions that reflect the innovative, indeWe already meet this standard and are pendent spirit of Northwest Colorado.

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[YVEA News]

Co-ops Strive for BALANCE and STEWARDSHIP

BY REED KARAIM

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Electric cooperatives have been good environmental stewards since their beginnings, living up to the co-op principle of “Commitment to Community.” After all, the first electric co-ops were primarily in rural areas, serving members who largely made their living off the land.

Those members knew the value of clean air, soil and water, and today’s electric co-ops continue to honor that heritage. In just the last decade, power supply cooperatives have invested more than $3.4 billion to reduce emissions and boost efficiency. They are planning billions of dollars more in further upgrades.

Cooperatives have always balanced investments in efficiency and the environment with the need to control costs for members. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering a series of new environmental standards for coal power plants that potentially could have a devastating impact on the ability of electric cooperatives to provide their members with affordable and reliable electricity.

The federal agency is tightening a number of regulations that limit power plant emissions.

Complying with all these standards could cost power generation cooperatives millions of dollars. “The most pressing issue and the one that could have the biggest impact on us is the proposed rule that will come out this June on carbon dioxide emissions for existing power plants,” says Kirk Johnson, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association senior vice president of government relations.

Cooperatives are more dependent on coal-fired generation than the rest of the industry. The reason lies in the tumultuous decade of the 1970s.

Electric co-ops and coal Oil embargoes, gas lines, soaring prices and shortfalls. For much of the 1970s, the nation was caught up in a complicated energy crisis that involved disruptions in Middle Eastern oil supplies and a conviction the world was running out of oil and natural gas.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter called on the United States to “shift to plentiful coal” to meet its growing energy needs. A year later, Congress went further, passing the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act to block the use of natural gas or oil to generate electricity.

Electric cooperatives stepped up to meet the challenge, adding 15,600 megawatts of coal-based capacity during the natural gas ban.

“That’s when we built 70 percent of our coal generation, during the period leading up to and during the fuel use act,” says John Novak, NRECA executive director of environmental issues. “We built these units when there was a need to build them and when the policy of the federal government was that coal was a domestic fuel source we should be using.”

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Coal-fired plants like this help the nation meet its energy needs, especially during times of crisis.

The Fuel Use Act was repealed in 1987, but co-op efforts to help the nation meet its energy needs during a time of crisis have had longterm consequences. About 70 percent of the power generated by co-ops comes from coal plants, compared to about 37 percent for the industry overall, according to Novak.

He says these coal-fired units still have many years of effective life and that generation and transmission cooperatives have already invested significantly to meet EPA regulations. Coupled with the other rules now being considered by the EPA, the rule on carbon dioxide emissions could be the “straw that breaks the camel’s back,” says Novak, making the continued operation of some plants financially unfeasible. If complying with the standard proves too costly, it may make more economic sense to shutter some units rather than spend millions to comply.

Cooperatives believe environmental regulation needs to be balanced with a realistic assessment of costs and benefits. The situation is particularly critical with regard to carbon dioxide emissions. “We’re asking the EPA to recognize the unique circumstances of not-for-profit electric cooperatives and to work with us to come up with a fair solution that allows us to continue to provide affordable and reliable power to our members,” Novak says.

Pursuing a responsible energy future The EPA moved to regulate carbon dioxide after the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the agency had authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. But many analysts believe the act was never intended to regulate carbon dioxide. It was enacted to

[YVEA News] fight because Congress is so divided,” Johnson address problems with smog and acid rain for Cooperatives believe says. which proven solutions existed. No commerElectric cooperatives, however, continue cially viable technology yet exists for removing environmental regulation to lobby for reasonable solutions to EPA carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. needs to be balanced with concerns. For example, John Cassady, senior Still, some environmental groups have been principal for legislative advocacy at NRECA, pressing the EPA for regulations that would a realistic assessment of says co-ops have been working with a broadmandate a 25 percent reduction in carbon based coalition to find an effective legislative emissions, which would require either closing costs and benefits approach to coal ash disposal. The legislation plants or severely curtailing their operations. has received bipartisan support in the House, NRECA believes this approach exceeds the but faces a difficult road in the Senate. “We’re continuing to work with intent of the Clean Air Act. our membership to try and spread the message among policy-makers,” “Some groups are pushing the EPA to go beyond the black-andCassady says. white letter of the law and require emission reductions that can’t Congress may be paralyzed, but electric cooperatives aren’t. Co-op be achieved with today’s technology,” Johnson says. “We don’t think representatives, along with NRECA staff, have met with EPA officials to that’s allowed by the law, and it will cause costs to skyrocket.” make their case. Co-ops also continue to work on upgrades and new The EPA’s effort to expand regulatory control of power plant emistechnologies to make their plants even cleaner while still providing the sions and other operations comes at a time when Congress has been service the public expects. unable to agree on legislation to address the same issues. Capitol Hill “Our folks are engaged in all kinds of activities to improve the efobservers note the EPA took a more active role on greenhouse gases ficiency and environmental performance of our power plants across after Congress failed to pass a “cap and trade” program that would the board,” Johnson says. “They’re very serious about finding solutions have curtailed the emissions. that are affordable for members.”

More recent bills have been introduced to limit the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

“Any legislation whatsoever, whether it’s to strengthen or weaken the Reed Karaim writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National requirements, or do something in between, faces a very strong uphill Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Defining Tamper Resistant Receptacles

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What are tamper resistant receptacles? They may look like standard outlets, but tamper resistant receptacles are different. Their most distinguishable feature, a built-in shutter system that prevents foreign objects from being inserted, sets them apart. Only a plug that applies simultaneous, equal pressure to both slots will disengage the cover plates, allowing access to the contact points. Without this synchronized pressure, the cover plates remain closed.

While children’s curiosity knows no boundaries, it can sometimes put them in peril, especially when electricity is involved. Located in practically every room of the house, electrical outlets and receptacles are fixtures, but they also represent potential hazards for children.

In recent years, more homeowners have been equipping their electrical outlets with TRRs, but in many public facilities, such as hospital pediatric wards, these safeguards have been required for more than 20 years. Their efficiency also prompted the National Electrical Code to make TRRs standard in all new home construction. Existing homes can be easily retrofitted with TRRs using the same installation guidelines that apply to standard receptacles. TRRs should only be installed by a licensed electrician and should carry a label from a nationally recognized, independent testing lab, such as UL, ETL or CSA.

TRRs by the numbers

• E ach year 2,400 children suffer severe shock and burns resulting from inserting objects into the slots of electrical receptacles. That computes to nearly seven children per day.

• It is estimated that six to 12 child fatalities result from children tampering with electrical receptacles.

• Existing homes can be retrofitted with TRRs for as little as $2 per outlet.

For more information on TRRs, visit ESFI.org.

BE AWARE It’s busy on farms and ranches this time of year, but don’t overlook safety while in a rush. Dozens of ag workers are killed by electrocution each year when farm machines make contact with overhead power lines.

Take note of electrical lines when moving equipment, like portable grain augers and combines. Make sure everyone who works on the farm knows the location of power lines and keeps farm equipment at least 10 feet away. For more information, visit SafeElectricity.org.

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[YVEA News] May Is National Electrical Safety Month

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From flipping a light switch to plugging in a phone charger, we use electricity every day and we often take it for granted. May is National Electrical Safety Month, so take the time learn more about electricity and steps that can be taken to help ensure its safe use.

In 2011, the National Fire Protection Association reported an estimated 47,700 home structure fires in the United States due to some form of electrical failure or malfunction, resulting in 418 civilian deaths, 1,570 injuries and $1.4 billion in damage.

Safe Electricity provides steps you can take to protect yourself and loved ones, both indoors and out: •C heck outlets for loose-fitting plugs. Replace missing or broken wall plates so wiring and components are not exposed. If you have young children at home, install tamper resistant outlets or cover unused outlets with plastic safety caps.

• Never force plugs into outlets.

•D o not remove the grounding pin (third prong) to make a plug fit a two-prong outlet.

• Avoid overloading outlets with adapters and too many appliance plugs.

•M ake sure cords are not frayed or cracked, placed under carpets or rugs or located in high-traffic areas.

• Do not nail or staple electrical cords to walls, floors or other objects.

•U se extension cords only on a temporary basis, not as permanent household wiring.

•M ake sure outlets in the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, workshop, basement and garage are equipped with ground fault circuit interrupters. Test them monthly.

• I f an appliance repeatedly blows a fuse, trips a circuit breaker or has given you an electrical shock, immediately unplug it and have it repaired or replaced.

• I f there are electrical issues in your home, make sure to call a professional to make the repairs.

•T each children to stay away from electric utility equipment. Never enter a substation, do not play on pad-mounted transformers and fly kites safely away from overhead power lines.

• If power lines are down or sagging, stay away, warn others to stay away and call the utility.

• W hen working outside, keep yourself and equipment at least 10 feet away from power lines and service connections.

• A lways look up for power lines before using long tools, such as pruning poles and ladders.

• W hen trimming trees, be aware that broken or dislodged branches may have also become tangled in overhead electric lines or may have pushed the wire closer to the ground.

• Do not use electric yard tools if it is raining or the ground is wet.

Cooperative Principle 5: Education, Information and Training

YVEA’s BRIGHT STARS FOR SAFETY CONTEST

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To recognize Electrical Safety Awareness month, YVEA challenged its territory schools to compete in YVEA’s Bright Stars for Safety contest. Each class received a “Super Energy Saver” lesson kit. The contest deadline was April 30, 2014. After all of the entries are judged, each student will receive a prize for participation and one student from each class will be chosen to receive a backpack and a $25 gift certificate. The overall winner will be featured in the local newspapers, and all the class winners will be featured on YVEA’s Facebook page at facebook.com/YampaValley Electric Association. Taking time to learn about electricity and steps that can be taken to help ensure its safe use is important. For information on electrical safety please visit YVEA’s website at yvea.com/content/residential-energy-survey.

For more information on how to prevent electrical hazards, visit SafeElectricity.org.

Correction There was an error in the April issue of our newsletter announcement in the election article. A nomination for director may be made only by written petition signed by at least 15 members of the association. The last day for candidates to submit verified member signatures to qualify for the 2014 ballot is 5 p.m. on Monday, May 12, 2014. Candidates can pick up petition forms at either YVEA office to begin circulating petitions for member signatures to establish candidacy.

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May 11 is Mother’s Day

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[newsclips]

How Much Electricity Does it Take to Keep Us Mobile?

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More and more people are buying additional mobile electronics today. Just about everyone has a cell phone. Now many people have added an MP3 player or iPod and maybe a Kindle or an electronic tablet of some kind.

Each of these devices consume a relatively small amount of electricity when it is charging. In fact, it takes less than $1.50 a year to provide the estimated 11.9 kilowatt-hours of electricity an iPad 3 needs on an annual basis, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. It takes less than 50¢ a year to keep an iPhone charged.

But when you multiply these amounts times the tens of millions of these devices that are now being used, it adds up. According to an EPRI study, the 67 million iPads alone that had been sold worldwide at the time of the study use an estimated 590 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Annual Energy Outlook for 2011 projected about a 0.7 percent increase in electricity consump-

tion by various household devices each year. It also projected that, by 2035, mobile devices would consume more electricity collectively than major appliances, such as clothes washers and refrigerators. Supporting this prediction is the EPRI study that showed that in March 2012, the annual energy consumption of the three iPad models on the market was comparable to the energy used by 3,000 U.S. homes.

So, while some people are conserving electricity at home, using more efficient lightbulbs, adding insulation and buying more energy-efficient appliances, their efforts to cut electricity use are being counterbalanced by more and more mobile devices that must be charged with electricity to keep everyone mobile.

EPRI is an independent, nonprofit organization that conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity.

Cooperatives Seek to Honor Rural Electrification Leader

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It is quite likely that electricity enjoyed today throughout rural Colorado and the rural United States would not have happened as quickly as it did without the leadership of Sen. George W. Norris. The electric co-ops he helped make possible are now working to honor Sen. Norris’ contribution to rural America.

Born in 1861 in rural Nebraska, Norris served in the U.S. Senate for 30 years. One of his greatest accomplishments was the planning of the Tennessee Valley Authority, which provided flood control and created electricity in the region of the Tennessee River. The TVA became a forerunner of the Rural Electrification Act, which was also championed by Norris.

“Electrification of rural America was one of the most important moments in America’s history. George Norris worked across party lines to change the lives of rural residents and improve their quality of life,” said National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jo Sen. George Norris (R-Neb.) Ann Emerson. NRECA donated $10,000 to start the campaign to fund a memorial for Sen. Norris in McCook, Nebraska, where he got his start.

For information on how to donate to the Rural Electrification Act – Norris Eternal Light display, visit http://mymccook.com/norrisinstitute or contact Kristin Gottschalk at kgottschalk@nrea.org.

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Scan this page to watch electic linemen at work or visit http://youtu.be/312HaoL2-Fk.

[newsclips] LIGHTBULB COMPARISON CHART Bulb 10-Year Cost Pros and Cons • Saves 85% in energy costs

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• Saves 75% in energy costs

$43

• Lasts 8 times as long as the incandescent • Comparable cost to the incandescent • Sensitive to colder temperatures • Lesser dimmable range of 20 to 90% • Contains mercury — recycling required

CFL • Same color quality as incandescent

$110

• Mercury free • Comparable cost to the incandescent • Saves 30% in energy costs • Short life span like the incandescent

Halogen

Bulb and replacement

Energy

$160

Incandescent 10-year cost assumptions: 60-W incandescent and efficient equivalents; used 3 hours per day; $1.1158 kWh; cost includes an estimate to value the time one would spend purchasing and replacing bulbs. Note: Nonresidential energy rates are generally lower than residential.

Lighting Lessons for 2014:

Efficiency Standards Changing Bulbs We Buy

N

New lighting laws took effect January 1, 2014. According to the Clean Energy Act of 2007, all 40-watt to 100-watt lightbulbs manufactured after January 1 must be at least 20 percent more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs.

Have you noticed a difference yet? Probably not. Traditional lightbulbs, manufactured before the deadline, are still being sold. Many of them are still burning in fixtures in homes and businesses. But change is happening.

New types of more efficient lightbulbs are lighting spaces across the state. Compact fluorescent lamps, better known as CFLs, have long been championed by Colorado’s electric co-ops. Now the next wave of replacement bulbs are coming as lightbulb manufacturers look toward 2020 when new bulbs will have to be 70 percent more efficient than incandescents.

Buying a new lightbulb has gotten complicated. The new Lighting Facts label is helpful. Like nutrition labels on the back of food packages, this new label shows the bulb’s brightness, appearance, life span and estimated yearly cost. Check it before you buy.

These new, efficient, long-lasting bulbs will be lighting your spaces for a long time.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop May 2014 13

[industry]

Harnessing

HOT Water

Electric co-ops turn water heaters into batteries

BY CATHY CASH AND MEGAN MCKOY-NOE

H

Hot water’s great for early morning showers and washing dishes at night. It also transforms into a powerful energy storage device when connected to a utility’s demand-response program. All it takes is a little cooperation.

Members at more than 250 co-ops in 33 states volunteer to help their utility store and save energy through electric resistance water heaters. At least half a million water heaters stand ready to answer the call, helping utilities lower system peaks, storing wind and hydropower energy during the night and enhancing grid efficiency.

Mountain View Electric Association, with offices in Limon and Falcon, has been controlling electric resistance water heaters for its member-owners since 1998. Today, the electric co-op has more than 1,600 water heaters in the program.

“Through our water heater demand-response programs, co-ops reduce demand for expensive peak energy and more easily store power generated from renewable sources to help meet that evening peak demand,” says Kirk Johnson, senior vice president for government relations at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “As a result, it helps electric co-ops provide the most reliable and affordable electricity to their members.”

When co-ops launched pioneering load management efforts in the late 1970s, electric resistance water heaters quickly became the “peak shift” device of choice. Water could be heated and stored during periods of low power consumption, such as late night and early morning hours. Thanks to big tanks (commonly 80 gallons or more), the units could be turned off

for long stretches without a household being inconvenienced by running out of hot water.

Water heaters aren’t the only resource co-ops tap when energy demand spikes. Demand response programs also use air conditioners, electric thermal storage heating cabinets and furnaces and other specialized equipment in the homes of volunteers.

In 2012, local electric co-ops cut 2,400 megawatts of load, the electric use equivalent of 1.2 million average-sized homes, saving members about $100 million in generation fuel costs and

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 14 May 2014

Source: Rheem Manufacturing Company

Source: Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Inc.

An electric co-op technician installs a load control switch on an electric water heater, at a member’s home for its load control program. The co-op can turn off the appliance during times of peak electricity consumption to lower its power bill.

Using load control receivers attached to appliances such as electric water heaters, utilities can interrupt electric service to specific appliances in the homes of volunteer consumers.

offsetting more than 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Water fight

“Through our water heater demand- response programs, co-ops

can contribute significantly to the overall efficiency of the nation’s power grid in addition to providing affordable hot water to consumers.”

The proposal would have limited water heaters for new construction to a heat pump water heater, a solar water heating system, an instantaneous water heater or a storage gas water heater with a specific energy rating.

Heat pump water heaters can’t be cycled like electric resistance models and can’t heat water as quickly. The price tag for these appliances is also higher than electric resistance water heaters, putting them out of reach for many co-op members.

reduce demand for expensive The success of volunteer demandresponse programs was threatened last peak energy and more easily store year. The Natural Resources Defense power generated from renewable Council recommended water heater limits to the International Code sources to help meet that evening Council, a standards organization peak demand,” says Kirk Johnson, responsible for the International Energy Conservation Code. The code is revised senior vice president for governevery three years. ment relations at the National NRECA warned the proposal could harm utility demand response, load Rural Electric Cooperative Associamanagement and energy storage programs. Hundreds of co-op leaders echoed NRECA’s stance, petitioning the U.S. Department of Energy. In October 2013, For tips on how to save with your water heater, the council ruled against the change. visit http://bit.ly/1k0dmGg. “Water heater programs have saved co-op members hundreds of millions of dollars and eliminated the need to build new Megan McKoy-Noe and Cathy Cash write on consumer and cooperative affairs electric generation,” explains Keith Dennis, NRECA senior principal for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Virginiafor end-use solutions and standards. “This victory represents an based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit understanding of the building code community that water heaters electric cooperatives. Rob Holt contributed to this article.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop May 2014 15

BY KRISTEN HANNUM

The Pikes Peak Guy knew

A Photograp

odds were that he’d eventually meet a bear as he wandered the roads, main trails, back routes and dead-end deer paths around Pikes Peak. The rendezvous appropriately took place on Friday the 13th in August 2010.

He was 10 weeks into a year of shooting photos of Pikes Peak and publishing his best image every day on The Pikes Peak Guy’s Facebook page, a project that eventually became a 4.6-pound book, 365 Days of Pikes Peak: The Journey, and would change his life.

But on that Friday, The Pikes Peak Guy was out by himself with just his camera for backup. The sun had set; the photo for the day would be a time-lapsed image of the night sky over “America’s mountain,” the stars looking like dozens of delicate incisions in the dark violet canopy.

“The smell of something foul hit me,” The Pikes Peak Guy wrote in the day’s Facebook entry. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he shone his light over his shoulder and saw a bear staring back at him.

A bracing jolt of panic came with thoughts of which body parts to protect first, but then he remembered to shout, not run. The bear turned and walked away.

The Pikes Peak Guy then began carrying a gun as well as his camera on those daily shoots.

As summer turned to autumn, and then blew into winter, more people in Woodland Park discovered The Pikes Peak Guy was their neighbor Shaun Daggett, ColoradoCountryLife.coop 16 May 2014

who was by day the mild-mannered executive director of corporate development for an international translation firm for businesses.

Daggett’s path to shooting 365 Days of Pikes Peak: The Journey was as winding as that trail where he’d met the bear. In fact, his trajectory goes against much of what we all know makes for success. “It worked because I didn’t plan it,” Daggett says.

“I think that’s right,” says Daggett’s longtime friend Damon Williams. “Had he put a lot of planning into it, he would have talked himself out of it. He says, ‘I love the book, but I would not do that again.’”

On the other hand, Daggett likes the saying that “luck is where preparation and opportunity meet.” And while he might not have thought through what it would take to post a first-rate photo of Pikes Peak online every day, he did have the photographic chops to make it work, and he had the business know-how to sell his art.

Daggett left home at age 18 to attend photography school. An early marriage and

365

raphic Journey

days of

Pikes Peak

MAY

four children pushed him onto a corporate track instead. Since the 1990s he held a number of challenging positions that came with a solid salary and the perks of international travel. Then, in 2000, he, his wife and four children moved to Colorado after he received a job offer. They fell in love with Woodland Park, a town 19 miles northwest of Colorado Springs. Woodland Park, not coincidentally, is known for its spectacular views of Pikes Peak.

But Daggett wasn’t happy. He hesitates to admit that because he knows how fortunate he was. But he wasn’t doing what he dreamt about while growing up.

By spring 2010, Daggett was single again and he had his son, Jared, a high school junior, living with him. It was the right time

to take a shot at his first love: photography. He would go at it not just with a camera but with all the canny smarts he learned in his corporate career. It would be, as he says, “landscape photography on steroids,” a published photo per day from June 1, 2010, to May 31, 2011.

“He’s super ambitious; once he gets his mind set, nothing will stop him,” says Jared.

Other than the bear, August 13 wasn’t unusual for Daggett’s year. The day began with grabbing a cup of coffee at 4:30 a.m., driving out to a remote site, setting up his tripod and waiting for the sun to rise. It wasn’t a remarkable sunrise, and so, after putting in a morning at his day job, Daggett drove out again at lunchtime to check out the midday light. Those photos didn’t [continued on page 18] ColoradoCountryLife.coop May 2014 17

JUNE

[continued from page 17]

Photo by Kathi Wickizer

satisfy him either. And so, after Pikes Peak Guy work he set out again that Shaun Daggett evening.

“I went out there happy, dumb and lucky,” Daggett confesses. “Nobody knew where I was. I would have been in real trouble if I’d gotten stranded.”

He typically got back home after dark and headed to his computer to review and edit his shots from the day, usually a couple hundred but sometimes as many as 500 digital images in a single day. It took hours to sort through them all.

After choosing the day’s best shot, Daggett wrote about how he took the shot, including the technical specifications, then posted it to Facebook by midnight. That was a hard deadline.

“I was publishing the picture of the day — not the day before — every day,” he says. “There were no breaks, no vacations, no holidays, no Christmas. I was a single parent, engaged at the time. I held a full-time job, had all the responsibilities of life. It didn’t matter if the dog got sick or the truck broke down, I had to make it work. I couldn’t do a halfhearted project on America’s mountain.”

It was, by all reckoning, an insane project, one that put 33,000 miles on Daggett’s old truck.

Yes, the dog, Mac, did get sick a couple times and the truck had problems more than once. Son Jared put it into a ditch several times. “I’d just gotten my license,” Jared explains.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 18 May 2014

Daggett says Jared, a hiker and mountain biker, was his greatest help along the way.

Jared scouted for locations, hauled equipment and framed shots for his dad. “He took care of a lot of things at home and helped me, especially when I was sick,” Daggett says. “He was like my Sherpa. I’d say, ‘Hey scurry up those rocks. Is there an interesting view up there?’”

If there was, Daggett would scramble up with the equipment to shoot some photos.

“I don’t think I could do it again,” Daggett says. “By the time it was all said and done, I was drained physically and emotionally. I slept for a couple weeks afterwards.”

And then?

“Then we had to start doing all the work for the book,” says Jared.

That had already actually begun with the decision to selfpublish an expensive prospect. Daggett launched a Kickstarter campaign, an online appeal to donors interested in funding creative projects, before he finished his year of shooting. He raised $17,864 from 150 backers, the fundraising ending on May 31, 2011, his last day of shooting. That campaign was the third highest fundraiser on Kickstarter at the time in the photography category.

Daggett produced a coffee-table book priced at more than

$100. He had an enthusiastic following of thousands at his Facebook page who assured him they’d buy the book, and managers at many tourist venues around Pikes Peak also agreed to stock it. After the book’s release in October 2011, Daggett sold so many copies on Amazon that the book shot up into Amazon’s “hot new releases” list. It’s well-reviewed there, with 64 out of 67 reviews giving it the maximum five-star rating.

Daggett sold enough books that he quit his job in 2012.

He’s had setbacks. The fires and floods around Colorado Springs in recent years have affected his earnings. But Daggett has 70,000 photos, many of which could have made it into the book. He’s come out with a softcover version of 365 Days and calendars. The books don’t just sell to tourists; locals also buy them, as do people, mostly military, who used to be locals.

“He gets a kick out of people who’ve moved away to Florida or Missouri, and who contact him to say what the photos mean to them,” says Williams.

“Maybe they were depressed and they look at Shaun’s pictures and it reminds them about what’s beautiful, what they love.”

The book’s success meant that Daggett could do more charitable work. He helped the Wounded Warrior Project in 2012, and in 2013 he helped his friend Williams, a U.S. Army veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. Williams came home with a permanent disability, a back injury, and hopes for the kind of stem cell treatment Peyton Manning received. The Veterans Administration, however, doesn’t cover that procedure, which would cost $9,000. Daggett helped Williams videotape his own online appeal.

“I would have never have known how to go this route,” says Williams. “Every day we were brainstorming on how to get the money to make it happen.”

Williams now has the money for his treatment.

Daggett also gives time to others who hope to bring their own creative projects alive. “They tend to focus on how to make money,” Daggett says. “I tell them to stop worrying about that. Share your passion with the world; do it very publically. If it’s good, people will pull your ropes. They’ll grab hold and pull you across. If it’s not good — well, failure isn’t the end of the world.”

PIKES PEAK

JUNE

APRIL

JANUARY

A Colorado native, freelance writer Kristen Hannum no longer brings Southern relatives to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak. Too many of them faint.

Scan this page to see more of Shaun Daggett’s photos of Pikes Peak or view the photos at http://youtu.be/K6FKQ0QQaFM

AUGUST

ColoradoCountryLife.coop May 2014 19

[recipes]

Backpack Snacks Delicious, healthy options for on-the-trail sustenance

BY AMY HIGGINS || AHIGGINS@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG Safe and Simple Food processors are great companions in the kitchen, but they can be difficult, and sometimes dangerous, to clean. Instead of scrubbing, fill the processor about one-third full with water, squirt in dishwashing soap and turn it on for a few seconds. The food processor should be clean and all that’s left is rinsing and air-drying.

Nix the Stick

Use small squares or rectangles of parchment paper between each energy bar to prevent sticking when stored.

Another idea: Wrap a few bars like small presents in parchment and tie with string. This way you can put them in your pocket or backpack without making a mess.

JF

Journey to the Pikes Peak area and enjoy loads of invigorating activities. Be sure to pack comfortable shoes, a jacket, sunscreen and plenty of water. In addition, stave off grumbling bellies and stay fueled with a variety of simple snacks.

Pocket-sized, preservative free and substantial enough to curb your appetite, these snacks can be prepared in advance and are perfect travel companions.

Morning Energy Mocha Balls 1 1/4 cups Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy Chocolatey Almond Crunch cereal 1/2 cup walnut halves 1 teaspoon chia seeds 1 teaspoon flax seeds 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 4 tablespoons almond butter 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 2 tablespoons dried cranberries 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons espresso powder 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt 1/4 cup toasted unsweetened coconut for rolling (optional) Place cereal in a food processor. Process until finely ground. Add walnut halves, chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, almond butter, honey, maple syrup, cranberries, vanilla, espresso powder and sea salt to bowl. Process until well blended and mixture forms stiff dough.

Remove dough and form into compact ball with hands.

Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in toasted coconut, if desired. Place balls on wax paper-lined tray and let stand for about one hour. Transfer to tin or container with tight lid. Balls will keep for at least a week at room temperature, or they can be chilled.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 20 May 2014

Source: Honey Bunches of Oats

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Trail Bars 3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter, stirred 1/4 cup honey 6 tablespoons water 1 cup chocolate whey protein powdered drink mix 2 cups granola cereal with raisins 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with foil, extending foil up sides of pan. Place peanut butter and honey in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave an additional 30 seconds.

Stir again until mixture is smooth.

Whisk water and powdered drink mix until blended. Add to peanut butter mixture. Stir until smooth. Stir in granola and chocolate chips until evenly moistened. Press evenly in prepared pan.

Chill 1 hour. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

Source: Smucker’s

Find more power-packed recipes at coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Recipes.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop December 2013 21

[gardening]

Three Sisters Gardening

Use an ancient crop-growing method to make gardening fun and fruitful

BY KRISTEN HANNUM || GARDENING@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

I

I confess. I made my kids weed dandelions until they hated it. My grandchildren, in contrast, have never pulled a single dandelion. They think gardening is full of fun projects, such as landscaping miniature cities out of shells, twigs and rocks; taste-testing their berry crops; and, yes, sometimes viciously annihilating invasive weeds and voracious tomato worms.

One of the most rewarding projects for kids of all ages is the three sisters garden, the Native American staples of corn, beans and squash. The three were the backbone of Native American farming across the continent, from the shores of Gichigami (Lake Superior in Ojibwe) to high Anasazi desert gardens here in Colorado.

“This is ancient stuff,” says Penn Parmenter, who gardens at 8,120 feet in Westcliffe and leads classes in highaltitude gardening at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Just like families, the three sisters grow better together than on their own. Corn, the oldest sister, provides a sturdy stalk for the bean or pea tendrils to grab onto and grow up into the sun. The beans, in turn, fertilize the corn, fixing nitrogen into the soil where the corn’s roots can use it. “And then you plant a rambling squash, maybe a pumpkin, that will vine through the corn,” Parmenter says.

The squash does the job of mulching, keeping the soil from drying out. Additionally, the squash’s prickly fur guards the beans and corn from pests.

The garden begins with the fun of getting dirty, because your dirt must be amended with plenty of compost and aged manure. Shape it into circular mounds, 2 to 3 feet across and about a foot high.

Give each mound a lip so that it will hold water better. Mold enough mounds to make the equivalent of 10 square feet of growing space. That’s a lot of dirt!

Plant the corn after the last frost, midMay along the Front Range. Parmenter recommends Candy Mountain corn, a high-altitude seed.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 22 May 2014

Her number one secret, though, for growing corn or any crop is to save seeds.

“That’s because they learn how to adapt to your particular place,” she says. “Saving seed works much better than buying seeds.”

Plant the corn after the last frost, mid-May along the Front Range.

Parmenter recommends Candy Mountain corn, a high-altitude seed.

Plant five corn seeds at least 6 inches apart at the center of each mound. Try planting them one for each compass direction and then one in the center.

Eventually, you’ll thin them to where you only have three or four stalks. Then, when the corn is 5 inches tall, plant six bean or pea seeds in a circle around the corn in the mound. You’ll thin to end up with three or four plants. Parmenter’s family plants purple beans, yellow wax beans

and asparagus beans.

Plant four squash seeds outside of each mound, again knowing that you’ll eventually pull out all but the strongest one. The Parmenters love the curvaceous Tromboncino summer squashes, shaped like eccentric question marks.

Even little fingers can help the tendrils of beans find their way to where they can grab onto cornstalks. It’s even easier to herd the squash vines into the labyrinth of corn and beans.

Since this is heirloom gardening, it’s worth getting heirloom seeds. Good sources include Seeds Trust in Littleton (secure.seedstrust.com). Farm Direct Organic Seed at farmdirectseed.com offers a $9 packet called Three Sisters Seed Share, with heirloom adapted seeds. Native Seed/SEARCH (nativeseeds.org) out of Tucson, Arizona, is another great source.

Whatever seeds you plant, thank the ancients for them. They were the people who once danced and sang to encourage the three sisters.

Kristen Hannum is a native Coloradan gardener.

Email or write her with wisdom or comments at gardening@coloradocountrylife.org

ColoradoCountryLife.coop May 2014 23

[outdoors]

20

Twenty Years of Outdoor Writing

Columnist looks back at two decades of hunting, fishing, family adventure

BY DENNIS SMITH || OUTDOORS@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

M

My editors called a few weeks ago to ask if I was aware that it has been 20 years since I started writing this column for Colorado Country Life. They and wondered if I might comment on some of the changes I’ve seen take place over the years. They’re assuming I can remember that far back, I guess. God bless them. Truth is, so much water has gone under the proverbial bridge since then that it’s difficult to know where to start or what to include.

I vaguely remember the early stories seemed to revolve around my childhood fishing and camping adventures with my father, brother and crazy cousin Al, all of whom are gone now. I miss them dearly.

The original column was titled “Up the Creek” and focused largely on fishing with family and friends, but it evolved over the years to include essays on bigand small-game hunting, bird-watching, environmental pieces and occasional op-ed essays on controversial outdoor issues. This is why Mona Neeley and Donna Wallin wisely renamed it “Outdoors.” If you asked exactly when that happened, I couldn’t tell you.

I also recall that I used to type the original manuscripts out on a big, clunky desktop computer, print the pages on a dot matrix printer, stuff them into a 9by 12-inch manila envelope along with a sleeve of 35 mm color slides and an itemized delivery memo. Next, I’d drive two miles to the post office where I had it weighed; paid for postage, insurance and return delivery fees; and sent it off by snail mail to the Denver office. Assuming all went well, it would arrive within three days. Today, it is composed on a tiny laptop, attached to an email along with digitized photo files and sent directly to Donna’s desktop with a click of a button, arriving in the blink of an eye.

Today we’re in the midst of a full blown technological epidemic of electronic gadgetry and social media software that would have given Buck Rogers, Dick

Tracy and Mr. Spock terminal migraines had they lived long enough to experience it. Same goes for outdoor gear and equipment. Everything, it seems, is newer, faster and smarter.

I, on the other hand, have gotten older, slower and … well, I’m not going to claim I’ve gotten any smarter, but I will say I’ve been incredibly blessed. I now have two grown sons and four grandchildren ranging in ages from 7 to 18, all of whom love the outdoors as much, if not more, than I do.

Twenty years ago, I used to take them hunting and fishing; now they take me. I used to do all the planning, pack the grub, load the truck with rifles, tents, fishing

rods, sleeping bags and supplies, then set up camp and teach them how to find fish or game and convert them to dinner. Now they pretty much do it all, and bring me along as a guest. I no longer hike the hills; I ride up on the back of my grandson’s allterrain vehicle. He drops me off at trail’s end and I hunt on foot from there. I come back down the same way. I no longer drag my own deer out of the woods either, because my kids and grandkids do that for me. I used to be the camp cook, too. Now, while the kids rustle up grub, I sit back, sip a sundowner by the fire and marvel at how incredibly fortunate I am. And then I get to tell you about it.

Happy Anniversary, Dennis (And how BIG

was that fish?)

BY KRISTEN HANNUM

This year marks Dennis Smith’s 20th anniversary of writing Colorado Country Life’s Outdoors column. During that time, readers have come to know Dennis — a transplanted “Catskill Mountains redneck,” as he puts it — and his family.

That recognition hit home in January when one of his sons and a grandson went hunting. Each shot an elk and the game warden came to check their paperwork.

“Are you related to Dennis Smith, the Colorado Country Life Dennis Smith writer?” the warden asked.

After Derek and Dawson Smith admitted they were, the warden beamed at them. “I know you two,” he told them. “I’ve read about you.”

Dennis began writing for this magazine after Hewlett-Packard downsized his job in 1994. Dennis decided to pursue a new career, writing about what he loved: hunting and fishing. Colorado Country Life gave his columns a try and stuck with it.

“I thought I’d be writing for hunters and fishermen; that it would be a ‘where to’ and ‘how to,’” Dennis says. “But I’ve learned that everyone gets a kick out of the column because it turned out to be more focused on adventures I’ve had with my kids and grandkids.”

Dennis writes for the ranchers and farmers he meets when he’s knocking on doors to ask permission to hunt on their land. “I’ve learned to respect what they go through,” he says.

The soft-spoken Dennis isn’t running out of stories; he makes the most of new ones he garners every weekend. As for whether he tells fishermen’s stories, Dennis is fast with an answer. “Look, fishermen are born honest,” he says. “But they get over it real quick. And I’m as guilty as the next guy.”

After all, do you want a good story or the exact length of the trout? Colorado Country Life readers crave the good story.

Miss an issue? Catch up at coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Outdoors.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 24 May 2014

[energy tips] Scan here to read a few of Dennis Smith’s Outdoor columns from the past or view them at coloradocountrylife. coop. Click on Outdoors.

INSTALLING RADIANT BARRIERS

BY JAMES DULLEY The savings from installing a radiant barrier in the attic vary considerably depending on your specific house, climate, orientation to the sun and so on. But proper installation in a specific house can yield a reasonable payback and better comfort.

Radiant barriers require an air gap to prevent them from touching the hot roof; otherwise, they become a conductor.

Reinforced aluminum foil was typically used as the radiant barrier, but now many barriers use plastic films with reflective surfaces.

In addition to reflectivity, emittance is a property of radiant barriers. It should be lower than 25 percent (0.25) To install radiant barriers, you in order to be an will need a hand construction effective barrier. stapler, a utility knife and a long straightedge.

Aluminum foil is well below the 25 percent level. There also are reflective paints that can be sprayed underneath the roof sheathing.

To get a good payback from the energy savings, it makes sense to install the radiant barrier yourself. Several companies sell double-sided reflective foil for about $130 for a 4-by-250-foot roll. Invest in a hand construction stapler, a utility knife and a long straightedge and you are ready to install.

The easiest method to install the radiant barrier is to cut it into lengths and staple it underneath the roof rafters. It is not important how neatly it is installed, but it is important to have adequate attic ventilation, preferably a combination of soffit and ridge vents. When installing single-sided foil, face the reflective side down to take advantage its low emittance.

T

EnergyWise

Keep showers at a minimum and use low-flow showerheads to save on your water bill.

For more information on radiant barriers, visit coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Energy Tips.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop May 2014 25

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 26 May 2014

[marketplace]

Win $25 with Hashtags #COCountryLife #PikesPeakPix

Add this month's hashtags to your posts on Twitter or Facebook.

May 19 we'll randlomly select one of these posts for a $25 gift card.

Follow us to Facebook at COCountryLife or Twitter at @COCountryLife.

EnergyWise Fans cool people, not rooms.

To save energy turn off ceiling fans when you leave a room.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop May 2014 27

[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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CHAIR CANING, hand caning, machine caning, fiber rush caning. Pueblo West, 719-547-0723. chaanita@q.com (858-10-14)

ANTLERS ANTLER CHANDELIERS made only from REAL antlers. We are the manufacturer and we sell all of our products at wholesale prices; save as much as 60% from store prices.

Many other antler products and mounts, including 56” elk mount, giant moose paddles, and elk antlers.

Showroom open May 15 through September 30 in Granby, CO. 16 years at this location, over 900 satisfied customers! Designers: We can provide you a single item or a whole houseful. Call! 970-627-3053.

(085-09-14)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES (These opportunities have not been investigated by Colorado Country Life.)

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 (932-02-15) PIANO TUNING PAYS. Learn with American School home-study course. Tools included. Call for info.

800-497-9793. (158-01-15)

CARS/TRUCKS/BOATS 50 SUBARUS! (1995-2014) Outbacks, Foresters, Imprezas, Tribecas & more! Great prices! Warranties available! Dealer: www.

MonumentMotors.com 719-4819900 (574-08-14)

CLOCK REPAIR & RESTORATION

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. (814-08-14) WILL YOU GET THE CALL? Register your cell to receive emergency notifications (reverse 911). It’s free, it’s easy, it can save your life. www. safetyinformed.com (161-06-14)

GRASS

DURANGO AREA. CLOCKS of all kinds repaired. Antique and modern. Clocks bought and sold. Call Robert 970-247-7729, bob.scott@ usa.net (109-07-14)

MCDONALD LAWN CARE – Mowing, fertilization, trimming, irrigation winterization. Call 970-580-1203. 30 years lawn care experience in Northern Colorado.

(160-06-14)

EVENTS

HOBBIES & CRAFTS

IGNACIO FFA holding Rocky Mountain Oyster/Catfish Fry & Dance, Friday, May 16, Spring Creek Hall, Ignacio, Colorado. All you can eat Rocky Mountain Oysters or Catfish, 5:30pm. Dance to Tyller Gummersall, 8pm. Adults $15, 10 & under $10. Dance only, $5/person.

(168-05-14)

FARM & RANCH SUPPLIES PET FOOD, GRAINS, GRASS/alfalfa hay, straw, shavings, bedding/stove pellets, & firewood. 719-495-4842.

Ayer Ranch TLC, Inc., 12558 Meridian Road, Elbert/Black Forest, CO 80106 (146-10-14)

FOR SALE GRASSFED YAK AND BISON MEAT for sale. Delicious and nutritious.

Delivery available. Quarter, half, or whole. 720-256-3364 (029-07-14)

BOOKS, PATTERNS, CLASSES, all fiber arts, natural dye extracts, Jacquard and Gaywool dyes. www. tablerockllamas.com Colorado Springs, 866-495-7747 (791-05-14)

MACHINERY & PARTS 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 www.sawmill exchange.com . (267-09-14)

POULTRY & GAMEBIRDS 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 (876-07-14)

Call Kris at 303-902-7276 to place a classified ad.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 28 May 2014

BAYFIELD/VALLECITO – Beautiful mountain retreat, 4bd, 3ba, 3436sf on 1.2 acres, well water, septic, 5 minutes from Vallecito Lake. $467,900. 970-884-9324. (163-07-14) COKEDALE COTTAGE – 2bd, 1ba.

Seven miles from Trinidad. Minutes from fishing, boating, hiking at Trinidad Lake State Park. Darling outdoor enthusiast getaway.

Danielle Rollo, Southern Colorado Realty 719-859-7653. (162-06-14) CUCHARA, COLORADO CONDO. Southern front range 9000+ elevation. 2bd, 1ba, 2 decks, $65,000.

Great view, hiking, fishing, hunting. cbohaty@kc.rr.com for photos, details (171-06-14) GRAND LAKE – 2/3rds acre with 32’ 1995 Prowler trailer, well, sewer, electric, deck, shed, $60,000. 970379-7358 (173-06-14) JUST FOR YOU! Nice home in historic Cokedale, CO. 2bd, 1ba, single garage, screened porch. Hunting, fishing, boating. 1 mile from Trinidad Lake. 303-941-6572, 719-324-5628.

(164-07-14) OWN PROPERTY? NEED INCOME? We’ll rent exclusive hunting/fishing rights from you. Encourage young sportsmen by providing safe, private access. You make the rules.

303-460-0273 (069-08-14) SOUTHERN COLORADO near Spanish Peaks. Custom home on 36 wooded acres, 3bd, 3ba, 9’ ceilings, tile, granite, hardwoods, soapstone woodstove, Pella windows, main floor master. Barn/garage, wildlife, seasonal stream, mountain views.

Ideal for retiree, work from home, vacation. 20 min. to I-25. $395,000.

303-908-3434, www.forsaleby owner.com #23971720 (158-06-14)

SEEDS/PLANTS/TREES

TICKETS NFR & PBR RODEO TICKETS – Las Vegas. All seating levels available.

Call 1-888-NFR-rodeo (1-888-6377633) or www.NFR-Rodeo.com. *BBB Member; Since 1990. (912-11-14)

VACATION RENTAL BRING YOUR HORSES: Rent our 4br log home, near Red Feather Lakes.

Ride Roosevelt National Forest: 5 nights or weekend. 765-438-6488, john@stlukesumc.net (159-06-14) HISTORIC WALDEN Rock House, 413 Lafever, Walden, CO. One day/ short stay. 970-723-4736 www. waldenrockhouse.com (138-06-14) KAUAI VACATION RENTAL, 2bdr, full kitchen. Minutes from beaches. $600/wk. 808-245-6500; makana crest.com; kauaiweddings.com.

(756-05-14) KONA, HAWAII, Paradise Villa condo located on the 18th fairway of Kona Country Club with sweeping ocean views; 3bdr, 2ba specials.

(503) 369-2638; www.konacondo. info (116-05-14)

WANTED TO BUY NAVAJO RUGS, old and recent, native baskets, pottery. Tribal Rugs, Salida. 719-539-5363, b_inaz@ hotmail.com (817-06-14) OLD COLORADO LIVESTOCK brand books prior to 1975. Call Wes 303757-8553. (889-08-14) 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. (871-05-14)

[funny stories] WANTED TO BUY

WANTED TO BUY

WANTED TO BUY

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.

(519-11-14)

VINTAGE FISHING TACKLE. I buy rods, reels, lures, creels, etc. Gary, 970-222-2181 (170-10-14)

WE PAY CASH for minerals and oil/ gas interests, producing and nonproducing. 800-733-8122 (099-02-15)

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

(402-03-15)

WE PAY CASH for minerals and oil/gas interests, producing and nonproducing. 800-733-8122 (099-02-15)

OLD POCKET WATCHES ­working or non-working and old repair material. Bob 719-859-4209 watchdoctor@hotmail.com.

(870-06-15)

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

888-735-5337 (099-04-15)

Call Kris at 303-902-7276 to place an ad in Colorado Country Life magazine.

Send us photos of you with Colorado Country Life

for photos of readers and their copy of Colorado Country Life. Got a great

Archie Ferrarini, Clifton

My 4-year-old grandson, Charlie, was excited about

Spring into Action

We’re Looking …

Late one night a police officer stopped a car for speeding. The officer asked the driver for his driver’s license and examined it. “Your license has a restriction; you must wear eyeglasses when driving,” the officer said to the driver.

“I know I don’t have eyeglasses on, but I don’t need them because I have contacts,” the driver replied.

The officer responded, “ I don’t care who your contacts are. I’m writing you a ticket!”

my upcoming visit. Before I arrived, he had a warning for his mother who is a police officer and has been known to use colorful language at times.

He said, “Mom, no cussing, because when Nana comes to town, Jesus comes to town.”

Rena Peña, Pagosa Springs

One day, a class was on a field trip to a police station.

Students were walking down a hallway filled with pictures when one of the smaller students raised his hand. “Who are the people in all the pictures?” he asked.

“Those are the criminals we are still looking for,” the tour guide responded.

The little boy looked confused then shot his hand back up in the air and asked, “Why didn’t they just keep them when they took their pictures?”

Brooklynn Norris, Colorado Springs

pic of you or your family

My 5-year-old nephew was visiting his grandparents’

member with the maga-

farm along with his family. While they were there he had to have a tooth pulled. It was quite an ordeal for my little nephew as the tooth was difficult to remove. His grandma felt sorry for him, so she asked the Tooth Fairy to leave a little extra. The next morning, to his surprise, he found a $10 bill waiting for him.

They returned to their home in the city and a few days later another tooth came out. He exclaimed to his mom, “Mom, we have to get this tooth out to Grandma’s farm! The Tooth Fairy pays really good out there!”

zine at some fun place?

Send it and your name and address to info@colorado countrylife.org. We’ll post it on our Facebook page.

And on the last day of each month we’ll draw a winner from the submissions and send that winner a $25 gift card.

Congratulations Congratulations to Loel Sirony of Windsor, who won a $25 gift certificate for submitting the photo to the right.

Marilynn Van Well, Akron

We pay $15 to each person who submits a funny story that’s printed in the magazine. At the end of the year, we draw one name from those submitting jokes and that person will receive $150. Send your 2014 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.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop May 2014 29

Make it

PERSONAL

It’s a tough road to graduation, so make a big deal out it! Order personalized products for graduation parties that are not only fun to look at, but excellent to consume.

Jones Soda will specially make party favors to your liking, and your guests will love to imbibe. Visit jonessoda.com and select “Custom

Pops

Make these chocolatey graduation caps on a stick for your graduate in a few easy steps. Collect the following: small chocolate peanut butter cups, 2- to 2.5-inch flat chocolate squares, chocolate candy melt, pull and peel cherry licorice, M&M’s Minis, lollipop sticks.

1. Unwrap and chill the chocolate beforehand to make it easier to work with.

While it chills, pull the licorice apart into strings, decide on the length needed and snip the ends to form “tassels.” (Other similar candy in other colors may be used to match school colors.)

2. Melt the candy melt, following directions.

3. Remove chocolates from fridge or freezer. Warm a pointed utensil such as an ice pick in warm water, then use it to melt a hole in the center of the top of the peanut butter cup. Next, dip a lollipop stick in the candy melt before pushing it into the peanut butter cup.

4. Hold the stick and “frost” the bottom of the cup with the candy melt. Place the peanut butter cup frosted side down in the center of a chocolate square. Let it set while you repeat with the rest of your treats.

5. Once the chocolate has set, stick all of the treats, stickside down, into a piece of Styrofoam. Use the candy melt to stick a M&M’s Mini in the center of the top side of the chocolate square. Use a toothpick to create a line of candy melt and place the candy “tassel” up against the M&M Mini along the line of candy melt. Let the treats rest until the candy melt has hardened.

Scan this page to watch our video for help on working with the lollipop sticks without breaking the cups or view it at youtu.be/4NyLH-SRP_Q.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop 30 May 2014

for the front of the bottle and provide text for the back. Finally, choose from a variety of flavors such as cream soda, cola and strawberry lime, and your personalized soda is ready to ship.

Congratulations

Graduation Cap

Labels.” Choose and upload a photo

Put your favorite graduate’s face here!

[discoveries]

Bib It and

FORGET IT Drink dispensers drip, which not

only creates a mess but can be a slipping liability. Snap it Up beverage bibs, made by Otis resident Jennifer Willeke, collect drips as they drop, before they can hit the ground. The bibs are made of vinyl and have a unique snapping system that creates a cup to catch drips.

Snap it Up bibs cost $14 each and

IMAGE is

EVERYTHING You don’t need to spend a lot to decorate a graduation party. Simply visit your local craft store and put a little elbow grease into it. We discovered this creative design that is sure to impress guests, especially the guest of honor.

What you’ll need:

o Spray mount adhesive o Photocopies of favorite photos, long enough to go around your vase o Vases or jars

come in a variety of colors, from

o Ribbon or twine

black to bright spring colors. To or-

o Fresh or imitation flowers

der your beverage bibs, call 970-6302849 or write to snapitup4@gmail.

$ com.

Snap it Up beverage bib

[MONEY JARS]

Surveys say cash and gift cards are the most requested graduation gifts.

But handing over a $20 bill can seem a bit impersonal and a gift card limits where the recipient can shop.

This year, take a few minutes to make your cash gift stand out from the others. Here’s what you’ll need:

Apply spray mount adhesive to the back of photo. Wrap photo around vase carefully. Tie ribbon or twine around the vase and place flowers in vase.

Finally, enjoy your guests’ reactions to your beautiful, yet creative, décor.

o A small resealable container, available at most craft stores

o Stickers (if you have the right computer software, you can personalize them) o Dollar bills

o Ribbon to match your graduate’s school colors Decorate the resealable container with stickers. Mimic the appearance of a diploma by rolling the dollar bills with ribbons, place them in the decorated container and then seal. This gift may be short in stature, but it’ll make a big impression on the graduate.

Have You Made a “Discovery?”

Colorado is filled with great places to visit, artists, cool products and more.

Colorado Country Life editors are always looking for new discoveries to feature on this page. Share your discovery with us at info@coloradocountrylife.org or at 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216. If we use your idea in the magazine, we’ll send you $50 for your help.

ColoradoCountryLife.coop May 2014 31