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Bees rescued find a new home Beekeeper claims broken trunk of cottonwood tree to keep hive whole
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Brighton adopts May-September water restrictions STAFF REPORT
BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When the wind toppled the old cottonwood over the Fulton Irrigation Ditch near 144th and Sable June 7, ditch company employees Orlando Ruiz and Edgar Briseno were called to chop it into sections and move it. What they found, however, was more than just wood from an aging tree. This was a living community, home to a growing hive of honey bees. “We wanted to find a beekeeper to make sure to take care of the bees, they are important for our farmers and community,” Ruiz said. Their search for a beekeeper led them to Fort Lupton resident Sue Hubert, whose son Mike Kunzman had been a beekeeper, and he is a disabled U.S. Army Veteran. And Kunzman was more than happy to respond. He’d recently lost part of his hive to a Varroa Mite infestation. “I was on my way to work from Henderson, and my mom called me since I was a beekeeper for 10-years until I lost my bees to those mites,” Kunzman said. “I bought some used equipment, and it had mites. I had five separate boxes of bees. I was bummed. I was close to 144th & Sable, so I drove right over.” After consulting with Ruiz and Briseno, Kunzman decided it was best to leave the bees in the tree and take an eight-foot-long section of the five-foot-wide tree home with him. “Some people use a shop vacuum to retrieve bees. We did not want to do that,” Kunzman said. “We covered the holes with a sheet I brought along, and I pulled up my truck and backed it in, and my tail-gate barely went underneath part of the tree, so we cut and shoved it into my
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Edgar Briseno at the scene where the tree fell over and Mike Kunzman backing in his truck. Photo by Mike Kunzman
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Midday irrigation, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. will be prohibited for all Brighton water customers under tough new restrictions councilors approved June 7. Councilors voted unanimously with Mayor Greg Mills absent from the meeting - in favor of the restrictions to help conserve water in the City and reduce peak demand during the summer months. The restrictions apply during irrigation season, from May 1 to September 30, and limits outdoor watering to three days per week. For odd-numbered addresses, irrigation is designated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays of each week. For even-numbered addresses, irrigation is designated on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays of each week. As part of the restrictions, irrigation is prohibited for all customer classes between the hours of 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. during the irrigation season. This includes commercial, industrial and residential. In addition, new sod installation for areas exceeding 200 square feet is prohibited from June 1 - September 30. Patching existing lawn is permitted. Councilors also approved a fourstrike system for customer that ignore restrictions A warning will follow a first and second offense. Customers found in violation for a third time will be fined $22.50. A fourth offense will result in a written citation and mandatory court appearance, with a minimum $50 fine and court fees. The councilors and the city water utility are trying to reach a 20% reduction in water demand over the irrigation season to reduce strain on the system and lessen risk of system pressure loss due to high demand.
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