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Week of January 6, 2022

ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO

A publication of

ElbertCountyNews.net

VOLUME 126 | ISSUE 47

County’s new map reshapes districts Commissioners adjust lines to equalize population BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

told the Elbert County News in an interview at his family ranch outside Elizabeth. “I’ve played basketball and baseball, but nothing stuck with me like rodeo has.” During Gillen’s interview, he walked throughout the ranch, pointing out the animals and sharing their names. The horses and goats were happy in the barn, the chickens pecked away at the ground in their pen, and the sheep,

The three Elbert County commissioners approved a new map of their districts on Nov. 17 after a nearly two-month-long series of discussions with the county clerk and recorder, representatives from both major political parties, and residents of Elbert County. The new districts will stay in place for ten years and will be redrawn after the 2030 United States Census. Redistricting to balance county population is required by law after each census. Elbert County is 1,852 square miles in size, Commissioner Grant Thayer explained by email to the Elbert County News, and “each County Electoral District, by statute, must have a similar population of about 8,700 people.” As of the 2020 census, District 1, represented by Chris Richardson, had a population of 8,715; District 2, represented by Rick Pettitt, had 8,680; and District 3, represented by Thayer, had 8,667. The new map consists of a new eastwardly extended District 2, creating three distinct groupings within the county: District 1 is a high-density district with communities like Spring Valley Ranch; District 2 is a municipal district

SEE RODEO, P4

SEE DISCTRICTS, P9

Brian Gillen stands with his family’s 25-year-old horse, Thumper. Thumper was the horse Gillen rode from the days when he was a 12-year-old boy until his freshman year of college. Gillen is part of the West Texas A&M University Rodeo Team and hopes to become a professional rodeo cowboy. PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

College cowboy dreams of going pro Brian Gillen plans to turn ‘horse trouble’ into fuel for upcoming season BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Brian Gillen is a 20-year-old tie-down roper based out of Elizabeth, and has been part of the West

Texas A&M University Rodeo Team since 2019. Like many who grow up in rural horse communities throughout Colorado, Gillen has had a lifelong dream of becoming a professional cowboy with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). Gillen roped his first calf at the age of 8 and knew by age 12 that he wanted to become a cowboy. “Rodeo is something that I always wanted to do professionally,” Gillen

INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 8 | LIFE: PAGE 10 | CALENDAR: PAGE 7

TESTING ARCHAEOLOGICAL LIMITS

Was Sun Temple even more complex than believed? P10

2 Elbert County News

January 6, 2022

Colorado voters approved record conservation funding Parks, trails and open space are clear priorities after balloting BY JASON BLEVINS COLORADO SUN

The year 2020 was a banner year for voters across the country approving taxes that protected open spaces, parks and public land. There were 51 conservation funding measures on ballots in 2020 and voters approved 50 of them, creating a flow of more than $3.7 billion for the climate, open space and parks for the next two decades. It was a high-water mark for conservation funding. The election cycle in 2021 had fewer ballot conservation measures, but voters again came out in widespread support for directing tax dollars toward protecting public lands and natural spaces. “It feels like we might be on the verge of moving something that has been good, to really great,” said Conor Hall, the director of conservation strategies, policy and advocacy for the Intermountain West at the Trust for Public Land. The Trust for Public Land — alongside many conservation groups — championed 26 conservation ballot measures in 11 states in 2020 and voters passed all of them, marking a first-ever sweep since the trust began helping communities pass conserva-

tion measures 25 years ago. Typically the group sees about 85% of the measures it backs win. In 2020, voters in Colorado renewed Adams County’s quarter-cent sales tax, which will yield about $400 million for parks and open space in the next 20 years. Denver voters in 2020 approved a quarter-cent climate sales tax that proponents expect will generate $720 million for climate programs over the next two decades. Voters in 15 Western Slope counties approved a property tax increase that will direct $100 million in the next 20 years toward water projects. In 2021, voters in Colorado again approved a record amount of conservation funding, setting an off-year election cycle record in Colorado with $580 million in funding for the next 20 years. Arapahoe County’s Measure 1A permanently directs the county’s quarter-of-a-penny sales and use tax to parks, wildlife areas, trails, farms and local conservation projects. Over 20 years, the tax will create about $560 million in funding. Colorado Springs’ Measure 2D directs $20 million in tax dollars to a regional wildfire mitigation plan. And the rejection of Denver’s Ordinance 304, which would have lowered the sales and use tax in Denver, protected sales tax funding for parks and climate policies that Denver voters approved in 2018 and 2020. But it wasn’t a sweep in 2021 like 2020. Conservation groups lost

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‘I think there’s a realization that we have to step up, People recognize the importance nature plays in their lives and they want to protect that for generations to come.’ Conor Hall, director of conservation strategies, policy and advocacy for the Intermountain West at the Trust for Public Land

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Elbert County News 3

January 6, 2022

OPEN SPACE FROM PAGE 2

Colorado Springs’ Measure 2C, which would have doubled a sales tax that funded parks, trails and open space and extended the tax to 2041. (Hall said the campaign for 2C had diverse support but was unable to overcome “a wave of very conservative voters who turned out to vote on up-ballot races, mostly involving school boards.”) New normal possible Conservation groups are looking at the wave of diverse voters approving taxes for land protection in 2020 and 2021 as, possibly, a new normal. Could conservation become one of the few bipartisan issues that unites voters from both urban and rural areas? Hall thinks so. “I think there’s a realization that we have to step up,” Hall said. “People recognize the importance nature plays in their lives and they want to protect that for generations to come.” So does Jessica Goad, the deputy director of Conservation Colorado. She sees the state’s growing population of outdoor users outpacing the ability to protect open spaces and access to natural spaces. “People are seeing that pressure in the outdoors every time they go outside, so it’s no wonder conservation measures are seeing such success right now,” she said. Colorado has a long history of paying taxes to keep natural spaces open, accessible and free of development. Boulder County voters approved one of the state’s first open space sales taxes in 1967. The creation of Great Outdoors Colorado in 1992 has resulted in more than $1.3 billion of Colorado Lottery money funding some 5,300 conservation projects in all 64 Colorado counties. More recent votes have directed conservation dollars toward urban and overlooked areas, like Denver’s Climate Protection Fund and Arapahoe County’s 1A. “There is a realization moving forward on how important it is to focus on who has access to conservation funding dollars,” Goad said. “We believe broad and large scale public investment is needed and conservation should be viewed as a core government function akin to infrastructure and law enforcement.” It’s not just voters who are coming around to conservation. Politicians are more ready to direct tax dollars toward protecting threatened landscapes, water supplies and equitable access to the outdoors. Recent legislation approving the Keep Colorado Wild Pass, which funds Colorado Parks & Wildlife shows lawmakers willing to invest in conservation. To reach lofty goals like protecting 30% of the nation’s land and water by 2030, conservation funding needs both lawmakers and voters, Goad said. “Over and over again, Colorado voters are saying it is our priority to invest in conservation and they are demonstrating that by not just approving conservation measures but putting conservation leaders in office,” Goad said. Rural areas see newcomers A lot of urbanites have moved to

rural enclaves in the last 18-plus months and those newcomers are big fans of outdoor recreation on public lands. The crowding at trailheads and in heavily-trafficked areas is amplifying the need for more trails and places to recreate. And a new swell of rural voters is ready to help pay for that access and expansion. At the same time growth pressures in rural communities are creating more homes and more development. “All these rapid changes and rapid growth is really getting people’s attention about how their communities are changing. Regardless of your political stripe, you are noticing these things,” said Megan Lawson, an economist with Montana’s Headwaters Economics, a nonprofit research group that studies rural and public lands issues. Some of Lawson’s more recent research shows more people moving to counties with lots of recreational opportunities and those newcomers tend to have higher incomes than people moving to cities. And those new residents appear more ready to direct tax dollars toward conservation. That demographic shift mirrors the recent evolution of outdoor recreation. Playing outside, not long ago, was considered a mere pastime. Now it is growing into a critical economic engine anchoring rural economies. (The latest federal accounting of outdoor recreation — an important tool for framing recreation as much more than a side pursuit for fun-seekers — shows a growing industry contributing $688 billion to the U.S. economy.) More communities are trying to build their economy around outdoor recreation and that requires space to play, Lawson said. “This really does not have to be partisan,” she said. “It really depends on how conservation is framed and making sure that whatever is developed or protected meets the needs of the communities, whether it’s a community walking trail or trails for ATVs or economic development. If the investment matches what residents want and need most, it’s not surprising to see it win voter approval.” In places where sales taxes have been funding conservation for many years, voters often approve extensions of those taxes because the benefits are evident in trails, parks and swaths of undeveloped, protected land. The challenge going forward for conservation groups is to introduce those sales taxes in new locations, like Weld County, Mesa County, Garfield County and the San Luis Valley, Hall said. “There are still corners of Colorado where we have not yet been able to establish that first sales tax to get the local conservation funding flowing. That’s where we want to take this momentum, into these jurisdictions that don’t have this funding,” Hall said. “Access to nature should not be a privilege. It should be a right. It’s so important to our development and health.” This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

Strive to Thrive offers hot meal and assistance The Strive to Thrive Resource Fair will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 25 from 4-6 p.m. at the Calvary Chapel, 1100 Caprice Drive in Castle Rock. Enjoy a free hot meal and access valuable resources from more than 20 different organizations. Individuals and families are welcome to attend. For more information visit douglas.co.us and search for Strive to Thrive.

Christmas tree recycling For drop-off locations, times and dates, as well as instructions on how to prepare a tree for recycling, visit douglas.co.us and search for Christmas tree recycling.

Skip the trip - motor vehicle services just a click away Renew your driver license or motor vehicle registration and more from the convenience of your smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop. You can also renew vehicle registrations at MVExpress kiosks. Find information at DouglasDrives.com

Interested in becoming a foster parent or adopting a child? Information nights are open to anyone interested in learning about foster care and adoption. Join the next free sessions via Zoom from 6-7:30 p., on Jan. 10 and 24. Visit collaborativefostercare.com and select Information Night or call 303-636-1KID for details.

Are you a Douglas County property owner? Look for your property tax statement or postcard notification in your mailbox the week of Jan. 17. Visit douglascotax.com to pay your taxes online or douglas. co.us/treasurer for more information.

What’s happening with your County government? Our commitment to open and transparent government includes online posting of information about public meetings at which the business of government is conducted. To view various public meeting agendas and to participate in-person or remotely visit douglas.co.us and search for Meetings and Agendas.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day office closure Douglas County offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Many services are available at DoItOnlineDouglas.com

Visit douglas.co.us

4 Elbert County News

January 6, 2022

RODEO FROM PAGE 1

Brian Gillen ties down a calf, his rodeo specialty.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN GILLEN

Brian Gillen and his father work together to build dummies and training equipment to help Brian achieve his dreams of becoming a professional tie-down roper. PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

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once a 4-H project of Gillen’s, snuggled up with the livestock guardians outside. Walking throughout the large pasture behind their home was 25-year-old Thumper. Gillen won 2018 Colorado Pro Rodeo Association Rookie of the Year for tie-down roping while riding Thumper, a longtime family horse. “I rode him from the time I was 12 until my freshman year of college. Dad rode him too,” laughed Gillen. “Now he’s 25 years old and is a great pasture ornament.” Gillen hopes that he can train his new horses to the level of Thumper. His two college roping horses, Ace and June, stood in the quaint barn and quickly walked to Gillen as soon as he approached. “When I started with WT, I was riding Ace. I’ve been riding him for two years now. He wasn’t running well though, so I switched to June, who needs a lot more training. I ran into a lot of horse trouble,” said Gillen. “If you’ve got a good horse, it makes it exponentially easier to win. I’ve heard that the horse is 75% of the deal.” Tough season The 2021 season was not kind to Gillen as he struggled to bring home any wins for tie-down roping. “I really felt terrible. I’d never gone a full summer without winning a dime. 2021 was my worst summer ever. Every time I went out there and I didn’t win, I felt this awful pit in my stomach. You just love the sport so much that you want to do your best,” said Gillen as he leaned against the pasture fence looking toward Thumper. “I went to a rodeo in Coffeyville, Kansas where I really got beat. It was the farthest I’d ever traveled for a rodeo. As I was driving back, I realized that I needed to take a break from rodeo.” After Gillen’s losing 2021 season, he questioned if he wanted to continue roping. Working toward his degree in plant and soil science, Gillen’s long-term plan has been to work for a crop consulting company, helping farmers. After his losing season, Gillen began to consider

Brian Gillen is a 20-year-old college tie-down roper who was named 2018 Colorado Pro Rodeo Association TieDown Roping Rookies of the Year. PHOTO BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

that soil consulting should be his life’s goal and that he should leave the rodeo world behind. “At the beginning of this school year was the first time in my life that I had no desire to rope. I really didn’t want to get on the horse. I actually sent June back home to Elizabeth because I thought my roping days were behind me,” said Gillen. “I was sitting on the couch watching TV in my apartment down in Texas when it hit me, though. There is nothing I’d rather be doing than riding a horse.” “Throughout the fall 2021 semester during my break from roping, it hit me that I wanted to be my own boss,” said Gillen. “I also realized my true love for horses and that my life goal has changed. Now, roping is my main career goal, and crop consulting is just a fallback plan. I’d rather be here squeezing out a dollar than making good money in a squishy office chair.” Gillen has turned his struggle into fuel for the upcoming season, desiring to re-enter the rodeo circuit. “My goal for next season is to step into the semi-pro circuit to get my feet wet. I want to get Ace trained up really well, win a lot in semi-pro, then move into pro,” said Gillen.

Brian Gillen stands atop his horse between practice runs.

SEE RODEO, P5

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN GILLEN

Elbert County News 5

January 6, 2022

One of Brian Gillen’s college roping horses, June.

RODEO FROM PAGE 4

“I’m currently working on getting Ace ready to go back down to Texas so I can train.” - Gillen has other rodeo goals for himself as well: making big money and becoming an official cardholding cowboy. e “I have big dreams of making big money in professional rodeo. You can walk away making thousands of dollars in one weekend,” explained Gillen.

The horse trailer that Brian Gillen travels with for rodeo events.

“One of my biggest goals, though, is to become an official member of the pro-rodeo association. Currently I’m a permit holder with the PRCA, but once I win at least a thousand dollars, I will be a cardholder and can call myself a real cowboy.” Like father, like son Gillen’s father, also named Brian, was moving hay for the animals during a portion of the interview. “Dad was a professional tie-down roper and he was really good and won a lot,” said Gillen. “I saw how much he loved it, so I decided I

wanted to be a cowboy too.” When asked his thoughts on his son’s roping career, Gillen Sr. shared both his praises and concerns. “I am really proud of him. He’s a hard worker and accepts any challenge and sees it through. He’s had a great career so far,” said Gillen Sr. “Being out there as long as I have, though, you see the dangers. It’s a dangerous profession and I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fear. I now have an understanding of what my parents were saying when I was riding.” Gillen heard his father’s concerns and smiled, ac-

Brian Gillen, left, stands with his father, Brian Gillen Sr., on their family ranch outside Elizabeth.

PHOTOS BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON

knowledging that the rodeo world is dangerous, but that he will not be swayed to change his career goals. “This whole year has been a big learning experience for me,” shared Gillen. “I’ve really learned what it takes to be successful in rodeo. Honestly, there is nothing that has humbled me like rodeo has. It will kick your butt across town and then kick it again.” For the 2022 season, Gillen plans to participate in multiple one-event jackpots throughout the area as well as the Cowboy Up in Kiowa Rodeo on June 24.

“My overall sports goal is to be World Champion TieDown Roper,” said Gillen. “I look at the winners every year and now can see that before they were big champions, they started where I am now. One day I will be in their shoes, hoping to inspire someone starting out just like me.” To follow Brian Gillen’s journey, you can find him on Instagram as @brian_j._ gillen and on TikTok as @ briangillen17. To learn about tie-down roping, you can visit the PRCA website at tinyurl. com/Tiedownroping.

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6 Elbert County News

January 6, 2022

Douglas County poised for more growth BY MOLLY ARMBRISTER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

After a decade of growth that far outstrips the Denver metro area as a whole, Douglas County shows few signs of slowing down, driven by high levels of demand and new development in expanding towns like Castle Rock, Lone Tree and Parker. There’s no doubt the entire metro area has grown at an unprecedented rate in the last decade. But Douglas County, home to smaller towns, scattered development and plentiful open space for years, was especially ripe for growth in 2010. From 2010 to 2020, Douglas County’s population grew by 25% to just over 360,000 people, according to the most recent data available from the Colorado State Demography Office, compared with just under 16% growth for the entire metro area. And while the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020 slowed migration, and growth, across the board, Douglas County still grew more than twice

as fast as metro Denver over the course of the year. Douglas County’s population grew 2.5% from 2019 to 2020, while the metro area expanded by less than 1%, according to the demography office’s data. Since Douglas County’s population was much smaller to begin with, it makes sense that its rate of growth would be higher. But there’s no doubt that the county has seen an outsized share of development in recent years, and in 2021 it took significant steps toward continuing the trend heading into the new year. In Lone Tree, for example, a longanticipated expansion of RidgeGate Parkway paved the way — literally — to easier access and smoother traffic flows through the area, a crucial piece of the plan to implement phase two of the RidgeGate masterplanned development. Additionally in 2021, Shea Homes made its first of five land purchases that will allow it to build homes on 185 acres at RidgeGate.

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Castle Rock has also made big moves that are poised to pay dividends as the retail-heavy town persists on its path to greater diversity of industry, more primary employment and good jobs closer to home for its growing number of residents. With projects like The Meadows residential development underway and large mixed-use developments like Dawson Trails moving through the planning stages, Castle Rock is ready to keep its growth spurt going, although keeping the expansion going at a measured, reasonable pace is the goal for the economic development team there. “Healthy is the key word,” said Frank Gray, CEO of the Castle Rock Economic Development Council. “You want to see nice, healthy growth. Growth is going to happen in Castle Rock either way. The entitlements are there. So, you want to create an environment where you can get to the highest and best use, and create jobs for Castle Rock residents and places where people want to live and work.” Retail and dining, two industries that have historically been Castle Rock’s bread and butter, were hard hit by the pandemic, but the area’s draw has kept business running, Gray said. “Castle Rock has been on fire, even through the pandemic,” he said. Like Lone Tree, new infrastructure projects will similarly help Castle Rock continue to pursue its goals going forward. “Without key infrastructure, noth-

ing really moves forward,” Gray said. Even the unincorporated parts of Douglas County are contributing to the surge in population. Sterling Ranch, which began new home construction in 2016 after two years of planning and infrastructure work, plus about a decade of legal contention, in July 2021 announced the opening of its third distinct neighborhood, called Prospect Village, within the behemoth site in the northwest corner of the county. Sterling Ranch is a long-term development play, with full buildout expected to take at least two decades. But it and many other residential developments have their work cut out for them trying to keep pace with the hunger for homes in Douglas County. The number of households in the county jumped by 27% to just under 131,000 in the 10 years leading up to 2020, according to the demographer’s data, compared with a 15% increase across the metro area, and local residential real estate brokers say that demand for homes in the county has only increased over the course of 2021. Development in the county can only go so far, thanks to protections placed on the county’s ample open space, but with cities, towns and unincorporated developments all moving full-steam ahead with their growth plans, there is plenty of runway for the county’s continued expansion, even beyond what it’s seen so far.

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Elbert County News 7

January 6, 2022

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8 Elbert County News

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We can’t stop until we start

ou don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.” — Joe Saba. Here we go, the first week of the year begins WINNING and we are back at it, whatever “it” WORDS may be for each of us. Whether we claim 2021 as a huge success, a miserable failure, or anywhere in between, the good news is that we get to either build upon Michael Norton the successes, grow from the failures, or jump-start our way out of our comfort zone. Heading into the new year, we get to choose what it is we want to start doing. For many of us, we thought about what it is that we want to stop doing instead of what we want to start doing. When we think of what we are trying to stop, it means we see that as something that is negative, maybe it’s a bad habit that we know

January 6, 2022

we need to break. Having this awareness is so powerful when it comes to making positive changes in our life. The best way to stop or break a bad habit is to start a new, good, healthy and productive habit. What I have noticed in life is that people who get stuck, knowing they want to stop doing something that could be destructive or disruptive to their life, but don’t stop, is because they didn’t come up with a better alternative. We may argue that this should be common sense, but keep in mind that common sense is not always common practice. Many of us miss our own “aha” moments because we are so close to a problem or situation that we can’t visualize our way out of it. We need someone else to come alongside of us and point out what might be obvious. As I thought about the column that I would write to begin the year, I knew that I wanted to begin the year with a one-word theme. I outlined several drafts of what the column could be about and had plenty of positive, motivating and encourag-

ing words to choose from. Before I knew it, I was stuck. Then it hit me, “Start” would be the word and all I had to do was “Start” writing and the story would almost write itself. “People who never take step one, can never possibly take step two.” Zig Ziglar Why don’t we take the first step? It comes down to one of two things: Fear of failure and no time. Fear of failure can be crippling if not paralyzing, but it is also the common language of negative or destructive self-talk. A kind of negative self-talk that when we eliminate it propels us forward toward the accomplishment of our goals and dreams. If we can start filling our head and heart with good, strong, and positive encouraging words, we will stop feeding our minds with negativity. No time? What we are really telling ourselves is that everything and everyone else is more important than our own health and peace of mind. No time is the easiest cop-out of all. Sorry, but it’s true. What we need to do before we stop doing anything is

start prioritizing what we are doing. What will have the greatest positive c impact on our lives so we in turn can i have an even greater impact on thosec around us? Change the talk-track in d our head with what to start doing, d and what we need to stop doing will 2 l become obvious. p Are you ready to start the new year? Are you ready to start the year by deciding to get past the fear, the D excuses of no time, stopping all that o is dragging you down or holding you e back, so that you can enjoy all that p 2022 has in store for you? I would love to hear your story at mnorton@ s D tramazing.com, and when we can overcome our fears and make time tos start doing more of the good, pure, powerful, and positive actions and c stop doing those detrimental, nega- d tive, and destructive things, it really t d will be a better than good year. s Michael Norton is the grateful CEO r of Tramazing.com, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, s trainer, encourager and motivator to p businesses of all sizes. t

Save energy, save money this winter

ooler temperatures have arrived and the days are shorter, which means Coloradans may start to use more energy to keep their homes comfortable and GUEST day-to-day activities COLUMN running. Several factors impacting utilities across the U.S, are pointing to higher prices for natural gas this winter. These include lower inventory levels of gas in storage, higher Amy Fiala summertime use to generate electricity for cooling, and interrupted offshore gas production due to Hurricane Ida. The first step to making your home more energy efficient is knowing what simple fixes it needs. Here are a few spot tests to help detect where you may be losing the most energy: The Flashlight Test: Have someone go outside at night and shine a flashlight at and around doorways, while you stay inside; you’ll see the light shining through any cracks or openings that need to be resealed. The Tissue Test: Hang a piece of tissue on a clothes hanger next to a

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closed window. If the tissue is moving, there’s a leak from your window seals. The Money Test: Slip a quarter underneath a doorway. If it fits, heat is escaping. To test windows, place a dollar bill across the weather-stripping on a window, close the window, and pull out the bill. If it comes out easily, the window doesn’t have a tight enough seal. After identifying the areas of your home that may need help, here are a few inexpensive DIY weatherization tips to reduce wasted energy and help you save on monthly energy bills: Seal cracks with caulk. Wherever you discovered a leak, apply new caulk to seal cracks and joints, keeping drafts and moisture out of your home. And remember, leaks aren’t just found around windows and doors; consider every other area that may leak air, including where wood siding meets the concrete foundation. Weather-strip windows and doors. In addition to caulking cracks, consider installing a foambacked tape around windows and doors to keep heat inside. Windows and doors are important areas to make energy efficiency upgrades, as 7% to 12% of a building’s heating

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couple degrees. Remember to close 3 your drapes or blinds at night, whichr will help insulate your home from w any energy leaking from windows. n a Black Hills Energy is commitr ted to providing the safe, reliable energy that our communities need c to thrive, regardless of the weather m c outside. If you’re not sure what energy efficiency projects are most h needed for your home, consider a d virtual home energy assessment. Trained professionals will provide N recommendations for reducing your c energy consumption and often will n identify projects and rebates to help s you save money. Black Hills Energy s also offers an online assessment that c provides customers with a free home a energy kit with hot water blanket, t faucet aerators, showerheads, weath-i t erstripping and more. For more energy-saving tips, en- c ergy efficiency program information and to apply for an energy audit and t rebates, visit blackhillsenergy.com/ o winter-ready. And, if you’re strug- m gling to pay your energy bill, reach n c out to our customer service team, who can help with billing options D and energy assistance programs. b a Amy Fiala is the energy efficiency program coordinator for Black Hills t S Energy. s c Columnists & Guest Commentaries ELBERT COUNTY NEWS i (USPS 171-100) Columnist opinions are not necessarily A legal newspaper of general circulation C those of the Elbert County News. in Elizabeth, Colorado, the Elbert County a We welcome letters to the editor. Please News is published weekly on Thursday s include your full name, address and the

and cooling loss occurs around these areas. Check your furnace. Conduct regular maintenance on your furnace, like cleaning your furnace filter monthly and replacing it every three months. We also encourage you to get a professional furnace check-up each year, to make sure your home’s largest energy user in the winter is running efficiently. Upgrade your thermostat. According to the Department of Energy, you can save an estimated 10% a year on heating and cooling costs by using a programmable thermostat. Upgrading your thermostat to a programmable model with a heating schedule is a great way to save energy. Black Hills Energy offers a rebate on Energy Star certified smart thermostats to help cover the cost. Saving energy and money also means making small changes to your routine, to use less energy at times of peak demand, typically between 2 and 6 p.m. For those working at home, there are also a few ways to conserve energy during and after your 9-5. For example, opening blinds for all south-facing windows is a great way to let the sun heat your home during the day, so that you can turn down the thermostat by a

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Elbert County News 9

DISTRICTS FROM PAGE 1

including the towns of Elizabeth, Kiowa, and Simla; and District 3 is a sprawling agricultural district. “The majority of the significantly subdivided lands are located in the northwest portion of the county and therefore a logical district because of its population density,” Thayer wrote. “Districts 2 and 3 are mostly agricultural and logical districts because of geography and population similarity.” In an email correspondence from Dec. 27, Commissioner Richardson outlined what he sees as the benefits of the new map: 1. It provides the most balanced population in each district without simply increasing the land mass of District 3 and further reducing the size of Districts 1 and 2. 2. It provides two districts that cover a large land mass with some development and large agricultural areas and a single compact district (a nearly fully developed/ suburban area). 3. It provides potential for a variety of Board of County Commissioners compositions. 4. The map had bipartisan support by both major political parThe new Elbert County commissioner districts map was approved by the commissioners on Nov. 17. COURTESY OF ELBERT COUNTY GOVERNMENT ties. The new map, however, has come hood like that,” said Sara Cuthbert under scrutiny by some locals who of Spring Valley Ranch. “We are one neighborhood and share an are concerned that Commissioner HOA. Dividing us into two districts Richardson is no longer living in doesn’t make sense.” the district that he represents. Byron McDaniel, Spring Valley Colorado Revised Statue 30-10Ranch HOA vice president, gave 306(4) states that “If a district is some insight into this decision in revised or altered in accordance a short email correspondence from with this subsection (4) in a manDec. 29. ner that excludes the residence of “I can’t speak on behalf of the a county commissioner elected to HOA board, but from my personal represent the district, the county commissioner remains eligible and perspective, the decision came down to equaling the number of may continue to hold the office of voters in each district. I attended county commissioner until his or the County Board meeting and saw her term of office expires.” the options that they had, and havRichardson’s email corresponing to split Spring Valley Ranch dence with the Elbert County was the best option to equalize the News aims to put concerned districts,” commented McDaniel. citizens at ease. “I believe the “I think the County Commissionnew map makes sense as Commisers made the right choice and I sioners are elected at large and support their decision.” serve the entire population of the McDaniel continued to say that county,” said Richardson. “It also the division shouldn’t have a sigallows much greater freedom in nificant impact on the community. the drawing of district boundaries “The commissioners work toin order to focus on what’s best for gether very well and if there is an the future versus who happens to item or decision large enough to currently be in office.” reach the level of the board, then Richardson continued to explain it is going to take input from all that in the case of the newly adthree,” said McDaniel. “At the end opted district map, all three comof the day, splitting the neighbormissioners will be representing hood by a district line isn’t going new areas of the county in some to really impact SVR.” capacity. As a general comment regarding “Approximately two-thirds of the potential impact of the new District 1 now falls within the district map, Commissioner Richboundaries of the old District 1 ardson hopes to put Elbert County and I am confident in my ability residents at ease. “I see very little to represent the new area north of impact from these changes, as we Singing Hills Road,” said Richardhave always made it a point that son. Districts 2 and 3 are also now 303-566-4100 we each serve all the citizens,” comprised of areas that were once said Richardson. “Our decisions in other numbered districts, so obituaries@coloradocommunitymedia.com are always based on what is best Commissioners Pettitt and Thayer for the county as a whole and not also have some new areas to reprejust what is best for our immediate sent.” Self placement available online at neighbors.” The new map also bisects the ElbertCountyNews.net Commissioner Pettitt was on Spring Valley Ranch community vacation when the Elbert County by County Road 17/21, separating News attempted to reach him for the new builds in District 1 from the established homes in District 3, comment. To read Colorado Revised Statute leaving one resident perplexed. 30-10-306(4), please visit tinyurl. “I find it odd that the Commissioners would separate a neighbor- com/commissionerstatute.

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Is Colorado home to an ancient astronomical observatory? BY DAVID GILBERT COLORADO SUN

Cliff Palace in the 1930s.

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On the winter solstice in 1997, Greg Munson stood beside an unusual basin pecked into the stone along the exit trail to Cliff Palace, grandest of the cliff dwellings in southwestern Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park. As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, Munson, a former Mesa Verde park ranger and researcher, watched as the sun appeared to plunge into Sun Temple, an enigmatic structure perched on a promontory atop Chapin Mesa across the canyon from his vantage point. “It was amazing to think that maybe I was the first western person to see this event in nearly 800 years and recognize it for what it was,” Munson said. Munson and his colleagues may have been looking at one of the most advanced astronomical observatories in the ancient world, according to recent studies by data scientist Sherry Towers. Researchers have long theorized that Sun Temple contains solar, lunar and astronomical alignments in its placement and architecture, and Towers’ research suggests it could be far more complex than previously believed. But unraveling Sun Temple’s mysteries is made more difficult by the troubled history between researchers and the descendants of the people who built it. Towers’ research uses computer modeling to theorize that Sun Temple is shot through with sight lines pointing not just to the rise and set of the sun at crucial dates, such as equinoxes and solstices, but to lunar cycles and an array of major stars that figure into Pueblo cosmology that may have its origins among the Ancestral Puebloans. Towers has also further developed theories that Sun Temple’s construction incorporates advanced geometry, including a standard unit of measurement, and walls built to the proportions of the golden rectangle and Pythagorean 3:4:5 triangles. “It’s sheer genius,” Towers said of Sun Temple’s construction. “The architect did this with no known writing or numerical system, no computers. They laid it out with yucca cords and sticks. They were the Michaelangelo of their time.” Mesa Verde National Park, established in 1906, features some of the most well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan sites in the Southwest. More than 22,000 people may have lived on and around Mesa Verde at the beginning of the 1200s. But by the beginning of the 1300s, the area was depopulated, likely as a result of a prolonged drought or other social pressures. The inhabitants largely resettled in Arizona and the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico, where their descendants live today as the Pueblo and Hopi people. (The park’s former inhabitants were once called the Anasazi, though the term – which is commonly cited as meaning “ancient enemy” in the Diné language – is considered derogatory by Pueblo people and has fallen out

of use). Mesa Verde’s crown jewels are its cliff dwellings, sprawling structures built in alcoves beneath the mesa tops, with likely uses including habitation, food storage, ceremony and ritual. More than 600 cliff dwellings are scattered throughout the park, though they represent just a fraction of the more than 5,000 known archeological sites within park boundaries. Amid this archaeological treasure trove, Sun Temple stands out. Built nearly 800 years ago by the Ancestral Puebloans, Sun Temple shows no signs of habitation – no hearths, no food storage, no trash middens. The D-shaped 122-foot-by64-foot structure encloses several roofless circular rooms. They do not appear to be kivas, the subterranean rooms used for ceremonies and rituals. Nor were they tall enough to be watchtowers. “We know it’s monumental public architecture,” said Elizabeth Dickey, Mesa Verde National Park’s head of cultural resources. “But how was it used? That we can’t say.”

Finding alignments Towers’ work follows earlier hypotheses about the site’s astronomical alignments, dating to the earliest modern researchers. Sun Temple was first excavated by J.W. Fewkes, a pioneering archaeologist and ethnographer who worked in the park in the early 20th century – and gave Sun Temple its modern name. Fewkes theorized that Sun Temple’s south wall was aligned to the summer solstice sunrise, though later investigation found the wall is off from the sunrise by several degrees. Nevertheless, in the decades that followed, researchers built on Fewkes’ theories, owing in part to Sun Temple’s commanding view of the surrounding landscape, and growing awareness of the Ancestral Puebloans’ knowledge of astronomy. Munson, who along with other researchers surveyed Sun Temple in the 1990s and 2000s, studied the alignment between the winter solstice sunset and the pecked basin at Cliff Palace across the canyon. Towers, who built on work by Munson, Kim Malville and Dr. Jonathon Reyman, said her research brings a new data-driven, analytical approach that has been lacking in archeoastronomy — the study of how ancient people observed the heavens. “You can find alignments in almost any building if you go looking for them,” Towers said. To check her work, Towers created a computer model of Sun Temple, then rotated it in more than 200 configurations. She said only in its realworld positioning does Sun Temple most closely match the alignments of major stars in the mid-13th century, when Sun Temple is believed to have been built. As her research has broadened, Towers said she believes many sites around Sun Temple may hold more astronomical alignments. From a SEE MESA VERDE, P11

Elbert County News 11

January 6, 2022

MESA VERDE FROM PAGE 10

boulder covered in ancient carvings at nearby Balcony House, Towers says the winter solstice sunrise would appear to emerge from the vertex of an L-shape formed by a cliff face and the top of Chapin Mesa across the canyon, though she has not yet had a chance to observe the phenomenon in person. Towers acknowledges that while her research is intriguing, she has had little discourse with Pueblo and Hopi people about it. “These places are considered sacred, and there’s a lot of trust that needs to be built to achieve that relationship,” said Towers, who is working for the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Germany. “I wish I lived in Colorado so I was in a position to work on that. Would Pueblo people see value in the work I do? Maybe, maybe not.” Living, breathing places Observing the movement of the heavens has been important to Pueblo and Hopi people throughout their known history, said Phillip Tuwaletstiwa, a Hopi geodesist. “There were very precise ways of tracking the sun,” Tuwaletstiwa said. “The job fell to a man our people called the Sun-Watcher, who observed the solar journey.” Observing the sun was important timekeeping for both agricultural and ceremonial functions, he said, calling the solstices – the longest and shortest days of the year – important dividing lines.

“The sun actually appears to stand still for a few days on either side of the solstice,” he said. “Pinpointing the exact day can be tricky. In our communities, on the winter solstice, we worry. If we aren’t walking the proper path, following the Hopi way, will the sun leave its winter house? It’s a period of apprehension. When it moves after a day or two, there’s a sigh of relief.” Observing the movements of the sun and moon demonstrate a fundamental Hopi belief in the dualities of existence, Tuwaletstiwa said. “Shadow and light, birth and death, sun and moon,” he said. “The sun is predictable, steady. It comes up every day, and if you watch its movements for a year, you’ve nailed it. The moon is nothing like that. It appears and disappears, and its full cycle across the sky, what’s called the lunar maximum and minimum, takes years to observe. The opposites in nature help balance each other.” Tuwaletstiwa, as a geodetic surveyor, helped measure the orientation of ancient buildings in Chaco Canyon, a major Ancestral Puebloan cultural center in northwestern New Mexico. His measurements helped form the underpinning of research hypothesizing that Chacoan buildings were also built around numerous astronomical alignments. He hasn’t made up his mind on Towers’ theories, saying the SunWatcher system was so effective without advanced architecture that he believes sites like Sun Temple — or the Sun Spiral, an apparent astronomical observatory on Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon — may have been places for communities to col-

lectively celebrate solar and lunar cycles rather than to strictly measure points on the calendar, such as the winter solstice on Dec. 21 this year. The cyclical nature of time speaks to a mindset Tuwaletstiwa wishes modern researchers could better grasp: that to Pueblo and Hopi people, places like Mesa Verde are not abandoned. “We don’t like that word, abandoned,” he said. “We don’t think in terms of the time between events. We have migrated many times. We didn’t vanish. We were many places before Mesa Verde, and many places after. I visited the veterans’ cemeteries in Normandy, and I treated them with respect and gratitude. In Chaco and Mesa Verde, those are my ancestral people. I need to treat them with respect as well. To us, these are living, breathing places.” Tuwaletstiwa said it’s difficult to conclusively speak to the connection between modern Hopi and Pueblo astronomical observances and those of the Ancestral Puebloans, because there are dozens of beliefs and customs among different clans and groups. And yet, between the analytical nature of archaeology and the intimate nature of Indigenous heritage and spirituality, Tulawetstiwa sees another complementary duality. “When we talk about Mesa Verde, tree ring studies, carbon dating and DNA are one side, and the stories and spirits of Native people are on another side,” he said. “They can inform each other. I don’t see them as in conflict.” Drawing archaeology and ethnography closer together is an essen-

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tial task to understanding places like Sun Temple, said Munson, the researcher whose studies helped inform Towers’ work. “The architecture, the way things were built, that’s the ‘how,’” Munson said. “The ethnography, the people, that’s the ‘why.’ Without the why, there’s now how.” Munson founded the Society for Cultural Astronomy in the American Southwest, or SCAAS, an organization that invites Indigenous scholars to participate in archeoastronomy research. The group is also raising funds to preserve and digitize Fewkes’ work, which includes significant ethnographic resources recorded at the tail end of the 19th century. Repairing damaged trust Though the distance between archaeologists and the descendants of Ancestral Puebloans is narrowing, generations of strife can take time to overcome, said Tim Hovezak, the former head of cultural resources at Mesa Verde. “To say there’s damaged trust is putting it mildly,” he said. “There’s been a long history of exploitation of people who were at the time powerless to do anything about damage to their cultural heritage.” Though the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde were known to the Pueblo, Hopi, Ute, Diné and other Native people for centuries, they were largely left alone. But white settlers in the late 1800s began pillaging the sites almost as soon as they discovered them, knocking down walls and hauling off wagonSEE MESA VERDE, P12

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January 6, 2022

C R O S S W O R D MESA VERDE P U Z Z L E FROM PAGE 12

loads of artifacts to sell to collectors. Some early archaeologists exhumed human remains, shipping them to far-flung museums. “Some of us are actively working to restore trust,” Hovezak said. “We’re trying to be more cognizant of Native views, and the Pueblos are becoming more proactive on their own behalf.” Several Pueblo groups either declined to comment for this story or did not respond to requests for comment. Some differences will likely remain, said Dickey, the park’s current head of cultural resources. “We listen closely to descendant groups, but we can’t always enact their wishes,” Dickey said. “Some feel we shouldn’t be preserving these sites, that we should allow them to decay as Mother Nature intended. But that’s contrary to our policy to preserve these places for future generations.” Early attempts at stabilizing sites were haphazard. Fewkes poured Portland cement atop Sun

Temple’s walls, a practice that would “leave us aghast today,” Dickey said. Dickey said the Parks Service takes a “light hand” with preservation, employing stonemasons who specialize in ancient-style stone cutting and mortar mixing. Deciphering the mystery of Sun Temple may continue to prove elusive, Dickey said. “A lot of the tribal members we consult with will tell us they know what these places were used for, what they mean,” Dickey said. “But they say it’s not for us to know. These are private, sacred things. Our insatiable curiosity is disrespectful to them. As scientists, we want to know everything. We want to dig until we find the answers. But sometimes, we have to learn to let go.” This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.

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14 Elbert County News

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Elbert County News 15

January 6, 2022

Arts organizations look to a new year Outlets for creativity gain ground as restrictions continue BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

As a person who learned to love the arts — visual and performing — as a young child, I have been so saddened by the limitations COVID has placed on our world, near and far. And I’m sure my sadness can’t compare to that of a performer, whose energy comes from sharing his/her talents with an audience, or a skilled visual artist, whose fingertips tingle as a new painting takes shape, meant to speak to another sort of audience out there ... Creativity needs to be shared ... We see new partnerships developing throughout the area, which is a welcome and healthy sign. As notices of performances and exhibits arrive in my inbox now, I am excited to sally forth to live performances again, although apprehensive about health issues, of course. It will require a wardrobe of masks and a proof of vaccina-

tion in my wallet to feed my soul! In many venues, seating will be spaced out, and perhaps therefore pricier. Masks are required in all the performance spaces I’m hearing about, starting with our local Town Hall Arts Center in Downtown Littleton, which will open “Little Shop of Horrors,” directed by Robert Wells, Jan. 28 to March 6. Meek Seymour, a budding botanist who works in a struggling flower shop, discovers a new plant. It demands to be fed blood and uses foul language. (This one is not for the small set.) Town Hall has made it through with a devoted, small staff and hard-working board. Its popular education programs for kids have resumed and will hopefully offer summer happy times for budding theatricals and those who want to learn the technical parts of entertainment as well. “Once on This Island” and “The Wedding Singer” will wrap up the spring and run into summer. Watch also for an announcement of “Town Hall Sessions: an intimate concert series.” Stanton Gallery will next host an exhibit called “Contrast,” opening Jan. 28. Lone Tree Arts Center and Parker’s PACE Center are offering

programming as well, which will no doubt increase. Watch for concert announcements by local symphonic organizations: Littleton Symphony, Arapahoe Philharmonic, Lone Tree Symphony, Parker Symphony, Englewood Arts Presents, and for news of these organizations as they work with children ... I’d love to see more interchange among these organizations as we start a new year, with new rules ... all could benefit. Area colleges and universities add strength to the arts scene as well, and I hope more area folks will discover the really lovely Colorado Gallery of the Arts at Arapahoe Community College, and I hope, some music programming open again to the community, eventually ... Littleton’s newly-formed Arts and Culture Commission has completed a strategic plan and connected with arts organizations. Lone Tree has an Arts Commission. Englewood Arts Presents connects with education projects in the schools especially well. Each community follows a different path. We hope to gain better understanding of other south area organizations with parallel

Town Hall Arts Center in Littleton has resumed offering programs for children along with stage shows. FILE PHOTO BY SCOTT GILBERT

functions and wonder about possibilities for exchange of ideas and services ... We are so fortunate to have the number of arts venues available in the area and hope readers access and enjoy them for visual and performing arts and educational opportunities. While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, public events frequently are canceled or rescheduled. Check with organizers before you go.

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PUBLIC NOTICES

Public Notices call Sheree 303.566.4088 Legals City and County Public Notice NOTICE OF PURCHASE OF MINERAL RIGHTS AT TAX LIEN SALE AND OF APPLICATION FOR ISSUANCE OF TREASURER'S DEED To Every Person in Actual Possession or Occupancy of the hereinafter Described Land, Lot or Premises, and to the Person in Whose Name the same was Taxed or Specially Assessed, and to all Persons having Interest of Title of Record in or to the said Premises and To Whom It May Concern, and more especially to: DAVID S JOLLY JR PO BOX 383 STRATTON, NE 69043-0383 You and each of you are hereby notified that on the 14th day of November 2017, the then County Treasurer of Elbert County, in the State of Colorado, sold at public tax lien sale to MCCULLISS OIL & GAS INC. the following described mineral rights situate in the County of Elbert, State of Colorado, to-wit: Section: 2 Township: 6 Range: 57 :SW4 (160A) SE4 (160A) TOTAL 320 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 8.641 :NE4NE4 (69.64A) SE4NE (40A) NE4NW4 (69.4A0 E2SE4 (80A) TOTAL 259.04 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 6.995 :NW4NE4 (69.52A) TOTAL 69.52 A 4.0505% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 2.816 :SW4NE4 (40A) SE4NW4 (40A) SW4 (160A) W2SE4 (80A) TOTAL 320 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 4.320 Section: 2 Township: 6 Range: 58 :NE4NE4 (69.64A) SE4NE4 (40A) NE4NW4 (69.4) E2SE4 (80A) TOTAL 259.04 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 10.493 :NW4NE4 (69.52A) TOTAL 69.52 A 4.0505% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 2.816 :SW4NE4 (40A) SE4NW4 (40A) SW4 (160A) W2SE4 (80A) TOTAL 320 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 4.320 Section: 2 Township: 7 Range: 57 :NE4NW4 (40.53A) NW4NW4 (40.5A) S2NW4 (80A) SW4 (160A) TOTAL 321.03 A 2.70031% INTERERST TOTAL NET ACRES 8.669 Section: 2 Township: 7 Range: 58 :SW4NE4 (40A) TOTAL 40 A

1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES .540 :NE4NW4 (40.06A) SE4NW4 (40A) NE4SW4 (40A) W2SW4 (80A) N2SE4 (80A) SW4SE4 (40A) TOTAL 320.06 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 8.643 NE4 (160A) NW4 (160) TOTAL 320 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 8.641 Section: 4 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NW4NE4 (71.11A) S2NE4 (80A) NE4NW4 (71.07A) NW4NW4 (71.03A) S2NW4 (80A) SW4 (160A) W2SE4 (80A) TOTAL 613.21 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 16.559 Section: 4 Township: 7 Range: 57 :NE4NE4 (40.36A) NW4NE4 (40.33A) S2NE4 (80A) NE4NW4 (40.29) NW4NW4 (40.26A) W2SE4 (80A) TOTAL 321.24 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 4.337 Section: 6 Township: 6 Range: 57 :SW4NE4 (40A) NE4NW4 (71.25A) SW4NW4 (12.8A) SE4NW4 (40A) NW4SW4 (14.51A) SW4SW4 (16.22A) E2SW4 (80A) NW4SE4 (40A) TOTAL 314.78 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 4.250 Section: 8 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NE4 (160A) E2NW4 (80A) E2SE4 (80A) TOTAL 320 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 4.320 Section: 8 Township: 6 Range: 58 Section: 10 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NE4NE4 (40A) S2NE4 (80A) S2NW4 (80A) NE4SW4 (40A) W2SE4 (80A) TOTAL 320 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 4.320 Section: 10 Township: 6 Range: 58 :ALL (640A) TOTAL 640 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 17.282 Section: 12 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NE4 (160A) NW4 (160A) TOTAL 320 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 4.320 :SW4 (160A) SE4 (160A) TOTAL 320 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 8.641 Section: 12 Township: 6 Range: 58 :NW4 (160A) SW4 (160A) TOTAL 320 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 4.320 Section: 12 Township: 7 Range: 58 :NE4 (160A) NW4 (160A) TOTAL 320 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 8.641 Section: 14 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NE4 (160A) NW4 (160A) SW4 (160A) SE4 (160A) TOTAL 640 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 17.282 Section: 14 Township: 6 Range: 58 :N2NE4 (80A) N2NW4 (80A) SE4NW4 (40A) E2SW4 (80A) SE4SE4 (40A) TOTAL 320 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 8.641 :S2NE4 (80A) E2SE4 (80A) NW4SE4 (40A) TOTAL 200 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 2.700 Section: 18 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NE4 (160A) NENW4 (40A) NW4NW4 (17.54A) SW4NW4 (17.6A) NW4SW4 (17.68A) SW4SW4 (17.74A) E2SW4 (80A) SE4 (160A) TOTAL 590.56 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 7.974 Section: 20 Township: 6 Range: 57 :W2NE4 (80A) SE4NE4 (40A) S2SW4 (80A) NESE4 (80A) SW4SE4 (40A) TOTAL 320 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 4.320 Section: 22 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NE4

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(160A) NW4 (160A) SW4 (160A) SE4 (160A) TOTAL 640 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 17.282 Section: 22 Township: 6 Range: 58 :ALL (640A) TOTAL 640 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 17.282 Section: 24 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NE4 (160A) NW4 (160A) SW4 (160A) W2SE4 (80A) NE4SE4 (40A) TOTAL 600 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 8.101 Section: 24 Township: 6 Range: 58 :NE4 (160A) SE4 (160A) TOTAL 320 A 2.70031% TOTAL NET ACRES 8.641 Section: 26 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NE4 (160A) TOTAL 160 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 2.160 Section: 26 Township: 6 Range: 58 :NW4 (160A) SW4 (160A) NW4SE4 (40A) TOTAL 360 A 2.70031% TOTAL NET ACRES 9.721 Section: 28 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NE4 (160A) SE4 (160A) TOTAL 320 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 8.641 :NW4 (160A) SW4 (160A) TOTAL 320 A 1.35016% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 4.320 Section: 30 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NE4 (160A) E2NW4 (80A) NW4SW4 (17.97A) SW4NW4 (18.08A) E2SW4 (80A) NW4NW4 (18.18) SW4SW4 (18.29A) SE4 (160A) TOTAL 552.52 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 14.920 Section: 32 Township: 6 Range: 57 :SW4 (160A) SE4 (160A) TOTAL 320 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 8.641 Section: 34 Township: 6 Range: 57 :NE4 (160A) NW4 (160A) SW4 (160A) SE4 (160) TOTAL A 640 2.70031% OF1/2 INT 8.64 MRA Section: 34 Township: 6 Range: 58 :ALL (640A) TOTAL 640 A 2.70031% INTEREST TOTAL NET ACRES 17.282 Subdivision: SEVERED MINERALS:TOTAL MINERAL ACRES 298.207

on the 23rd day of March 2022, unless the same has been redeemed; Said mineral rights may be redeemed from said sale at any time prior to the actual execution of said Treasurer's Deed.

Witness my hand this 23rd day of December 2021 Sheryl L. Hewlett, Treasurer of Elbert County, Colorado

Dana N. Reid, Personal Representative 4554 Cushing Drive Loveland, Colorado 80538

Metropolitan Districts Public Notice

Legal Notice No. 24757 First Publication: January 6, 2022 Last Publication: January 20, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

NOTICE OF BUDGET AMENDMENT Pursuant to 29-1-106, C.R.S.

That said mineral rights was taxed or specially assessed in the name(s) of DAVID S JOLLY JR for said year 2016;

Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89553855126?p wd=ZzV6V1hmZUNMT2l0T2Rlc3dsS2tydz09

That said MCCULLISS OIL & GAS INC. on the 4th day of October 2021, the present holder of said certificate (who) has made request upon the Treasurer of said County for a deed to said mineral rights;

Meeting ID: 895 5385 5126 Passcode: 121909

That a Treasurer's Deed will be issued for said mineral rights to MCCULLISS OIL & GAS INC.

Dated this 6th day of January 2022. ELIZABETH FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT BY:/s/ Wayne Austgen, Secretary

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Brady Anson Reid, Deceased Case Number: 21 PR 30046 All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before May 15, 2022, or the claims may be forever barred.

Legal Notice No. 24758 First Publication: January 6, 2022 Last Publication: January 20, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

That said tax lien sale was made to satisfy the delinquent mineral rights (and special assessment) taxes assessed against said mineral rights for the year 2016;

and said County Treasurer issued a certificate of purchase therefore to MCCULLISS OIL & GAS INC..

Notice to Creditors

This Notice of Purchase has also been published in Colorado Community Media on January 6, 2022, January 13, 2022 and January 20, 2022.

Notice is hereby given that an amended budget has been submitted to the ELIZABETH FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT for the 2021 fiscal year. A copy of the amended budget has been filed in the office of the ELIZABETH FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT, where same is open for public inspection. The amended budget will be considered at a regular meeting of the ELIZABETH FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT to be held at Station #1, 155 W. Kiowa Ave., Elizabeth, Colorado at 6:00 P.M. on January 11, 2022. Any interested elector of the ELIZABETH FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT may inspect the amended budget for 2021and file or register any objections thereto at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget. This meeting will be held via Zoom:

Certificate Number: 2017-02497

Legal No. 24763 First Publication: January 6, 2022 Last Publication: January 6, 2022 Published: Elbert County News

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Stephanie Parlove, aka Stephanie Christine Parlove, Deceased Case Number: 2021PR030053 All persons having claims against the abovenamed estate are required to present them to the Personal Representative or to the District Court of Elbert County, Colorado on or before May 20, 2022, or the claims may be forever barred. /s/ James T. Anest #16727 -- Arant Law LLC Attorney to the Personal Representative 19751 E. Mainstreet, Suite 365 Parker, Colorado 80138 303-841-9525 Legal Notice No. 24755 First Publication: December 30, 2021 Last Publication: January 13, 2022 Publisher: Elbert County News

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Elbert County Legals 1.6.21 * 1

16 Elbert County News

January 6, 2022

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