The Lost Creek Guide March 03, 2021

Volume 14 • Edition 5

March 3, 2021

Delivering 8,600 copies to rural Adams, Morgan, and Weld Counties

“Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light” George Washington “If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed” Thomas Jefferson

Women of Weld Host Colorado Republican State Chairman Candidates Forum at Ben’s Pizzeria in Hudson

by Bob Grand, Lost Creek Guide 3/3/2021 On Thursday night at Ben’s Pizzeria in Hudson the Women of Weld hosted the Colorado State Chairman Forum. Republican Women of Weld President, Gillian Smith welcomed all. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Dick Wadhams, former state GOP Chair.

The moderator of the event, who did an excellent job, was Alan Philp, former Executive Director of COGOP & Regional Political Director for the Republican National Committee.

Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams was the Timekeeper, who only had to get up once to limit comment.

Listening intensely for the entire event, taking copious notes, and not saying anything, which ,for those who know me realize how hard that must have been, I conclude that the Denver – Boulder axis is in no immediate danger. All five candidates for the GOP State Chair are sincere in what they want to.

It is that to be successScott Gessler, Kristi Burton-Brown, Rich Mancuso, Alan Philp, ful they must all work Moderator, former Executive Director COGOP & Regional together and that is the Political Director of the Republican National Committee, Casper rub. Unity is not just a Stockman, & Jonathan Lockwood word it must happen for the Republican Party to put forth candidates that have a chance of winning at statewide races. Over the last ten years the party has lost 100,000 registered voters. And how many of the new folks did you think they got? And people wonder why Republicans have, consistently, been losing statewide races.

All five candidates running were present: Jonathan Lockwood, Rich Mancuso, Casper Stockham, Kristi Burton-Brown, and Scott Gessler. The event ran almost two hours with candidates having to answer the same questions ,in sequence, with varying time limits for each question. The event was live streamed on Facebook, courtesy of Sherrie Peif, of Complete Colorado Page Two, and had over 1,000 views. A really remarkable event in South County.

All five candidates agreed that the Republican party needs to unite to win in Colorado again at the state level. Looking at the five candidates there were 3 that expressed frustration with the State party establishment support for all candidates and the other two suggested as much. In my view, the clearest presenter was Kristi Burton-Brown, verbally strong and definitive, with the best expressed vision. Yet one has to ask, as the previous Vice Chair of the party what did she do to try an address some of the issues that she herself referenced. Like baking a cake if you could mix all five together you would probably have a really Heather Edmiston, Secretary, Marge Klein, Treasurer, Tammy good result. But can that Klein, Vice President, Gillian Smith, President happen? I am afraid that is an exceedingly difficult task given the history. I am not sure that the Republican party, as it has operated in the past in Colorado, can successfully achieve unity among its core group, let alone attract meaningful unaffiliated support. Something that the party apparatus has failed miserably to do up to this point, a point which all the candidates agreed.

The Women of Weld, Gillian Smith and the rest of her team should be congratulated for bringing such a significant event to south County. Sherrie Peif’s live streaming on Facebook was a big additional benefit. Given that Scott Gessler looks like the online favorite, given how the selection process works, I just do not see an effective pathway to achieving unity within the parry core base, and hence achieving successful participation of the unaf-

filiated voters.

When asked about whether the 2020 race was stolen, all but one candidate agreed. To his credit Jonathan Lockwood said we need to get over it, Joe Biden won. Lockwood and Casper Stockham noted that the counting ballots was probably not the issue, but that ballot harvesting may well have been the real issue, particularly in the urban areas.

If you cannot hide your frustration with the voters within the system how can you expect to favorably influence unaffiliated voters. The drama in the Republican Party continues.

I would comment that are some nonprofit groups that profit very handsomely from this ongoing drama. The Republican party has some excellent core values, people should not use those core principles to self-profit. Their interest is not in pursuing the best for all the citizens of Colorado but rather the best interest for their organizations, those are not necessarily the same goals, although listening to some that is not what you hear but it is certainly what they do.

See more pictures on Page 3

As GOP Faces Split, A ‘Right In The Middle’ Leader Takes Over In Colorado

By Andrew Kenney, CPR News Hugh McKean just took one of the toughest jobs in Colorado politics.

The unassuming 53-year-old general contractor and homebuilder is the new minority leader for Republicans in the state House, where the party has been pushed to the edge of irrelevance by years of election losses.

Now, with the party divided nationwide by the fall of former President Donald Trump, McKean will test whether a return to a Reagan-style message and a willingness to compromise could help the GOP find its footing in Colorado.

“I think what the state often needs is less ideology and more Incoming state House Minority Leader Hugh McKean practicality,” said McKean, who on Wednesday, Jan. 13 as the Colorado General Assem- represents Loveland in Northern bly opened its 2021 session.

Colorado. “It all falls somewhere Hart Van Denburg/CPR News right in the middle.”

Before he can take on Democrats, McKean will have to unify a caucus that has shrunk to just 24 of 65 seats in the House, and which mirrors the same splits facing the larger party.

The job ahead of McKean is “hugely important,” said Brian DelGrosso. The former Republican representative from Loveland served as minority leader until 2017.

“They need to go out and make a case to the people of Colorado that Republicans have a viable vision, a viable path and outlook for the future,” DelGrosso said.

A More Moderate Image McKean replaces Rep. Patrick Neville, the divisive but well-connected lawmaker who led the caucus from 2017 to 2020. Neville kept a tight circle of allies in the caucus and battled Gov. Jared Polis over pandemic restrictions over the last year. In leadership elections held last November, McKean beat out two other contenders for the minority leader position.

Cont. on Page 2, See GOP Faces Split

WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE:

Page 2: Way of the World Page 4: Arbitrary Rule Mutes Republican Voice Page 5: Top Container Gardens Page 7: Meat-In on March 20 Page 9: Free Food Distribution in Hudson Page 11: Weld County School Dist. Re-3J Annual Report Page 13: USDA to Help Victims of Winter Storms Page 16: NISP Approvals

Page 2

– Way of the World –

Lost Creek Guide

by Bob Grand In today’s world it is fashionable to be woke up. You know I agree, we need to be woke up. But I must clarify, I mean, we, as citizens, no matter what affiliation we are, need to wake up to what is happening to us, all if us. We are being managed and directed by a narrow group that does not have the best interest of us, our families, our children, or our country as their driving vision. Their interest is to pursue a view that, in their minds. is what is best for us. They know better, we are but humble mortals, who do not have the intellectual capacity to really understand or appreciate what is good for us. If you are a family living in Chicago how is the quality of life going for you? If you a child how is your education going for you? If you are a citizen that has to buy gas how is that going for you.

Utopia is wonderful but there is a cost to pay for it. Why does it seem that we pay the cost while the people trying to drive the change immediately are seemingly exempt? It has been a while since I read Gorge Orwell’s 1984. I never dreamed such fiction could happen in the United States. Well wake up. It is well on its way. It is frightening.

Our government is supposed to focus on protecting the citizens of the United States.

It seems it is focusing on protecting special interest groups. This 1.9 trillion-dollar relief package has some good things, but it has some things that are just not understandable.

How much money should the government owe? Our grandchildren will be faced with that issue. It is unconscionable. Now the Congress is seriously talking about bringing back earmarks where representatives can have pork projects to give money to just because they can. Democrats and Republicans need to be tasked to return to focus on what the purpose of government is. It is to serve the people, not special interests’ groups.

What made America was that people had the opportunity to try to be successful. If they worked hard, they could pursue their dreams. Was it guaranteed ? No, it was not. Was the system always fair and just, no. But trying to make everyone equal is not the course that produced America. All people should be respected. That being said, all people need to respect all other people. We have a right to our opinion; we have a right to express it. I remind everyone over the Supreme Court Building the inscription reads: ” Equal justice for All”. That is a what Americas is built on. Is the system perfect? Far from it but it is the best that system that is out there. I do not recall people trying to enter in mass at the Venezuelan border or the Chinese border for that matter.

Participating in government at any level is not easy, it is time consuming and often a thankless job. But when people do not, the bureaucracy takes charge. They, for the most part, tend to focus on maintaining the status quo and do not rock the boat. They rarely ask can we do better for our citizen’s?

Watching the political process in Colorado and nationally is heartening. Yes, the Democrats won the election. But do you think our national agenda should be driven by vested California and New York politicians. Who, by any fair assessment, have watched their own state governments fail miserably for their citizens, allowing the special interest groups to benefit at the expense of their citizens? People are beginning to say , this is not what I signed up for. They should. Elected officials should be held accountable for what they do and for what they do not do. Mediocrity should not be the gold star standard.

A news organization that says it is journalistic is entitled to its opinion. United States Senator Patrick Moynihan from the state of New York said” you are entitled to your opinion, not your own facts”. Look at CNN, which now has to figure out what to do about the accusations against Governor of New York Mario Cuomo, their long-time poster child for good government. The dilemma being that more and more is coming out and how do they handle it? Ignoring it should not be an option. Our State Senator’s from Colorado should have a mind of their own. They are bright men. They should stand up for what is right and what they believe in, not just be a member of the herd mentality. The people of Colorado deserve better than that.

At the recent Women of Weld GOP Chairman Forum, the moderator asked if the candidates agreed to the statement the 2020 election was stolen. They all basically implied yes to varying degrees. That is a question I think should be investigated and put to bed.

Ignoring it just leaves the people wondering about the voting system. Personally, I do not believe there was a major problem in ballot counting, Was it perfect? No, but probably not enough to swing the election. Now ballot harvesting is an entirely different question. Rather than leave it unanswered I think there should be a formal federal examination where the issues can be checked. The issue needs to be resolved. By not doing so the issue just continues to percolate. You would think that both sides would want that, unless both sides think they benefit by not doing anything, therefore keeping their bases warmed up on the subject. A political decision as opposed to the right decision.

As always, your thoughts and comments are appreciated are appreciated: publisher@lostxcreekguide.com

The Lost Creek Guide, Llc Bob Grand - Publisher 303-732-4080 publisher@lostcreekguide.com Our deadline is 7 working days before publication

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March 3, 2021

As GOP Faces Split, A ‘Right In The Middle’ Leader Takes Over In Colorado

Cont. from Page 1 The new minority leader has cut a more moderate public image.

He has not publicly questioned the validity of election results or flouted pandemic restrictions, as Neville and other House Republicans have. During his four years in the legislature, he has successfully sponsored dozens of bipartisan bills on topics like water use and emergency response.

He talks often about conservative fundamentals — individual rights, small government, free enterprise — but he doesn’t spend much time arguing on Twitter or passing doomed “message” bills.

“I think that he’ll be more successful as a leader by not being the person that›s out there on social media and throwing bombs all day long,” DelGrosso said.

However, the first days of the session cast a shadow over McKean’s relationship with Democratic leaders. Some House Republicans broke longstanding tradition by fighting Democrats over chamber rules and contesting the selection of the new Speaker of the House.

“I think that first day of session was a good example of one where he really had trouble kind of putting the institution first, ahead of allowing the right wing of his caucus to really bully him,” said Rep. Alec Garnett, the Democrat who is the new Speaker.

“So, I wish him the best success. My door’s always open. We talk a lot, but, you know, it’s unclear exactly how it’s all going to go for him.”

From Missouri To Loveland McKean was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, but his family’s life took a sharp turn when his parents quit their suburban teaching jobs and moved to a farm in rural Missouri when he was 7 — an experience that he called formative.

“You have to learn how to fix things, diagnose things,” McKean said. “Farm kids have to know a lot of stuff.”

A divorced father of two young adult children, McKean lives today in Loveland. He graduated from Colorado State University with a liberal arts degree and is a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, which he joined in the aftermath of Sept. 11.

McKean was first elected to the Loveland City Council in 2009, having been drawn into politics by his service on a charter school board. He joined the state legislature in 2016, and has quietly built his influence in the years since.

“I came into the legislature in 2017 and really noticed a lack of mentorship, a lack of ability, a lack of resources for new members to get going, to get started,” he said.

Even worse, he said, the party needed to do a better job of “telling the story of what being a Republican means in the state of Colorado.”

But what that story means is an open question for Republicans right now.

A Split In The Party First-term Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has recently become a national media figure by engaging in the kind of hyper-partisan online warfare that McKean avoids. Members of his own caucus have stoked suspicions about election integrity, while McKean has downplayed those same conspiracy theories.

Lois Landgraf, a longtime ally of McKean and former GOP representative, said that he’ll have to play the role of “peacekeeper” in a party that’s developed a divide between “the far right members and the more moderate members.”

She added: “I think the party needs to go back to where it used to be, where, No. 1, we accept all Republicans. I get tired of the name calling.”

McKean hasn’t shied from conflict within the party. Not long after winning the election to replace Neville, he criticized the former leader for tweeting out the personal information of a Denver Post reporter. But he also said that he won’t be strictly policing the bills that his members introduce to keep them away from inflammatory issues, such as last session’s short-lived effort to ban same-sex marriage.

“I think that’s one of the social issues bills that becomes a message bill for a very small group of Republicans. I don’t know a lot of Republicans that are interested in dealing with the social issues,” he said. “I think that what we’re very much more concerned about right now is the issue of what health care looks like in rural counties.”

Record Of Compromise McKean has a successful track record with his own legislation. He was a sponsor of 36 bills that became law in the last two years, and only 11 that failed, according to an analysis

by Colorado Capitol Watch.

The vast majority of his bills had a Democratic cosponsor, unsurprising given his record of success getting through a process controlled by that party. There were only a few apparent “message” bills: One of McKean’s failed proposals would have restored harsher punishments for certain drug offenses, while another would have required traffic signals to add a yellow signal between red and green.

On the opposite side of the aisle, some Democrats expect McKean to take a similar approach to leadership — with more of a focus on smaller legislative wins than grand, losing battles.

“Some of his caucus is going to want to be fighting all the time against the Democrats, some are going to want to find compromise,” said former House speaker K.C. Becker.

“Generally, Hugh is willing to come into the Speaker’s office and say, ‘Here’s what my side wants.’”

Despite his easy demeanor, McKean talks about Colorado as a state divided. It doesn’t come out in the form of life-or-death fears about a looming Left, which have become commonplace in much conservative rhetoric.

Instead, McKean describes a “culture war” on the more mundane topics that have long been central to political debate here — like water, or taxes, or transit — where he sees his opponents trying to engineer changes that leave out constituents outside the fast-growing Front Range.

“When we talk about the diversity of thought, it’s far less the ideological diversity. It’s the practical challenge of what does life on the Western Slope look like?” he said. “What does life in the northwest corner of the state look like, compared to the Front Range corridor?

March 3, 2021

Lost Creek Guide

Women of Weld Host Colorado Republican State Chairman Candidates Forum at Ben’s Pizzeria in Hudson

Weld County Sheriff, Steve Reams and Women of Weld President, Gillian Smith

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Page 3

Henry letter:

Help Nursing Home Patients Live Happy Life

If you haven’t heard people died in nursing homes yesterday. Not to be crude but that is what people dop nursing homes. My daughter says they are there to be taken care of because they cannot take care of themselves. This is true but no one goes to a nursing home to get better and go home. The purpose of a nursing home is to make patrons as comfortable and happy as possible. Only a person with mental problems expects to leave well and happy. We were fortunate to keep my mother at home until the last two weeks of her life.

At that point I don’t think it matters where she was. A doctor pointed out that his patient who died of COVID would have died in a few days with or without the virus. A famous talk show host expressed good health as the rate at which you are dying, This is true the day you are born and start that journey to your ultimate demise. For my brother it was a short trip, for me it has been a long journey. Maybe my father was right, neither side would take me. He just said it, but I got the message..

We need to help nursing home patients to live as long and happy a life as possible. We should not let the crepe hangars use people to panic us into believing things are worse than they are.

An old guy.

Early Dinner, food was great!

Happy St. Patrick‛s Day

Sherry Peif, Complete Colorado, Kin Turk, and Weld County Clerk & Recorder, Carly Koppes

Dick Wadhams, Former State Republican Chair

LETTER TO THE EDITOR An Open Letter to Senators Bennett and Hickenlooper:

Will you get to work now?? You have wasted time and breath on the useless “impeachment” attempt of a man who no longer holds office based solely on your desire to usurp the citizens rights to choose a candidate.

Apparently, you two have no intentions of representing half of your constituents, instead you very carefully tread the party line of the East and West Coast Socialists. And the next question is this: Do you TRULY believe Socialism, Big Government and a Nanny State are good for the future of America? It seems to me that someone...YOU...needs to grow a spine and do your part to return the Democrat Party back to the center. Same for Republicans, if we only had any.

Have you looked at a political map of Colorado lately? In looking at the map, it is plain to see that the only people you represent are Out-of-state (California?) Transplants, skiers and Urbanites. The rest of the State where the Native Coloradans live, the people who feed and fuel all of the urban corridor are left without a voice.

Old and Opinionated

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Page 4

Lost Creek Guide

March 3, 2021

Minority Leader Says Democrats’ Arbitrary Rule Change Mutes Republican Voices in Legislature

By Sherrie Peif, Complete Colorado DENVER — The Republican minority leader in the Colorado House of Representatives says a new procedural rule will not only negatively impact constituents, but it was done without any input from House Republicans, a power grab that is becoming more common with Democrats as they control every office at the state level.

House Rule 44, which governs the duties of state officers and employees, was changed to allow for a “blank check to introduce and pass all manner of bills,” House Minority Leader Hugh McKean said in a news release.

Hugh McKean told Complete Colorado that special rules governing the work of the legislature during a disaster declaration by the governor have been arbitrarily changed to meet the needs of the majority Democrats.

The rule change was passed as part of a 3-day “soft opening” of the Colorado legislature that ended Friday.

Joint rule 44 requires that legislators prioritize their bills during a declared emergency that activates the Colorado emergency operations action plan. They are required to make sure that things such as the budget, the school finance act, etc. are passed above all else.

“It’s does something very specific,” McKean said. “The executive committee shall (emphasis on shall) meet and set forth the following if the General Assembly is in regular session:” May submit bills to address the specific disaster emergency The prioritization of any pending (emphasis on pending) legislation dealing with the state budget, or state policy the executive committee deems necessary to enact prior to adjourning the session.

“What that (means) is the budget, the appropriations bill, the supplemental appropriations bills, the school finance bill and any other issues the executive committee deems critical to address. It literally restricts us to the things we have to do, and we shall (emphasis on shall) prioritize according to that. It literally says if you can’t hold a normal legislative session, ya’ll have to prioritize.”

Southeast Weld Chamber of Commerce Meeting at Ben’s Pizza in Hudson

Chamber President Perry Bell opened the SE Chamber meeting at Ben’s Pizzeria in Hudson. Attendance was good, supplemented by about a dozen members on a zoom call that was connected to the meeting. There was a member round table, similar to a speed dating event, where Chamber members shared their business history, family background, what they saw as value in belonging to the chamber, and what they would like to see the chamber do to help their businesses more. Consensus was that it was a worthwhile event.

Next meeting will be on Wednesday, March 31st, 2021, at 11:30 at Ben’s Pizzeria in Hudson, where Richard Werner, CEO of Upstate Colorado, will be the guest speaker.

The reaction to COVID-19 shut down last year’s session so that legislators had to reconvene, and it threatens to do the same now. It also caused the need for remote testimony by both legislators and constituents. In fact, nothing about the last legislative session or this one is anything near normal, McKean said.

“Finally, a way that we can say we have to prioritize according to what the constitution says, but they struck all that language and they made it “may” (instead of shall),” McKean said. “But they also tinkered with the way bills and late bill authorization could be granted. So really, if they want to, they can clear the deck. They can cancel everybody’s bills and they can start over and give late authorization to whatever they want and whomever they want.”

McKean said this type of power grab would take away the voice of every person in the state who happens to be represented by a Republican state lawmaker.

“If they do that, you will have legislators who are not granted a bill,” McKean said.

“Whose specific needs in their district because of the letter behind their name, will be deprived of their voice through legislation.”

Republicans were able to get Democrats to concede to an amendment that will allow majority leadership to decrease the number of bills allowed but not by less than one bill per legislator.

Historically, legislators are granted a minimum of five bills if drafted prior to Dec. 1 (Dec. 15 for new legislators) and late bills as approved by majority leadership.

“We got Democrats to take it after beating them up for five hours and giving them a really good amendment they could pass,” McKean said, although the rule still passed only along party lines as Republicans voted no out of principle.

“It’s still not right,” McKean said, adding there are two problems with the resolution that changed the long-standing rule put in place after the terrorist attacks of 9-11. “We were given this bill in the evening before the executive meeting … we had less than 24 hours to dig into this bill. The executive committee excepted nothing but one or two minor changes.”

On the floor, Democrats accused Republicans of not being prepared, McKean said.

“The process was terrible,” McKean said, adding he was not surprised by their tactics.

“They did not include the minority party in their process. And they should not have been surprised by five hours of debate on a joint rule because in the end, the minority party only has the rules to depend on to make sure they have a voice. If we don’t have the rules, the minority party might as well not show up.”

There is no recourse for the public or the minority party, McKean said.

“Elections have consequences,” McKean said. “The saying is: the majority has their way, and the minority has their say. So, we had our say for five hours … and that was important, but we still voted as a caucus against this because it’s still the wrong way to go about and it robs members of districts that are far outside the front range of their voices.”

WELD CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL BOYS VARSITY WRESTLING

Weld Central High School Boys Varsity Wrestling finishes 3rd place at Triangular @ Eaglecrest High School Saturday, February 20, 2021 2:00 PM Place Points 3 48

The Boys Varsity Wrestling team went 1-2 in duals this past weekend at Eaglecrest high school. The Rebels opened their duals Saturday with a win over Denver North by a score of 48-12. The Rebels went 3-1 in actual matches contested and picked up falls from Juniors Roberto Estrada and Kane Fobare, and Senior Tanner Baumgartner. In the second dual of the day, the Rebels lost to the 5A host school Eaglecrest by a score of 51-27. The Rebels went 4-4 in matches wrestled and picked up wins with Juniors Roberto Estrada and Kane Fobare and Seniors Tanner and Braden Baumgartner. Zayne Stam had the lone forfeit for the rebels. In the final dual of the evening the Rebels took on the #1 ranked school from the 4A classification in Pueblo County. The Rebels fell to Pueblo County by a score of 42-15, but went 4-4 in actual matches wrestled once again. The Rebels picking up wins against County were Junior Roberto Estrada, Junior Kane Fobare, and Seniors Tanner and Braden Baumgartner. The Rebels travel to Eaton on Tuesday 2/23 for a Tri with Sterling and Eaton for their next competition.

Posted by Elliot Copeland elliotcopeland@re3j.com

Weld Central High School Boys Varsity Wrestling beat Arvada High School 53-6 Wednesday, February 17, 2021 5:00 PM Weld Central High School

Arvada High School AWAY 53

HOME 6

The boys varsity wrestling team defeated the Arvada Bulldogs on Wednesday night by a score of 53-6. The Rebels picked up forfeits at 7 weights and a fall by senior Tanner Baumgartner at 170lbs and a technical fall by senior Braden Baumgartner at 195lbs. The Rebels didn’t lose a match but gave up a single forfeit at 126lbs. The Varsity Wrestling team travels to Eaglecrest High School this Saturday February 20th for a quadrangular.

March 3, 2021

Caldara: Colorado Government Fears Having Outcomes Measured

Lost Creek Guide

By Jon Caldara Is it a stated goal of Colorado state government to spend your tax money in the most efficient manner possible? Nope. Not by a long shot.

What about spending your money, well, even just kinda, sorta wisely? No, that’s not a stated goal, either.

After looking up the official websites of the state’s 21 offices and departments, I only found one, the Department of Healthcare Policy and Financing, that even mentions fiscal responsibility in their mission: “Our mission is to improve health care access and outcomes for the people we serve while demonstrating sound stewardship of financial resources. This means that we work to make our members healthier while getting the most for every dollar that is spent.”

Hats off to the ONLY department of our government that at least claims their job is to get the most out of the money they coerce from us. Their glaring exception of making efficiency a goal serves to embarrass every other agency and office.

Most mission statements for state agencies are the usual non-specific, feel good fluff you’d expect: Dept. of Education, “Ensuring equity and opportunity for every student, every step of the way.” Dept. of Human Services, “Together we empower Coloradans to thrive.”

Yep, that really tells us what they’re doing and how to measure their output per dollar.

But, even that gobbledygook is better than the Departments of Regulatory Agencies, and Personnel and Administration, which have no mission, vision or goals at all on their websites. Neither do Jena Griswold’s Secretary of State Office or Dave Young’s Office of the Treasurer. You can never fail if there is no finish line.

But the Department of Personnel and Administration website did proudly declare, “The State of Colorado believes that an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace is one where all employees and community partners, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, education, disability, socio-economic status, or any other identity, feel valued and respected.”

So, lesbian, paraplegic, high school dropout, crossdressing, gender-fluid Buddhists illegally here from Botswana will be valued and respected by the state. Yet there is no such expectation for those of us who identify as taxpayers.

Mission and statements are important for any organization because they lead to measurements. Whatever you measure, you improve. This is true in business; it is true in your personal life. Measure what you eat every day, and you’ll lose weight.

And it is true in government, which is why government is reluctant to measure cost per output. Doing so could result in innovation. Innovation disrupts government jobs.

When I was on the RTD board of directors we found that competitively contracting out bus service saved 40%. These were the same buses, riding the same routes on the same schedule, but because the private operators didn’t have the same work rules of the inhouse union, they could do it for a lot less. And still RTD wouldn’t contract out more service until the Republican state legislature and then-Gov. Bill Owens forced them to do it.

Imagine if, just if, our elected leaders put taxpayers into their goals. The Colorado Department of Transportation current vision is to “To enhance the quality of life and the environment of the citizens of Colorado by creating an integrated transportation system that focuses on safely moving people and goods by offering convenient linkages among modal choices.”

This belies their social engineering desires to become a statewide transit agency and not really fix our traffic jams.

If taxpayers were part of their consideration, perhaps their vision would “measure our success by using every dollar to best reduce traffic congestion and increase road safety.”

When deciding whether CDOT should buy a new $70 million headquarters building or millions to build their own “Bustang” transit bus service, they might have to explain how that fits into their vision.

I don’t know who all is thinking about running against our current governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer next year. But if they were to lay out the missions of their administrations and exactly how core governmental services would be measured by output, they’d get my vote.

Likewise, any agency looking to raise revenues without demonstrating what the measurement of service per dollar that agency current provides, should be denied.

Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute, a free market think tank in Denver.

Top Container Garden Tips

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from Burpee Seed Company 1. Water, water, water! Soil dries out faster in pots than in the ground, so remember to water more frequently, and enough that water comes out of the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. Better yet – try a self-watering container!

2. Use potting soil, which is designed to give container plants the texture and drainage they need.

3. Planting flowers in containers? Go for the WOW factor! Be sure to include different colors, textures, and heights, placing taller plants in the middle or back of the container, and trailing plants at the edge.

4. Any determinate tomato will grow in a container, and we especially recommend cherry tomatoes.

5. If sunlight is a problem, try placing your container on a wheeled pot trolley and move to follow the sun.

6. Start an indoor herb garden yearround for fresh herbs! Plus, herbs don’t need much space - a 6” pot will work perfectly.

7. Try vertical gardening! Take advantage of trellises or walls to grow up, as well as out.

8. New to container gardening?

Some of the easiest container varieties include herbs, salad greens, and tomatoes.

9. Just about anything can be used as a container - just be sure there’s enough room for soil and plant roots, and that there’s good drainage.

10. Did you know you can grow corn in a container? Try ‹On Deck›! Plant 9 evenly-spaced seeds in a 24» container, and expect to harvest in about 2 months.

8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

$15.50

$1.85 per gallon will call or route

$3,950.00 $2,950.00

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Hudson Fire District

Lost Creek Guide

The Hudson Fire Protection District provides fire services to approximately 96 square miles in southern Weld County, Colorado. We are committed to our customers, and it is our goal to provide quality fire suppression, fire prevention, life safety, and property conservation to the Town of Hudson, the Town of Lochbuie, and the surrounding rural area. We also provide emergency medical services within our area.

The district is governed by a Board of Directors, and meet at station 1 on the 2nd Tuesday of every month. The meetings are open to the public and begin at 6:00pm.

Feel free to stop by.

The Hudson Fire Protection District is currently a combination fire department which has 28 Full-time career employees: 1 Fire Chief, 3 Battalion Chiefs, 6 Lieutenants, 6 Engineers, 12 Firefighters, and 2 District Administrators. Being combination means we are supplemented by volunteers.

kinnearinsurance@outlook.com

Keene Craft Mercantile

A Special Place Where Talented People Bring Their Home-made Crafts to Sell We are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am until 5 pm 65 Main Street, Keenesburg, Colorado 303-910-0640

March 3, 2021

Meet the 4-H Family - The Dever’s

Article by Madison Richman pKeenesburg, Colorado’s very own Dawson, Olivia, and Linley Dever could all agree that being involved in 4-H is a huge learning experience worth the time and hard work.

The three kids all are members of the Wagoneers 4-H club.

Dawson Dever is an 11 year old, 6th grade student at Cardinal Community Academy.

Dawson shows pigs, and stop motion animation. Dawson started his 4-H career at a young age, being involved in the clover bud group for three years, before another 4 years of being a 4-H member. All four years Dawson has shown pigs, and added animation too for the last two years. The 11 year old had great success with his 2020 projects, despite the difficult year. Dawson’s pig names were Lamborghini, Audi, Ford, and Dodge. Every year the Devers come up with a theme to name their pigs, and for 2020, they chose cars. Dawson’s pig, Lamborghini won his class at the Weld County Fair and was in the heavyweight division drive for crossbred pigs. Dawson made the livestock sales at both Weld County Fair and Southeast Weld County Fair. Dawson also had great success with his animation projects.

He won overall grand champion at SEWC fair, Weld County Fair and Colorado State Fair.

His project this year was a stop motion animation video of a lego nascar race with lego people in the stands. Other than the SEWC and Weld County Fairs, Dawson shows his pigs at the American Royal in Kansas City, and the Texas National Stock Show. The 6th grader loves to play baseball when not working or showing his pigs. Dawson explains that he looks up to his dad, Darren Dever who exhibited pigs and steers at Weld County when he was younger. When he is over, Dawson would like to own a cattle ranch. Dawson keeps himself very busy with all of his activities, and is a great role model to his two younger sisters.

Olivia Dever is an 8 year old, 2nd grader at Cardinal Community Academy. Olivia has been in 4-H for 4 years, 3 as a cloverbud. This is her first year as a 4-H member and Olivia will be showing pigs, cake decorating, and cooking heritage foods for her projects. Oliva looks up to older 4-H members such as her fried, Addi Powers. In 2020, Olivia painted flower pots with hearts on them for her cloverbud project. She loves to play volleyball as well!

Olivia is looking forward to showing pigs with her brother along with her other projects.

Last but not least is Linley Dever. She is a 6 year old, 1st grade student at Cardinal Community Academy. Although Linley is not old enough to be a 4-H member, she still participates in cloverbuds. In 2020, along with her sister Olivia, she painted plant pots with hearts on them for her cloverbud project. Linley also likes to play volleyball with Olivia.

In two years, Linley will be old enough to show pigs with her siblings and choose other projects to do as well. Linley has two great older siblings, to look up to.

Lauren Dever, Dawson, Olivia, and Linley’s mom, explains, “4-H has taught my kids that they are responsible for something. They are responsible to animals that need care everyday, sometimes before ourselves. There are no days off and your hard work shows. If you do not work hard, your project will not turn out well.” All three of the members love the SEWC fair because it is more than a fair for them. Being that the show is just down the road, makes it relaxed and fun. Lauren Dever talks about the SEWC fair. “It is more than just showing the animals, or putting the projects inside. It is hanging out with our friends.

We have so many people in the community who want to see each kid succeed and do their best. It feels good to see and feel their support.

Dawson, Olivia, and Linley would like to give special thanks to their parents Darren and Lauren Dever. They explain by saying, “My dad has to travel for work a lot so my mom makes sure everything runs smoothly. She covers all of our bases from feed, to health and runs all of our errands. My parents have supported all of our projects.” The Dever family plans on continuing 4-H until they age out to get all of the learning experience and memories as possible. We wish Dawson, Olivia, and Linley the best of luck in the rest of their 4-H career.

Brighton Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2020

Chamber Website: https://www.brightonchamber.com/ Business of the Year: JnR Insurance https://youtu.be/_07GaEEMn-4 New Business of the Year: Surge Spin https://youtu.be/5F-4FNur2I8 Brighton Champion: Chris Fushimi, Owner of A Mattress and More https://youtu.be/sQABiz6vWYk Citizen of the Year: Marv Falconburg, Deputy City Manager https://youtu.be/g8GOgbqkYc8 Small Business of the Year: Samantha Markey Photography https://youtu.be/Zp9hhFX2tiI Community Volunteer of the Year: Amy Flora of the Flora Home Team https://youtu.be/62A2hwXwXvQ Outstanding Young Professional of the Year: Mercedes Welte, Sales Executive with Heritage Title Company https://youtu.be/5hWBtaA_D8k Community Organization: Richard Lambert Foundation https://youtu.be/Rnprt1DHWyo

March 3, 2021

Assistance for Home Heating Costs Available for Weld Residents Through LEAP

Lost Creek Guide

United Way of Weld County is partnering with Weld County to spread the word about Colorado’s Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP), a federally funded program that helps families, individuals, seniors and those with disabilities pay a portion of their winter home heating costs. LEAP is not intended to cover all costs of home heating for qualifying participants, but rather to help alleviate some of the energy burden associated with the colder winter months.

According to the Colorado Department of Human Services, LEAP provides assistance during the winter (November 2020 through April 2021) for eligible LEAP participants experiencing a heat emergency such as running out of propane, natural gas shut offs, failing heat systems or equipment repair and/or replacement of inoperable heating tools aiming to help alleviate some of the burdens that come with Colorado’s colder months.

For more information, go to: www.UnitedWay-Weld.org/LEAP or call HEAT HELP at 1-866-432-8435.

About United Way of Weld County The mission of the United Way of Weld County (UWWC) is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community. UWWC assists residents in the areas of Early Childhood Development, Youth Success, Household Stability, Older Adults/Healthy Aging and Access to Services. Through our community’s willingness to give, advocate and volunteer, UWWC is able to have a positive impact on tens of thousands of lives every year. Thanks to the generosity of the 36 UWWC Cornerstone Partners, they donate all or a portion of their corporate donation to help cover 100 percent of administrative and fundraising costs for the resources under UWWC’s management. For more information, visit the United Way of Weld County website at www.unitedway-weld.org.

Survey: Americans Still Afraid of Self-Driving Cars

Just 14 percent would ride in a fully automated vehicle

DENVER (Feb. 25, 2021) - The long-promised, fully automated car of the future will get here eventually, although lukewarm consumer sentiment will present significant adoption challenges for automakers and tech companies. That’s the takeaway from AAA’s annual automated vehicle survey, which found that 54 percent of Americans are afraid to ride in a self-driving vehicle, while 32 percent say they’re unsure about the technology - roughly unchanged from last year’s results.

“As with any new technology, the roll-out of a fully self-driving fleet requires consumer trust, buy-in, and interest,” said Skyler McKinley, regional director of public affairs for AAA. “We’re just not seeing that yet, although our research is clear that people are ready to embrace new vehicle technology if they think it will make driving safer.”

“Fix What You Have” Only 22 percent of people feel that manufacturers should focus on developing self-driving vehicles. The majority, 80 percent, say they want current vehicle safety systems, such as automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance, to work better. Importantly, more than half - 58 percent - said they want these systems in their next vehicle.

“There’s good news for automakers, here,” McKinley said. “Consumers are clear about what they want. If automakers and their tech partners work to fine-tune existing technology to provide a better experience now, that will bring about the vehicles of tomorrow.”

Nearly 96 percent of 2020 vehicle models came equipped with at least one advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), such as automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, or lane-keeping assistance. Consumers who buy new, then, will likely interact with at least one type of new vehicle technology.

Previous AAA research has found that some systems, particularly those that provide the highest level of automation available to the public, do not always work as expected. These negative experiences could influence driver opinion of future vehicle automation. They also reinforce the need for manufacturers to continue to hone vehicle technology by expanding testing to include real-world scenarios encountered by drivers.

COVID-19 Has Little Impact AAA also asked drivers if COVID-19 would influence their decision to use a self-driving vehicle as an alternative to public transportation or ride-hailing. The majority, 42 percent, said COVID-19 made no difference in their opinion on self-driving vehicles as an alternative to public transportation - while 41 percent said the same thing with regard to ridehailing services.

The Likely Future While fully self-driving vehicles are still years away from consumer availability, we’re at an important crossroads: As testing on public roads expands, and as new safety features are included as standard on many vehicles, drivers are interacting often with the core technology of the car of the future.

To build consumer acceptance, industry actors need to be transparent and accurate in how they market and discuss self-driving technology - something they routinely fail to do.

“Smartphones became ubiquitous as their manufacturers worked to improve and perfect existing features, instead of promising that the tech would completely change the world overnight,” McKinley said. “There is a lesson there for anybody claiming their self-driving car is right around the corner. Focus on the fundamentals first, build trust, and you’ll lead the way into the future.”

Methodology The survey was conducted January 15-17, 2021, using a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. household population overall. The panel provides sample coverage of approximately 97% of the U.S. household population. Most surveys were completed online; consumers without Internet access were surveyed over the phone.

A total of 1,010 interviews were completed among U.S. adults, 18 years of age or older. The margin of error for the study overall is 4% at the 95% confidence level. Smaller subgroups have larger error margins.

About AAA – The Auto Club Group AAA Colorado is a proud part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the second-largest AAA club in North America with more than 14 million members across 14 U.S. states, the province of Quebec and two U.S. territories. ACG and its affiliates provide members with roadside assistance, insurance products, banking and financial services, travel offerings and more. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 60 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA’s mission is to protect and advance freedom of mobility and improve traffic safety. For more information, get the AAA Mobile app, visit AAA.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Meat In on March 20, 2021

Page 7

ARVADA, Colo – Recently it has come to the attention of Colorado Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) that a national movement, MeatOut Day, is spreading across the country and most recently affecting Colorado. A proclamation has been allegedly signed by the governor of Colorado supporting March 20th, 2021 as a MeatOut Day where citizens are encouraged to not eat any meat products. We are verifying the accuracy of the designation in Colorado, but regardless this national movement is harmful and falsely critical of agriculture and meat production.

To combat this misinformation and fight against the MeatOut movement, CCA and the livestock industry will be coordinating with restaurants, grocery stores, and other retail fronts to feature a meat product on March 20th to support the beef and meat industries, while also supporting these businesses who have felt the crushing blows of the pandemic and lost business and customers. We are supporting a “Meat In” movement instead… meet in a restaurant and order your favorite meat dish, meet your family and friends for a meal featuring meat. Let’s focus on keeping meat in and on the breakfast, lunch, and dinner table!

Additionally, CCA is suggesting a donation of $200 in support of the Meat In movement. Of this $200, $50 goes directly to supporting feeding hungry children in Colorado and the remaining funds will be designated in efforts to promote and protect agriculture and food production in our state. Go to coloradocattle.org and the “Support CCA” tab to find an online form for your donation.

CCA is putting together a toolkit of information and infographics to share in your local community and also to share on social media platforms. This will be for CCA members, local affiliates, allied stakeholders, and partners to ensure a unified message that Colorado is #BetterWithBeef and better with meat! ### Colorado Cattlemen’s Association’s (CCA) is the state’s premier cattlemen’s association serving as the principal voice and advocate for Colorado beef production. CCA accomplishes this through its vision of “advancing the legacy” of beef production for its members by ensuring a dynamic and profitable industry that provides growth and opportunity for future generations.

Weldon Valley News Houses

When we give up a house we love, I find That even as children we can’t let go, Fort somewhere in the fringes of our mid There clings a door, a stair, a portico: In one large house with windows high and clear I watch for love as when but seventeen; The house where I was wed, how very dear, The tall porch pillars, the great door between; The duplex where he book me as a bride, The old high chair, the playpen by the bed.

Homes, old and new, I learn when I depart I leave with each a portion o f my heart.

Annabell Attwater We can say winter is officially with us. Snow is everywhere and the cold is very cold!

Soon the sun will melt the snow and we may have puddles. The moisture is good.

Smile a little: Rich-Beverly: “A scientist says that what we eat we become.” Melba: “Oh, boy! Let’s order something rich.”

Church Chat: The ST. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church will celebrate Mass on Sunday mornings at 7:00 a.m. Pastor Reverend Erik vigil Reyes and Parochial Vicar Reverend Francis Saleth, HGH will share the services. Confession will celebrated before mass.

Weldon Valley Presbyterian Church in Good rich has worship at 10 a.m. each Sunday.

Contact information for Pastor Denise Shannon is 720-271-6733 or pastordeniseshannon @gamil.com.

Lenten Bible study after church service beginning on February 28 at 11:30 a.m. in person and on zoom.

School Scoop-Students and staff are working hard to make it through the year.

4-H News- Many members are busy with new projects for the year.

What’s cookin’’- TurtlesIt is fun to make Turtles! You will need: ½ walnut shell, 1 large gumdrop (body), 1 raisin (head) 4 cloves (legs) 1 toothpick. Push the gumdrop into the empty walnut shell. Break the toothpick in two. Attach the raise to the toothpick and push other end of toothpick into gumdrop for the head. Push other half of toothpick into opposite and end of gumdrop for tail. Push the sharpest edge of cloves into gumdrop, two on each side, for the legs. Presto – a turtle!

First Facts: 1896-Utah was admitted as the 45th state to Union of America.

Weldon Valley History- Trucking 4-H project to the County Fair-In the 40’s the Lorenzini Trucking and Parachini Trucking would haul all the club members livestock projects to and from the fair. There were no sells no animals at that time.

Calendar of Events: 4-H members are busy getting projects for the Morgan County Fair.

Churches are hosting services for the Lenten season.

Page 8

Lost Creek Guide

Registration, Driver’s Licenses, and Insurance

By Master Trooper Gary Cutler Ask a Trooper about how to drive safer on the roadway and you better take seat because it could be a while before the Trooper finishes. I have plenty to say about driving, the hardest part is picking a single topic among the myriad number of laws to talk about. But, if you are interested in more, try out the Colorado State Patrol YouTube channel and watch our podcast on driving in Colorado. We go more in-depth on a lot of the topics I hit on each month and have a little fun with it as well.

With that said, lets hit on being up to date on your driver’s license, vehicle plates, and insurance. Last year the pandemic put a crimp in our ability to continue our lives the way we used to. One of those items that we lost control of is our vehicles.

When the Department of Motor Vehicles, and county buildings shut down around the state, it put the world of driving in chaos. Law enforcement took notice and backed off stopping vehicles for expired registration and driver’s licenses. That was then, and this is now.

There seems to be two elements happening now. One is people that are not sure if they can get their registration and licenses renewed and the other is a group that is trying to manipulate the system. Law enforcement is now enforcing things that have expired.

A lot of renewals can be and are being handled over the internet. This is allowing drivers to get registered so they can be legal. We know the system is still backed up and sometimes a little slow. If you can’t get it done over the internet and are required to go in person it could take a little time to get your appointment. To solve the problem of being ticketed for expired items, make sure you print out your appointment date and time. That shows you are doing you due diligence when it comes to trying to stay within the law.

When it comes to insurance, make sure you have an updated card in your vehicle. It is a law that you need to be able to present proof of insurance to law enforcement when requested. This can be either a printed piece of paper or a digital copy from your insurance company. If you do have it on your phone please make sure you can access it in a reasonable amount of time. Law enforcement can’t wait forever for you to find the information and if it takes too long they may write the ticket for no proof of insurance.

So, there’s a few tips on keeping your vehicle information up to date so you won’t be surprised with a ticket.

As always, safe travels!

Health Equity Plan Stresses Local Vaccinations to Those Most Affected

Weld County, CO – In order to improve vaccine access and equity, the Weld County Health Department has collaborated with a variety of partners in healthcare, human services, public health, and local government to create a vaccine equity plan. The plan was also created to build a foundation for more local-driven processes regarding where vaccines are distributed in Northern Colorado; and, to ensure vaccine equity across the region and among communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. “Preliminary analysis shows that low income and minority populations are significantly less likely to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Cindy Kronauge, Health Data Specialist for the Weld County Health Department.

Key strategies around implementing the plan include addressing barriers to vaccination, such as transportation and language accessibility; addressing disinformation about vaccines, and, communicating that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, and there is no cost to anyone who desires an inoculation.

“This vaccine equity plan will help to ensure providers reach and inoculate people who have unique challenges to getting vaccinated,” said Cynthia Horn, Chief Nursing Officer at the Weld County Health Department. Health officials also noted that reducing vaccine hesitancy through a combination of interventions, including the engagement of community members, community leaders, social media, and health care professional training will also be necessary.

The specific vaccine providers and equity partners affiliated with the plan include: Banner Health, North Colorado Health Alliance, Sunrise Community Health Centers, Salud Community Health, Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment, Larimer County Department of Public Health and Environment, UCHealth, NoCo Healthcare Coalition, and Larimer and Weld County Emergency Management.

For general questions about COVID-19, including where and how to obtain vaccinations, visit: www.weldhealth.org

March 3, 2021

New to Gardening?

from Burpee Seed Company There’s a gardener in everyone just waiting to sprout. But how do you start? With an adventurous spirit and just a little forethought. Below are a few tips to get a beginning gardener safely off the ground when learning how to start a garden.

Do You Garden?

There’s no joy like surrounding yourself with flowers or dining on a salad you grew yourself. So don’t miss out on learning how to start a garden because you’re afraid you have a “brown thumb.” Plants are built to grow, though they’ll grow better with a little help from you. Still worried? Make your first garden in a pot, where it’s easier to control soil, water and light (just move it into the sun). See Burpee’s container vegetables, herbs, and patio flowers.

How do I pick a Garden Spot?

Pick your spot with care. Plants can›t survive without the proper amount of sun and water, so choose a place for your garden where they can get all they need. Vegetables and most flowers need full sun--which means they need a place where at least six hours of sunlight falls on them every day during the growing season. (Don’t have a spot with that much sunlight? There are plants that thrive with less, but most don’t flower as much or bear fruit.) Try Burpee’s Sunlight Calculator to find out how much sun your garden gets. Think ahead, too, about watering. A spot near the outdoor faucet means less hose hauling or water-can toting in the hot summer, and that›s easier on you.

How Do I Start a Garden?

Start With the Soil Plants live by their roots. Roots live in the soil. So, the most important part of your garden is the part below ground. Most soil around houses isn’t ideal for plants, so improving it is the most powerful thing you can do to have a successful garden. How? By adding organic matter. What’s that? It’s just broken-down plant parts, usually in the form of compost, shredded leaves or composted manure. Organic matter does wonders for soil: It holds water for plants’ root in dry times and also allows excess rain to flow freely away.

It breaks dense soil up to make spaces for roots to grow and air to reach them. And it provides food for many organisms that live in soil and provide healthy nutrients to your plants.

Seed Starting Quick Guide Don’t Overdo It Keep your first garden manageable so you don’t get overwhelmed. For beginners, a plot 3 feet by 3 feet is a good size. Or plant no more than half a dozen good-sized pots.

That’s enough to provide a satisfying harvest of herbs, greens or easy vegetables while you get a feel for the amount of time and effort it takes to water and weed.

Get a head start Many vegetables need to be started from seed several weeks before it’s safe to plant them outside. For beginners, it’s easiest to let someone else do that in a commercial greenhouse and buy the small plants (often called “transplants” or “starts”). Burpee sells garden ready vegetable plants, flower plants, herb plants, fruit plants and perennials and delivers them at your proper planting time. When›s that? In late spring. But, it varies from place to place based on frost dates (known as your ‹growing zone›). Visit our growing zone guide to find out your growing zone or call your local extension service.

Sow some seed Even if you buy transplants for your must-have vegetables, take a chance on sowing seeds for a few easy things such as radishes, lettuce, sunflowers or nasturtiums. Seeds are cheap, so misfires don’t cost much. And there’s nothing like watching the whole life cycle of a plant unfold before your eyes.

March 3, 2021

Application Period for Big-Game Licenses in Colorado Opens March 1

Lost Creek Guide

DENVER – Hunters hoping to draw a big-game license in Colorado in 2021 are urged to review the changes in license requirements and fees prior to the March 1 opening of the application period (March 1 – April 6 at 8 p.m. MT). For a good overview of what’s in store, watch CPW’s “What’s New” video for the 2021 big-game seasons.

Important changes for hunters to take note of include: Adjustments to license fees The Future Generations Act, which passed through the Colorado Legislature in 2018, allows CPW to adjust license prices to keep up with the cost of inflation. This year, that means an increase of 2.7%.

Qualifying licenses In order to participate in the big-game primary draws and secondary draws, hunters will need to purchase a qualifying license. All applicants, including youth ages 1217, must buy a qualifying license prior to applying for any big-game license draw. Qualifying licenses include: spring turkey licenses, annual small game, annual resident combination small game/fishing, veteran’s lifetime resident combination small game/fishing, senior combination small game/fishing, disabled first responder combination small game/fishing and annual small-game license for resident senior lifetime fishing license holders (new). Please note that any remaining leftover limited licenses that become available on a first-come-first-serve basis (Aug. 3 at 9 a.m. MT) and over-the-counter licenses (Aug. 3 at 9 a.m. MT), do not require a qualifying license to purchase.

Valid dates for annual licenses have changed The 2021 annual licenses go on sale March 1, 2021, including qualifying licenses, at the same time as big-game applications open. The 2021 annual licenses, including qualifying licenses, are valid March 1, 2021 - March 31, 2022. Remember, to be a valid qualifying license for the big-game draws, the license must be valid for the 2021 license year.

Secondary draw replaced the leftover draw in 2020 Hunters who don’t draw a license in this year’s primary draw still have the opportunity to draw a license in the secondary big game draw. The secondary draw replaced the old leftover draw starting in 2020.

Most elk, deer, pronghorn and bear licenses not issued through the primary draw are made available in a secondary draw that is open to anyone, whether they applied for the primary draw or not. Secondary draw applications are accepted June 16 - 30, 8 p.m. MT. Visit CPW’s website for more information about the secondary draw.

Review your application and account to avoid issues with your draw Apply early to avoid any issues with your application. After you submit your application, review your emailed receipt to confirm the hunt codes you entered. Application modifications can be made to a submitted application before April 6, 2021 at 8 p.m. MT. To avoid any issues if you draw a license, make sure your credit card on file is up to date and that your email and mailing address are correct when you apply. The payment deadline for the primary big game draw is June 11, 2021. If you draw a license, watch your credit card statements for the charge. If you are not charged, watch for an email from CPW (check your spam box too) for instructions on how to remit payment or contact one of our offices.

Licenses that are not paid for by the deadline are surrendered and preference points used to draw the license are lost.

Mandatory testing for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) CPW is continuing mandatory Chronic Wasting Disease testing for selected game management units (GMUs) as part of its Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan. There is no charge for mandatory testing.

CPW will require mandatory submission of CWD test samples (heads) from all elk and deer harvested for specific hunt codes. The hunt codes selected for mandatory testing are shaded green in the 2021 Colorado Big Game brochure.

There will be no charge for mandatory testing.

Elk CWD testing for elk (bulls and cows) is mandatory and free for all rifle season hunters who have harvested in the hunt codes shaded green in the big game brochure. Not all rifle hunt codes were selected for mandatory testing within each GMU like they are for deer, so a list of GMUs is not provided for elk.

Deer CWD testing for deer (bucks and does) is mandatory and free for all rifle season hunters who have harvested in the following game management units (GMUs): 1, 2, 6, 16, 17, 31, 32, 44, 52, 161, 171, 201, 411, 444, 521 Voluntary CWD Testing for 2021 Hunters who have harvested deer in any GMUs other than those listed above, or harvested any elk or moose (in all GMUs) may also voluntarily submit their animal for testing for a fee of $25 per animal. If a hunter is not selected for mandatory testing but wants to know whether their harvested deer, elk or moose has CWD, they can submit their animal and pay a testing fee of $25.

Free voluntary deer CWD testing will also be provided to: Testing fees for voluntary submissions will be waived for all deer ONLY (not elk) harvested within the same (mandatory testing) GMUs listed above.

Voluntary submissions are accepted annually statewide.

“It’s very important all hunters read the 2021 Colorado Big Game brochure, which is available at all CPW office locations and online,” said CPW Public Information Officer Travis Duncan. “We’re encouraging all hunters to check their online accounts to ensure their contact information is current and credit card information is up-to-date. Then check your account after the draw to see the draw results, your preference point levels and the status of your payments,” Duncan said.*Note to hunters: CPW harvest data from 2020-2021 will not be available until mid-March.

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Free Food Distribution and Open House!

Destination Ministries Emergency Food Pantry is announcing a Food Distribution Day! This will be held on Sunday, March 28th from 1 -3:30 pm. The Food Pantry is located at 617 Birch Street in Hudson, CO. Due to the Covid restrictions, we had ordered a great deal of food, and we would like to get it out to the individuals and families that need it. The food will be handed out for FREE, without asking for anything except name and address and/or phone. The only reason we ask this is that we receive all of our food from the Weld Food Bank, and if there is ever a recall, we would need to get hold of you.

If you need food, or if you know someone who does, we hope you will stop by on Sunday, March 28th from 1 – 3:30 pm! Or if you want to just stop by to visit, or to help out, please do!

For more information email DestinationMinistries@gmail.com, or call Pastor Perry at 303-229-7117 and leave a message!

Time Restriction on RV Use Back in Place

WELD COUNTY, CO — Under a resolution passed by the Weld County Board of Commissioners this week, residents may no longer stay in Recreational Vehicles (RVs) when self-quarantining due to COVID-19.

“The board feels the use of RVs needs to go back to the seven-day restriction for camping,” said Weld County Chair Steve Moreno. “As there are many potential problems with staying in an RV long-term, such as access to portable drinking water and waste disposal. It’s in the code as a seven-day restriction to maintain the health and safety of our residents.”

Two previous resolutions, passed in 2020, allowed residents to occupy an RV on their property if they needed to use it as COVID-19 quarantine quarters.

The board originally approved suspending the RV use restriction this past April, and again in December, which eliminated the requirement in Chapter 23, Zoning, of the Weld County Code that only enables the use of an RV as a means of shelter while camping for no more than a seven-day period. Originally, the commissioners set the resolutions to last until the declaration of disaster emergency signed last March was officially declared over.

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Lost Creek Guide

March 3, 2021

U.S. Census Delays are Threatening to Upend Colorado’s New Redistricting Process Legislative and congressional districts in the state are supposed to be redrawn this year by new, independent commissions approved by voters in 2018. But Census Bureau problems mean the panels are unlikely to meet their constitutionally mandated deadlines.

by Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun Delays by the U.S. Census Bureau in sharing detailed population data are threatening to upend Colorado’s new redistricting process ahead of the 2022 election, injecting uncertainty into a politically fraught undertaking that will affect the state’s political landscape for the next decade.

Because of slowdowns related to COVID-19, the Trump administration’s failed efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, and data anomalies, the Census Bureau isn’t expected to provide the population information to Colorado until sometime this summer. The data was supposed to be in by March 31 — at the latest.

The delay means it’s unlikely that two new, indepenVoters cast their ballots in downtown Denver on Tuesday, June 30, dent commis2020. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun) sions will have Credibility: enough time to redraw Colorado’s legislative and congressional maps in time to meet September deadlines set in the state constitution when voters passed Amendments Y and Z in 2018. The amendments were sent to voters by the legislature and completely overhauled the way districts are drawn in Colorado.

If the deadlines aren’t met, nonpartisan legislative staff will draw the new maps instead, putting a big damper on the intent of Amendments Y and Z and the bipartisan, much-heralded agreement that led to their passage.

The amendments are aimed at removing political maneuvering around the once-in-adecade redistricting and giving the public more say in the task.

“There was not just bipartisan support, but unanimous support among the 100 legislators (for the new process).

And both Y and Z passed by wide margins,” said Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert, a Parker Republican. “It’s a shame that we are in this situation.”

Top lawmakers in the Colorado General Assembly are now scrambling to respond and salvage the new redistricting process. The stakes are high, with Colorado expected to add an eighth congressional seat in 2022 due to population growth and partisan power at the statehouse potentially hanging in the balance.

The new problems with the redistricting process come after state officials initially struggled to get enough applicants to be on the legislative and congressional map-drawing committees. There were also concerns that not enough applicants from underrepresented groups sought to serve on the panels, whose members are being selected by judges in the coming weeks.

Colorado isn’t the only state where redistricting plans are in trouble because of Census Bureau delays. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that New Jersey and Virginia were planning to redraw their legislative districts ahead of elections this year.

Fire Loss Prevention

With warm and dry weather approaching, we wanted to take the opportunity to provide some information to minimize property loss in the event of a ground cover fire. The transition from spring to summer brings low humidity, high temperatures, high winds, and overgrown vegetation. These conditions can present a higher than normal threat to your property in the event of a ground cover fire. With a few simple steps you can further protect your property from fires started adjacent to or on your property.

• Have a defensible space around structures free of dry fuels, weeds, and brush.

• Keep vegetation mowed, especially around property lines and outbuildings.

• Clear flammable/scrap materials from property when possible.

• Avoid storing large amounts of flammable/ scrap materials against buildings.

• Do not perform open burning on Red Flag days, or during dry and windy weather conditions.

• To report a fire Dial 911 If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact your local fire department.

FIRE LOSS PREVENTION

eather approaching, we wanted to take the opportunity to provide

Meanwhile, California, Missouri, Maine, Ohio, South Dakota and Washington all have constitutional redistricting deadlines in the coming months ahead of the 2022 election, similar to Colorado’s.

Texas’ legislature may have to be called into a special session because of the Census Bureau’s slowdown.

Colorado’s nonpartisan redistricting commission staff informed top legislative leaders Monday about why the delays are so problematic.

“We knew for a little while now that the timeline was going to be called into question because of the census,” said Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg, a Boulder Democrat. “It’s become much more clear now the impact.”

The detailed population numbers were expected to arrive by March 31, officials said, but the data now may not arrive until July 31 — if not later.

“The Census Bureau has more or less acknowledged that they won’t be able to meet that deadline,” Jerry Barry, a nonpartisan staffer with the Office of Legislative Legal Services, told top lawmakers on Monday. “We have heard that it will be sometime this fall.”

Barry recommended that leading Democrats and Republicans quickly draft a bill to push back the map-drawing deadlines — now set at Sept. 1 for congressional districts and Sept. 15 for legislative ones — and then ask the Colorado Supreme Court to weigh in about whether state lawmakers can legally pass a measure altering the constitutional deadlines.

The legislature does not inherently have the power to alter the state constitution by passing a bill. That’s why lawmakers will have to ask the state Supreme Court if, given the extenuating circumstances, the alterations are OK. “The only avenue the legislature has, because we don’t have the authority to amend the constitution and there isn’t time to refer a question to the voters, (is to seek) an opinion,” Holbert said.

Because of the pandemic, Colorado Supreme Court allowed the legislature last year to sidestep its constitutional requirement to meet for 120 consecutive days. The legislature’s lawyers see the request to alter the redistricting deadlines as being similar.

(The Colorado Supreme Court is required to review the final maps and approve or reject them by the end of 2021 and pass them along to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.)

Holbert said lawmakers might have anticipated delays in census data being reported when drafting Amendments Y and Z and provided some flexibility around the deadlines.

But at this point the only thing to do is find a way to respond. And his Democratic colleagues agree.

“We are just where we are,” said House Speaker Alec Garnett, a Denver Democrat. “So, let’s figure out a way to move forward.”

It’s unclear how long the legislature would seek to push back the map-drawing deadlines. Fenberg said if it’s a month or two, there really wouldn’t be that much of a difference.

The Colorado House chambers on the first day of Colorado’s special legislative session on Nov. 30, 2020. (Andy Colwell, Special to The Colorado Sun) Such an extension, however, would give candidates less time to decide which races to run in and likely create an even more frantic election cycle. A number of top politicians are watching closely to see where Colorado’s eighth congressional district is drawn. The new map is likely to have major ripple effects across the political landscape.

Fenberg is trying to find the silver lining. “I don’t think it’s the end of the world,” he said of a possible delay. “It might be, frankly, a positive thing.”

Fenberg points out that the pandemic will make it difficult for the independent redistricting commissions to meet and get statewide input since in-person gatherings are still frowned upon.

“There’s all kinds of reasons why right now is not a great period to be kicking off the redistricting process,” Fenberg said.

Want exclusive political news and insights first? Subscribe to The Unaffiliated, the political newsletter from The Colorado Sun. Join now or upgrade your membership.

The upshot for proponents of the redistricting changes are that even with the delays, the process will not be in the hands of the legislature as was the case before Amendments Y and Z. Even if the independent panels can’t draw the maps, nonpartisan legislative staff will take the reins, meaning the influence of party politics will still be minimized.

The downside is it will be difficult to solicit and consider public input in the way Amendments Y and Z envisioned.

“It might not look exactly like the way we planned it when we wrote Y and Z,” Fenberg said, “but there’s still going to be some big changes.”

March 3, 2021

Lost Creek Guide

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Lost Creek Guide

United Power Announces Mark Gabriel as CEO

Brighton, CO —After a nationwide search, United Power’s Board of Directors has named Mark A. Gabriel as President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization effective March 15, 2021.

Gabriel, a 25-year veteran in the electric utility business, has served for the past eight years as the Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), which is part of the Department of Energy.

“United Power’s Board of Directors is very happy to announce we have selected Mark Gabriel as our new President and CEO,” stated Ursula Morgan, United Power Board Chair.

“Mark Gabriel is the right choice to guide United Power into a more successful future. He will help create a lasting impact on our members.”

“I am extremely honored to have been selected to lead such an amazing organization as we approach a transformational time in the electricity business,” Gabriel said. “United Power is uniquely positioned to be engaged in the decarbonization of the grid, and to take advantage of the introduction of new technologies as we move to a cleaner energy future.”

Prior to his appointment at WAPA, Gabriel served in numerous positions in the industry, including more than eight years as a management consultant and Acting President at the Electric Power Research Institute where he led the nationwide effort known as the Electricity Sector Framework for the Future. He is also the author of, “Visions for a Sustainable Energy Future”, which won the Indie Award for Environmental Writing.

“United Power has a rich history of innovation and is serving one of Colorado’s, and the Nation’s, fastest growing service territories,” Gabriel said. “The power of the cooperative business model to embrace change is unmatched in its ability to engage with its members for the future.”

Gabriel replaces Acting CEO, Bryant Robbins. Robbins is the Chief Operating Officer and has been filling both roles for the past year.

“The Board is appreciative of Robbins’ leadership and guidance this past year, helping us meet the many challenges of our fast-growing cooperative,” added Morgan.

United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, delivering electricity to more than 97,000 meters at homes, farms and businesses throughout Colorado’s northern front range. The 900 square mile service territory extends from the mountains of Coal Creek and Golden Gate Canyon, along the I-25 corridor and Carbon Valley region, to the farmlands of Brighton, Hudson and Keenesburg. At the end of 2020, the cooperative reached more than 97,000 meters representing more than 300,000 members. For more information about the cooperative, visit www. unitedpower.com or follow them on social media at facebook.com/unitedpower or twitter.com/unitedpowercoop.

March 3, 2021

U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces Key Leadership in Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2021 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today the appointment of Gloria Montaño Greene as Deputy Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) and the appointment of Zach Ducheneaux as Administrator of the Farm Service Agency (FSA). They will begin their positions on Monday, Feb. 22.

Montaño Greene is a former State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency in Arizona from 2014-2017, a position she was appointed to by President Obama. With FSA in Arizona, Montaño Greene led implementation of the 2013 Farm Bill programs across the state. Currently, she serves as Deputy Director for Chispa Arizona, a program of the League of Conservation Voters focused on the empowerment of Latino voices in Arizona on issues including energy, public lands, and democracy access. She served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff to Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona.

Ducheneaux is the current Executive Director of the Intertribal Agriculture Council, the largest, longest-standing Native American agriculture organization in the United States; the Council represents all Federally Recognized Tribes and serves 80,000 Native American producers. He has been with the Council since the 1990s in various leadership positions, including as former tribal council representative for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Ducheneaux has spent his career educating people about the critical role of improved food systems, value-added agriculture, and foreign exports to respond to the enduring economic and social challenges facing Native Americans and reservations. Ducheneaux also serves on the board of directors for Project H3LP!, a nonprofit founded by his family to benefit his local community by providing life lessons and therapy through horsemanship.

He operates his family’s ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in north central South Dakota with his brothers.

“We are honored to have professionals of the caliber of Gloria and Zach join our team.

With their leadership of USDA farm and conservation programs, we will create new market opportunities and streams of income for farmers, ranchers and producers that address climate change and environmental challenges, strengthen local and regional food systems, and lead the world in food, fiber and feed production for export. Together, we are committed to equity across the Department, removing barriers to access to all USDA programs, and reassuring all current and future farmers that USDA is here for you,” said Katharine Ferguson, Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary. # USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 6:30 P.M.

REGISTER FOR THE VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING All members are invited to join us for our Virtual Annual Meeting on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Members will be able to participate over the phone or watch the livestream online. The meeting will update members on the cooperative’s accomplishments, financial performance, director election results and more.

Register at www.unitedpower.com/annual-meeting.

VOTING YOUR BALLOT IN THE 2021 DIRECTOR ELECTION Four positions on United Power’s eleven-member board are up for election, one seat in each director district (South, East, West and Mountain). Balloting in the 2021 Director Election will be via mail-in vote only. There will be no ballot drop boxes and no in-person balloting this year. Please return your ballots in the postage-paid envelope. Ballots must arrive at the P.O. Box by 12 p.m. on April 14, 2021.

Find more information at www.unitedpower.com.

Park Hill Dental 100 S. Main Keenesburg www.ParkHillDental.com

Take ACTION For Your Tooth and Gum Health.

Dr. Thomas Croghan has been serving Southeast Weld county with pride since 2005. We are a full-service general dental office where your dental needs are addressed in a welcoming, professional setting.

We look forward to meeting you and caring for your oral health!

March 3, 2021

USDA Ready to Assist Farmers, Ranchers and Communities Affected by Winter Storms

Lost Creek Guide

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2021 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds rural communities, farmers and ranchers, families and small businesses affected by the recent winter storms that USDA has programs that provide assistance. USDA staff in the regional, state and county offices are prepared with a variety of program flexibilities and other assistance to residents, agricultural producers and impacted communities.

«USDA is committed to getting help to producers and rural Americans impacted by the severe weather in many parts of the country. As severe weather and natural disasters continue to threaten the livelihoods of thousands of our farming families, we want you and your communities to know that USDA stands with you,” said Kevin Shea, acting Secretary of Agriculture. “Visit farmers.gov or your local USDA Service Center to inquire about assistance.»

Risk management and disaster assistance for agricultural operations: USDA offers several risk management and disaster assistance options to help producers recover after they are impacted by severe weather, including those impacted by winter storms and extreme cold.

Even before disasters strike, USDA provides tools for producers to manage their risk through the Federal Crop Insurance Program, a public-private partnership between USDA’s Risk Management Agency and private companies and agents. For crops that do not have crop insurance available, the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) is available through the local Farm Service Agency. This risk protection includes crop production loss and tree loss for certain crop insurance products. It is recommended that producers reach out to their crop insurance agent or local FSA office for more information.

Producers that signed up for Federal Crop Insurance or NAP who suffer losses are asked to report crop damage to their crop insurance agent or local FSA office, respectively, within 72 hours of damage discovery and follow up in writing within 15 days.

Livestock and perennial crop producers often have more limited risk management options available, so there are several disaster programs for them. Key programs include: The Livestock Indemnity Program and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybee and Farm-raised Fish Program reimburses producers for a portion of the value of livestock, poultry and other animals that were killed or severely injured by a natural disaster or loss of feed.

The Tree Assistance Program provides cost share assistance to rehabilitate or replant and clean-up damage to orchards and vineyards that kill or damage the tree, vines or shrubs. NAP or Federal Crop Insurance often only covers the crop and not the plant.

USDA reminds producers that it’s critical to keep accurate records to document the losses and illnesses following this devastating cold weather event. Livestock producers are advised to document beginning livestock numbers by taking photos or videos of any losses.

Other common documentation options include: Purchase records Production records Vaccination records Bank or other loan documents Third-party certification Additionally, USDA can provide financial resources through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help with immediate needs and long-term support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources. Assistance may also be available for emergency animal mortality disposal from natural disasters and other causes.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) also has a variety of loans available including emergency loans that are triggered by disaster declarations and operating loans that can assist producers with credit needs.

Ensure food safety: USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is helping ensure affected households and communities are taking the proper steps to reduce the risk of foodborne illness during severe weather and power outages. Food safety tips for before, during and after a weather emergency are available on the FSIS website.

During a power outage, a refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened, and a full freezer will hold a safe temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full and the door remains closed). During a snowstorm, do not place perishable food out in the snow. Outside temperatures can vary and food can be exposed to unsanitary conditions and animals.

Care for livestock and pets: USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is helping to meet the emergency needs of pets and their owners, as inspectors coordinate closely with zoos, breeders and other licensed facilities to ensure animals in their care remain safe.

On the livestock front, APHIS veterinarians are ready to work alongside partners to conduct on-site assessments to document the needs of affected producers. More information about protecting livestock is available on APHIS’ Protecting Livestock During a Disaster page. Information about protecting household pets and service animals can be found on APHIS’ Animal Care Emergency Programs webpage.

APHIS has additional staff on stand-by to provide support should the situation escalate in severity or the number of affected livestock operations increase. Should it be necessary, APHIS has the expertise to assist with carcass removal and disposal as well.

APHIS’ Animal Care (AC) program is also prepared to respond. The Animal Care Program oversees the welfare of certain animals that are exhibited to the public, bred for commercial sale and used in medical research. In addition to providing technical assistance to regulated facilities, AC inspectors may be checking affected facilities to assess damage and ensure the welfare of their animals.

For more information about APHIS’ response efforts and how to protect pets and service animals in disasters, follow APHIS on Twitter at @USDA_APHIS. Helping individuals recover: USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) works with state, local and nongovernmental organizations to provide emergency nutrition assistance, including food packages and infant formula, to households, shelters and mass feeding sites serving people in need. FNS also provides emergency flexibilities in administering nutrition assistance programs at the request of states and works with local authorities to provide benefits. Emergency nutrition assistance and flexibilities requested by states and approved by FNS are posted to the FNS Disaster Assistance website.

Visit USDA’s disaster resources website to learn more about USDA disaster preparedness and response. For more information on USDA disaster assistance programs, contact your local USDA Service Center. # USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Page 13

Op-Ed: Colorado Deserves Better than ‘Leave it Blank’ Lawmaking

By Simon Lomax, Center Square In high school or college, we all remember exam questions we couldn’t answer. Unless it was multiple choice, usually the best move was to leave the question blank and finish the rest of the test.

For an individual student, that’s fine. The consequences of that unanswered question are limited to just one person and their grades.

But you can’t say the same thing about the “leave it blank” approach to lawmaking.

When the exam is a piece of legislation, skipping over the tough questions creates problems for everyone, not just the lawmakers who wrote the bill.

Let’s review two recent examples from Colorado: One that became law and one that didn’t.

In 2019, Colorado lawmakers passed Senate Bill 181, which overhauled the system for regulating the state’s oil and natural gas industry. It was introduced just months after ColoAn overhead view of the House of Representatives as lawmakers try to wrap rado voters up the session in the State Capitol Monday, June 15, 2020, in Denver. had rejected a 2018 ballot measure – Proposition 112 – to dramatically widen setbacks between new oil and gas production sites, occupied buildings and other locations.

In response to critics, the authors of SB 181 offered repeated assurances that wider setbacks were not part of the bill.

“This bill does not mention anything about setbacks,” Senate Majority Leader Stephen Fenberg, co-author of SB 181, told one of the committees that reviewed the bill. “This bill does not create any statewide setbacks. It does not even say the word setback.”

Former House Speaker KC Becker, also an SB 181 co-author, stated the bill “doesn’t even mention setbacks” during another committee hearing. “It is not a statewide setback.”

I actually testified on a couple of occasions about SB 181, concerning the lack of specifics in the bill, the confusion this could create, and the potential consequences for K-12 education and school construction programs funded with oil and gas tax revenue, lease payments and production royalties.

In response to concerns from business, industry and rank-and-file oil and gas workers, the bill’s authors imposed a limit on SB 181: New regulations would have to be “necessary and reasonable,” they wrote into the bill.

But what does necessary and reasonable mean? There was no definition. The authors left the answer blank.

The result? In late 2020, the newly reorganized Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission imposed – you guessed it – new statewide setbacks. For occupied buildings, the setback is now 2,000 feet. When combined with other changes, industry officials have said the new rule comes very close to the 2,500-foot distance voters rejected in 2018.

COGCC officials have promised they will be flexible and provide exceptions to the setback, so that Colorado’s oil and gas producing regions can still operate. Time will tell if that’s true. At some point, I’m sure the courts will be asked to hold the COGCC accountable for imposing a new setback despite the clear intentions of SB 181’s authors.

But that could take years, and this whole situation could have been avoided if the authors of SB 181 had spent more time on the details.

The next example of “leave it bank” legislating is a proposed health care bill, House Bill 1349, which was introduced during the 2020 legislative session but did not pass. The bill would have created the so-called public option in Colorado, a government-controlled health care plan designed to undercut private health insurance premiums and pay hospitals less for treating patients.

As someone who has worked with health care practitioners and administrators on public policy, I can say that even before COVID-19, the proposed public option was a major worry for people on the front lines of our healthcare system.

In late 2019, for example, the Polis administration released an analysis of the public option showing the new government plan would help wealthier households – but low- and middle-income families would have to pay more.

This called into question the entire purpose of the public option. But when HB 1349 was drafted in early 2020, the bill offered no answers. Instead, the authors – Rep. Dylan Roberts, D-Avon, and Sen. Kerry Donovan, D-Vail, – instructed the Colorado Insurance Commissioner to “mitigate any adverse impacts the Colorado Option Plan has on the purchasing power of [individual health insurance] exchange consumers whose income is up to four hundred percent of the federal poverty line.”

Think about that: The authors knew the public-option bill would have adverse impacts for many working families, but instead of solving the problem, they asked someone else to do it, and only after the bill had become law. One of the biggest questions about a public option was going to be left unanswered in the bill to create the public option.

The proposed public option is probably coming back in 2021, but “leave it blank” legislating is a bigger problem than just one bill.

Whenever a new law is proposed, people deserve to know what it will and won’t do up front, not after the fact. Rushing bills through the legislative process, and letting obscure agency officials fill in all the blanks, shuts people out of the democratic process and makes our already divided politics even worse.

Simon Lomax is a researcher and adviser to free-enterprise groups and business coalitions in energy, health care, education, housing and other economic sectors. He is a former Bloomberg News reporter and a former congressional fellow with the American Political Science Association. The views expressed are his own.

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Lost Creek Guide

Who’s To Blame For The Texas Power Crisis?

By Leonard Hyman and William Tilles for Oilprice.com Our last report focused on the uniqueness of the Texas wholesale electricity market, ERCOT, and how it was specifically designed to evade federal utility regulation. And as if he were our paid spokesperson, former Texas governor Rick Perry stated publicly that Texans were happy to suffer blackouts and other hardships if it meant evading federal regulatory scrutiny. Whether the good (and shivering) citizens of the Lone Star State agree is another matter. But today, instead of dealing with politics, we’ll take a closer look at ERCOT as a state planning agency.

First the good news. One of the hardest parts of every planning agency’s job is correctly estimating future demand. This is doubly hard in a dynamic, fast growing economy like Texas. Consequently we were surprised at how good their planning estimate was for this winter’s electrical load of about 67,000 megawatts. Because of the blackouts we can’t precisely know what peak electrical demand in Texas would’ve been given the extreme winter demands from home heating and the like. But the shadow estimates published by ERCOT suggested about 72,000 megawatts of peak demand.

In total, ERCOT has the ability to supply electrical capacity of about 80,000 megawatts.

This amount of available electric power generation should have been adequate to meet demand this week. Not by a wide margin but adequate. Barely. As an aside we should point out that ERCOT runs “light” in terms of electric system reserve capacity with reserves typically about 8%. This compares with other US grids where targeted reserve margins are about 15%. Lower reserve margins are cheaper but mean less back up for emergencies.

Our first tentative conclusion is that Texas would have withstood this recent snowstorm and polar vortex event in pretty good shape from a grid perspective IF thermal plants were available to meet skyrocketing demand.

Let’s briefly talk about the second big thing ERCOT planners also got right, or close to right—the amount of available electricity generated by wind turbines in Texas. There are about 20,000 megawatts of electric wind turbine capacity in state. And this sounds superficially like a lot. But wind as our readers know is an intermittent generating source. And it is not particularly windy in Texas in mid-February so the planners estimated that only about 6,000 megawatts of wind would be available This is approximately one third of the installed wind capacity and less than 10% of the projected ERCOT daily electrical system capacity. This tells us that the ERCOT planners correctly viewed wind power as just not that big a deal in Texas in winter.

Of the 6,000 expected megawatts from wind, 4,000 megawatts were actually available this week to reap insanely high wholesale prices. (One facilities operator noted that prices this week repaid a large portion of the entire capital costs of their entire wind farm project.

This is akin to purchasing an expensive automobile and winning the lottery the next day to pay it off. Perhaps cool but nonetheless unusual.) Bottom line: did wind underperform the expectations of planners? Yes by about 2,000 megawatts. Was this a big deal in terms

March 3, 2021

of the Texas outages? No, because the total power system shortfall approximated over 30,000 megawatts. Wind was only responsible for 2,000 megawatts of that deficit.

What ERCOT planners got colossally wrong was the availability of their fossil fleet. They assumed almost all of it would be available this week. From an electric generating perspective, Texas is predominantly a natural gas and coal fired state with a few nuclear plants.

All those thermal units together comprise about 75% of the state’s electrical generation.

Together with wind, ERCOT, at the height of their weather emergency, could only cobble together about 40,000 megawatts vs approximately 70,000+ megawatts of system demand. This extreme level of supply/demand mismatch is why there was a near total system blackout. The gas and coal plants failed and even one unit at the South Texas Nuclear Project Unit tripped offline due to a cold weather-related instrumentation malfunction.

Now on to what ERCOT planners got half right in our view. First, there are two types of power plant outages: planned outages for thorough out of season maintenance and unplanned outages typically due to equipment malfunction. In a summer peaking electricity system like Texas it would be normal to have power plant operators engage in routine, extensive maintenance primarily in the winter when demands on the system are typically decreased. (Unfortunately for ERCOT managers the last week was anything but typical.) A portion of their gas fleet was unavailable for this reason. That’s the way it’s supposed to be in a summer peaking system. We’ll give the ERCOT planners partial credit here.

Whether these gas plants with planned maintenance outages could’ve been quickly restored to service as the weather outlook deteriorated will no doubt be determined. In addition, Texas’s second line of electricity defense, coal fired plants, also failed to perform as expected. Coal piles, several months worth of stored coal on site at the power plants, froze into unmanageable carbon boulders and rendered much of the coal fleet inoperable.

But to us this in a way is the really good news here. Why? Ask yourself a simple question. Are there places where natural gas, coal and nuclear plants operate quite well in colder climates. The answer is of course, yes—all around the globe in fact. We assume that whatever engineering and maintenance expertise that permits successful cold weather power plant operation can be brought to Texas. And from a financial perspective this does not even seem that big of a lift.

But there is always something. And it has to do with the notion of system resilience.

Texas is highly dependent on natural gas and the related infrastructure for two vital things—residential home heating and wholesale electricity production. In extreme situations, residential heating gets precedence over power generation which sounds nice. But as our readers know, a gas furnace doesn’t work without electricity (although sometimes sadly a gas stove does.) These two systems are completely interdependent.

Second, the gas distribution network—which also failed— uses electricity to distribute gas through its system of pumps and motors. When the electric system goes dark there’s no power for gas distribution either. Not to mention water pressure. Pressures drop and systems fail. This is not a resilient energy system. It is “fragile” in philosopher N. Taleb’s terms, the exact opposite of what people should expect here. This is not a problem we believe people will talk about because it is very difficult and expensive to remedy. Sadly for many politicians it is much easier to prevaricate and blame the wind turbines. This is the energy equivalent of what the pundits call “hippie punching”—that is bad outcomes are always due to progressive initiatives.

Energy systems are complex to say the least. There are at least five key variables for all electric system planners to manage: reliability, cost, pollution remediation, social equity and resilience. And these issues are being taken up under circumstances of heightened politicization. We don’t want to put too fine a point on it but as presently constituted, the Texas state legislature would come down on the wrong side of the Scopes trial. There is no reason for optimism if difficult, but science-based decisions are required in highly ideological environments.

March 3, 2021

Page 15

Lost Creek Guide

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First Baptist Church, Keenesburg, Food Pantry

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Open every third Saturday 9 am to 12 pm 100 North Market Street, Keenesburg For emergency needs, please contact 720-480-6428 or email us at: http:// www.fbca.church

Donations are welcome to help us defeat hunger in our community

SERVICES Dave Haney Painting & Dry Wall Interior - Exterior Cabinets, Fence Staining Located in Platteville 720-217-2089 McCarthy Trucking Recycled asphalt, concrete Great for driveways & parking areas. Also sand & gravel.

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Page 16

Lost Creek Guide

Northern Integrated Supply Project Approvals

from the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Annual Report Several important milestones were achieved in 2020 as progress continued on the Northern Integrated Supply Project. In late January, regulators with the State of Colorado ssued a Water Quality Certification for the project in accordance with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Water Quality Control Division determined that the project would have no significant impact to Poudre River water quality. Permit conditions will require that Northern Water commit to a long-term program of environmental monitoring and regional collaboration.

In December, the certification was unanimously affirmed by the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission.

In September, the Larimer County Board of County Commissioners approved the project’s land use permit under authority granted by the Colorado General Assembly. Often referred to as a “1041 Permit” from the original legislative bill number, the permit addresses recreation at Glade Reservoir northwest of Fort Collins and several water conveyance pipelines from the reservoir and Poudre River to the 15 project participants.

When completed, Glade Reservoir will offer a new recreation amenity for residents of Larimer County and beyond. The NISP participants are making substantial investments to the recreation area, including the acquisition of a former KOA Campground for camping and the eventual construction of a visitor center for those who come to the site.

The federal Record of Decision on NISP’s Section 404 Clean Water Act permit is anticipated in early 2021. For more information and the latest updates on the project, visit www.gladereservoir.org.

March 3, 2021

2020 Water Year in Review

from the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Annual Report As the 2020 water year began in November 2019, Colorado-Big Thompson Project reservoirs sat at 132 percent of average storage levels. This followed a generally wet 2019 water year with above-average snowfall. By April 1, the 2020 water supply outlook was promising with statewide snowpack at 107 percent of average, Upper Colorado River basin snowpack at 114 percent of average and South Platte tributaries’ snowpack at 122 percent of average.

Streamflow forecasts for river basins of interest to Northern Water were a bit more conservative than indicated by the snowpack (due largely to dry soil conditions and other factors), but still ranged from 100 to 110 percent of average.

At the April 2020 Board meeting, Northern Water Directors issued a 70 percent C-BT quota allocation, nearly equivalent to the long-term average quota and consistent with Northeastern Colorado’s near-average hydrologic conditions. The Board also allocated 15,000 acre-feet from Northern Water’s Regional Pool Program in May. Northeastern Colorado began experiencing warm, dry weather in April. Those conditions persisted through the rest of the water year, resulting in earlier and faster snowmelt and runoff than average, and higher water demand. Streamflow volumes were significantly lower than anticipated earlier in the season, especially in East Slope basins that are heavily influenced by spring precipitation – or lack thereof. April through July streamflows ranged from approximately 81 percent of average in the Big Thompson River and Willow Creek basins to 95 percent of average in the Upper Colorado River Basin.

In response to the local conditions and regional water needs, Northern Water Directors increased the C-BT quota from 70 to 80 percent at the June Board meeting.

Hot, dry weather conditions continued through the summer and fall months with no significant monsoon activity. Then, following a day of record heat on Sept. 7 (99 degrees in Fort Collins and 101 degrees in Denver), Sept.

8 brought an unseasonable early measurable snowfall on record in Fort Collins and Boulder, and the second earliest snow in Denver (with 1 to 3 inches across the Eastern Plains, and 3 to 10 inches along the Front Range).

Water year 2020 total precipitation was significantly below average almost everywhere in Colorado. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor and as of Oct. 31, 100 percent of Colorado was experiencing moderate drought (D1) or worse, 97 percent was in severe drought (D2) or worse, and more than half of the state was in extreme or exceptional drought (D3-D4). This was a significant degradation from a year ago, when Colorado had no areas of extreme or exceptional drought and only 11 percent of the state was experiencing severe drought.

Despite below-average inflows to C-BT Project reservoirs in water year 2020, the project’s storage levels were above average at the end of the water year, due in large part to water year 2019’s high inflows.

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DURANGO, CO (02/25/2021)-- Nearly 200 Skyhawks graduated from Fort Lewis College in a virtual commencement on December 4, 2020.

The ceremony premiered online, featuring videos of graduates moving their tassels as their names were read by faculty from their departments. Each speaker lauded students for their accomplishments and intellectual growth during their time at FLC, especially this fall under unique circumstances as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Tom Stritikus and Provost Cheryl Nixon shared remarks, and Dugald Owen, professor of Philosophy and Alice Admire Outstanding Teacher Award recipient, gave the commencement address.

Graduates in the 2020 Virtual Winter Commencement ceremony received Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Arts in Education degrees, as well as certificates in Pre-Health, Geographic Information System, and Digital Marketing.

Levin Decker of Longmont (80504) graduated with a degree(s) in Anthropology.

Tessa Seaney of Mead (80542) graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree(s) in Psychology.

Ellyna Van of Wiggins (80654) graduated with a degree(s) in Psychology.

As the Four Corners’ stronghold of academic excellence, Fort Lewis College blends small class sizes, engaged faculty, and unparalleled research opportunities to help students earn college degrees and chase dreams. Guided by real-world experiences and a bountiful landscape, our students develop critical thinking and communication skills to fuel further studies or rewarding careers. A broad range of subjects and diverse student body weave cross-cultural knowledge throughout signature programs focused on environmental studies, education, the health sciences, creative arts, and business administration.

Find an education to live by at FLC.