Colorado Country Life August 2015 Yampa

August 2015

Exploring

FIRE TOWERS (

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[contents]

August 2015

[cover]

Photo of Shadow Mountain Fire Lookout by Kimon Berlin, is licensed under CC by 2.0/cropped.

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4 Viewpoint

22 Recipes

5 Letters

23 Gardening

Youth Tour: teaching students about co-ops, patriotism, government

Award-winning recipes for Colorado’s perfect peaches

6 Calendar

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24 Outdoors

Co-op News

12 NewsClips 14 Electric Co-op Connections

The renewable energy revolution, the electric grid and your co-op

16 Exploring Fire Towers

Colorado’s fire towers make great destinations for hikers, history buffs

1882

the approximate year the first peach trees were planted in the Palisade area

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The art of composting takes practice, and lots of browns and greens Cane poles and bobber rigs are a mystery to today’s youth

25 Energy Tips 29 Funny Stories 30 Discoveries

Extra content:

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coloradocountrylife.coop

This month’s online extras ➤ EXPLORE Colorado events, festivals and more under Community Events ➤ F IND more delicious peach dishes under Recipes ➤ L EARN how the right roof can keep your house cooler under Energy Tips ➤ S IGN UP to support the Power the Plains team through the Replica Edition ➤ E NTER to win gift cards and prizes under Contests

2,000 fire towers remain today, with less than 30 in Colorado

$634.78

average amount the average family spent on back-to-school items in 2013

The official publication of the Colorado Rural Electric Association || Volume 46, Number 08 COMMUNICATIONS STAFF: Mona Neeley, CCC, Publisher/Editor@303-455-4111; mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org Donna Wallin, Associate Editor; dwallin@coloradocountrylife.org ADVERTISING: Kris Wendtland@303-902-7276, advertising@coloradocountrylife.org; NCM@800-626-1181 SUBSCRIPTIONS: info@coloradocountrylife.org

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

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

[viewpoint]

Washington, D.C., Youth Tour

A spectacular way to teach patriotism, explain the co-op program and open minds to possibilities

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

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Each year, Colorado’s electric co-ops sponsor one or more high school seniors-to-be on a weeklong, all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. After the trip, many co-ops ask the kids from their individual co-ops to make a presentation to the folks in attendance at the co-op annual meeting. These presentations are often the highlight of the annual meeting because the kids sometimes have a unique way of describing their D.C. experience. Having seen a lot of these presentations over the years, it always seemed to me like the kids had a great time and that the Youth Tour was a pretty good idea.

I was wrong: The Youth Tour is a spectacular idea! This year, my wife, Deb, and I were two of the four chaperones for the 30 Colorado kids who went on the tour. (Our motto: No Child Left Behind.) We had a chance to experience the Youth Tour in person and can now vouch for the fact that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Colorado’s co-op youth.

This year’s tour began at the headquarters of United Power near Brighton where the kids learned how electricity is transmitted from power plants to their homes. They were also reminded that it’s a dangerous commodity. The United Power lineman who led the safety demonstration explained how he lost an arm as the result of an electrical contact. His story was a powerful reminder that keeping the lights on is not as easy or risk-free as it looks.

After the safety demonstration, we took a bus to the state Capitol and toured the building, including the recently renovated dome. We also paused at the mile high markers on the west steps of the Capitol to talk about the legislative process and how laws are made in Colorado. That evening, we headed out to Tri-State Generation and Transmission for a tour of the operations center followed by a visit with state Sen. Beth Martinez Humenik.

Early the next morning we headed to Denver International Airport for the flight to Washington, D.C. For a few of the kids on the tour, this was their first time on an airplane. As we descended into Reagan National, the kids were straining to look out the windows to see the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol.

I won’t recount every detail of the trip, but we kept the kids busy from sunup to sundown seeing all the memorials, monuments and museums that D.C. has to offer. In the photo above, you can see the group at the memorial to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The kids are pointing to an engraved depiction of rural power lines, a tribute to Roosevelt’s creation of the Rural Electrification Administration. We spent a few minutes at the memorial talking about the co-op program and how it brought power to rural America.

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Colorado 2015 Youth Tour students at the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C., point out the electric power lines on the wall.

One of the highlights of the tour was our trip to the U.S. Capitol and our meetings with members of Colorado’s congressional delegation. We met with Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner as well as Reps. Scott Tipton and Ken Buck. The kids asked a lot of questions of their elected representatives and we are grateful to both the senators and congressmen for taking the time to meet with us. We clearly had some budding politicians in the group.

For me, the highlight of the 2015 Youth Tour was the U.S. Marine Corps Sunset Parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial. The parade includes a performance by the Marine Drum and Bugle Corps as well as the Silent Drill Platoon. The combination of the drum and bugle corps playing “America the Beautiful” along with the precision moves of the riflemen was enough to put a lump in the throat of all those in attendance.

Finally, a story about the Youth Tour would not be complete without a big thank you to all of the co-ops that sponsor the kids, to fellow chaperone Darryl Edwards of Mountain View Electric and to our Youth Tour director, Liz Fiddes. Liz has led the Colorado portion of the tour for nearly 20 years and she deserves all the credit for another successful trip in 2015.

As I discovered, the Youth Tour is truly an amazing program where young folks are reminded of the sacrifices made by others to ensure their freedoms, and where friends are made, hearts are touched and minds are opened.

Kent Singer, Executive Director

coloradocountrylife.coop

[ letters] Love the BrainStormers I would like to praise the great article about the BrainStormers (June ’15). The Weather Channel needs to read the article and give these guys a second season to continue to educate and entertain. Wow; in an age where we just throw things away and buy a new one, this is so refreshing.

Cindy Parker via email

Taking Issue With Stories I used to look forward to Colorado Country Life. Lately, I have noticed that these issues are filled with pro-sustainability propaganda. Gone are the days when (my co-op) pushed back against the state’s mandated renewability programs.

In July’s issue, as an example, has Kent Singer pitching the benefits of solar power just like a cable television pitchman.

Where is the financial case for residential users? Many of us know that the payback, break-even period for solar is measured in decades.

Then there is the “Editor’s Note” defending the compact fluorescent lightbulbs, which doesn’t come close to telling the whole story.

My problem is that I’m a retired mechanical engineer. As an applied scientist, I was taught to gather data, objectively analyze that data and develop a costeffective remedy. What is absent for the past six and a half years is serious debate of the realities of global warming.

Register now — October 26

Join the Colorado Rural Electric Association and dozens of electric industry experts at CREA’s sixth Energy Innovations Summit Westin Denver Downtown Hotel (1672 Lawrence St. • Denver)

Exhibitor opportunities are available.

P lug into the future

For details and to register go to www.crea.coop or call 303-455-2700 ext 700.

Joseph Cascarelli, Westcliffe

One for the Birds Correction: The photo accompanying the July ’15 Outdoor column on birdwatching mistakenly identified the bird pictured as a male black-tailed hummingbird. It was not. It was a male broad-tailed hummingbird. Our apologies to photographer and columnist Dennis Smith for misidentifying this beautiful bird.

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

coloradocountrylife.coop

AUGUST 2015

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[calendar]

August

August 7 Fort Collins Gallery Walk & Artist Talk Global Village Museum 6-8 pm • 970-221-4600 August 8-9 Estes Park Meet the Wolves Hermit Park 9:30 am-8 pm • wolfwood refuge.org August 8 Florissant WMA Colorado Showcase/Jam Florissant Grange 1-4 pm • wmacolorado.org August 8-9 Grand Lake Teen Theatre Performance Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre 12 and 4 pm • rockymountain rep.com August 8 Poudre Canyon Craft Fair and Quilt Show Poudre Canyon Volunteer Fire Station #2 9 am-4 pm • pinkie_5@msn. com August 9 Pueblo Art Bash Rawlings Library Courtyard 2-4 pm • pueblolibrary.org August 10-16 Steamboat Springs All Arts Festival Various Steamboat Springs Locations steamboatchamber.com August 12 Morrison Diana Krall and the Colorado Symphony Red Rocks Amphitheatre 7:30 pm • 888-929-7849 August 14-15 Palisade Palisade Peach Festival Riverbend Park 970-464-7458 palisadepeachfest.com

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August 14-16 Vernon Olde Tyme Saturday Various Vernon Locations 970-332-4241 oldetymesaturday.com August 15 Colorado City Wine, Cheese and Silent Auction KOA Banquet Room 2-5 pm • 719-676-2594 August 15 Grand Lake Open Water Swim Point Park 970-726-8782 grandcountyhospice.org August 15 Kremmling Demolition Derby 210 11th Street 7 pm • www.kremmling chamber.com August 15 Pagosa Springs Cowboy Poetry Gathering Vista Community Clubhouse 3 pm • pagosacowboy gathering.org August 16 Black Forest Black Forest Festival Black Forest Road and Shoup Road 6:30 am-3 pm • 719-440-1095 August 18-September 12 La Veta Gene Kloss Art Show SPACe Gallery 11 am-4 pm • 719-742-3074 August 22 Boulder Craft Beer Festival West Central Park 1-5 pm boulderdowntown.com August 22 Brush Demolition Derby Morgan County Fairgrounds 5 pm • brushchamber.org August 22 Durango Alternative Horizons Wine and Music Fest Smiley Building West Lawn 6:30-9:30 pm moonranch120@gmail.com

Featured Event First Friday Art Walk

August 7, 5 pm, along Pueblo’s Creative Corridor Visit more than 35 art galleries, restaurants and businesses at Pueblo’s First Friday Art Walk. See a wide variety of artworks and demonstrations and enjoy live music, refreshments, entertainment and more. For more information, visit puebloarts.org.

August 22 Elizabeth Music and Arts Festival Main Street 10 am-6 pm art@townofelizabeth.org August 22-23 Evergreen Fine Arts Festival Creative District evergreenfineartsfestival.com August 22 Hugo Gift of Life BBQ Benefit Lincoln County Fairgrounds 6 pm • 719-743-2212 August 22 Peyton Young Eagles Flights Program Meadow Lake Airport 8:30-11 am • eaa72.org August 28 Creede Headwaters New Play Festival Creede Repertory Theatre 10 am-4 pm • 719-658-2540 August 28-30 Longmont Yesteryear Farm Show Dougherty Museum yesteryearfarmshow.org

September

September 4-7 Denver A Taste of Colorado Civic Center Park 303-295-6330 atasteofcolorado.com

September 4 Pueblo “Flora, Fauna and Folk Art” Art Show Steel City Art Works Gallery 719-542-6838 steelcityartworks.com September 5-6 Beaver Creek Oktoberfest Various Beaver Creek Locations beavercreek.com September 6 Bellvue Mountain Festival and Fine Art Auction 11835 Rist Canyon Road 10 am-4 pm • 970-493-1236 September 6 Lyons “Wing-Ding” Square Dancing Lyons Elementary School 2-5 pm • 303-823-5925 September 6 Red Feather Lakes Arts and Crafts Festival CL Water & Sewer Building and CLVFD Fire Station 9 am-3 pm • 970-881-3612

SEND CALENDAR ITEMS TWO MONTHS IN ADVANCE TO: CALENDAR Colorado Country Life 5400 N. Washington St. Denver, CO 80216 Fax to 303.455.2807 or email calendar@ coloradocountrylife.org. Items will be printed on a space available basis. For more information on these and other events, visit coloradocountrylife.coop.

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YAMPA VALLEY ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION, INC.

[YVEA News] Principles + Values = Cooperatives

“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”

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— Dwight Eisenhower

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

All cooperative businesses around the world operate in accordance with the following seven cooperative principles: 1. Voluntary and open membership 2. Democratic member control 3. Member economic participation 4. Autonomy and independence 5. Education, training and information 6. Cooperation among cooperatives 7. Concern for community Less known is the fact that cooperatives also adopted a set of concepts and values that helps to put these principles into practice.

Cooperatives are based on the concepts of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. Further, in the tradition of their founders, co-ops believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THESE CONCEPTS The founders of Yampa Valley Electric Association created this cooperative to provide electricity when others did not want to serve our territory. This embodies the values of self-help, taking action and doing what needs to be done. We also embrace the value of self-responsibility,

holding everyone accountable we have on the community for creating a strong co-op. while ensuring we are economiEach member has one vote, cally viable. no matter how much electricWe try to demonstrate this ity you use. This ensures that concern for the community democracy is practiced the through caring for others each way it is intended with equalday, whether it is through Diane Johnson ity for all members. This is a key Operation Round Up, Relay for difference between co-ops and Life, safety demonstrations, investor-owned companies where the community rebate programs or the many number of votes you have depends on the other activities we support. number of shares you own.

For co-op members, equity also means MEMBER APPRECIATION DAYS that, as a member, you have equity (ownTo show our appreciation to our memership) in the co-op. bers, we are hosting two Member ApWhile each co-op is autonomous, we preciation Days in August. These days are do act in solidarity with other co-ops and designed to give members a chance to our community. We know that we can know us better and provide employees do more for members by partnering with with an opportunity to educate our memother co-ops and like-minded organizabers regarding all the unique programs and tions. services we have to offer. Please stop by and see us on Monday, August 17 in SteamKEY COOPERATIVE VALUES boat Springs and Wednesday, August 19 in Our parents were right when they said, Craig. Both events from are 11 a.m. to “Honesty is the best policy.” As an owner, 3 p.m. There will be something for everyyou have the right to expect us to act with one: education, food, fun, prizes, bucket openness and in a transparent manner. truck rides, electrical safety demonstraIn today’s complex utility industry, we tions, and more. constantly strive to explain decisions and Cooperatives are special. We have an the impacts of local and national issues. obligation to provide reliable, competiWe welcome your active participation in tively priced and safe electricity, but we our co-op. take that a step further. We also support Cooperatives have long been identified our members, enrich schools and enhance as the original socially responsible busiour communities. ness, meaning we care about the impact

That’s the cooperative difference. coloradocountrylife.coop

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[YVEA News] YVEA NEWS MEMBER APPRECIATION DAY IS COMING SOON …

Yampa Valley Electric is hosting a Member Appreciation Day with fun and education for the whole family.

Enjoy food, prizes, bucket truck rides, safety demonstrations, education and information on all or our existing programs and more.

August 17 — Steamboat from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

August 19 — Craig from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIPS August 1-2 — Moffat County Balloon Festival August 7-8 — Moffat County Fair August 14-15 — Routt County Fair August 28-September 7 — Colorado State Fair OPT IN TO OPERATION ROUND UP “The mission of Operation Round Up is to extend the principle on which electric cooperatives were built over 75 years ago — neighbor helping neighbor.

Small change that changes lives is the foundation on which Operation Round Up is built. We strive to strengthen and improve the communities we live and work in.

The Operation Round Up Board of Directors met to review applications for the first grant period in 2015. The following 501(c)(3) organizations received funding: • Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition — Project: Crops for Cranes • Community Agriculture Alliance — Project: Farmers market locally grown produce • The Haven Assisted Living Facility — Project: Repair of windows • Humane Society of Moffat County — Project: HSMC Countywide Community Support Program • Soda Creek Elementary (PIC) — Project: Reusable dishware kits for classroom parties • SOROCO Ram Fans Booster Club — Project: Perpetual Banners • Steamboat Art Museum — Project: Art education for youth and students If you want more information about our program, visityvea.com/content/programs. If you would like to help charitable organizations by rounding up your electric bill to next dollar, costing on average $6 per year, please email ORU@yvea.com or call 970-879-1160. You may also check the box on the return portion of your payment.

YAMPA VALLEY ELECTRIC PARTICIPATES IN FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS

WASHINGTON, D.C., YOUTH TOUR Yampa Valley Electric wants to give a big thank you to the chaperones, Liz Fiddes, Kent Singer, Deb Godshall and Darryl Edwards, who made the Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., a success and brought 30 students home safe.

The kids started with a safety demonstration from United Power, then a presentation from Tri-State Generation and Transmission regarding how power is generated, transmitted and distributed. They spent the afternoon before flying out to D.C. at the Colorado Capitol and Tri-State’s operations center. While in D.C. they visited many memorials and several museums. They attended the Broadway play “Newsies.”

A highlight of Youth Day was a presentation from Mike Schlappi, a fourtime Paralympic wheelchair basketball champion. Mike has always inspired students to be more, to do more, to stand out even if you can’t stand up.

To prepare for the trip to Capitol Hill, students participated in a congressional simulation and Kent Singer provided an overview of Colorado’s delegation. They met Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner and Reps. Scott Tipton and Ken Buck. The students elected Sarah Conklin from United Power

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2015 Colorado Youth Tour delegates as the student to represent at the Albert Einstein Memorial in Colorado on the Youth Washington, D.C. Leadership Council. Sarah returned to Washington, D.C., in July to learn more about leadership skills and public speaking, and she will represent Colorado during the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Annual Meeting next year in New Orleans.

If you are a junior or senior in 2015, live in our service territory and have interest in our Youth Tour program, please check out our website at www.yvea.com/content/programs or call 970-879-1160.

coloradocountrylife.coop

[YVEA News]

MEET THE YVEA TEAM DIANE JOHNSON GENERAL MANAGER Diane Johnson served as General Manager for YVEA since 2013, overseeing the organization and executing the Board of Directors’ vision.

After finishing college, Diane worked in manufacturing, nonprofit management and health care before coming to enjoy a long career in utilities. In 1996, she started at Colorado Springs Utilities, a large four service utility that provides water, wastewater, natural gas and electricity services.

There, her involvement in strategic planning, renewable energy, generation and other functions led her to love the utility industry. In 2007, Diane took a position as CEO for a progressive electric utility in northeastern Iowa. The opportunity allowed Diane and her family to enjoy life in the Midwest and experience a smaller community. While you can take the girl out of the mountains, you can’t take the mountains out of the girl, so Diane was excited about the chance to return to Colorado and join YVEA. Diane’s husband, daughter and two Great Dane dogs love being back in the West and appreciate living in such a special place. Diane says it’s a privilege to serve YVEA’s members and communities.

ANDY MARSHALL JOURNEYMAN LINEMAN/FOREMAN Andy Marshall is a journeyman lineman and foreman for YVEA. Andy is from a small town in western Kansas, north of Dodge City, and moved to the area in 2005 from Tulsa, coloradocountrylife.coop

Oklahoma. Andy attended Ness City High School and Dodge City Community College as well as Northwest Lineman College. Andy is part of the team that is responsible for installation, maintenance and repairs of the YVEA transmission and distribution electrical system. In his role as foreman, Andy communicates and coordinates with the general foreman and daily crews in all aspects of YVEA’s daily work orders, repairs, maintenance, and improvements to ensure the safety of the team. He enjoys what he does because he likes working for a good company and with good people. Prior to taking his position at YVEA, Andy did contract work in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a company that did maintenance and construction on transmission lines and also did a lot of storm work after hurricanes and tornados all over the southeastern part of the United States. In his spare time Andy enjoys snowboarding, snowmobiling and riding his motorcycle.

TRACEY MUNDEN DISPATCHER Tracey Munden is a part of our dispatch team. Tracey is originally from Oklahoma and moved to the area in 2001.

Tracey attended Carnegie High School. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a minor in Native American Indian studies from USAO. In her role as dispatcher, Tracey coordinates with other dispatchers and communicates daily with crews for daily work activities and restoration of power. She supplies information to crews such as mapping data, address and location information and transformer and meter numbers. Dispatch also provides coordination to members for requested line locates, trench inspection requests and electrical inspections.

Tracey loves what she does because she loves helping others. She was taught to live by the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Tracey is married with two children and two stepchildren. She is a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and of Rainy Mountain Kiowa Indian Baptist Church. In her spare time she enjoys volunteering in the community and spending time with family and friends.

LARISSA WILSON EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT AND BOARD SECRETARY Larissa Wilson is YVEA’s executive assistant and secretary to the board of directors. She is originally from Muscatine, Iowa, and graduated from Muscatine High School in Iowa and Iowa Wesleyan College. She moved to Steamboat in 2013 after living in Denver for eight years. In her role as executive assistant, she provides support to the general manager in all aspects of daily business. As the board secretary, Larissa serves as a central point of coordination for all board communication and activities. She organizes and plans all board of director events and provides support for employee and member events. Larissa says her job is extremely versatile and because she assists the general manager and the board of directors, she is involved, at times, with nearly every department in the company. She also says she has the privilege of working with and learn from a diverse and talented team. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, climbing, fishing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing and just about anything you can do in the Yampa Valley. She also can fly a plane!

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[YVEA News]

TO SERVE YOU BETTER …

In the July issue, Yampa Valley Electric announced that it is embarking on a communications and technology plan that will bring the co-op into the 21st century. YVEA explained the basics of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), and the benefits to co-op members. If you missed last month’s issue, the AMI basics and benefits are below: What is AMI? Advanced metering infrastructure is an architecture for automated, two-way communication between an advanced meter and an electric utility company. The goal of an AMI is to provide Yampa Valley Electric with real-time data about power consumption and allow customers to make informed choices about energy usage.

How will this system benefit co-op members?

AMI will improve reliability, enhance power quality monitoring and accelerate outage notification, which means quicker service restoration. With many existing meters reaching end of life, it makes sense to improve our meter reading systems.

YVEA chose Landis + Gyr, (L&G) as the vendor to support the AMI project. YVEA chose the area that will encompass the pilot project of 500 meters in late fall. Members that fall within the projected test area received automated phone calls prior to the AMI changeover. When you receive the notification, please let YVEA know if you do not want to participate in the project.

YVEA is excited about its partnership with L&G on this AMI project. L&G is a worldwide leader in metering technologies and will allow YVEA to grow with them as the co-op makes improvements to the electrical infrastructure. This partnership will also allow YVEA to better serve you, the members, with real-time

information that will improve our reliability, response and service quality.

Each month as we work to modernize and upgrade the electric grid, we want to give you a better understanding of the steps we are taking to accomplish this. This month we want to address a few more questions you may have regarding AMI. Who is eligible to receive AMI service?

We will install new meters and associated equipment in the testing phase of the new system. After evaluating the results of the tests, new meters will be installed throughout the system in the upcoming years.

Do you need my permission to install this new meter at my residence?

The meter and equipment delivering electricity to members is owned and maintained by YVEA. Even though YVEA is permitted to access its equipment on members’ property, YVEA strives to be respectful and avoid inconvenience. If you have special concerns, YVEA asks that you let the co-op know as soon as possible by calling 970-879-1160.

Will I have to pay an additional fee for the AMI meter?

There is no additional charge for the installation and use of the AMI meter service.

For up-to-date information on this project as well as a video explaining AMI, please visit our website at yvea.com.

YVEA SEASONAL HIRES — THANKS GUYS BRAYDEN PETERSON SEASONAL HIRE Brayden Peterson took one of two positions as seasonal help for YVEA. This is Brayden’s second season with the co-op. He is originally from Craig and graduated from Moffat County High School. Brayden attended Northwest Lineman College in Denton, Texas, last year. Brayden will help the operations team and other departments in all aspects of daily work flow. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, shed hunting and dirt biking.

TREVOR COX SEASONAL HIRE Trevor Cox took one of two positions as seasonal help for YVEA. Trevor is originally from California and moved to Hayden in 2000. He graduated from Hayden High School and will attend lineman school.

Trevor will help the operations team and other departments in all aspects of daily work flow. In his spare time, he enjoys motor sports, hunting and fishing.

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[newsclips]

Why Does the Electric Co-op Collect a Service Charge?

BY MONA NEELEY, EDITOR

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Electric co-op members often ask why they have a bill, even when they haven’t used any electricity. And what is that “extra” charge beyond the cost of the electricity itself?

It may be called a service charge, an access charge or a customer charge.

It’s all about making sure your electric co-op stays financially viable and is ready to provide members with electricity when they need it.

There is no incentive to charge more than is needed to pay outof-town investors since co-ops are not-for-profit entities owned by the members.

And co-op management wants to make sure that there is money to cover the cost of the system that supplies the electricity to its members’ homes or businesses. In the past, part of the cost of poles, lines, meters, employees, equipment and infrastructure was included in the per kilowatt-hour charge members paid for using electricity. That worked as long as all members in each rate

class used similar amounts of electricity.

However, as more members add solar panels and others become more energy efficient, this system no longer works.

The amount of electricity being used per household or business has dropped, but the costs for infrastructure, equipment and personnel has not dropped. And the cost of maintaining that infrastructure continues whether or not members use their vacation home this month or just want the electricity to be available when they arrive next month.

By separating the charges and making sure that the service charge (or whatever it is called at the local co-op) pays for the fixed costs and the electricity rate is a pass-through of the cost of buying the electricity to distribute to its members, the co-op can be sure it is covering its costs. That way, the co-op can continue to serve its members and make the electricity they rely on available whenever they flip the switch.

SOLAR, WIND PROGRAM LOOKING FOR IRRIGATORS

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Colorado State University’s Rural Energy Center is offering free solar and wind energy assessments for Colorado agricultural producers with center pivot sprinklers.

The assessments will provide producers with estimated system sizes, costs, savings and other information needed to decide whether investing in a renewable energy system is a sound investment. Solar or wind systems could be installed on the corners of fields where center pivot sprinklers are used to irrigate crops. The renewable energy systems to be evaluated would be tied into the grid and used to offset the electricity costs of pumping water for irrigation.

The timing of the project is driven by a few factors. Costs for solar panels decreased by 75 percent in the last five years. The 30 percent federal tax credit for solar will be reduced to 10 percent beginning in 2017 and will expire completely for wind systems. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, the sponsor of the project, offers 25 percent grants and 75 percent loans for the installation of renewable energy systems by agricultural producers.

CSU is accepting up to 30 applications. Producers accepted into the solar and wind assessments for pivots (or SWAP) program will be contacted beginning in December 2015. Visit http://goo.gl/forms/QHMPszc86j to submit the short application, or visit www.rec.colostate.edu/swap for more information. Contact Cary Weiner, CSU Rural Energy Center director, at cary.weiner@colostate.edu or 970-491-3784.

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Comments Accepted on Colowyo Mine Environmental Analysis

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The Colowyo Mine in northwestern Colorado has been the subject of much discussion since a federal judge ruled May 8 that a new environmental analysis must be conducted within 120 days for the permit that was approved and issued over eight years ago. The mine employs more than 200 people and their jobs could be at risk if the analysis is not complete within the timeframe provided by the judge.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) has been working since the ruling to complete the analysis. It released the draft environmental analysis in late July for public comment. Review that draft document http:// www.wrcc.osmre.gov/initiatives/colowyoMine SouthTaylor.shtm. Instructions on making comments are also available on the OSM website.

Comments will be accepted through the middle of August.

coloradocountrylife.coop

[newsclips] Co-ops That Power the Plains Prepare to Pedal

Y Your Electric Co-op Sends You This Monthly Magazine

You can ride with the Touchstone Energy Powering the Plains bike team in this year’s 172-mile Pedal the Plains bike tour of Colorado’s eastern plains.

The September 18-20 annual ride will loop from Julesburg to Holyoke to Sterling and back to Julesburg. Nearly 1,000 riders are expected to cycle past farms, dairies and ranches and enjoy the hospitality of northeastern Colorado with parties in Holyoke on Friday night and Sterling on Saturday night.

The co-ops, which are among the supporters for the ride, will raise money for Energy Outreach Colorado. Anyone interested in donating to support the team can make a check payable to CEEI/PTP and send it to the Colorado Rural Electric Association. Those interested in riding should contact Colorado Country Life Associate Editor Donna Wallin at dwallin@coloradocountrylife.org. Join the team, ride for a weekend and raise money to keep fellow Coloradans warm all winter long.

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Enjoying the magazine? Thank your local electric cooperative.

You get a copy of Colorado Country Life each month because that is the most convenient and economical way for your electric provider to share information with you as a member.

You are not simply a consumer to your local co-op; you are a voting member. That means it is important that you know what is happening within your local co-op, as well as within the electric industry. So, each month, Colorado’s electric co-ops publish information about co-op services, director elections, member meetings, rate changes, energy saving options and more in Colorado Country Life.

By weaving that electric information you need to know throughout an interesting magazine that covers a wide variety of topics, readership increases. You, as a reader, learn more about your electric co-op.

And by sharing with other Colorado electric co-ops in publishing this monthly magazine, your local co-op is able to send all of this information to you for only a little more than 37 cents a month. That is much less than it would cost the co-op to send you this information in individual mailings.

Colorado Country Life proves to be an efficient, cost-effective way for your electric co-op to stay in touch with you and its other members.

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Electric Cooperatives Reach Across Borders

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Two electric cooperatives in Costa Rica, established with help from U.S. electric coops, recently marked their 50th anniversaries.

In 1965, NRECA International helped form Coopelesca (Cooperativa de Electrificacion Rural de San Carlos) and Coopeguanacaste (Cooperativa de Electrificacion Rural de Guanacaste) with funding provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Collectively today, they serve more than 145,000 member-owners and own more than 50 megawatts of hydroelectric and wind energy generation resources.

Costa Rica is one of 40 countries around the world where NRECA International helped the local people establish rural electrification programs. The international program helped provide more than 75 million people with access to safe, reliable and affordable electricity.

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[industry]

Electric Cooperatives Keep You Connected During Change The renewable energy revolution, the electric grid and your co-op

BY J U STIN L ABERGE

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The energy industry is in the midst of an unprecedented period home, most likely at a power plant far away from where you live. of transition. As this energy revolution unfolds, a modern, These same challenges are true for people who want to generinterconnected and reliable electric grid has never been more ate electricity at their homes or businesses through technologies important. such as solar panels, small wind turbines and manure digesters In April, Elon Musk, the charismatic billionaire CEO of Tesla, that produce methane. introduced a new lithium ion battery called the PowerWall. In It’s unlikely that the amount of available sunshine, wind or typical fashion for this brash tech entrepreneur, Musk paints a manure is always perfectly matched to your immediate energy rosy picture of a future where homeowners disconnect from the needs. Sometimes the sun is shining brightly when nobody is power grid and meet all their power needs through a combinahome, but most people still want electricity after the sun goes tion of rooftop solar and battery storage. down. That’s where the electric grid comes into play.

It’s exciting to imagine a future where renewable energy By staying connected to the electric grid, your home is part of systems will allow us to generate and store electricity in a reliable a larger system. You can usually feed extra energy back into it and cost-effective way. Though there are many working hard to when you don’t need it, but more importantly, the grid is there to realize that goal, including electric cooperatives, it is still a long make sure you always have enough power when you do need it. way from reality.

In addition, the interconnected nature Unlike gasoline or propane, electricity is of the grid means that when there’s a Electric cooperatives are lead- problem with a generator on the system — a form of energy that is difficult to store in large quantities. Batteries can hold enough whether it’s a homeowner’s rooftop solar ers in the renewable energy energy to power small devices for moderarray or a large power plant supplying ate amounts of time, but current battery energy to hundreds of thousands — there revolution. Three of the top technology cannot practically and ecoare plenty of other generation resources nomically store enough energy to power available to step in and quickly meet the four solar utilities in America larger items like appliances and televisions need. are electric cooperatives. The for longer durations.

In some ways, the electric grid is the We don’t know when the cost, size, ultimate example of a cooperative. Every vast majority of wind turbines power company, from electric co-ops to quality and reliability of battery storage will improve to the point that it becomes investor-owned utilities to governmentin this country are built in rural run systems, must work together across a viable option to help meet our energy needs. If or when that happens, it has the state lines to ensure there is always enough areas served by cooperatives. potential to transform countless aspects energy to power our lives. of our lives, from our smartphones to our Electric cooperatives are leaders in the cars to our electric system. renewable energy revolution. Three of The lack of a viable option for large-scale energy storage crethe top four solar utilities in America are electric cooperatives. ates another challenge for power companies. Electricity supply The vast majority of wind turbines in this country are built in and demand must always be perfectly matched. rural areas served by cooperatives. In fact, America’s electric If you’re a farmer, imagine what your job would be like if you cooperatives support an entire team of researchers who work on couldn’t store your product, not even for a short period of time issues related to renewable energy, power reliability and future until a truck could come to pick it up. Imagine if the grain you technology. grow or the milk your cows produce had to instantly go from Great leaders always look to the future but remain grounded harvest to consumption. Lastly, imagine that the demand for in practical reality. Great leaders look out for everybody they your product never stops and varies wildly throughout the day, serve and strive to ensure their actions will serve the greater but you always had to produce the exact right amount with no good. These are the same qualities that make electric cooperashortages or overages. That’s what electric cooperatives do every tives special. Though our nation’s energy future is uncertain, day to keep the lights on. there’s no doubt that America’s electric cooperatives are helping To meet this challenge, power companies rely on a complex to write it and doing so with our members’ best interests driving and interconnected electric grid to deliver power to homes and every action we take. businesses across America the instant it’s needed. The electricJustin LaBerge writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the ity powering the lamp that you’re using to read this article was National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. generated a fraction of a second before it was delivered to your

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[industry]

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Climbing the 143 steps to the top of Devil’s Head is not for the faint-ofheart.

Exploring

Colorado’s Vanishing Fire Towers

BY KRISTEN HANNUM

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Devil’s Head Lookout (opposite page) offers a spectacular view (above) of the eastern plains of Colorado.

Kent Argow’s father was scanning the horizon with a pair of binoculars during one of the father and son’s many visits to fire towers.

“Dad saw smoke,” Argow says.

That fire hadn’t been reported yet, and the father and son had front seats as they witnessed what happened next.

Argow, now the director of the Colorado and Utah Forest Fire Lookout Association, still remembers the thrill of that day. The fire watcher called in the location and before long a spotter plane flew by the tower, tipping its wing to salute the spotters. Next came the huge plane filled with smoke jumpers. “We watched them throw their toolbox out,” Argow says. The parachute snapped open for the box, and then came the jumpers themselves. Argow and his father also watched helicopters dumping water on the flames.

“By that night they’d snuffed out the fire,” he says. “It was an unbelievable experience, and we just happened to be there.”

Although fire towers have largely been phased out in favor of spotters in planes (and perhaps drones in the future), a few fire towers are on the first line of defense against massive fires. What’s more, a handful of fire towers in Colorado offer great — and potentially thrilling — summer adventures.

Sondra Kellogg, Argow’s predecessor at the Fire Lookout Association, is a former fire spotter who lived in the Thorodin Tower during the summer of 1960 and 1962. She describes the towers as being a perfect summer destination, combining history, stunning views, great hikes and a lesson on fire prevention and fire fighting. Not only that, but just by visiting the towers, citizen hikers can also help preserve the historic structures from vandals.

There are even two Colorado fire towers — Jersey Jim Lookout in the San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado and Squaw Mountain Fire Lookout Cabin at the summit of Squaw Mountain in the Clear Creek Ranger District along the Front Range — that you can rent and stay overnight in.

That can present a different kind of excitement: lightning.

Kellogg was in the Thorodin tower when lightning hit the steel guardrail that circled the catwalk outside the cabin. She could smell the ozone and feel the electricity in the air, the hair standing up on her arms. Kellogg and her then-husband [continued on page 18]

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Bill Ellis works at Devil’s Head Lookout as visitors enjoy the 360-degree view.

[continued from page 17]

were forewarned on what to do: unplug the telephone and sit on the bed. “Everything was grounded,” she says.

Today’s fire tower guests are reassured that they’ll be safe too, even in a lightning storm, as long as they follow the rules.

Just don’t lean against that metal stove …

Fire towers include a couple that Argow describes as being appropriate destinations for “anyone who could handle one of Colorado’s fourteeners.” Other towers are towers in name only; one in Mesa Verde is wheelchair accessible.

The golden age of fire towers started in the early 20th century, when early forest rangers — including the country’s first forest ranger, William Kreutzer, who lived here in Colorado — realized that spotters in a tower could sound the alarm when they saw smoke.

It took almost inconceivable grit to build some of the lookouts, with materials lugged in on mule, horse and human backs.

Seeing a fire wasn’t much good unless a spotter could get word out, and the earliest fire spotters used carrier pigeons and heliographs, mirrors that could reflect sunlight in a code.

Telephone lines were a vast improvement.

Both 100 years ago and today, it was crucial that fire spotters be able to transmit precise information on a fire’s location. Spotters at Colorado lookout towers, like the one at Devil’s Head near Sedalia, still use the Osborne Fire Finder, invented in 1915, a kind of manual global positioning system for pinpointing the location of fires.

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In their heyday, there were 8,000 lookouts across the country. They were in every state except Kansas. Idaho alone had more than 900.

Air patrols were the beginning of the end for the towers, which by the 1970s seemed romantic but old-fashioned.

Only about 2,000 towers remain, with less than 30 in Colorado. “Why Colorado got rid of so many I don’t know,” Kellogg says.

She does know what happened to her tower. The Thorodin Tower blew over in the 1930s. It was rebuilt but in the 1980s 100-mile-per-hour winds blew the cab off. No one was hurt, since it hadn’t been staffed since the late 1960s.

The most recent tower to disappear, the Chimney Rock Lookout, was dismantled in 2010.

That being the case, this weekend might be the best time to grab your camera, pull on your hiking boots and head out to visit one of these endangered and magnificent structures.

You might even spot a fire. “That can happen at any point for anyone,” Argow says, who speaks from experience.

Kristen Hannum is a Colorado native who splits her time between rainy Colorado and the drought-stricken Pacific Northwest. She’s made her living as a writer and editor her entire adult life, writing articles for a number of magazines and newspapers. She says Colorado Country Life is the best.

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Here are some Colorado lookouts you may want to visit: • Devil’s Head Lookout (9,708 feet) is near Sedalia in Pike National Forest. This is a classic, perched atop a dramatic stone cliff, accessed by 143 steep steps and staffed for the last 32 summers by the amazing 83-year-old Bill Ellis. America’s first forest ranger, William Kreutzer, was also from the area, and might have used the summit where the lookout now stands to scan for fires.

Devil’s Head, at the highest point of the Rampart Range, was one of four primary lookouts along the Front Range. The one-and-a-half mile hike there begins in light-dappled stands of aspen and then climbs until the trail reaches a steep red stairway ingeniously ascending the towering granite outcropping. “If you want a snapshot of what it’s like to man a fire tower, that is the experience there,” Argow says.

Hahn’s Peak Lookout

• Hahn’s Peak Lookout (10,759 feet) in the Routt National Forest near Steamboat Springs also offers 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. The lookout, built between 1908 and 1912, was used less and less in the 1950s, until it finally became little more than an iconic landmark, visited by hikers and vandals alike.

This summer marks the best time to hike to it in the last 50 years or more. That’s because it was awarded funding for a complete restoration, work that has taken place since the beginning of summer.

It’s a challenging 4-mile hike (trail 1158, Hahn’s Peak trail) with loose scree close to the peak’s bare top.

• Deadman Lookout (10,710 feet) in the Roosevelt National Forest, about 5 miles due west of Red Feather Lakes, is a good 10 miles on gravel roads if you’re driving rather than flying with the crows. Deadman is a great example of a modern lookout tower. Built in 1961, the 55-foot tall steel tower is well-staffed by knowledgeable volunteers who can answer every question — and show off the view from the cab atop the tower.

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• Shadow Mountain Lookout (9,923 feet) is in the western portion of Rocky Mountain National Park. Its stone base supports a oneroom cab surrounded by a catwalk. The Civilian Conservation Corps built it in 1932, and it was known as one of the finest “parkitecture” buildings in the country. Now it’s the only remaining fire lookout in the Rocky Mountain National Park, staffed in 2012 for the first time since 1969.

The trail leading to it is 4.8 miles and is considered an intermediate trail, with an elevation gain of 1,533 feet. The lookout boasts a view of mountain lakes and the Fraser River Valley that is all the sweeter for the effort it takes to get there.

• Jersey Jim Lookout (9,830 feet) in the San Juan National Forest has a loyal following of locals who constitute a good percentage of the people who rent it during the summer months. Similar to Deadman Lookout in age, style and height, it’s also similar in that it’s accessible to two-wheel drive vehicles along gravel forest roads. Folks staying there have a choice of porting their supplies — including water — up its steps or via a pulley lift. The Jersey Jim Foundation rents the lookout for just $40 a night and typically books the entire summer within days of opening reservations in March.

• Park Point Lookout (8,572 feet) in Mesa Verde National Park is just 0.2 miles on a paved, wheelchair-accessible walkway from your car. It sits at the highest point of the park, an octagonal groundhouse made of local sandstone. Signs tell you what you’re seeing in its 360-degree view spread out below. It’s staffed during the fire season.

Fairview Peak Lookout

• Fairview Peak Lookout (13,214 feet) in the Gunnison National Forest is at the other end of the spectrum from Park Point Lookout, both in terms of ease of access and upkeep status. Beginning at Gold Creek Campground at 10,200 feet, hikers

must climb 3,000 feet to Fairview Peak’s summit. A short season and afternoon lightning storms mean volunteers have little time to work on repairs.

Kreutzer commissioned this lookout in 1910, perhaps not one of his best decisions. Although fire spotters had stunning views of the Pitkin and Tincup districts, lightning forced its abandonment within a few years. Need it be said? Visitors should plan to be off the peak by early afternoon.

Chimney Rock Lookout

• Chimney Rock Lookout (7,903 feet) in the Chimney Rock Archaeological Area of the San Juan National Forest is easy to get to. This is a “ghost” lookout, built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps and dismantled in 2010 because it was built on the site of a 1,000-year-old fire pit using blocks from nearby ruins. Access is by gravel road and then a half-mile walk.

The spectacular views from the site show why people in any era would use it for a lookout.

Falcons nest here; it’s closed for their sake in spring.

• Squaw Mountain Lookout (11,486 feet) is the other Colorado lookout available for rent year-round. There’s no water available, nor is there a garbage service, meaning that visitors should plan to pack their supplies in and pack their trash back out.

A high-clearance vehicle is advisable for reaching the parking lot, and winter visitors should be prepared to snowshoe or ski to the site. Contact the Clear Creek Ranger District in Idaho Springs for more information.

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[recipes]

A Peach of a Summer

Award-winning peach recipes prevail over the years

BY AMY HIGGINS || AHIGGINS@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

It’s the Pits Peaches come in two varieties: clingstone and freestone. The meat of the clingstone sticks to the pit whereas the freestone meat does not.

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Peach production is in full swing in Colorado and we can’t get enough of them. As a matter of fact, there’s evidence of folks on the Western Slope celebrating these juicy fruits at an event called Peach Days back in the late 1800s. Today, this area of the Centennial State still celebrates peaches at the Palisade Peach Festival every August. Do you have a recipe friends and family won’t stop raving about? If so, try your hand at the peach recipe contest at this festival on August 15. But if you’re just looking to fatten your recipe box, try one of these from past Peach Festival grand prize recipe winners.

Peach Napoleon

1994 Grand Prize Winner, Tim Buchser and Bonnie Hansen

1 package puff pastry dough, thawed 20 minutes 3-4 peaches, peeled and sliced Custard: 3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar 2 cups milk 4 egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 cup finely sieved peach jam 1 cup whipped cream Icing: 2 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons soft butter 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon heavy cream Shed the Skin To peel a fresh peach, use a paring knife and cut from the top, around and to the top again.

Repeat, creating four sections. Use your paring knife to grab a corner and peel the skin back. Repeat on the remaining three sections.

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll thawed dough into 1/8-inch thick sheets. Cut in four even 6- by 12-inch sheets. Place on cookie sheet, prick with fork and bake 12 minutes. Cool. In double boiler, combine flour and sugar; gradually add milk, egg yolks and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Cook in double boiler until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Cool completely and add jam. Mix half of the custard mixture with whipped cream. Combine all icing ingredients and mix well. Spread a layer of puff pastry with custard, then whipped cream mixture and peaches. Repeat layers, topping finally with icing. Optional: drizzle melted chocolate on top.

Perfect Peaches ’n Cream Pie 1990 Grand Prize Winner, Marian Simonson

9-inch pie pastry 16 fresh peach slices, peeled 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup flour 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream 3/4 cup Kraft Cool Whip Topping: 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup Kraft Cool Whip Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange 14 fresh peach slices, in pinwheel fashion, on pie pastry. Set 2 more slices in center. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over arranged peaches. Bake for 30 minutes.

Mix together cinnamon and Cool Whip and top cooled pie.

Visit coloradocountrylife.coop for more peachy recipes. coloradocountrylife.coop

[gardening]

The Art of Composting

It takes practice, time and the right amount of browns and greens

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BY KRISTEN HANNUM || GARDENING@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

It’s August. Time to stop putting off building a compost bin.

That’s what I told myself a few years back, anyway, when we had a compost tumbler for our kitchen scraps and yard debris. But it wasn’t big enough.

In addition to the nice compost in its black, plastic belly, we also had bags of leaves, seemingly endless barrels of yard debris and growing piles of wood chips from trimmed boughs from cotoneaster bushes that colonized the entire north side of the house.

Not only that, but we had a back corner ringed by trees and beyond that open space, which was crying out for compost bins. I imagined us emptying bags, barrels and wheelbarrows full of leaves, manure, wood chips and even chopped pine needles that would turn into the perfect compost for our tooalkaline soil. It was near my favorite tree, a twin-trunked, graceful old Scotch pine, and I hoped that putting the bins there would mean compost juices would leach into the ground and feed the tree.

Not many things in life turn out exactly as planned, but my compost bins did. Sure, we shook our heads over how we kept failing to get enough green into those bins and enough brown into the compost barrel, but it was close enough.

Practiced gardeners know about green and browns in the not-secret-just-tricky art of composting. For the not-yet-initiated, greens are nitrogen-rich additions like kitchen scraps and grass clippings; browns are carbon-rich additions, like wood chips and dried leaves. Straightforward? Not at all.

Coffee grounds are greens, as is manure.

We built our bins out of wood pallets that I found for free on Craigslist. I made sure they were all the same size. I bought some L-brackets because an online source said they are needed, but my husband, wielding the power drill, preferred a grab bag of brackets and screws he had in the basement. He built a three-sided bin and then added another two pallets to make it a double bay.

We didn’t put a top on it and we left the bays open, not trying to hinge doors to them. Nor did I try to grow vines up its sides in an attempt to make it prettier. I did, however, plant an iris garden at its side, hoping the thirsty irises would help me remember to water the compost.

We filled both bins with the leaves that fell that autumn.

Because of the excess of brown, I added green ingredients and watered the piles. They grew warm. Warm enough that a feral cat regularly slept on top of the slowly composting refuse that winter.

There’s no foolproof guide to composting. I’m proof of that. Here, however, are four basic rules from the Rutgers Cooperative Extension: 1. T he pile should be slightly damp, like a squeezed-out sponge.

2. I t should contain two parts nitrogen-rich green materials and one part carbon-rich brown materials.

3. You need to turn the stuff regularly, whether it’s in a tumbler or in a bin.

4. M ake it the right size: at least 3 feet by 3 feet but not bigger than 5 feet by 5 feet. Microbial activity is what cooks the compost, and a right-sized mass keeps the heat in but isn’t so big that air can’t reach the microbes at the center.

Even if there are mistakes along the way, you’ll still eventually end up with great compost. Practice may not make perfect, but it will be close enough.

Read

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

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[outdoors]

Old-Timey Fishing Trip

Cane poles, bobber rigs are a mystery to today’s youth

BY DENNIS SMITH

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I took my grandkids to one of my favorite bluegill ponds the other day to show them how we caught fish back in the day.

I hoped to introduce them to the simple charms of fishing with a cane pole and bobber rig like I used when I was their age, but I should have known better.

They’re so far ahead of me technologically in most matters that it isn’t even funny. After all, they’ve been playing with Game Boys, smartphones, iPads, iPods, laptops and those MP3 thingies for most of their cognitive years, so my simple stick and string fishing pole came off as incredibly primitive to them. “Really, Pop? You actually used to catch fish with that? Yikes! Were you poor or didn’t they have reels back in the olden days?”

Sigh.

I explained that cane poles and bobbers may seem primitive to them, but they’re still highly favored by many serious anglers for hooking bluegills and similar pan fish, especially in the Deep South where they’re as trendy as corn bread and chicken on Sunday afternoon. They’re impossibly cheap, trouble-free and remarkably efficient. In fact, a properly rigged cane pole is quite often the ultimate choice for presenting small live baits like crickets, red wigglers (manure worms) and tiny grass shrimp in the slow-moving creeks, bayous and detention ponds so prevalent throughout Dixie.

That point was made clear to me many years ago when I was invited to a bluegill outing near Fort Rucker, Alabama, where my son was training as an army aviator.

The post commander, a bank president and a handful of Dale County officials were in the group, and all fished with cane poles and bobbers baited with field crickets. They caught far more fish with their cane and cricket rigs than I did with my fancy fly-fishing gear and were happy to offer some helpful Southern advice: “Y’all need to gitchya one of these here cane poles if ya wanna catch these shell-

crackers.” (Shellcracker being Southern slang for the big redear sunfish distinctively adapted for eating snails, mollusks and aquatic hard-shelled critters, hence the clever moniker.)

Anyway, I was relating all of this to the urchins, but they were having none of it.

They had modern graphite spinning rods rigged with open-faced reels, and they loved to cast them.

Dennis Smith’s granddaughter, McKenna, poses with her stringer full of bluegills.

I caught a few bluegills on the cane pole but spent most of my time unhooking their fish and helping them bait their hooks, which is as it should be. They caught a stringer full of bluegills and while we were driving home, they asked me to tell them the story about cane pole fishing in Alabama again. “Why?” I asked. “Do you think you might like to get one?”

“Nah,” Brandon said. “We just like the part about the other guys catching more fish than you.”

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

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[energy tips]

REINFORCE YOUR ROOF’S DEFENSE

BY JAMES DULLEY

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No Tablet or Smartphone?

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

Then enter to

WIN

***

an iPadMini Send your name, address and phone number via the U.S. mail to:

iPad Contest Colorado Country Life 5400 Washington St. Denver, CO 80216

***Contest rules at coloradocountrylife.coop Winner will be drawn

October 16

ENTER NOW

One entry per month will be accepted. Drawing will be October 16.

“You’ve got to go out on a limb sometimes because that’s where the fruit is.”

— Will Rogers

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The two most common roofing materials for homes are shingles and metal. From the standpoint of a long life and keeping your home cooler, a black asphalt shingle roof is probably the worst option.

The dark color absorbs much of the sun’s heat, which not only makes your home hotter and drives up your air-conditioning costs, but hastens the degradation of the shingle material itself. A black shingle can easily reach 150 degrees in the hot afternoon sun.

White shingles can be fairly energy efficient and effective for reflecting much of the sun’s heat. Keep in mind, it takes very little color tint before shingles start to absorb heat, so white is the most efficient option.

Metal roofing can cost twice as much as shingles, but many types have lifetime warranties and they can reflect the The completed metal roofing majority of with new flashing and decorative the sun’s heat. hip trim over the seam.

Aluminum and steel are the two most common and reasonably priced materials.

Copper is attractive and durable. It is quite expensive, but the natural aged patina color is beautiful and it absorbs heat well.

Whether you choose white shingles or a metal roof with heat-reflecting paint, also consider installing an attic ridge vent. When replacing a roof, adding a ridge vent is a minor additional expense. If you install one, make sure the soffit vents are not blocked by attic insulation. Even with the metal roof, adequate attic ventilation is needed for both summer and winter energy efficiency.

Learn more about staying cool this summer at coloradocountrylife.coop. Look under the Energy tab for Energy Tips.

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Co-ops Support

YOUTH AT FAIR

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Colorado’s top 4-H and FFA livestock exhibitors from throughout the state will compete this August at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo. And the winners will have the chance to sell their championship animals at the annual Touchstone Energy Junior Livestock Sale Tuesday, September 1.

Sponsored by 18 of Colorado’s electric cooperatives and their co-op support organizations, the sale is a Colorado tradition for hundreds of business and community leaders, who come out to enjoy themselves, support agriculture’s youth and bid for the best of the best. Some participate as individuals; other bid through buyers groups. They all make a difference in the lives of the young exhibitors.

Last year the Grand Champion Market Beef, shown by Vada Vickland of Longmont, sold for a record $59,000. Last year’s sale brought in a total of $481,200 for 134 young exhibitors, most of whom live in electric co-op territory.

This year’s sale opens at 2 p.m. with presale activities and the arrival of the buses carrying buying groups. The public sale begins at 3:30 p.m. in the Colorado State Fair Events Center in the northwest corner of the fairgrounds in Pueblo.

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ANTIQUES COMPLETE INVENTORY REDUCTION & CLOSEOUT SALE!!!

WHISPERING WIND at 269 N Commercial, Trinidad, Colorado, is having a STOREWIDE INVENTORY LIQUIDATION SALE!!! After 12 years in business, we are pricing to liquidate everything in inventory.

Something for everyone – antiques, rustic, vintage, home décor, gifts, collectibles, glassware, furniture, art originals. Much more! HUGE SAVINGS STOREWIDE!!! (253-08-15)

ANTIQUE RESTORATION ANTIQUE RESTORATION STUDIO – Antique conservation. Quality craftsmanship since 1974. Bayfield, CO, www.antiqueresdurango.com 970-884-1937. (988-08-15) CHAIR CANING Hand caning, machine caning, fiber rush caning.

Pueblo West, 719-547-0723. chaanita@q.com (858-10-15)

ANTLERS ANTLER CHANDELIERS made only from REAL antlers. We are the manufacturer and we sell all of our products at wholesale prices; save as much as 60% from store prices. Many other antler products and mounts, including 56” elk mount, giant moose paddles, and elk antlers. Showroom now open year ’round in Granby, CO. 17 years at this location, over 900 satisfied customers! Designers: We

FIND HIDDEN TREASURE IN THE CLASSIFIEDS

can provide you a single item or a whole houseful. Call ! (970) 6273053. (085-09-15)

BOOKS/CDs/DVDs CHANT OF A CHAMPION: Auctioneering DVD from World and International Champion Auctioneer John Korrey. Let John show you how to improve all aspects of your auctioneering chant. Order online at www.chantofachampion.com (210-11-15) THE MINER’S CAP: the vivid story of the 1914 Ludlow Massacre. A novel for young people and adults.

Available at bookstores, museums, and online. (199-08-15)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES (These opportunities have not been investigated by Colorado Country Life.) $ SIMPLE SYSTEM TO CREATE WEALTH $ Visit http://www. morningstar3777.com. Dial 719-4177000. Listen. (224-08-15)

CARS/TRUCKS/BOATS 1974 CHEVY 350 4x4: EXCELLENT TIRES, small rust on cab, runs good, starts best warm, 350 crate motor with 23k, bench seat, windshield cracked. $3500 OBO, Colorado Springs, csvern@comcast.net or leave message 719-231-9252 (23708-15)

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

It’s easy. You could WIN.

The classified ads July winner was Nancy Rinaldo, Larkspur. She correctly counted 42 ads.

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CLOCK REPAIR & RESTORATION www.clockrepairandrestoration. com DURANGO AREA. CLOCKS of all kinds repaired. Antique and modern. Clocks bought and sold. bob.scott@usa.net Call Robert 970-247-7729. (109-08-15)

EVENTS NEBRASKA’S JUNK JAUNT®, September 25-27, 2015. Over 300 miles of garage sales and fun in central Nebraska. Shopper Guides $10 showing 35 town maps & 600+ vendors. Order online or by mail. www.junkjaunt.com, POB 21-cclf, Burwell, NE 68823. Mail orders filled Sept. 10. Digital guide available Sept. 12. 308-346-5151 (241a-08-15)

EVENTS SALIDA FIBER FESTIVAL, September 12-13, Riverside Park. Fiber vendors galore, yarn, finished products, more! Fiber arts demonstrations and activities. Classes offered!

Featured workshops with knitting expert ANN BUDD. Visit www. salidafiberfestival.org for vendor list and classes. (062-08-15)

FOR SALE OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS - $380 with warranty. Also sell portable concentrators and oxygen supplies.

Repair and service of equipment.

Aspen Concentrator Repair Service 719-471-9895 (040-08-15)

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

Let the Bible reveal. The Bible Says, POB99, Lenoir City, TN 37771. thebiblesaystruth@yahoo.com 888-211-1715. (814-08-15)

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

Monthly income plus bonuses, benefits. Call Carrie 303-579-4207, www.workathomeunited.com/ ourabundance (932-02-16)

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

POULTRY & GAMEBIRDS

RELIGION

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

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

BECOME AN ORDAINED Minister by correspondence study. Founded in 1988. Free info. Ministers for Christ Outreach, 7558 West Thunderbird Rd, Ste 1 - #114, Peoria, AZ 85381. http://www.ordination.org (44112-15)

REAL ESTATE

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

5 ACRES, 3BD, 2BA, LARGE COVERED DECK, 2-car garage, large metal building, 4 small storage buildings, well, septic. Meeker, $295,000. 303-274-7584 (239-08-15) 40 ACRES, 15 miles west of Walsenburg, CO on CR520. Fenced.

Prime grazing. Small 2bd recently upgraded trailer on property with tenant. 8-10 gal./min. domestic well. $89,500 OBO. Owner may carry. 719-251-1131, 719-989-0850, 719-738-3500. (207-08-15) ARROWHEAD LOT — CIMARRON, CO. Beautiful, level, tree-covered lot. ALL utilities in place, ready to build cabin or bring your RV. Gravel drive, parking, and RV pad.

Rock patio, firepit, barbecue. 2 sheds with electricity. Much much more. $65,000. Carol, 970-497-9740 (109-10-15) BAYFIELD / VALLECITO – Beautiful mountain retreat, 4bd, 3ba, approximately 3436sf on 1.2 acres, well water, septic, 5 minutes from Vallecito Lake. $467,900.

970-884-9324. Can be seen at HouseForSaleByOwner.com ID# 23024900 (163-08-15) FSBO / DURANGO CO area: 37.5 acres, 2B/2B home w/(2) 1200 sf shops w/apt above one. 20 mins from Durango or Aztec. More info: Zillow.com for 8075 CR 318, Ignacio, CO. $330,000. 970-563-4111.

(254-08-15) OWN PROPERTY? NEED INCOME? We’ll rent exclusive hunting rights from you. Looking for antelope, goose, duck, coyote, & prairie dog habitat. Encourage young sportsmen by providing safe, private access. You make the rules.

303-460-0273 (069-08-15)

TICKETS

VACATION RENTAL KAUAI VACATION RENTAL, 2bdr, full kitchen. Minutes from beaches. $600/wk. 808-2456500; mokihana@hawaiian.net; kauaiweddings.com. (756-05-16)

WANTED TO BUY BUYING AUTOGRAPHS (all kinds), sports cards (pre-1980). Vintage sports and music collectibles (albums, etc.). Cash paid.

Established dealer since 1986. Mike 720-334-0206, mmunns1@hotmail. com (245-09-15) NAVAJO RUGS, old and recent, native baskets, pottery. Tribal Rugs, Salida. 719-539-5363, b_inaz@ hotmail.com (817-12-15) OLD COLORADO LIVESTOCK brand books prior to 1975. Call Wes 303757-8553. (889-08-15) OLD COWBOY STUFF – hats, boots, spurs, chaps, Indian rugs, baskets, etc. ANYTHING OLD! Mining & railroad memorabilia, ore carts! We buy whole estates. We’ll come to you! Call 970-759-3455 or 970-5651256. (871-01-16) CONGRATS YOU FOUND THE INSTRUCTIONS. Send an email with the number of classified ads on pages 28-29 to classifieds@ coloradocountrylife.org. Subject line MUST say “Classified Contest.”

Include name, mailing address and phone number in email. We’ll draw one name on July 17 from those who enter. Winner gets a $25 gift card.

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

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

(519-11-15)

coloradocountrylife.coop

[funny stories] WANTED TO BUY

WANTED TO BUY

OLD MODEL AIRPLANE ENGINES, unbuilt airplane kits. Cash. Will pick up or pay shipping. Don, 970-5993810. (233-10-15)

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

888-735-5337 (099-04-16)

ADVERTISE IN COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE CLASSFIED SECTION

WE PAY CASH for minerals and oil/gas interests, producing and nonproducing. 800-733-8122 (09902-16)

GET AHEAD OF THE CROWD!

OLD POCKET WATCHES – working or non-working and old repair material. Bob 719-859-4209. (87012-16) VINTAGE FISHING TACKLE. I buy rods, reels, lures, creels, etc. Gary, 970-222-2181 (170-10-15)

WE PURCHASE MINERALS and royalty interests – honest, fair offers. Bridget, 720-723-2771. bridget@quiatcompanies.com (243-09-15)

Call Kris at 303-902-7276 or email advertising@ coloradocountrylife.org

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

(402-03-16) The Crystal Lakes Volunteer Fire Department near Red Feathers Lake stopped for a photo with their magazine.

On a recent hike I went in to an outhouse. There was a sign on the wall with the title “Prevent HINI Flu.” I thought it was a joke. Then I continued to read about information on health and hygiene and realized that I misread the sign. It was “H1N1” not “HINI.” Janet Cook, Fort Collins

During a year of moderate hunting success, the

JULY’S WINNER IS MICHAEL MILLER FROM FORT COLLINS.

Empire Electric member Erik Metzroth snapped a photo of his son in Washington, D.C., with the magazine and appropriately, a fish!

Take Your Photo with Your Magazine and Win! July was vacation month and lots of readers took their magazine when they travelled. Thank you! Check our Facebook page at facebook.com/COCountryLife to see all of the photos.

The randomly drawn winner of the $25 gift card was Michael Miller of Fort Collins. He took his magazine to the Taft Canyon neighborhood parade.

And, because we had so many great entries this month, here are a few more randomly selected photos of readers with their magazines.

Make sure to enter this month’s contest. Take a photo of you, friends or family with the magazine at some fun place or maybe just at home. Send it and a name and address to info@coloradocountrylife.org. We’ll post it on Facebook and on August 17 we’ll draw a winner from among the submissions. The winner will receive a $25 gift card.

coloradocountrylife.coop

Nearing the end of our Vacation Bible School, Joyce was teaching the missions section to all the kids, having just shown short videos of missionaries and their work. Rehearsing what they saw, she spoke to the children about a family in Fontana, California, and another in Africa.

Bringing it to a close, she asked them, “How many of you would you be willing to go to the ends of the earth?”

Seven-year-old Jared raised his hand and piped up, “I can’t!”

Concerned, Joyce queried back, “Why not?”

His serious answer, “’Cuz the world is round!”

Rozanne Baker, Cortez

dinnertime conversation invariably landed on the subject of hunting as it related to the meal at hand. Stories of my hunting prowess abounded. Dinner fare often included waterfowl, upland game, deer and elk. One night as we sat down to a mild versus wild supper, my 3-year-old son, fork in hand and inspecting his dinner plate, asked, “What’s this?”

“Beef steak,” I replied.

He immediately responded, “Where’d ya git him?”

Dan Crabtree, Grand Junction

When our now-adult son was young, our friend took him for a ride in her new car. Upon return, he excitedly told us her car talked to him. We asked what the car said, and in a robotic voice he responded, “Your door is a can.” We puzzled over that for a moment and then realized he meant, “Your door is ajar.” It still brings a chuckle 30 years later.

B.J. and Barbara Mettler, Granby

$15

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

AUGUST 2015

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ALLERGY ALERT

Super Student Children oftentimes don’t think to communicate their food allergies with others. An AllerMates lunch bag does the talking for them. The words “I Have Food Allergies” affixed to the front of an AllerMates lunch bag alert others of your child’s needs, making moms and dads happy. But the illustrations bedecked around them are the cool touches that will make your child smile.

AllerMates lunch bags start at $9.99. Visit allermates. com for more information and to view other AllerMates products.

Totally Tasteful Totes From preschool- to college-aged, students can bring flair to the table with Milkdot lunch totes. A Milkdot lunch tote has a simple yet modern look with plenty of colors to choose from. But more importantly, its insulated interior keeps foods fresh and can accommodate bulky food and drink items.

Choose from solid colors, stripes or, for a limited time, a fun, food-illustrated pattern. Milkdot lunch totes start at $21.99 and are available at milkdot.com.

Send your amazing youngsters off to school with a fearless attitude with SuperME backpacks. A SuperME backpack looks like any other trendy backpack at first glance, but pull out the hidden cape and mask and your child can transform into a superhero.

With designs like Ninja, Icy Powers and Safari, a SuperME backpack is great for boys and girls.

Each backpack is made of insulating, environmentally friendly materials and can hold oodles of items.

Intended for ages 2 to 6, a SuperME backpack starts at $39.90. Call 866787-3710 or visit supermehero.com to get yours.

Enter to win a Milkdot lunch tote. Visit coloradocountrylife.org click on Contest.

Good luck!

Smart Little Learners A smart device doesn’t need to be your nemesis. Instead, let it exercise your child’s intelligence.

Tiggly Math, for example, teaches children skills like addition, flexible thinking and storytelling using their own tablets. Kids simply tap a smart device with the provided touch tools and the screen responds.

Recommended for ages 3 to 7, Tiggly Math costs $29.95 at tiggly.com.

Little Scholar comes loaded with more than 150 apps, videos, e-books and songs. This smart device teaches children proficiency in fundamentals, such as letters, shapes and vocabulary, and it’s ready to use right out of the box. Recommended for ages 3 to 7, Little Scholar costs $169.99 at schoolzone.com.

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coloradocountrylife.coop

Colorado’s Touchstone Energy Cooperative Team

2015

Ride with or sponsor Colorado’s Touchstone Energy Cooperative Team A team of representatives from local electric co-ops will

Sponsor our team and help raise money for

ride in the 2015 Pedal the Plains bicycle tour of eastern Colorado. They will ride September 18-20 from Julesburg to Holyoke to Sterling to Julesburg.

If you would like to ride with the team, call Donna at

303-455-4111 or email dwallin@coloradocountrylife.org.

If you would like to sponsor the team and help raise

To send your tax-deductible donation, fill out this form and send it and a check to: CEEI/Pedal the Plains, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216

Name:

money for Energy Outreach Colorado, fill out the form here and send it with your check. Make check payable to CEEI/PTP.

THE TEAM IS RAISING MONEY TO HELP THOSE WHO STRUGGLE TO PAY THEIR HEATING BILLS. coloradocountrylife.coop

Address: City: State: ZIP: I would like to contribute: r $20 r $50

r $75

r OTHER $

r Please send receipt

DONATIONS WILL BENEFIT ENERGY OUTREACH COLORADO MAY 2015

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OCTOBER 2014

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