Colorado Country Life September 2017 Yampa Valley by American MainStreet Publications

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[contents] 4

VIEWPOINT

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

COMMUNITY EVENTS

YOUR CO-OP NEWS

NEWS CLIPS

INDUSTRY

COVER STORY

RECIPES

GARDENING

OUTDOORS

FUNNY STORIES

DISCOVERIES

SEPTEMBER 2017 Volume 48, Number 09

Photo credit: Vicky Seymour from Karval, a member of Mountain View Electric Association.

MORE WAYS TO CONNECT WITH US

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[cover]

FACEBOOK CHATTER

Colorado is home to black bears. Read about one woman’s obsession with them on pages 16-18.

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE COLORADO RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION COMMUNICATIONS STAFF: Mona Neeley, CCC, Publisher/Editor; mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org Cassi Gloe, Designer; cgloe@coloradocountrylife.org Kylee Coleman, Editorial/Admin. Assistant; kcoleman@coloradocountrylife.org ADVERTISING: Kris Wendtland, Ad Rep; advertising@coloradocountrylife.org Colorado Country Life (USPS 469-400/ISSN 1090-2503) is published monthly by Colorado Rural Electric Association, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216-1731. Individual subscription rate: $9 per year for Colorado residents or $15 per year for out-of-state residents, taxes and postage included. Periodical postage paid at Denver, Colorado. © Copyright 2016, Colorado Rural Electric Association. Call for reprint rights. Subscribers: Report change of address to your local cooperative. Do not send change of address to Colorado Country Life. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216 Advertising Standards: 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. EDITORIAL: Denver Corporate Office, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216; Phone: 303-455-4111 | mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org | coloradocountrylife.coop | facebook.com/COCountryLife | Twitter.com/ COCountryLife | Pinterest.com/COCountryLife | YouTube.com/COCountryLife1 Advertising: advertising@coloradocountrylife.org | 303-902-7276 National Advertising Representative: National Country Market | 611 S. Congress Street, Suite 504 | Austin, TX 78704 | 800-626-1181

COCountryLife posted: Colorado’s electric co-ops raise a ton of moolah at the Colorado State Fair Jr. Livestock Sale on August 29.

INSTAGRAM PIC OF THE MONTH

COCountryLife posted: Tonight we’re using peach wine to make a hot ‘peach cobbler’ drink. And I have to say it’s not bad (as long as you sit in the AC!)

ColoradoREA posted: Read how one bus driver made the right choices for his students when a power line dropped on the bus.

PINTEREST SNEAK PEAK

COCountryLife pinned: Crockpot Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup from Tieghan Gerard’s Half Baked Harvest website.

MONTHLY CONTEST Enter for your chance to win wine-based salsa and candies from Palisade’s very own Colorado Cellars. To enter our contest, agree to the contest rules and complete the online form at coloradocountrylife. coop under the Contests tab.

[viewpoint]

THIRST FOR ELECTRICITY

Choice is great for craft beers, not so great for electricity consumers BY KENT SINGER CREA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KSINGER@COLORADOREA.ORG We love Colorado for a variety of reasons: the great weather, the spectacular scenery, the friendly people, and yes, the craft beer. From our outpost here at the CREA offices in the north Denver area, we’re within a stone’s throw of small brewers offering everything from Gilpin Black Gold to Colorado Wild Sage. There’s no question that having a choice in adult Kent Singer beverages is, to quote Martha Stewart, “a good thing.” Does that mean that having a choice of electricity suppliers makes sense for Colorado’s electric co-ops? I don’t think so. I’m making this comparison because a recent article that appeared on the web page of the Independence Institute argued that Coloradans should be able to choose their electricity supplier because “we have tons of choices for craft beer.” Well, yes, but there are some pretty important differences between craft beer and electricity. Like the fact that pretty much anyone with a relatively small capital investment can start a craft brewery. Or the fact that if you’re out of craft beer your life won’t come to a screeching halt. The Independence Institute piece advocated for retail choice, that is, allowing electricity consumers to choose their power supplier. In Colorado today, we have a system of regulated monopoly. This means that electric utilities, like your local electric co-op, have exclusive service territories with both the right and the obligation to serve the customers who live in those areas. The facilities needed to do that 24/7 are incredibly expensive. Over the last 75 plus years, electric co-ops across Colorado spent billions of dollars to build networks of power plants, transmission lines, substations, distribution lines, transformers and all the associated equipment necessary to keep your lights on and your choice of beer cold. It’s frankly impossible to duplicate this system (deemed the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century by the National Academy of Engineering) in any kind of cost-effective way. So, Colorado policy-makers decided over the years that electric utilities should be designated as monopolies and have the exclusive right to serve specific parts of the state. For electric co-op memberowners, this means that your locally-elected co-op board makes sure that you have affordable, reliable service. The investments made in the development of the electric grid were made by hardworking people across the state who have an interest in seeing these systems maintained and upgraded. If a third party sells power to you, the end use customer, those third parties will take advantage of a power grid that you paid for and it will diminish the ability of your electric co-op to keep that system up and

SEPTEMBER 2017

running. Your co-op may be able to recover “wheeling” charges from the new power supplier, but those charges will not make up for the lost revenues from reduced sales of electricity. Under a retail choice scenario, third-party power suppliers will be able to “cherry pick” the biggest and best loads of an electric co-op or other utility, leaving the rest of the system’s customers to pay the fixed costs of operating the utility. Historically, the most vocal advocates of retail choice were the large commercial and industrial users of electricity. We appreciate those customers and we don’t want to see them exit our systems and leave our rural, small business and residential customers with higher electricity rates. The Independence Institute writer argues that Colorado is “one of 21 states across the country stuck in a regulated market dominated by monopoly utilities.” This statement implies that the other 29 states have retail choice. That’s not true. The fact is that only 13 states have some form of a retail choice market for electricity, and the remaining 37 states rejected retail choice in favor of traditional monopoly service. In several cases, states repealed their retail choice experiments because they turned out to be a bad deal for consumers. We’ve been down this road before in Colorado. As I mentioned in a column earlier this year, our legislature considered several retail choice proposals back in the late 1990s. When those bills failed, a study panel evaluated the pros and cons of retail choice. The panel concluded that retail choice was not in the best interests of Colorado ratepayers. There is no doubt that the electric industry is changing as the result of advances in technology and consumer interest in solar panels, electric cars, smart buildings and other innovative approaches to power generation and consumption. Colorado’s electric co-ops are at the forefront of innovation with our deployment of automated meters, community solar farms, small hydropower plants and other forward-looking solutions. None of this innovation can continue, however, unless co-ops continue to operate on a sound financial footing. Retail choice threatens that footing and that’s why we’re opposed to it. After all, while Colorado is a great place for a cold craft beer, it is also a place where we in the electric co-ops are doing our best to slake rural Colorado’s thirst for electricity as well.

Kent Singer, Executive Director

coloradocountrylife.coop

[letters]

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Pros and Cons of Electric Vehicles

Perhaps when some people buy an electric vehicle they have the mistaken impression that they’re not creating any pollution. However, that electricity is probably produced by burning coal, oil or natural gas. The internal combustion engine is probably still a better alternative for a vehicle than an electric motor. Paul Hatfield, Castle Rock

Got something to say? We welcome letters to the editor via mail or email. They must be signed and include the writer’s name and full address. Send your letter to Editor Mona Neeley at 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or at mneeley@ coloradocountrylife.org. Letters may be edited for length. coloradocountrylife.coop

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Corrections: The berries used to illustrate the August story on chokecherries were, apparently, not chokecherries. Writer Rachel Turiel, who did not supply those particular photos, believes them to be hawthorns; others believe them to be Aronia melanocarpa or black Real chokecherries chokeberries. Either way, our apologies. We were the victim of misidentified photos from another source. Also of note in the August chokecherry story, herbalist Debra Swanson (not Reuben) of Dancing Willow Herbs uses gluten free, organic cane sugar alcohol, not grain, for chokecherry tinctures.

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The jam recipes (August ’17) seemed to be in order until they suggested the out-of-date canning method of inverting jars briefly for a quick vacuum seal. This could be a food safe method if the recipe noted that this method is only safe if the jars are then stored in the refrigerator. The recipe also suggested a boiling water bath method, but omitted the adjustment for all those preserving with water bath canning at any altitudes above sea level. These can be found at www.freshpreserving.com/altitudeadjusting.html. Nancy Mucklow Master food safety advisor, Routt County Yampa Valley Electric member

Call for FREE DVD and Catalog! TOLL FREE

877-202-0188 SEPTEMBER 2017

[community events] [September] September 2-30 La Veta “Michelangelo: Sketches in Clay” Exhibit Town Park 719-742-3074 spanishpeaksarts.org September 8-10 Yuma Old Threshers Show and Colorado Barbed Wire Collectors Show Various Yuma Locations yumaoldthreshers.org September 9 Durango Marathon Man 5K, 10K and Fun Run Durango Recreation Center 9:30 am • stanthemarathonman.org September 9 Fountain Pikes Peak Rose Show Spencer’s Nursery 12:30-5 pm • 951-834-2330 September 9 Grand Junction “Sweet Dreams” Concert Grand Junction High School 970-243-1979 communityconcertsgrandvalley.org September 9 Grand Lake Pancho & Lefty’s Charity Golf Tournament Grand Lake Golf Course 10 am • 970-627-8773 September 9 Meeker Meeker Farmers Market Downtown Meeker 8 am-12 pm • facebook.com/ meekerfarmersmarket September 9 New Raymer Car Show and Swap Meet City Park 9 am • friendsofraymer.com September 9-10 Tri-Lakes Region Front Range Open Studios Tour Weekend Various El Paso County Locations 10 am-5 pm • 719-488-0629 September 9 Westminster Gildan Esprit De She 5K/10K Life Time Fitness 9 am • espritdeshe.com/ westminster/register

SEPTEMBER 2017

September 16 Fort Collins Historic Homes Tour Various Fort Collins Locations 10 am-4 pm • 970-221-0533 September 21 Durango Kiwanis of Durango Pancake Day La Plata County Fairgrounds 7 am-7 pm • 720-254-3472 September 22-23 Durango The Art of Living Well With and Beyond Cancer Conference Various Durango Locations 970-403-3711 blueprintsofhope.org September 23 Calhan Alumni Homecoming Luncheon El Paso County Fairgrounds 11 am-1 pm • 719-659-5879 September 23-24 Denver “#GiveAFetch” Fundraiser Berkeley Park 10 am-4 pm • giveafetch.com September 23-24 Fruita National Alpaca Farm Days Open House 2034 J Road 10 am-3 pm • 970-858-8866 September 23 Meeker Coal Creek School Anniversary and Historic Preservation Celebration Coal Creek School 1-5 pm • wrmuseum@ rioblancocounty.org September 23 Monument Bines and Brews Beer Fest Limbach Park 1-5 pm • trilakeschamber.com September 24 Grand Lake Take Steps to End All Cancer 5K Race/Walk Pancho & Lefty’s 10 am • 303-386-2836 September 30 Bayfield Bayfield Heritage Day and Sheep Trailing Downtown Bayfield 8 am-3 pm • 970-442-0093 September 30 Fort Collins “Tour de Corgi” Costume Contest and Parade Civic Center Park 10 am • tourdecorgi.org

“Monarch Crest Crank” Bike Ride

September 17, 8 am-5 pm, starting at Absolute Bikes, 330 W. Sackett Ave., Salida Wrapping up the Salida Bike Fest is Monarch Crest Crank, an annual fundraiser where participants ride bikes on the Monarch Crest Trail and meet at Riverside Park for an after party that includes goodie bags, lunch and libations. Riders are shuttled to and from the trail, starting at Absolute Bikes. Funds help support the Alliance Against Domestic Abuse that provides emergency shelter, crisis intervention and support for survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. For more information, visit monarchcrestcrank.com. September 30 Haxtun Haxtun Corn Festival Quilt Show Haxtun Town Hall 11 am-4 pm • 970-520-0838 September 30 Westcliffe Art for the Sangres A Painted View Ranch 4-7 pm • 719-783-3018

[October] October 1 Denver “Free to Breathe” 5K Run/Walk Washington Park 7:30 am • freetobreathe.org/denver October 5-8 Durango Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering Strater Hotel 970-749-2995 durangocowboypoetrygathering. org October 6-8 Boulder Adventure Film Festival Boulder Theater adventurefilm.org/boulder

October 7 Berthoud Berthoud’s Traditional Oktoberfest Fickel Park 11 am-6 pm berthoudoktoberfest.com October 7 Fort Morgan Craft Fair United Presbyterian Church 970-867-2914 October 7 Grand Junction Animal Care Fair Church of the Nativity 11 am-3 pm • facebook. com/2017animalcarefair

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TWO MONTHS IN ADVANCE TO:

Calendar, Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216; fax to 303455-2807; or email calendar@ coloradocountrylife.org. Please send name of event, date, time, venue, brief description, phone number, a photo, if you have one, and email and/or website for more information. coloradocountrylife.coop

[YVEA News] SEARCHING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF LINEWORKERS BY DIANE JOHNSON || PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER || DJOHNSON@YVEA.COM

Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with Tom Simmons, a 16-year-old high school student who attended the Colorado Rural Electric Association Leadership Camp at the Glen Eden Resort in our Yampa Valley Electric Association territory. In addition to leadership skills, he learned at the camp the important role that electric cooperatives play in the lives of its members and the care we take of the land and wildlife in our service territory. Tom was so impressed with the various roles and responsibilities of electric cooperatives that he asked to meet our YVEA lineworkTom Simmons, 16, meets with YVEA General Manager Diane Johnson.

Tom learns what’s inside a transformer box. coloradocountrylife.coop

ers and shadow them as they wires and other critical serviced the electrical needs of transmission and distribution our members. equipment that help power After meeting our YVEA ophomes, businesses, hospitals, erations team, Tom participated schools, etc. The skills required in safety training and learned of our lineworkers align with what to expect on the job site the increased focus on science, before going out on the job with technology, engineering and our lineworkers to see them in math (STEM) in our Colorado action. He was so impressed schools. For example, lineworkDiane Johnson with the important work we do ers need to have an extensive that he is considering it as a career path. understanding of how electricity is generTalking with Tom and hearing his excite- ated and distributed. Strong math skills are ment about his day with us, along with also needed for determining where poles his interest in a possible electric career, ilmust be placed and the dimensions of cable lustrated the need to highlight to our youth required for the electricity to flow. the career opportunities within America’s To address this serious shortage, YVEA electric cooperatives, particularly the conjoined with America’s electric cooperatives stant need for well-trained lineworkers. and other energy companies to create the Over the next five years, America’s elecCenter for Energy Workforce Developtric cooperatives, including YVEA, expect ment to develop solutions for the coming to hire nearly 15,000 people. Despite high workforce shortage in the utility industry. demand, good pay and benefits, opporIn Colorado, we are fortunate to have some tunities for advancement and a stable job excellent training programs, such as Mesa outlook, across Colorado and the nation we Hotline School and Western Colorado continue to face a shortage of lineworkers. Community College, both in Grand JuncLineworkers install and repair cables, tion, and Rocky Mountain Lineman School in Trinidad. Some programs also offer tuition assistance for students, including training costs being paid for by some of the cooperatives. If you enjoy working outdoors and the excitement and diversity of work locations that come with being a lineworker, I urge you to consider a future career with YVEA or another local cooperative. Learn more about the many job opportunities within electric co-ops by visiting www.crea.coop or www.nreca.coop. YVEA lineworkers bring Tom along to a job site.

SEPTEMBER 2017

[YVEA News] EMPOWER YOUR LIFE WITH SMARTHUB!

Don’t be left in the dark when it comes to managing your power usage and paying your electric bill. Using SmartHub or our secure, 24-hour pay by phone line is the most convenient way to pay your bill and the fastest way to receive credit for your payment.

WITH SMARTHUB YOU CAN: • • • •

Pay your bill View and track your usage Report and view outages Contact YVEA and more!

To Use SmartHub, simply download the app from your mobile device’s app store, or access SmartHub online at www.yvea.com. To use our secure pay by phone service, call 970-871-2260. One of our member service reps is always ready to assist you with any of our services.

THREE COMMUNITIES SELECTED FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Yampa Valley Electric Association congratulates Hayden, Moffat County and Steamboat Springs, which were among 15 rural Colorado communities chosen for the second round of the Colorado Blueprint 2.0 initiative by the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade. The Colorado Blueprint is a statewide strategy to spur Colorado’s economy through business growth and new jobs. The goal of Blueprint 2.0 is to leverage state partnerships and specialized resources to service the unique economic development goals of rural Colorado. The three local projects include: • A Data-Driven Approach to Economic Development: Steamboat Springs • Brand Building for Communities: Moffat County • Community Placemaking (public spaces): Hayden While many communities applied for the Colorado Blueprint 2.0 initiative, only 15 were chosen for the second round based upon demonstrated collaboration, strong local leadership and solid support. Yampa Valley Electric Association is proud to power economic growth in the communities it serves.

YVEA Board of Directors Elects New Chairman Tom Fox, Re-Elects Vice-Chairman Larry Ellgen

SOW SEEDS OF CAUTION TO REAP SAFE HARVEST

Harvest season is one of the busiest times of year for farmers — and among the most dangerous. Yampa Valley Electric Association urges farmworkers to be aware of potential electrical hazards before taking to the fields and to take safe steps to avoid tragedy. Take note of power lines where tall equipment will be used, keep an eye on the weather and get a qualified electrician for work on drying equipment and other farm electrical systems.

SEPTEMBER 2017

Each July after YVEA’s annual meeting, the board of directors holds nominations for chairman and vice chairman of the board. Tom Fox was elected as board chair and Larry Ellgen was reelected as vice chair. Dean Brosious, who served as chairman of YVEA’s board since 2010, concluded his term as chairman, and YVEA thanks him for his dedication and service. He remains the director for District 4.

YVEA DISTRICT DIRECTORS District 1 – Glynda Sheehan District 2 – Larry Ellgen District 3 – Jean Stetson District 4 – Dean Brosious District 5 – Frank Roitsch District 6 – Tom Fox District 7 – Pat McClelland District 8 – Scott McGill District 9 – Russ Garrity

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[YVEA News] ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE (AMI) DEPLOYMENT CONTINUES

YVEA is continuing deployment of the AMI project into the Hayden area. Members will receive a phone call a few days prior to YVEA being in your area, neighborhood or subdivision. THINGS TO KNOW: • You do not need to be home in order for YVEA to install the new meter. • In most cases power will not be interrupted. If your power is interrupted for a few minutes, you may have to reset your electronic devices. • YVEA will leave a courtesy notice on your door when meter installation is completed. • If you have access issues, including gate codes or safety concerns, that YVEA should have advanced knowledge of, please call 970-879-1160.

Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month Cooler temps will be here soon! No matter what kind of heating system you have in your home, you can save money and increase your comfort by properly maintaining and upgrading your equipment. Contact a licensed professional to inspect your system before the winter chill arrives. Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy

YVEA HELPS EMPOWER COMMUNITY WITH BETTER BROADBAND For 75 years the Yampa Valley Electric Association (YVEA) has powered economic growth and community development in the region. The member-owned electric utility is doing so once again with other community and state partners to bring a new $2.22 million high speed, open access fiber optic line that will span the length of the city of Steamboat Springs from the airport on the west side to the U.S. Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices on the south side of the city. The initiative is part of the Northwest Colorado Broadband (NCB) project and includes YVEA and area partners Routt County, City of Steamboat Springs, Yampa Valley Medical Center and Steamboat Springs School District. The fiber optic network will facilitate expansion of ample, affordable and redundant broadband service to the NCB partner entities, with excess network capacity available to internet service providers with the goal of encouraging competition and improving broadband service, pricing and reliability within the community.

For Diane Johnson, General Manager and CEO of YVEA and a NCB board member, partnering with the other organizations was both good for the region and good for YVEA. “Combining forces and resources with NCB allowed YVEA to form a strategic partnership to serve the community and membership with fiber optic communications while increasing YVEA’s core infrastructure with more reliable services,” said Johnson. According to Johnson, the unique combination of institutions that formed the NCB has leveraged system assets to create a robust fiber network that would have been cost prohibitive for any one entity. YVEA’s key role within the NCB project allows for fiber connectivity to anchor institutions throughout the greater Steamboat Springs area, while allowing YVEA to manage some of its core infrastructure and better serve its membership. “When we first looked into communications for our substations and office we considered installing fiber ourselves,” said Steve Johnson, Manager of Operations. “With an estimated cost of $1.37 million to get it constructed, it was cost-prohibitive.” [continued on page 10]

BETTER BROADBAND

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SEPTEMBER 2017

[YVEA News] YVEA NOW ACCEPTING RESIDENTIAL LIGHT BULBS FOR RECYCLING

[continued from page 9]

YVEA HELPS EMPOWER COMMUNITY WITH BETTER BROADBAND So, according to Steve Johnson, YVEA moved its communications strategy towards a 220MHz radio frequency (RF) at an estimated cost of $850,000. However, due to the partnership with NCB, YVEA has reduced its costs for the fiber communications to an estimated $326,000, with an in-kind portion of $232,000 coming from joint use and make ready contributions to the NCB project. Remaining YVEA project dollars will include contributions to trunk line costs and line laterals to YVEA’s facilities. According to Diane Johnson, YVEA will also continue to support and act as an anchor institution within the NCB moving forward. The YVEA - NCB partnership ultimately provides better broadband access to the area while saving YVEA millions of dollars.

YVEA has partnered with Brite Ideas in Glenwood Springs to accept residential light bulbs at its YVEA Office, 2211 Elk River Road, during regular business hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. This new free program makes it easy to recycle residential light bulbs, which is important because compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs and fluorescent tube lights often contain small amounts of mercury, making them hazardous waste and illegal to dump in landfills. Residents can drop off their CFL and tube lights at special containers located in the YVEA office reception area. This program is for residential light bulbs only. Contractors, businesses and other commercial or large scale operations in need of bulb recycling can contact Cody Skurupey, cody@briteideasbr.com, or call 970-290-3379 to schedule a pick-up.

Being Prepared for Disasters Includes Safety Planning Each September, the Federal Emergency Management Agency shares information on how to stay safe during National Preparedness Month. The first step in safety preparation is creating communication plans. Communication is vital to staying safe. Rather than prepare for every possible event, you can strengthen your communications to ensure you react properly in a variety of emergencies. This September, take the time to focus on how to stay safe during potential disasters. Brush up on the safety practices in your area and recognize the danger of electricity, including electrical hazards left in the wake of a disaster, such as potential downed power lines and natural gas leaks. Considering the risks that disasters present, Safe Electricity shares tips to develop plans to keep you and loved ones out of harm’s way. • Take all weather warnings seriously and develop a plan of action with your family. • Develop and practice action plans for different emergencies that could hap10

SEPTEMBER 2017

•

pen in your area. Acknowledge what to do if separated. Consider the needs of your family, including medical precautions. Identify someone who lives out of town whom you and your family can check in with during an emergency if communication in your area is compromised. To ease the strain in an emergency, collect important documents and keep them in a safe and accessible place. In order to communicate safely, make sure that you are familiar with how those in your area are notified during an emergency. Follow relevant social media channels for news centers or utilities. These pages often provide updates on weather conditions or power outages. To prepare for the inevitable, assemble an emergency kit. This should include nonperishable food, water, a flashlight with fresh batteries, a first aid kit and essential medications. Always follow all

recommended evacuation routes and make sure that you lock and secure all windows before leaving the home. Remember that when you are prepared, you will act with greater know-how and confidence. The communications that you develop during National Preparedness Month will help keep you safe all year long. For more information on disasters and electrical safety, please visit SafeElectricity.org.

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[news clips]

Electric Sector Adds $880 Billion to U.S. Economy

Bicyclists Ride, Raise $ for Those Struggling with Bills When representatives of Colorado electric cooperatives ride in the annual Pedal the Plains three-day bike tour of eastern Colorado September 15-17, they will be raising money for Energy Outreach Colorado. EOC was founded in 1989 as an independent, nonprofit organization to help low-income consumers with their home energy needs. Last year, the organization assisted with 19,177 home energy bills, distributing $8.2 million to keep low-income Coloradans warm in their homes. Funding was also used to make furnace repairs and provide weatherization services to help clients lower their energy bills. Visit poweringtheplains.coop for information on how to donate to the team.

Electric co-ops and other parts of the U.S. power industry support more than 7 million American jobs and power a healthy economy, according to a new study. The report, published by M.J. Bradley & Associates, estimates that the total economic benefit of the electric power industry to the nation is $880 billion annually — 5 percent of America’s gross domestic product. “Affordable and reliable electricity is the heartbeat of the American economy,” said Kent Singer, executive director of the Colorado Rural Electric Association, the trade association for Colorado’s electric co-ops. “For more than 75 years, electric co-ops have powered and empowered rural communities and their surrounding areas — providing jobs and creating economic opportunity throughout Colorado in the process. As not-for-profit utilities owned by our members, electric cooperatives are deeply invested in the communities that we serve. We’re proud to play a key role in shaping the local economy.” According to the study, one in every 20 American jobs is supported by the electric power sector. The industry directly provides nearly 2.7 million jobs across the nation through its employees, contractors and supply chain, and investments. It also supports an additional 4.4 million jobs indirectly. Learn more about the jobs available at Colorado electric co-ops at tinyurl.com/ colocoopjobs.

NATIONAL ENERGY SOURCE TRENDS The way your electricity is generated is changing. In the last 10 years, natural gas caught up with coal nationally as a preferred fuel, according to a recent report by the Energy Information Administration. The amount of renewable resources nearly tripled. Below is a comparison of energy sources for the United States between 2006 and 2015. That move away from coal and to natural gas is also happening in Colorado. The latest EIA statistics note that in 2015, 60 percent

2006 NATIONAL ENERGY SOURCES

of electricity generated by all utilities in Colorado came from coal; 22 percent from natural gas and 18 percent from renewable energy resources. Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, which supplies electricity to 18 of the 22 electric distribution coops in the state, reported 45 percent of its generation was from coal in 2015, 22 percent from natural gas and oil, 20 percent from renewable resources and 13 percent from other contract resources.

2015 NATIONAL ENERGY SOURCES

Renewable 2% (excluding hydro) Other 3% Hydro 7% Hydro 6% Nuclear 19% Natural Gas 20%

Coal 49%

Renewable 7% (excluding hydro) Other 1%

Nuclear 20% Natural Gas 33% Coal 33%

Source: Energy Information Administration (national data) 12

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coloradocountrylife.coop

Co-ops Take Power Around the World Electrification is crucial to improving quality of life in the poorest parts of the world, but those efforts must go beyond poles and wires, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson told the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition State Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C., recently. “Electricity is fundamental. It creates better health outcomes, better economic opportunities, better education opportunities. That’s something that is tried and true. The relationship between electricity and quality of life holds true over the course of decades,” Matheson told the national gathering of leaders. During a panel on Driving Development in Africa this summer, he noted that NRECA International has brought electricity to more than 43 million people in 126 countries since its founding in 1962. And, as Matheson put it, the organization learned, “It’s not enough to just go and build infrastructure. “You need to create something that can be sustained, and that effort includes creating mechanisms to maintain and operate the system over time — governance rules, oper-

ating systems, the capacity of the workforce to maintain the system,” Matheson said. Enter the electric cooperative business model that’s served the United States for 80 years. “When the community owns an asset, it’s invested in that asset. We’ve found it to be a very powerful model,” Matheson said. Still, he said that every nation has its own characteristics that present unique challenges. “For each project, we’ve got to figure out how the pieces fit together,” he said. “What is the level of interest and the specific approach of the government? What are the partnership opportunities? Where does the power supply come from?” Matheson noted that of the 1.2 billion people in the world without access to electricity, half are in Africa. “If we really want to make a difference in terms of giving people the crucial opportunity to participate in the modern world, it really starts with access to electricity,” Matheson said. “That’s the primary building block for most every other development effort to have success.”

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Register Now for Energy Innovations Summit Learn what’s new in the electric industry at the annual CREA Energy Innovations Summit Monday, October 30 in downtown Denver. Join others from the electric industry as you listen to and interact with high-caliber speakers on regional transmission organizations, net metering and electric vehicles, distributed energy resources, carbon capture, energy storage and more. The day will be highlighted by Dr. Martin Keller, director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, who will share information on the exciting projects the lab is working on in Golden. Registration is open at crea.coop for this sixth annual event.

A team of representatives from local electric co-ops will ride in the 2017 Pedal the Plains bicycle tour of the eastern plains of Colorado. This three-day tour will take riders on a 177mile adventure highlighting three unique and quaint communities in Weld and Morgan counties: Kersey, Keenesburg and Brush. If you want to sponsor the team and help raise money for Energy Outreach Colorado, fill out the form here and send it with your check. Make check payable to CEEI.

To send your tax-deductible Powering the Plains donation, fill out this form and send it with a check to: CEEI, c/o CREA/PTP, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216. Name:

[ news clips]

For more information or to make a donation via PayPal, visit poweringtheplains.coop

DONATE TODAY SEPTEMBER 2017

[industry]

Ted Case

Not Your Average Business Model

Q&A with co-op historian Ted Case BY PAUL WESSLUND

Ted Case spent the past several years diving deeply into unexplored parts of electric co-op history. He described how co-ops have affected national policy since the 1930s in his first book, Power Plays: The U.S. Presidency, Electric Cooperatives, and the Transformation of Rural America. His second, just-released book title describes

Q: How did you end up writing about electric co-ops in the Vietnam War?

A: It came out of my first book and the

chapter on President Lyndon Johnson. In 1965, he received a letter from the general manager of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Clyde Ellis, saying that NRECA could help win the war by putting electric co-ops in Vietnam. I was intrigued by that bold claim. Since Johnson was such an early and strong supporter of rural electrification in Texas, he embraced Ellis’s proposal fully. Learning about that story led me on this quest to track down some of the men and women who had worked on it.

Q: Did NRECA start co-ops in Vietnam? A: It was a really good effort. Just 20 men

went over there in a five-year period. These were the most difficult co-ops to establish in the history of the electric co-op program. The Viet Cong soldiers that were fighting against the South Vietnamese tried to cut down the co-op lines and chop down their poles and blow up their dams, and they did all those things. The people trying to start the co-ops faced rampant corruption and an inability to get poles and other materials. They got three co-ops up and 14

SEPTEMBER 2017

itself: Poles, Wires and War: The Remarkable Untold Story of Rural Electrification and the Vietnam War. Case is executive director of the Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association. He recently talked about what the history of electric co-ops means for co-op member-owners everywhere.

running and brought light to thousands of villagers. But the program ended and they had to leave, and the communists overtook the country.

Q: What lessons did you learn from researching the book?

A: The support the U.S. co-op workers

got from the Vietnamese villagers was not unlike the support from the farmers who started electric co-ops in the United States in the 1930s. The Vietnamese villagers wanted a radio. They wanted an iron and lights to read. Toward the end of the war when the communists were rolling through the country in 1975, they came to a town that was one of the co-ops’ headquarters. The militia in the town rose up and fought against the communists in one of the most heroic battles of the war. They were fighting for their electricity. They were fighting for what they had built.

Q: Has researching these books changed your view of electric co-ops?

A: I have a greater appreciation. Our

heritage is so much a part of who we are, and there’s not many people who remember when the lights came on anymore, so that’s different. But the core values of what co-ops do are the same as in 1936 when the Rural

Electrification Act became law.

Q: What are those values? A: I think of one particular co-op, about

medium-sized and close to an urban area. It has several thousand people who come to the office to pay their bills. They don’t need to do that. It’s a lot easier to just toss the bill in the mail or pay online, but they go in because the co-op has this value beyond just electric service. It really is the center of everything in the town and an economic driver. That sums up how the co-op is not just a power company. It’s the center of their world.

Q: Does that kind of relationship really

apply in this increasingly high-tech world in a high-tech industry?

As I travel the country, I’m blown away by the technical acumen and the vision and the strategic abilities of co-op leaders to see into the future. Electric co-ops are getting involved in providing broadband internet connections at a time when nobody else will do it. It’s the same innovation that brought electricity to rural areas.

Q: Can a co-op be successful providing

technologies as different as electricity and broadband? coloradocountrylife.coop

A: Co-ops will embrace new technologies A: Co-ops continue to be very when that’s what their members want. Members say they’re interested in solar energy and other utility innovations, like developing advanced batteries that could increase reliability and store renewable energy for times when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. Co-ops never strayed from that business model that listens and responds to their members, their customers, their owners.

A: That they have the ability to influence

Q: One characteristic of electric co-ops is

risky?

their not-for-profit nature. How does that affect the co-op members?

their co-op more than they ever imagined. Co-op board members that I know are really interested in hearing from folks and getting feedback. One person can really make a huge difference. When somebody shows up at a co-op annual meeting and has a point to make, the boards take it seriously. The co-op’s management takes it seriously. That’s the value. It’s pretty hard to get heard these days. But at a co-op, your voice makes a difference.

A: Definitely. And that brings out

A: A lot. Increasingly, institutions have

Paul Wesslund writes on cooperative issues for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Q: Can’t some of these new ventures be another strength of member ownership: The control is local. Providing internet and other services won’t make sense for all of the more than 900 co-ops across the country. There are very difficult decisions being made in co-op boardrooms, and history shows there is tremendous wisdom that comes out of the discussions among the local co-ops and their members.

Q: How does that member-owned

business model relate to the basic mission of keeping electricity reliable and affordable?

coloradocountrylife.coop

competitive, in rates, service and reliability. And there are so many other things they do for their members. It comes back to that local connection. Members know the folks who work at the co-op. They know the directors. There’s terrific customer service getting the lights back on after an outage. Electric reliability is very important, and co-ops do that as well as anyone.

[ industry]

fallen from grace because everybody believes there’s this profit motive that’s just out to milk you and there’s such a lack of trust in a lot of the large institutions. Being not-for-profit is an attractive feature that means decisions are based on the best interest of the co-op and the consumer.

Q: So what should members know about their electric co-op?

For more information on Ted Case’s new book Poles, Wires and War: The Remarkable Untold Story of Rural Electrification and the Vietnam War, visit coloradocountrylife.coop.

SEPTEMBER 2017

[feature]

A LOVE AFFAIR GONE WILD An essay of one author’s obsession with Colorado’s bears BY LAURA PRITCHETT

A few years ago, I fell in love. Not the vague kind of fondness, but rather, the obsessive, zealous kind of love affair; the kind that affects your dreams at night and your activities in the day. I fell for bears, of all things, and I’ve never lost my heart for an animal like that before, or since. The love affair started simply enough: A bear kept me up one night, banging on my neighbor’s trash can, and I got up to watch it from the deck of my house, which was far enough away to be safe. I suppose that in my mind, I told myself it was to keep an eye on my chickens, which were nervously cackling. And perhaps that is true. But mostly, I wanted to watch an active bear, uninterrupted, for a long time, which is not something I’d ever experienced before in my life, despite being a Colorado native and an outdoorsy gal. I watched it try the Dumpster a few more times (my neighbor, intelligently, had bear-proofed it), then watched it stroll around, sniffing here and there, unhurried and unfettered. It moved to the ditch bank, where the wild plums grow. I watched it sit on its haunches and eat, then rustle around for a better spot. It did not even bother approaching my chickens. Perhaps the smell of my dog’s markings was enough, or perhaps it was too close to a house for its comfort or perhaps, even, it noticed me. It was happy enough along the ditch, and it was a warm fall night, and the stars were out and, simply put, I fell in love. I knew it would be heading into hibernation soon, and I knew it was a black bear and not a grizzly. Grizzlies were purposefully exterminated in Colorado, with the last one being killed by a bowhunter in the 1970s. But that is all I 16

SEPTEMBER 2017

knew about bears, really. But that evening, something changed, the way love suddenly changes us. Soon I was reading books about bears; and then bears started appearing in my own fiction. I searched for evidence of them everywhere, for there’s truth in that adage that once you start looking, the more, well, you see. I started to notice claw marks on aspens, and claw marks on my yard swing. I would look up, into the cottonwoods, scanning the crooks and big branches, just checking. I looked for scat, knowing that this time of year, there was bound to be a pile or two of apple-seed-laden stuff, crumbly and pleasant. I would pause on my quiet morning walks to gaze up at the foothill. Somewhere in the mountain mahogany, willows, wild plums and rock outcroppings, a bear was hanging out, preparing itself for winter, and I decided I wanted to meet it. Maybe not it in particular, but I knew I wanted to be close to some bear. It was then that I decided I wanted to climb into a bear den. It sounds crazy, I know, but this is what weird love does to us. I made some calls, made some promises and made my way up a mountain on a long, long snowshoe trek — the hardest physical day of my life. I had found a group of scientists who needed to cut off the global positioning system collar on a hibernating bear. They’d concluded a study, the goal of which was to help the bears — or, to be more specific, to help humans know how to live with bears, which ultimately helps us both. In any case, the collar needed to come off I was told, and yes, I could come along. There were 11 of us who willingly snowshoed 1,200 feet up a mountainside coloradocountrylife.coop

[ feature]

Black bears range in color from black to cinnamon to blonde.

Berries are a staple for bears. coloradocountrylife.coop

near the town of Aspen, a trip that involved several hours of grunting, whispering, crashing through undergrowth, cussing the rotten snow. The trip included several researchers from Colorado State University, two veterinarians and a couple of Colorado Parks and Wildlife folks. They were all carrying heavy backpacks laden with heavy equipment: tranquilizer guns, medical equipment, avalanche shovels, antenna for receiving signals. There were also a couple of onlookers, such as myself, full of the buoyant respect that accompanies traveling with people who know their stuff. The experts among us had located this den with two hibernating black bears, a sow and her yearling, with the aid of the GPS collar. When we got there, several of the gang removed the underbrush from the den and tranquilized the two bears with long poles (with the utmost care and grace and gentleness, I observed from far away). While we waited for the drug to take effect, stomping our SEPTEMBER 2017

[feature]

Bears have the ability to change their habits.

feet and eating almonds to stay warm, I stood with CPW District Wildlife Manager Kevin Wright, who taught me about Colorado’s bears. Black bears are native; there are approximately 10,000 to 12,000 in the state; they are many colors ranging from black to blonde; they’ve got a sense of smell that is 100 times better than what people have; and they’ve lost much of their habitat as human population increases. Bear-human conflicts are sharply on the rise, accounting for about one-third of all bear deaths in the state. I jogged in place and swung my arms around, nearly crying from the cold. “What would help?” Three basic things, he said, would solve about 95 percent of bearhuman conflicts: bear-proofing garbage, locking doors at night and closing accessible windows. “It’s so simple,” Wright added. “People need to take responsibility for where they choose to live.” “It seems pretty common sense,” I said. “Yes,” he said. “Not rocket science.” But this study was pretty complex. The science of what to do with “nuisance bears” was exactly what they’d been studying. The researchers, in fact, have been able to partially dispel the notion that “a fed bear is a dead bear.” Most bears in this mountain town do not become habituated to human food sources as much as we think they do. They will go back to natural food as soon as those food sources are available. In other words, bears are opportunists, but take away the “opportune” part and they won’t be “ists.” I learned that bears exhibit “behavior plasticity,” a fancy way of saying that bears have the ability to change their habits. Bears will return to their preferred Colorado diet of chokecherries, gamble oak and serviceberry, the three main readily available berries for bears in Colorado, once those foods are available. When the tranquilizer had taken hold, I marveled at the team’s quick and sure work with the bears. They worked with speed and grace as they drew blood, administered eye drops and ointments, cut off the collar. They had covered the sow’s face with a soft ski hat, in order to protect her face from getting scratched, and had pulled her out to the rocky outcropping. Since there wasn’t room for both bears on the ledge, the yearling was left inside the den. From outside the den, I was able to study the sow — her feet pads

(so soft) and teeth (so yellow) and fur (so surprisingly thick). I also watched as her radio collar was cut off. She seemed a little freer, a little wilder. That’s when I got to climb in. I got on my hands and knees and inched forward. Then inched forward some more. Then I was on my stomach, squirming forward. On one side of me, the mother bear’s hind legs, on the other side, the yearling’s face. I couldn’t see, it was dark, but I closed my eyes and dug my fingers into their fur. I breathed in. It did not smell sour and dank, as I had expected. Since they don’t defecate or urinate in a den, they smelled of duff, of earth, of fur. I listened. There was the sound of their huffing noise, of breath, of the swoosh of life. I stayed for as long as they let me, sandwiched between two good-smelling Ursus americanus. Then someone whacked my foot and told me it was time to get out. Tranquilizers don’t last forever, after all, and we needed to get back down the mountain before dark. With a lot of care, the bear was put back into her den, next to her yearling, the opening was covered and the bears left in solitude once more. As we quietly picked up our gear and prepared to leave, I regarded the bear claw marks on the aspen trees. I’d seen bearscars before, arcs of five claws in beautiful patterns, healed over by the aspen. But these trees were tremendous, scarred nearly from top to bottom, as if the whole tree was a bear’s canvas. These aspens will be among the first things the bears feed on. The first blooms, called aspen catkins, are what will help coax the bears awake come spring. I remember this now as one of the best moments of my life. It was up there with the birth of my children, the publication of my first book, so hard-won, and those rare moments of pure joy. And I’ve worked on protecting bears since, because once you start to know a creature, once you fall in love, you want to protect. This great state has the great gift of bears, and thus the deep responsibility of keeping them safe and their habitat wild. I still see bear claw marks from time to time, and I always have this thought: I’m so glad to have fallen in love that one fall evening, and I hope we humans can mark our homes with such grace and beauty. Laura Pritchett is an American author from Colorado; one of her books is entitled Great Colorado Bear Stories. Read more at www. laurapritchett.com.

For more information on Colorado’s black bears, visit www.coloradocountrylife.coop. 18

SEPTEMBER 2017

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MUST REMIT $134 PER STATE SILVER BAR 1. No State Silver Bars will be issued to any resident living outside of CO, UT, WY, NE, KS, OK, NM or AZ at state resident minimum set by the Lincoln Treasury. 2. Call the Non-Resident Toll Free Hotline beginning at 11:00am at: 1-888-414-3761 Ext.FMS2382 3. If you are a u.s. resident living outside of the states of CO, UT, WY, NE, KS, OK, NM or AZ you are required to pay $134 for each State Silver Bar for a total of six hundred seventy dollars plus shipping and handling for each sealed State Vault Brick loaded with five u.s. State Silver Bars. This same offer may be made at a later date or in a different geographic location.

FEDERATED MINT, LLC AND LINCOLN TREASURY, LLC ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, A BANK OR ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY. IF FOR ANY REASON WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM SHIPMENT YOU ARE DISSATISFIED, RETURN THE PRODUCT FOR A REFUND LESS SHIPPING AND RETURN POSTAGE. DUE TO THE FLUCTUATING PRICE IN THE WORLD GOLD AND SILVER MARKETS, ORDERS MAY BE CANCELLED OR PRICES WILL CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE AND STATE MINIMUMS ARE SUBJECT TO AN ADDITIONAL FEE OF NO MORE THAN 2% FOR EVERY $1 INCREASE IN THE NEW YORK SPOT SILVER PRICE PER OUNCE WHEN EXCEEDING $18 PER OUNCE AND SHALL BE APPLIED AT THE TIME THE ORDER IS PROCESSED FOR SHIPMENT. THIS SAME OFFER MAY BE MADE AVAILABLE AT A LATER DATE OR IN A DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION. FEDERATED MINT P7086A OF20288R-1 7600 SUPREME AVE. NW, NORTH CANTON, OH 44720 ©2017 LINCOLN TREASURY

■ A SNEAK PEAK INSIDE SILVER VAULT BRICKS: Pictured left reveals the valuable .999 pure fine silver bars inside each State Silver Vault Brick. Pictured right are the State Silver Vault Bricks containing the only U.S. State Silver Bars known to exist with the double forged state proclamation. CO, UT, WY, NE, KS, OK, NM and AZ residents are authorized to get individual State Silver Bars at just $59 state resident minimum set by the Lincoln Treasury. That’s why everyone should be taking full Vault Bricks loaded with five State Silver Bars before they’re all gone. And here’s the best part. Every resident who gets at least two Vault Bricks is also getting free shipping and free handling. That’s a real steal because all other state residents must pay over six hundred dollars for each State Vault Brick. coloradocountrylife.coop

SEPTEMBER 2017

[recipes]

HARVESTING HEAVENLY HOME COOKING COLORADO BLOGGER BRINGS HER LOVE OF COOKING TO BOOKSHELVES BY AMY HIGGINS RECIPES@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

TIP

Tip From the Author for Roasted Spaghetti Squash featured on our website: “Spaghetti squash is hard to cut, especially if the squash is large,” Gerard says. “If cutting your squash in half proves too difficult, place the whole thing in the microwave and cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes to soften, then try again.” Food With Flexibility “[This is] a versatile recipe; you can eat the wild rice stuffing on its own too, but the brown butter bread crumbs really make the dish,” Gerard says.

Read the blog Half Baked Harvest (halfbakedharvest.com) and you’ll drool over the vast selection of recipes created by Tieghan Gerard, a recipe developer, photographer and food stylist who lives and works out of her beautiful, recently renovated barn in the Colorado Rockies, about 65 miles outside of Denver. Now, Gerard is taking her love of cooking to new heights with the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook, which hits the shelves on September 12. The Colorado Country Life staff was honored with an opportunity to thumb through the manuscript ahead of time, and what we found was a delightful assortment of brilliant bites, from breakfast to main courses and desserts. So, harvest your garden’s squash and get a taste for yourself with this prerelease recipe.

Wild Rice and Havarti-Stuffed Acorn Squash SQUASH 2 medium acorn squash, halved through the stem and seeded 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper WILD RICE 2 cups water 1 cup uncooked wild rice 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 6 cups fresh spinach 1 canned chipotle in adobo, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 1 cup roasted pistachios, chopped 1 cup dried cranberries Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

on) and brush the liquid from the baking dish around the flesh of the squash, coating the squash well and trying to use all the liquid. Meanwhile, make the rice. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the rice, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 35 to 45 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Add the olive oil and spinach and toss to combine. Cover the pot again and allow the spinach to wilt, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chipotle in adobo, dill, pistachios and cranberries. Season BROWN BUTTER BREAD CRUMBS with salt and pepper. 2 tablespoons salted butter While the squash and rice cook, make the bread 1 cup panko bread crumbs crumbs. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium 2 tablespoons roasted pistachios, finely chopped heat. Cook until it is browned and smells nutty, about 5 1 cup shredded Havarti cheese minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and whisk the Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, for topping butter for about 30 seconds more. Stir in the bread crumbs and pistachios. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Brush the cut sides of the Stuff the roasted squash halves with wild rice and top squash with the melted butter and sprinkle with the brown with Havarti. Return to the oven and bake for 10 to 15 sugar and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper. Place in minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the squash is a baking dish and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the crisp. Remove from the oven and top with bread crumbs flesh is fork-tender. Remove from the oven (leave the oven and fresh parsley before serving.

For more great recipes from Half Baked Harvest and to find out how to win the featured cookbook, visit coloradocountrylife.coop. 22

SEPTEMBER 2017

coloradocountrylife.coop

[ gardening]

Happiness Harvesting Homegrown Tomatoes Squeeze out the remaining of the season’s garden goodies

BY VICKI SPENCER MASTER GARDENER GARDENING@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG Although gardening season is winding down, September is possibly one of the busiest times of the year. Flower beds need to be tidied up and many vegetables are still waiting to be harvested. This month’s article provides a few tips for fall gardening, with a focus on ways to extend your tomato harvest because we all miss fresh garden tomatoes when winter arrives. In September, as you enjoy cooler evenings, you are also reminded that it’s time to winterize your garden. Since fertilization is no longer necessary, turn your attention to cutting back flowers that finished blooming and removing plants that look diseased. Weeds tend to be less pervasive in autumn, so aerate the soil by giving it a good turn. If you have a compost pile, give it a good turn, too. If your perennials are overcrowded, divide and replant them to fill in bare spots. Tender bulbs like dahlias, cannas and tuberous begonias can be dug up and stored for the winter, and you can plant spring bulbs. By now, your vegetable harvest should be coming to an end. If you have a lot of green tomatoes left on the vine, pinch off any new flowers to let the plant focus its energy on the existing fruit. If light frost is predicted, take precautions to protect the remaining harvest. This means covering your plants at night and uncovering them during the daytime. If you have a good-sized garden, this can be a lot of work.

Since most tomato plants need temperatures above 60 degrees to ripen, you probably won’t see any new fruits forming after nighttime temperatures dip into the low 70s. So, you may as well pick all your tomatoes, including the green ones. Now you won’t worry about rushing out at night in response to the weatherman reporting sudden frost. If a tomato plant only has green tomatoes on it, dig up the entire plant, shake off the loose soil, and hang it in the dry shelter of your garage or basement until the tomatoes ripen. It’s better to keep the plant out of direct sunlight or total darkness. Unfortunately, I don’t have a convenient place to hang the plants, so I found this process to be rather messy. Instead, I usually follow my mother’s method: Simply pick the green tomatoes and set them on the kitchen counter out of direct sunlight to ripen. If she wanted some tomatoes to ripen right away, she placed them stem-side up in a sunny windowsill. Another way to hasten ripening is to place the tomatoes in a paper bag with a ripe apple. The apple gives off ethylene gas, which helps the tomato turn red. When our family had a large vegetable garden, our harvest was so big that we spent days canning tomatoes and other vegetables in pint and quart jars. These were perfect for making spaghetti, stew, soup, chili and casseroles in the winter.

After many years, we tired of canning and happily discovered that it was faster and easier to simply wash the vegetables, seal them in freezer bags and place them in the freezer. Even though we had enough canned and frozen tomatoes to last until the next year’s harvest, we wanted to keep as many tomatoes fresh as long as possible to enjoy them in our salads. We did this by wrapping each tomato in newspaper and layering them in a bushel basket or cardboard box. Then we placed the containers in our cellar for safekeeping. (If you don’t have a cellar, place them in an unheated garage or cool, dark closet in your basement.) Each week we unwrapped a few tomatoes to check their progress and removed the few that rotted so as not to spoil all the others. Most of our tomatoes ripened after three to four weeks, so we enjoyed fresh tomatoes a month longer than if we had not followed this practice. Of course, you don’t have to ripen all your tomatoes. I particularly enjoy fried green tomatoes, but there are many more creative green tomato recipes available on the internet. Either way, red or green, there is no comparison between fresh garden tomatoes and those you buy in the store. Clearly, this is why proud vegetable gardeners can spend hours discussing the trials and tribulations of growing tomatoes and the merits of their tomato harvests.

More Online: Read previous gardening columns at coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Gardening under Living in Colorado. coloradocountrylife.coop

SEPTEMBER 2017

[outdoors] ONLINE REGISTRATION & A DETAILED EVENT SCHEDULE AT CREA.COOP

OCTOBER 30, 2017 Westin Denver Downtown Hotel 1672 Lawrence Street Denver, CO 80202 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. $125 registration fee includes

conference, expo and lunch OPENING SESSION

How are Electric Co-ops Managing an Industry in Transition?

LUNCH WITH Dr. Martin Keller Director, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

CLOSING SESSION Energy Storage

BREAKOUT SESSION TOPICS INCLUDE RTO: Right for Colorado? Net Metering and EVs Distributed Energy Resources Carbon Capture Technology Wind Generation Update Natural Gas Markets

EXHIBIT SPACE AVAILABLE

CONTACT JEN HIGHT 303-455-2700 JENHIGHT@COLORADOREA.ORG 24

SEPTEMBER 2017

Pioneering the Plains for Pronghorns Hunting the swift mammals requires prowess, patience BY DENNIS SMITH OUTDOORS@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

Big-game hunters have been intrigued by pronghorns for centuries, and I suspect some of that fascination has as much to do with where they live as it does with the animal itself. Unlike deer, elk or moose, pronghorns prefer the high plains and wide-open expanses of short-grass prairies to the timbered shelter of mountain forests or the dense understory of river bottoms. Occasionally you will find herds on sage flats that rub up against the foothills, but they will always be where they can see danger coming from a long way off. While commonly called antelope and euphemistically referred to as “speed goats” by some, pronghorns are neither goat nor antelope. Oddly enough, they are more closely related to giraffes and okapis and quite unlike any other big game mammal here in the West, or in the world for that matter. Hunting them on Colorado’s vast windswept grasslands is an infinitely different proposition from stalking elk or mule deer in the high country or whitetails in the bottomlands. Rather than burning shoe leather humping steep slopes with your bow or rifle and a heavy pack on your back, you will be most successful if you scout the flatlands from backcountry dirt roads in a vehicle armed with binoculars and spotting scopes. Once game is spotted — usually far off — you hide the truck in a dry creek or coulee and make a stalk on foot. It’s not difficult to see how this closely approximates the same technique used in hunting African plains game on the Serengeti: The professional

hunter navigates across the African veldt in his trusty Land Rover until he or his scouts spot game, then they hustle off on foot to set up a shot for their client. Not that we ever went to Africa, but this is exactly how the boys and I approach pronghorn hunting: safari style. Having secured the proper licenses and permission from property owners if necessary, we load the bed of our truck with a couple of coolers and a chop box. One cooler keeps drinks and sandwiches cold, another is kept iced but empty to hold pronghorn quarters should we be lucky enough to make a kill. The chop box holds miscellaneous dry foods, extra clothing and supplies. We keep binoculars, spotting scopes, topographic maps, property maps and handheld GPS devices in the cab. Though we dearly love the meat and we do our level best to make a kill, the magic in pronghorn hunting for us lies in watching the sun come up over the prairie, where the view stretches for untold miles from one horizon to the other across low rolling hills of ochre-colored prairie grasses and cactusstudded ravines, and the sweetened scent of silver sage rides on the cool morning air. If we get to see a herd of pronghorns racing across the veldt, then our trip is a success.

Miss an issue?

Catch up at coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Outdoors. coloradocountrylife.coop

[ energy tips]

HOW HEAT PUMPS WORK BY PAT KEEGAN AND BRAD THIESSEN

2018 Photo Contest

4 categories • 4 chances to win 1st, 2nd or 3rd Find a full list of official rules online at coloradocountrylife.coop

Categories are: • Classic Colorado Photos that convey the feel, the look that is Colorado • Cute Critters Animals of all kinds • Seasonal Salute Capture spring, summer, fall or winter • Water Wonders Water in all of its wonderful forms: creeks, rivers, waterfalls, water sports, fountains, etc.

Send entries to: Photo Contest, Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or info@coloradocountrylife.org.

Prizes: 1st – $175, 2nd – $75, 3rd – $50

Deadline: December 15, 2017

Winners will be published in March 2018

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PLUS!

An electric air source heat pump can be a good alternative to a furnace system that runs on propane or fuel oil. It is also a costeffective alternative to electric resistance heat that is used in electric furnaces and in baseboard and wall units. In the summer, an air source heat pump acts as an air conditioner that draws heat from your home’s air and transfers it outside. In the winter, the system’s direction is reversed so that heat is pulled from the outside air and moved into your home. The heat pump has two major components: the condenser (also called the compressor) that circulates refrigerant through the system, and an air handler that distributes the conditioned air. Most heat pumps are split systems with the condenser located outside and the air handler In recent years, technology has advanced to make heat pumps inside. Heat viable in climates with long periods pumps usually of subfreezing temperatures. Photo Credit: Rays Heating, Plumbing and distribute the Electric hot or cold air through the duct system. Heat pumps not only reduce energy costs, they can also eliminate the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and problems that can occur with on-site storage of propane or heating oil. Heat pumps must work harder to extract heat as the outside temperature drops. At some point the heat pump switches to resistance mode, which operates the same way a toaster or an electric baseboard heater works. If your area has extremely cold winters, you should consider a dual fuel system, which utilizes a heat pump along with a gas or propane furnace. This column was co-written by Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen of Collaborative Efficiency.

Visit coloradocountrylife.coop to learn more about heat pumps. Look under the Energy tab.

SEPTEMBER 2017

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeing sunshine in a whole new light Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, power supplier to 18 electric cooperatives in Colorado, delivers more solar energy to its members than any other G&T in the country. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s un-renew-a-believable! #generatepossibilities

Visit Randy at www.tristate.coop/renewables 26

SEPTEMBER 2017

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[ marketplace]

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SEPTEMBER 2017

[classifieds] TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD

Please type or print your ad on a separate paper. Indicate how many months you would like your ad to run and which month to start. There is a minimum of 12 words at $1.63 per word/month. Be sure to include your full name and address for our records. Check MUST accompany this order or call to pay by credit card. Send your ad to: mail: Colorado Country Life 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 phone: 303-902-7276 fax: 303-455-2807 email: classifieds@coloradocountrylife.org

ANTIQUE RESTORATION CHAIR CANING — Hand caning, machine caning, fiber rush caning. Pueblo West, 719-547-0723. chaanita@q.com. (858-10-17)

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. 18 years at this location, over 900 satisfied customers! Designers: We can provide you a single item or a whole houseful. Call (970) 627-3053. (085-09-17)

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

(These opportunities have not been investigated by Colorado Country Life.) FULL SERVICE, FULLY EQUIPPED auto repair workshop in SW Colorado. 6 service bays & paint booth, upper & entry level offices. Owner will carry with substantial down payment. Good terms. Ph 970-563-4500, 8 am – 4 pm, Monday – Friday. (356-10-17) HEALTH FOOD STORE & DELI: 2 turnkey businesses in one. Strong income/customer base. Colorado mountains (970-641-5175), leave name & number. (252-12-17)

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. (109-10-17)

ENERGY

SOLAR WATER SYSTEMS — livestock or any remote location. 3-10 gpm. Variable speed. Call Peterson High Reach for free quote, 719-688-0081. Windmills available. (316-09-17)

EVENTS

DYNAMIC GUIDED TOURS, interactive exhibits, educational events at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry. Check us out www.wmmi.org, 225 N. Gate Blvd., Colorado Springs, 80921, 719-488-0880. (346-09-17) LA VETA OKTOBERFEST 5K Fun Run, 8:30 am, Oct. 7, La Veta Town Park. Registration information at http://tinyurl.com/ Oktoberfest5K. (360-09-17) POLKA LOVERS Klub of America — Dance to a live band Sundays, 3-7 pm. Denver Kickers Sport Club, 16776 W. 50th Ave., Golden, CO. $5.00/members, $10.00/ nonmembers. polkadenver.com for information / band schedule. Leo, 720-232-0953. (345-09-17)

FINE ART

CALL TO ARTISTS—3rd Annual Miniature Art Show—Bella Art & Frame, 183 Washington St., Monument, CO 80132. Deadline for entries and art: Oct. 4, 2017. For details: BellaArtAndFrame. com. (357-09-17)

FOOD

FREE BUTCHER SUPPLY CATALOG — Meat grinders, saws, slicers, cutlery, seasonings — Everything for the home butcher. Pioneer Butcher Supplies in Loveland, CO, since 1975. 1-888-891-7057. (349-12-17)

FOR SALE

OXYGEN CONCENTRATORS — $400 with warranty. Also sell portable concentrators and oxygen supplies. Repair and service of equipment. Aspen Concentrator Repair Service. 719-471-9895. (040-12-17) POLAR BEAR & ARCTIC SEAL. Full live mounts on 4’x6’ block of ice. Kodiak brown bear standing. Wonderful for Great Room or business. 970-627-0074. (306-10-17)

FREE

LEARN HOW ROGER BANNISTER, the Wright brothers, & Neil Armstrong accomplish the impossible by training their belief system! Visit our website to get your Free Course and more information! www.LifeGoals4Me.com. (350-09-17) SOON CHURCH AND GOVERNMENT UNITING will suppress “Religious Liberty,” enforcing a “National Sunday Law,” leading to the “Mark of the Beast.” Be informed / Be forewarned! Need mailing address for FREE materials. TBSM, Box 99, Lenoir City, TN 37771. thebiblesaystruth@yahoo. com, 1-888-211-1715. (814-12-17)

GRASS

The August classified ads contest winner is Bill Gollam of Walsenburg. He correctly counted 31 ads. 28

SEPTEMBER 2017

TICKETS

REAL ESTATE

VACATION RENTALS

QUILT SHOW Sept. 30, 11 am - 4 pm. Community Center in Haxtun, Colorado. Details: Call & leave message at 970-774-7001. (358-09-17)

DISCOVER BEAVER LAKES! 10 miles south of Leadville. New custom 2-story with 4 br, 3.5 ba. Breathtaking mountain, lake, aspen grove views from every room. Reduced $150,000 to $449,000. Call Joe Arnold at 303-550-3794. (351-10-17) FSBO: OAK CREEK/STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — 3 corner lots centrally located above park – great views. Scrape off & build. $75k OBO, 719-890-4488. (348-10-17) MOUNTAIN CABIN BY STREAM — 10 minutes from Westcliffe — beautifully renovated summer cabin, fully furnished, 3 bdrm, loft, 2.5 ba, stone fireplace, great kitchen, near Rainbow Trail. $189,000, 719-783-2234. (354-09-17) READY TO RETIRE? +-13 acres near Mancos, CO. Trout-stocked canyon lake, commercial greenhouse, gardens, lots of water, passive solar timber frame home. $525,000. Jim, 970-769-1391, for pictures. (282-10-17)

STOP FEEDING PRAIRIE DOGS. We’ll rent hunting rights from you. Seriously looking for duck & goose habitat. Encourage young sportsmen by providing safe, private access. You make the rules. 303-460-0273. (069-12-17)

TIN CUP, COLORADO — 1600 sf log home, attached 30x90 workshed, 3-car building for storage. Willow Creek runs through adjacent BLM land. Seasonal access or snowmobile. Matt, Monarch Realty, 970-641-1900. (340-10-17)

HELP WANTED

WE BUY LAND and/or mineral rights. CO, TX, NM, KS. 1-800316-5337 (099-04-18)

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. (932-02-18)

IMPROVEMENTS & REPAIRS

SEPTIC PROBLEMS: DON’T REPLACE IT, REJUVENATE IT! Standing water on your drain field? Septic drain slow? I have an alternative — warrantied — to avoid installing a new septic system! Call Septic Rejuvenating Specialists LLC, toll free, 855-797-6072. (352-11-17)

Find hidden treasure in the CLASSIFIEDS Read through the ads and FIND the CCL classified explaining how to WIN $25. It’s easy. You could WIN.

QUILTS

TICKETS

LOOKING FOR A WINNER. WIN $25 by emailing the number of classified ads on this page to classifieds@coloradocountrylife. org with WIN $25 as the subject. Include name/address/ phone. Deadline 9/15/17.

NFR & PBR RODEO TICKETS — Las Vegas. Call 1-888-NFR-Rodeo (1-888637-7633). www.NFR-rodeo.com. A+ rated BBB Member. (912-04-18)

3 BDR, 2 BA, HOT TUB, open year around, pet friendly, redfeatherlakescabin.com 970-286-9028, $195/nt. (344-09-17)

WANTED TO BUY

CAST-IRON COOKWARE (Wagner & Griswold). Pyrex. Old toys in good condition. Vintage signs. Anything cowboy and Indian – hats, boots, spurs, rugs, etc. After family gets what they want, we’ll buy the rest. Antiques, collectibles, furniture, glassware, etc. We come to you! 970759-3455 or 970-565-1256. (871-02-18) NAVAJO RUGS, old and recent, native baskets, pottery. Tribal Rugs, Salida. 719-539-5363, b_inaz@ hotmail.com. (817-12-17) OLD COLORADO LIVESTOCK brand books prior to 1925. Call Wes, 303-757-8553. (889-02-18) 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. (519-11-17) OLD POCKET WATCHES — working or nonworking and old repair material. Bob 719-859-4209. (870-06-18) WANT TO PURCHASE mineral and other oil/gas interests. Send details to: PO Box 13557, Denver, CO 80201. (402-03-18) WANTED: JEEP CJ OR WRANGLER. Reasonably priced. No rust buckets. 888-735-5337. (099-04-18) WE PAY CASH for mineral and oil/gas interests, producing and nonproducing. 800733-8122. (099-02-18)

JANUARY CONTEST WINNER Congratulations to Shawn Kerby of Peyton and Brenda Mross of Fort Collins! Shawn is the winner of the Artisanal Preserves: Small Batch Jams, Jellies, Marmalades, and More cookbook. Brenda is the winner of a H.E.C. Studio hat.

coloradocountrylife.coop

[ funny stories]

READERS PHOTOS

Colorado Country Life travels to North Carolina to pose for family photos with Wayne and Ellen Clausen and daughters.

My son was setting up a new audio system for us and noticed the cabinet was quite dusty. He said he needed some Pledge. My granddaughter, who was 4 at the time, stood up and put her hand over her heart and said, “I pledge allegiance to the flag. …” Arlene Fickel, Gunnison

CCL travels to Holden Beach, North Carolina, with Sarah Heckel and Jimmy Thielen of Steamboat Springs.

Wanda Patrick of Elbert kayaks with CCL in Roche Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington.

Kersey’s Wendi Oster and Tara Stradley visit Venice, Italy with CCL.

Jeff Hilburn of Buena Vista and Denver summits Mount Princeton with Colorado Country Life.

Our 3-year-old granddaughter, Reagan, was having a rough morning. She did a couple things that I told her not to, so I decided it was time for a “little talk.” We sat down and I reminded her that God tells us to obey. My phone rang just then and before I answered I asked her to play quietly while I was on the phone. She picked up her pretend cell phone and told her pretend friend, “We have to be quiet. Grandma is talking to God on the phone. He’s telling her to obey.” Lynell Darrah, Fort Collins My 5-year-old grandson, Colin, asked me one day, “Grandma, why are you so short?” I told him it’s probably because my mom was short, too. He said, “Do you think your mom was short because she took the pill they advertise on TV that says if you take it you will lose inches?” Anne L. Cole, Greeley Little Sister seems to get more mosquito bites than anyone else in the family. One day Mom asked her, “What special kind of blood do you have?” With a funny little grin she answered, “Unsweetened.” Carrie Lehman, Mack

WINNER: Penny Hamilton of Granby poses with Colorado Country Life at the 101st Middle Park Fair & Rodeo where she won the grand champion award for her Key Lime pie.

Westcliffe’s Jan Clayton cruises the Baltic Seas and stops in Riga, Latvia with Colorado Country Life.

TAKE YOUR PHOTO WITH YOUR MAGAZINE AND WIN! It’s easy to win with Colorado Country Life. Simply take a photo of someone (or a selfie!) with the magazine and email the photo and your name and address to info@coloradocountrylife.org. We’ll draw one photo to win $25 each month. The next deadline is Friday, September 15. This month’s winner is Penny Hamilton of Granby. Penny is a Mountain Parks Electric member. coloradocountrylife.coop

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 2017 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.

$15 SEPTEMBER 2017

[discoveries]

Colorado Wine With a Twist Colorado Cellars

On the Western Slope sits a wonderful winery that’s pleased palates for nearly 40 years: Colorado Cellars. Formerly Colorado Mountain Vineyards, the Palisade-based winery was the first winery to make wines from Colorado grapes. Today, they also are known for some amazing wine-based food products, including salsas, candies, mustards, fudges and cooking oils. We tried the salsas (mild zinfandel garlic, medium artichoke and extra hot zinfandel garlic). They will fire the taste buds with flavor. The candies’ wine flavors are subtler, but from the cabernet to the champagne, they were all perfect for the sweet tooth. Colorado Cellars is also known for its famous Roadkill Red, a staple since 1990 in the family-owned operation. For more information, call 800-848-2821 or visit coloradocellars.com.

The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey In Cañon City you can find a little winery with big fanfare: The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey. Located on the grounds of the Holy Cross Abbey, a former monastery, the winery boasts an assortment of wines that you can sample seven days a week. The winery uses grapes from a variety of vineyards, including a nearby state prison where grapes are maintained by the inmates. Another point of interest is the winery’s Wild Cañon Harvest, a community wine that is created at the annual Harvest Fest using the grapes of Colorado grape growers. This year’s Harvest Fest is September 23-24. For more information, call 719-276-5191 or visit abbeywinery.com.

Balistreri Vineyards

LOST PRAIRIE WINERY As the only winery in Old Town Fort Collins, Lost Prairie Winery owner and winemaker Kate McMahon keeps busy. “I sell faster than I can make it,” she says jokingly yet seriously. “That’s my biggest challenge. I make everything small batch.” But McMahon is rolling with the punches. Initially she made wine using 6-gallon buckets and carboys, but recently graduated to small stainless steel fermenters that hold 20 gallons. And as demand increases, so will her winemaking equipment. Lost Prairie Winery shows up at special wine events throughout the year, including the Wine and Cheese Festival in Erie this October 14. The winery also features local music onsite every Friday, 7-9 p.m., from March through September. Be sure to sample some of what McMahon says are a few of her bestsellers: Tempranillo, Malbec and Peach Chardonnay. For information, call 970-407-9463 or visit lostprairiewinery.com.

SEPTEMBER 2017

The Balistreri family emigrated from Sicily in the early 1900s and came to the United States where they soon called Colorado home. In 1998, John Balistreri, his daughter Julie and wife Birdie opened the doors to Balistreri Vineyards. The Denver-based winery is known for its red wines, but its whites and dessert wines have a good share of enthusiasts. Of significance is the vineyard’s Little Feet Merlot, a delicious red wine stomped by the children who attend the annual Harvest Party. This year’s Harvest Party is October 1 and will feature 20 newly released wines, a pig roast, live music and more. Tickets cost $70. For more information, call 303-287-5156 or visit balistrerivineyards.com. coloradocountrylife.coop

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