Redstone April/May 2021

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VOLUME 22, NUMBER 3

LYONS, COLORADO

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APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

B •R •I •E •F •S Join us, we’re hiring LYONS – Full-time and seasonal jobs available at the Town of Lyons. We’re looking for full time Maintenance, Finance Director, Accounts Payable and seasonal jobs in our parks. Learn more and apply today, Visit https: // www. townoflyons. com/Jobs.aspx.

Graduation news LYONS – High School will host the graduation ceremony for seniors on Saturday, May 29 at 10 a.m. Due to Covid there will be some limitations. The school is allowing six family members per student to attend the graduation this year. For more information contact Lyons Middle/Senior High School. Andrea Smith, Ed.D. is the Principal at Lyons Middle Senior High School.

Students apply for Community Service by April 30 LYONS – If you are going to be a junior or senior next year, have a 3.5 GPA or higher, and are interested in community service, you are eligible for the National Honor Society. You will need to fill out an application and get a letter of recommendation from a teacher. Please turn into Mr. Deming by April 30.

Looking for stories from LGBTQ+ community to share for Pride Month LYONS – The Redstone Review and the Wide Spaces Community Initiative are looking for four to six short pieces to publish in the June issue. We are looking for honest voices from the LGBTQ+ community to share. The pieces should be 200 to 400 words long.

Please send your finished piece by June 1 to Janaki Jane at joyjane@gmail.com.

Track and Field and Baseball LYONS – Season D Athletics: Track and field and baseball are set to begin April 26 if approved by CDPHE and Boulder County.

Baseball: If you are interested in playing baseball this season, please contact Kale Olson, Head Baseball Coach at olson_ kale @s vvsd.org. There are currently open fields that are communicated weekly by Coach Olson.

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A mother comforts her daughter while they both try to understand. The memorial wall grew spontaneously on the fence around the periphery of the Table Mesa King Soopers, Boulder, site of the mass shooting that took the lives of ten people March 22.

PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS

Lyons Town Board moves forward with Summit documents, discusses campsites and business expansions

By Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review Editor LYONS – The Summit Housing Group is going into its final approval stage for its affordable housing development in Lyons Valley Park. Summit Housing turned in its final plans and building permit applications to the town staff. The applications will now go through their final review process with all the town departments.

According to Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen, Summit wants to get through all the approval process while still working on financing. “They want to begin construction in early June; construction will be 13 to 16 months and they are moving forward,” she said.

Simonsen gave an update on the new projects going on in Lyons. She said that Spirit Hound is planning to build a two-story building at its Ute Highway location, to expand both its manufacturing area (the distillery) as well as the seating area.

She added that the town has received an application from Igadi, which will be a new marijuana dispensary, next to Spirit Hound.

Igadi has cannabis dispensaries in Nederland, Northglenn, Lafayette, Louisville, Central City and other places.

Lyons town attorney Brandon Dittman reported to the town board on three separate legal matters. He said Paul Frysig turned over a check to the town for a payment of $2,000, the first of 10 payments he owes for some unpaid lease agreements totaling $20,000 which were settled after litigation.

A second issue Attorney Dittman reported on to the board was the ongoing litigation with Honeywell International Inc., the company that was hired to redesigned/upgrade the Lyons wastewater treatment plant. After years of trying to get Honeywell to fix the problems at the plant, the Town of Lyons filed

a lawsuit against Honeywell and its subcontractors for failure to properly install upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant in Lyons.

The lawsuit was filed on Feb. 26, 2021 in Boulder County District Court. Lyons hired Honeywell Inc. in 2010 to upgrade the wastewater plant for $5.86 million. The upgrades were supposed to improve the plant’s use of energy and to save money.

Dittman said that Honeywell asked that the complaint that Lyons filed in Boulder County Court be dismissed or stayed pending any arbitration. He said that Lyons filed a motion in response saying why it should stay in Boulder County Court.

A third issue Attorney Dittman reported on to the board was the issue of the lawsuit filed

by Save our St. Vrain Valley (SOSVV) over a special-use permit issued to Martin Marietta to operate a gravel pit mine. The permit, issued some years ago, said that if Martin Marietta did not mine the land for five years, the special-use permit would expire.

SOSVV asked Boulder County if the permit had expired, since Martin Marietta was not mining the land and Boulder County said the permit did not expire. Martin Marietta claimed that since there was an economic downturn in 2007-ish period and mining activity had ceased during that time their permit was still active. It also claimed to have done a certain amount of land reclamation on that land, which counted as using the land for mining.

SOSVV disagreed with that decision and sued Boulder County. Eventually there was a Board of Adjustments (BOA) decision saying that Martin Marietta’s permit did not expire due to reclamation activity. SOSVV went to the District Court which sided with Boulder County. Then it went to the Colorado Court of Appeals.

Early in April the Colorado Court of Appeals issued a decision saying that a special-

use permit required actual mining use and not just reclamation activities. The court ruled that the Martin Marietta special-use permit had actually expired and Martin Marietta is no longer permitted to mine on that site, overturning the District Court decision.

There is currently an order to gather some more information, but unless Martin Marietta can come up with some new information or unless it goes back to Boulder County and asks for a new special-use permit to mine that land, it won’t be able to use its current special use permit to mine their land.

Attorney Dittman said that this is one of the very few times that a Court of Appeals has overturned a BOA decision, and the first time he can remember it happening. He said it is of interest to Lyons because of its close proximity to the town.

After a very lengthy and brisk discussion about camping permits in Lyons that went on way into the night, the town board decided to ask staff to come up with some parameters for campsites in Lyons. The board wants to define the number of campers that constitute a campsite and the size of the campsite in terms of how many tents can be on one campsite. Attorney Dittman has been asked to create an ordinance to define what constitutes a campsite in the parks.

As of now, six people qualify as a campsite and several tents qualify as a campsite, but the board wants to tighten up the definition and perhaps allow fewer campers and tents on a campsite.

Due to the lateness of the meeting, it was decided that the board would hold a special meeting on April 22 to pass an ordinance on first reading to define campsites. There will be an executive session at 6 p.m. on April 22 and the special meeting to define campsites will be held right after the executive session.

In other news the town passed an ordinance to change the language in business licenses issued by the town. The issue came up when the town board wanted to revoke the business license from the former Lyons Den Restaurant and Taphouse on Main St. in Lyons for violating its liquor license, as well as incurring Continue Town on Page 13

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REDSTONE • REVIEW

APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

LYONS Lyons Fire Protection District swears in new Fire Chief Peter Zick

By Marya Washburn and Susan de Castro McCann Redstone Review LYONS – On March 25, 2021, the Lyons Fire Protection District officially swore in Peter Zick as Lyons Fire’s new Fire Chief in a small open air and virtual ceremony that included several Town of Lyons representatives and Lyons Fire Personnel as well as representatives from our neighboring fire departments.

Chief Zick moved here from Tucson, Arizona where he retired from the Tucson Fire Department in 2018. But he is a relatively young 52 years old, so he decided to dive back into fire fighting work. “It gets into your blood,” he said.

Zick is not new to Colorado. He worked in Colorado in 2000 with the Castle Rock Fire Department. From there he went to Cripple Creek Fire Department where he worked for four years. “That fire department in Cripple Creek was made up of both volunteer and paid people, so I am familiar with working with that situation. Fires don’t know the difference between paid and volunteer fire fighters. Everyone has to have the same training.”

Lyons Fire Protection District Board President Paul Davidovich spoke to Peter Zick taking over the leadership role at the department. “Lyons Fire Protection District is full of dedicated, talented and enthusiastic firefighters. While this has been a very difficult year for our department, as well as for first responders all over, Lyons Fire is ready to move forward and answer the call of the fire service.”

Chief Zick was officially sworn in by Judge Christen Brown and was given his Chief’s pin by his family. Interim Chief Steve Pischke, along with representatives from several other local fire departments including Hygiene Fire,

Lefthand Fire and Boulder Rural, is an exciting time for any fire dehelped celebrate the transfer of compartment. It means a change in mand. leadership, new ideas, a new leaderThe Chief is moving here with his ship style and a new vision for the wife and his 12-year-old twins, a boy future. I look forward to meeting and a girl. They have rented a house everyone in our community and in Longmont after trying but not building strong relationships to finding a house to rent in Lyons. His make our community better, and as21-year-old daughter will join them suring that the Lyons Fire Protecin September. “I’m looking forward tion District continues to provide to us all being together,” he said. the best possible service to our comChief Zick is here by himself until munities.” he takes off in a few weeks to head He is currently in the process of back to Arizona to collect his family. interviewing 14 new volunteer reChief Zick thanked the Board, cruits to be potential firefighters in Lyons community, firefighters and the department. their families for their support in Zick also spoke to the strength Lyons moving forward. He also of the fire department and the imtook a moment to thank Interim portance of our community. “I will Chief Pischke for his service. Peter Zick has been sworn in as Fire do everything in my power to build “There is one other person that de- Chief of Lyons Fire Protection District. the security of trust, respect and serves a huge thank you: Fire Chief dedication in everything that I do Steve Pischke, who was the Inbecause I realize that those importerim Fire Chief before me. Your commitment, mentor- tant feelings are earned, not granted. It is my goal to alship and dedication were paramount in keeping the ways build a sense of family in our department and to Lyons Fire Protection District on track and moving in never let anything break that down. Our mission will althe right direction... On behalf of myself, and the mem- ways be to help any member of our fire department and bers of the Lyons Fire Protection District, we thank you always help anyone in our community. ‘Our family, helpfrom the bottom of our hearts for your leadership.” In- ing your family’ will be my charge from this day forward.” terim Chief Pischke will remain on with Lyons Fire as our Fire Marshall.

Marya Washburn is the public information officer and LieuChief Zick went on to say, “The pinning of a Fire Chief tenant with the Lyons Fire District.

The Lyons Garden Club’s first Garden Tour countdown begins

By Sara Erickson Redstone Review LYONS – The “Mountain Blooms” tour is your chance to tour some of the most unique and enchanting gardens in Lyons.

The tour is set for June 19, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This exclusive tour is thoughtfully curated by the Lyons Garden Club and includes stunning private and public gardens. Details for each garden destination will be listed on the ticket/program and on the Lyons Garden Club website.

The tour has wonderful home gardens in town and surrounding areas, so folks can enjoy a farm along St. Vrain Creek and

Effective governance and responsibilities

By Nick Angelo Redstone Review LYONS – First and foremost, in regard to our Town Board responsibility, it is to guarantee the public health and safety. Is it more important to face the reality of lower park and rec fund balances by limiting and enforcing reasonable attendance in our parks in the coming weeks and throughout the summer?

Yes it is. After all we're not talking about that much money and the parks fund is one of our healthier funds. We limit attendance without being in a COVID pandemic, so it’s illogical to think that we wouldn’t take the additional steps while cases are on the rise again with more virulent strains spreading.

Do we enforce code provisions and contract terms that have been agreed upon? We must. Enacting ordinances without enforcement is a formula for disrespect both for staff and the Board of Trustees. The same is true of contracts that have been signed be-

tween the town and any individual or business. It is the sworn obligation for the Board of Trustees to uphold conditions of any contract or agreement, not to place “any” business above the interest of the town. What’s good to the Town is good for any business, not the other way around. To make exceptions for a misguided “business friendly” policy is to err disproportionately against the interest of the Town.

Of course, the Town must honor its obligations as well. The integrity and “word” of a municipality are the foundation of its governing principles. There was an attempt led by misinformation and a lack of creativity to usurp a long-lasting agreement that thankfully was corrected. The first option on that issue would not have been to deprive citizens of a long-understood agreement, but how we could solve it creatively.

The litigant posture and having that path be the answer to any disagreement should stop. It is costing our Town dearly and we have more important items to spend the funds on.

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Sara Erickson is a member of the Lyons Garden Club and writes columns on their events.

Nick Angelo became a Lyons Trustee in 1996 and won his first term as Mayor in 1998. His current term as Mayor began in April, 2020. He and his wife Candace, a local artist, live in Lyons.

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It is still somewhat frustrating to not meet in person and to rely on ZOOM meetings. Hopefully that will change before our terms have expires. In regard to COVID, we still need to be vigilant and to care for one another. Stay safe, be happy, get vaccinated.

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On the bright side, the 2nd Avenue bridge is well on its way to completion. The Bohn Park ball fields will soon be in use, and the 4th Avenue bridge design will be forthcoming for public comment. The schedule has been accelerated and it will be joyous to have our neighborhoods reconnected. Also, the project will include the all-important safe routes to school component.

We have several infrastructure projects that will be completed soon. A water and sewer project, mapping and color coding our fire hydrants, depending on water pressure and upgrading water line pressure which was accomplished on 5th Avenue. Chief Peter Zick, our new Fire Chief, well understands the importance of issues like this and also, the importance of mitigating fire danger around homes, especially ones bordering open spaces. The PCDC will also be bringing a comprehensive fire plan before the Board of Trustees soon. In light of last year’s fires this is incredibly important.

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EventBrite website page for the tour. A link to the EventBrite site will be posted on the club website: www.lyonsgardenclub.com.

The tour will be a major fundraiser this year for the Lyons Garden Club. The traditional fundraiser for the club has always been the chili cook-off, which is held at the same time as the Spooktacular parade.

This year, due to Covid, the chili cook-off was canceled. Funds raised from the tour will go to support garden club planting efforts and purchase of supplies and materials and continued support of other gardening projects in the town of Lyons.

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then head uphill for a magical mountain garden. In town, people can stop at gardens from Stone Canyon to downtown sites. Visitors can park downtown and take a break at one of the fine eateries and shops in town.

Local businesses are on board with the tour and several are providing sponsorship or donations for the tour. Several businesses and local artisans have donated items for a special drawing which will be held for participants.

Registration will be through EventBrite and will launch on May 1. There is no purchase price for tickets, however donations will be gratefully accepted. Instructions on how to donate can be found on the

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APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 3

TOWN STAFF Dave Cosgrove, Parks and Public Works Director, celebrating 20 years with the Town of Lyons

By Kim Mitchell Redstone Review LYONS – Picture yourself in April 2001. iPhones, Zoom and FaceBook hadn’t been created yet.

The Colorado Avalanche were on their way to a Stanley Cup winning season. The birds were surely chirping and spring was in the air.

Dave Cosgrove, the Parks and Public Works Director, joined the Lyons Team in April 2001. When he first arrived in Lyons 20 years ago, he appreciated the incredible amount of natural amenities in Lyons, which was one the key reasons he took the job. Originally Cosgrove moved from Iowa (go Hawkeyes) to Boulder with the dream of working in sports management and administration at the college level or professional level.

But that all changed when he applied for the job in Lyons and took a field walk in town and in the parks and saw all the natural potential. In 2001, Lyons had and it still has an incredible expanse of natural amenities, which never gets boring and was a bit of an empty palette you might say. The southern expanse of Bohn Park was privately owned and music festivals at Planet Bluegrass were in their early years.

Cosgrove worked on many projects including a land swap with the St Vrain Valley School District to create the current multi-purpose field and restrooms near the high school. Other projects with significant impact which Cosgrove was involved in included the Dog Park, the Dirt Jump Bike Park and Raul Vasquez Stage in Sandstone Park. He worked with the 2000 Parks and Open Space plan and worked with the Parks and Recreation Commission to revise and update it with the 2008 Parks and Open Space Plan. Cosgrove wrote the grant for the Olson Property acquisition as part of the Boulder County and Picture Rock trailhead and connection.

In addition, Cosgrove was instrumental in working to Clarification for March/April Redstone In the March/April issue of Redstone Review a statement on the page1 story said: “Ultimately the plant produced more bio solids that it was supposed to and was less energy efficient than it was supposed to be in the original plans. The plant was using more energy than before the upgrades were in place and creating more bio solids to be removed.”

It would be more accurate to say that: A main problem with operations at the new plant has been that in many months there has been a high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the influent wastewater entering the plant. The measured BOD influent level exceeded the permit limit (705 pounds per day). As a result, to process the higher-than-expected BOD influent, the plant had to be run more than expected, increasing operating costs and accelerating depreciation of plant components. (But note that the influent BOD level has been within permit limits within the last 1.5 years.)

The output of the plant – water released into the river – has been below permit limits. What Lyons has discharged into the river has been fine. What’s come into the plant (at times) was higher-BOD level influent than desired. In other words, the plant was able to process the highBOD influent it received, but it just cost a lot to do it. .An issue in the Honeywell suit is whether Honeywell should have designed the plant for higher BOD-level influent.

It’s true that higher-BOD influent can produce more sludge needing to be hauled away (so more cost), but the origin of the problem isn’t what the plant produces, it’s the influent flowing into the plant.

formalize paid parking in the parks for revenue generation and operations and maintenance. At the time Meadow Park (now LaVern Johnson Park) only had tent camping and Cosgrove helped to expand the RV camping area too.

So much progress was being made. In 2013, with a dozen years of tenure with the town, it may have felt like smooth sailing ahead. But Mother Nature reminded everyone she is always in charge and it was apparent with the natural disaster created in Lyons from the 2013 flood.

Rather than giving in or giving up, Cosgrove saw the event as an opportunity. Like many staff, he learned quickly about natural disaster planning, resiliency, the Federal grant recovery process and so much more. While there were times that were surely nerve wracking, challenging and just a bit frustrating, Cosgrove noted that flood recovery and the work that goes with it has been truly rewarding overall. It required a great deal of public meetings, listening to feedback and input, sharing information regarding the 30 percent, 60 percent and 90 percent design plans for so many public areas that were destroyed or severely impacted.

Cosgrove had always been able to see a larger picture view, in this small, optimistic town which he notes has great people and residents who really care.

Yes, there have been hiccups and hurdles along the way, but headed into his 21st year working with the town, Dave Cosgrove is optimistic about what is ahead.

Some of the upcoming projects that are on his radar include the grant funded 4th Avenue Pedestrian Bridge over the North St Vrain Creek as part of the Safe Routes to School project between the Lyons Elementary School and the Middle/High School, which is in the design phase currently. In addition, the town was recently awarded Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) funding for park improvements to Black Bear Hole and the 2nd Avenue Trailhead Access. As part of the 2016 Master Parks Planning Process, there could be lights for baseball on the Bohn

Above:This is the ADA fishing access ramp in Bohn Park, constructed as part of the flood recovery project.

Below:Concrete deck being poured at the 2nd Avenue Bridge, still under construction. Completion is hopefully very soon, scheduled for June 2021.

Baseball Field, an expanded dirt jump bike park and replacement of the slack line that had been in Bohn Park.

As the Town begins to assess what spring and summer 2021 will look like in Lyons, with a post COVID lens, we wanted to recognize Dave Cosgrove for 20 years of commitment working to make Lyons a better place to live, explore and recreate. If you happen to see him out and about, give him your best.

Kim Mitchell is the Director of Community Programs and Community Relations for the Town of Lyons.

Utilities update: Almost all electric meters will soon be replaced with new meters

By Aaron Caplan Redstone Review LYONS – The electric meter replacement project is estimated to be finished by April 23 with over 99 percent of the town’s 1,100 electric customers getting new meters.

There have been some questions from the public on the new meters about the RF, radio frequency, or wireless signal they send out.

The town selected a system where the meters communicate with a central base station and not with each other.

Many other systems use a mesh network with meters all talking to each other. On our system the meter transmits a signal at an interval the town sets, currently once an hour, to the main base station and that is it. According to the company website, https://sensus.com/rf/, “Data from a large smart meter deployment using Sensus technology indicates that the typical meter transmits less than one sec-

ond per day and that 99.999 percent of smart meters transmit for less than one minute per day.” Radio frequencies, RF, are emitted by wireless routers or laptops, cell phone, wireless baby monitors, garage door openers, microwave ovens, cordless home phones and even from television, radio and satellite broadcasts.

The electric lines on 2nd Avenue are now underground from Railroad to the 2nd Avenue bridge. We are waiting on the required conduit to be placed in the new bridge to finish the connection through the bridge to connect to the existing underground electric at the entrance to Bohn Park.

Communications companies must wait for the bridge work before they can put their lines underground and remove the remaining wires that can be seen along 2nd Avenue.

A six-inch Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) in 5th Avenue was replaced. It did require some additional work to remove the manhole and open up the road but was still Continue Utilities on Page 15

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REDSTONE • REVIEW

APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

INTEREST Earth Day River cleanup scheduled – We need your help

By Dawn Weller Redstone Review LYONS – Established in 1970, Earth Day is celebrated worldwide on April 22. The event was created to give voice to Weller the many environmental concerns in the United States and across the globe. Today, 193 countries actively participate in civic engagement and volunteer events for Earth Day. In Lyons, we understand that every day is Earth Day. To usher in Earth Day, the Sustainable Futures Commission (SFC) is organizing a St. Vrain river cleanup on Saturday, May 1. Join local residents and

volunteer your time to band together and tackle litter in the St. Vrain River corridor in town and help with the river cleanup. The St. Vrain River is a treasured resource for all of us and a healthy community starts with a healthy river. Clean rivers provide everything from clean drinking water to recreation opportunities to fish and wildlife habitat. The St. Vrain cleanup is a visible way our community can celebrate and participate in Everyday Earth Day. In addition, Can’d Aid will be providing bags for trash pickup.

The cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, May 1, from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers should meet at the Bohn Park concession and restroom building at 9:45 a.m. At that time, you will be assigned a cleanup area

and provided with a waiver form. Trash bags will be provided by Can’d Aid. More information and reminders will be sent out in Town E-blasts. We’re looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, May 1 (rain or shine).

What to wear: • Clothes that can get dirty or wet • Study shoes (no sandals or flip-flops) • Long pants or high boots to avoid scratches What to bring: • Gloves • Sunscreen and water bottle • Hat • Mask and social distancing (per Boulder County COVID-19 guidelines) Questions: contact Ben Rodman at

Join in Lyons DIG Days on the first Friday of the month

By Tess McDonald Redstone Review LYONS – The first Lyons First Friday of the month DIG Day took place on Friday morning, April 2. What are DIG days you ask?

DIG Days (DIG stands for Doing Immunity Good) is a local grassroots opportunity which allows you to dig in fresh earth and work together with others to build immunity, community and help the town stay pesticide free. As “diggers” we help the Town stay on budget and fulfill the promise of keeping our parks safe from pesticides.

As you know, pandemics are real, desertification is real and by helping prevent unhealthy behavior we do our small part to create a Life Culture (as opposed to a War Culture: pesticides are a remnant from a remarketed weapon leftover from WWII, according to LivingHistoryFarm.org).

There are whole countries where masks were part of daily life before the pandemic; or over-use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides/herbicides have only compounded

Rumi Hollingsead, age 6, on the left and Meran McDonald, age 7 doing their part and having fun at a previous DIG. the countries’ desertification problems. We are so fortunate to live in a county, state and town that values human health; and because of health conscious Lyons-ites, like

you, that’s not going change. No one will be exposed to drift or make barren ground with spraying again; and we will go back to the safe weed management of the past.

Our priorities every month are: 1) remove a different Colorado Noxious Weed on List A or B, 2) educate, and build community, 3) share tips that benefit the landscape.

During this spring month of April, we tackled diffuse knapweed. Montana has had a heck of a time with this invasive. It’s too bad they keep spraying because you really need to remove the seed heads. Super easy to identify, it looks like miniature thistles that turn to burs in fall. If you have some at home, it comes up very easily in spring, but good luck removing it in summer.

Next month, our focus will be on thistle.

If you have a thistle problem come join us and learn how to get rid of it once and for all.

To educate, we encourage parents to bring their children and get them involved in the process (FYI – don’t forget gardening gloves for the kiddos). Kids love to

A volunteer from last year’s cleanup Lyons Town Hall (brodman@townoflyons.com) or 303.823-6622 x22.

Dawn Weller is a member of the Sustainable Futures Commission. She lives in Lyons. help when other kids are helping. Let’s see what kind of fun we can have in the parks together: elders meeting kids, parents meeting other parents, etc.

Lastly, we hope to share and give tips to preserve the landscape. For example, if we weed too much around riparian areas we are contributing to erosion. For this reason, we only pull List A or B weeds there, a dandelion can help a lot around the river but a barren bank is asking for trouble.

If you want to get involved in boosting your immunity, and your town’s health, come to Lavern Johnson Park on the first Friday of every month at 9:45 a.m. Meet by the zipline. You will need gloves, digger, bucket or bag and perhaps a coffee mug if you want to enjoy a cup of local business goodness before or after the DIG. Hope to see you Friday, May 7.

Tess McDonald is a member of SOSWAP, she continues reinforce the importance of a natural ecosystem. She’s been in Colorado for almost 20 years (originally from South Bend) and has a master’s in Education. She currently studies an alternative education system and enjoys skiing and gardening with her family.

Botanic Gardens holds plant sale fundraiser

By Jessie Berta-Thompson Redstone Review LYONS – The Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens (RMBG) in Lyons will be holding a plant sale fundraiser on Saturday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the patio at the gardens.

Proceeds from the sale will go towards supporting this year’s ambitious planting plans. We will be selling an assortment of beautiful, pollinator-beloved flowers native to Colorado. These plants will be mostly perennials in fourinch pots, all species that we’re also planting in the gardens. Other items for sale will include T-shirts with our logo and a small selection of annual hanging baskets of colorful Million Bells plants.

In addition to its much appreciated fundraising function, this event also serves the RMBG’s broader mission to share our enthusiasm for planting native Colorado

plants. The sale gives Lyons’ gardeners easy access to these plants, and our volunteers will be on hand all day to make recommendations and swap gardening tips. Visitors will be welcome to explore the gardens while they shop, and hopefully some of the plants planted last year will be showing off spring blooms. Payment will be accepted by cash, check, or credit card. For the safety of volunteers and visitors, we ask that while in the gardens people wear masks and practice social distancing. The RMBG’s main entrance is located along the path to Bohn Park just south of the corner of Prospect St. and 4th Ave. Although there was no sale last year due to pandemic concerns, this yearly plant sale fundraiser dates back about a decade, when the RMBG was an idea without a place to plant, slowly saving up for a garden. Previously the sale was held at Steamboat Mountain Natural Foods, which used to occupy the corner of High St. and Highway 36.

Continue Plants on Page 15

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APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 5

OPTIONS Beyond Main Street: façade updates, energy efficiency programs, transportation improvements, Main Street architect

By Brianna Hoyt Redstone Review LYONS – The national Main Street program consists of four pillars: economic vitality, promotion, organization, Hoyt and design. Each pillar is focused on improving downtown districts.

Design is meant to foster an inviting and inclusive atmosphere through historic character and creating accessible public spaces. The Town of Lyons is known for its quaint historic downtown, picturesque parks and open spaces, and engaging public artwork. Enhancing our downtown district is also a great way to attract tourists to Lyons as a destination.

In 2018, the Town of Lyons applied for funding through DRCOG (Denver Regional Council of Governments) for transportation infrastructure improvement funding along Broadway/U.S. 36. The town did not receive funding in the original funding cycle. However, in late 2020, Lyons was informed that the Broadway/U.S. 36 transportation project had made it to the top of the list for federal funding and award.

Currently federal funding will cover $2.154 million, and the town will need to

Main Street, Lyons. Photo courtesy Lyons Redstone Museum. commit $303K towards the project. Upgrades and improvements to Broadway include constructing sidewalks, activating the frontage area, adding a multimodal/bike lane, and adding 51 new parking spaces. This project would improve pedestrian access to the businesses fronting Broadway and would improve safety for cyclists. The town will also be building the 4th Avenue pedestrian bridge over the North St. Vrain this year, replacing the one that was washed away during the flood.

As Lyons continues to develop and grow, making financial options available for businesses is important. The Revolving Loan

Fund is a great opportunity for local businesses to improve their storefronts or expand. The Revolving Loan Fund has been a successful program since it first began in 2013 and was instrumental for business after the 2013 flood. Lyons businesses can apply for a loan of up to $10,000 for business expansion, façade improvement, equipment purchases, and working capital.

While the Revolving Loan Fund is managed by the Town, the applications are reviewed and approved by a committee of local volunteers. There is currently nearly $70,000 available to lend for local businesses based in Lyons.

Celebrate and embrace how we are all unique this Pride Month

By Janaki Jane Redstone Review LYONS – Last June, to show that we are a community of belonging and inclusion, Wide Spaces Community Initiative and Jane its members spent a lot of their own money and many hours of their time to put out hundreds of LGBTQ+ flags in the planters around town (with both Town and local businesses’ permission).

Afterwards, someone or someones systematically removed and destroyed all the flags in the dark of night. Some cowards and bullies were so threatened by the very idea of people who are different from them that they stole and destroyed the flags.

This cannot be who we are. We are fortunate to live in a beautiful place surrounded by neighbors who we appreciate and relate to. What we don’t know about our neighbors is if they feel that they really belong and are welcomed here. There are many kinds of differences. Some are noticeable, like what we call race, or skin, hair, or eye color, or height, or an accent.

Some differences aren’t that obvious, like religion, sexual orientation, political

beliefs, mental and physical illnesses.

Everyone who has a difference of any kind has probably felt discriminated against or even punished and rejected because of it.

Think back to when you felt different and like you didn’t fit in. Maybe it was worse than just not fitting in. Maybe you were ridiculed, rejected, fired, threatened or even physically attacked because of this difference about you. Maybe you have seen in real life or in movies or on the news how people are threatened, harmed, rejected, even killed because of being different. We all know how that feels. It feels terrible. When it happens, we are scared, angry, we feel diminished, rejected, demoralized, traumatized.

That is what the person or people who took those flags were trying to do to us. They were trying to diminish, demoralize and frighten those who identify as LGBTQ+.

They were trying to divide us and to make their own beliefs dominate us and our town.

But we are bigger than that here.

We live in a fairly homogeneous town, here in Lyons, and most of us have friends and acquaintances who look a lot like we do. Because of this similarity between ourselves and our neighbors we may tend to think that we are all alike in other ways. But

we probably aren’t as similar as we think.

The number of same-sex couple households in Lyons has increased by 300 percent since the year 2000. Now 14 percent of our neighbors are same-sex couple households. That’s just the heads of house-

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In 2020, PACE (Partners for a Clean Environment) launched a program to help small businesses upgrade equipment and lighting to more energy-efficient options.

PACE is planning on relaunching this program again in late spring of 2021. This program can help restaurants upgrade their equipment and other businesses upgrade their lighting. If you want to stay updated on PACE’s offerings, sign up for their newsletter at https: // www. pacepartners. com/ get-started/.

Boulder County and the State of Colorado continually launch grant programs to help industries recover from COVID-19 and to help support economic growth. You can sign up for the Small Business Association’s newsletter at https://www.sba.gov/ to stay updated on stimulus options for small businesses. Lyons has several new businesses opening and exciting development happening this year. Take some time this spring to support local and spend time in Lyons’ downtown.

holds who choose to live and identify in that way. Many families in Lyons have both minor and adult children who do not embrace the traditional binary way of identifying themselves; they choose to call themselves “they” or to wear clothing that is “gender fluid,” or they reject the sex they were assigned at birth entirely.

Gender diversity cannot be seen by skin color or the kind of car you drive. It’s invisible, just like most religions, and mental illnesses, and political leanings, unless someone chooses to make it visible. If and when they do choose to make it visible, as is their right, it is our obligation as a community to support them in that choice. We don’t have to like how others identify themselves, but if we are to live together in harmony, it is essential that we support their right to be who and what they are, in safety and without fear of rejection, discrimination, or physical harm.

This is why we take action to commemorate Pride Week and Pride Month. We honor Pride Month to support our fellow residents who have felt the sting or worse of rejection, threat, or physical harm because of their sexual orientation.

We also do it to remind ourselves that as a community of rational, compassionate people we need to accept everyone as they are and welcome them into our public Continue Pride on Page 15

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PAGE 6

REDSTONE • REVIEW

APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

EDUCATE It’s a big vaccination day for Lyons

By Lory Barton Redstone Review LYONS – I’m writing today, live from LEAF’s community COVID vaccination clinic. What a joyous day. I wish you were Barton here to experience the hope and energy here at Lyons Community Church today. I’m going to do my best to share this day with you now because this is an occasion you really don’t want to miss.

I applied for the opportunity to host a community vaccination clinic under Governor Polis’s “Vaccines for All” program just a couple of weeks ago. Our team was thrilled when we learned LEAF had been selected to host a clinic. We were allotted 250 doses for our community. And then the work began: We had just over a week to plan and make it happen.

Ellen Keane joined the team, and got busy immediately. She led all of the appointment scheduling and many of the clinic logistics. It was complicated because we wanted to ensure everyone in the community received first priority before we opened appointments to people outside the 80540 zip code. Keane collaborated many times a day with our liaison with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Moving around the clinic space all day today, she paused to say, “This opportunity came to us just about a week before the clinic day.

It was a big scramble to pull it all together.

But it’s more than worth it today!”

As an experienced vaccination clinic nurse, Sue Wratten joined our lead team, too. She provided expertise in the lead-up to the clinic and now she is volunteering as one of our four vaccinators. Her husband, Steve, volunteered to help folks access the online vaccination application. It was a family affair for the Wrattens.

Our team sprinted through a very busy week as we figured out how to do this Big Thing, as we learned how to host a health clinic in just a week. And now here we are, welcoming over 250 people on this sunny spring day. Gratitude and love are reverberating throughout our space. It sounds like the happiest party in a very long time. I’m delighted to share just a few glimpses of this wonderful day: During their observation period following their vaccinations, Jeff and Edna Christy said, “We’re super excited to be part of the vaccination effort to get us towards some kind of immunity.”

Wim Marsh, whose wife is LEAF’s board chair Tricia Marsh, came out today, too. He says, “It was easy, the staff was so friendly, and it’s great to see the community coming out to be vaccinated.”

LEAF volunteers Mark and Pam Browning took advantage of the beautiful weather to remind everyone in town about today’s important event.

Carrying a huge sign that says “COVID Vaccine Today in Lyons,” they visited our local businesses and parks. Pam reported that they met the new park hosts at Lavern Johnson Park, and they also visited with a local

family enjoying the park. When the Brownings returned to LEAF, both the park hosts and the family they had met were already here, awaiting their jabs. A couple of businesses sent their employees over for vaccinations, too.

David and Brittany Lynch were vaccinated together today as their children watched. Brittany Lynch shared, “Today is my birthday and getting this vaccination was my secret birthday wish!” Well happy birthday, Brittany. We’re so glad to make your wish come true today!

Volunteer Ashley Pearce welcomed every one of our clinic guests with a smile and a “Congratulations!” as she checked them in on the sidewalk in front of LEAF. She even recruited a passing Uber driver to come in for his jab!

Our LEAF team of volunteers went the extra mile and made a plan to transport people to the clinic if they needed a ride.

They also made it possible for people with serious mobility challenges to receive their vaccines curbside. Patty and Bruce McNichol came to take advantage of our curbside offering. After he received his shot, Bruce said, “I can’t believe this happened. I never thought I would be able to receive this vaccine.” Friends, isn’t this what it’s all about?

Matt Decker, who works as a distiller at Spirit Hound, was excited to be here. “I was super duper nervous this morning because I tend to be concerned about health things. Now that I’ve had my shot, I’m so relieved, and I’m looking forward to getting back to life again. It’s so exciting to see everyone here and coming together, protecting each other and the community.

It gives me some hope for the future!”

If this terrific day is any indication of the good things that are coming our way, then we all have cause for great hope.

Thank you, Lyons, for the ways you support LEAF both financially and with your heart. I offer so many thanks to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the 10 personnel who staffed our clinic. I offer huge thanks to our amazing team of LEAF volunteers, too.

This will all happen again on May 8 when everyone returns for their booster vaccine!

What an honor for all of us to serve our community in this way. My heart is filled to overflowing. I hope yours is, too.

Lory Barton is the Executive Director at LEAF, Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund. Having previously served with local and international non-profit organizations, she’s glad and grateful to partner with so many at LEAF to change our small corner of the world in the greater Lyons area.

Top to bottom, left to right: Indispensable team members and volunteers, and happy vaccine recipients:Ellen Keane, Sue Wratten poking Gabry Cornell, Ashley Pearce, Pam and Mark Browning. Wim Marsh, Matt Decker, Edna and Jeff Christy, Bruce and Patty McNichol, David and Brittany Lynch and family. Above: The LEAF Team

APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 7

INSIGHT What does it mean to “get back to normal?”

By John Gierach Redstone Review LYONS – Is it too soon to be asking what a post-pandemic world will look like? Probably, because we’re not there yet and if we’re not careful we may never get there at all. Still, things are opening Gierach up – for better or worse – so it’s impossible not to wonder what comes next.

It seemed to take forever, but suddenly everyone I know who’s my age, and some who are younger, have at least had their first shot of vaccine and an appointment for their second, and many of us are now fully vaccinated.

That means we’re at least two weeks past our second dose and are now, as a friend recently put it, “95 percent immune to common sense.”

Another friend said he was days away from getting his second dose and was looking forward to “busting loose.”

I’m a month past my second shot, but busting loose isn’t how I’d describe my behavior. It’s more like I’ve crawled out from under my rock, squinting and blinking in the sun, and am now cautiously taking a look around – not entirely convinced that things are as safe as some think they are. I was talking about that with a local artist friend the other day when he said, “You’re a worrier, aren’t you?” That’s not how I see myself, but at least in the life and death context of the pandemic, I had to admit that, yes, I worry that Americans have finally become so stupid that they’ve become a danger to themselves and others.

Still, you do what you can. I’ve been out fishing in places that are within a day’s drive from home, but some friends and I are now heading over to the west slope to spend a few days fishing a river we like. It’ll be the first time in a year that I’ve stayed in a motel room or eaten on-site at a restaurant and the first time we can all pile into the same crew-cab pickup instead of driving our own vehicles and meeting on the river.

It feels sinfully irresponsible to arrive in two or three big pickups when one would do, but it’s been necessary for social distancing. But now, as fully vaccinated adults, we

B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 1

Track and Field: Please stop by Mr. Roberts’ room (#15) and sign up so we can share all the necessary information with you soon. There are currently optional practices happening after school Monday through Friday from 3:15 until 4:30 p.m. for those not already in a sport.

Please see Mr. Roberts or Coach Bant-Cogburn with any questions.

Students: Do you need a place to study?

LYONS – Take advantage of our Friday dropin opportunity for middle/senior students who wish to come to the building and work in a quiet designated work space on Fridays.

You must sign up.

have the blessing of the CDC to gather inside, unmasked, in small groups. Of course, once you’re out on the water, all bets are off. The silver lining this last year has been that trout fishing was the only safe thing you could do.

The flip side was that Colorado sold 90,000 more resident fishing licenses last year than in the year before, so there were days when it was hard to find a rock to stand on.

Then the following month I’ll fly to Bozeman, Montana to meet some other friends and fish a river up there for a

week. We’re all vaccinated and we’ll be staying in a cabin on the river, but it’ll be my first flight in over a year, so I called a friend who just flew to Texas on business. He said flying was the same as before – loud, crowded, tedious and annoying. He added that everyone was wearing masks, but that the six-foot rule was being universally ignored, which made him feel a little claustrophobic.

I couldn’t reach my old travel agent to book a ticket and have to assume that her small sole proprietorship was a casualty of the shut-down. (I hope it was that and nothing worse.) When I called someone else and asked if she’d be in her office that day, she said she’d been working from home for a year, the office was closed and in fact the building had been torn down. I suggested it might be time to update her website, at least the part where it gave her lo-

Meeting up with new Fire Chief, Peter Zick LYONS – Our new fire chief, Peter Zick and I (Susan McCann from Redstone Review), arranged, through email, to have an introductory meeting not long after his swearing-in ceremony. We decided to meet at Station 2 on Blue Mountain Road. We arrived at about the same time and he punched in the combination to the door, but it didn’t work.

Me: “It’s a trick. Your staff just wants to test your super powers.” He tried a few times and then produced a key.

Zick: “This is my super power.” He tried the key but the key didn’t work.

Me: “No, they probably want you to climb on the roof and find the secret door.”

Zick: “I’ve been on a lot of roofs, but not at the fire station. Don’t cell phones work out here?”

Me: I laughed. “No, many things don’t work out here. ”

cation and office hours and said she was currently “open.”

And yes, I know I can book flights myself online, but I figure if I want this to be a world with travel agents in it, which I do, then I’m obliged to use them once in a while.

Plus, I like the convenience.

People keep talking about getting back to normal, but I’m not sure normal as we remember it will come rushing back in spite of the efforts of some to force the issue. There was a big baseball game in Republican-controlled Texas recently with a live audience of over 38,000 fans. Masks were required for anyone over age two, but, according to the Washington Post, the vast majority of people went mask-less. And this at a time when only a fraction of the population is vaccinated, variants of the virus are on the rise and cases are spiking again in dozens of states.

What is it with Republicans? They stopped being the loyal opposition during the Clinton administration, became immune to shame or embarrassment soon thereafter and have long since given up on democracy in favor of minority rule, but I missed the moment when they became a full-blown death cult.

After a year, I’m used to wearing a mask in public – or maybe “habituated” is the word – and I’m now often able to read facial expressions on only half a face. Have you noticed that when someone is out of breath or a little excited their mask will begin to throb like a frog’s throat? I’ve also gotten better at reading eyes, although that’s easier in some cases than in others. Most people’s eyes really are the windows of the soul, but with some the shades are drawn, the lights are out and there’s clearly no one home.

But even here on Colorado’s Front Range, where mask wearing has been closer to universal than in many other places, I’m seeing more and more people going without and the sight of so many strangers’ naked faces seems vaguely obscene.

Now that I’m vaccinated, maybe I should learn to wear my immunity like a super power and stroll among unmasked mortals with an air of imperviousness. But as a worrier, I’m more likely to dutifully mask up, keep my distance and hope for the best. In the meantime, I’m going fishing. Wish me luck.

It was cold out so we decided to go to fire station 1 to talk in his office. I followed him there. The combination worked and no extraordinary measures needed.

Zick: “You’re right, it was a trick. They added something to the combination at Station 2 and no one told me.”

We talked about his former jobs, his family, new recruits and other things. You can read the discussion on page 2, Lyons Fire Protection District swears in new Chief. Chief Zick has a lot of experience, even on fires in Colorado. I think he will be a great asset to the Lyons Fire District. He has offered to write a monthly column for the Redstone to update the community on the fire conditions all throughout the fire season. Look for the column to start in May.

Summer School Opportunities LYONS – Project Launch: Middle School is a two-week, eight-day summer focus program

for current sixth and seventh grade students.

The program provides an opportunity for students to master grade-level content in math and language arts, and participate in STEM extension activities.

Dates: July 26, 2021 to August 5, 2021 (Monday to Thursday); Time: 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Transportation, breakfast, and lunch provided; No costs to enrolled students.

Transition: High School is a two-week, eight-day summer focus program for incoming ninth grade students. The program provides an opportunity for students to master grade-level content in math and language arts, and participate in SEL community-building activities that help students in making the transition to high school and provide them the opportunity to build relationships with peers and staff.

Dates: July 26, 2021 to August 5, 2021 Continue Briefs on Page 11

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PAGE 8

REDSTONE • REVIEW

APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

OPPORTUNITY Donations to Redstone Museum include a clock made before 1920 and an 1800s hitching post from the town of Noland

By Monique SawyerLang Redstone Review LYONS – The history of the Lyons area was recently expanded with the Sawyer-Lang donation of three items to the Redstone Museum.

Jean Peila donated a Boy Scouts of America certificate given as a gift on behalf of the Fred Dirkes family, and a clock and a hitching post, given as a gift on behalf of the Peila family.

The Boy Scouts of America certificate, dated October 31, 1940, identifies the sponsoring organization of Troop 61 as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The certificate identifies Jean Peila’s father Fred Dirkes as the Chairman; J. H. Havens and John Lall as the Scoutmasters: and M. W. Downie as the Assistant Scoutmaster. Fred Dirkes originally came to Lyons in 1925 and operated Dirkes Lumber Company. The Lyons Boy Scout troop has had an on-again, off-again history in Lyons, but is known to have had an active troop as far back as 1916.

The clock, made by the Sessions Clock Company of Forestville, Connecticut,

(Left to right) Three recent donations to the Redstone Museum: A Boy Scouts of America certificate, a clock, and a cast iron hitching post in the shape of a tree trunk. originally hung in the first/second grade classroom in the building that now houses the Redstone Museum. The four-room schoolhouse consisted of combined grades: first/second, third/fourth, fifth/sixth, and seventh/eighth. The clock was given to the Peila family by school custodian Lyman Sanford around 1950 because the building had too many clocks and this one was no longer needed.

Research into the Sessions Clock Com-

pany shows that the company was started January 9, 1903 by William E. Sessions and Albert L. Sessions. The clock is a pressed-oak regulator clock with a paper label on the back identifying it as a GENTRY model. A regulator clock is a wallmounted, weight-driven clock regulated by a swinging pendulum. This type of clock was commonly referred to as a school clock. The Sessions Clock Company phased out this type of clock by 1920, so

Celebrating Earth Month at the Community Library in Lyons

By Kara Bauman Redstone Review LYONS – April is Earth Month and here at the Lyons Community Library, we’re taking our love of Mother Earth to the next Bauman level with the installation of a solar array on our roof. The desire for solar has been with us since the early design phase of the new library, and we were finally able to secure funding sufficient to proceed at the end of 2020. The library is contracting with Sandbox Solar of Fort Collins, and in the coming months Sandbox will install a roughly 25kW array on the south-facing roof. Our ultimate goal is energy neutrality, but we also seek to be both an environmental steward as well as an educational resource for those in our community who are curious about solar arrays on their own homes. Additional details will be shared as the project develops.

Speaking of energy usage, do you know how much energy your appliances use? A Kill A Watt energy meter is a great way to find out and the library has one available for checkout. Simply plug an appliance into the Kill A Watt to assess energy efficiency. Calculate your home’s cumulative electrical expenses and forecast by the day,

week, month, even an entire year. Also check the quality of your power by monitoring voltage, line frequency, and power factor. Now you’ll know if it is time for a new refrigerator or if that old air conditioner is still saving you money.

We all love Lyons for its artsy roots, and the library is happy to announce some upcoming artsy programming. First, we invite you to feast your eyes on some, well, bad art. On Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. via Zoom, we’ll welcome Louise Reilly Sacco, the Permanent Acting Interim Director of the Museum of Bad Art, for Bad Art 101.

The Museum of Bad Art collects, exhibits, and celebrates art that will be seen in no other venue.

Since 1993 they have collected art from thrift stores, yard sales, sidewalk trash, and even the artists who created it. They analyze, compare to classic art, and share with thousands of fans around the world. In this introduction to Bad Art, you will discover unique pieces such as portraits that mistakenly resemble celebrities, utterly inaccurate human bodies, and unrecognizable famous landscapes.

Don’t miss this evening of culture and comedy as we preview MOBA’s fascinating collection, delivered with insightful, pithy, and often humorous commentary. Please visit the library’s website (lyonslibrary.com)

Colorado poet Lucy Simpson will lead a workshop in the library’s celebration of National Poetry Month. to register.

On Saturday, April 24 between 9 and 11 a.m., the library is teaming up with the Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission to celebrate National Poetry Month with a workshop led by Colorado poet Lucy Simpson. Simpson will guide participants in a virtual poetry workshop that is sure to spark creativity and help you get your inner poems on paper. The workshop is designed, in part, to be a generative inspiration for poems to submit for the LAHC’s

we know this clock dates from between 1903 and 1920.

The hitching post, used for tying up horses, is made of cast iron in the shape of a tree trunk with two branches forming loops at the top. This hitching post was originally from the town of Noland and was removed around 1940 and given to Lou Peila, Jean’s father-in-law.

Noland, originally homesteaded in 1887

by W. Efraim C. Cox and officially platted in 1890, was a thriving quarry town in the hills about four miles north of Lyons. The population of Noland ranged from 800 to 1000 during its 28 years of existence. The up-and-down economy of the sandstone market and a lack of water eventually spelled the end of the town. The final death knell of the town came when the post office closed in 1918.

Research on the hitching post indicates that posts of this style date from the late 1800s, which correlates with the dates that Noland was in existence. The Peila family believes the post may have originally been painted black but was well worn off when Jerry Peila received it from his dad, Lou Peila. Jerry then painted it the current green and red color.

All three of these items, which contribute to the social, educational, and economic history of the Lyons area, now have a permanent home in the collections of the Lyons Redstone Museum.

Poetry in Public Places contest, but that won’t be the only focus.

Instead, participants will create poems, have fun, and generally celebrate National Poetry Month. While geared toward adults the workshop is family friendly, but registration is limited. Please visit the library’s website to register.

Students in grades 6 to 12 can also celebrate National Poetry Month by picking up a Blackout Poetry Take and Make kit from the library between April 15 and April 30. Blackout poetry involves using discarded book pages to create a poem from found words and “blacking out” the rest. Kits will include examples, book pages, and one black marker to keep. Submit a photo of your poetry on our Instagram page – @lyonscommunitylibrary – for all to see and to be entered in a drawing to win a poetry compilation.

We’re so thankful for those who visit the library. Call 303-823-5165 or email info@lyonslibrary.com to schedule your 30-minute appointment to browse, check out materials, use a computer, or print. Currently, we are open Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.; Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon until 6 p.m.; and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 1p.m. Curbside services are available during all open hours.

We’re always open on the web at lyonslibrary.com or in your CloudLibrary or Libby apps.

Committed to Lyons in the good times, and when the going gets tough

By Tanya Mercer-Daty Redstone Review LYONS – At Lyons Community Foundation, our commitment for Lyons runs deep. Through good times and tough times, we are committed to serving the greater Lyons area and the people who Mercer-Daty call it home. In the good years, we love to connect with our friends and neighbors at our beloved summer concert series in Sandstone Park or enjoy the fireworks after the Holiday Parade. In times of crisis, we are

thankful for local agencies such as the Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund for responding to local needs with programs such as the Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels or Mental Wellness and Addiction Recovery.

The Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) was established in 2007 when several area residents saw the need for a locally based philanthropy and began the hard work of setting up the Lyons Community Foundation. John Burke, Gary LaFever, and Rick England, among others, were key in laying this groundwork. Connie Eyster and Christy Crosser were the first Advisory Board cochairs. LCF was established under the umbrella of the

Community Foundation of Boulder County and remains one of their funds.

The reasons for having a locally based nonprofit included the ability to address the unique needs of a small and diverse community. There are projects that otherwise could not occur given the budget and constraints of a small town. Also, it gives local businesses and individuals a go-to centralized resource to help and enhance their community.

At no time was the need for a local foundation more critical than during the flood. Because LCF existed, the Continue LCF on Page 10

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APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT So exciting, the library is open again

By Sally King Redstone Review

King

Thousands of flowers, thousands of notes, thousands of tears

By Sally King / Redstone Review Our beloved store on Table Mesa A King Soopers A place where I shopped When Boulder was my home Is now a shrine to our dead.

The fence around the store Is a visual outpouring of love Thousands of flowers and love notes With balloons floating above For a moment Our beautiful valley.

Letting ourselves feel Letting the tears fall.

The words, Boulder Strong are everywhere on new construction on 30th Street, a 50-foot banner Expressing our love In words that just found us.

Instinctive, tribal, relational We feel it.

We grieve it.

I find myself humming gospels Songs my grandmother sang Reaching for roots Strong roots, Boulder Strong.

We need rituals like flowers and songs to reconnect us to our souls sometimes.

Ho’oponopono is a Kahuna chant Very old and very powerful.

“I love you I’m sorry Please forgive me Thank you, thank you.”

The library is open again and not too busy, just give them a call, and they will most likely say, come on over.

I am book dependent, happiest when I have a good book to read.

What a joy to have a book recommended and share a bit of camaraderie with the librarian.

Books are often a surprise taking me to a place that I didn’t plan on going.

of reference!

I was drawn by the cover of Handsome A child with squared bangs and braces, who’s subtitle is , Stories of an awkward, girl (slashed out) boy (slashed out,) human.

And speaking of humans Have you seen the Lyons Sign, on the way into town on the right, HUMANKIND – be both!

I love our town.

Sally King is a local artist who has created whimsical bears and delightful wild flower acrylic paintings to enhance the appearance of Lyons all over the town. She lives with her husband John King, a kinetic sculpture artist, near Lyons.

Don’t miss the nonfiction section It is an invitation to wider circle

Arapaho memorialized in Lyons artist’s mural

By Cristina Trapani-Scott Redstone Review LYONS – Recently at Western Stars Gallery, Lyons artist Mary Magdalena unveiled her most recent work, a four-byeight-foot mural called Arapaho Trapani-Scott Encampment. The painting, inspired by the 108-acre property she purchased in 1992 along the Little Thompson River off Blue Mountain Road, depicts the indigenous people who lived in this area in the middle of the 19th century.

“I felt at home on this land the minute that I walked upon it,” Magdalena said. “I soon met my neighbor to the east who came riding with his two sons on horses along the creek... like a scene out of the old west! We became fast friends. He shared with me the tipi rings that were in our properties as well as many artifacts.”

For Magdalena, that was the beginning of understanding the Arapaho history of the land. That was also the beginning of her artistic exploration into the history of the land.

Magdalena did immersive research, camping out on the land as well as learning further about the history of the Arapaho people in this area.

Arapaho Encampment is one of the largest works that Magdalena has done as she has begun to move more toward mural work. “I intended it to be a memorial to them and their life before the settlers came and took over what had been their home and way of life for many generations,” she said.

She hopes the painting will find a home in Lyons where residents and visitors can enjoy it as well as be reminded of this history of the area.

This is not the first mural Magdalena has painted.

While she has been painting for 18 years, within the last year, she began researching murals. She discovered fluid acrylic Chroma Paint from the U.K, that is suitable for outdoor works, and she began exploring larger works.

“I loved the challenge of how to create depth with such a flat paint,” Magdalena said. “Now I am hooked on this way of expressing myself. I also had to train my eye to work into this eight-foot-wide span.”

She has embraced the large format and said she has discovered that this is where she feels the most authentic as an artist. The land is what inspires her. It inspired her to create four large murals of the Northern New Mexico landscapes where she lived for 10 months before returning to Colorado.

The murals hung in vacant buildings in Las Vegas, New Mexico. They were so well received by the community that the town purchased the paintings through a Go Fund Me campaign. The paintings have since become part of the permanent collection at Highlands University and will be featured in the new Amazon Studios series “Outer Range” that is set to air in January of 2022.

Magdalena is largely a self-taught painter. She has a degree in art education from the University of Northern Colorado and taught art at all grade levels. She also taught art for 10 years through her Hygiene Art/ Farm

The unveiling and presentation of Mary Magdalena’s mural Arapahoe Encampment. PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS

LYONS ARTS EVENTS The Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission (LAHC) has a call for submission for poetry from community members that explores the theme of “Finding Joy and Beauty in Lyons.” The contest is part of the LAHC’s Poetry in Public Places initiative. Select poems from the contest will be choices for display throughout the Town of Lyons. To learn more about how to submit visit the Lyons Poetry in Public Places Contest page at the Town of Lyons website at https://www.townoflyons.com/721/Lyons-Poetry-in-Public-Places-Contest.

There is new art for the community to enjoy at LaVern Johnson Park. A new hempcrete sculpted piece by artist Eileen Coughlin Turnbull titled Cultural Crossroads was installed on one of the shelters in the park.

The LAHC is continuing its Lyons Baby Bell fundraiser. Bells can be purchased for $3 at Western Stars Gallery, 160 E Main St. Funds raised will go toward Lyons arts programs.

Continue Arapaho on Page 15 PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS

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PAGE 10

REDSTONE • REVIEW

APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

FORWARD Town Hall Zoom meeting is held to answer questions on proposed Lyons Solar Farm

By Brittany LeMarc and Lee Hall Redstone Review LYONS – The first Lyons Solar Farm virtual town hall was held on Thursday April 1. There were 24 attendees including a good turnout from the residents of Lyons.

The Zoom meeting was hosted by the University of Colorado Denver Solar Farm Feasibility Study team, which provided a short presentation detailing the project.

The U.C. Denver team is Mauricio Chavez, Brittany LeMarc (me), Kevin Riker, Chandler Kitson, Elvia Martinez and Omima Abdoun. All six will be graduating in May with Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degrees. The Town of Lyons has partnered with the student team and the Lyons Utilities and Engineering Board (UEB) to create a solar farm visibility study. The objective of the solar farm is to supply five percent of the of the electrical needs of the town or Lyons.

The presentation covered general knowledge of how a solar farm works, an overview of all the sites considered while concentrating on the four most feasible options, and a brief summary of agrivoltaics. A large portion of the meeting was dedicated to collecting feedback and answering questions.

The power point presentation from the meeting is available at tinyurl.com/2btuefkf. Here is a partial list of questions and paraphrased answers from the meeting: Question 1: Can you explain why the parking lot would be the best location for agrivoltaics, and not the bike park or dog park locations?

Answer: Public vehicle access is not available at the bike park or dog park locations.

Question 2: How many acres of the 10-acre dog park would be needed?

Answer: Approximately one acre of land would be needed.

Question 3: How will the solar installation be paid for?

Answer: Residential and commercial rate payers will pay for the system just by paying their electric bills as they do

normally. No rate change is planned while the system pays for itself – which is expected to take about 20 years. The system would be warrantied for 25 years, but could produce nearly free energy for the remainder of its 40- to 50-year life cycle. That low-cost energy could save Lyons’ rate payers hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run.

Question 4: What are the pros and cons of siting the solar farm within town limits versus somewhere else?

Answer: The pros of siting it outside of town limits include not consuming open space – of which Lyons has a very finite amount. The cons include increased cost. The costs of leasing or purchasing land along with the legal agreements and transmission costs would likely preclude the financial viability of the project.

Question 5: Will town residents need to vote to change the use of some of the proposed areas?

Answer: Yes for the site in Bohn Park, which is zoned Parks and Open Space (POS). No for the dog park, which is zoned Municipal Facilities and Services (note: some

zoning maps incorrectly show it as POS). While the risk of a “no” vote is real, the cost of using the dog park location is high – both financially and in terms of impact on contiguous tracts of open space.

The next town hall will be on Thursday, April 15, 2021 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Zoom link is: ucdenver. zoom. us/j/91290801881. All Lyons community members are encouraged to attend. The more perspectives, questions and concerns that are shared, the better the project can be planned and designed to suit the whole community.

The feasibility study team plans to cover the same information as the first presentation to ensure that any citizens that missed the opportunity of attending can have all their questions and comments addressed. They will also be adding information on rough cost estimates for the three main sites, which are located within Bohn Park and the dog park.

Brittany LeMarc is a student at U.C. Denver and will receive her B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering and a Construction Management minor in May 2021.

Lee Hall is a member of the UEB, works with the U.C. Denver student team and a local computer technician who handles many of our computer disasters and deadline challenges.

This group of UC Denver students will work with the Town of Lyons to create a solar farm feasibility study. They are (left to right, top to bottom) Mauricio Chavez, Brittany LeMarc , Kevin Riker, Chandler Kitson, Elvia Martinez, and Omima Abdoun. All six will be graduating in May 2021 with Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering degrees.

Last year was extraordinary for grants. LCF granted a total of $101,000, which is more than double the amount the non-profit typically grants. Due to the pandemic, an extra $58,000 was awarded for COVID-19 support both for local businesses and individuals. In a typical year, LCF grants $40,000 for Community Support Grants (about $30,000) and Scholarships (about $10,000). Human Services such as LEAF’s programs (Food Pantry, Meals on Wheels, Basic Needs & Resource Matching, Mental Wellness and Addiction Recovery, Lyons Volunteers) received $22,700.

Community connectivity, which covers the Holiday Parade of Lights and the Sandstone Concert Series through the Town of Lyons as well as the public art sculptures on display on Main Street and historical exhibits at the Redstone Museum, totaled $8,350. Local garden clubs received $2,700 to help beautify our community, one flower at a time. Last but not least, seven senior high school students received $8,500 in grants to attend college.

At left, the Vasquez Stage in Sandstone Park, a project made possible in part with LCF grant money. Pictured is Arthur Lee Land on stage at the Lyons gathering and candlelight vigil for the 10 people lost in the March 22 shooting in Boulder. A beautiful sunset graced the evening.

PHOTO BY CATHY RIVERS

Unfortunately, all community events and fundraisers were cancelled last year due to the pandemic. This only exacerbated the results of our efforts to increase our revenue to offset expenses. Thank goodness for the generosity of the community. When we appealed to locals to help businesses, they contributed to the Lyons Share Fund.

When we made a direct appeal at the end of the year, local residents stepped up again to make sure our grant cycle and scholarship fund were going to be preserved for 2021.

We cannot overstate the importance of the reliability and predictability of a monthly contribution, especially in times of crisis. We call our monthly donors Community Builders because building a better community is at the very heart of our mission and because their ongoing gifts make our work possible.

Please help us meet our goal of adding 25 new monthly donors at $25/month. That’s less than $1/day, but it can make a huge difference to this community we all love. Become an LCF Community Builder today, by setting up your monthly donation online at www.lyonscf.org/donate.

Tanya Mercer-Daty is the new Marketing and Communications Associate for Lyons Community Foundation. She has lived in Lyons for the past eight years with her family. Feel free to contact her at tanya@lyonscf.org.

LCF Continued from Page 8 “Rebuild Lyons One life at Time” grants program was able to spring into action, awarding over $1M to local residents and businesses when they needed it most. Funds were given out within three months of the flood to address critical needs.

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis, the Lyons Community Foundation launched “The Lyons Share – a small business economic relief fund” in partnership with the St. Vrain Market. The fund, seeded with proceeds from the market and matched

by LCF, was designed to help local businesses survive the impact of COVID-19’s forced business closures.

With the added donations from the Town of Lyons and area residents, the Lyons Share Fund provided 42 local businesses with $1,000 each.

As a community foundation, LCF’s main purpose is to raise money to support a diverse range of projects and populations in order to improve the quality of life, build a culture of giving and encourage positive change in the greater Lyons area. By offering a centralized source for fundraising, nonprofits can focus on their projects. Thanks to LCF’s Community Support Grants, eight local non-profits received $28,500 in community support grants to put towards 15 separate projects which focus on four key areas: community connectivity, human services, youth investment and local ecology.

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APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 11

CONSIDER Orphaned rabbits to be lodged at new Bunny Hotel at Greenwood

By Mysti Tatro Redstone Review LYONS – Beyond being cute and fluffy, wild rabbits are an essential group. These lagomorphs are an integral part of the ecosystem. Colorado has several species of lagomorphs: Eastern Cottontail, Tatro Desert Cottontail, Mountain Cottontail, Snowshoe Hare, Black-tailed Jackrabbit, and Whitetailed Jackrabbit.

Lagomorphs are small mammals, classified by four incisors on their top row of teeth. They have strong back legs that allow them to scamper, and they dine on mostly herbaceous and woody material. The Eastern Cottontail is a well-known member of the lagomorph order and an urban species that rehabilitators often treat in Colorado.

Rabbits prefer habitat that many neighborhood communities offer, like low bushes with intermittent swaths of open space. This leaves them ample opportunity to encounter humans. Some of the most frequent rabbit-related injuries result from lawn mower nicks, cat attacks, and falling into window wells. Last year, Greenwood received 277 rabbits due to these types of occurrences.

A major lagomorph rehabilitator in Lafayette is soon to retire, which means these animals would not have a place to go locally when injured or orphaned. Greenwood hopes to fill this need by constructing a new facility specifically for these furred creatures. The addition will enable licensed professionals to rehabilitate 60 orphans at a time and 500 more animals throughout the year. Since 2007, Greenwood has cared for over 80 rabbits from the Lyons area alone.

The rabbit structure needs to be separate from the main building because bunnies can be very nervous patients.

Understandably, while we intend to be helpful and compassionate, we are still seen as potential predators in their eyes. When caring for these anxious creatures, rehabilitators have to be very quiet and minimize touching too

B •R •I •E •F •S Continued from Page 7

An orphaned baby Cottontail at Greenwood. much. The bunny should stay in a room or building away from other animals because the smell of a fox or coyote nearby can be terrifying for them. The consistent stress could harm the rabbit’s health in the long run.

To treat injured lagomorphs, professionals have a multitude of tools to best help. Things like pain medications, antibiotics, IV fluids, flea powder, and nutrient-rich diets can improve the animal’s condition.

Orphaned rabbits require a bit more care, needing handfeedings twice a day. The time it takes to feed 60 babies can add up. Luckily, Greenwood plans to hire additional staff to help get the job done.

The building comes at a crucial time because the in-

volunteer projects in Lyons. They will be hosting a Bohn Park Tree Planting on April 22 and a trail-access project near Stone Canyon project on Monday, April 26.

credibly contagious hemorrhagic disease is shrinking rabbit populations across Colorado. So far, there is no cure.

The rabbits that aren’t affected by this deadly disease deserve to get care. We shouldn’t take them for granted.

Lagomorphs help us by keeping weeds at bay, fertilizing the soil, and satiating predators.

Rabbits gorge on a variety of grasses and forbs, including weeds. When they eat the invasive plants, they help make room for a diversity of other foliage. Even if you don’t mind a meadow of dandelions and clover in your yard, a variety of plants is better for the birds and insects that count on select species to survive. Luckily, a fluffle of rabbits can graze over six square feet of grass per day.

This leaves ample soil space for a variety of seeds to cultivate. It is well known that a bit of animal excrement can act as an excellent fertilizer. The same goes for rabbit droppings. These insatiable herbivores leave tiny pellets of nutrient-rich waste behind, perfect for encouraging speedy growth in your garden.

Rabbits are one of the lower mammals on the food chain. Many different predators rely on rabbits to survive through the winter. Without this food source, we wouldn’t have nearly as many charismatic predators like foxes, coyotes, and bobcats.

For all these reasons and more, Greenwood is committed to helping save these bunnies that would otherwise have nowhere to go. Help us fill the new facility, lovingly coined the “Bunny Hotel.” Before Greenwood admits rabbits, we will need to equip the space for rehabilitation.

Donate to our online fundraiser, Wildlife Wednesday, on April 21 to help make this happen. Together, we can help provide life-saving care to more of our local rabbits.

To donate to Wildlife Wednesday on April 21, visit greenwoodwildlife.org.

Mysti Tatro is the Communications & Marketing Coordinator at Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. For information, call 303-823-8455 or www.greenwoodwildlife.org.

them safe, away from children and out of the natural eco system. For more info call the Sheriff’s Dept. at 303-441-4444.

Recreation classes (Monday to Thursday); Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Transportation, breakfast, and lunch provided; No costs to enrolled students.

Tree planting at Bohn Park LYONS – If you see volunteers out and about, the town has partnered with Can’d Aid for two

Drug take-back day LYONS – The Boulder County substation in Lyons is participating in Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 24. Drop off your unwanted prescription drugs at the Boulder County Sheriff’s Dept. substation in Lyons, next to the Town Hall, so that you no longer need to keep

LYONS – Sign up for one of these fast approaching classes: Women’s Mountain Biking: Mastering the FUNdamentals: This three-week class for those newer to mountain biking is now at a new time, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Thursdays, April 22 to May 6.

Square State Skate’s Afterschool and Saturday Sessions: Fun times at Lyons’ new skatepark. Come learn some tricks with us.

Various days/times available.

Women’s Bike Mechanics: come learn the basics in caring for your bike. Two sessions focusing on different skills are offered, Wednesdays, 5:30 to 7 p.m., April 21 and/or May 12.

New offering: Kid’s Mountain Biking, Fridays, 4 to 5:30 p.m., April 23 to May 21.

Get all the details and links to registration at https://www.townoflyons.com/624/Registerfor-Recreation-Programs.

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PAGE 12

REDSTONE • REVIEW

APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

STABILIZE Elephants have plenty of habitat if spared from the ivory trade, new research shows

By CSU Communications Dept.

Redstone Review FORT COLLINS – Many wildlife species are threatened by shrinking habitat. But according to new research, the potential range of African elephants could be more than five times larger than its current extent.

Due to 2,000 years of human pressure, African elephants have suffered dramatic population declines, and their range has shrunk to just 17 percent of what it could be, say researchers who led the new study published April 1 in Current Biology.

The work was coordinated by Save the Elephants and

included researchers from Colorado State University, Mara Elephant Project, the University of British Columbia, Oxford University, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Stirling and Elephants Alive. George Wittemyer, professor at CSU, serves as chair of the scientific board of Save the Elephants.

The dramatic reduction in range is due to poachers who kill elephants for their ivory and humans encroaching into elephant habitat. Evidence for elephants being drastically reduced in certain regions by the trade in tusks goes back to ancient Rome but reached new levels from the 17th century with the arrival of European traders and colonizers in Africa who fed the demand for ivory. Ivory poaching remains a critical threat to elephants, driving declines across Africa over the past decade.

If released from the threat, elephants still have great potential for recovery into areas where the human footprint is minimal.

“If we can turn the corner and stem the continued declines of elephants in Africa, this work highlights the enormous potential to expand elephant distribution and numbers in their natural habitats across Africa,” said Wittemyer. “It is conceivable that we will be undertaking ambitious efforts to rewild elephants to suitable habitats

identified in this work in the near future.”

The study found that 62 percent of Africa, an area of over 18 million square kilometers – larger than Russia – still has suitable habitat for elephants. This huge zone includes areas where there is still room for peaceful coexistence between humans and elephants, and where they could potentially live but where conflict with people may make it unrealistic.

Satellite, GPS devices helped researchers track elephants’ movements The team used data from GPS tracking collars and satellite imagery to investigate where elephants roam and why. By looking at the extremes of where modern-day elephants live, they learned where elephants had the potential to live today.

“We looked at every square kilometer of the continent,” said Jake Wall, the study’s lead author and director of research and conservation at the Mara Elephant Project in Kenya. “We found 62 percent of those 29.2 million square kilometers is suitable habitat.”

To analyze how acceptable the habitats might be over the entire continent at a kilometer level scale, Wall and his colleagues drew on data from GPS tracking collars fitted to 229 elephants across Africa by Save the Elephants and its partners over a 15-year period.

Using Google Earth Engine, a satellite-imagery computing platform, the researchers examined the vegetation, tree cover, surface temperature, rainfall, water, slope, aggregate human influence and protected areas in the areas the elephants traversed. This allowed them to determine which habitats can support elephants and the extreme conditions that they currently can tolerate.

In the future, the research team aims to further refine the model with regard to the density of human impact that is viable for coexistence between people and elephants and to include the connectivity of habitat to other areas of elephant range.

Where they roam, and where they do not The large swaths of potential habitat include the Cen-

tral African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose forests recently held hundreds of thousands of elephants but today hold only an estimated 10,000 animals at most.

The study also highlighted the extreme habitats that African elephants do not visit.

“The major no-go areas include the Sahara, Danakil and Kalahari deserts, as well as urban centers and high mountaintops,” said Iain Douglas-Hamilton, the founder of Save the Elephants. “That gives us an idea of what the former range of elephants might have been. However, there’s a dearth of information about the status of African elephants between the end of Roman times and the arrival of the first European colonizers.”

Adult elephants’ main predator in the wild are people and elephants avoid humans by staying as far from human activity and influence as possible, which is usually in protected areas.

“Elephants are quick to recognize danger and find safer areas,” said Douglas-Hamilton. The tracking data reveals that elephants living in protected areas tend to have smaller home ranges, probably because they feel unsafe ranging into unprotected lands.

The study found that 57 percent of current elephant

range is outside of protected areas, highlighting the limited space presently reserved for their safety. To secure the long-term survival of elephants, habitat protection, protection of elephants themselves from illegal killing and an ethic of human-elephant coexistence will be essential.

“Elephants are generalist mega-herbivores that can occupy fringe habitats,” Wall said. “Their range may have shrunk, but if we gave them the chance, they could spread back to former parts of it.”

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APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

REDSTONE • REVIEW

PAGE 13

LOOK AHEAD Beavers shape the land Editor’s Note: This column ran in 2017 in the Redstone Review.

By Greg Lowell Redstone Review LYONS – It started small: just a carefully constructed dam of entwined sticks, branches and rocks that blocked a side channel of the St. Vrain River. Within a month, the obstruction reached from one Lowell side of the river to the opposite shore.

The beaver’s new pond was now complete.

Beavers along the Front Range are rare. They’ve been trapped and shot for the damage they cause to agricultural fields. Where this particular beaver came from is unclear. Young beavers will be kicked out of their parents’ lodge and forced to find their own niche, and my best guess is that this one made its way upstream, found the streamside willows and alders to its liking and so settled in.

Too often we use anthropomorphic terms to describe animals and with the beaver that’s easy to do: they are often called “nature’s engineers” and are described as “industrious.” And who has not used the term “busy as a beaver?” The large rodents (45 to 60 pounds) have a single-mindedness in damming streams and felling trees. But the fact is they are only responding to natural urges to create ponds for their homes and gather food.

Beavers are generally divided into two types: those that live in lodges of sticks and mud in their created ponds and those that live in excavated homes along large rivers and lakes – so-called “bank beavers.” (The current resident of the St. Vrain is the latter type; there’s no lodge but rather a tunnel under the roots of a riverbank silver maple.)

A pair of beavers will produce three to five young each year, which will eventually leave to establish their own homes. Beavers generally live four to five years and are preyed on by bears, mountain lions and bobcats. The occasional outbreak of tularemia can also destroy entire colonies up and down a river drainage.

Changing the landscape Aside from humans, no creature has a greater ability to affect a landscape. They create rich wetlands, make open meadows in the woods and provide unparalleled wildlife

habitat. Beaver ponds store water and prevent erosion and flooding. The ponds provide habitat for fish, amphibians and birds. The constant cutting and regrowth of brush and trees along a beaver pond’s fringe provide food and shelter for birds, mammals and amphibians. Eventually, a beaver pond will silt in, the beavers will outgrow the available food and the pond will be abandoned. In its place a meadow will grow on the rich silt left behind and a vibrant meadow of grasses, brush and trees will take its place.

The subject beaver of this article is a boon to the river’s fishery. The large impoundment of the river has no doubt provided refuge for fish and insect life from the annual “sweep” of the river conducted by the Highland Ditch Company, wherein the company diverts every drop of the river from January to March. (Colorado’s uniform absence of a minimum flow standard is a well needed subject for another time.)

American beavers. Fortunes were made on the unsustainable harvest of beavers and by the mid-1800s, beavers were on the brink of extinction.

Fortunately, the popularity of the beaver hat declined when silk hats became the latest fashion rage, and beaver populations began a slow rebound. Yet even today it is estimated that beavers occupy only 10 to 20 percent of their ancestral range.

Colorado beavers Here in Colorado, beavers are mostly found in the high country. While an occasional beaver may be found along the Front Range, the riparian habitats they need have largely been usurped by agriculture.

Beaver harvest is regulated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The last accurate data showed trappers took 1,147 animals in the 2012-2013 season. Harvest numbers have been declining not necessarily because the numbers of animals has declined, but because fewer people are trapping – a trend seen across the United States.

Colorado residents have come to recognize the value of these animals for their creation of wildlife habitat and water storage. In fact, beavers are being introduced in some areas like South Park where they are used to improve fish habitat and raise the water table for ranchers and farmers.

A 2003 Washington state study found that streams with beaver ponds produced 60 percent more fish than those without beavers. The ponds boost insect populations and vegetation and provide flood control, keeping woody debris from being washed away.

Gone are the days when a beaver was only recognized as a source of hat material. Instead, we now realize its great value as a creator of healthy habitat for fish and wildlife.

Lyons’ resident Greg Lowell is a Lyons Town Board Trustee and serves as a liaison to the Ecology Advisory Board.

Long before humans arrived in North America, beavers flourished, including a Pleistocene Age version that was as big as a small automobile. Native Americans used beaver for both food and for their hides, but it wasn’t until European explorers and settlers arrived that the fortunes of the prolific rodent took a turn for the worse.

Hats spelled demise Long recognized by European haberdashers for their value in creating felt for stylish hats, beaver pelts were becoming rare in the 1700s as the animals were trapped near to extinction in the Old World. But as colonies were established in the New World, the exploitation of North American beavers began in earnest. French, Dutch and English established trading companies. Steel traps and guns, combined with Native Americans’ knowledge and their willingness to trade, spelled near doom for North

Town Continued from Page 1 some Colorado Health Department violations. The language in the business license was very vague and the board wanted to tighten up the wording to make it easier and clearer how a business license is revoked when it is found necessary.

Lacuna Botanicals is perhaps moving into the space vacated by Lyons Den. This is a Lyons-based CBD manufacturing company that is currently located on 5th Avenue.

Administrator Simonsen said that bears are in the area now and both businesses and individuals are responsible for their trash. She said that when bears get into trash, they are usually exterminated and we don’t want to kill bears. Use bear proof-trash bins, please.

For the Mother or Graduate in Your Life...

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PAGE 14

REDSTONE • REVIEW

APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

WHAT’S COOKIN’ Variations on pizza; the sky’s the limit

By Barbara Shark Redstone Review LYONS – In this column, I hope to inspire the cook with a few basic recipes to create their own dishes. For instance, Shark use the tart dough from a past issue to create any sort of quiche or vegetable tart. Substitute what is in the fridge to prepare a dish uniquely yours.

The waffle recipe I presented can be made into pancakes. Or substitute one or two of the flours with others you like. Be brave and try something new.

One of our favorite meals is pizza. Talk about variations. The sky’s the limit here.

Just don’t pile too many wet ingredients on your crust if you want a crispy counterpoint to the cheese and other toppings.

I mix this pizza dough first thing in the morning and set it to rise on the countertop all day. A long, slow rise makes for a flavorful, chewy crust. Use this recipe for a delicious flat bread. Brush with olive oil,

sprinkle with flaky salt and simply bake without toppings.

For one pizza serving two to four.

Proof one teaspoon of dry yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Add one half cup plus two tablespoons cool water. (If using instant yeast, simply add it to the flour and use a scant cup of water.) Stir in one tablespoon olive oil. Then add two cups unbleached flour (I put a tablespoon of wheat germ in each cup before adding the flour), and one teaspoon salt. Combine into a moist dough and knead until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until supper time. Punch down if it threatens to overflow the bowl.

I prepare the toppings in advance so they will be at room temperature when I place them on the pizza. Sauté a thinly sliced onion and a red pepper cut into strips, cook a crumbled spicy Italian chicken sausage. Another delicious combination is caramelized onions and sliced mushrooms sautéed with garlic.

I use any cheese I have in the fridge which might include Catamount, cheddar,

Mai Leung’s Yangchow Fried Rice

By Catherine Metzger Redstone Review SAN MIGUEL COUNTY – Mai Leung’s Yangchow Fried Rice is a delicious way to resurrect leftover rice that sits shivering, cold and unloved in your refrigerator. I present you today with a fabulous dish from Mai Leung’s The Classic Chinese Cook Book, first printed in 1987. It has since been updated, but I use her original edition here and recommend all her amazing recipes. One of the great things about this book is the Chinese-English glossary. If you find yourself lost and searching for items in a Chinese food market, you can refer to your needed items in the glossary, and they can help you build your Chinese food pantry.

A couple of warnings with making any Chinese food: have all of your ingredients ready to launch into your wok/large frying pan as the cooking only takes a few minutes.

The prep on this dish, although a bit fiddly, still only takes about 15 minutes. I prep by measuring most of my ingredients into fourounce ramekins and I set them next to the stove so everything is on hand for tossing into this delicious, rewarding dish.

My second warning is: do not substitute ingredients, such as using fish sauce instead of soy sauce, for example, just use your common sense. You can substitute fresh mushrooms for dry, frozen shrimp for

fresh, low salt soy sauce instead of “thin” soy sauce. If you adhere to the ingredients you will not be disappointed. But if you wander off the list and start adding Ponzu citrus sauce, etc., you will risk ending up in recipe failure mode. You should know that Mai Leung is a very precise chef, and her recipes should be followed to a T. You will be delighted if you are obedient to her instructions – the final dish will be fab.

I’ve learned this the hard way, so take my word for it!

Mexican Quesadilla, smoked mozzarella, and/or parmesan, grated to make about 1 1/2 cups. Sometimes I top the pizza with dabs of ricotta.

At supper time, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. On a piece of parchment set on a wooden peel (or the back of a cookie sheet) flatten the dough with your fingertips. Press it into an oval about one half inch thick and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Scatter on half of the cheese. This layer helps keep the pizza crisp.

Top the cheese with a simple tomato sauce: sauté two or three cloves of garlic, chopped, in olive oil. Add a 15-ounce tin of chopped or crushed fire roasted tomatoes, and cook until thickened, 10

to 15 minutes.

Arrange the onions and peppers across the pizza, dot it with the precooked sausage and top with the rest of the cheese. Slide the pizza on the parchment onto the preheated pizza stone or steel pan and bake for about 12 minutes until brown and bubbly. To cook without a stone, press dough into a round pizza pan or shallow tin, top and bake.

water until spongy. Discard stems, cut caps into 1/4 inch squares.

6 oz. Smithfield ham or Cantonese barbecued pork: cut into 1/4 inch cubes Shrimp mixture (mix in a bowl and refrigerate before use) 4 oz. fresh shrimp: shell, devein, rinse in running cold water, pat dry, cut into peanut-sized pieces 1/2 t cornstarch 1/2 t pale, dry sherry 1/3 C fresh or frozen green peas

Stir fry for about 30 seconds.

• Add shrimp mixture. Stir-fry until shrimp turn whitish (less than 20 seconds).

• Add peas. Stir in sauce mixture.

• Break up lumps in cooked rice and add it along with egg squares. Stir-fry for three to five minutes, or until rice is thoroughly hot.

• Swirl in sesame seed oil. Mix well. Put on a serving platter. Serve hot.

• Watch it disappear. Enjoy.

Barbara Shark is an artist and author of How I Learned to Cook, an Artist's Life. She lives near Lyons, Colorado. For more recipes, read her blog at www.howilearnedtocookanartistslife.blog.

Sauce mixture (mix in a bowl) 2 T thin soy sauce 2 t black soy sauce 1/4 t salt 1/2 t sugar 1/8 t white pepper 4 C cold, cooked long-grain rice: cook a day in advance 1 t sesame seed oil

Yang Chow Fried Rice a la Mai Leung Serves 6 to 8; Preparation time 25 minutes 4 T of oil for frying (not olive oil) Egg mixture: beat together until slightly foamy 4 eggs and 1/4 t salt 1/3 C chopped scallions, in pea-sized pieces, including green part 6 Chinese dried mushrooms: soak in hot

• Heat wok (or large frying pan) over high heat. Swirl in 2 T oil for frying. When oil is hot, pour half the egg mixture into wok and swirl it around, spreading it into a thin pancake. Turn pancake when it is set. Remove from pan before it is golden brown.

• Cook remaining egg mixture in the same manner. Cut pancakes into 1/3-inch squares. Set aside.

• Heat wok over high heat. Add remaining 2 T oil for frying. When oil is hot, add scallions, mushrooms, and ham or pork.

Catherine Ripley Metzger has been cooking professionally and privately since 1979. She was a French cuisine journeyman at the celebrated Henri d’Afrique restaurant in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Today she is the proprietor of the food blog www.foodfortheages.com, and Facebook.com/Food for the Ages. Though she cooks every day in a tiny kitchen with a two-burner stove, her recipes are expansive and she dedicates her craft to living large by cooking well in tiny kitchens.

Caregiving is rewarding but can lead to stress

By Bronwyn Muldoon Redstone Review LYONS – We all probably have been a caregiver at some point in our life. A caregiver is anyone who provides help to another person in need, such as an ill spouse or partner, a disabled child, or an Muldoon aging relative. Most likely it was for a relatively short period of time when a family member was sick or had surgery.

During this time, we modified our daily routines to help out with doctor appointments, assist with medication, and make sure the person had everything they needed for their recovery. In short-term situations, the stress level tends to be minimal for the caregiver.

With our aging population and the high expense of nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities and in-home care, one in three Americans are currently helping to care for a family member long term. The rewards of taking care of a family member can be very fulfilling. But for many caregivers, the physical and emotional stress can be overwhelming. It is common for caregivers to have anxiety, feelings of anger, and exhaustion from the daily routine.

Too much stress, especially over a long time, isn’t healthy for anyone, but especially those who take care of others.

Risk factors which can increase the potential for a caregiver’s stress include: living with the person you are caring for; financial difficulties; higher number of hours spent caregiving; and lack of choice in being a caregiver.

For any caregiver, having a support system is crucial in deterring stress and preventing the responsibility from becoming a burden. Taking on all of the responsibilities of caregiving without regular breaks or assistance is a recipe for caregiver burnout.

Ways to avoid caregiver stress: • Accept help from others: friends and family members don’t always know what you may need, so prepare a list of things that would be helpful.

• Embrace the role of caregiver: focus on the positive reasons behind your choice.

• Get connected: find out about caregiving resources in your community. Many communities have classes specifically about the disease your loved one is facing. Caregiving services such as transportation, meal delivery or housekeeping may be available.

• Join a support group: people in support groups can understand what you may be going through and can provide validation and encouragement.

• Give yourself a break: leisure time may seem like an impossible luxury. But you owe it to yourself and the person you are caring for.

Taking care of someone can be very rewarding, but without the proper support system can also be overwhelming. If you know a caregiver, check in with them, ask them how you can help. Giving them some time away from the person they are caring for, picking up groceries or helping with transportation could be very helpful.

If you are a caregiver, please don’t go it alone. There are numerous resources and support systems in place to assist.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Taking care of someone long term is a big responsibility, don’t let is become overwhelming.

Bronwyn Muldoon, a licensed physical therapist, owns Lyons Physical Therapy, 435 High St. in Lyons. Some of the things addressed at her clinic include but are not limited to: acute and chronic spinal pain (back and neck pain), postural dysfunction alignment, sports and performance-related injuries, repetitive/overuse-related injuries, post-surgical rehabilitation, muscles strains and sprains, and physical rehabilitation of all kinds. For more information call 303-823-8813.

APRIL 14 / MAY 19, 2021

REDSTONE • REVIEW

Plants Continued from Page 4 The building owners there installed a native plant garden that is now beautifully established, designed by Kris Todd, an expert Colorado gardening professional and RMBG board member.

Although the exact species available at this year’s plant sale will depend on which plants look healthy and gorgeous at the

wholesale nurseries closer to the date, we’re planning to sell 10 to 15 different kinds, covering a range of colors and planting preferences. We’ve checked availability and are fairly certain to have at least these three wonderful flowers: the Rocky Mountain columbine, chocolate flower, and wild blue flax.

The Rocky Mountain columbine (Aquilegia coerulea) is our iconic state

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Composite deck flowing to sandstone patio with stone fire pit, grill plumbed for natural gas, and professional quality landscaping. Main floor office opens to 2nd patio and large side yard. Plenty of room for the whole family with 4 brs upstairs and 2 down. Perfect mother-in-law setup in the professionally finished basement featuring 2 brs, 2 ba, + living room and kitchenette. Access to neighborhood park just down the street. This one is a peach!

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Nearly flat, circular building envelope is located approximately straight ahead as you approach lot (i.e. below road as it ascends to neighboring homes). Great solar access!

57 Longmont Dam Road, Lyons / $199,500

ONE OF THE LAST UNDEVELOPED BUILDING SITES WITH THE MOST FANTASTIC BACK RANGE VIEW IN THE COUNTY! Build your dream home nestled amidst the pines on this lot just 20 minutes from Boulder.

233 Deer Trail Circle, Boulder / $299,000

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Brand new playhouse in the backyard is great for kids, or could be a fun she-shed!

The backyard also has many producing fruit trees plus a fenced-in garden area.

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PAGE 15

flower that grows wild in the Colorado mountains, found in the dappled shade of aspen groves. Despite its high elevation origins, this plant is a popular and adaptable garden plant, planted far and wide for its stunning spring flowers. It prefers part shade and rich, moist soil. The lacy, delicate foliage dies back in summer. Bees and hawk moths pollinate its impossibly complicated blue and white flowers.

The cheerful chocolate flower (Berlandiera lyrata) gets its name from its delicious scent, which is strongest in the morning. The flowers are yellow, daisy-shaped with red-brown centers.

Once established, chocolate flower plants bloom abundantly and continuously all summer and into fall. These plants are drought tolerant and can handle rocky soils. After each flower fades, it leaves a green cup-like seed head that adds another layer of interest to its beauty. The species is native to the southwestern United States and Mexico, and it can be found growing wild in the southwest corner of Colorado.

The wild blue flax (Linum lewisii) has delicate blue flowers that wave in the breeze on one- to two-foot stems. The flowers open on summer mornings then

shrivel up in the noon heat. It’s a very drought-tolerant species that grows well in sandy, dry soil in full sun. This species is often included in roadside prairie restoration mixes, so it’s common to drive past a cloud of flax blue on Colorado highways.

It grows wild across central and western North America. Many Native American tribes across the Great Plains and West valued this plant, making cords from the long stem fibers, eating the seeds, rinsing hair with a mixture made from its leaves and stems, and using it in many medicinal applications. This American flax is related to the Eurasian annual flax species (Linum usitatissimum) grown for linen, linseed oil, and flax seeds for food and feed.

A quick stroll through the gardens on April 6 showed the wild blue flax planted by volunteers last year in the RMBG Prairie Grasslands garden coming back strong. At this moment, each plant is a clump of bright green growth a few inches high, each stem covered with soft tiny leaves. All over, plants are emerging, promising a beautiful spring and inspiring gardeners to spring planting.

Pride Continued from Page 5

does not happen. Let’s show that we are an area filled with people who welcome and support and respect everyone who chooses to live here, no matter how “different” from us they may seem or feel. We will be posting places to buy flags on our Facebook page Wide Spaces Community Initiative and also have it sent out by eblast. If you can afford to, buy a few and share them with your neighbors, or have someone on your block collect the money and buy them for everyone. Them display them proudly, to show that we are a community of belonging.

spaces and treat them with the respect, dignity and kindness that we ourselves want. We need, as a community, to create the space to listen to and hear them and their experience of the world, and not just assume that everyone experiences life here just like we do.

Wide Spaces Community Initiative invites everyone in town to buy their own Pride flags and display them on their property this year. The flags are then our private property, displayed on private property. Let us sincerely hope that that

Utilities Continued from Page 3 completed in one day. This did improve the pressure and fire flow in parts of town North of Main St. with one hydrant increasing from 900 gallons per minute to over 4,000 gallons per minute. The Town is continuing to work through parts of the water system to improve fire flows from hydrants. The next area of town to be looked into is the area where 1st Avenue, 2nd Avenue and Mountain View all come together.

In the Stormwater Utility we were able to incorporate the upsizing of stormwater pipes in 2nd Avenue from the North side of Park Street South to the creek with the 2nd Avenue bridge project. There will also be additional inlets added in this area. We have the improvements to stormwater drainage on High Street between 4th and 5th that were completed with the project that was done last fall. We now have inlets on High Street that bring the water through buried pipes over to 4th Avenue.

The old street-level culvert outlet that was on the southwest corner of 4th and High Streets was removed keeping that water underground. Capacity was increased on 4th Avenue at Broadway to accommodate the increase from High Street.

Arapaho Continued from Page 9 Kids Camp. She began painting after working in three-dimensional media for several years.

“Then I bought canvases, paints and just did it. No lessons. Just stood there in front of my canvas and asked my heart to paint.” she said.

Jessie Berta-Thompson is a member of the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens Board.

We also had improvement made at 4th Avenue and Evans to improve drainage in that area and we are currently reviewing the design of stormwater improvements at the entrance to Bohn Park. Almost all of this was done with flood recovery funds, with the town adding some in locations to increase the improvements in areas already being worked on.

Switching to wastewater, a new permit for out-treatment facility is ready to be issued. We have been waiting almost two years to make the final connection to the new outfall pipe that was installed because we were told we could not make that connection until our old permit was renewed or a new permit issued.

The town went out to bid to select a contractor to make the final switch to the new outfall. Proposals were due April 12 and we hope to have this work done by the end of the month or early May. Once this is done and we have the new permit we can start to make some additional changes to the wastewater treatment facility that have been waiting for this first step to be completed.

Aaron Caplan, is the Director of Utilities and Engineering for the Town of Lyons.

Not only will Magdalena continue painting her large works, but she is excited to share her talents with the community.

She will soon be moving to Hart Family Farm on Apple Valley Road and plans on painting as well as teaching art to people of all ages. To learn more about the mural or art classes with Magdalena, contact her at mary@magdalena.com.

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