2012-11-15_blackforestnews

Vol. 552 NNo. 339November 115, 22012

35CENTSBuilding Community, protecting the Forest Environment50

Flying W Ranch plans long-term land rehabilitation and will return with an expanded purpose to include not onlywestern food and entertainment, but with a broader mission to blend history, education and land stewardship.

This was the chapel in the back valley of the Ranch. The Waldo Canyon Fire left the Cross standing as well as the entrancetimbers, which both broke off at the wheel decoration. The Gambel Oak the the foreground will resprout, but much of theother “green” in this valley are stems and leaves of yellow toadflax. See pages 6-7 for more on the huge effort to restore the ranch which suffered a severe burn.

Do you want to help? Check out the following websites: ` Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP) www.uppersouthplatte.org

Rocky Mountain field Institute (RMFI) www.rmfi.orgMile High Youth Corps (www.milehighyouthcorps.org

You can also financially support these groups though the current INDY GIVE Campaign www.INDYGIVE.COM

IT’S STILL FREE AT FSB

www.yourfsb.com

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PPaaggee 22 BBllaacckk FFoorreesstt NNeewwss && PPaallmmeerr DDiivviiddee PPiioonneeeerr - TThhuurrssddaayy,, NNoovveemmbbeerr 1155,, 22 001122

DEADLINE4:00 p.m. MondayBBllaacckk FFoorreesstt NNeewwss

& PPalmer DDivide PPioneer, IInc.

Editor/Publisher.............................................Judith P. von Ahlefeldt

P.O. BBox 888088Colorado SSprings, CColorado 880908

Phone: ((719) 4495-88750 FFax: ((719) 4495-88758www.blackforestnews-co.com e-mail: [email protected]

The BLACK FOREST NEWS & PALMER DIVIDE PIO-NEER (057340) is published by Judith P. von Ahlefeldt week-ly at 8255 Forest Heights Circle, Colorado Springs, CO 80908.Periodicals Postage is paid in Colorado Springs, CO. © - contents of this newspaper are copyrighted.POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: Black ForestNews & Palmer Divide Pioneer, P.O. Box 88088, ColoradoSprings, CO 80908.SUBSCRIPTIONS: Hardcopy $25.00 per year in Colorado;$28 per year out of state; 50¢ per copy, SoftcopyCybserscriptions are $10 per year. ISSN # 1527-3067

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Community CalendarNov 17-18 - 6th Annual Alpaca Holiday Extravaganza/ Sat 9-5; Sun10-4. Black Forest Commnity HallNov. 30 - Santa Arrives! Christmas Tree Lighting 6:30 p.m. Shoup andBlack Forest Rd.Dec. 8 - Black Forest Christmas Potluck. Community Hall 6:30 p.m.Dec. 14 - Black Rose Christmas Party - Community Hall 7 p.m.

Black Forest Christmas Bird Counton January 5

The annual AudubonSociety Christmas Bird Countfor Black Forest will be heldthis year on Saturday January5, 2013. This is an officialcount of the InternationalCensus that is done in the twoweeks before and afterChristmas. The Black ForestCount was organized in the1950s by Dr. RichardBeidleman of Colorado

College. The center of the 15- mile

diameter circle is Table Rockin northern El Paso County sothe count territory includesthe headwaters of CherryCreek and Kiowa Creek onthe north side (Platte RiverBasin) of the Palmer Divide,and Black Squirrel,Cottonwood, Sand an Kettlecreeks in the Arkansas Basin

on the south.Teams spend the day in spe-

cific areas in the field, butresidents within the CountCircle can contribute feedercounts from home bird feed-ers.

For more information e-mail <blackforestnews @earthlink.net>. JARROD’S PROPERTY CARE

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College of VeterinaryMedicine & BiomedicalSciences, Texas A&MUniversity.

Decorated Navy SealMarcus Luttrell was the onlysurvivor of a 2005 mission inAfghanistan.

He is considered the “LoneSurvivor” because the mis-sion was the largest loss oflife in Seal history.

Upon returning from com-bat, Luttrell received aLabrador retriever namedD.A.S.Y. to help him copewith the loss of his team-mates.

D.A.S.Y., who died in2009, was an acronym namedafter the first letter in thenames of Luttrell’s fallenteammates.

Dogs can help those veter-ans who have psychologicaland emotional problems,physical disabilities, andthose who need help transi-tioning back into civilian life.

Luttrell is just one exampleof veterans receiving help andsupport from dogs to helpthem transition into civilianlife and if they have disabili-ties upon returning from themilitary.

Transitioning back intocivilian life can be anextremely stressful situationfor many veterans.

Dr. Jean Rubanick, veteri-nary resident instructor atTexas A&M College ofVeterinary Medicine &Biomedical Sciences, saidthese dogs can help make theswitch back to civilian lifeeasier for veterans.

“When a veteran returnsfrom combat they have totransition back to the civilianworld,” Rubanick, an Armyveterinarian, said. “This canbe very stressful for many ofthem. When a veteran isgiven a dog, they have a part-ner that they can depend onand something that dependson them.”

Dogs often offer emotionalsupport for the veterans withproblems such as post-trau-matic stress disorder, which iscommon among veterans afterwitnessing or experiencing atraumatic event.

“They offer emotional sup-port for servicemen andwomen dealing with combatstress, home front issues, andsleep disorders,” Rubanicksaid.

While people can be judg-mental, dogs provide a non-judgmental presence for theveteran, allowing them toopen up more with the pres-ence of the dog.

“Veterans and active dutyservice members are reportedto speak longer and have moremeaningful discussions withmental health professionalswhen the dogs are present,”she added.

These dogs can also betrained to assist wounded war-riors by helping them do taskssuch as retrieve items, openand close doors, and turn offand on lights. Many veteranshave nightmares and can havea dog that is trained to wakethem from the dream.

“Some dogs are eventrained to recognize when a

veteran is going to have apanic attack or seizure,”Rubanick said.

Although some veteransmay buy or adopt a dog, thereare numerous nonprofitorganizations with missionsdedicated to training anddonating dogs to veterans.One nonprofit organization,Patriot Paws, described itsmission “to train and provideservice dogs of their highestquality at no cost to disabledAmerican veterans and otherswith mobile disabilities inorder to help restore theirphysical and emotional inde-pendence.”

These nonprofit organiza-tions are always looking fordonations and volunteers.

Veterans are our nation’sheroes and these dogs areimportant in making theirlives a little better and easier.

They help our veterans tran-sition to civilian life, copewith anxieties, and assist withtasks made difficult by aphysical disability.

Veterans and their dogs

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Bill KappelMeteorologist and local res-ident

Dry and mild weather con-tinued for most of the week ofNovember 5th around theregion.

No precipitation feel fromthe 5th through the 9th as most-ly sunny skies were the rule.

In addition, high tempera-tures reached to above normallevels each afternoon, rangingfrom the upper 50's to the mid60's, about 5-10° warmer thannormal for this time of the year.

Unsettled and colder weatherdid finally begin to affect thearea by the morning of the10th, as a strong area of lowpressure moved through theDesert Southwest and com-bined with some cold air from

Canada. Unfortunately, this storm

system split as it approachedColorado, with one most of theenergy and moisture heading alittle too far north.

Temperatures cooled tobelow normal levels, withsome light rain showersSaturday morning turning tosome light snow.

Most of us only received adusting of snow with this

storm, as the majority of themoisture affected the moun-tains and areas just to ournorth.

The cold air was definitely achange from the previous weekhowever, as highs struggled toreach the low 30's on the 11thafter starting off in the lowteens.

Forecast for Friday,November 16 to Sunday,

November 18Expect dry and mild condi-

tions through the weekend,with gusty winds at times.

Skies will be mostly sunny topartly cloudy with high andmid level clouds at times. Hightemperatures will be a littleabove normal in the to low50's.

The only weather information specificallytailored for the Palmer Divide

Weekly Weatheraround The Divide

POPA’s Assisted Living• In Black Forest• Residential Home• Personalized Care• Dignity/Quality of Life• Locally owned and

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Black Forest Business GroupNow meeting 6 p.m first Tues ofeach month at RnR Cafe & the

third Wednesday at8:30 a.m. at Pies and GrindersAll Black Forest area businessowners are invited to attend.

www.blackforestbusiness.com

Santa For Hire 14 Years experience

Parties, Banquets,Home Visits

Call- Chris, or justask for Santa!

719-684-2061

This fall has been full of cele-brations for students and staffmembers. Our athletic teamsand our high school marchingbands have had successful sea-sons. Air Academy High Schoolwon the Colorado StateMarching Band Championshipfor Class 4A competition, andLiberty High School placed sec-ond in that category. RampartHigh School placed fifth in theClass 5A competition.

The drum line captain fromRampart, senior Jake Lauer, washonored at an assembly in lateOctober. He was the onlyColorado student selected to the2013 U.S. Army All-AmericanMarching Band. He will per-form with 124 other high schoolstudents from across the countryat the All-American Bowl in SanAntonio in January 2013.Congratulations to all of our fallathletes and fall activities partic-ipants for your hard work anddedication and for acts of sports-manship and leadership in yourschools.

New buildingThe Academy District 20

Board of Education voted Nov.1 to enter an agreement to pur-chase a building and property at1470 Chapel Hills Drive. Thebuilding was formerly a pre-school.

It is located directly south ofAspen Valley High School. Ourplans for this location are tomove our Summit Middle

School Program to the new loca-tion in August 2013. TheSummit Middle School Programis an alternative education pro-gram for 30 seventh and 30eighth graders in our district.

The program is currentlylocated in the Education andAdministration Center. Movingthe Summit Middle SchoolProgram to the location adjacentto Aspen Valley High Schoolcreates a seventh through 12thgrade campus for alternativeeducation. The staff members atAspen Valley and Summit arealready planning for the sharedcurriculum and educationalopportunities this move will cre-ate to benefit all of the students.

Another program move willalso take place in August 2013.The Home School Academy thatpartners with our community’shome schooling families willmove to the Education andAdministration Center, 1110Chapel Hills Drive.

This program is currentlyhoused at Chinook TrailElementary. Chinook Trail wasalways a temporary location forthe Home School Academy, andnow after five years, ChinookTrail needs to occupy its entirebuilding to keep serving theCordera neighborhood. TheHome School Academy’s newlocation will also allow for con-tinued growth to serve evenmore families.

The purchase of the building

at 1470 Chapel Hills Driver for$569,000 was possible usingdistrict capital project funds.Any funds needed for remodel-ing the building will also comefrom that account. After the duediligence period for this pur-chase and inspections of thebuilding, we plan to take owner-ship of the building next month.

Looking aheadI hope you and your family

have a restful and enjoyableThanksgiving break. Ourschools will be closedNovember 19-23. Our staff andstudents are grateful for the sup-port we receive each day fromour community and volunteers.Thank you for all you do for thechildren in our schools.

In just a few weeks, we willopen our Choice EnrollmentWindow. You will see moreinformation about this processbeginning in December.

The Choice EnrollmentWindow dates for enrollingfor the 2013-14 school year areJan. 4-Feb. 22, 2013.Remember, the process is notfirst-come, first-served, and weencourage you to explore all ofthe education opportunitiesavailable in our district.

(Dr. Mark Hatchell is thesuperintendent of AcademyDistrict 20. His column is pub-lished each month during theschool year in the Black ForestNews. You can follow him onTwitter @markhatchell.)

Beginner to Advanced • Individual Attention8 Maximum class size

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Watch for deer and other animalson Black Forest Roads! Animalsare still active in the Fall - slow

down - avoid collisions!

BBuuffffaalloo GGrraassss AAccoouussttiicc SSoocciieettyyFriday Nov. 16 at Cowboy Church of

Peyton

5:30 Music Jam andtreats7 p.m. Show begins

Adults - $5.00 Kidsunder 16 - Free!

Family friendly - nosmoking!

Wayne & Arthetta Young(Last show for 2012)

From Black Forest Take Murphy Rd. eastfo Peyton Rd., then 1 mi north

495-0733 or 494-0666 or visit www.BuffaloGrassAcoustic.org


Fri., November 23TAARKA

Western and Eastern folk traditions

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7 p.m. Black Forest Community HallAdults $7.00

Student $5.00

Old Log SchoolPark Fundraiser

Pavers can still beordered. GreatChristmas Gift!Call 495-9396

Theresa Strader, founder ofColorado Springs basedNational Mill Dog Rescuerecognized as a “Hero AmongUs” in the current issue ofPeople Magazine.

Theresa Strader, of BlackForest is a pediatric oncologynurse, wife, mother and doglover. She and her husbandrichard, started the non-profitorganization in 2007 afterTheresa traveled to a puppymill auction in Missouri, wit-nessing in person the miseryof the dogs in a large-scalepuppy mill.

She returned home from thislife-changing experience with13 puppy mill survivors, andcommitted to devote all of herfuture rescue efforts to puttingan end to this cruelty.

Since then she has passion-ately led her organization torescue nearly 7,000 dogs fromcommercial breeding facilitiesacross the country and she andRichard have created a suc-cessful non-profit that net-works with many other rescuegroups across the nation..

Theresa says, “I am veryproud of this recognition andto be acknowledged amongstthe many remarkable peoplewho have received this title inthe past, is truly an honor. AsI’ve said many times,National Mill Dog Rescue isthe story of a thousand heroes,all of the volunteers who worktirelessly every day to carryout the many responsibilitiesthat keep our mission alive

and well and keep our dogssafe and warm.”

Theresa hopes her profile inPeople Magazine will helpspread awareness about thecruel reality of puppy millsand the desperate need forchange in the commercial dogbreeding industry. Her great-est hope is that people willultimately choose to adoptfrom shelters and rescuegroups where so many ani-mals are waiting hopelesslyfor a place to call home.

National Mill Dog Rescue isa Colorado Springs based501(c)(3) organization thatrescues, rehabilitates, and re-homes discarded commercialbreeding dogs from puppymills. NMDR relies on overfourteen hundred volunteersto care for the dogs, from themoment they are surrenderedto the time they are adoptedand beyond.

NMDR has rescued almost7,000 puppy mill survivors,all the while maintaining astrict no-kill policy. Every sin-gle dog that comes throughthe doors is spayed orneutered and given whateveradditional medical care theyneed - without exception.They are groomed, many ofthem for the very first time.Years of filth and matted furare removed, allowing thebeautiful dog underneath toshine. Soon they learn aboutall the simple pleasures thatthey had never previouslyknown – clean water, toys andtreats, a soft bed, and mostimportantly, the love of ahuman companion.

http://milldogrescue.orgFace b o o k :http://www.facebook.com/nationalmilldogrescue

“A Hero Among Us” - Black Forest’sNational Mill Dog Rescue nears

7,000 dogs rescued.

Friends of the Old Log School decorated the historic building last Saturday asthe sun came out while snowflakes drifted down. Photo by Jeanne Mitchell.

Assisted Living at Popas or KettlesFREE RENT for December - Staff CNA , LPN

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Post-Fire Restoration on theFlying W Ranch

Judy von AhlefeldtEcologistPublisher BF News

As the first raindrops inweeks touched the parchedland in the Waldo Canyonburn area last Saturday morn-ing, I drove up the Flying WRanch Road to see the workdone on the burned ranch.

It was a poignant moment ofpromise for recovery of theecosystem we have all grownto expect and appreciate.

People from six dedicated

organizations presented “AWalk through a Waldo burnarea” to share their “work inprogress’ knowledge.

The Flying W Ranchopened its gates, and providedstaff along with staff from theUSDA Forest Service andNatural ResourcesConservation Service(NRCS), and three citizen vol-unteer organizations - CUSP(Coalition for the Upper SouthPlatte), RMFI - RockyMountain Field Institute, and

the Mile High Youth Corps.They built on 15 years of

experience of rehabbing theBuffalo Creek and HaymanBurn areas, refining andadapting the successes andfailures of various techniques.

The aerial mulching ofAugust -September, costing$4.8 million was done only onNational Forest land,upstream from the privatelands along the western edgeof Colorado Springs.

Th private lands must rely

on volunteers, donations andhoped for grant or federalassistance money, for whichthere is high demand follow-ing Hurricane Sandy.

The educational event con-sisted of an introduction byPike-San Isabel ForestSupervisor Jeri Marr whothanked citizens for their helpwith the enormous task ofpost-fire restoration. Shenoted what awesome accom-plishment could happen ifeach of the 32,000 people who

were evacuated could each doone thing - plant a tree, cleanout a ditch, spread seed.....

The region is at 19 per centof average precipitation overthe past two years, the land isbare and burned soils resistwater infiltration. Massiveflooding and movement ofdebris is a very real threat -Marr said she hoped for“come an go rain and snow” -gentle moisture like thatwhich fell that morning..

The darkest areas are rated High Severity ( H - red3,375 ac); Moderate Severity (M - gold (7,286 ac) andLow Severity (L - light yellow (7, 6008 ac). The > -shaped High Severity burn area on the border ofmoderate and low burn areas (arrow) is the Flying WRanch headquarters area when buildings and largetrees burned hot. Lines on these maps define subwater-sheds of Monument and Fountain Creeks.

H

M

Scorched and tangled masses of metal are all that remains of chan-deliers and various western artifacts following the hot fire that complete-ly consumed all but one wooden building (Mariana’s cooking Library) onthe ranch.

A scorched and denuded landscape remains in the wake of the fire.

L


A Community cares for anEcosystem

Harnessing the power ofgeomorphic processes, usingvolunteers, and working with-in the constraints of a limitedbudget is the modus operandifor both short term and long-term restoration.

The Flying W site is a com-bination of large flat areaswhere the ranch facilities werelocated and runoff-producingrock outcrops and short val-leys. All of this is locatedbelow longer and steepertopography with severelyburned soils and vegetation,

some of which is on theNational Forest, and some ofwhich is private.

Geomorphic (land shaping)processes dictate that waterwill run downhill and carryloose decomposed graniticmaterial with it.

The task is to buttress thehillslopes and valleys to slowthe sediment transport processand attenuate the power ofrunoff/

The hope is that MotherNature will not furnish a pre-

cipitation or snowmelt runoffevent that will overwhelm anddestroy the restoration efforts.

The five stations included:Geomorphic Processes andRestoration, HillslopeStabilization, Post FireVegetation, WARSSSAssessment (WatershedAssessment of River Stabilityand Sediment Supply) andHydrology , and Looking atthe Future of the Flying W.

The large Front Range Firesof the past decade and a half

have forced an interdiscipli-nary approach to landscaperestoration involving hydrolo-gists, soil scientists, ecolo-gists, noxious weed experts,foresters, landscape archi-tects, rangeland experts andsocial scientists.

It has brought together high-ly trained people from stateand federal government agen-cies such as the USFS, CSFS,EPA, and NRCS and BAER(Burned Area RecoveryResponse) to work with cityand county staff and experts in

the private sectors whose pro-fessional training contributesmany new ideas.

Hydrologist David Rosgenis a consultant on this project,and many of his ideas fordirecting the geomorphicpowers of water in streamsand rivers, are now beingapplied to hillslopes andravines of upper watersheds toslow and de-energize watermovement and sedimenttransport - buying time untilstabilizing vegetation can healthe burnt land.

The Waldo Canyon fire toasted these ponderosas, killing the needles, but maybe not the living tissues beneath the bark of the trees, which didnot actually burn. There were no ladder fuels here and the pines were protected from below by the masonry of the Indian pueblo. The canvashide of the tepee in the clearing burned, but the poles remained. the Scrub Oak in the foreground will respout from below-ground lignotubers.

Joe Lavorini, demonstrated how log erosion barriers could trapsediment and provide a seed bed for grasses, which were alreadysprouting after seeding about 8 weeks ago. He also poured water onthe burned soils, demonstrating its hydrophobic properties, which willlast for many months.

Volunteers installed a series of cross-veins (cross weirs) madefrom burned logs in the bottom of this short ravine. Sediment isalready filling in, even with the small amount of rain since June. Upfillform this, some strees have been countour-felled (across the slope) toaccomplish the same sediment and water-slowing effect.


Black Forest CommunityUnited Church

of Christ(Corner of Black Forest & Shoup Rds.)Rev. Sam Fisher, 495-2207~Welcoming all People~

Worship 10:00 amAdult Christian Ed. - 9:00 a.m.Sunday School 10:15

First Step Preschool 495-0146www.blackforestcommunitychurch.org

12455 Black Forest RoadPastor: Kenneth D. Hohag 495-2221North American Lutheran Church (NALC)

Worship Services 8 a.m. and 10:30 amNursery Care Provided

www.bflchurch.org

MassesSaturday5pm

Sunday

(11020 Teachout Road)Ph: 495-2351 • Fax: 495-9062Rev. Andrzej Szczesnowicz, Pastor

Our Lady of the PinesCatholic Church

Daily Mass:Tues., Wed., Thurs. & Fri.

9:00a.m. Sat. 4:30 p.m.

Sunday 8:00 & 10:30 a.m. Colorado State University(CSU) Extension is nowaccepting registrations forColorado GardenerCertificate (CGC) training.Classes will be taught by CSUExtension educators. Theseclasses are the same classesthat Colorado MasterGardener volunteers attend.Parks department, school dis-trict and golf course mainte-nance personnel as well aslandscape professionals andinterested homeowners willbenefit from this training.Graduates may display thecertificate in a place of busi-ness and use it in businessmarketing.

Classes will be held from8:30 to 4:00 on Wednesdaysfrom January 16 throughMarch 7 at the El Paso CountyCSU Extension office, locatedat 305 S. Union, ColoradoSprings, CO 80910. Topicsinclude:

· Diagnostics· Entomology (with a

focus on garden insects)· How Plants Grow· Lawn Care· Plant Pathology· The Science of

Planting Trees and IdentifyingTrees and Shrubs

· Soil, Fertilizers, andSoil Amendments

· Weed Management

CGC students may alsoattend up to three “Plus”classes, which are offeredfrom March 12 – March 29thon various days and in variousfront range counties. Plusclasses include:

· Advanced Soils· Diagnosing Tree

Disorders· Pruning

· Trees and Shrubs forFront Range Landscapes

· Water Wise LandscapeDesign

Space is limited and avail-able on a first paid basis.Registration form and a checkpayment of $625, whichincludes cost of tuition, manu-al and training materials, isdue at the El Paso CountyCSU Extension Office byDecember 15, 2012.

For more information, visithttp://www.cmg.colostate.edu/ or call Julie at (719)520-7690.

Extension programs areavailable to all without dis-crimination.

Colorado State UniversityExtension, U.S. Departmentof Agriculture and Coloradocounties cooperating

CSU Offers Colorado GardenerCertificate Training

Once again I would like tothank the Black ForestCommunity for helping tomake Halloween, at LaForetsuch a success. The membersof the Black ForestCommunity Church, whodonated baked goods, candy,small toys and volunteered torun the games. The HomeCare Home Service, ThriveHome Care, Black ForestCommunity Church, DavidPopham and US Bank whodecorated and manned thecabins. The Black Forest FireDepartment who parked hun-dreds of cars and kept thingsrunning smoothly. Miles andRick Holmes who entertained

the children with theirmagic.Sarah Dumler who didsuch a beautiful job of facepainting. La Foret, who gen-erously open their facility atno cost each year, decorate ,provide staff to run thehayride and served the food.Judy at the Black Forestnews, who did such a greatjob of advertising the event.

Last but not least all the peo-ple from the community whohelped with baked goods, andturned out by the hundreds tosupport this event. It couldn'thappen without you.

Thank You, ChristineSteele.

Thanks to the Community for help withHaloween event


Verse-By Verse Home Bible StudySunday’s 11:00 A.M.

8365 Swan Rd Black Forest, COContact: Greg Powell @ 719-329-8934/[email protected]

HELP WANTED

Job# CO 5507974

Utility Equipment OperatorMountain View Electric Association has a job opening at its FalconOperations Center, 11140 E. Woodmen Road, Falcon, CO. Applicantmust have a valid Class A Commercial Drivers License, a valid First Aidand CPR card. Must be able to successfully pass a pre-employmentdrug test, a DOT physical, and random drug testing. Must have a mini-mum of four years' experience operating backhoes, trenchers, and skidloaders. Must have experience digging around and installing utilitylines, with an emphasis on digging ditches and backfilling trenches witha backhoe, skid loader or trencher. Must be a high school graduate orpossess a Certificate of Equivalency (GED). Excellent pay and benefits.

Application deadline is November 26th, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. Apply atLimon Workforce Center, 285 D Avenue, Limon, Colorado, phone (719)775-2387. You may also use the link to the Limon Workforce Center onour web site at http://www.mvea.org/careers.aspx or directly atwww.connectingcolorado.com/ or email [email protected] orpick up an application at either MVEA office, Falcon - 11140 E.Woodmen Rd., Falcon, CO 80831 or Limon – 1655 5th Street, Limon,CO 80828. E.O.E.

Colorado Parks and Wildlifehas cited a medical helicopterpilot from Arizona for harass-ing wildlife after a group ofhunters observed him flyinghis ship very low over an elkherd in a canyon near theheadwaters of Granite Creek,southwest of Grand Junction.

Owen Park, 35, of Page,Ariz., a pilot for ClassicLifeguard Air Medical inPage, was assessed 10 penaltypoints against his hunting andfishing privileges and issued afine of $200.00, which he haspaid. A medical crew was alsoon board but only Parkreceived a citation. The air-craft was not carrying apatient at the time of the inci-dent.

On Sept. 23, Park and theship's crew were returning totheir home base in Arizonaafter delivering a patient to ahospital in Grand Junction. Itwas during the return trip thatthe witnesses say theyobserved the helicopter dropinto the canyon and beginharassing the elk.

"The people that saw thistold me that the pilot ruinedtheir hunt," said Ty Smith,District Wildlife Officer inGrand Junction. "When Imentioned this to Park, heagreed that his actions mayhave done that."

According to the witnesses,Park flew erratically making

level, causing several groupsof elk to scatter in multipledirections. At times, itappeared Park was herding theelk, the witnesses said.

Because the witnesses wereable to provide Smith with theship's tail numbers, he wasable to trace the helicopter to acompany in Utah. With assis-tance from a Utah WildlifeConservation officer, Smithcontacted representatives ofM & J Leisure L.C. of Ogden,Utah, the company that ownsClassic Lifeguard AirMedical.

Company officials werecooperative with Smith, andtold him that the pilot wouldcontact him immediately. Parkcalled Smith approximately15 minutes later and explainedthat he did not feel his actionsharassed the elk, but did admitthat he was trying to get a bet-ter look at the herds.

"We understand that observ-ing wildlife from aircraft canprovide great views, but it isvery harmful to wildlife andcan lead to a citation, or insome cases, the confiscationof the aircraft," said Smith."For anyone who thinks this isa good idea, they should thinkagain and consider the ethicaland legal consequences oftheir actions."

Agency officials regularlyreceive reports of low-flyingaircraft that appears to be

assist hunters in finding theirgame, which is illegal.

In addition, the public isreminded that during critical,late-winter months when biggame is surviving almostexclusively on fat reserves, orduring calving and fawningseasons in early spring,human-caused pressure fromany motorized vehicle or air-craft can lead to higher thannormal mortality.

"I believe that most pilotsmay not realize the extent ofthe harm they can cause whenthey fly low over wildlife,"continued Smith. "We remindeveryone that the best way toobserve wildlife is to do itfrom the ground, from a safedistance, and with a good pairof binoculars or a camera."

Anyone who sees suspi-cious activity should contact alocal District WildlifeManager, or Operation GameThief toll-free at 877-COLO-OGT (877-265-6648). Callerscontacting the tip line remainanonymous and may be eligi-ble for a reward if the infor-mation leads to a citation.

Colorado Parks and Wildlifemanages 42 state parks, all ofColorado's wildlife, more than300 state wildlife areas and ahost of recreational programs.To learn more, please visitcpw.state.co.us

Medical helicopter cited forharassing wildlife

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SUBSCRIPTION NOTICEThanks to all of you who responded to our effort to get the bugs out ofthe Subscription list. Various issues with the database, having bothHardcopy and Electronic subscriptions, and learning to use a new sys-tem left various glitches which hopefully are now corrected. Anyunpaid subscriptions will be deleted at the end of this week. Thanksfor your help and patience.

Terry Stokka was the winner of this beautiful wallquilt at the Black Forest Community Club’s MilitaryAppreciaton Night thanking Veterans last Saturday.


Gary GrebeldingerContributing writer

So how did we get to theposition we now occupy, thatis, a community that claims tobe the foremost politicallydemocratically governed peo-ple in the world, with so manysystematic problems.

Well it’s a long and sordidstory, but the short and thesweet of it is that in the pastwe had as representatives’people many of whom haddeep roots in their communi-ties.

Almost without exceptionthey came from occupationsthat daily interfaced with thepublic rather then a closedclose knit group of cronies.

They relied upon personaland communal experience forguidance when dealing withthe affairs of state.

They sought to embody andlargely reflected the notion of“government by the people,for the people” serving as rep-

resentatives of their communi-ties and giving voice in pursu-ing issues and matters thatwere properly a matter ofcommunal concern and need-ing a communal resolution.

Alas along the way electedofficials seem to have strayedfrom their mandate, gravitat-ing toward preference for theopinions and support of eversmaller vocal cliques (lobby-ists, self proclaimed special-ists, etc.), or more often as notthe dogma of the apparatus ofa political party to determinetheir notion of representativeactivities. Inextricably, almostwithout notice local communi-ties have lost their uniquevoice, for those elected to rep-resent them have in fact aban-doned that role.

How could the collectivevoice so essential to “govern-ment by people, for the peo-ple” in a democratic state belost?

Simply put it is a result of

too many persons of dubiousquality being elected to office:there are those too lazy to dotheir job as expected; there arethose too inexperienced intheir personal lives to do thejob; there are those that havenever encountered the dailyreal life experiences of themajority of the people theypresume to represent; there arethose that are outright frauds;and there are those that preferto differ to “professionalbureaucrats”, “political partyhacks”, or “lobbyists” in mak-ing a contribution or decisionon matters of supposedly ofimportance to their con-stituents!

The business of governanceis complex, indeed so complexthat few people could partici-pate in its activities withoutreference to specialists.However, opinion unfoundedon knowledge is less thanworthless; limiting onessources to those that are con-venient or hewing solely to a

partisan point of view is of lit-tle assistance to achievingeffective representation.

In either of these cases thereis an element of dishonesty, alack of integrity, activities thatare unworthy of representationof the electorate.

Certainly no one I knowwould invest 400 to 500 thou-sand dollars for four years tohave it lost due to inattention,deceit, misappropriation, stu-pidity or laziness and sloth –yet that is precisely the casewith too many of our electedrepresentatives.

It’s time for ALL ELECTEDREPRESENTATIVES – FED-ERAL, STATE and MUNICI-PAL to acknowledge andembrace the fact that theywere not elected to pursuetheir personal agendas, but toadvance the welfare of thecommunity that elected themin a manner that effectivelyadvances the wellbeing ofALL citizens and not just a

few.Were this to be the case I

suspect that the laws nowenacted would be greatlyreduced in number (havingbeen repealed), and that thoseremaining would be devoid ofthe obfuscation that seems tobe the principal point of themany worthless words andconcepts that populate andtherefore proliferate ignoranceof the fundamentals purportedto be advanced by them.

Indeed few people, includ-ing most lawyers are nowunable to go about their dailylives confident that they arenot going to encounter situa-tions where “ignorance of thelaw is no excuse” – for we areall subject to thousands oflaws enacted Federally, byStates, and Municipalities tosay nothing of the myriad ofregulations and practices thatseem to immediately springfrom every enactment by gov-ernment!

How did we get here?

Close enough for Government work?

At the October 22nd infor-mal meeting, Val Snider askedKyle Campbell if the COGA(Colorado Oil and gasAssociation) Voluntary watertesting program was similar tothe water testing specified inthe Conditions of Approval on

the first two permits for theCity of Colorado Springs.

Mr. Campbell said theywere similar. A more completeanswer would have been thatwhile there are similarities,there are some differences.

Below is a little table I puttogether to highlight a few ofthe differences, which are notinsubstantial. I have also

attached this as a Word docu-ment with table formatting asit is easier to read.

This again highlights thequestion regarding conse-quences. What will thisCouncil do the first time theCOGCC does not attach thesame or more protective con-ditions of approval to a wellpermit?

Might you prepare a para-graph for the ordinance thatsay something like, "Shouldthe Conditions of Approvalattached to DocumentNumber 400229630 fail toappear on any permit issuedby the COGCC for the City ofColorado Springs, those con-ditions of approval attached toDocument Number

400229630 will become partof the City of ColoradoSprings Oil and GasOrdinance the next businessday and will be enforcedbeginning the same day."

Thank you for consideringthis information.

Sincerely,Mary J. Talbott

Letter to the Colorado Springs City Council regarding Water Quality Testing for Oil and Gas Regs of City, State and County

Points of Comparison

NUMBER of locationsto be sampled

CITY OF COLO SPGSWater Quality Testing as

Required by the two PermitsIssued by the COGCC for the

City of Colorado Springs

EL PASO COUNTY (MOU)El Paso County-COGCC,

Memorandum of Understandingon Water Quality Testing

RequirementsPoints of Comparison

STATE OF COLORADOColorado Oil and Gas

Association (COGA) VoluntaryBaseline Water Quality Testing

Requirements

Entity

6 2 2

Location of sample2 closest water wells

2 deep aquifer samples as close to thelocation as possible (prefer Laramie-Fox hills or Arapahoe formations)

2 surface water samples from theclosest stream water

2 closest groundwater features (per-mitted & maintained water wells-stock , domestic public supply orgroundwater springs or seeps) withreasonable acess within 1.3 mile ofthe proposed oil and gas well

2 same as COGA voluntary program.Gazette reported the 1/2 mile radiuswas extended to 1 mile. Checked withDiana May 11-7-2012 to identify spe-cific language for extension to 1 mile)

Frequency of sam-pling (at samelocation)

4 timesbaseline

1 ear, 3 years, 6 years

2 timesBaseline - any itme prio to setting ofoil and gas well casing1 year 0 it later than 1 year after wellcompletion unless prior notificationiiled wih COGCC

3 (?) timesBaseline

1 year 3 years (?)

Total samples takenover the life of the well

24 4 6

Caveats to testing None statedSampling conducted if landowneraccess is granted and landowneragrees that laboratory analyticalresults will be submitted to COGCCfor posting in a database that can beviewed by the public

Same as COGA voluntary program

Op-Ed

2012-11-15_blackforestnews

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