Please join us this Saturday, June 29th, for a fundraiser in Ward to support our new Deputy Marshal in the reserve and volunteer fire fighter, Andy Martinek.

When: JUNE 29th from 2-6 pm

What: Food, Drink, Silent Auction

and Music by Caribou Mtn. Collective and special guests

Where: The Ward Church

As all of you know, our marshals and firefighters are 100% volunteer.  They rely on fundraisers like this for their training’s, etc. In addition to all of the firefighter training’s, Andy just spent months in the Police Academy training to become our new Deputy Marshal…a volunteer job. You can only imagine how much time and work this is. I don’t have to tell you how important it is for us to have Marshals and volunteer firefighters because we all know it… So please come this Saturday… and spread the word! Thanks!

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Next Board Meeting is Thursday, June 20, 2013, 7:00 at the Community Center

Notice to Poets – MMM- Miscellaneous Mountain Misfits

Our next MMM get-together is Thursday, June 6th
at Bill Patterson’s home at 6:30 pm. Bill’s home is the dome home up the hill above Morning Sun.

For those not familiar with MMM (Miscellaneous Mountain Misfits), we have a monthly get-together (usually the first Thursday but can change by request of the host) at the home of one of the group. The idea is two-fold: (1) is that we do some writing (for 15-20 minutes) in response to a loose stimulus provided by Gold Hill Poet Laureate, John Latham or his stand-in, followed by a non-critical read-around of what has been written. This takes about 45 minutes, followed by short break and then: (2) a read-around, led by Edie Eilender, involving all people who care to read [for about 6 minutes per person maximum] some of their already-written prose or poetry, or writing by someone else. If, instead of reading, someone offers a song or two (Thanks Chance for October’s music), that is welcomed. There is no pressure on people to actively participate. Most attendees do, but some come simply to listen. The host provides some limited drink & snackies, and if attendees care to bring along a modest contribution to the drink or food, that is welcomed, too.

If questions or to let him know you are coming, please call Bill 303-459-0108 or Edie 303-444-0778

Next Town Meeting is Monday, June 10, 2013, 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center.

• Time:  5:30 to 7 p.m.
• Date:  Tuesday May 28^th
• Place:  Barn “A” of the Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Rd, Longmont, 80501
• Misc:  Free parking and pizza!
• RSVP: zerowaste@nullbouldercounty.org

• What Zero Waste means and why Boulder County residents care
• How Zero Waste events are special – and different!
• What events are scheduled for Boulder County this year and how volunteers can sign up
• How to encourage effective visitor participation
• How to welcome out-of-town visitors to join Boulder County in moving towards Zero Waste

2013 Spring Clean Up and Firewise Saturday!

 Saturday, June 15^th, 9 a.m. at the Bluebird Lodge parking lot.

        Four Dumpsters will arrive between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. – 2 for junk/trash, one for metal, and one for wood – Do not dump before volunteers are on scene        ne       and we are    officially ‘open’ for business’  thank you  in advance.   

Over the years the Town Clean Up has been an affordable & convenient way for us to get rid of trash. In recent years, in hopes of decreasing the amount of trash, the town cleanup has encouraged responsible recycling.  This year, we are adding a Firewise Dumpster for COMPOSTABLE MATERIAL for the removal of pine needles, leaves, and dried grass.  It is the accumulated layers of pine needles, leaves and dried grasses around the home, under decks and porches and around trees, as well as debris in gutters that catch the flying embers of a wild fire that burn homes – yours as well as your neighbors.   Here’s your chance to get rid of this combustible stuff.

We will have compostable bags for sale soon to collect all these needles, etc. – These bags must be used for this Firewise Dumpster.

***And, as always, we need volunteers!***

To volunteer, please contact Kris Gibson at kgkeewee@nullnetzero.net or  Gretchen at gretchend@nullmac.com or call me at 442-3847.

        FIREWISE/PINE NEEDLE Container

        Compostable material only  (pine needles, aspen leaves, grass clippings, etc.) – must be in Compostable Bags for sale soon from Kris Gibson or Gretchen Diefenderfer

        METAL Container

No liquids – No fridges* – No tires on rims (just rims are ok!) – No batteries – No paint cans with paint still in them

Wire fencing and barbed wire are ok

        WOOD Container

No chemically treated wood including stains and paint – No nails in the wood (although a few seem to be ok, just not an excessive amount) – No particle board – No plywood

We will also accept electronics, and small appliances for a fee (since they will be charging us).  See http://www.ecocycle.org/charm for what’s acceptable.   And we will need some volunteers with trucks to take this stuff down to CHARM.

Weed identification opportunity:

We will have two weed experts on hand to identify weeds and advise best options to get rid of them.  Bring samples intact with leaves, stem, and even some root, if possible.  This is a service you normally have to pay for, but this time it will be free.

When:  Saturday, June 8 any time between 10am and 2pm

Who:  Boulder County weed coordinator Steve Sauer and Extension’s small acreage coordinator Sharon Bokan

Where:  In the town meadow above the kids’ sledding hill, south of Hugh’s and Wilder’s houses.  That area will contain some weeds which the experts can use to illustrate various types of weeds and talk about best practices for them.

If it rains, you will find us at the Gold Hill Store.  Local contact for this is Susan Fernalld, (303 447-0634).

Notes on the Gold Hill Fire Protection District Board Meeting 4/18/13. 

By Gretchen Diefenderfer

Next Meeting is Thursday, May 16, 2013, 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center.

Present were President Donal Maloney, Secretary Dave Sturtz, Board Members Rick Geesaman, Bobby Vrba, and Rich Lopez, plus community member Gretchen Diefenderfer.

Donal reported on an explosion yesterday (April 17) in West, Texas, and the death of 5 volunteer firefighters.  Approximately ¾ of the firefighters in this country are volunteers.  This is Bobby’s hometown and 2 of his second cousins have not been heard from.  This past Saturday, several of our volunteers participated in the annual refresher – safety is a big component of all our training.

The minutes were approved as sent out.

Public Time

Gretchen reported on the new reflective green metal signs in Sunshine. Volunteers put together an excel sheet to determine how many they needed – single signs, multiple signs, etc. and their CWPP group purchased the metal signs and the numbers, assembled them and have been putting them up. They cost between $3,000 and $3,500. She asked about the FD maps and Chris said they’re 10 years old.  Donal estimated that we have between 250 – 300 structures in the district.  He suggested we look at our options: the cost and the people to carry the project.  Gretchen will do some more research and report back.  Sunshine would like to see good addressing spread like a virus.  At the last Town Meeting, people were interested also.

OLD BUSINESS

Chris reported that his #1 question is the long-standing need for a legal easement for the 12,000 gal. cistern in the subdivision.  It’s now been in the works for several years and Chris thinks it’s very important to get it settled.  Rich volunteered to look into it.

Chris also pointed out that our copy of the Exemption from Audit that was signed at the last meeting needs to be filed in the office in the Budget file.

He also reported that Leslie is still signing the checks and the Board needs to fill out the paperwork to sign on the account.  Dave moved that all Board members be signers, Rich seconded and all voted aye.  Chris will take a signed copy of the motion to the Vectra Bank on 17^th & Pearl to get the process moving.

The question was raised that the current transparency notice needs to be posted on the website.  Donal has the terms from the lawyer, and it can be finished up.

Rich looked into the dry hydrant site in Lefthand.  It seems shallow and would need to be deepened, but Chris says it is the best place to pull a fire truck off.  Rich knows the owners and they are here in the summer.  All thought it would be a desirable thing for the property owners to have a fixed dry hydrant close to them and would hopefully be well received.   It was decided to proceed and talk to the owners.

NEW BUSINESS

Donal was pleased to report that the board is meeting with the full complement of 5 members for the first time and it’s important because Chris needs a functioning board.  Rich suggested that if someone is out of town, they could have phone participation if needed.

CHIEF’S TIME

Chris reports that they have received most of the new SCBAs – they came with medium masks only and some hoses are missing.  Other sized masks and the missing hoses have been ordered.   The masks will be hanging in bags with the bunker gear and 1-2 spares will be in the truck.  They will go into service as soon as possible.  First the firefighters have to watch 2 short movies, take a test (takes only 15-20 minutes) and do training – contact Chris or Donal for info.  The new 60minute bottles (vs. the old 30-min. ones) are a huge advance for the department.

Chris has applied for a VFA grant for new wildland gear.  Our share of the cost will be 50%.  There have been some changes – he used to work with Allen Owen of the CSFS and now it’s the Colo. Dept. of Public Safety.

As of right now Steffi is in the First Responders class and Steffi and Marielle are beginning the Wildland class.

4th of July is coming up and they are always looking for help.

The Red equipment bags are all in the locker room stacked in the back – Chris reminded the firefighters that the floor is for walking on.

Motion to adjourn carried.

*Magnolia Road Community Training: Free Wildfire Mitigation Program
When: Tuesday, May 21 – 6 to 8 p.m.
Where: At a community member’s home at 390 Porter Ranch Rd., Nederland
What: Outside Wildfire Mitigation Workshop and info about a Community Chipping Event
Who should attend? The program is open to everyone. However, residents living in the Magnolia Road area are especially encouraged to attend.

Program Description: At this free outdoor Wildfire Mitigation Workshop, learn how to identify mitigation actions you can take to reduce the ignitability of your home. We will tour the outside of our workshop home and critically evaluate the home’s strengths and weakness in relation to wildland fire.

The “Home Ignition Zone” is a phrase coined by nationally recognized researcher Dr. Jack Cohen, USFS, Missoula Fire Science Lab. Cohen’s research focuses on how and why homes burn during wildfires and strongly suggests landowners who take precautionary action can dramatically increase the likelihood of their homes surviving the next fire.

Learn about simple actions you can take to dramatically improve the chances of your home surviving the next wildfire. Our understanding about how homes are lost in wildfires is changing. Learn the latest science available and lessons learned from last summer’s Waldo Canyon Wildfire.

Community Chipping Program: Boulder County recently awarded PUMA (Preserve Unique Magnolia Road Area) a community chipping reimbursement grant to help the community set up a curbside chipping program. This year PUMA will host two “curbside chipping events” in mid- May and in mid-Oct. Please join us at this meeting if you are interested in taking advantage of the heavily discounted chipping program. If you have questions about the chipping event please call Robert Fray, PUMA Volunteer Chipping Coordinator, at 303-939-9044.
Program Highlights:

• Hear about our planned Community Chipping Days.
• Sign-up for the discounted curbside chipping program.
• Learn about simple spring maintenance tips to better prepare your home for wildfires.
• Understand the latest wildfire mitigation science.
• Learn how to retrofit your home to be more fire-resistant.

Program Sponsors: PUMA (Preserve Unique Magnolia Area) and Boulder County

*Join us Saturday in Nederland: Free Firewise Landscaping Workshop – May 11
We hope everyone is able to attend our half-day forestry workshop this Saturday in Nederland. This is one of our big workshops for the year and we hope to see lots of folks turn out! Our presentation focuses on new topics that we haven’t emphasized at prior trainings. We have a really good program put together and I hope to see many of you on Saturday! Please help us spread the word about this training by forwarding this eNewsletter to friends and neighbors.

What: Half-day workshop focused on “Firewise Landscaping”
When: Saturday, May 11, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: Nederland Community Center, 750 Highway 72 North
Event Flyer: Firewise Landscaping Forestry Workshop Flyer (912 KB)

Defensible space does not mean moonscape: Learn how to transform your home’s perimeter into an area that you can not only use, but looks good and helps protect your home from wildfires. We hope you can join us!

Workshop Highlights:

• Lessons learned from High Park and Waldo Canyon fires. Our understanding of how homes are lost in wildfires is changing. Learn the newest science available.
• Learn about simple spring maintenance tips to better prepare your home for wildfires.
• See fun and attractive examples of patio design and pathways incorporating d-space.
• Hear from a local resident about her experiences rebuilding after the Fourmile Canyon Fire.
• Learn how to use fire-resistant native and adapted plants to add color and beauty and to attract birds to your land.
• Hear from the U.S. Forest Service about planned projects near Nederland and surrounding areas.

There is no charge for this training, and no RSVP is required. Light snacks and coffee will be provided. Sponsored by Boulder County, Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado State University Extensions, U.S. Forest Service, Town of Nederland, and Nederland Fire Protection District.

Boulder Public Library’s Cinema Program: Local Filmmakers’ Showcase Series Presents Two Films by Angie Burnham

Monday, May 20, 2013, 6:30 p.m.  Free Admission.  Canyon Theater, Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Avenue

Packed is a film about people, possessions nd fire focusing on what the evacuees of the Fourmile Canyon fire took with them and what they left behind.

Heart of Gold Hill documents the social and architectural history of the Gold Hill Inn and the Bluebird Lodge, two of Boulder County’s most beloved buildings.

Live Music by Danny Shafer

Funded (in part) by a grant from the Boulder Arts Commission, an Agency of the Boulder City Council

Click here for flyer      2013 BPL Screening Flyer

From: Randy Lee <randyl@nullnederlandco.org>
Date: Fri, Apr 19, 2013 at 12:43 AM
Subject: [intermountain-alliance] Saws and Slaws Mountain Community Outreach Meeting
To: randyl@nullnederlandco.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  April 8, 2013  Contact: Beth Beckel, 720-564-2720

Free Community Energy Workshop in Lafayette

Free snacks, prizes and energy saving tips during EnergySmart workshop April 17

Boulder County, Colo. – Drafts? Chilly rooms? High energy bills? EnergySmart makes it easy for residents in Boulder County to make their homes more comfortable and energy efficient all year round. Come hear from your neighbors who have completed energy upgrades in their homes, and talk with EnergySmart professionals about how to improve your home comfort and cut energy bills.

A free Community Energy Workshop will be held at the Lafayette Library Community Room on Wednesday, April 17 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Light refreshments and energy-saving goodies will be provided. One lucky attendee will win a Home Energy Assessment (reg. $120).

“I was pleasantly surprised at my Advisor’s knowledge and expertise,” says Lafayette resident and EnergySmart customer Tom Van Lieu. “My Advisor, Gaby, made it easy to prioritize what could be done to make my energy use more efficient and my home more comfortable year round.”

Join more than 240 Lafayette residents who have already benefited from EnergySmart assistance. The event is sponsored by the Lafayette Energy Sustainability Advisory Committee and Boulder County. Learn more and RSVP atwww.LafayetteEnergySmartWorkshop.Eventbrite.com

EnergySmart home services include free phone advising or discounted $90 Home Energy Assessments (reg. $120). Assessments pinpoint wasted energy, and Energy Advisors help with prioritizing projects, finding qualified contractors and applying for rebates or low-interest financing.

EnergySmart services are available to homes and businesses in all Boulder County communities.

To sign up for EnergySmart or learn more please call 303-544-1000 (for homes) or 303-441-1300 (for business) or visit www.EnergySmartYES.com.

-BoulderCounty.org-

Thursday, May 2, 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the Community Center

Next Gold Hill Fire Protection District Board meeting will be Thursday, April 18^th, 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center.

Next Town Meeting is Monday, April 8, 2013, 7:30 p.m. at the Community Center.

MMM, Miscellaneous Mountain Misfits

Notice to Poets – MMM- Miscellaneous Mountain Misfits

Our next MMM get-together is Wednesday, April 10th

MMM, Miscellaneous Mountain Misfits, will meet at 6:30 on Wednesday, April 10th, at the home of Brandt and Surya Parker. It is the house on the right hand side as you go down Sawmill. There is parking along his driveway.

Please call Edie 303-444-0778, Marie at 303-444-4691 or Brandt 303-459-0514 if questions.   Hope to see you on a lovely April evening.  It would also be appreciated, but not necessary, if you respond so we know who and how many are coming.

For those not familiar with MMM (Miscellaneous Mountain Misfits), we have a monthly get-together at the home of one of the group. The idea is two-fold: (1) is that we do some writing (for 15-20 minutes) in response to a loose stimulus provided by Gold Hill Poet Laureate, John Latham., followed by a non-critical read-around of what has been written. This takes about 45 minutes, followed by short break and then: (2) a read-around, led by Edie Eilender, involving all people who care to read [for about 6 minutes per person maximum] some of their already-written prose or poetry, or writing by someone else. If, instead of reading, someone offers a song or two, that is welcomed. There is no pressure on people to actively participate. Most attendees do, but some come simply to listen. The host provides some limited drink & snackies, and if attendees care to bring along a modest contribution to the drink or food, that is welcomed, too.

From Marie Brookhart

Mom Brookhart <mom.brookhart@nullgmail.com>

Dearest Friends of the Gold Hill School,
You are cordially invited to attend the evening performance of Glim the Glorious, a musical play performed by the children of the Gold Hill School.  The play will be showing one time only!  The performance is scheduled for this Thursday, March 21.  The doors open for seating at 6PM.   The show starts at 6:30.  There will be a reception to follow.  Pat McQown has written us yet another spectacular play, based on the children’s book, Glim the Glorious written by Gayle Middleton.  It is an fantastical story about a kidnapped unicorn, Elsari, and her reluctant hero, Glimringle the Elf.  Come and join us in a land of enchantment, In a Land of Pixies and Elves!

Sincerely,

Your Friends at the Gold Hill School

Christine McCaul <scubachrissy78@nullgmail.com>

Next Fire Board Meeting is Thursday, March 21, at 7:00 at the Community Center.

Save the date…. March 13th! Bruce Hayes will be performing at the Gold Hill General Store and we hope you’ll join us! As usual, doors open at 6:30, concert starts at 7pm. Please reserve (or even better, pre-pay at the store) your seats by emailing kortmccumber@nullgmail.com. Tickets are $10. And it’s looking like Chicken Picatta for dinner. If interested, please check out the interview with Bruce on our blog here: http://lickskilletstudios.com/2013/02/25/hayes-ed-confused/

—
Thank you!

Hello there!