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Storm
Mountain News
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Local News
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Friday,
June 15th - Road Crew Wrongly Blames Landowner...
In a recent letter sent to area
homeowners, the Cedar Park Road Maintenance
Corporation wrongly blames a State ordered
stop to the use of chemical dust suppressants on
one Cedar Park landowner, completely omitting the
facts of the matter and thereby misinforming the
community.
The letter reads, "Due
to the persistence of one Cedar Park landowner our
contractor and supplier of the dust suppressant
refuse to apply magnesium chloride to our roads.
Many hours of the board members time were wasted
dealing with the false allegations of this
landowner. Enough said!"
However, what the letter fails
to inform the community of, is that State and County
officials did not find the allegations of the
homeowner to be false! An official "Notice
of Violation/ Cease and Desist Order"
served by the State of Colorado in February to
road crew(s), the contractor and the supplier is a
more likely reason why they are now refusing to
apply any chemicals to the access road.
This "Notice of
Violation/Cease and Desist Order" stemmed
from chemicals repeatedly running from the treated
road onto private and public lands and into public
waterways. After a well documented, on-site
investigation by Larimer County Health Department
officials and a State review of the facts, photos
and test results, the State of Colorado ordered
the use of these chemicals stopped immediately
under threat of both monetary and criminal
penalties for direct violation of the "Colorado
Water Quality Control Act".
You can view the official
"Notice of Violation/Cease and Desist
Order" served by the State of Colorado in
February of 2007 to the road crews, contractor and
supplier by clicking on the link provided below.
Notice
of Violation/Cease and Desist Order
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Thursday,
June 14th - Fire Angers Residents...
Several residents
of Cedar Park and Cedar Springs subdivisions are
angry over a large bonfire last night on Palisade
Mountain Drive. Flames from the fire were reported
as rising to over fifty feet into the air. Area
residents are complaining that the fire was
extremely reckless and that no permit for such a
burn was ever obtained.
SMN would like to
remind all residents and visitors to the area that
burn permits are required for any burn not
contained in an approved containment such as a
fire pit for campfires or a grill for cooking
purposes. Burn barrels are prohibited in Larimer
County.
The burn permit
requirement also applies to any type of slash
burning. While Larimer County encourages residents
to keep their property clear of low branches, and
other ground cover to help make defensible space
in case of a fire, disposal of this material is
always a problem. You can haul it away, or use the
chipper program when it is open. When these
options are not available, you can obtain an Open
Burning Permit from the Loveland Fire Prevention
Office. If your property is not located in our
district, you can obtain one from Larimer County
Health Department at 498-6775. Regardless, if
you’re planning to burn slash or other materials
you need a permit, Slash burning permits are only
issued from October through April.
A link to the
complete listing of Larimer County Burn
Regulations can be found below as well as in our
right-hand menu bar.
Larimer
County Burn Regulations
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Monday,
June 11th - Landfill Surcharge Increase...
The Colorado state legislature recently passed a bill (CRS 25-16-104.5) that will increase user fees at all landfills and waste transfer stations in Colorado. In compliance with the new law, the Larimer County Landfill and the county’s waste transfer stations in Berthoud, Wellington, Estes Park and Red Feather Lakes will impose the following surcharges on the users of these facilities:
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Cars (non-commercial) will be charged $.09 per load (an increase of
$.03)
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Trucks (non-commercial) will be charged $.17 per load (an increase of
$.06)
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Commercial loads will be charged $.27 per cubic yard (an increase of
$.10)
These fees, which take effect July 1, are in addition to the regular fees charged to dump trash at the landfill and transfer stations. The additional revenues will be provided to state government and used to hire additional staff at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and to provide a fund from which rebates will be given to qualified recyclers and grant money will be offered for recycling projects. The CDPHE and the Recycling Resources Economic Opportunity Program will be in charge of the new funds.
“Right now, Colorado has the 12th worst recycling rate in the country,” Governor Bill Ritter said. “By reinvesting in recycling and our solid waste industry, we believe we can eventually turn junk into jobs.” Stephen Gillette, director of the Larimer County Solid Waste Department, agreed. “These grants will help communities throughout the state, including northern Colorado, get recycling programs started or enhance existing programs,” he said.
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Sunday,
June 10th - Photo Of The Week...
Taken earlier this morning, this week's photo features a pair of young Bull Elk with new velvet antler growth walking along the Big Thompson River east of Estes
Park.
Elk are abundant in the Estes Park/Rocky Mountain National Park area and are often seen walking along and even in the roadways.
The Elk, or Wapiti (Cervus canadensis), is the second largest species of deer in the world, after the moose (Alces alces), which is, confusingly, often also called "elk" in Europe. Elk are one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia. Male Elk have large antlers which are shed each year. Until recently, Elk and Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) were considered the same species, however DNA research has indicated that they are different.
Elk range in forest and forest-edge habitat, feeding on grasses, plants, leaves and bark. Although native to North America and eastern Asia, Elk have adapted well to countries where they have been introduced, including New Zealand and Argentina.
Adult Elk usually stay in single-sex groups for most of the year. During the mating period known as the rut, mature bulls compete for the attentions of the cows and will try to defend females in their harem. Rival bulls challenge opponents by bellowing and by paralleling each other, walking back and forth. This allows potential combatants to assess the others antlers, body size and fighting prowess. If neither bull backs down, they engage in antler wrestling, and bulls sometimes sustain serious injuries. Bulls also dig holes in the ground, in which they urinate and roll their body. The urine soaks into their hair and gives them a distinct smell which attracts cows.
Dominant bulls follow groups of cows during the rut, from August into early winter. A bull will defend his harem of 20 cows or more. Only mature bulls have large harems and breeding success peaks at about eight years of age. Bulls between two to four years and over 11 years of age rarely have harems, and spend most of the rut on the periphery of larger harems. Young and old bulls that do acquire a harem hold it later in the breeding season than do bulls in their prime. A bull with a harem rarely feeds and he may lose up to 20 percent of his body weight. Bulls that enter the rut in poor condition are less likely to make it through to the peak conception period or have the strength to survive the rigors of the oncoming winter.
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