GRAND COUNTY ECO-NEWS BLOG

Grand County Water Community – The Grand County Water Information Network has opportunities this summer for high school students to earn community service hours AND help  out with monitoring programs.

Secchi Monitoring – Sarah Hershfelt, our Field Technician, goes out every Wednesday morning from 8:30am-12:30pm on the Forest Service boat leaving from their dock on Shadow Mtn Reservoir. Students can help record data from the Secchi monitoring and assist with raising and lowering of the Sondes.

Healthy Headwaters – the next two monitoring events are July 19 and August 16. Jane Tollett will be running the July 19 event, & Ben will run the August 16. This is an almost all-day sampling where we visit 8 sites from Kremmling to Winter Park. We take water samples, do some filtration for dissolved metals and organic carbon (July only), Sondes readings, and take site pictures. Student can help get the water sample, partition into sample jars, take pictures and help with the Sondes. Plus since this is an all-day event we will buy lunch!

Students would need to bring their community service sheets for us to sign. Students would also need to be able to arrange their own transportation although for Healthy Headwaters sampling we always meet at the Java Lava in Granby as we calibrate the Sondes there before going out.

If interested, please call or writet:
EJ Tollett – Director
Grand County Water Information Network
PO Box 1503
Grand Lake, CO 80447
970-627-8162 office
970-531-1866 cell

Grand Huts will have a booth at all of the Hideaway Park, weekend concerts through August 17th.  They can really use some volunteers to help staff it. This would include free admission and a whole lot of fun. If you can help out for half a day it would be awesome! Marilyn Anderson is coordinating the events, so please email marilyn.anderson@q.com if you can help. Fun in the sun, great music, and rallying around an epic project…. What better way to spend some time?

Grand Huts is currently working on constructing the Broome Hut at the old Second Creek hut location. To learn more about the Grand Huts Association and their projects, visit www.grandhuts.org

Help support the Grand County Community Gardens tonight at the Crooked Creek Saloon from 5-8 pm, featuring Live Music!

Come to the Garden Gab Rally and fundraiser at the Crooked Creek, this Wednesday, June 29th from 5:00 to 8:00PM.  Enjoy the music of Sasquatch Mountain Revival and know that The Creek is donating the music and proceeds from our food and beverage purchases to the Fraser Valley Community Garden.  BRING YOUR FRIENDS and HAVE SOME FUN

In previous years, the Grand Community Gardens have had gardens in Granby, Hot Sulphur Springs, and Kremmling. The Fraser garden is the newest addition for 2011. There is much work to be done and they are needing many hours of volunteer labor  to build the beds.  Show your support by registering your skills and available hours with Deb Buhayar  970 726 5143 or email: grandcommunitygardens@gmail.com

For more information on Grand Community Gardens, visit www.grandcommunitygardens.org

Join the discussion Wednesday night, May 25th for a presentation of the latest Moffat Firming Project and Water Proposal with Denver Water.

Commissioners Newberry and Bumgarner will join the discussion at 6:30 pm to field questions regarding the roll-out of the inter-agency agreement with Denver Water.

Where:   East Grand Administration Building, 299 Prather Street (County Road 611), Granby, Colorado
When:    6:30 PM, Wednesday, May 25th
What:     Discussion with Commissioners on Water Agreement with Denver Water

This agreement outlines the details of increased water removal from the Fraser River and use along the front range.

For details about the proposal, use the following link: http://co.grand.co.us/negotation.html

Click here for Grand County Water History

Come celebrate Granby Earth Day this Saturday, May 21st. Since spring happens a little later in Grand County, it only seems appropriate to celebrate Earth Day a little late too!

There will be lots of fun activities and music for the whole family. BEDA will have a booth with information on Energy Rebates, stickers for light switches (to remind everyone to turn the lights off), and a chance to enter the C.O.W. contest (submit an energy saving tip to help create the Code of the West – C.O.W.).

Click here for more information on Granby Earth Day.

Also, don’t forget that you can recycle for FREE on Saturday from 9-1 in Granby at the Ace Hardware, thanks to the tireless efforts of the wonderful volunteers!

There will be a Public Meeting on Tuesday May 3, 2011, from 6:30 to 9:00 pm at the Inn at Silvercreek Convention Center in Granby. Everyone is encouraged to attend to voice their concerns on the new Colorado River Cooperative Agreement. To see the entire agreement and list of bullet points that will be discussed at the meeting, click here or visit http://www.co.grand.co.us/negotation.html

The biggest concern is that there is no mention of mandated or incentive-based water use reduction anywhere on the front range in the summary. To review the proposed agreement, go to the following links:
http://www.crwcd.org/
http://www.crwcd.org/media/uploads/Summary_Briefing_FINAL.pdf
http://www.crwcd.org/media/uploads/mediation_agreement4-28-11_cln.pdf

To express opinion regarding the agreement, join the Water Meeting on May 3rd at the Silver Creek Inn.

As you know, Governor Hickenlooper is facilitating a bottom-up economic development plan, and asking each county to participate. To help with this process, the governor’s office has released the County Economic Development Plan Self-Assessment Survey. Please take a few moments to participate in this survey, so that our county’s needs are addressed, especially if you believe that this plan should emphasize strategies that include green building, environmental protection, alternative energies, and sustainable community initiatives. Thank you for your involvement in the sustainable future of Grand County.

Take the Survey Now: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/462074/County-Economic-Development-Self-Assessment-Survey