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In this issue....
Herbicide Giveaways, Community Chipping Days, Fuels Reduction Cost-Share Program, Water Law in a Nutshell Workshop, High Mountain Flood Irrigation TCP, Blue River Horse Center, Era of Megafires Screening, Swath Width & Hay Quality, Stream Stewardship Handbook, CoAgMet Stations, Pasture Readiness, Native Bees of Colorado, Colic & Founder in Horses
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You will be directed to our advertisers' websites if you click the business cards scattered throughout this newsletter.
Contact the Middle Park Conservation District anytime by calling the office at 970.724.3456.
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Upcoming Events
(See articles below for more info on each event)
June 2, 2018: Community Chipping Day, 8am-1pm, East Grand Fire, Fraser
June 2, 2018: Era of Megafires Screening, 11am @ the Foundry, Fraser
June 9, 2018: Community Chipping Day, 8am-5pm, Grand Fire, Granby
July 14, 2018: Community Chipping Day, 8am-5pm, Hwy 34 & CR 48, Grand Lake
August 11, 2018: Community Chipping Day, 8am-5pm, Kremmling, Location TBD
August 24, 2018: Water Law Workshop, Grand Lake
Every Friday thru 9/28: Herbicide Giveaway in Granby, 9am-noon
Select Fridays thru 9/21: Herbicide Giveaway in Kremmling, 9am-noon
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Herbicide Giveaways
Grand County:
Granby, 9am-Noon: At the County Shop (469 E Topaz) starting on 5/25 and continuing every Friday through 9/28.
Kremmling, 9am-Noon: At the Fairgrounds on 5/25, 6/15, 6/29, 7/13, 7/27, 8/10, 8/24, 9/7, and 9/21
You MUST bring your own SPRAYER. No jugs, no cans, no gas cans, no buckets, etc. They will limit folks to no more than 4 Gallons a week.
Contact Grand County Natural Resources at 970.887.0745 for more information.
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FREE Community Chipping Days
See Dates in the Upcoming Events Section Above
Program Guidelines:
Accepted materials include trees, tree branches, small diameter logs and brush (cut away from root mass).
The following restrictions apply:
~ No logs or branches with a diameter greater than 12 inches
~ No construction, building or other man-made materials
~ No lumber, fence posts or signs
~ No roots, root wads, stumps or anything else that grows below the soil
~ No materials that contain dirt, sand, gravel or rocks
~ No materials that contain any metal (nails, screws, fencing), string or other man-made materials
~ No herbaceous / non-woody plant material
~ No willow trees/branches/bushes
Questions, call 970-887-3380 or visit the GCWC website
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The Grand County Wildfire Council is offering private landowners and collective groups of private landowners the opportunity to apply for incentive cost-share funding in an effort to implement recommendations outlined in approved Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs).
Funding and/or technical assistance is available to assist homeowners and landowners with completing defensible space and/or landscape-scale fuels reduction projects. Applications will be accepted until available funding has been expended.
Click on the links below for more information:
Questions?
Email bewildfireready@gmail.com or contact the Program Administrator, Lt. Paul Mintier at pmintier@grandfire.org
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'Water Law in a Nutshell' Workshop
‘Water Law in a Nutshell’ is presented by Aaron Clay, Attorney of Law and former Water Referee for the Colorado Water Court, Division 4. The seminar is an all day event that includes discussions on appropriation, perfection, use, abandonment and enforcement of various types of water rights and ditch rights. Further discussion may also include special rules for groundwater, public rights in appropriated water, and federal/interstate compacts.
We welcome EVERYONE, including landowners, realtors, water district employees, and anyone else interested in water law.
Friday, August 24th, 2018, 8am-5pm
Shadowcliff Mountain Lodge, Grand Lake
Cost: $52/pp, lunch and snacks included
Registration Deadline: August 10th
8 hours of Realtor Continuing Ed Credits Available!
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High Mountain Flood Irrigation
Targeted Conservation Program (TCP)
Earlier this year, the Middle Park Conservation District applied to the Colorado State NRCS Office for targeted funding to assist with low-tech High Mountain Flood Irrigation improvements.
Fortunately, our application was approved. As a result, we are now seeking applications for low-tech irrigation projects to be planned this year and funded next year. Examples of projects include: check and turnouts, diversion boxes, and gated pipe.
This program is similar to EQIP, except you do not have to compete with the rest of the watershed for funding. This Targeted Conservation Approach program is not to be confused with the Irrigation Cost-Share Program the District has run in the past. With this program, contracts will be signed between the landowner and NRCS (not the District).
If you are interested in signing up for this program, please contact Mark at 970-724-3456, press 3 for NRCS.
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BRHC and Leadership with Horses
Leadership Awareness with Horses is a program offered at Blue River Horse Center (BRHC) in Summit County to help children and adults learn the importance of leadership and responsibility through experiential programs with rescued horses. A particiant learns that their behavior determines their success, when working with horses. They also realize that their thoughts dictate their behavior and are the basis for everything they experience in life. When they realize how much control they really have over their life, they become empowered, because they are the only ones truly in control of what they experience.
In addition to Leadership classes and camps, BRHC also provides riding lessons to the public.
Blue River Horse Center Inc.
Silverthorne, Colorado
970-389-8496
www.blueriverhorsecenter.org
johnlonghill@mindspring.com
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Era of Megafires Comes to Town
The Grand County Wildfire Council (GCWC), North 40 Productions, the US Forest Service, and Colorado Timber Resources are pleased to bring the Era of Megafires to...
Foundry Cinema & Bowl
Fraser, CO
Saturday, June 2, 2018
11:00am
The Era of Megafires is a 60-minute, digital presentation featuring Dr. Paul Hessburg, a research landscape ecologist with Pacific Northwest (PNW) Research Station. In this multi-media presentation, Hessburg explains that over the past decade, the number of large, severe wildfires has been on the rise. These megafires are wildfires that burn more than 100,000 acres; they can destroy or severely damage human communities, wildlife habitat, and natural resources.
This special presentation conveys the conditions that lead to megafires and how they might be managed or mitigated.
Bring your appetite for popcorn and theater snacks because this is the best movie in town!!!!
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Hay Quality Relative to Swath Width
An article in the May 2, 2018, issue of Beef Producer makes a connection between swath width and hay quality. According to the article, "Laying down hay in the widest possible swath speeds drying, improves quality, and probably saves money in the long run."
Dan Undersander from University of Wisconsin Extension explains that dried hay "must lose about 5.7 tons of water per acre to dry to 13% when the yield is 2 tons per acre dry matter". By making wider swaths, you can reduce the drying time and preserve the starches and sugars in the hay. It may also minimize the need for unnecessary tedding, which often results in loss of leaf and nutrition.
Finally, the article notes that leaving longer stubble will allow more airflow under the hay, promoting faster drying time and less dirt and ash on the hay.
Just some tips to think about as haying season approaches.
Reference:
"Make Wider swaths for better hay", Alan Newport, Beef Producer, May 1, 2018
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Stream Stewardship and Recovery Handbook
Several watershed coalitions on the Front Range put together a landowner’s guide to living along Colorado’s waterways. It stemmed from the 2013 flooding and recovery efforts when it was discovered that there was a need for landowner education on streams and their restoration.
Highlights include:
~ Living Along a Stream
~ Evaluating your Stream
~ Stewardship & Recovery Strategies
~ Engaging Outside Help
~ Master Your Watershed
~Stewardship Site Plans
This is a great resource for anyone who owns land along a waterway.
The handbook is available for FREE at the following link:
https://lwog.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Website-version-Stream-Stewardship-and-Recovery-Handbook.pdf
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CoAgMet in Grand County
Grand County now has three CoAgMet stations; one near Granby; one on the Troublesome; and a third snear Wolford Mountain Reservoir. CoAgMet stands for "Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network".
The stations collect meteorological data that can be used to determine how much and how often to irrigate your fields. With flood irrigation systems, regulating how much water to put on a field is difficult, so some of the data may not be as useful here in Middle Park. Nevertheless, you may find much of the data to be intriguing and insightful. Such data include daily min and max temperatures, min and max relative humidity, wind run (how many miles of wind blew at the station), daily precipitation accumulation (rain only), soil temps at 2 inches and 6 inches below the surface, and wind gusts.
To see the data, go to https://coagmet.colostate.edu/. On that page, you can click on a map of all the stations, or click on any number of links to view the data.
The Granby station is GBY01. The Kremmling (Troublesome) station is KRM01. The Wolford Mountain station is WFD01.
You may also sign up to receive daily text messages or emails that detail the previous day's data from any station you select as a favorite. Click here to sign up.
Also, check out pages 3-20 of our Hay Day Packet for more info on CoAgMet
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Pasture Readiness
(Article featured in UNL BeefWatch by Bethany Johnston, Nebraska Extension Educator, Beef Systems)
A recent article in UNL's Beef Watch discusses the best time to turn your livestock out on spring pasture. Some ranchers wait until a specific date to turn their stock out, but we all know that Mother Nature does not abide by the days on the calendar.
In this article, Bethany Johnston of Nebraska Extension details how one can use the "leaf stage" to tell when your pasture is ready. Bethany explains that leaf stage is "number of leaves on a plants stem or tiller". According to Ms. Johnston, cool season grasses, like those in Middle Park, should have THREE mature leaves (leaves that are collared) before grazing.
If plants are grazed too soon, they may not have enough energy reserves to recover after being grazed. Bethany says that most cool-season grasses will be strong enough after the third-leaf stage to withstand defoliation. Warm-season grasses, on the other hand, need four mature leaves to be at the same stage of "readiness".
Moral of the Story~
Get out and pick some grass stems BEFORE turning your livestock out to graze. Count the number of mature leaves, and then decide if it is time to graze or not.
References:
 
Photo on the LEFT is a 3-leaf stage plant and is ready to graze.
Photo on the RIGHT is a 2-leaf stage plant and is NOT ready to graze.
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Native Bees of Colorado
One of my best friends and college roommates, Lisa Mason, just finished her Master's Degree in Entomology. Her thesis research focused on native bee ecology and included a citizen science project in Fort Collins. Trained volunteers were tasked with making observations of native bees foraging on flowers in select city gardens and natural areas. Over a two-year observation period, Lisa was able to collect data on bee biodiversity, abundance, and factors that may positively or negatively bees in urban areas. The findings may influence future city planning and development.
One of the end products of Lisa's Masters project was a guide called Native Bee Watch: A Colorado Citizen Science Field Guide. Included in guide is some great information on the importance of bees, bee characteristics, and identification of native bees. Though her work focused on bees in Fort Collins, many of the bees are also found in Middle Park. In fact, according to the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, there are between 100-199 species of bees in Grand County. Thus, Lisa's guide may be of interest to you. There is a link below to her field guide. There is also a second link to a CSU Extension fact sheet, also co-written by Lisa, that provides insight into ways to attract native bees to your landscape.
Remember, bees are pollinators and are essential to the reproduction of many native plants, fruits and vegetables. In fact, bees pollinate about 78 different crop species (~1/3 of the fruits and vegetables in the human diet).
Native Bee Watch: A Colorado Citizen Science Field Guide
CSU Extension Fact Sheet on Attracting Native Bees
University of Colorado "Bees of Colorado" Guide
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Colic and Founder in Horses
(Inspired by an article by Meg Sitarik featured in the Colorado SAM Spring 2018 Newsletter)
Every spring, as the grass turns green, the incidence of colic, laminitis, and founder in horses increases. BUT WHY?
Meg Sitarik, a Boulder County Extension Volunteer, wrote an article in the Spring 2018 Colorado Small Acreage Management Newsletter all about gas colic and nutritional laminitis. Meg explains that gas colic and nutritional laminitis relate to a horse's digestive system and how different types of foodstuffs are digested.
Horses are hindgut fermenters, meaning that much of their digestion happens in the latter portion of their digestive tract (the cecum and colon). This is because the microbes responsible for digesting low-quality forages are located in the hindgut. However, easily digested grains and grass shoots are digested in foregut (the stomach and small intestine). When horses overindulge on grains and young grasses, the foregut runs out of space and food is forced prematurely into the hindgut. Because the hindgut is not used to digesting grains and green grass, the microbes in the hindgut go haywire and reproduce like crazy. They also produce a lot of gas and acid. Some of the good gut flora end up dying as a result of the change in pH. Ultimately, endotoxins are released into the bloodstream and flow to the tissues of the hoof called the laminae. These tissues are prone to inflammation, causing laminitis. If left untreated or the laminitis becomes a chronic condition, it can turn into "founder". Over time, chronic inflammation can cause the laminar tissues to break down and a complete destruction of the hoof structure may result.
Actions you can do to reduce the incidence of gas colic and nutritional laminitis include:
~ Change you horse's diet slowly
~ Introduce your horse to fresh pastures in the spring SLOWLY
~ Keep up on regular farrier visits to ensure hoof health
~Make sure your horses maintain a healthy body weight and body condition score
References:
Gas Colic and Nuritional Laminitis by Meg Sitarik. Colorado Small Acreage Management Spring 2018 Newsletter.
Understanding the Relationship Between Colic, Laminitis and Founder. Rainier Equine Hoof Recovery Center.
Founder (Laminitis) in Horses. Agriculture Victoria.
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