HIGH-ALTITUDE BREAKFASTS PG 11 / COLOR YOUR GARDEN PG 22 / REACHING THE EDGE OF SPACE PG 26 POUDRE VALLEY RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION, INC.
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Cindy
Landon
Sun
and
Students Knight and Richardson Professor Clements A
Lock in Time Photography.
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INSTAGRAM PIC of the month cocountrylife posted: Wildflowers in Eagles Nest Wilderness on full, colorful display the last Saturday in July. FACEBOOK CHATTER Colorado Rural Electric Association posted: Colorado’s electric co-ops took 29 students to Washington, D.C., for the electric cooperative Youth Tour June 12-16. During that time, students saw the sights and learned about the governmental process with other students from cooperatives across the country. #ChargeOnYT22 “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Jamison Paul, a consumer-member of Poudre Valley REA.
coloradocountrylife.coop Volume Number THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE COLORADO RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION COMMUNICATIONS STAFF Mona Neeley, CCC, mneeley@coloradocountrylife.orgPublisher/Editor Cassi Gloe, CCC, Production cgloe@coloradocountrylife.orgManager Kylee Coleman, Editorial/Admin. kcoleman@coloradocountrylife.orgAssistant ADVERTISING advertising@coloradocountrylife.org | 720-407-0711 National Advertising Representative, American MainStreet Publications 611 S. Congress Street, Suite 504, Austin, TX 78704 | 800-626-1181 Advertising Standards: Publication of an advertisement in Colorado Country Life does not imply endorsement by any Colorado rural electric cooperative or the Colorado Rural Electric Association. Colorado Country Life (USPS 469-400/ISSN 1090-2503) is published monthly by Colorado Rural Electric Association, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216-1731. Periodical postage paid at Denver, Colorado. ©Copyright 2022, Colorado Rural Electric Association. Call for reprint rights. EDITORIAL Denver Corporate Office, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216 mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org | 303-455-4111 coloradocountrylife.coop | Pinterest.com/COCountryLifefacebook.com/COCountryLife|Instagram.com/cocountrylifeTwitter.com/COCountryLife|YouTube.com/COCountryLife1 Editorial opinions published in Colorado Country Life magazine shall pertain to issues affecting rural electric cooperatives, rural communities and citizens. The opinion of CREA is not necessarily that of any particular cooperative or individual. SUBSCRIBERS Report change of address to your local cooperative. Do not send change of address to Colorado Country Life. Cost of subscription for members of participating electric cooperatives is 22.5 cents per month, paid from equity accruing to the member. For nonmembers, a subscription is $10 per year in-state/$16 out-of-state. POSTMASTER Send address changes to Colorado Country Life 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216 On the Cover 20 ENERGY CONNECTIONS 22 GARDENING 24 OUTDOORS 26 FOCUS ON 28 MARKETPLACE 29 YOUR STORIES 30 DISCOVERIES 4 VIEWPOINT 5 LETTERS 6 ASK THE ENERGY EXPERT 7 YOUR CO-OP NEWS 11 RECIPES 14 NEWS CLIPS September 2022 53 09 16 COVER STORY THE LITTLE COLLEGE THAT COULD We are cleaning our bookshelves! Enter for your chance to win one of five cookbooks. To see the list of book titles and the official rules, and to enter, visit our Monthly Contests page coloradocountrylife.coop.at
Colorado Rural Electric Assoc. posted: Did you know that #advancedmeters make up more than half the electric meters in the country, and #electriccooperatives are leading the way? In Colorado, 100% of the state’s 22 electric distribution co-ops utilize advanced meters and have for years.
3COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022
pose with robotics projects. Photo by Michelle,
BY JEFF WADSWORTH PRESIDENT & CEO
The same high-performance standards are evident in the reliability of our system. Our objective is to provide you with best-in-class reliability as we power your homes and businesses. This year we are seeing our best reliability metrics on record, due in part to our strategic investments and by designing a system with technology to focus on continual improvement. Last and never least, is our employee team’s performance with safety. For the second year in a row, we were recognized as the Safest Co-op in Colorado by the Colorado Rural Electric Association. We have surpassed our previous record for days away from last lost time accident. And in our annual safety observation put on by our national trade association and in partnership with statewide and cooperative leaders, we scored a Strong Performance rating in every single category yet again.
ABOUT YOUR CO-OP PVREA serves energy solutions to over 50,000 homes and businesses in Boulder, Larimer, and Weld counties. We are a member-owned co-op, led by those we serve. OUR MISSION We are committed to providing safe, reliable, efficient energy solutions with exceptional service to our members. CONTACT US www.pvrea.cooppvrea@pvrea.coop1-800-432-1012 MAILING ADDRESS Poudre Valley REA 7649 REA Parkway Fort Collins, CO 80528 SOCIAL instagram.com/poudre_valley_reatwitter.com/PoudreValleyREAfacebook.com/PoudreValleyREA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Steven LarimerAndersonCounty Vice Chair Jack Schneider Weld County Secretary Peter Hyland Weld County Director Sheryl LarimerHendersonDryerCounty Director Bryan LarimerEhrlichCounty Director Rick LarimerJohnsonCounty Director Thaine LarimerMichieCounty Director Jan LarimerPetersonCounty Director Ron BoulderSutherlandCounty As a member-owned electric cooperative, our mission is clear. We exist to serve you and we place a great emphasis on holding ourselves accountable to your high standards. We are continually looking for ways to improve while delivering you with a reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean source of electricity. MEETING & EXCEEDING YOUR HIGH STANDARDS At your cooperative, our goal is to provide you — our members — with the highest level of service at the lowest possible price. That’s not an easy feat to accomplish in the current economic climate, but that is where our focus will remain.
Since you don’t have to be sick to get better, we put our shoulder to the load and keep our eye on the future to live out our mission of making the quality of life better for all our members.
As always, on behalf of our employee team here at PVREA, thank you for your membership and continued engagement in your cooperative! You make our jobs possible by allowing us to serve you.
4 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 VIEWPOINT
Historically, if you look at the price of the electricity we bill you, it has decreased by 2.8%, meaning you now pay less for electricity than you did in 2013. With the cost pressures we all see around us, it is amazing your co-op has been able to lower rates, twice in two years! While cost drivers are impacting your co-op, we will continue to focus on providing you great value. As your not-for-profit cooperative, we aren’t driven by high margins and profits. Instead, we work to cover costs and return any margins back to you. We
membermembersreturnedannouncedrecently$2milliontoourintheformofcredits. That’s injecting capital into our communities at a time when we need it most! You can read more about member credits on page 7 of this issue.
Our Commitment in Uncertain Times
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
FROM
St.,
or email mneeley@ coloradocountrylife.org. Include name and address. Letters may be edited for length. 5COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 LETTERS
The state fair offers so much with its displays, rodeos, music, exhibits and more.
Thanks for sharing the story of Florence, the Antique Capital of Colorado (April ’22). After reading the story, my friend and I loaded up the 1964 T-Bird and spent the weekend in this beautiful little town. The shops, the junktiques, the crafts and the cars! But it was the kind, fun and friendly people we met who made this a definite must for future adventures.
THE EDITOR
Kim Taylor via email Pro Nuclear Power
David H. Durgee, Colorado Springs Mountain View Electric consumer-member
Mona Neeley is the statewide editor of Colorado Country Life, which is published in coordination with your local electric cooperative. Its goal is to provide information from your local electric co-op to you, its consumer-members.
However, there was a time when I dreaded the state fair; this one was in Minnesota. I had a friend who sold western boots at the fair and she roped her friends into helping at the booth. We were there all 12 days of the fair from 10 a.m. when the booths opened until 10 p.m. when theyThenclosed.we would drag ourselves to the midway before heading to the noisy campground where we would try to catch a few hours of sleep. I was drained by the end of the fair. I didn’t go back to the fair for years. It made me tired to think about it.
The Colorado State Fair just ended — did you make it to Pueblo? Colorado’s electric co-ops were there, sponsoring the Junior Livestock Sale. As a former 4-H’er, I know what kind of effort the kids selling their award-winning animals put in to raise them and get them ready for fair season.
I recently read Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All by Michael Shellenberger and would recommend it. He also makes a good case for nuclear power.
Then, one year, friends were going to the fair and I went along. It was a Saturday; I’d been lazy all day. And, wouldn’t you know it, the fair was fun when you’re not bone-tired.
BY MONA NEELEY EDITOR
M Wykoff Poudre Valley REA consumer-member Learning Some History Thank you for the recent article about Fannie May Duncan (June ’22). Her story was both fascinating and inspiring. I looked up more information about her and found she was both an amazing businesswoman and a wonderful philanthropist. I have lived in Colorado all my life and never heard of her. Thanks for bringing her to my attention.
TOENTERWIN Enter for the chance to WIN prize money and have your photo featured in a 2023 issue of Colorado Country Life. 1stPlace$150 2ndPlace$75 3rdPlace$50 COLORCOLORADOIN 2023 PHOTO CONTEST + + + Our 2023 photo contest highlights the colors of Colorado’s beloved state flag: blue, red, gold and white. Do you have an amazing photo that undeniably focuses on the golden hue of autumn’s wafting leaves? Maybe a shot of wolves frolicking through an expansive, white, snow-filled meadow? Send us your entries! Just be sure your entry “speaks” blue, red, gold or white. Judges will select three winners from each category (blue, red, gold and white) along with a cover winner. Winners will receive prize money and their photo featured in a 2023 issue of Colorado Country Life Go to ColoradoCountryLife.coop for the entry form, official rules and entry samples. TOWINNERSCONTESTENTER $100 Cover SEND US YOUR LETTERS Send your letter to the editor to share your thoughts about CCL. To share, visit our Reader Engagement page at coloradocountrylife.coop/ reader-engagement. Mail your letter to Editor
Memories — both fair and foul Mona Neeley, 5400 Washington Denver, CO 80216
Focused on Weekend Fun
I have been a proponent of nuclear generation since the 1980s after reading The Health Hazards of NOT Going Nuclear by Petr Beckmann. An objective evaluation of the Three Mile Island incident shows that the containment measures taken were sufficient even in the face of massive operator error. The more recent incident in Japan shows that further threats from local environmental factors need to be considered in siting and planning for nuclear power plants.
MONA NEELEY
HELP US FIND THE BEST OF COLORADO! WE’RE LOOKING FOR THE BEST: • Local beer • State park • Main street • Disc golf course • Hot springs • Made-in-Colorado product • Place for steak • Local museum Share your favorites coloradocountrylife.coop/atbestof2022 FOR A CHANCE TO WIN ONE OF THREE $100 GIFT CARDS SUBMIT SEPTEMBERNOMINATIONSYOURBY12,2022 OFBESTBESTOF NOW&SCANENTER 6 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 ASK THE ENERGY EXPERT
Miranda Boutelle is the director of operations and customer engagement at Efficiency Services Group in Oregon, a cooperatively owned energy-efficiency company. She also writes on energy-efficiency topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Register dampers allow heated and cooled air to properly circulate throughout the home. If you have a central air heating or cooling system, dampers should be left open. The idea that closing registers saves energy is a common misconception. If furniture is on top of dampers, move it to a new permanent spot so it does not block airflow.
— join in the cooperative spirit and help your neighbors, friends and family save at home by sharing these do-it-yourself energy-saving tips. (Tips range in physicality and cost, providing options based on your ability.)
Prioritize changing lights that are used the most, such as incandescent porch lights left on all night. LEDs use about 75% less energy and last up to 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs. Some neighbors can’t climb step stools or ladders, so help them out if you are able. Be sure to avoid overhead power lines when using ladders outside.
Swap the filter
Remove the window AC By removing the unit before wintertime, you’ll be able to close the window properly. This prevents heat from escaping and wasting energy, and keeps the room more comfortable.
Furnace filters should be checked regularly and replaced when they are dirty. Simply writing down the dimensions of the furnace filter can help your neighbor, who can pick up a pack of new ones in the store or order online.
Change lightbulbs
Share energy-saving programs
Information is a great way to help and it’s free. Look into programs your co-op offers and share that information with your neighbor. Don’t forget to check the U.S. Department of Energy for federal tax credits for upgrades.
Open the dampers
BY MIRANDA BOUTELLE Easy Ways to Help a Neighbor Save Energy
O n National Good Neighbor Day, which is September 28 — or any day this month
Keep outdoor units clear Clean brush and debris from around the air conditioner or heat pump. If leaves or brush pile up around the outdoor unit of a heat pump or air-conditioning system, it can reduce the airflow, making the system work harder than it should. That uses more energy and can reduce the life of the unit.
Window AC units are heavy and awkward, so this project is best done with a buddy. Get that person to commit to helping put the unit back next spring.
We’re changing how our website looks and operates. But rest assured, our same great products and services remain. A better website gives you the power to quickly and easily find the information and resources you depend on, when and how you need it. NEW LOOK. BETTER SERVICE. Learn more at www.pvrea.coop $2 Million back to our members! RATE CHANGES YEAR OVER YEAR Our decreases in 2021 and 2022 equal a 2.8% cumulative rate reduction. Saving our membership about $3.8 million on an annual basis. A great example of why cooperatives are different. We don’t exist to make a profit, instead returning money back to you. Members eligible for the retirement received our service in the years 1994, 2005, and 2021, or any combination of those years. Active and former members will see their member credit(s) on their September bill statement and/or in the form of a check OUR MEMBER CREDITS PROCESS 4 If financial conditions allow, we return member credits to members as bill credits. 3 We use margins to pay down debt, invest in facilities and improvement projects, and allocate to members as member credits based on their usage of electricity. 2 After expenses are paid, we calculate margins. 1 We track how much electricity you use throughout the year1. We track how much electricity you use throughout the year. 2. After expenses are paid, we calculate margins. 3. We use margins to pay down debt, invest in facilities and improvement projects, and allocate to members as member credits based on their usage of electricity. 4. If financial conditions allow, we return member credits to members as bill credits. Get Your Piece of the Pie MEMBER CREDITS 2021 -1.4% 2022 -1.4% 2017 0% 2018 0% 2019 0% 2020 0% 7COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 PVREA NEWS
Meet Grazia and Morgan, two of your co-op’s 2022 campers!
Partnering, Donating & Volunteerism
2023 COOPERATIVE YOUTH LEADERSHIP CAMP • Date: mid-July • Who’s it for: High school juniors and seniors • Where is it: near Steamboat Springs • Cost: Free to members Apply at: www.pvrea.coop/youth-leadership-camp 8 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 PVREA NEWS
MORGAN
Concern for community is a guiding principle in how and why we do business. In July we donated $50K dollars to support the efforts of CPRW. In the coming weeks, our employees and members are volunteering to plant saplings in the burn area. Keep an eye out for a recap as we share the successes of this partnership at www.poudrewatershed.org/pvrea
Community Support
Read why it’s beneficial to send your kids to the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp held annually in July outside Steamboat Springs. There, they discover valuable lessons about leadership, make lifelong friends, raft the Colorado River, and learn about electrical safety and the cooperative principles!
GRAZIA
We proudly support the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) in their post Cameron Peak Fire restoration efforts.
Going to camp, I expected to learn some new leadership skills and have fun. And I did just that! I learned that leadership looks different for everyone. We can all lead in our own ways, no matter how big or small. I would recommend this camp because it really feels like one big, happy family. You get to have a lot of fun while also learning about how to better yourself as a leader. I applied to be an ambassador because I knew how much of an impact camp had on me, and I wanted to be able to make an impact on future campers.
Being an ambassador means I get to walk alongside next year’s campers in their journey of discovering themselves as leaders. I’m SO excited!
My favorite part was meeting everyone and getting to know all of the new people. I learned that leading by example is very important and can at some points be more important than verbal leading. I would recommend this camp because it gets everyone out of their comfort zone. This camp helped me form friendships I hope to have for the rest of my life.
It’s that simple — choose the amount you would like to pay and get an alert when your account is running low on funds.
Here’s why Andrea, from Severance, said Pay As You Go is the right decision for her family.
More
“We are a family of six,” Andrea explained.
BEHINDCHANCETOGETTHEWHEEL10/15
Make Your Monthly Payment Easier BENEFITS OF PAY AS YOU GO • No deposit required • No late fees • No reconnect fees • Easier budgeting Learn more about prepaid billing solutions at www.pvrea.coop/prepay WITH PAY AS YOU GO PREPAID BILLING PAY AS YOU GO 9COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 PVREA NEWS
Andrea first heard about prepaid billing when her she started her service years ago. She recalls her setup was easy, but any member can start Pay As You Go at any time by going online to www.pvrea.coop/prepay
Could Pay As You Go be right for you? Find information and resources online at www.pvrea.coop/prepay
Electric Vehicle Ride & Drive Event
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“I use your mobile app and it’s amazing!” Andrea said. “It’s veryAndreahelpful.”revealed her favorite things about Pay As You Go were using the free app to manage her energy and not having a huge chunk of money come out of her account all at once. When asked if she would recommend prepaid billing to other members, Andrea said “absolutely.”
EV Ride & Drive • Saturday, October 15 • At our
“For us to budget better and not have such a big amount all at once, a prepaid account was the way we wanted to go because we pay as we go.”
“I get a notification when our account is low, and I literally go in and pay,” said Andrea. Text and email alerts come straight to you, so you know exactly how much you’re spending on electricity.
Use our PVREA App to make payments, see real-time energy use, and more.
Ever wondered what it is like to drive an electric vehicle (EV)? Curious if purchasing an EV makes sense for you? Next month we’re offering members the opportunity to sign up and testdrive an EV. Come out to see different models, ask our experts questions, learn about our special rates, and get rebates for EV chargers. details coming soon at www.pvrea.coop/ev office Information, times and sign up coming soon www.pvrea.coop/ev YOUR
We sat down with one of our members to learn why they chose our prepaid bill payment solution — Pay As You Go. Instead of paying for your electricity after you use it, you can prepay on your bill ahead of time.
Water heating accounts for a large portion of your home energy bill. To save energy (and money!) used for water heating, repair any leaky faucets, install low-flow fixtures, and insulate accessible hot water lines. When it’s time to purchase a new washing machine or dishwasher, look for models that are Energy Star ® certified. Source: Dept. of Energy ENERGY EFFICIENCY TIP OF THE MONTH SEPTEMBER 2022 Voting is a major principle of how we do business. By voting, you participate in our democratic process — whether that’s here at your co-op or at the local, state, or federal level. Exercise your right to vote. Make sure you and others are registered. Find resources and information online at www.vote.coop. We all have the power to make a difference. When there is legislation that could impact our cooperative, we call upon on our Grassroots Network to stand up and speak out. LABOR DAY » Our office will be closed Monday, September 5 HAVE A SAFE HOLIDAY WEEKEND Join our Grassroots Network at www.pvrea.coop/grassroots or text GOCOOP to 25886. 10 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 PVREA NEWS
1 / 2 cup sugar
EndeavorsCulinary FIND MORE ONLINE 11COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 RECIPES
Butter for cooking
Elevated New cookbook makes high-altitude cooking a piece of
If you’re looking for another great crowd-pleasing breakfast dish, try Nicole Hampton’s Carrot Cake Waffles. Get the recipe at coloradocountrylife.coop.
WIN A COPY Enter our contest to win a copy of High-Altitude Breakfast. Visit Monthly Contests at coloradocountrylife.coop for details on how to enter.
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 /4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pint fresh blueberries
FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING:
Expectations
cake BY AMY HIGGINS | RECIPES@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG
It’s
To make the blueberry topping, in a small saucepan stir together the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and salt. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture becomes bubbly and thick, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons water. If the mixture is too thick to drizzle, add another tablespoon of water. Keep warm.
1 /8 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons water
To make the cheesecake filling, in a bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Cover and set aside. Prepare the pancake batter as directed. (Visit coloradocountrylife.coop/recipes for Basic Buttermilk Pancakes or use your favorite recipe.)
Preheat the oven to its lowest setting (that’s 170 degrees for me), if desired. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and melt a small pat of butter in the pan. In batches, add about 1/3 cup batter per pancake to the hot pan, spacing them evenly. Cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the cooked pancakes to a plate and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest of the batter. To serve, divide the pancakes among serving plates. Layer each pancake with the cheesecake filling and then top the with the warm blueberry topping.
A t one time or another, scads of Colorado cooks have forsaken their whisks due to concave cakes and dry batter — that is, until they identify the problem: altitude. With an average elevation of around 6,800 feet, according to CSU’s Colorado Climate Center, the Centennial State’s sky-high setting is majestic, but cooks can feel they hit rock bottom when their cakes constantly crumble. But blogger (dougheyed. com) and author Nicole Hampton knows how to navigate elevation. Her latest cookbook, High-Altitude Breakfast: Sweet & Savory Baking at 5,000 Feet & Above, was created in her Colorado home — just like Sugar High, featured in the February 2019 issue of Colorado Country Life — and the recipes within will no doubt elevate your culinary endeavors. The best part: These recipes can be enjoyed in altitudes of all sizes and during all times of the day. Time to Elevate Your
Makes 8 to 10 pancakes
Breakfast
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 batch basic buttermilk pancakes
FOR THE BLUEBERRY TOPPING:
Blueberry Cheesecake Pancakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
REBATES HELP MAKE ANYTHING POSSIBLE Akron Public Schools benefitted from our rebates and you can too! From simple projects like switching to LED lightbulbs, to bigger projects like installing an air-source heat pump, there are dozens of ways to save when you upgrade your home. To learn more about rebates and incentives for electrification programs, contact your local co-op or public power district. Visit us at www.tristate.coop/BE Tri-State is a not-for-profit power supplier to cooperatives and public power districts in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. ELECTRIFY AND SAVE
AT TRI-STATE WE’RE DELIVERING MORE AFFORDABLE ELECTRICITY
Your local electric cooperative is more than just the power it brings to your home or business, it’s a part of the community. When Akron High School needed new lighting at their baseball field they turned to their community co-op, Y-W Electric Association. Tri-State worked with with Y-W Electric to fund and install new LED lighting. The result was more energy efficient, cost-effective lights for the school and an improved experience for Akron’s young athletes.
Powering community, powering life. That’s the cooperative difference. Read the full story at tristate.coop/underthelights
Colorado’s state 4-H office is rolling out four mobile STEM labs available for local 4-H agents to use throughout the year. These labs, housed in customized cargo trailers converted to educational units, offer students hands-on educational experiences in science, technology, engineering and math, all the STEM categories.
CREA established the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, CEEI, to support causes like this. All contributions are tax-deductible. This project was made possible by NRECA International, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, whose mission is to increase individual and community access to electricity in all parts of the world.
Give the gift of clean water or a backpack to Guatemalan families and children!
Colorado’s electric cooperatives sponsors the 4-H Mobile Energy Lab through their member services group. This lab focuses on energy production and conservation, energy conversions and energy use. It includes several hands-on activities to help students understand electricity, how it is generated and how it can be used.
The Colorado-Oklahoma Energy Trails team is currently in Guatemala to bring power to the village of La Montanita de la Virgen. Show your support and help the local families by making a donation today.
To give online: Visit crea.coop/community-outreach/current-causes. To send a check: Make it payable to Colorado Electric Educational Institute with School Supplies on the memo line and mail it to CREA/Guatemala, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216.
The other three mobile labs include a STEM career pathway lab, a STEM maker lab focused on activities such as woodcraft and an environmental sciences lab.
NEWS CLIPS 14 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022
Electric Co-ops Help 4-H Take Energy Education on the Road
JOIN THE JOURNEY
Renewable energy production, predominantly from hydroelectric dams, solar arrays and wind turbines, grew more than 4% from 2020 to 2021. When nuclear energy is included in the mix, carbon-neu tral energy sources accounted for 40% of U.S. demand in 2021. Natural gas remains the largest single source of U.S. electricity generation at 38%. Power from coalfired power plants nationwide rose slightly in 2021, to 22%. However, coal’s portion of the U.S. energy market is down 40% from 2011. Power generation is becoming cleaner and more of it is coming from renewable sources. In 2021, power sector carbon emissions were 35% below 2005 levels.
The labs were featured at the summer 4-H conference, and the Mobile Energy Lab was displayed at the recent Colorado State Fair. Designs for the interactive elements of each lab are being finalized. The trailers will be distributed to four regions of the state in September and begin a rotation through each region in October. The Energy Lab will begin on the western side of the state.
Solar, Wind Supply Record Amount of U.S. Energy in 2021 More and more of everyone’s electricity is coming from solar and wind. According to a recent report compiled by the Americas for Bloomberg New Energy Finance, a record 13% of the country’s power generation now comes from solar and wind power.
Zeb Birch Grand Valley Power
Nathaniel Pennell Mountain View Electric Association
C
KO
Until now, co-ops, which do not pay federal income taxes, have not been eligible for tax credits that bring down the cost of renewable resource projects. Instead, they have had to partner with for-profit businesses that are eligible for tax credits.“Because co-ops had to deal with for-profit entities to develop renewable energy projects, the costs were higher,” explained CREA Executive Director Kent Singer. “The for-profit companies did not pass the full savings from the tax credits on to the co-ops, and instead retained a portion as their profit margin. Now, co-ops can realize the same benefit as for-profit entities.“Electric cooperatives are leading the charge to reliably meet America’s future energy needs amid an energy transition that increasingly depends on electricity to power the U.S. economy,” said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson.
Colorado’s team members include Zeb Birch, Grand Valley Power; Nathaniel Pennell, Mountain View Electric; Clayton Shonk, White River Electric; and Trenton Jole, Holy Cross Energy. This is the first international trip in two years for NRECA International, the philanthropic arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. The team will extend electric distribution service along a 7-mile stretch of mountainous terrain to 76 adobe homes, an elementary school, a small church and a health care center. The villagers dug the holes and erected the necessary power poles before the volunteers arrived. They are anxious to receive electricity. Soon they will no longer have to haul water from a spring outside the village nor grind their corn for tortillas by hand every day.
International Team Working in Guatemala
House Passes Direct-Pay Incentives Renewable Energy & Co-ops Benefit
Trenton Jole Holy Cross Energy
L A H OMA AND COLO RADOIN GUAT E M ALA ENERGY TRAILS 15COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 NEWS CLIPS
incentives to co-ops has been one of the top legislative goals for the nation’s electric cooperatives.
The legislation also creates a voluntary $9.7 billion grant and loan program designed specifically for electric co-ops that buy or build new clean energy systems. It will be administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program will provide funding for a wide range of projects, including renewable energy, carbon capture, battery storage, nuclear power and improvements to generation and transmission efficiency. Interested co-ops will be eligible to receive an award for up to 25% of their project costs, with a maximum of $970 million going to any one co-op.
“As co-ops continue to innovate, access to tax incentives and funding for investments in new energy technologies are crucial new tools that will help reduce costs and keep electricity affordable for consumers.”
olorado and Oklahoma lineworkers are on the ground in La Montanita de la Virgen, Guatemala, stringing power lines that will bring electricity to the homes, church and school in that small community. The electric co-op team was originally scheduled to leave for Guatemala at the end of July, but supply chain issues meant the trip was postponed about a month. The team didn’t leave the United States for the village northeast of Guatemala City until August 29. They will return September 16.
Clayton Shonk White River Electric Association
The Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress August 12 will provide federal direct-pay credits to electric co-ops when they develop new energy technologies, including carbon capture, nuclear, energy storage, renewables and more.
The bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden Tuesday, AugustDirect-pay16.
Equidistant between Denver and Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a population hovering around 8,000, it’s surprising that Trinidad has a college at all. And yet, founded in 1925, TSC was the rst community college in Colorado. e college is widely regarded as having the best gunsmithing school in the United States. Students can also pursue a vocational, arts or science track at either the Trinidad or Alamosa campus. Many high school students take advantage of the unique opportunity to earn college credits and pursue concurrent enrollment. In fact, this past school year, the seven-member robotics team included two high school students. e college is so small, with only about 1,000 students on the Trinidad campus, the robotics team is considered an athletic team and the athletic director publicizes most of their events.
LITTLE
It’s the story of the little college that could and the mathematics professor, Cindy Clements, who started it all.
LOOKING BACK According to the TSC website, “ e Trinidad State Robotics Team got its start in 2009 when the school was invited to join the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. e program Trinidad State College mathematics professor Cindy Clements stands with Robotics Landon Knight and Sun Richardson.
16 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 COVER STORY
BY JOANNE PALMER
THAT COULDTHE COLLEGE
E veryone loves an underdog — the long-shot horse that wins the Kentucky Derby by a nose; the rookie quarterback who throws the winning touchdown in the final seconds of the game; or the middle-aged Olympian who, against all odds, racks up more medals than competitors half his age.
“No one expects Trinidad to have this kind of program,” Clements says wryly. Robotics team member Kayla Gardiner agrees: “Cindy is incredibly dedicated to the robotics program. e region would not have anything like it without her.”
Trinidad is not what you’d expect. One of the main streets of this southern Colorado town in San Isabel Electric’s service territory is paved with bricks. And while many Colorado towns boast about their sweeping panoramic views and towering mountain peaks, for roughly 40 years Trinidad’s claim to fame was as a destination for people seeking sex reassignment surgery.
But not all underdog stories revolve around sporting events and athletic achievements. is is a story about an academic underdog, a heartwarming account of a two-year community college, Trinidad State College, that is home to a robotics team that competes against bigger, mostly four-year colleges and not only holds its own but consistently de es expectations.
Clements will stop at nothing to help her students succeed, even if it means importing sand from Alamosa. Say what? e sand at the Great Sand Dunes is very similar to the terrain on Mars. Since all robots compete and are tested at the Sand Dunes in April, Clements simulates a mini Sand Dunes on campus.
S.W.A.R.M.THE When you think of robots, you might think of Rosie the Robot in the cartoon sitcom “ e Jetsons”; R2-D2 in “Star Wars”; or the adorable little trash compactor, WALL-E, in a 2008 lm. e Trinidad robots are just as lovable as their Hollywood counterparts and, while they don’t talk, they are cute. Yes, cute. e wheels look like large LEGO® pieces, and some sport bright pink duct tape. e bodies are bright primary colors that house little cameras and a gaggle of electronic whosie-whatsits.Butbuilding a robot is a painstaking process, and it doesn’t happen overnight — start to nish is about six months. “I take students and teach them everything and anything they need to know, literally nuts and bolts, from electronics to 3-D design and testing.” In 2022, the seven-member robotics team built ve robots known as the S.W.A.R.M.: Scorpion, WASP, ANT, RolyPoly and RobotsMantis.areabout the size of a tissue box, but, unlike a box, they can perform incredible achievements. They whir, spin and pivot. But most importantly, they’re autonomous — they think for themselves.
do not go unnoticed. According to Bernadette Garcia Galvez, interim director of the Colorado Space Grant Consortium, “Clements is an exceptional educator. She has developed an approach in which she is able to engage beginning students and develop their skills to a point that her teams are consistently the only team able to demonstrate advanced autonomy at the annual event. She gives her all to keep the program going.” Her students, who refer to her as “Ms.C,” appreciate her ability to connect. Co-captain of the robotics team, Ruth Edwards, comments, “I love the way she teaches, especially math. In the past, my math teachers would largely dismiss my questions because I was deeply concerned about the minutiae of how things work and t together. She does not dismiss these questions; she understands why I want to know.”
It’s just one more reason what was once a long-shot team in Colorado robotics is now the team to beat.
CONVERSATIONCHANCE Clements was in the middle of teaching a math class when she overheard a conversation in the hallway between a physics professor and another colleague about robotics. On impulse, she called out, “I want to do robotics.”Impulsive is not really Clements’ jam. She leans more toward the practical — she’s the type of person who started thinking about her retirement while she was in her 20s, which led her to buy acreage outside of Trinidad in 1998 even though she had a teaching job in Oklahoma. Fast forward eight years and Clements landed a job at TSC. After that chance conversation, Clements took a crash course on building robots from a person on the Colorado Space Grant Consortium and went to work.
“We have actual Sand Dunes sand. e farmers around the Sand Dunes don’t want the sand that blows onto their farms, so I hired someone to go around and pick up the sand and bring it to Trinidad,” she says.
17COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 COVER STORY
“In 2010, we made our first robot completely out of recycled pieces and parts and were thrilled it moved in the sand and went in the right direction. It was a simple goal and we achieved it. Not only did we achieve it, but there were only two out of 30 robots that moved at all,” recalls Clements.
Clements explains, “Currently, the robots on Mars are dependent on a person giving them further instructions back at NASA. is year, our goal was [to learn] how interconnected robots can work together to communicate with each other and create accurate maps on planets such as Mars.”
A
THE PROCESS Work begins in December each year, at the latest. ere are classes in programming, electronics, 3-D design and building. en the fun begins. e students meet and divide into groups; next, they program, build, test. Repeat. Program, build, test. Fine tune. Test runs down the hallway. Revise. Tweak. More programming. Collaborate. More test runs. Tweak, tweak, tweak. Finally, months later: the sand pit. Which brings us to the story of Clements and the sand pit.
has evolved gradually and each team has improved on the previous year’s design.”
This past spring, students again competed in COSGC’s Robotics Challenge at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. As part of the event, students submitted a research paper and presented their research at COSGC’s symposium. e rst paper from a TSC team was accepted in 2011 and, since then, the team has won best robot in its weight division every year it has been entered. It has also won the People’s Choice Award ve times, and its paper/presentation has won a session award four times. In 2022, TSC robotics again took the best paper/presentation session Clements’award.efforts
Clements is an exceptional educator. She has developed an approach in which she is able to engage beginning students and develop their skills to a point that her teams are consistently the only team able to demonstrate advanced autonomy at the annual event. She gives her all to keep the program going.”
— Bernadette Garcia Galvez, interim director of the Colorado Space Grant Consortium Landon Knight and Sun Richardson with the five robots known as the S.W.A.R.M. Test driving a robot in sand imported from Alamosa. The sand originated from the Great Sand Dunes. The Trinidad State College robots are just as cute as their Hollywood counterparts.
18 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 COVER STORY
EVERETT ALLEN, 21, CAPTAIN Allen grew up surrounded by the beauty of the Grand Canyon and attended the only K-12 school there. As a child, he loved Legos. “ ere’s a joke that every great architect, engineer or civil engineer played with Legos as a kid,” he says. A few years before high school graduation, his family moved to Trinidad where he took advantage of the concurrent program between the high school and the college. Not surprisingly, he sees some similarity between robotics and Legos. With an easy smile, he remembers launching the team’s robot at the Great Sand Dunes. “It is a Lego project, but it will take six months of your time and it will still break when you deploy it,” he says.
LANDON KNIGHT, 17, BUILDING TEAM LEAD Knight discovered his passion for robotics when he was 10. “In 8th and 9th grades, I was a part of the robotics team for Branson High School, and it was there that I learned to build things and to use building equipment,” he says. “I had heard of the robotics program at TSC, and in the 10th grade I began taking concurrent enrollment and joined the robotics team.”
Initially, Bressan had no interest in being part of the robotics team. “I’m busy,” Bressan remembers telling Clements, his professor in calculus. Nevertheless, Clements convinced him to stop by and take a look. Once he saw all the wiring, coding and testing going on, “I was sold on it.” Bressan graduated with an associate degree in mathematics and says, “I gained a lot of knowledge in team dynamics and gained friendships and connections that could springboard me forward career-wise.”
As the youngest student on the team, she found the intellectual challenge she was a er. “I joined with zero background knowledge and no experience in building electronics or programming,” she says. “I was put on 3D design and had to learn how to use modeling so ware.”
JOSHUA BRESSAN, 21, ELECTRONICS TEAM
DALLAS ABBOT, 20, BUILDING TEAM Abbot is a self-described lone wolf. As an only child, he “speaks in numbers better than words.” At 15, he moved to Trinidad from South Carolina and initially started in an online school. Recognizing the need for more of a challenge, he moved to concurrent enrollment at TSC. Friends recommended the robotics team, so he joined. “It helped me make a lot of friends and learn to work in a team. It brought me out of my shell,” he says. He plans to attend Eastern New Mexico University for a bachelor’s in math with a minor in biology.
From left to right: Dallas Abbott, Landon Knight, Ruth Edwards, Josh Bressan, Everett Allen, Kayla Gardiner, seated Sun Richardson (not pictured: Diego Dominguez). Photo by Cindy Clements.
19COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 COVER STORY
Joanne Palmer is a freelance writer from Colorado’s Western Slope.
SUN RICHARDSON, 16 3D DESIGN TEAM
He credits Clements for “keeping me inspired and helping me nd my strengths.”
MEET THE TEAM
While most 16-year-olds dream of getting their driver’s license, Richardson was looking for something else, an intellectual challenge. “I have more intellectual curiosity than my peers.” Already uent in Mandarin, Richardson's intellect met its match on the robotics team.
RUTH EDWARDS, 18, CO-CAPTAIN AND LEAD PROGRAMMER Edwards is upfront about her reasons for joining the robotics team: “Initially, what attracted me to the team was boredom. What made me stay was the discovery that I truly have an aptitude for programming.” Edwards has a passion for problem solving and troubleshooting. “I appreciate the systematic approach that is required for these situations, and I love watching as the culmination of all the debugging turns into a real product,” she says. A er two years on the robotics team, Edwards credits it with opening her eyes to how “vast and invigorating the engineering eld is.”
KAYLA GARDINER, 38, 3D DESIGN TEAM LEAD Before moving to Trinidad in 2019, Gardiner worked at Lockheed Martin in Littleton building wiring harnesses. e robotics team allowed her to “ nd something technical to work on in Trinidad and to learn to use 3D printers and Fusion 360 CAD so ware.” Her hopes for the future include getting a job with SpaceX to “help them build out the Moon and Mars program.”
Flying higher than today’s drones with an optical sensor on board, this future drone scans the sky for dangers, busily feeding data to an onboard artificial-intelligence-powered computer, which is linked to the flight computer. Sensing a private plane in its airspace, the drone automatically executes an avoidance maneuver, dropping rapidly in altitude and banking to avoid any chance of collision.
GOING BEYOND Co-ops ready for utility drones to expand their reach “You’re going to see a massive improvement in what you can get done in a day.”
BY REED KARAIM AND MONA NEELEY
— Stan McHann, NRECA
“There is no question that that (beyond-line-of-sight rules) will have a huge impact on how we’re able to use and grow this tech nology,” said Bill Havonec, GIS lead for Sangre de Cristo Electric in Buena Vista, in an interview with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s RE Magazine This future is already here for a small number of electric utilities that have received Federal Aviation Administration waivers allowing beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights. But it’s coming for more co-ops as the FAA moves toward issuing regulations that could make BVLOS operations typical for those that meet the requirements.
Miles away, at a control station, the co-op’s drone pilot sees the maneuver and could take control if necessary. But knowing the drone is designed to adjust its flight path more quickly than humanly possible, the pilot decides to allow the unmanned vehicle to fly itself to safety.Danger averted, the drone resumes its mission down 50 miles of line or more, saving the cooperative untold hours of physical inspec tion by ground or helicopter.
20 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 ENERGY CONNECTIONS
“This is a huge deal,” said Stan McHann, senior research engi neer and chief drone pilot for NRECA. “You’re going to see a massive improvement in what you can get done in a day.”
An FAA advisory committee published recommendations in April establishing a roadmap to meet that goal, which could arrive within the next couple of years. The proposed changes also would give expanded right-of-way access and airspace rights to BVLOS drones that meet standards for avoidance and control capabilities.
Imagine a drone flight at an electric cooperative in the not-too-dis tantNofuture.longer limited to staying within the line of sight of its on-theground operator, it travels much, much farther down the power lines, using an array of visual, thermal and LIDAR sensors, which use lasers, to accomplish miles of inspection in a single flight.
Josh Dellinger, general manager of Empire Electric Association in Cortez, agrees. The additional distance that drones will be able to fly will be especially valuable in hard-to-reach places. “We have quite a bit of that where lines go through areas adjacent to the road or forest service or BLM land,” he says.
Advanced sensors will provide a new level of granular detail on the condition of system hardware. Infrared sensors, for example, can look for hot or arcing connections, transformers and other components, spotting current or future problems hidden from the human eye.
Taking full advantage of these capabilities will require the ability to effectively manage the data they can provide.
“Software is key here,” McHann noted. “One flight will create a trainload of data, and it’s essential that you be able to process it and see that it’s integrated into your system in ways that get the informa tion where you need it.”
Training and certification
“Your SAIDI-CAIDI (outage measurement) numbers are going to come down. That’s real money,” McHann noted.
“Colorado’s co-ops each have between 1,000 and 10,000 miles of line to cover,” said Curt Graham, a job training and safety instructor with CREA who visits many of those co-ops regularly. “When you can get an uncrewed aircraft doing line inspection for you looking at things on a schedule, and reliable enough where you don’t need to have an operator actively supervising it all the time — that’s got real potential,” he said. “And it’s coming.”
“A trainload of data” BVLOS is a key part of an evolution in drone capabilities that could transform inspection and maintenance for electric utilities in the coming years. McHann also foresees smaller drones strategically placed throughout a distribution system, able to respond to a SCADA event by taking to the air and quickly checking a trouble spot, sending images and other data back to operations, and giving the co-op a clearer idea of what is going on and what response is needed before sending a crew.
“And as the price of the cameras and sensors and other equipment come down as well, it will effectively bring everyone into this space,” saidWhileHavonec.the newest hardware often gets the most attention, the unmanned vehicle technology is just a piece of the program. The parts that really tie everything together will be the training and regulatory requirements necessary to fly the drone.
As drones become commonplace in co-op fleets, other innovative uses are likely to surface. Even with today’s limitations on flight range, drones are being used by co-ops for regular inspections, vegetation management, placing bird diverters on lines and pulling lead lines across rugged terrain to run new transmission lines.
Meeting those standards to take full advantage of BVLOS and other advancements down the road will be essential to economically meeting the demands of maintaining the grid, according to co-op managers.Therewards will be increased efficiency, system reliability and personnel safety through reducing hazardous tasks such as pole climbing, and these can outweigh the costs.
NRECA is already working with local electric co-ops on flight management and data analysis software integration.
Reed Karaim writes on rural cooperative news for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Mona Neeley is editor of Colorado Country Life magazine.
“At SDCEA, we’re discovering a variety of uses for drone tech nology. It started with inspections and getting data into the GIS/ mapping and work order systems,” said Havonec.
Operating today with a drone and operator out in the field, McHann said, a co-op can cover to 80 to 120 assets a day, maybe only 70 to 80 in rougher terrain. Taking advantage of the longer range, flying time and speed at which BVLOS drones can operate, a greater-than-ten fold increase becomes possible, with a drone able to cover nearly 1,400 assets in a day.
21COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 ENERGY CONNECTIONS
The FAA advisory committee’s recommendations include a new pilot certification for BVLOS flight, although physical piloting skills combined with aviation safety best practices will remain important.
The human factor
Expanded use of drones will help co-ops inspect power lines in hard to reach places.
“In addition to our routine maintenance inspections, we’re prior itizing flight plans with historical outage data and using that as a tool for system improvement,” he said. “Additionally, we’re inspecting new construction rights-of-way and vegetation management areas for inventory, monitoring and quality assurance.”
BVLOS will require a new level of training and certification for drone operators. Today, a Level 107 certification from the FAA, which entails passing a written test, is all that is necessary for basic, within-visu al-line-of-sight drone operations at a co-op or other electric utility.
W atching our gardens change throughout the season is one of the greatest joys of gardening. Who hasn’t been thrilled when germinated shoots push through the soil? Excitement continues as leaves grow, buds develop and flowers blossom to form fruits and seeds. As plants die or go into dormancy, we wonder how to fill empty spaces and create an award-winning garden. One way to add color to garden beds and expand the flower season is to plant spring-blooming bulbs. But don’t wait until spring. In Colorado’s dry climate, these bulbs must be planted in the fall before the ground freezes. During the cooler months, they develop roots and absorb nutrients in preparation for those spring blooms. Snowdrop flowers can be among the first spring bulbs to make an appearance. Keep a watchful eye or you might not notice their delicate white flowers poking through winter snow. Crocuses are the next early bloomers. They will certainly catch your attention as lovely pastel petals emerge in an otherwise bare garden bed. Then, just as you begin to enjoy these harbingers of spring, Colorado’s inevitable spring snow arrives. You feel certain they will die, but crocuses are amazingly resilient and will continue blooming after the snow melts. Plant crocuses along borders, in rock gardens or among low-growing ground cover where their thin green leaves blend in after the petals drop. You can even plant them in your lawn for a natural meadow look. Just don’t mow until the foliage begins to wither. Since crocuses naturalize, they become crowded over time and produce fewer flowers. You can dig some up after the flowers fade and divide them into smaller clusters. You don’t have to wait until fall to replantAnotherthem.early- to mid-spring bloomer is the tiny bell-shaped clusters of hyacinths. Their highly fragrant flowers come in rich colors that span the spectrum. Hyacinths are most appreciated when planted along a walkway or patio where their striking floral display and lovely scent bring great joy during a long blooming cycle.
Alliums are in the onion family and come in a variety of sizes. Globemaster and Purple Sensation have huge, globular blooms. More subdued varieties display bursts of tiny flowering clusters. Regardless of size, alliums add a unique dimension.
Emperor tulips are known for their huge flowers in different colors. Fiery Red Emperors are particularly eye-catching.
22 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 GARDENING
Other spring-blooming bulbs to consider are alliums, daffodils and tulips, all of which perform better when planted in the fall and allowed to winter over.
Color Your Garden Dig in now for glorious spring blooms
BY VICKI SPENCER MASTER GARDENER | GARDENING@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG
Purple Prince is preferred for its longlasting, rich purple blooms with slightly scalloped edges. Later-blooming Queen of the Night tulips are deep, rich purple with tones of burgundy. Some almost appear black and create a dramatic contrast when planted with White Emperors.
Daffodils, or jonquils, are a favorite because they adapt easily to various climatic conditions and require little care but produce an abundance of flowers. They will proliferate year after year and are easily transplanted anywhere needing a splash of color. Since deer don’t like daffodils, they help protect the tastier tulip when planted together.So,as you enjoy your fall flowers, start thinking spring and get some bulbs in the ground. And remember, regardless of which bulbs you choose, they will have the most dramatic effect when planted in clusters.
Gardener Vicki Spencer has an eclectic background in conservation, water, natural resources and more.
Read previous gardening columns at coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Gardening under Living in Colorado. LEARN MORE ONLINE
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BY DENNIS SMITH | OUTDOORS@COLORADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG
I t’s been widely held, particularly among newcomers to the sport, that expensive, high-tech fly rods are vital to success in fly fishing.
While it’s true that some high-modulus graphite rods are capable of slinging a fly line 100 feet or more, the average fly fisherman plainly is not. Nor does he need to be. Most fly fishing — for trout, anyway — is conducted on mountain streams where a 40-foot cast is an extremely long one, and a rarity at that. And most of our fish are caught at considerably shorter distances. Sometimes right at ourInfeet.the end, fly fishing is a game of stealth, observation and a bit of finesse, not brute force. And performance is determined by the skill of the angler, not the price of the rod he happens to be carrying. Or to put it another way: It ain’t the arrow; it’s the Indian.
MISS AN ISSUE? 24 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 OUTDOORS
Dennis Smith is a freelance outdoors writer and photographer whose work appears nationally. He lives in Loveland.
The Right Stuff
Glitz and glamour really don’t matter in fly fishing Catch up at coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Outdoors under Living in Colorado.
And no wonder: Fly tackle manufacturers continually bombard us with ads telling us that if we want to catch more fish, we need the blistering line speed and unheard-of casting performance only their revolutionary, state-of-the-art angling instruments are capable of delivering. Yada, yada, yada. The problem is that their razzle-dazzle rods often cost twice the going price of an arm and a leg. All of which is fine and good if you’re extremely well-heeled and your goal is to hit the far bank of the Columbia River with a seveninch streamer in a 60-mile-an-hour gale. Usually, though, what we really need is a rod that will drop a little dry fly neatly under that bush over there about 15 or 20 feet away, or flip a weighted nymph rig upriver about the same distance. In truth, the majority of so-called revolutionary advances in rod performance are merely evolutionary enhancements to the same old equipment we’ve been using for a hundred years. Some are purely cosmetic: highly-figured reel seats of exotic hardwoods, nickel-silver fittings, titanium line guides — that sort of thing. Your fishing buddies may go gah-gah over that stuff, but the trout don’t actually give a hoot. And none of it is essential to catching fish.
Regardless of whether they’re made from vertically-aligned, titani um-damped carbon fibers or spiral-wound space-age micro glass filaments, fly rods are still just fishing poles, right? Long, skinny sticks with wire guides and cork handles.
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It’s not the first time Dr. Al Sears, the Florida-based MD who designed the breakthrough formula, has shaken up the status quo in men’s health.Anationally recognized men’s health pioneer and the founder of the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine in Royal Palm Beach, Fla., Dr. Sears has been featured on ABC, CNN, and ESPN. He’s authored more than 500 books, reports, and scientific ar ticles, many focusing on prostate issues that may affect virtually all men sooner or later. “By age 60, I find about half of my male patients feel the need for prostate support,” Dr. Sears ex plains. “By the time they reach age 80, it’s over 90 percent.”
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What is COSGC?
Part of NASA’s Colorado Space Grant Consortium (COSGC) the launch, flight and tracking of these research balloons is also supported by the nonprofit organization, Edge of Space Sciences or EOSS, a group of ham radio enthusiasts who volunteer in support of science education.
Taking flight
THANK YOU TO NORTHEASTERN COLORADO “ We’d like to share our gratitude with the farmers, ranchers and landowners in the rural areas of our state. Without them, our program would not be possible.”
— COSGC Interim Director Bernadette Garcia Galvez
26 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 REACHING THE EDGE
Flying high Balloons reach about 100,000 feet above ground, taking student payloads into the stratosphere — literally to the edge of space. At this altitude, temperatures can be as low as minus 80 degrees. Leaving the ground at about 6 feet in diameter, the balloons expand to up to 50 feet in diameter as they gain altitude. They eventually burst and fall back to earth, reaching speeds of 200 feet per second. When the apparatus falls to altitudes where there’s more atmosphere to fill a parachute, it slows down, eventually landing on Earth at about 2 miles per hour. Teams tracking the balloon retrieve it and its apparatus.
FOCUS ON SCIENCE
Headquartered at the University of Colorado Boulder, COSGC is a statewide program providing students real-world experiences as they prepare for scientific, technical careers. Since 1989, over 6,000 students have been directly involved in authentic, NASA-aligned, hands-on projects through COSGC. Students have designed and flown three sounding rockets; three space shuttle payloads; five orbiting satellites; 19 sounding rocket payloads; 12 long-duration, high-altitude balloon payloads; and more than 550 short-duration, high-altitude balloon payloads. OF SPACE Balloons Carry Research
High-altitude balloons are launched in rural parts of Colorado to avoid Denver International Airport airspace during flight, according to COSGC Interim Director Bernadette Garcia Galvez. The balloons travel where the wind takes them, but EOSS teams accurately predict the landing site by using radio frequency transmissions and weather modeling to track the balloons. In addition to including high-tech tracking from EOSS, balloons contain automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast beacons “to add an extra layer of safety to the flights,” Garcia Galvez says. This helps balloons be “seen” by pilots and air traffic control, even if they aren’t visible to the eye.
While traveling along a rural county road, have you come across a long line of trucks and cars? Often, the vehicles have a bunch of antennas attached to their tops. And perhaps there is a group of folks standing outside the vehicles, staring at the sky. What are they looking at? These could be volunteers and students in the process of tracking high-altitude balloons.
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We love to hear from our readers! SCAN THE QR CODE NOW Visit our READER ENGAGEMENT PAGE to enter the monthly giveaway, share a funny story, submit a photo with the magazine, share your latest poem or recipe and send a letter to the editor. DO YOU HAVE A GREAT STORY IDEA? Submit your story ideas to our Reader Engagement page at coloradocountrylife.coop or send via email to info@coloradocountrylife.org. Lounging Longhorn Photo by Teresa Dower, a Mountain View Electric Association consumer-member. POLE BARNSS Specializing in Post Frame Metal Buildings for your Farm,Machines, orBarndominium,Animals,Commercialbuilding...anythingyoucanthinkup! Custom Pole Barns ACROSS COLORADO for a custom Quote Call Boone www.aandcbuilders.comtoday! E S T 1 9 7 5 Encourage young sportsmen by providing safe, private access. You make the We’llStop303-460-0273rules.feedingprairiedogs.renthuntingrightsfrom you. Seriously looking for duck & goose habitat. SPIRAL STAIRCASE CUSTOM BUILT TO YOUR ORDER (not a kit) • The most attractive and best priced • All wood & Steel models available Goddard Manufacturing (800) 536 4341 WWW.SPIRAL-STAIRCASES.COM WE PAY CASH for minerals and oil/gas interests, producing and non-producing. 800-733-8122 Wanted: Jeep CJ or Wrangler. Reasonably priced No rust buckets. 888-735-5337 Buying anvils—blacksmith tools— cast iron (Griswold & Wagner). Old toys – colored pyrex – cowboy hats, boots, & spurs. Will come to you & we buy whole estates! 970-759-3455 or 970-565-1256 . com • 651 4 9 2 4 8 30 P rotective S leeves: 100% Guaranteed • P r e v e n t s C u ts & Sc r a t ches • D u ra ble Soft L e a t her • A djus t a ble Air-Flow ATTENTION CCL READERS 28 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 MARKETPLACE
Gary and Stacy Merrifield, consumer-members of Empire Electric Association, visit Crater Lake National Park with their copy of CCL
Mike Coen, Berthoud Poudre Valley REA consumer-member
Poudre Valley REA consumer-member Ian Rainford hikes with his CCL to the top of Hahns Peak. What a view!
WINNER: Bonnie and Paul Brownell (left) and Dave and Luann Koester take CCL along on their trip to Ireland and Scotland in June. Both couples are consumer-members of Highline Electric Association. Fun in the sun! Richard Lewis, a Grand Valley Power consumer-member, brings CCL to Mexico on a recent vacation.
Joseph Vigil, Pueblo West San Isabel Electric consumer-member My niece was bold and outspoken as a toddler. Our family prayed a blessing before mealtime, and she knew prayers end with “Amen.” As the family sat in church one Sunday, a visiting minister was waxing eloquent in a long prayer. Loudly and assertively, my niece hollered, “Amen! OK?”
It’s easy to win with Colorado Country Life. Simply take a photo of someone (or a selfie!) with the magazine and submit it on our Reader Engagement page at coloradocountrylife.coop. We’ll draw one photo to win $25 each month. The next deadline is Thursday, September 15. Name, address and co-op must accompany photo. See all of the submitted photos on Facebook at facebook.com/COCountryLife.
Mike, Ginny, Mike Jr., and Talia Schuster meet the Talbotts. They visited Talbott Farms after being inspired by CCL’s August issue featuring the multi-generational peach growers in Palisade. The Talbotts welcomed the Poudre Valley REA consumer-members and the Schusters report that Talbott Farms peaches are “out of this world!”
We pay $15 to each person who submits a funny story that’s printed in the magazine. At the end of the year, we will draw one name from the published funny stories, and that person will receive $200. Go to our Reader Engagement page at coloradocountrylife.coop to submit your funny story. I was babysitting my 3-year-old granddaughter and we needed a few things from the store. As I was putting her in her car seat, she looked at me and pointed: Munchkin: “Pompo…” (she calls me Pompo) Me: “Yeah, Munchkin?” (I call her Munchkin) Munchkin, looking at me intently: “You got a ‘pider in your nose!” Me: Munchkin:“Where?”“Right dare!” Me, brushing my nose: “Right there?” Munchkin: “It’s still dare! It’s a big one!” Me, brushing my nose again: “Here?” Munchkin: “Eeeeww! It jump on me!” Me, a little shook up: “Where?” Munchkin, flapping her coat and then her legs: “Aaaaah!”Me,stomping on the floor of the pickup: “I got Munchkin:it!” “Did you kill it?” Me, just realizing she thought my nose hair was a spider: Munchkin,“Yeah…”wiping her forehead: “Whew!” Me, trying not to laugh, I tell myself: “Time to cut the nose hair!”
READERS’ PHOTOS FUNNY STORIES Take Your Photo with Your Magazine and Win!
29COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 YOUR STORIES
Crank up the gusto in your favorite dishes with Pueblo-based Jojo’s Sriracha. Owner and founder Jolene “Jojo” Collins picks local Pueblo chilies at the peak of freshness and then ferments them for several months before creating and canning her sriracha for market. Flavors include Bourbon Barrel, Good Food Award-winning OG (the original blend), Green Chili, Unicorn (a blend of red and green chilies), a variety of Superhots, and OGX (extra hot). For more information, call 303-909-2808 or visit jojossriracha.com
Eighteen years ago, self-described “Cheesecake Savant” Lee Mathis had his “aha!” moment: The head of his culinary school suggested Mathis put his esteemed cheesecake in a jar. Voila! Cheesecake in a Jar® was born. Today, his Grand Junction company, Decadence Gourmet, currently offers 27 flavors of Cheesecake in a Jar (try The Irish Dream or Sticky Bun varieties), as well as fermented pepper sauces, Colorado-style southern chow chow, savory craft spreads and more. For information, call 970-208-8808 or visit decadencecheesecakes.com
Snack on Something Sensational
30 COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE SEPTEMBER 2022 DISCOVERIES
Take a bite out of Colorado-made concoctions
A Jarring Dessert
A Cut Above Sink your teeth into a Centennial Cuts beef stick, jerky or summer sausage. You’ll savor a sensational snack, but you may not realize that you are also supporting an all-Colorado product. From the cows to the food they eat and the packaging the finished product is delivered in, everything from Centennial Cuts is made in Colorado. The snacks are handmade in Sterling and have been said to be better than versions by big-name brands. For information, visit centennialcuts.com
Decadence Gourmet’s Lee Mathis is offering a discount for CCL readers — use the code “CCL” at checkout for 15% off your purchase. DISCOUNT AVAILABLE
Savor the sweetness of delicious honey from Boulder-based Björn’s Colorado Honey. Try traditional or get it infused with flavorings such as lemon, vanilla bean or cinnamon, to name a few. Better yet, snag a jar of Lavender Honey before it sells out. Blending honey with lavender blossoms from Sage Creations, an organic farm in Palisade, this seasonal honey is a Björn’s bestseller you can blend into your baked goods, beverages and more. For information, call 303-981-7168 or visit bjornscoloradohoney.com
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