October 30, 2024
[Davies Library, Deer Trail, CO.]
Boulder County, CO.
Boulder County Community Planning & Permitting, Wildfire Partners and Mile High Youth Corps Provide Free Wildfire Mitigation Services for Sans Souci Mobile Home Park
[The following is based on a press release.]
When the Marshall Fire started just east of the Sans Souci Mobile Home Park community many homes experienced devastating damage from the straight-line wind event. Although not impacted directly by the fire, countless residents were left anxious of a similar event occurring.
Last week, Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) began providing critical wildfire mitigation services in Sans Souci Mobile Home Park. Their work is part of the Boulder County Wildfire Partners pilot program Youth Helping Underserved Individuals and Communities.
As a resident owned community, homeowners would normally incur the costs of park maintenance, including these services. This program ensures that the services are provided free of cost for residents struggling to make ends meet and still rebuilding from the Marshall Fire and straight-line wind event of December 30, 2021.
MHYC are the second conservation corps to work in Sans Souci as part of a contract with Wildfire Partners. In June, crews from TEENS, Inc. provided a week of vegetation management services on communal property, including juniper removal, raking, and weed whacking. MHYC is building on this work, providing services to individual homes, including limbing and pruning small trees, debris disposal, and constructing noncombustible gravel barriers, helping to protect homes from embers during another grass fire.
Ellie Stanton, Wildfire Partners Youth Program Specialist said, “Before we began working in Sans Souci, it was important to us [Wildfire Partners] that we create a strong, lasting relationship with the community. Along with our bilingual outreach specialist, Olimpia Mejia, we spent at least a hundred hours knocking on doors, speaking with homeowners, and building trust within the community.”
“Without Mile High Youth Corps and TEENS Inc., we would not be able to perform these wildfire mitigation services,” said Peggy Kuhn, a Sans Souci resident. “Our park has 85 plus residents, half of these seniors, and some homes still have roofs made with tarp and held down with straps. We love our natural views, but it also makes us nervous because the grassland next to the community puts us at higher risk of a wildfire.”
Wildfire Partners has partnered with the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks and Boulder Watershed Collective to extend the project’s impact and create a model for future work in mobile home parks. For more information, contact Youth Programs Specialist Ellie Stanton at estanton@bouldercounty.gov or (720) 564-2645.
Mile High Youth Corps members are providing wildfire mitigation services in Sans Souci Mobile Home Park. Their work is part of the Boulder County Wildfire Partners pilot program Youth Helping Underserved Individuals and Communities.
Boulder County Sheriff, Enhanced Jail Daily Booking and Listing Reports Web Page
[The following is based on a press release.]
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office has launched an enhanced version of our Jail Daily Booking and Listing Reports web page.
The page includes new information and updated capabilities:
The ability to search for current inmates by name.
A daily release report which shows individuals who were released on the current day (from midnight and on) as well as those who will be released within the next 24 hours.
Data about the current jail population (e.g. arresting agency, gender, sentencing status, ethnicity, race, and length of stay).
Historical jail statistics, which will be added to over time.
Additional information, such as mugshots and older jail booking records, is available via a records request that can be made to our Records Division or by calling (303) 441-3600.
Businesses
Cedaredge, CO.
Sugar Mama's Bakeshop
250 South Grand Mesa Drive
Cedaredge, CO.
81413
(970) 856-5005
Colorado Secretary of State
Reminders
[The following is based on a press release.]
Secretary of State Jena Griswold is reminding Coloradans of important voter information ahead of Election Day, November 5, 2024.
“November 5th is almost here, so if your ballot is still on your kitchen counter, now is a great time to fill it out and bring it to a drop box or voting center,” said Secretary Griswold. “Please remember to do your part is helping combat election disinformation by using a trusted source for election information like GoVoteColorado.gov.”
At this point, Colorado voters should return their ballots at a drop box or voting center. It is too late to return a ballot by mail to ensure that it will be received by county clerks by 7:00 P.M. on Election Day.
Coloradans can still register to vote, receive a ballot, and vote in person at a voting center until 7:00 P.M. on Election Day.
Important information for Colorado voters:
All Colorado voters can sign up to track their ballot from sent to counted using BallotTrax.
Coloradans can still register to vote, receive a ballot, and vote in person at a voting center until 7:00 P.M. on Election Day.
Voters should return their ballot to a drop box or voting center.
In-person voting on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024, will be available from 7:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M. Eligible voters must return their ballot or be in line to vote by 7:00 P.M. for their ballot to be counted.
Ballots cast by military and overseas voters must be received by November 13, 2024.
365 voting centers and 433 drop boxes are available for voters statewide. Voters can look up their locations, opening date, and hours at GoVoteColorado.gov.
Colorado voters can visit GoVoteColorado.gov to:
Register to vote or update their voter registration
Find their local County Clerk
Find their closest drop box or voting center
Sign up to track their ballot using BallotTrax
Learn about Colorado’s secure election processes
Find accurate election information
Systems Passwords
[The following is based on a press release.]
The Colorado Department of State is aware that a spreadsheet located on the Department’s website improperly included a hidden tab including partial passwords to certain components of Colorado voting systems. This does not pose an immediate security threat to Colorado’s elections, nor will it impact how ballots are counted.
Colorado elections include many layers of security. There are two unique passwords for every election equipment component, which are kept in separate places and held by different parties. Passwords can only be used with physical in-person access to a voting system. Under Colorado law, voting equipment must be stored in secure rooms that require a secure ID badge to access. That ID badge creates an access log that tracks who enters a secure area and when. There is 24/7 video camera recording on all election equipment. Clerks are required to maintain restricted access to secure ballot areas and may only share access information with background-checked individuals. No person may be present in a secure area unless they are authorized to do so or are supervised by an authorized and background-checked employee. There is also a strict chain of custody requirements that track when a voting systems component has been accessed and by whom. It is a felony to access voting equipment without authorization.
Every Colorado voter votes on a paper ballot, which is then audited during the Risk Limiting Audit to verify that ballots were counted according to voter intent.
The Department took immediate action as soon as it was aware of this, and informed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which closely monitors and protects the county’s essential security infrastructure. The Department is working to remedy this situation where necessary.
Total Ballots Returned as of October 30, 2024
As of October 30, 2024, 1,436,325 ballots have been returned statewide.
Comics
Dry Bar Comedy
The People At Home Depot Don't Know Anything, Mike Gaffney
Finding Colorado
The fifteenth highest mountain pike in the State of Colorado is the well-known Long's Peak, at 14,255 feet above sea level.
Mesa County, CO.
Coloramo Federal Credit Union and Food Bank of the Rockies, annual Thanksgiving Food Drive
[The following is based on a press release.]
We are partnering with Food Bank of the Rockies Western Slope for our annual Thanksgiving Food Drive, November 4, 2024 through November 22, 2024.
If you would like to contribute, bring your food donations into any Coloramo branch, just in time to help someone in our community this Thanksgiving.
Acceptable donations are shelf-stable/ non-perishable items. Unacceptable items are damaged, expired, or packaged in glass. Examples of great Holiday donation items: Canned vegetables, Canned sweet potatoes, Canned soups, Cranberry sauce, Stuffing, Baking mixes, Gravy, Coffee.
Resources
Rocky Mountain National Park
Prescribed Burn, Weather Permitting
[The following is based on a press release.]
Based upon the potential for favorable weather and fuels conditions, fire managers at Rocky Mountain National Park are planning to conduct a prescribed burn beginning November 1, 2024. Firefighters plan to burn approximately 100 acres of the 334-acre Headquarters Unit on November 1, 2024, and November 2, 2024. This burn unit is located inside Rocky Mountain National Park, west of the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and south of United States Highway 36. Because of the fuel type that will be burned, which includes mainly grasses, heavy and prolonged smoke is not expected from this operation.
The primary goal of the project is to reduce the threat of wildland fire to adjacent communities and NPS infrastructure by using prescribed fire to reduce the amount of fuels available in this area. When fighting the East Troublesome Fire in 2020 and the Fern Lake Fire in 2012, firefighters were able to take advantage of previous and existing prescribed fire and hazardous fuels treatment areas that provided a buffer between the fires and the town of Estes Park. Prior hazard fuels projects were instrumental in stopping both fires from crossing Bear Lake and Trail Ridge Roads.
If conditions are favorable, ignitions are planned to occur November 1, 2024, and November 2, 2024. Firefighters will be on scene for the duration of the operation and will be patrolling the burned area overnight after operations conclude each day. Smoke from the prescribed burn will be visible throughout the day of the burn, mostly during the warmest part of the day. With cooler temperatures in the evening, smoke may linger and accumulate in low-lying areas.
Fire operations near the Beaver Meadows Entrance to RMNP may cause brief delays or divert outbound traffic through Fall River Entrance. Motorists should watch for fire vehicles on the roads and allow extra time for entering and exiting the park. Traffic control will be in place on U.S. Highway 36 within the burn area. Additional information will be shared on InciWeb at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cormp-front-country-prescribed-fire and on RMNP’s official social media channels. NPS Fire Information Officers will be available at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center to answer questions.
For the safety of visitors and firefighters, park visitors will not be allowed to stop along U.S. Highway 36 within the burn area. Visitors will also not be able to walk within the burn area.
Smoke may be visible both inside and outside the park. Every effort will be made to minimize smoke impacts on visitors and the adjacent community; however, some smoke is anticipated to disperse east of the park. Smoke may affect your health: For more information see https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health.
Safety factors, weather conditions, air quality, personnel availability and environmental regulations are continually monitored as part of any fire management operation. For more information, please contact the park Information Office at (970) 586-1206.
Until next time,