County Communication Coalition meeting today
WALSENBURG-The monthly luncheon of the Huerfano County Communication Coalition will be held Thurs. Feb. 3 in the Community Room of the Spanish Peaks Library–415 Walsen Ave. at noon. Everyone is welcome. Debbie Channel will give us a bigger picture of “Live Well Colorado.” If you have any questions, please call 738-2718.
Travel-Log cancellation at LVPL
LA VETA- The La Veta Public Library was scheduled to have a Travel-Log on Feb. 3, however, Fran Sanden has had a death in the family and has had to cancel.
Food drive Friday at Dollar General
WALSENBURG- Members of Sangre de Cristo Volunteers for Change will be at Dollar General from 1 to 4:45 p.m. on Friday, February 4, to collect nonperishable food and household needs for Huerfano County residents. Cash donations will be used to purchase additional food at Dollar General. All items collected will be given to Dorcas Circle for distribution.
Film debut featuring Gardner School students to debut in Westcliffe
WESTCLIFFE– Alfredo Alcantara, Jr., a recent graduate of NYU in film and television production, will debut his film “Running Water” at the Jones Theater in Westcliffe at 3 pm, Sun. Feb. 6. Admission is free. The 13 minute production was filmed along Grape Creek and in Gardner using students of Gardner School to star in the film.
Izaak Perrino, Marshall Ross and Larz Quintana as well as some supporting members were cast in the film about a boy who has to cope with the death of his grandmother. The mother is played by Rosa Pretto and the grandmother is played by Vera Espinoza, both local residents.
The setting of the Wet Mountain Valley and Gardner is the perfect backdrop for this story. A family friend of Alcantara, Pam Levie, a Gardner teacher played an integral part in assembling the cast and offering her home for some scenes. Join the cast and filmmaker on Sun. Feb. 6 to see the finished production.
Ground Hog Brunch on Sunday!
WALSENBURG– The annual Huerfano County Chamber of Commerce’s Gorund Hog brunch will be this Sunday Feb. 6 from 9 am to 1 pm at the Eagles Hall, 614 Main in Walsenburg.
Pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, juice and coffee will be served. Prices are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors (55 and over), and $4 for children ages 10 and under.
Sunday Movies at the Library
WALSENBURG-Get your best silly walk perfected and come to the SPLD on Sun. Feb. 6 for a viewing of Monty Python and the Holy Grail! SPAM will be served as part of the refreshments.
(Really!)
This comic group had a show on Public Television for years; hopefully you didn’t see any of the shows (you probably wouldn’t like them anyway.) A grouping of their sketches later produced the broadway show Spamalot which is still touring.
The movie and refreshments start at 2 pm and will be over about 3:30, so you can still get in on all the Super Bowl action. That is if you don’t leave looking for a set of coconuts to imitate horses hooves! A $2 admission is requested. Also note that library services will not be available. Contact John at 738-1315 for more information.
Navajo Ladies Luncheon
NAVAJO- This month the Navajo Ladies Luncheon will be a couples luncheon. Bring your sweetheart! We will again have it at the La Plaza in Walsenburg on Wed. Feb. 9, 12 pm. Order off the menu. Please R.S.V.P. by Mon. Feb. 7 to Mary at 719-738-1058 or email at copeland1961@wildblue.net. I hope to see you there!
Republicans to meet
WALSENBURG- There will be a meeting of the Huerfano County Republicans on Tues. Feb 8 at 6 pm in the La Plaza Restaurant. This will be the election for Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. It is important that the members of the central committee attend this meeting for this vote. All registered Republicans are invited.
Hospital Auxiliary meeting rescheduled
WALSENBURG-The Spanish Peaks Regional Health Care Hospital Auxiliary meeting is rescheduled for Wed. Feb. 9 at 1 pm.
Flu confirmed in Walsenburg
WALSENBURG– Public Health Officials in Walsenburg announced more confirmed hospitalized cases of influenza in the area. The Health Department is urging people in the Walsenburg area that have not received a seasonal flu shot to please get one. It is flu season and influenza outbreaks peak between the months of December and March.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that everyone over six months of age receive a flu shot, especially people who are at high risk of developing flu-related complications or live with or care for people at high risk. Vaccination against flu helps protect yourself and the most vulnerable people in the community (such as newborns and those going through chemotherapy). Some children younger than nine years of age will need two doses, so check with your provider
The Walsenburg Health Department will be having a flu shot clinic on Wed. Feb. 9 from 9 am-3 pm. Call for more information 719-738-2650.
Writers group
WALSENBURG– Interested in expressing yourself through writing? A group of Huerfano writers (This group is not just for women as previously announced…all genders are welcomed!) will meet at La Plaza Restaurant at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, February 9, to share ideas and write. Bring your prefered writing instrument, whether it’s a Big Chief tablet or the latest laptop model, and your imagination. Join this informal group for an enlightening evening of companionship and creativity. Meetings will be held twice a month on the second and fourth Wednesday. A different topic will be covered each week on the craft of writing.
Fantastic Friday Used Book Sale
WALSENBURG-The Friends of the Library will be holding another “Fantastic Friday Used Book Sale” at the library, 415 Walsen on Fri. Feb. 11 from 12-3. The prices are great! Buy one and get one free! Paperbacks: $.50 Hardbacks: $1.
For more information, call the library at 738-2774 or Dorothy at 719-989-1134. See ya there!
Community Enrichment Program
WALSENBURG- Take advantage of this free program! Classes conveniently located at the Spanish Peaks Library or at a location selected by the instructor.
Classes planned for the near future include :
Wood Working, Home Repair, Nature Photography Philosophy, Bird Identification, Citizen Journalism, Guitar & The Great Books.
Is there something that you would like to study: a trade skill, a hobby? Please call us and let us know! Join us on Wed. Feb. 16 at 12 noon at the Spanish Peaks Library for the Inaugural Steering Committee meeting. Contact us at (719) 738-1154 bkalish39@yahoo.com.
Pueblo Youth Naturally Program
PUEBLO- Space Day is the next one-day activity scheduled for the 2010/2011 Pueblo Youth Naturally (PYN) program. Your child will discover how astronauts deal with liquids in zero gravity, which common tools we use on Earth won’t work in space, and how to pack a spacecraft using Velcro. Youth will meet kids from several Pueblo schools and work together to build a plastic spacecraft. This activity is scheduled for Sat. Feb. 19. Spaces are still available and the cost is $10 for the School Year program. Pre-registration with payment is required. For more information contact CSU Extension-Pueblo County at 583-6566.
Money Chat–basic financial plans for women
LA VETA- Women have unique financial needs. Statistics show that 85-90% of women will be on their own financially at some point in their life. Some will never marry, some will divorce, and some will outlive their spouse.
If you want to learn strategies to address your unique needs, Money Chat is for you. This two-part program is sponsored by the Colorado State University Extension Office and is free.
The first meeting will be Fri. March 4 from 12:30-3 pm at the Community Center in La Veta. There will be free handouts and the program is presented by Lois Illick, CSU Extension-Pueblo County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent. Call Karen Clouse 738-2171 or Lois Illick 719-583-6566. Take action to achieve your financial goals!
Annual Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center  Health Fair
WALSENBURG- The 10th Annual Spring Fling Health Fair will be held Sat. April 16 from 9-12 at the Walsenburg Community Center. The fair is sponsored by The Spanish Peaks Health Foundation and Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center.
Blood Draws for a 20 Test Panel ($25) and PSA ($25) can be done before the fair at the Walsenburg Community Center (March 22 and 23), La Veta Community Center (March 30 and 31) and at the Gardner School (April 6). Blood draws will be from 7-10 am, and results will be available at the fair. Remember, nothing to eat or drink (except water) 12 hours prior to the blood draw. For more information, call Cindy Campbell at the Outreach Clinic (738-2718).
BLM and Forest Service 2011 grazing fee
The Federal grazing fee for 2011 will be $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) for public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management and $1.35 per head month (HM) for lands managed by the Forest Service. The 2011 fee is the same as last year’s.
An AUM or HM – treated as equivalent measures for fee purposes – is the occupancy and use of public lands by one cow and her calf, one horse, or five sheep or goats for a month. The newly calculated grazing fee, determined by a congressional formula and effective on March 1, applies to nearly 18,000 grazing permits and leases administered by the BLM and more than 8,000 permits administered by the Forest Service.
The formula used for calculating the grazing fee, which was established by Congress in the 1978 Public Rangelands Improvement Act, has continued under a presidential executive order issued in 1986. Under that order, the grazing fee cannot fall below $1.35 per AUM, and any increase or decrease cannot exceed 25 percent of the previous year’s level.
The annually determined grazing fee is computed by using a 1966 base value of $1.23 per AUM/HM for livestock grazing on public lands in Western states. The figure is then calculated according to three factors – current private grazing land lease rates, beef cattle prices, and the cost of livestock production. In effect, the fee rises, falls, or stays the same based on market conditions, with livestock operators paying more when conditions are better and less when conditions have declined.
The 2011 grazing fee of $1.35 per AUM/HM grazing fee applies to 16 Western states on public lands administered by the BLM and the Forest Service. The states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The Forest Service applies different grazing fees to national grasslands and to lands under its management in the Eastern and Midwestern states and parts of Texas.
