BOULDER COUNTY – Boulder County has started investigating the feasibility of building wildlife crossing structures on U.S. Hwy. 36 between Boulder and Lyons, specifically between Lefthand Canyon Drive and Hwy. 66.
County Parks and Open Space staff hosted a public meeting for residents to receive the latest information, ask questions, and express concerns. The recording and a two-question survey are now available on the project webpage.
The boco.org/US36WildlifeCrossings webpage includes past public presentations on the importance of wildlife crossings and the specifics of this project and an email sign up link to receive updates throughout the project.
Lyons Flyer Bus service
LYONS – The Boulder County Commissioners approved adding mid-day bus service from Boulder to Lyons and Lyons to Boulder for the remainder of the year.
The mid-day bus departs Boulder at 12 noon on weekdays to Lyons and the return trip leaves Lyons at 12:50 p.m. The final schedule is posted on the town website.
Town Utility Bill Newsletter on town website
LYONS – Did you know that the Town Utility Bill Newsletter which is mailed or emailed to all utility bill customers is also posted each month on the Town’s website? The September 2024 Newsletter is posted along with previous months in the newsletter archive.
Glass Recycling Pilot Program
LYONS – Boulder County and the Town of Lyons are piloting a glass collection ONLY bin at the recycling center. The bin is specific for glass bottles and jars only and will go directly to Glass to Glass, a recycling facility in Broomfield to be recycled and create new bottles.
The program is new for Lyons and is a pilot program, one of just two within the State of Colorado. Look for the big blue box that accepts GLASS ONLY. We expect the bin to be at the drop-off center for one year to
Continue Briefs on Page 6
IGA Task Force reports to town board, Farmers Market downtown and other issues
By Susan de Castro Redstone Review Editor
LYONS – Lyons Town Board heard a report from the IGA (Intergovernmental Agreement) Task Force at a workshop that was held before the regular town board meeting in early September.
The IGA Task Force was formed to allow Lyons residents to participate in the process of deciding what county land surrounding Lyons should be annexed to the town.
Boulder County creates a buffer of land around all its municipalities to make an attempt to control and/or regulate wild, out of control growth, which some counties have experienced. Cities and towns in the county can apply to annex parcels of the county land through an IGA.
Lyons was in the process of having discussions with BoCo about annexing certain parcels of land when residents became concerned about the lack of open discussions, and so the town board formed the IGA Task Force to create a plan to look at the properties that were under discussion and report back to the board.
The members of the Task Force are: Charles Stevenson – Confluence, Renter; Cindy Fisher – Stone Canyon; Douglas Matthews (chair) – Upper North Side; Jen Wingard (alternate) – South Side; Julie Jacobs (scribe) – Lower North Side; Martin Soosloff (vice chair) –South/West Side; Sonny Smith – South Side, Renter; Wendy Miller – South Side, Business Representative.
Support Liaisons: BoT – Trustee Dave Hamrick; Staff – Town Planner Andrew Bowen; PCDC – Barney Dreistadt; Boulder County – H. Hippely.
All the information is available to see, including the maps showing all the parcels that were discussed for annexation, at the Town of Lyons website under Town Government, Agenda Center, Sept. 3 Town Board meeting agenda.
The maps shows nine parcels that were under
original consideration. Use this guide for understanding the planning area: RPA = Rural Preservation Area; PAA = Potential Annexation Area; PPA = Primary Planning Area.
The report stated that the challenge that the Task Force faced was the approach and considerations related to which property should or should not be included in the PPA or PAA. That was the most difficult part of the process for the Task Force given the emergence of two different perspectives on the most appropriate approach to making such determinations.
The report states, “As accounted for in the establishment of the Task Force, it was agreed that both perspectives (recommendations) would be presented for the BoT. The primary question came down to WHEN should particular parcels be assessed for inclusion in the PAA of the IGA and evaluated for potential future annexation.”
It went on to say, “Recommendations: The Task Force therefore offers these two alternative recommendations summarized below with rationale and details expanded on the following pages: Option A Summary: Two of Seven Task Force Members preferred this option (28-Aug-24) that recommends that the BoT keep all areas (PAA properties) as defined on the Draft 2024 IGA map (Exhibit A) and allow the town’s annexation process to make determinations about annexation and development when and if such annexation application is presented by a property owner. “
“Option B Summary: Five of seven Task Force members preferred this option (28Aug-24) that recommends that the BoT apply a reasonable site selection criteria and that deliberation be applied to consider the appropriateness and inclusion of each parcel added to the PAA for potential future annexation and development before the finalized IGA map (Exhibit A) is solidified.”
The trustees at the early September meeting chose not to make a decision at that meeting on the Task Force recommendations, but to schedule that discussion for the near future.
The board also decided they want to tour the properties.
They asked staff to contact Boulder County and to come up with a new timeline for discussions on the IGA and to ask the county for an extension for the IGA.
In other matters the Lyons Town Board approved, on second reading, Ordinance 1167, an annexation application for two parcels: 4545 Ute Hwy. (Front Parcel) and 4602 Highland Dr. (Rear Parcel). Both parcels have been within the Town’s planning area for several years and have been used commercially. This property is owned by Boulder developer Stephen Tebo. Town Planner Andrew Bowen presented the proposal to the board.
Town staff have met several times with developer Tebo within the last four months to discuss annexation and the highest and best use for both parcels. While no formal development plans were submitted, in conversations with the applicant, the proposed development patterns for the site are commercial on the front parcel (CEC), with high-density housing (R3) on the rear parcel.
Next the board went on to approve, on second reading, Ordinance 1172 to allow Farmers’ Markets in downtown zones as both a conditional and principal use. This should create a lot more excitement downtown and allow residents easy access to local produce. In another popular move, the board approved on second reading Ordinance 1171 to accept the local Historic Designation for the Depot Building at 430 5th Ave.
The history of the building was presented to the board stating, “Historic Designation helps preserve the community’s unique heritage, culture, and character by protecting buildings that represent Lyons’ unique past. Preservation and historic designation honors, preserves, and protects buildings and areas determined to have a special character and historic, architectural, or aesthetic interest within Lyons. The Depot building is already on the National and State Register of Historic Places. Longmont contractor Mark Boyd built the depot in 1885 utilizing native Lyons sandstone. Used first by the narrow-gauge Denver, Utah and Pacific Railroad, the depot served
Spotted: Mama bear and her four cubs find comfort in the tall grass. BY CHARLES GLAZER
Heading back to Washington, D.C., preparing for fall
By Joe Neguse U.S. Representative, Redstone Review
LYONS – Happy September Lyons. This month, we are headed back to Washington, D.C. to kick off the fall legislative session.
Throughout the course of the next few weeks the Congress will consider multiple critical measures, and as always, I will keep the folks of Lyons in mind and at heart as we work to advance policies that deliver for our community.
In August, I had the opportunity to visit with many communities, organizations, and local leaders from across Boulder County. Whether it was during one of our various town halls or as part of mobile office hours, it was great to hear directly from folks about the issues that matter most. I consider these meetings valuable opportunities to gather your insights and suggestions, which I can then bring back to D.C. where my colleagues and I work to turn such solutions into practical, bipartisan legislation that benefits all of Colorado.
legislation to include provisions that increase much-needed access to affordable housing – ensuring that families and individuals can afford to live where they work.
We will also be taking the opportunity to introduce new legislation. As you know, in early August, households across our community were impacted by the Stone Canyon Fire. I am continuously grateful to our local leaders who worked with me to secure critical federal resources to help combat not only the Stone Canyon Fire, but the Alexander Mountain as well in Larimer County.
Over the course of the fall, my colleagues and I will convene critical conversations centered around the 2024 Farm Bill. This legislative package has a tremendous impact on the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers, watersheds, food security, and how our food is grown. It also shapes how the federal government supports our nation’s food and agriculture systems. For my office, we want to ensure that the Farm Bill positively impacts Boulder County’s farms, protects our natural resources, and includes positive economic benefits for Coloradans everywhere. We are also pushing for this
Wildfires are an ever-growing threat, no longer confined to any single season or month. And one of my top priorities in Congress is to ensure Coloradans are adequately prepared to prevent and also swiftly recover from such disasters. That is why I am proud to introduce three bipartisan pieces of legislation to simplify access to federal assistance under the Small Business Administration for our families and communities impacted by wildfires and other natural disasters. From a zero interest rate on disaster loans to updating the agency’s application deadlines, we are seeking to equip our small business owners with the foundational tools required to rebuild after wildfires.
Our work doesn’t stop here – I’ll continue to strive to meet the urgent needs of families and individuals across our state. As always, please stay safe, stay happy, and stay hopeful.
Congressman Joe Neguse represents Colorado’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected to his first term in November 2018, becoming the first African-American member of Congress in Colorado history. He serves as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.
New glass recycling bins Lyons Recycling Center on 2nd Ave.
By Dawn Weller Redstone Review
LYONS – Have you been to the recycling center on 2nd Avenue lately? There is a new blue and orange bin exclusively for your glass recycling. Glass to Glass recycles glass exclusively and has selected Castle Rock and Lyons to pilot the new bins. Unlike some other materials, glass is infinitely recyclable. Making glass requires four ingredients: sand, limestone, soda ash, and recycled glass. One ton of recycled glass saves 1,400 lbs. of sand, 430 lbs. of soda ash, and 400 lbs. of limestone. Further, the glass stays in the U.S. and recycling 1,000 tons of glass creates about eight local jobs. But why a dedicated bin to collect glass? Current waste sorting is not as efficient or effective in harvesting all the glass. A dedicated bin resolves that challenge. Anheuser-Busch has donated the glass-only bin at no cost to Lyons or Boulder County.
There are some guidelines to remember. These items are not recyclable in the dedicated or general recycle bin: broken glass, vases, drinking glasses, Pyrex, ceramics, mirrors, and solar panels.
“Collaboration with the Town of Lyons provides a unique opportunity to create a more circular economy for glass recycling, as Owens-Illinois Bottling Facility (O-I) and Anheuser-Busch each maintain local operations,” said Danielle Brickner, Sustainability Collaboration Specialist
at O-I. “We are excited to partner with the Town of Lyons as we continue to drive waste reduction, material conservation, energy reduction and job creation. The glass recycled through the program will be processed at O-I’s Glass to Glass facility and made into new sustainable glass packaging at the company’s Windsor facility in as little as 30 days.” All colors of glass are welcome. Glass
that is collected in these bins goes directly to a company called Glass to Glass, located in Broomfield. Glass to Glass cleans and separates the glass into colors. Then, the glass goes to bottling companies that are also located in Colorado.
Please help this program be successful and enable us to take advantage of the reusability of glass and move towards a more sustainable planet. This is a wonderful example of the circular economy. The glass doesn’t leave the state, and we get “new” recycled bottles.
Dawn Weller is a longtime resident of Lyons and member of the Sustainable Future Commission.
Mary Ripley
Born April 6, 1957 – Died Aug. 20, 2024
Mary Ripley, a daughter of the late Ann and Tony Ripley, passed away on Aug. 20, 2024, in Boulder, after a long illness. She was 67. She was a loving daughter, sister, and aunt, who spent much time with the family in Lyons over the 30 years during which the Ripleys lived there.
Mary Randolph Ripley was born in Pontiac, Mich., on April 6, 1957, the second of six daughters born to Ann Mary Ripley (nee Brunner) and Anthony Ripley. In Michigan, she lived over time in Royal Oak, Birmingham, and Detroit, attending parochial and, later, public schools. The family moved house several times for Tony’s work.
In 1969, the family moved to Boulder, and in 1972, to Bethesda, Md., where Mary completed high school in 1975. After seven months in London, U.K., the family returned to the U.S. in early 1976; by mid-year, the family had returned to Boulder, where Mary held various jobs. She moved to Alexandria, Va., in 1978, to where the family had moved that summer. She later lived in Staunton, Va., from 1982 to 1992; and in Longmont, Colo., from 1992 to 2020. She spent her final years in a retirement community in Boulder. Mary enjoyed music, shopping, embroidery, family gatherings, and animal companions. She shared a lot of wit and humor and was highly social despite struggling with ill health. She was predeceased by her mother, Ann, in 2023, and her father, Tony, in 2003. She will be missed and is survived by her sisters: Sarah, of Lakewood, Catherine Metzger, of Norwood, Emily, of New York; Jane, of Longmont; and Martha, of Denver; her niece, Virginia Nastase, of Oak Park, Mich., and her nephew, M. Antoni Habsburg-Lothringen, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; four brothers-in-law: Ken Rogers, John Metzger, Ben Bajorek, and Vance Watt; an aunt, Maud Plumer; and many cousins. A celebration of life is planned for Dec. 28 at 11:00 am at Lyons Community Church, 350 Main Street, Lyons. Donations in her memory may be made to an animal shelter of your choice.
Meet Kalamata, a 5-month-old pup with a heart full of love! Her playful, friendly nature makes her a staff favorite, she is always eager to cuddle, wag her tail and make new friends. Kalamata is the perfect snuggle buddy and a source of endless joy and happiness. Ready to grow with you, she’ll bring love, laughter, and playfulness into her forever home!
See all our adoptable animals or get more details visit longmonthumane.org. Or stop in at the shelter at 9595 Nelson Road.
Neguse
Weller
MAYOR’S CORNER
Updates on issues in Lyons
By Hollie Rogin, Mayor of Lyons Redstone Review
LYONS – As the weather finally seems to be changing and the bears are certainly getting ready to hibernate, I thought I’d provide updates on various issues of interest around town. What’s going on with:
The hotel
You may have noticed that the chain link surrounding the property has recently been replaced by an attractive wooden fence. While the owners anticipate a reduction in interest rates and hopefully the start of construction, they’ve invested the funds to enhance the attractiveness of the property. They’re working in conjunction with the Lyons Arts and Humanities Commission, so keep your eyes peeled for new art to create visual interest on that corner.
The IGA
Last spring, the former Board of Trustees agreed to slow down the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) process with Boulder County. The IGA specifies how and where Lyons may grow in the future. That board also passed a resolution to create a citizen Task Force to provide input on the draft IGA. The currently seated board appointed citizen volunteers to the Task Force once we were seated. The members of the Task Force were: Charles Stevenson, Cindy Fisher, Douglas Matthews (chair), Jen Wingard (alternate), Julie Jacobs (scribe), Martin Soosloff (vice chair), Sonny Smith, and
Redstone
Wendy Miller
Support was provided by liaisons Trustee
David Hamrick, Town Planner
Andrew Bowen, PCDC representative Barney Dreistadt, and Boulder County Planner Hannah Hippley. All Task Force meetings were open to the public.
After months of very hard work and dedication to our community, the Task Force recently presented their results to the Board of Trustees at a public workshop. To a person, we expressed our gratitude for their critical work. Now, there’s more hard work ahead for us as we consider their input and work on revising the IGA draft. I anticipate we’ll have several workshops in the coming months to do so. Like all workshops, these will be open to the public.
Staff is working with Boulder County to create a revised schedule for completion. This schedule will take into consideration the opportunity to have public participation process for the next revision of the IGA. So please stay tuned.
The 2025 budget Okay, this might not be a burning ques -
tion around town, but it’s still extremely important. The Board of Trustees and staff are currently in the 2025 budgeting process. The budget determines, among other things, where we should focus efforts and finances in 2025. Like we did last year, we are soliciting citizen input regarding budget priorities. Please let us know where you think we should focus by filling out the form at https://www.townoflyons. com/2025budgetinput. The form will be open until September 30.
Finally, in continued efforts to improve communication and transparency, the Board of Trustees will be hosting a Town Hall at the Lyons Community Library the evening of Wednesday, September 25. We’ll provide brief updates about what
we’re working on, and then take questions and have a community conversation. We hope you can make it.
Enjoy the cooler weather and please remember to secure your trash as the bears forage for their last meals before hibernating.
Hollie Rogin was sworn in as Mayor of Lyons on April 18, 2022. Before that she was elected to serve on the Board of Trustees for the term of 2020 to 2022. She was re-elected mayor in the April 2024 election. In 2015, she created the foundation for what is now the City of Boulder’s Commercial Affordability program on a pro bono basis. While serving as a Trustee, she was the Board liaison to the Economic Vitality Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission.
Review wins 21 awards at the CPA Better News Contest in August
By Staff Reports Redstone Review
LYONS – Redstone Review newspaper won 21 awards in August from the Colorado Press Association Better News Contest. CPA has over 150 newspaper and magazine members from all over Colorado.
The members are divided into nine classifications according to how many stories/columns they publish each month. The Redstone Review is in Category 4 which is newspapers and magazines that publish under 30 stories a month. There are 29 publications in Category 4; most of them are weekly newspapers. The Redstone is a monthly.
Redstone Review won 18 awards for stories, photography and design. The newspaper won an award for General Excel-
EDSTONER
lence in Class 4. The Redstone also won an Excellence in Design and Photography and won an award for Excellence in Editorial (overall written content) for the Class #4 division.
The writers, photographs and designer who won the awards are as follows:
H First Place Best Feature Photo, Jane Selverstone for her photo, Running start; H First Place Best Environmental Story, Deborah Huth Price, for Dark skies save lives and need everyone’s help; H Two First place Awards for Greg Lowell, one for Best Opinion Writing for Colorado’s river access laws are conten-
tious, confusing, frustrating and one for Best Headline for Confessions of a turtle killer; H First Place Best Serious Column, John Gierach for Drinking, it was fun for a while and second place in the same category sweeping all the awards in that category for, Hooks for Books: A fishing trip, a speech to creative writing students and an award; H First Place Best Agriculture Story, Jessie Berta Thompson for Wondering about Willows and second place in the same category sweeping all the awards in that category for Fragrant firs liven January at Lyons’ RMBG
Second place awards went to:
•Best Page Design, Page 1 January, 2023 issue, Eileen Tobin and Jane Selverstone;
•Best Health Enterprise/Health Feature story, Janaki Jane for, Trauma: The new buzzword that carries some weight;
•Best Arts and Entertainment Column Writing, Peter Butler for Musical instrument makers sharing ideal at their convention;
•Best Opinion Writing, John Gierach for How do we treat the root of the gun violence problem? ;
•Best Environmental Story, John Gierach for Birds: We’ve destroyed so much of their habitat it only seems fair that we put out seed. Gierach also won a second place award for the headline on that same story;
•Best Breaking News/Deadline Reporting, Susan de Castro for Town board looks at developers plans to revamp old property for affordable housing;
•Best Feature Photograph, Cathy Rivers for World Labyrinth Day;
•Best Education Story, Sarah Wegert for Lyons Elementary STEM students partner with local groups to enhance learning;
•Best Business News/Feature Story, Tamara Haddad for Jelena Caplan combines Reiki, music, natural medicine, landscape and botanical design
Rogin
Rainbow over Lyons. BY SUSAN PEIRCE
The photo was taken at the Colorado Press Association 2023 Better Newspaper Contest Awards Luncheon at the Delta Hotel in Northglenn on August 24. L to R: Rachel Pickarski, Membership Director of the Colorado Press Association; Susan de Castro, editor and publisher of the Redstone Review; John Gierach, editorial writer for the Redstone Review.
Stop Coffintop Dam: A history
Sawyer-Lang
By Monique Sawyer-Lang Redstone Review
LYONS – In January of 2017 local resident and founding member of the Dam Concerned Citizens, Ron Gosnell, wrote an account for the museum of the original 1980s fight to stop the building of the Coffintop Dam. Much of what follows is taken from his narrative.
In 1980 the Longmont-based St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservation District (SVLH) proposed the building of a dam and reservoir up the South St. Vrain Canyon just a half mile outside of Lyons. Initially, the enormity and impacts of this dam were not well known and understood in and around Lyons. A small but determined group of people formed the Dam Concerned Citizens (DCC) to help people understand exactly what was being proposed for the valley and the facts surrounding the 365-foot-high dam.
There were many problems associated with the proposed earthen-filled dam and its location, but the SVLH was determined to proceed with the plan. In 1976 the Teton Dam in Idaho, which had many similarities to the Coffintop proposal, failed resulting in 11 deaths and thousands of homes and businesses destroyed. In 1982 the Lawn Lake Dam in Estes Park, also an earthen-filled dam, failed, killing three people and causing $31 million in damage to the town and downstream areas. When the safety of an earthen-filled dam was raised, rather than abandon the project, the SVLH changed from an earthen-filled dam to a concrete dam.
Beyond the concerns with the dam’s engineering, the DCC was anxious about major geological issues and the potential for flooding. In 1882 Denver and areas north experienced a 6.8 earthquake. According to the September 10, 1903 Lyons Recorder newspaper, Lyons experienced an earthquake the previous day around 1 p.m. with multiple tremors lasting several minutes. When the DCC pointed out that the dam would cross two earthquake faults they were told that the fault lines could be filled with concrete.
When they expressed concern about the dam overflowing during periods of high rain and upstream flooding they were told it would take a 1,000 year flood before that would happen. On September 11, 2013 Lyons experienced a 500 year flood and 1,000 year rain.
To urgently get the word out about how big this dam was to be right on Lyons’ doorstep, the DCC enlisted the interest of the Lyons Recorder and its then owner and editor, Walter Kinderman. Copies of the Lyons Recorder, with weekly updated Coffintop opposition information, were sent to the Colorado Statehouse, Colorado Governor’s
office, elected federal officials, plus state and federal agencies which would eventually have to make decisions about Coffintop’s fate.
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. To combat the misinformation put out by SVLH, Dean Redmond and Ron Gosnell, using their experience as pilots and training in the military, were able to take a photograph and using “white-out” accurately depict the dam looming over the new high school and town. When the photograph with the imposed “white-out” dam appeared on the Recorder’s front page, readers’ reactions were immediate. People in the Lyons area were shocked, politicians and agency people realized that SVLH had a fight on their hands. In a
rebuttal article in the Longmont Times-Call dam engineers questioned the accuracy of the photograph and stated that the dam would be much lower than depicted.
Undeterred, Dean Redmond and Ron Gosnell decided that if a picture wasn’t going to prove a point then maybe a three-dimensional model would. Using a U.S.G.S. topographic map and cardboard they painstakingly created an accurate model of the South St. Vrain Canyon showing the location and height of the proposed Coffintop Dam. The model was presented at a St. Vrain Left Hand Water Conservancy District meeting bringing into question whether the engineers for the project were misrepresenting the facts of the dam or that their facts were in error. The model was a big step toward bringing a greater public awareness and understanding of the impact of Coffintop Dam on the St. Vrain Valley and the town of Lyons.
By the summer of 1985 the persistent efforts of the Dam Concerned Citizens in educating the public with regard to the environmental, economic, health, and safety impacts of the dam on the town of Lyons, coupled with a one million dollar feasibility study, resulted in the Colorado Water and Policy Authority removing the Coffintop Dam location from consideration. Coffintop was laid to rest – for the time being.
The model eventually made its way into the collection of the Redstone Museum, having lost its street signs and replica dam in the meantime. Museum staff recreated the street signs and the dam based on photographs of the model. The model and the “white-out” photograph created by Dean Redmond and Ron Gosnell are on display at the museum.
The long dormant proposal to build Coffintop Dam is now getting renewed attention. The St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District are once again looking at the possibility of resurrecting the Coffintop Dam on the south fork of the St. Vrain River.
The Lyons Redstone Museum is open to the public through September 29, Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. We are open by appointment October through April. Contact the museum at redstonehistory@gmail.com to make an appointment. We rely entirely on grants and donations to fund our operations and your support is greatly appreciated. We can accept cash, check, or credit card donations at the museum. You can also donate online at https://www. coloradogives.org/organization/Lyons-Historical-Society. Monique Sawyer Lang is the Collections Manager of the Lyons Redstone Museum.
What’s In a Name? asked Juliet in Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet
By Peter Butler Redstone Review
LYONS – “What’s in a name?” asks Juliet in Shakespeare’s most famous play: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Everybody accepts this as a perspicacious comment but I think it’s wrong. Saying the word rose sends a gentle swish of air across the tongue just like the waft of sweetness that your nose enjoys. But if the thorny denizen of many a flower bed were called the Devil’s spikey skinripper I think poets would choose elsewhere.
I am a mediocre computer programmer at best, but I am an enthusiastic student and have read a lot of fat tomes on the subject. My favorite is called Code Complete and it recommends thought patterns that make your final product not only work better but be easier for another person, or yourself in the future, to understand what your little piece of genius was trying to achieve. A lot of programming texts give examples where they call some code fubar after a rather rude military assessment. But if a person trying to fix bad code comes across a line saying “fubar this to that” it gives no clue as to what is happening. The way modern programming works is that one can encapsulate an algorithm in a few lines of logic that are reused. It’s usually called a func-
tion, a method or a subroutine. Something that gets used over and over like “calculate the discount on this price depending on who the customer is.” The piece of code can be used at any time by “calling” it while instructing what is the price and who is the customer. Code Complet e suggests spending considerable thought on choosing the name for your subroutine so it reads like English and is easy to understand.
Our house is surrounded by wild land with many distinctive features and large chunks of rock. As soon as we arrived, I started naming these locations on our local map. The first name went to a large flat chunk of granite as long as a car and high enough to comfortably sit upon. It has a gnamma in the top where rain collects to form a little pool. It immediately spoke to
me as a spiritual place and I baptized it The Stone of Contemplation. Maybe I desanctified it by sitting there and drinking my morning coffee but now all our friends know what the SOC is. It didn’t take long for other formations to become tagged with something personal. A tumble of jumbled rocks became Strewnhenge and just beyond that, a saddle next to a rock outcrop became
Kevin’s Gulch after I repeatedly found a visiting friend sitting there to watch the sunrise. Big Tom and the Ramp Arboretum soon were part of the map. Yes they are arbitrary and whimsical but I think that they indicate respect for the land, helping navigation and maybe even showing love. Everybody can do this with their own surroundings and pretty soon you can rival J. R. R. Tolkien with an entire country of names from The Shire to Mordor. It helps when you are informing your partner about something you saw. I was half way from the Number One Green to the Middle Meadow and there was a doe with a frolicking fawn. But don’t get me started on cats. Or chickens. Call me a nomenclature snob –guilty as charged – but it drives me crazy when people refer to their furry house
Butler
Ron Gosnell and Dean Redmond’s 3-D model of the Coffintop dam.
LYONS – The skies east of Lyons were filled with planes dropping fire retardant to combat the spreading Stone Canyon Fire in late July. The bombardment with the red-colored foam saved property and lives, but its after-effects have raised concern.
More than a month later, the landscape around the 1500-acre burn scar is colored from the so-called slurry. What happens to that slurry residue when it’s washed away by rainfall and flows onto properties and into the St. Vrain River farther downhill?
Risk assessments of fire retardants done for the U.S. Forest Service by Denver-based Auxilio Management Services in 2022 allays some of those concerns. What is slurry?
The U.S. Forest Service and other wildland firefighting organizations use fire-fighting chemicals to aid in the suppression of fire in wildlands. These products are classified Class A foams.
The foam, or slurry, is made up of roughly 85 percent water, 10 percent ammonium phosphate – a salt found in fertilizer – and 5 percent red dye that makes it easier for pilots to pinpoint their drops. The retar-
dant also has a small amount of thickener, which helps it stick to vegetation. Chemically, the ammonium phosphate makes the vegetation release water when the fire’s heat contacts it, thereby creating moisture to slow down combustion.
The retardants are applied either wet or
dry and they continue to be effective after the water in the mixture has evaporated as the salt residue slows the spread and reduces the intensity of fire.
The retardants are aerated to produce foam. The mixtures are customized according to the landscape; higher amounts of
concentrate are used on vertical slopes for a drier, slow-draining mixture; moderate amounts produce a wetter, fast-draining foam for horizontal surfaces; and lower amounts are used for mop-up operations.
The retardant can be applied aerially or by fire engines on the ground.
There are also Class B fire retardants that are used to extinguish oil, gas and jet fuel fires; this class of retardant contains PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are known health hazards. Class B retardants were not used in the Stone Canyon fire.
Regarding risk to humans, one of Auxilio Management’s risk assessments of the Class A retardants found negligible risk to fire-fighting personnel on the ground and air crews and air support personnel involved in handling and dispensing the slurry.
No risks were also predicted for persons entering an area where the foam had been applied, cleaning structures covered with slurry and handling pets or domestic animals whose fur has slurry residue.
Even where firefighters or the public were accidentally drenched with the foam, the study predicted no risks.
The report does advise against consuming vegetables and fruits from home gardens to which a foam may have been applied or in wildland areas where the red slurry residue is apparent.
The other risk assessment examined the toxicological effects of the fire retardants on terrestrial wildlife and aquatic species.
Benefit concert to be held at Wildflower Pavilion for child with a rare cancer
By Lori Stott Redstone Review
LYONS – Please, mark your calendars for a benefit concert on Sunday, September 22 From 3 to 6 p.m. in the Wildflower Pavilion at Planet Bluegrass in Lyons. This will be a concert full of heart and soul.
A benefit show, Aid2Zaya (A2Z) will raise funds for Zaya Thompson, a local girl who has been diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma.
Ewing Sarcoma is a type of bone or soft tissue cancer that primarily affects children.
Headlining the A2Z benefit show is 18-time Grammy Award winner Béla Fleck. Fleck is an instrumentalist like no other on the planet. A virtuoso of the banjo, Fleck is known for his incredible and original fusions of bluegrass, folk, rock, jazz, and
diverse global music genres.
Having redefined jazz-fusion in the 1990s with his Flecktones band and after a long collaboration with Chick Corea, he continues to astonish audiences all over the world in both symphony halls and under festival tents with his seemingly limitless creativity and talents.
Much like Béla Fleck, Zaya Thompson has been described as a true wonder, a prodigy, a person who has extraordinary talents. A rare gem.
Abigail Washburn
is an accomplished singer-songwriter and gifted clawhammer banjo player who forever changed the music scene by combining her musical talents with her deep interest in Asian culture and sounds. Washburn toured with local KC Groves for five years with Colorado favorite “all G’earl group” Uncle Earl. Fleck and Washburn are married with two sons. They are deeply connected to the Thompson family through their children, who have been close for many years. Together the musical duo offers up a beau-
tiful blend of distinct musical personalities and banjo styles, consistently bringing to audiences a very special picking partnership. At the recent RockyGrass Festival at Planet Bluegrass, Fleck and Washburn performed a special song dedicated to Zaya, which you can hear at https://www.zayasarmy. com/healing-journey.
Two Lyons locals will also grace the stage at the A2Z Benefit Show. Rising star Alexa Wildish became known initially for her celebrated time on television show The Voice (2023). Wildish has continues to receive sensational reviews for her unique combination of octave mandolin, guitar and rich vocal abilities. Another Lyons musical powerhouse, Sally Van Meter, has been a professional musician for several decades, recording, performing and steadily gaining fans as well as fantastic peer reviews. Van Meter won a Grammy Award in 1994. Primarily known for her exceptional skills on the dobro, she has called Colorado home since 1996.
Shuck Wagon, featuring members of the Fretliners, and other special guests will also perform.
Zaya Thompson has always been an extraordinary child. Right from the beginning, she’s been described as a sprite, a magical animal whisperer and a shiny, fierce soul by members of the Lyons community who have enjoyed watching her grow. Age 11, she is the daughter of Michael and Alicia Thompson, long-time locals. She is bright, kind, sensitive, creative and remarkably curious. Zaya loves her friends, adores her family and protects all dogs, bunnies and cats. She’s attuned to nature, particularly butterflies, insects and various lizards, and likes music, books, baking, traveling, and
volleyball.
Zaya and her family find themselves on an extraordinary journey. In July, Zaya was diagnosed with cancer. Even though she is young in years, Zaya is like an old soul, a wise warrior, fiercely determined to beat this cancer. Together with her family and friends, she is surrounded by Zaya’s Army, a quickly-formed collection of friends and neighbors from our tight-knit community. Combining talents, skills and time with a desire to do something for this beloved family, Zaya’s Army is focused on uplifting and supporting Zaya on her healing journey and also, to support the Thompson family
and to make a significant difference in Zaya’s care, treatment, and recovery. The financial picture for the journey ahead is of course, completely unknown. It’s the family’s hope to give Zaya everything they possibly can along the way. Zaya’s Army is committed to raising funds to help at this extremely challenging and tender time.
All of the musicians are generously donating their time to support Zaya’s Healing Journey. This event will sell out. For details and tickets: Please visit https://www.zayasarmy.com/a2z-benefit.
Lori Stott has called Lyons home since 2002 and likes to be of service where she can.
Lowell
Battling the blaze from above. A plane drops slurry over Lyons Stone Canyon Fire to protect the area and stop the fire’s spread. BY DIEGO MALVAR
LOOKING UP
Long-dormant dam proposal gets renewed attention as Colorado water district looks to preserve unused water right
By Jerd Smith Colorado Sun
LYONS – The water case, associated with a long-dormant dam proposal west of Lyons, has some residents thinking, “Not this again.”
A controversial 53-year-old plan to build a major dam above Lyons is drawing renewed attention as a northern Colorado water district seeks to maintain its right to use the water associated with the long-dormant project.
The St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District is based in Longmont and serves thousands of people and dozens of farms in Boulder, Larimer and Weld counties. It filed an application in a special water court earlier this year to maintain its right to use the water at some point in the future.
The water right dates back to 1971, according to Sean Cronin, the district’s executive director, and is classified as conditional because the water has not yet been captured and put to use.
The district hasn’t said whether it plans to pursue the dam project, but some critics have sounded the alarm over the possibility.
The environmental advocacy group, Save the World’s Rivers, says the dam project would be expensive and environmentally harmful to the river and that it is time for the district to look at other options.
“They have been doing their diligence for (more than) 40 years and the world and state and the county and community have changed a lot since then,” said Gary Wockner, director of the river advocacy group. “And they are still proposing to build this massive dam.”
The group and its affiliates have sued to stop several major Colorado dam and reservoir projects, causing delays in construction and strengthening environmental protections in some cases.
While building dams and reservoirs was common in Colorado decades ago, such projects are rare now in part due to their
B R I E F S
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determine whether or not to keep the program. Boulder County Elections
BOULDER COUNTY – Boulder County Elections is your source for election information, voter registration, ballot content, and more. The General Election is Tuesday, November 5.
If you have recently moved, now is the time to get registered or check your voter registration information. While Colorado does have same-day voter registration, if you would like to get your ballot in the mail, get registered now to avoid delays. Include an email address with your registration to be automatically enrolled into BallotTrax to get notifications about the status of your ballot. Visit BoulderCountyVotes.gov for more information.
Senior bus trip to Bright Nights at Four Mile Historic Park
LYONS – Join us for a fun-filled evening at Four Mile Park in Denver. We still have space
expense and the scarcity of water.
The water right associated with the Coffintop Dam project could generate 84,000 acre-feet of water, and the dam has been designed to stand more than 350 feet tall. In comparison, the Horsetooth Dam west of Fort Collins, is just 155 feet tall. An acre-foot of water equals 326,000 gallons, enough to serve at least two urban homes for one year.
“In 1971, the St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy was bestowed the stewardship of the water right to benefit the entire valley,” Cronin said via email. “And to that end, has worked, particularly in the last decade, to ensure the ultimate use of the right will reflect the values of the entire community in the valley.”
The district is fulfilling its legal obligation to maintain the water right, he said.
Whether the Coffintop Dam would ever be built is unclear and many would say unlikely. St. Vrain valley water officials have talked for years about using small gravel ponds along the river farther downstream to store the water, abandoning the dam proposal. But Cronin declined to comment on whether the district actually plans to build the dam at some future date, or whether it would use the water at a different location, citing the confidentiality of the water court litigation.
on the bus for our trip to Bright Nights at Four Mile Park in Denver. Come with us to see all the beautiful Chinese lanterns on display. The trip is on Friday, September 20, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. The bus leaves from Walt Self, 335 Railroad Ave. and the fee is $20. The trip is for ages 55 plus.
According to the Four Mile website, “Bright Nights is a collaboration with Tianyu Arts and Culture, Inc., the largest producer of Chinese lantern festivals in North America. This event transforms the park into a captivating realm with larger-than-life sculptures illuminating the night across its 12 acres. Bright Nights at Four Mile is the only opportunity to experience a Tianyu festival in the Mountain West. Come see Four Mile in a new light, illuminate your senses, and create everlasting memories.”
Our 7 p.m. arrival time puts us there at dinner time. You can grab a bite to eat from Serendipity Catering or bring your own food. There are bars onsite for adult or other beverages.
This trip will involve a bit of walking and paths are walker/wheelchair friendly. Reserve
which is a major feature of the town. It is related to an emerging “rights of nature” movement in Colorado by communities to protect their waterways from the threat of development. Nederland adopted a similar resolution in 2021, but rescinded it in May after Wockner’s group sued to oppose a dam the town is considering on Middle Boulder Creek.
Though the Lyons resolution is similar, it was negotiated with input from the St. Vrain district, according to Cronin, who said the district and the town have a strong working relationship.
Town Administrator Victoria Simsonsen declined Wednesday to comment on the case, but said talks about the water right continue.
Lyons resident Bob Brakenridge said there would likely be huge concern if any new dam proposal emerged. Brakenridge is vice chair of the Lyons Ecology Advisory Board.
“I personally, and I think that would extend to many other people here, would be strongly opposed to any actual dam. . . . And it’s troubling that they are, for whatever reasons, holding on to this water right,” he said, clarifying that he was not speaking for the ecology board or the city.
But Cronin said the district is bound to make sure the water right is preserved and ultimately used in a way that benefits district residents.
“The district welcomes anyone to the discussion on ways to maximize this water right, so long as participants support the district’s mission to protect water quality, safeguard and conserve drinking water, grow local food, maintain healthy rivers and creeks, and store water for dry years,” he said.
“The St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District believes it’s been very diligent, in part because, for years, it has engaged in substantive conversations with community leaders on how this water right will provide multiple benefits to the valley, including but not limited to environmental benefits,” Cronin said.
The case comes after Lyons officials last November adopted a resolution stating their intent to broadly protect the river,
your spot by registering today. Register online through the link below or drop off a check made out to Town of Lyons at town hall. Be sure to list all attendees on your check. Scholarships are available. Contact: lramsey@townoflyons.com.
Mayama Dance Studio offers Boot Camp LYONS – After many requests, Mayama is finally bringing you a 5:30 a.m. class every Tuesday and Thursday with Lyons’ own Jayme Friedman. Get your workout in and make it the best start to your day. Classes will focus on strength and cardio, with music pumping, lots of sweat, laughter, camaraderie and challenging sequences that can be approached at any level, you decide what is best for your body. Show up and take action. For more information, go to www.mayamastudio.com.
Cemex received a Silver Certification
LYONS – Cemex’s Lyons Cement Plant was recently recertified with a Silver Certification from the Wildlife Habitat Council for its programs and projects that demonstrate excel-
This Fresh Water News story is a collaboration between The Colorado Sun and Water Education Colorado. It also appears at wateredco.org/fresh-water-news.
Jerd Smith writes about water and drought in Colorado and the American West. She approaches water stories from different angles, covering law and policy, regulation, agriculture, climate and the environment, as well as in Main Street stories. Smith wrote this story for the Colorado Sun and Water Education Colorado.
lence in wildlife habitat management and conservation education programs. It’s the plant’s 14th year in the program and serves as an example of the company’s commitment to environmental sustainability and creating positive impacts on nature.
The certification was based on Cemex’s efforts to restore disturbed areas with native vegetation and in managing more than 550 acres of reclaimed grasslands to support diverse wildlife and flora since 1998. The plant utilizes innovative methods such as soil redistribution, weed management and goat grazing to enhance native prairie habitat sustainability.
Cemex also leads hands-on environmental education programs for local students, working with them to construct wildlife habitats and pollinator gardens, and emphasizes practical conservation efforts and community involvement with organizations in the broader Lyons community. These efforts, among others, are what have kept the plant certified since 2010. More information can be found on the Lyons Cemex website.
It seems to be working so far
By John Gierach Redstone Review
LYONS – LYONS – I’ve always assumed that anyone reading this column understands it’s not written by an expert, but by a reasonably informed amateur with the chutzpah to think his opinions might be useful, but even with that in mind I sometimes think I should leave politics alone because I’m so often wrong.
For instance, when Thomas Matthew Crooks, age 20, attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a campaign rally back in July, I thought it would be a huge story. And it was for a few days, but although two bystanders were injured worse than Trump and one man was killed (his name was Corey Compertore, a 50-year-old firefighter) that part was treated by the press as an afterthought.
Furthermore, rather than being an evil deep state assassin, Crooks turned out to be just another dangerously confused misfit with a lethal weapon, the scratch on Trump’s ear fell somewhere short of actual martyrdom for his macho followers and the real story became the multiple screw-ups by the detail assigned to protect the candidate. In the end, the whole thing just sort of fizzled out.
Then, a little over a week later, Biden dropped out of the race for president and endorsed Kamala Harris. I didn’t see that one coming. In fact, I thought Biden would stick it out if only because sticking it out has been a hallmark of his half-century-long political career. I thought he believed, as I did, that Democratic voters who had second thoughts about him would ultimately look
at the comparison with Trump and make the only rational decision possible.
For that matter, the spectacle of Nancy Pelosi – still serving in the House at age 84 – trying to convince Democrats that Biden – at age 81 – was too old to be president came off as ridiculous, like two elderly tortoises battling in slow motion.
And anyway, I thought it was too late in the game to change candidates. If the Democrats had wanted to take the car keys away from Grandpa, they should have done it before sending him off on a long road trip.
But apparently Biden’s poor performance in the first debate was too deep a wound to recover from. Barack Obama did poorly in his first debate with Mitt Romney back in 2012, but he seemed like what he was: a top-notch debater having an off night, and he came back to break Romney down in the second debate and go on to win the election. But Biden didn’t seem like he’d come back to rally in the second debate. Even as a Biden supporter, I had to admit that he simply looked like he was too old to keep up.
bed-wetting we’ve come to expect from Democrats, he was forced to drop out. I imagine Biden wanting to say, as I have from time to time, “I know we old people can be cantankerous and we might freeze up now and then searching for the right word, but we’ve been around forever and know useful stuff you young whippersnappers won’t figure out for another 20 years.”
But that would have sounded bitter, while dropping out and endorsing his running mate makes him the hero who sacrificed his considerable ambition for the good of party and country, so of course that’s what he did.
At this point I thought the Democrats would argue themselves all the way to a brokered convention over whether Harris or someone else should actually be the candidate, but that didn’t happen either.
Uncharacteristically, the transition was sudden and nearly seamless and so were the logistics, since Harris was already on the ticket and so had immediate access to all those campaign funds.
takes, but so far Harris seems to be doing everything right by staying positive, talking about policy and shrugging Trump off as dangerous but “unserious.” And by picking Tim Walz as a running mate she threw the Republicans a curve ball they don’t know how to hit. He’s a bona fide liberal who otherwise fits the Republican profile: a middle-aged white guy, army vet, teacher and football coach who owns guns, likes to hunt and takes his kids to the county fair. And he’s from Minnesota, for Pete’s sake. As someone who grew up in that state, I can testify that, although those folks will occasionally play up the Lake Wobegon angle for effect, they shed criticism like a duck sheds water because they’re actually like that. It’s not an act.
It seems to be working. Not that long ago, Biden was trailing Trump in many polls while Harris is now pulling ahead, although in most she’s still within the dreaded margin of error and political polls in general have been more than usually unreliable in recent years. Hillary Clinton was ahead of Trump in 2016 and we all remember how that turned out.
It’s less than 60 days till the election and things look cautiously promising to me, but as I said in the beginning, I’m so often wrong about politics I wonder if I should write about it at all, so your guess is as good as mine.
Never mind that Trump came off as a deranged and delusional compulsive liar, the criticism all fell on Biden and after the usual dithering, hand-wringing and
Annual Lyons Garden Club Chili Cook-Off to benefit Lyons Fire Fund
By Sandy Spellman Redstone Review
LYONS – Calling all chili lovers. The annual Lyons Garden Club Chili Cook-Off will take place on Spooktacular night, Saturday, October 26 at Main Stage Brewing Company, 450 Main St., Lyons, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. This year’s event is dedicated to all the firefighters who came from Lyons, from around the county and the state, and even Pennsylvania, to fight the Stone Canyon Fire.
It’s time to start perfecting your chili recipe and preparing your taste buds. This year, joining the traditional CookOff categories of red, green and vegetarian chili, will be a 4-Alarm version – fiery hot and only for adventurous eaters. This is an opportunity to try various chilies as well as to thank our local fire crew who will be judging this year’s entries. The judging will take place from 4:30 to 5 p.m. The entire event will run from 4:30 to 7 p.m. or till the
Most of us are never clear exactly how these things happen, only that they come out of the 21st Century version of smoke-filled rooms. Those of us who picked Biden in the primary might have wondered how our votes got cancelled so efficiently, but then they were apparently cancelled by the very guy we voted for, so maybe that makes it okay.
There’s still plenty of time to make mis -
chili runs out – whichever comes first. Entry drop-off is 3 to 4 p.m. Samples will be available for $1 and bowls for $5.
For more details on the Chili Cook-Off and/or to register your chili entry, go to lyonsgardenclub.com. There is no charge to enter. All profits will be donated to the Lyons Fire Fund and we’ll have an additional donations jar for the fund. So, plan to join us on October 26 for the Lyons Garden Club’s annual Chili Cook-Off at Main Stage Brewing, 450 Main St., for some great chili and to benefit a great cause.
Sandy Spellman is a member of the Lyons Garden Club and the Lyons Weed Posse.
John Gierach is an outdoor and fly fishing writer who writes books and columns including a regular column for Trout Magazine. Books include Trout Bum, Sex Death and Fly fishing, and Still Life with Brook Trout. He has won seven first place awards from the Colorado Press Association for his columns in the Redstone Review. His latest book, All the Time in the World, was released in March 2023 and is available at Boulder Book Store in Boulder or at Barbed Wire Books in Longmont.
Library: Nature Journaling Club, Banned Books Week Sept. 23, and Pokémon Clubs are back
Kara Bauman Redstone Review
LYONS – As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, your Lyons Community Library is the perfect place to embrace the energy of the season. Whether you’re looking to meet fellow readers, explore the outdoors through art, or simply have some family fun, our lineup of events is designed to bring the community together in meaningful ways.
Join fellow book lovers at The Rock Garden for a casual gathering of the Pints and Pages Book Club at 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 15. This month, we’ll discuss Where the Water Goes by David Owen. Enjoy lively discussions and BOGO drink specials while connecting with others who share your passion for reading.
Immerse yourself in nature and creativity by joining our new Nature Journaling Club and learn tips from John Muir Laws’ workshops to capture your surroundings in words and sketches. Each Thursday in September at 11 a.m. we’ll watch a live drawing workshop over Zoom. Once you’ve been bitten by the Nature Journaling bug, make time to join us every third Saturday – including September 21 at 11 a.m. – for a morning of journaling, exploring Lyons’ natural
beauty, and sharing.
Kick off Banned Books Week on Monday, September 23 at the library by perusing our interactive banned books exhibit all day in the Community Room. Learn about censorship and why the freedom to read is important for everyone. Stop by between 4 and 7 p.m. for refreshments and activities, and to contribute to our collective collage for a free banned book.
Tweens, our new Book-to-Movie Club is for you. Read
Continue Library on Page 14
Gierach
Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump
Bauman
Lyons resident Randy Pollard enjoys a visit from local turkeys as they wander through his yard, even stopping by for a quick drink at the bird bath!
CONSENSUS
Join LCF’s Mission: Board Positions Now Open
By Rachel Pickarski Redstone Review
LYONS – The Lyons Community Foundation (LCF) is seeking dedicated and passionate individuals to join its board. If you’re interested in making a meaningful impact in the community, we are looking to recruit two to four new board members to help guide our mission of supporting local projects that improve quality of life in Lyons.
LCF plays a crucial role in strengthening our community by funding grants for non-profits, schools, and local initiatives that enrich the cultural and social fabric of Lyons. Whether it’s through supporting scholarships for students, sponsoring public art, or
funding events that bring people together, LCF’s work touches every corner of town.
As a board member, you can be part of this vital work, helping to shape the future of our community.
If you are interested in learning more about what it means to serve on the LCF board, reach out to Rachel Pickarski (rachel@lyonscf.org) or Gil Sparks (gsparks@nwi.net). We’d love to set up a time to chat over coffee and hear why you would like to be a part of the Lyons Community Foundation Board. In other news, we’d like to take a moment to thank all of the incredible sponsors who helped make the Fourth Annual Hootenanny such a wonderful success last month. It was a fantastic family-friendly event that brought our community together for food, fun, music and a riveting rubber ducky race at River Bend. We couldn’t have done it without the support of our generous sponsors, and we want to recognize them for their contributions.
Thank you to: Laura Levy, Lumber Liquors, Lifetime Windows and Siding, Gateway Realty, Tucker Group Real Estate, 24-7 Restoration, Moss Rock Development, Gateway Automo-
tive, Lyons Automotive Repair, Wee Casa, Western Stars, Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti, Redstone Dentistry, Excalibur Cards & Games, Tebo Properties, Lyons Health & Wellness, Sunlight Through the Trees LLC, Baer Forestry, Moxie, Susan and Gerard Gloistein, Hearth House, Turn it Up Media, and a special thanks to our platinum sponsor: Fernhill Build Studio LLC.
Your generosity helps make events like the
Hootenanny possible, and for that, we are truly grateful. For more information on how to support LCF, please visit our website at www. lyonscf.org.
Rachel Pickarski is the Marketing and Communications Consultant at the Lyons Community Foundation.
The Friends of the Library will host two events this fall
By Donna Guest Redstone Review
LYONS – The Friends of the Lyons Community Library (FOL) is gearing up for a busy fall. Save October 25 and 26, and November 7, for two of their biggest events of the year –the Annual Used Book Sale in October and
the Annual Meeting in November.
The used book sale is an amazing event. It’s quite an extensive display of books from all genres and in all sizes. There are: cook-
books, mystery novels, large coffee table books, graphic novels, young adult novels, kids’ books, do-it-yourself books, non-fiction, etc. You name it, you will most likely find it there.
You may have seen the Used Book Sale bookshelf, on the wall, just as you enter the library. Sara Erickson, Friends Board member and Book Sale Committee member, reports that these book donations, which have been coming in all year, are sorted by Friends’ Board members who store the best for our annual sale. She notes that the Used Book Sale is the Friends’ largest fundraising event, so, by purchasing these gently used books at bargain prices, you are helping to support library programming for the upcoming year.
The Friends of the Library Annual Used Book Sale will be held on Friday, October 25, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, October 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lyons Community Library at 451 4th Ave., Lyons. The books will be set up in the Community Room and will be arranged on tables by categories, with prices varying for each type of book, but donations of any amount are welcome and appreciated.
Yes, Saturday October 26 is also the day of the Lyons Gar-
den Club Chili Cookoff and the Spooktacular events and parade, so they’d love to see you at the library while you’re out and about in Lyons on that fun Halloween celebration weekend. So, invite your friends and family, and “book it on down” to the library for the Used Book Sale.
The next event that you don’t want to miss is the Friends of the Library (FOL) Annual Meeting. The Friends host an Annual Meeting each November to share with the public all that the FOL has been busy with over the past year, to disclose financial information, and to provide an opportunity for the public to celebrate and learn more about the Friends. We hope you can join us for a chat, a drink, and find out what we’ve been up to this past year.
The Friends of the Library Annual Meeting and Social will be held on Thursday,
November 7, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Shauna Lee’s beautiful gathering place, Ranch House West, 304 Main St. in Lyons. There will be appetizers to share, and cocktails will be available for purchase.
Thank you to all of you who are members of the Friends of the Library. The Friends want to remind all of our current members to renew their memberships; October is renewal time. If you would like to become a Friend, please join us so you can be added to the email list to get news updates and learn about ways to support the Friends. Please go to the Lyons Community Library website, and then go to the Friends tab for more information. https://lyons.colibraries.org/friends-of-the-lyons-regional-librarydistrict/.
If you have you ever wanted to be on the Friends of the Library Board to be part of the team that makes all the fun decisions to support the Lyons Library throughout the year then the Annual Meeting is your opportunity to throw your name in the hat to run for the three, possibly four open board seats this year. Contact Donna Guest @ dkg@gbhan.com if you’re interested or have questions about the FOL Board elections. The Friends look forward to seeing you at both of their fall events.
Donna Guest is a Friends of the Library Board member. Friends of the Library is a fundraising and support group for the Lyons Regional Library.
Pickarski
Lyons Library
Spectators cheering on the quack-tastic racers at the Lyons 4th Annual Hootenanny!
ART & ENTERTAINMENT
Babe left us 20 years ago
By Sally King Redstone Review
Betsy Burton reminded me
That it’s been 20 years
Since Babe was buried on Apple Valley.
Babe was the blind white horse
That lived without human support
On the brambled lot, thick with trees
At the entrance to Apple Valley.
Her owner had been a little girl
Who had to move away
And Babe was left on her own, Loosely tied to real estate deal
Where the new owner agreed
To let the creature be.
I spotted her when we first moved here, Head tipped to accommodate
The weight of her unicorn’s horn
Just visible at dusk, Burrs in her hair
Her quiet stillness, a reminder.
As if at any moment she might reveal a clue
To the invisible pattern underlying everything
Lyons has a magical essence too.
Felt as you drive towards town
West toward the soft green
And purple hills of home.
We receive a unicorn’s blessing
A remembrance of Avalon, Vale of Apples. That there is more then the eye can see.
Sally King is a local artist who believes it’s imperative that each of us pop our head up out of the collective trace, to bring through our creative gifts. You can find her on her blog and website, hersoupot.net and sallywhiteking.com or e mail sallywhiteking@live.com.
Wondering about Willows?
By Jessie Berta-Thompson Redstone Review
**Editor’s Note: Jesse Berta Thompson won a first place award from the Colorado Press Association Better News Contest in Class #4 for this story which was published on Feb. 12, 2023 in the Redstone Review.
LYONS – Streaks of color stand out on a sunny day in late winter: a reddish line cutting into the landscape, a flash of yellow skyward. These botanical bright spots amidst winter grays are probably willow stems, which come in an astonishing array of colors. While older bark takes on a furrowed gray, young willow stems can be red, purple, powdery white, shocking chartreuse, or glowing gold.
Willows can be huge trees or very low shrub thickets, and every size in between. The willow family (Salicaceae) in Colorado is represented by willows (genus Salix) and cottonwoods, poplars, and aspen (all in the genus Populus). Willows are primarily plants of wet habitats, growing along streams and lakes, and in moist meadows, washes, and marshes. Willow leaves are pointed and often narrow, sometimes with white undersides.
Willow flowers are borne on catkins, elongated drooping clumps of small flowers pollinated by the wind. Pistillate (seed-bearing) and staminate (pollen-bearing) flowers are generally on separate plants, so each species will have two very different-looking kinds of catkins. Willow seeds are often embedded in fluffy down which is spread by wind and water. Like the stems, willow roots can be colorful, sometimes creating a surprising magenta tangle along streambanks.
The most widespread of the streamside shrubby willows is the coyote or sandbar willow (Salix exigua). The RMBG grows coyote willows as well as bluestem willows (Salix irrorata). Willows are some of the highest growing plants in Colorado, found up to 13,500 ft. as low woody mats. Willows toughing it out in the alpine include the alpine willow (Salix petrophylla), the snow willow (Salix reticulata var. nana), and the lime-loving wooly willow (Salix calcicola), a rare denizen of high, calcareous soils (and not a hirsute margarita enthusiast).
In European cultural traditions, willows (especially weeping ones) are endlessly evocative – fanning the pages of romance novels, shading pastoral poems, engraved into tombstones, and drawn sheltering cute animals in children’s books. In a powerful example of traditional medicine making the leap into modern, the compound salicylic acid, abundant in willow leaves and bark, was one of the first pharmacological molecules chemically isolated from a plant, now known as aspirin.
Indigenous Americans harvested all parts of willow plants for all kinds of uses. The antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties of salicylic acid were deployed against many ailments, in the form of willow leaf and bark teas, across the North American continent. The leaves are used to flavor soups, and the young shoots and inner bark are eaten.
There are 32 species of willows wild or naturalized in Colorado (2015 Flora of Colorado). Of these, six are big trees, and the rest are shrubs. Only two of the tree-form willows are native plants. The peachleaf willow (Salix amygdaloides) is common around the state (near water) growing 13 to 65 ft.
The Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens (RMBG) in Lyons has a young sapling to represent this species. The other native willow tree, the Black willow (Salix nigra) is less common, confined to a few areas on the western slope. The introduced willows – weeping willow (Salix bablylonica), crack willow (Salix fragilis), white willow (Salix alba), and globe willow (Salix matsudana) are all beautiful trees, planted around old homesteads for shade and the unique ambiance of a willow.
The abundant native shrubby willows lack the shapely grandeur of those imports but make up for it in variety. There is a native pussy willow species (Salix discolor) just in Larimer County, but lots of other species have interesting buds and fluffy flowers, too.
I am America
By Sally King
Willow’s narrow stems can be used for arrows and fire-starting sticks; bark and stem fibers can be worked into cords and thread. The Cheyenne used a bark infusion of peachleaf willow to treat diarrhea and a bark poultice to stop bleeding. Locally, the Ute used peachleaf willow stems for baskets. The Lakota and Blackfoot used sandbar willow to build sweat lodges. The Paiute, Tewa, Keres and many other groups used sandbar willow stems, shoots, or roots in baskets, mats, and furniture weaving. Because of their role in stabilizing stream banks, willow shrubs are a key species in post-flood restoration. Many Lyons residents helped plant willow cuttings along the St. Vrain after the 2013 flood. Willows grow well from cuttings – a fresh stem in moist soil can usually root quickly.
Because of this remarkable ability, willow cuttings are used as a source of rooting hormones to encourage other plants’ cuttings to root, a natural alternative to commercial rooting powders. In gardens, willows require some extra water, so planting a native willow thicket can be good for a spot with poor drainage. A charming gardening trend right now is planting living willow fences. Tall, rooted willow stems are woven into the desired form, and then with time, they grow into a natural green tangle supported by underlying branches.
Jessie Berta-Thompson studied algae in school, and loves gardening and learning about plants. She has a degree in biology. She currently serves as Treasurer on the Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens board and as an Adjunct Researcher at the Denver Botanic Gardens, where she works on the diversity and evolution of Colorado mushrooms.
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passengers and freight until declining traffic brought its closure in the
The board heard comments from representatives from Riverbend property, 501 West Main St., to consider a Development Agreement for a variety of approvals including a 6,000 sq. ft. venue structure for music to address the concerns of neighbors who have objected to loud music played outside during events and weddings in the past. They also requested an extended timeframe for camping, ten additional Tiny Homes and other things.
The board passed Resolution 2024-72 to approve a Development Agreement with Lyons Properties LLC (Riverbend) with a series of amendments concerning which amplified and non-amplified instruments are allow inside and outside the proposed building. They all must comply with the town noise ordinance in any venue.
In other news, Administrator Victoria Simonsen reported that Lights Out Lyons was a huge success this year. The program started at the Lyons Regional Library with a mini planetarium experience brought to Lyons by the Fiske Planetarium. The presenter said that it was the highest attendance she had ever experienced for that event. Over 50 participants went to an educational session in Bohn Park where local adults and children learned about animal adaptations to the dark and the importance of dark skies. They also went hiking together while their eyes adjusted to the night. Telescopes were set up to view the stars later in the evening. Several groups stayed to camp overnight in the Bohn Park field.
The beautiful Black Willow (Salix nigra), a native tree thriving along Colorado’s waterways.
1940s.”
LEAF puts the final touches on Rave to the Grave to be held Oct. 19
By Kim Hinzy Redstone Review
Q: What is Rave to the Grave?
Rave To The Grave (R2G) is LEAF’s, (Lyons Elevating All Fund), biggest 21-and-over FUNdraiser – a high energy, outdoor Halloween-themed costume and dance party in our own Lavern Johnson Park. Our team is led by Skye McDonald, a board member, entrepreneur, and long-time festival promoter. He and the rest of the board and volunteers are producing a show that’s not to be missed, featuring locally loved touring musicians, a professional stage, sound, lighting, the most creative costumes you’ll see anywhere, a mesmerizing light show, and more.
The best part is that all proceeds benefit LEAF’s comprehensive human and behavioral health services in the greater Lyons area.
The party is set for Saturday, October 19. R2G is a ticketed event, with a suggested minimum donation of $30 to LEAF. We want the concert to be accessible to everyone, so there is a sliding scale option, too. The link to register, along with other information is on our website (leaflyons.org), at http://bit. ly/r2g, or by following LEAF on social media. Advanced registration is required.
Q: What is the theme this year?
The theme this year is Boogie Nightmares. This theme celebrates creativity, dance, and movement with a nod to spooky season – think disco balls, dance lines, and high energy vibes with a nightmarish twist. Start planning those costumes now!
Q: What’s different this year?
This is our tenth year, and the Rave just keeps getting better. Lyon’s very own MainStage Brewing is supporting us with a special limited edition beer release to be served at MainStage and at Rave. Our celebration starts on September 28 with a Special Beer Release Kickoff Party at MainStage. Look for fee-free tickets and commemorative posters at the September 28 event. After the Rave, you can head to MainStage Brewery for more music, beer, and celebration at the MainStage After Party. We are grateful for all the ways our sponsors make this event a way to celebrate the generosity of our community. See details at leaflyons.org.
Q: Will there be food and drinks?
There will be a food truck, snacks, and non-alcoholic drinks. Ravers can purchase alcoholic drinks after ID checks. Multiple bars will feature MainStage brews and Spirit Hound liquor, as well as wine. Purchase drinks with cash or card. Tips benefit LEAF and are encouraged! Please note: Outside food and beverages cannot come to the Rave.
Q: Is there a costume contest?
Yes, Rave To Gravers come in the most amazing and creative costumes! Will you be the winner this year?
Q: How do the donations help the local community?
LEAF provides all of the human and behavioral health services in our underserved mountain community. We are the only agency serving in Lyons. Our programs include Lyons Community Food Pantry, Lyons Meals on Wheels, Basic Needs and Resource Matching, Mental Wellness and Addiction Recovery, and Lyons Volunteers.
A very small staff and over 200 regular volunteers deliver daily and weekly services, year-round, to 30 percent of the local population. Without LEAF, many of your friends and neighbors would have no support when they struggle with housing or food insecurity, loneliness, or mental health/substance abuse concerns. LEAF absolutely depends on the generosity and goodwill of our community.
We’re proud to host this community tradition each year. To be honest, R2G is a complex and expensive event to produce. We depend on this fundraiser to continue providing human and behavioral health services in this community we all love.
You don’t want to miss this event. Go with friends or make friends when you get there. Doors open at 5 p.m.
Kim Hinzy is the LEAF Board chairwoman
BY JASON BLEVINS
The Colorado Sun, Redstone Review DENVER – Colorado hosted 93.3 million visitors who spent $28.3 billion in 2023. Spending by tourists supported 188,000 jobs and generated $1.8 billion in state and local tax revenue in 2023.
The Colorado tourism industry is still on a tear. Since 2010 – minus the global meltdown in travel during the pandemic years – Colorado has hosted record numbers of
travelers who came to Colorado after seeing an ad campaign or promotional materials promoting the state as a vacation destination.
The Colorado Tourism Office spends $12.7 million a year on media advertising, with $11 million of that directed toward the state’s 12-year-old “Come To Life” campaign and the remaining spent on the office’s “Do Colorado Right” ads, which this year, for example, focused on how to stay safe in Colorado with messages that promote life vests around the state’s lakes and fire safety when camping.
visitors leaving record-setting amounts of cash in their wake.
A total of 93.3 million travelers in Colorado spent $28.3 billion in 2023. Both those numbers are all-time highs. For reference, that compares with what was then a record in 2014, when 71.3 million visitors spent $18.6 billion in Colorado.
There are more travelers spending more in Colorado than ever before, according to Longwoods International, a visitor research firm that began tallying the impacts of U.S. tourism in the 1980s. Colorado was the first state to engage Longwoods to survey visitors in 1986.
“It’s great to keep it moving in the right direction,” said Tim Wolfe, the head of the Colorado Tourism Office.
Longwoods’ 82-page 2023 report identifies
In 2023, travelers responding to marketing booked an estimated 21.6 million overnight trips in Colorado, down 4 percent from the previous year, while travelers staying with friends and family stayed 14.8 million nights in 2023, a new high, up 14 percent from 2022.
Overnight visitors spent $22.9 billion, while an estimated 53.8 day-tripping visitors in 2023 – a record number of people taking day trips to or within the state – spent $5.5 billion, which was nearly evenly split between in-state residents and out-of-state visitors.
About 5 million of those overnight trips were booked by vacationers coming to Colorado to explore the outdoors. About 2.7 million overnight trips were from people
15 May Ave, Lyons, CO
3 bedroom, 3 bath, 3 vehicle garage with additional workshop. 2,985 SqFt, 1 acre. Impressive 20 ft Great room, Easily accessible driveway, Mountain living and sunrise views.
Listed at $850,000 $32,800 below the county assessed value!
in Colorado for special events and 1.1 million visited resorts. The 2023 Longwood reports show about 2 million overnight trips involved people staying in cities and 1.3 million overnight trips were for people visiting Colorado’s casinos.
An economic review of tourism in Colorado by Dean Runyan and Associates, which also has been studying the state’s tourism travelers for decades, showed visitor spending of more than $28 billion employed 188,000 workers in 2023, up 5 percent – or 9,450 jobs – from 2022. And those workers earned $9.9 billion in 2023, up 13 percent from the previous year.
State and local tax revenue paid by tourists grew to $1.8 billion in 2023, generating the equivalent of $800 for every Colorado household.
About half of that traveler spending was in Denver, with visitors to the Mile High City leaving $13.9 billion in their wake. Visitors to nine Colorado high country counties – Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Gunnison, Lake, Park, Pitkin and Summit – spent $4.3 billion in 2023, followed by visitors to the Pikes Peak region who spent $3 billion, and Boulder, Larimer and Weld County visitors who spent $2.5 billion.
Business travel to Colorado still waiting for a rebound
Business travel has yet to rebound following the pandemic, with Colorado logging 3 million overnight trips from those travelers. That’s up slightly from 2022, but well below more than 25 years of annual business traffic to the state reaching more than 4 million overnight trips.
The Colorado Tourism Office recently distributed $4.8 million in Tourism Recovery Marketing Grants to seven regions of the state through the federal Economic Development Administration. About half of that went to Front Range communities that have been slow to rebound from the pandemic declines, especially with business travelers. But the grants to communities in metro Denver, the northern Front Range and around Colorado Springs were not necessarily focused on rebuilding business traffic, which has seen a decline as part of an overall business shift toward remote work and online meetings.
“I wonder if there would be a huge return on investment trying to bring business travel back,” Wolfe said. “So now we are seeing people thinking about how they can replace that business traveler, maybe by boosting leisure travel.”
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Listed at $1,149,999 3 bedroom, 2 bath, Of ce space, attached garage and additional, workshop/studio space. 2,236 SqFt, 12.78 Acres withamazing views, hiking and camping spots.
Listed at $660,000 Sold at list price.
Blue skies, fresh powder, and endless smiles—there’s nothing like a family ski day in sunny Colorado
In Colorado’s stunning Great Sand Dunes National Park, tourists explore the towering dunes, experiencing the beauty and wonder of this unique landscape. BY ISA MACOUZET
Home, garden, and wildlife suggestions for autumn
By Cindy Leikam Redstone Review
LYONS – Cooler weather, shorter days, and all things pumpkin spice have arrived, and with them a change in seasons. The shift from summer to fall is a critical time for wildlife.
While some animals are busy storing food to last through the lean months, others, like squirrels, rabbits, and goldfinches are busy raising young through the very end of the warm days.
Birds begin their migrations, and large grazers like deer and elk move from high altitudes to the lower valleys to make the most of the last of the green grass. And of course, bears are bulking up. This time is critical for wildlife, and there are a few simple ways to help.
Postpone tree trimming until winter to avoid accidentally disturbing squirrel nests. Fox squirrels have two litters each year, early spring and late fall. Last year between July and November, Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center admitted 370 orphaned baby squirrels. Thoroughly inspect trees for nests before trimming.
If baby squirrels are found, call a local wildlife rehabilitator immediately for advice. As long as the babies are healthy, reuniting them with their mother should always be
the first step. A licensed wildlife rehabilitator can walk you through the process and provide guidance along the way.
American Goldfinches also have a late breeding season. They prefer to nest in shrubs and saplings, between four and ten feet off the ground, but adequately shaded by leaves above. Resist the urge to clear or mow dense thickets until later in the year so as not to disturb their tiny nests. Also, leave deadheads on sunflowers and coneflowers, because these are two of their favorite foods and are an important source of nutrition and calories for raising chicks.
Fall is the perfect time to plant native trees and shrubs on the Front Range for several reasons. The cool, wet weather creates more favorable conditions for establishing roots to withstand the heat of next summer. Most of our moisture comes from winter snows, so fall planting provides valuable additional moisture that will kick-start spring growth.
and water sources like rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams are hotspots for wildlife. Stay alert for critters trying to cross the road, and never block traffic to rescue an animal. Call animal control, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, or local, non-emergency police dispatch for help. Save important numbers in your phone for quick access.
Native plants provide food and shelter for animals in the spring. Save some time and leave the leaves in gardens and around shrubs to provide over-winter habitat for insects, which make up a large part of many bird species’ diets. Fallen leaves also provide beneficial cover and insulation to protect perennial plant roots from cold winter temperatures and also break down into valuable nutrients for soil health.
Slow down and use caution while driving, especially at dawn and dusk when wildlife is most active. With students back in school, there is more traffic on the roads, and peak traffic flows and patterns have shifted, which means more possibilities of collisions with cars. Natural areas, open spaces, parks,
When decorating for Halloween, keep wildlife in mind. Fake spider webs, netting, ropes, string lights, and other artificial decorations can be dangerous for animals. Entanglements with spooky stuff can cause injuries and sometimes death. Curious critters tasting decorations can be poisoned, sickened, or blocked in their intestinal tracts, all of which can be fatal if not treated.
Now is also the time to take preventative measures to keep critters out of our homes as the weather turns cold and they seek shelter from the elements. Check the home’s exterior for gaps, cracks, or other areas for animals to hunker down in. Even the smallest opening can mean an infestation of unwanted holiday guests. Seal up holes and cracks, cover window wells, block access under decks and sheds, and cap chimneys and vents. Don’t leave food outside near your home and bring bird feeders and pet food inside at night to avoid attracting wildlife.
Autumn is a magical time to enjoy the natural beauty and iconic wildlife in Colorado. Keep wildlife in mind, and live harmoniously with them with these simple steps this fall.
Cindy Leikam is an intern for Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, on Colorado Hwy. 66 east of Lyons.
Travels with Redstone Micah
proudly displays his copy of the Redstone Review while visiting the iconic Liberty Island in New York City! Standing in front of the Statue of Liberty, Micah takes a moment to share his connection to Lyons, Colorado, even while exploring one of the most famous landmarks in the world.
Take the Redstone with you on your next trip and send us your photos showing where the Redstone has traveled. Send your photos to redstarnews5@ gmail.com.
Rothstein
American Goldfinch perched on coneflower seed head.
A curious gray squirrel enjoying a peaceful moment in the yard.
COOKIN’
Fresh corn and bean salad, an early fall treat
By Barbara Shark Redstone Review
LYONS – We are enjoying the fleeting season for fresh corn. We eat it on the cob with butter and salt, sautéed with poblanos and onion, and in this salad. I’ve written here before about bean salads and this is a variation highlighting corn. Finely dice a large shallot. Put it in a bowl with the juice of a lime, about two tablespoons, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of hot red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let sit for ten minutes or so. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cut the kernels off of two ears of fresh corn. Sauté them in a teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over high heat until slightly charred. Add to the dressing.
Warm 1 and 1/2 cups cooked beans in a saucepan. I use Rancho Gordo beans (cook on a cool day and store in the freezer for fast, delicious home-cooked beans) but canned beans will do. Just be sure to rinse them and go easy on the salt. Use any variety – pinto, black, cannellini, or your favorite. Add to the corn and dressing with a sweet red pepper cut into 1/2 inch chunks, add a dozen cherry tomatoes cut in half. At meal time, stir in a handful of cilantro, roughly chopped. Serve over salad greens and arugula, with avocado chunks along side, all lightly dressed with olive oil. Top with crumbled feta or goat cheese. This is very good with a cup of cooked quinoa instead of the beans.
Barbara Shark is an artist and author of How I Learned to Cook, an Artist’s Life. She lives near Lyons, Colorado. For more recipes, read her blog at www.howilearnedtocookanartistslife.blog.
Ratatouille from Nice – summer’s bounty in a skillet
By Catherine Metzger Redstone Review
LYONS – It’s September and the garden is burgeoning with eggplant, yellow squash, onions, tomatoes, basil and thyme. That’s everything you need to make a delicious ratatouille. Here is one recipe for employing the fruits of your summer garden that is simple to make and freeze so that you can keep enjoying this season’s flavors well into fall.
I found this recipe in Elaine Ame-Leroy Carley’s Classics from a French Kitchen, which also includes interesting savory history and lore along with ideas for how to use the dish you’ve prepared. To serve four, I’ve halved her delicious recipe for Ratatouille Nicoise/ Ratatouille from Nice.
Carley informs us that the word ratatouille comes from the Provençal dialect ratatoulho,
or vegetable stew. It is one of the most popular Provence summer dishes, containing ingredients typical of the region. Green peppers can be overpowering and are often omitted, as I’ve done in this recipe. Ratatouille can be served hot as a hearty dish, or cold, garnished with a few black olives as an hors d’oeuvre or appetizer enhancer.
As we have discovered and Carley agrees, “Leftover ratatouille is a delicious filling for omelets or crepes. A poached egg on ratatouille makes a delicious combination for a light lunch.” She adds an important tip when making ratatouille: “Do not use an iron skillet for this dish, as the chemical reaction of the acid in the tomato with the iron produces an unpalatable taste.”
Ingredients
Fine olive oil (extra virgin olive oil)
1 medium-sized eggplant, peeled and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices
1 yellow summer squash, cut into ½-inch thick slices
1 large onion, minced
loft and partially stand-up crawl space not included in square footage. Propane heat. This cabin has been loved by the same family for generations.
2 to 3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 to 3 large, ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Thyme
Basil
Salt and freshy ground pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
Pour enough olive oil into a large skillet to reach ¼ inch depth. Sauté the eggplant slices, a few at a time, over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Add more oil if necessary. Set eggplant aside.
Sauté the squash in the same skillet until golden and add to the eggplant slices.
Sauté the onions in the same olive oil left by the vegetables adding more oil as needed. Add the garlic when the onions are golden, and let cook a minute. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for five minutes. Combine with eggplant and squash. Season with herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lemon juice just before serving.
Catherine Ripley Metzger has been cooking professionally and privately since 1979. She was a French cuisine journeyman at the celebrated Henri d’Afrique restaurant in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Today she is the proprietor of the food blog www.foodfortheages.com and cooks with curiosity from the ground up in her log cabin home on the Western Slope of Colorado.
Welcome to this charming 3-bedroom, 4 bath townhouse thatis in pristine condition. Located within walking distance to everything there is to enjoy about Lyons. This home is beautifully updated and maintained with granite countertops, newer stainless steel appliances, and a private back patio. Open oor plan and high ceilings throughout. Very low maintenance which leaves lots of time to enjoy outdoor adventures nearby. Theseunits are highly sought after and rarely available.
This Charming 1940’s 2 bedroom 1 bath cottage in old town Longmont is waiting to call you home. Located on a large lot with alley access, 2 car detached garage/shop and carport. Original hardwood oors, gas range/oven, beautiful stone top kitchen island, eat-in kitchen, tankless hot water heater, radon mitigation system, sewer line replaced in 2011, furnace and AC replaced in 2017, 6’ cedar fully fenced back yard in 2017. Located on the interior of this amazing old town neighborhood with tree line streets, parks, close proximity to shopping and schools. Don’t miss this opportunity to take advantage of this amazing value. LISTED BY: Bernadette Morrissey, The Colorado RE Group LLC
Ratatouille Niçoise Serves four, preparation time is 45 minutes.
Library Continued from Page 7
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor and join your peers to discuss the book before watching the movie adaptation from 1996. It’s a great opportunity to see how literature transforms into film. Snacks provided at 3:00 p.m. on September 24.
Celebrate autumn with a virtual tour of local open spaces with our Fall in the Foot-
egy sharing. Whether you’re a Pokémon Master or just starting your collection, this club is the perfect place to meet others who share your love for the game.
Tuesday afternoons throughout October we invite you to join us for ukulele classes. There will be two offerings: a parent and child class, and a beginning adult class. All instruments and music will be provided. Registration is required and will open by
hills with Boulder County Parks and Open Space. Join volunteer naturalists on Tuesday, September 24 at 6:30 p.m. to discover the best spots for fall foliage, hiking, and wildlife observation. This interactive presentation will showcase the beauty of the changing season and highlight local trails.
Teens in grades 6 through 12, get ready for a night of fun on Friday, September 27 starting at 6:00 p.m. Play laser tag in the library followed by a screening of the film that made Katniss Everdeen a household name. Pizza and snacks will be served, making it the ultimate hangout.
Our beloved LEGO and Pokémon Clubs are back for the school year. On the first Thursday of each month – including October 3 at 5 p.m. – kids ages 5 and up can flex their creativity and building skills. Bring your ideas, and the library will supply the LEGOs. This is a great way to unwind after school and let your imagination soar.
Each second Wednesday of the month –including October 9 at 3:30 p.m. – we call our Pokémon enthusiasts to gather for an afternoon of card trading, battles, and strat-
Name Continued from Page 4
companion as kitty
I think it shortchanges the amount of respect and empathy you share with your feline. We had a cat called Whammy after the slang name for tremolo arm which can make your Stratocaster howl. Nimbus was like a black cloud and Ansel was shades of gray like a photograph. You can have even more fun with chickens. I was very fond of Arsinoe (Ar – sin – oh – ee) titled after Queen Cleopatra’s sister. Why reuse a cliché when gems like Fluffy, Cedric or Hasselblad are going to waste.
There is one area of naming, however, that always starts me ranting and that is when scientists or pioneers get to name a species that they first described: Lewis’s woodpecker or Clark’s nutcracker. Or the bird that had been on the planet for millions of years
September 20.
With so many events and activities to choose from, the Lyons Community Library is your hub for creativity, learning, and community engagement this fall. We look forward to seeing you and your family at the library soon.
Your Lyons Community Library opens at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday. We close at 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 p.m. on Fridays, and 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Our online catalog is available 24/7 at lyons.colibraries.org and we’re always open for digital downloads on the Libby, CloudLibrary, and Kanopy apps. Give us a call at 303-823-5165 or email info@lyonslibrary.com with any questions. Please see the calendar of events on our website for additional programs, program information, and registration instructions.
Kara Bauman is the Director of the Lyons Community Library and holds an MLIS from the University of Kentucky. She’s an avid fly angler, enjoys craft beer, and travels extensively to see her favorite band, Widespread Panic.
before it was dubbed Say’s Phoebe (sayornis saya) after Mr. Say. Grrr, that is arrogance to the max in my book. Whereas a towhee or a cowbird have names which are central to their being and more respectful.
So give names to the things around you that don’t presently have a label. But please choose carefully.
Peter Butler was born in India and lived in a house facing a giant kapok tree. Growing up in England there were trees but never quite enough. After qualifying as biochemist there as a gradual evolution into being a graphic designer. He and his wife Deirdre moved to the States in 1997 and to Lyons in 2000. Finally there are enough trees.
Meet Cina, a gentle 6-year-old whose love knows no bounds. Her sweetness is contagious, and she brightens up any room. Cina is incredibly cuddly, offering warm, comforting hugs that showcase her loving nature. She enjoys belly rubs, playing with toys, and quiet companionship. Cina craves a forever home where she can share her boundless love. Adopting her means welcoming a lifetime of companionship and joy!
To see all our adoptable animals or get more details visit longmonthumane.org. Or stop in at the shelter at 9595 Nelson Road.
Continued from Page 5
Exposures from both planned and accidental releases were considered, including on-target drops in terrestrial areas, accidental or unavoidable drops across water bodies, and accidental spills in a stream during aerial or ground transport.
The study found the foam and its ingredients were predicted to pose no direct toxicity risk to mammals or birds.
However, Class A foam products were predicted to pose risks to sensitive aquatic species from runoff to both small and large streams.
Either over-spray of streams by as little as 50 gallons or accidental spills of as little as 5 gallons directly into a stream posed risks to aquatic species from the slurry. The ammonium phosphate in high doses is toxic to fish and other aquatic life. But in fast-moving rivers and streams the slurry’s toxicity is dissipated by the water’s flow. Residual retardant can later create over-growth of algae in still waters, choking off aquatic life and causing oxygen loss.
Current Forest Service practice bars the
heavy rains by installing straw wattles along Stone Canyon Road. Wattles have also been installed in the swale above the Stone Canyon subdivision detention pond to aid in water quality.
Any drainage or over-topping from that detention pond follows a complicated route downhill through another detention pond, underground culverts and ditches in the vicinity of the Farmette property then to a box culvert under Hwy. 36.
The likelihood of any stormwater containing fire retardant reaching the St. Vrain River is remote as both the Supply Ditch and Highland Ditch would intercept any run-off not captured by the detention ponds before it ever reached the river.
Lyons Utilities Director Aaron Caplan said that town staff was advised during a meeting with the National Weather Service that it would take a basin-wide storm producing 1.5 inches of rain in an hour for any significant impacts from the burn scar to reach down to the Stone Canyon subdivision, and that the town’s Stormwater Study from 2016 indicates it would take a 50-year storm event before the run-off
use of slurry within 300 feet of a water body.
Accidents are another issue. Accidents happen in fast-paced wildland firefighting in sometimes unfamiliar terrain and a 2002 accidental drop of a thousand pounds of slurry into the Fall River near Bend, Oregon, killed 22,000 trout in a six-mile stretch of river.
According to the High Country News, in the years following the accident, the group Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE) has called for policy changes regarding the use of retardant. According to the paper, the group has won two lawsuits against the Forest Service restricting retardant use and is now suing the agency over employing it in and around streams and creeks.
The suit has reignited debates over retardant’s firefighting efficacy, and the outcome could change how it is used in the future.
At the Stone Canyon Fire, run-off is unlikely. Locally here in Lyons, Boulder County and Town of Lyons officials are working to prevent possible run-off of slurry and fire ash down the canyon during
would descend as far as Route 36.
Caplan added that Boulder County officials and NWS officials who visited the 1500-acre fire site said that because the fire was predominantly a grass fire it didn’t burn as hot or cause as much soil damage as a tree-based fire would have.
“We haven’t seen much ash showing up along the roadsides during recent rain events,” he added.
Lyons residents recall that after the Calwood Fire in October 2020 heavy rains washed ash and debris into the South St. Vrain River, turning the water black for hours at a time. That same scenario is unlikely to occur with the Stone Canyon Fire, largely because the difference in both topography and the fire’s fuels. The Calwood Fire was in a forested landscape with steep slopes that fed ash directly to the river.
In the end, Class A fire retardants have little risk to both humans and terrestrial and aquatic life when they are applied properly.
Lyons resident Greg Lowell, is a Lyons Town Board Trustee and serves as the liaison of the Ecology Advisory Board.
Travels with Redstone
Amy Rullkoetter spent a week-long adventure in Iceland, riding from hut to hut through the stunning southern highlands. One of the stops was Landmannalaugar, famous for its natural hot spring, campsite, and scenic hiking trails. By coincidence, she sat next to a fellow Coloradan on both flights to and from Reykjavik!
Take the Redstone with you on your next trip and send us your photos showing where the Redstone has traveled. Send your photos to redstarnews5@ gmail.com.
Slurry
Elk make a swift escape as they flee the approaching wildfire, showcasing the power of nature’s resilience. BY DIEGO MALVAR
The largest expenditure for visitors to Colorado is lodging, accounting for $6.2 billion in spending, followed by transportation, dining, recreation and retail. Spending in those four categories climbed in 2023. The average cost per person for an overnight trip to Colorado was $580, up from $550 in 2022. Daytrippers spend about $101 per person.
About 85 percent of overnight visitors to Colorado have been here before and 62 percent have traveled to the state in the past year. About 29 percent of the travelers driving the Colorado tourism industry are Colorado residents – and most of them are from the Front Range – followed by visitors from California, Texas, New York and Florida.
The U.S. tourism industry is strong, with travelers spending $1.3 trillion in 2023, an alltime high. The travel industry employed 254 million workers in 2023, up 5 percent from 2022, but below record levels. U.S. visits from international tourists are up as well, climbing 25 percent in 2023, but international tourism to the U.S. has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.
crepancy between these tallies indicates the size of the daytripping skier market, with Colorado residents heading up to ski for the day accounting for the vast majority of skier visits. (The Colorado resort industry does not release demographic information about its skier traffic.)
Longwoods reported that about 13 per-
communities are increasing regulations, taxes and limits on short-term rentals. But the lamentation over tourism is starting to change, Wolfe said, as occupancies and tax collections fall in the first half of 2024. Early surveys show occupancy in short-term rentals across Colorado has fallen in five of the first six months of the year.
exceptionally busy months after the pandemic, coupled with more state and federal funding for affordable housing, is alleviating some of the concerns about increasing tourism impacts.
When Colorado voters slashed tourism funding in 1993 – eliminating a tourism-marketing budget of $12 million – the state’s ranking among travelers dropped from first place to 17th. In 2000, lawmakers reinstated funding for tourism promotion. The state lost an estimated $2 billion a year in tourism revenue when tourism promotion went dark in the 1990s, according to Longwoods. Longwoods uses the funding cut as what it calls a “cautionary tale for financial decision-makers” who may be tempted to cut tourism marketing dollars.
The largest draw for Colorado visitors is visiting friends and family, followed by people who are touring, playing in the outdoors, attending a special event or visiting a city. About 4 percent of the state’s overnight trips were for skiing or snowboarding, which amounts to about 864,000 overnight trips in the 2023 calendar year.
Colorado ski resorts reported about 14 million skier visits in the 2023-24 ski season. While Longwoods counts yearly traffic and resorts count seasonal visitors, the dis -
cent of overnight visitors booked their trips through short-term rental web platforms like Airbnb or Vrbo. That is up from 10 percent in 2022. The Runyan economic analysis shows 2023 visitors spending $15 billion on hotels and motels across the state and $2.5 billion on short-term rental homes. That compares to $14.6 billion spent on hotels and motels in 2022 and $2.3 billion on short-term vacation rentals.
More communities are diverting lodging tax revenues away from tourism marketing and toward affordable housing. Many
The average income of Colorado’s overnight travelers was $80,000 a year, with about 40 percent of travelers earning less than $50,000 a year. And 82 percent of Colorado’s tourists are white, compared with 78 percent in 2022.
Since before the pandemic, Colorado tourism officials have seen more community angst over tourism as residents work to protect their quality of life in towns that are seeing record numbers of visitors.
Wolfe said the return to “a more normalized pattern” of travel coming out of the
Right now Wolfe’s tourism office is working to grow international traffic –which has never recovered from the pandemic decline – as well as extending the length of stay of overnight visitors. The average stay for Colorado vacationers in 2023 was 4.4 nights, the lowest in six years and below the long-term average.
“If we could fill those resorts with six- to seven-night stays through the winter, it would be much easier for those communities and the environments,” Wolfe said, noting how shorter visits stress lodging staff with more turnovers while longer stays provide more revenue with fewer impacts.
Jason Blevins is The Colorado Sun Outdoors Reporter. Blevins lives in Eagle with his wife, daughters and a dog named Gravy. Job title: Outdoors reporter Topic expertise: Western Slope, public lands, outdoors, ski industry, mountain business, housing, interesting things Location.
Tourism
Tourists enjoying a peaceful hike through Colorado’s lush forests. BY TUONG CHOPPER
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