Author: I-70 Scout

• one irrigated crop producer;  
• one dryland crop producer; 
• one rancher; 
• one organic producer; 
• one crop consultant; 
• one representative of an Indian Tribe;  
• one representative with expertise in soil carbon storage and natural climate mitigation; 
• two members of the board of the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts;  
• one water user from east of the Continental Divide who owns, leases, or represents owners of adjudicated water rights used for agriculture, including members of a ditch corporation, acequia, or a shareholder or parciante of either; and      
• one water user from west of the Continental Divide who owns, leases, or represents owners of adjudicated water rights used for agriculture, including members of a ditch corporation, acequia, or a shareholder or parciante of either.  
   

  APPLY TODAY

   

  Applications are due November 30th, 2021.

   

  The application form is available online.

   

  CDA welcomes applications from those interested in serving. People from diverse constituencies and communities of color are encouraged to apply.

   

  Participation in the advisory committee is voluntary and members receive no compensation for their service. However, members may be reimbursed for travel and expenses required in the performance of their official duties. In the near future, all meetings will have a virtual attendance option.

   

  Please contact  with questions about the application process or the program. Learn more about CDA’s Voluntary Soil Health Program here.

By Carrie Besnette Hauser

The Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) Commission traditionally meets on the eastern end of our state for its November meeting. We do so, in part, to celebrate and highlight the importance of agriculture to Colorado, and the partnerships that farmers, ranchers and other landowners and land managers forge with CPW to provide opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts and to preserve critical habitat for wildlife.

Last week, the CPW Commission will convene in Lamar. In advance of our regular meeting and alongside members of the Agriculture and Great Outdoors Colorado boards as well as local community leaders, we will assemble at the ranch of Dallas and Brenda May for a truly extraordinary wildlife conservation event. 

There, in the colorful fall tapestry of the Eastern Plains, we will observe and assist in releasing black-footed ferrets into the wild.

Why is this so special? Because CPW’s work with its federal and state partners illustrates the agency’s dedication to wildlife conservation and the May’s commitment to preserving habitat and wildlife, all done in the context of an historic working ranch.

Black-footed ferrets are North America’s rarest mammal and were thought to be extinct twice. Before CPW’s recent species reintroduction efforts, they had been absent from Colorado since the early 1940s. They are the only ferret species native to North America. That Colorado is now home to seven reintroduction sites is an amazing success. 

Planning for the release, CPW Species Conservation Coordinator Tina Jackson said, “recovery of a species like the black-footed ferret depends on long-term habitat management at large scales, and in Colorado, that means partnering with the great private landowners and agricultural organizations across the state. We are excited to bring the black-footed ferret back to the May Ranch and to work with the family in the years to come.”  

Earlier this year, Dallas and Brenda May – notably, he serves as a CPW Commissioner and she on the GOCO Board – and their multi-generational family were presented with the Leopold Conservation Award, named for renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold. In his book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage. The development of a land ethic was, he wrote, “an evolutionary possibility and ecological necessity.” 

Accordingly, the award “recognizes extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation” and is intended to “inspire others through their example, and help the general public understand the vital role private landowners play in conservation success.” 

The Mays were recognized for “improving wildlife habitat, water quality, and grass and soil health” and for their dedication to “leaving their land better than how they found it.” 

The award, presented earlier this year at the Colorado Cattleman’s Association convention, described myriad ways the Mays operate their ranch to benefit wildlife and improve ecological biodiversity. Just a few examples include: 

• Resisting intense pressures to develop native grasslands.
• Collaborating with wildlife and conservation organizations to improve water quality and quantity by restoring streams, playas and wetlands for the benefit of migratory birds.
• Managing grazing, installing wildlife-friendly fencing, planting native trees and expanded watering locations resulting in a model of how livestock and wildlife can thrive together.
• Monitoring their property for rangeland health as part of an innovative carbon credit offset program that assigns fair market value for sequestering carbon in the soil of grazing lands. 
• Improving irrigation efforts and water efficiency, allowing them to raise more crops with less water.  
• Purchasing composted manure from area dairy farms as fertilizer to grow corn and alfalfa that is sold as feed for the dairies. 

The success of CPW’s efforts to reintroduce threatened and endangered species like the black-footed ferret rely on long-standing relationships and cooperation. CPW’s partnership with the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and its local members has been critical to ferret recovery efforts on private lands. Equally important have been alliances with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Pheasants Forever, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and many others.

Because of support from agricultural producers and private landowners across our great state, Colorado is home to a remarkable variety of wildlife that rely on healthy land, water and air ecosystems to survive and thrive.  

Visit CPW’s website for more information on black-footed ferret recovery efforts in Colorado.

Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser is the 2021-22 Chair of the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission. She lives in Glenwood Springs.

 

This endangered black-footed ferret popped up in a homeowner’s garage in Pueblo West on Monday. The homeowner coaxed it into a box and called Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Officers and biologists examined it and determined it was among 9 black-footed ferrets released on the nearby Walker Ranch two weeks ago. After deeming it healthy, CPW officers re-released it on a prairie dog colony on the ranch.
Photo courtesy of Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Black-footed ferret, the rarest mammal in North America, found in neighborhood garage

PUEBLO WEST, Colo. – An endangered and extremely rare black-footed ferret made a surprise appearance in a homeowners’ garage in Pueblo West on Monday.

The home is near the sprawling Walker Ranch where Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been releasing black-footed ferrets on a prairie dog colony as part of a major conservation effort with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and other partners to restore the rarest mammal in North America.

Since 2013, more than 120 black-footed ferrets have been released on the Walker Ranch by CPW biologists, who have invested extensive time and effort to monitor the colonies and distribute plague vaccine in hopes of protecting the black-footed ferrets and the prairie dogs, which is their primary source of food and shelter.

Reintroduction efforts were put on hold during the COVID-19 outbreak to protect the ferrets from possible exposure to the virus. They recently resumed and, two weeks ago, nine ferrets were set free in a 1,600-acre prairie dog colony south of U.S. Highway 50 on the ranch.

On Monday night, CPW received a call from a nearby homeowner that a ferret was in his garage.

By the time CPW Officers Cassidy English and Travis Sauder arrived, the homeowner had coaxed the ferret into a box.

English and Sauder quickly contacted CPW terrestrial biologists to confirm they, indeed, were holding an endangered black-footed ferret and to decide what to do with it. 

Each black-footed ferret raised for release has a passive integrated transponder microchip, called a PIT tag, inserted between its shoulder blades. These common internal microchips contain identifying information that can be read with a scanning device.

English and Sauder contacted the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region and an officer responded with a portable scanner. It confirmed the ferret was one of the nine recently released.

Photos of the ferret were sent to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services biologists who determined the garage-crashing ferret appeared healthy and could be taken back onto the prairie dog colony and re-released.

With the blessing of ranch owners Gary and Georgia Walker, English and Sauder took the box and hiked deep into the prairie colony in the dark, opened the box and watched the ferret scurry into a prairie dog burrow.

“We don’t know exactly why this black-footed ferret left the colony,” said Ed Schmal, CPW conservation biologist. “We put them into prairie dog burrows but they may not stay. Sometimes they scramble around the colony to find the right home. This one might have gotten pushed out by other ferrets and it went looking for a new home. We really don’t know.”

Schmal said CPW has only received one other report of a black-footed ferret leaving the ranch. But it has never heard of a ferret entering a garage or similar structure.

“This is extremely rare,” Schmal said. “Black-footed ferrets are nocturnal and extremely shy. For some reason, this one left the colony and was seeking shelter. We’re just glad it appeared healthy, not starving or sick, and we were able to capture it and return it to the colony.”

More photos and video on Twitter at @CPW_SE.

 

 The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA) at Anythink Fall Artist Showcase presents “SOMOS,” a community-inspired mural by artist-in-residence Armando Silva at Anythink Huron Street in Thornton, Colo. “SOMOS” – the Spanish word for “we are”– encourages self-exploration through art, poetry and language.  This powerful, spanning mural contains imagery that representsculture, heritage, pride, love, nature, growth and success. The focal point of the mural is a young luchador; the work incorporates other images including homes, books, birds, cairns, plants, mountains and Mother Earth. In October, Silva conducted a series of workshops at Anythink Huron Street with local teens, the themes of which have inspired the interior mural being installed at the library. The unveiling is open to the public on Saturday, Nov. 13 from 11 am-1 pm. Light refreshments will be served.  

 

                  Funded by BMoCA, the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District and the Anythink Foundation, the BMoCA at Anythink Fall Artist Showcase helps to make art and culture more accessible to Adams County residents. More details about the Fall Artist Showcase can be found at anythinklibraries.org/fallartistshowcase.  

 

                           To schedule an interview with the artist, contact Joe Murray at jmurray@anythinklibraries.org. 

 

WHEN:           Saturday, Nov. 13, 11 am-1 pm 

 

WHERE:           Anythink Huron Street, 9417 Huron St., Thornton, CO 80260 

 

About Anythink^TM

Anythink is a new style of library – a place of unlimited imagination, where play inspires creativity and lifelong learning. Anythink serves the residents of Adams County, Colo., with seven libraries and a bookmobile. With a focus on innovation, Anythink’s award-winning approach to library service is recognized by industry leaders and organizations across the globe. For more information, visit anythinklibraries.org.