Control Field Bindweed Biologically!

Almost anyone who owns even a small piece of land in Colorado is familiar with field bindweed. This noxious weed produces vine-like stems that can be several feet in length. The morning glory type flowers are white or pink, and are produced in abundance.

Field bindweed is one of the most difficult of our weeds to control. It is widespread, surviving in many environments, from very dry to wet. Herbicides usually do nothing more than burn off top growth without affecting roots. Herbicide applications are not appropriate in all circumstances.

Fortunately, a microscopic mite has been introduced as a biological control agent against field bindweed. The bindweed mite, Aceria malherbae, damages only bindweed. Mite feeding produces folded leaves and distorted growth called galls. Heavily galled plants do not produce vines, flowers or seeds. Highly galled plants eventually die. It may take several years for bindweed mites to kill a plant.

Bindweed mites do not work everywhere, and are not the best option for everyone. They will not make bindweed disappear overnight, and they do need some active management. Bindweed mites do not control the weed in all situations.

The impact that bindweed mites have on the plant vary with each site, growing conditions, the number of mites released and time. One must take an active role in mowing the bindweed and moving the mites, and be patient. Once the mites are established, the results will improve over time.

Bindweed Mites can be ordered from the Fremont County CSU Extension Office, County Administration Building, LL10, Canon City. The mites come in a paper bag with enough mites to hopefully start a successful colony. After establishment, mites can be collected and moved to other areas. Most property owners will only need to order one sack. Cost is $10.00 per sack and must be pre-paid when ordered. The last day we can take orders will be Friday, April 29, 2005. Tentative delivery will be May 10-11. Fremont County has reserved 50 sacks so orders will be taken on a first come basis until all 50 sacks are sold. Questions can be directed to Tommy or Verla at 276-7390.

CSU Extension to Present Spring Gardening Workshops

Colorado State University (CSU) Cooperative Extension is offering a series of three workshops for the small acreage landowner and home owners.

The workshops will be April 14, 21, and 28, 2005 from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at the Fremont County 4-H building at 1450 South 9th Street (Royal Gorge Rodeo Grounds), Cañon City.

The topics will be:
April 14 – Backyard Fruit Production and Vegetable Gardening
April 21 – Terrific Turf (Putting in a Lawn) and Common Lawn Pests
April 28 – Xeriscape and Invasive Weeds

There will be time for questions.

Presenters will be Fremont County Colorado Master Gardeners.

Pre-registration (before April 11) is $25.00 per person for all three workshops or $10.00 per person for one workshop. Pre-register at the CSU Cooperative Extension Office at 615 Macon Ave, LL10 in Cañon City. Registration at the door will be $15.00 per person per class. Fee includes handouts and refreshments.

For additional information, contact the CSU Extension office, 719/275-7390.

Commissioners Mtg. Review - March 22nd

The Fremont County Commissioners dealt with a variety of issues at their regular March 22nd meeting. Actions by the commissioners included:

A. Authorization was given to the Canon City Recreation and Park District to erect and operate a single batting cage with pitching machine at Rouse Park.

B. Approved a temporary use permit to allow the Penrose Chamber of Commerce to operate a flea market on every second Saturday from April through September at the Gooseberry Patch parking lot.

C. Waived paving and lighting requirements for Red Canyon Storage at 1120 Red Canyon Road.

D. Approved the transfer of the Special Review Use Permit for the Broken Spoke Event Center at Penrose from Howard McDowell to Glenn Miller.

E. Approved a preliminary plan for a four lot major subdivision by Gene Bondurant for just under 20 acres at the northwest corner of US Highway 50 and Green Lane in the Howard area. The final plat will include the county engineer’s review of the final drainage plan for the property that sits just south of the Arkansas River.

F. Approved transfer of a Special Review Use Permit for Los Pinos Equestrian Center south of Florence from Ronald Miller to Lyndell, Sandra, and Davina Bryan.

G. Approved a motion formalizing direction given to DHM Design at an informal meeting March 15th. They are to proceed with design plans for the Highway 115 access, the entryway, and irrigation development of the entryway into the new Pathfinder Regional Park west of Florence at the committed 50-50 cost share with the Canon City Recreation District.

H. Approved a Special Events Beer Permit for the Canon City Rodeo Association for the Blossom Festival Rodeo May 6th, 7th, and 8th.

I. Reappointed Board Chairman Larry Lasha as the county’s representative on the G.I.S. Authority Board.

The Board of Commissioners tabled action until a special meeting at 11 a.m. Friday, March 25th, for appointment of a member to the Fremont County Planning Commission representing the western portion of the county.The Board also tabled a resolution granting the Deer Mountain Fire Protection District authority to declare an open burning moratorium until a meeting is held with Deer Mountain Fire Officials and Sheriff Jim Beicker to discuss the need to coordinate fire bans and restrictions with other local, state and federal jurisdictions.

2005 Spring Cleanup Vouchers

The Fremont County Commissioners are again making trash vouchers available for the 2005 spring cleanup campaign. Fremont County is conducting the campaign again this year in cooperation with the City of Canon City, the City of Florence, Twin Enviro Services, R.D. Recycling, and Skyline Steel.

The free vouchers provide for the disposal of one standard pickup load of household trash, furniture, construction debris, brush, logs, leaves, and yard waste at the Phantom Landfill at 2500 County Road 67 north of Florence. There is a limit of one voucher per household. Fremont County is making 400 vouchers available to residents who reside in unincorporated of the county. Proof of residency is required to receive a voucher. They are available for free pickup now through the end of April at the County Commissioners Office in Room 105 of the Fremont County Administration Building at 615 Macon Avenue in Canon City. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 – 12 noon and from 12:30 until 4:30 p.m. The vouchers expire at Twin Landfill on April 30th.

The City of Canon City has vouchers available for city residents at City Hall at 128 Main Street. The City of Florence will have 100 free vouchers available for Florence residents during their cleanup week April 18 – 22.

R.D. Recycling at 1501 High Street in Canon City will accept old appliances and refrigerators for disposal only on Saturday, April 23rd from 8 to 4 p.m. Skyline Steel at 301 South 1st Street will also purchase scrap iron, brass, aluminum, and copper. Skyline Steel will also pay a bonus of five cents per pound for recycling aluminum cans on Saturday mornings only during April from 8 to 11:30 a.m.

You are reminded that loads must be covered when hauling to Twin Landfill for disposal.

Airport Ramp Bid Award

The Fremont County Commissioners have awarded a bid for construction of a ramp project at the Fremont County Airport. Kiewit Western Company of Denver was the successful low bidder on the project with a bid of $328,041. A & S Construction of Canon City was the only other bidder on the project at a price of $434,470. The engineer’s estimate for the work was $327,669. The work will entail laying asphalt across a 200 by 275 foot area south of the taxiway in front of the airport terminal. The total project cost including engineering is $435,372.

The Federal Aviation Administration is paying $413,000 or 95 percent of the cost. The State Aeronautics Board and Fremont County will each pay $8,200 of the cost or 2½ percent.

The 45 day construction project is slated to be completed by May 1st according to Airport Manager Richard Baker.

Fremont/Custer Line Adjustment

Fremont County has gained about fourteen feet in a boundary adjustment at the Fremont-Custer County line at Hillside. The Fremont County Commissioners approved the work of former Custer County Surveyor Kit Shy and Fremont County Surveyor John Effinger III to reach a final determination of the county line that has been in question since 1873.

The county line at Hillside has always been described by meets and bounds but a formal survey had never been established. Shy initiated the latest effort in 1996 which was followed by a series of meetings and a couple of hikes to the top of Nipple Mountain in the Sangre De Cristo range in a search for monuments. Control points were set in 1999 by the surveyors and in October 2004, line markers were set at Hillside to determine the true county line boundary.

Development of the formal plats followed which included the history of the project by Shy. In the meantime Shy was elected as a Custer County Commissioner taking office in January 2005. He wanted to have the survey work completed before beginning duties as a commissioner. With the work Shy completed as the Custer County Surveyor, he will now be one of the three Custer County officials signing the new plat as a commissioner.

Effinger says the survey moved the monument markers giving Fremont County about fourteen more feet. He added that the former Hillside Store, which had the county line running down the center of the store, was most likely historically accurate.

The surveyors presented the Commissioners of both Fremont and Custer Counties with an aluminum pipe bearing the same monument cap used on the pins to mark the boundary.

Tourism Council By-Laws

The Fremont County Commissioners have approved a new set of by-laws for the Fremont County Lodging Tax Council. The action clarifies discrepancies caused when the Council and the Commissioners adopted separate sets of by-laws in 2001.

The by-laws provide for seven Fremont County residents who are in tourism related businesses to be appointed to serve three year terms on the Council. The by-laws also clarify that the Council can include up to nine non-voting ex-officio members. Language was added to bring the Council into compliance with Colorado 's open meetings statutes.
While proceeds from the two percent lodging tax are earmarked for tourism based marketing, language was added to the by-laws to allow up to five percent of the total funds collected annually to be distributed to tourism based events sponsored by various non-profit organizations. This would enable groups like the Blossom Festival Committee, The Fremont Center for the Arts' Art on the Arkansas, and other community based events to apply for promotional grant funding from the Council.

The Lodging Tax Council recently completed publication of the 2005 Royal Gorge Region Tourism Brochure and is investing considerable money and effort into an exciting new tourism website.

Pathfinder Regional Park

Pathfinder Regional Park is the name chosen for the new park being developed on a 178 acre site along Colorado Highway 115 west of Florence. The park is a cooperative venture of the Canon City Recreation and Park District, the Florence-Penrose RE-2 School District, and Fremont County. The three entities unanimously agreed on the selection of 'Pathfinder' for the park name as development will move forward in 2005.

Pathfinder Regional Park was selected because of its' association with Fremont County 's namesake John C. Fremont. Fremont earned the nickname Pathfinder because of his expeditions exploring and mapping the West between 1838 and 1854. The Park's name signifies Fremont County's heritage as well as referencing the trails, open space, and recreational amenities to be featured in the park.

Among other names considered were 'Bluffs', 'Big Horn', 'Eagle Rock', and 'Cottonwood Regional Park'.

It was noted that many other places named for Fremont already employ the Pathfinder name. You can find Pathfinder Dam and Reservoir in Fremont County , Wyoming ; Pathfinder High School is located in Lander, Wyoming ; the BLM's Pathfinder Office is located in Oregon; and Fremont, Nebraska, has a Pathfinder Trail and hosts their annual Pathfinder Duathlon. This will be the first known use of the Pathfinder name here in Fremont County, Colorado.

The next most important step in plans for Pathfinder Regional Park is consideration of a $300,000 State Mineral Impact grant application that would finance construction of the Highway 115 access and turning lanes. District Three County Commissioner Ed Norden and Canon City Recreation District Board President Scott Johnson plan to be in Denver March 23rd to present the grant application.

Twin Landfill "Findings"

The Fremont County Commissioners approved the following resolution at the Board's regular meeting March 8th, 2005 . It contains the findings for the Board's denial of an amendment to Twin Landfill's Certificate of Designation for the Phantom Landfill dealing with alum sludge and friable asbestos which was the subject of a public hearing at the Board's February 22nd meeting.

Click here to view the resolution (in pdf format).

Duplex Building Permits Moritorium

The Fremont County Commissioners Tuesday approved a resolution which places a temporary moratorium on the issuance of building permits for two-family dwellings in all but two zone districts in Fremont County. Two-family dwellings, or duplexes, can still be permitted in Medium and High Density Zone Districts while the moratorium is in place. The Commissioners took the action after it came to their attention that permitting two-family dwellings in the Low Density Zone District and others conflicts with state statute and could result in an illegal subdivision of the land.

The Board has expressed the desire to correct any discrepancies and assure citizens that a zone district will exist in Fremont County 's zoning resolution that provides exclusively for development of single family dwellings.

The Board's adoption of the moratorium instructs the Fremont County Planning and Zoning Department and the County Planning Commission to review the zoning resolution and to propose an amendment that addresses the conflicts. The Commissioners have asked for a timely review process to keep the moratorium in place for as brief of time possible. In any case, the temporary moratorium will expire no later than September 8th , 2005.

Any changes proposed to zone districts under the County's zoning resolution will be subject to a public hearing before the Board of Commissioners.

Fremont County 2005 Benefits Fair

An estimated 125 Fremont County employees took advantage of information and services provided at the fifth annual 'Fremont County Benefits Fair' held Friday, February 25th in the lower level atrium of the County Administration Building. Eighteen vendors participated, offering information to employees about insurance, retirement plans, health screenings, communications, and fitness programs.

Fremont County's Information Technology Coordinator Matt Eliason reported that a silent auction of old computer equipment netted over $566 for the county's general fund. The auction was the Commissioner's preferred option instead of paying to have the computer equipment disposed of and recycled.

The CSU Extension staff and 4-H youth assisted with snack and lunch services selling 60 lunch meals, eight dozen cinnamon rolls, and four dozen sticky buns as part of the youth fundraising efforts.

Employees and vendors offered numerous compliments on the day's events. The County Commissioners extend their special thanks to Personnel Assistant Joellen Brown in George Overstreet's Human Resources Department for her efforts in organizing the annual event.

Combined Drug Task Force

The Fremont County Commissioners have heard first hand about the successes of the Fremont County Combined Drug Task Force. The Task Force is a cooperative effort between the Fremont County Sheriff's Department and the Canon City Police Department. Deputy Mike Joliffe and Police Detective Andrew Lopez make up the core of the Drug Task Force. Sheriff Jim Beicker said it became clear to him in his 2002 campaign for Sheriff that there was a growing problem with methamphetamine and that it was starting to threaten younger age groups.

Joliffe says they have seen a huge decline in the number of local meth labs over the past year but to fill the void they have seen many pounds of the drug being brought in from places like Arizona.

The Drug Task Force was created through a Federal Justice Department grant. The Task Force work is currently funded through July 1st with a $98,000 Federal Grant. Future funding is contingent on showing measured results of their work.

Sheriff Beicker says without a doubt the two officers and their targeted efforts against illicit drugs are producing results.