San Luis Valley Colorado Information Center, Land

Federal solar panels in San Luis Valley

2009-10-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Dept of Energy is looking to use 20,000 acres in the San Luis Valley as suitable for utility-scale solar projects. The main issue that most county officials in the valley is the potential water use of these projects.

Last summer, the BLM identified 24 parcels on the western side of the valley for study for solar development, largely in response to President's Obama push for renewable energy at whatever cost.

For more information, you can read about some BLM comments on this site: http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/info/newsroom/2008/may_08/NR_053008.html.

More water coming this year and early

2009-09-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

Higher temperatures and some warm winds have caused faster snow melts and allowed a better supply of water coming down the Rio Grande River this year. The San Luis Valley is part of the Rio Grande Rift system that extends from central Colorado southward through New Mexico and West Texas into northern Mexico and all the residents across those states benefit from the better run off.

"It's good news for everyone, from the guy who needs it for his crops to someone wanting to get some more trout," said John Hilner, a local valley resident.

Plane crash in San Luis Valley, two Canadians died

2009-01-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 28, 2008 -- A plane carrying two people, Gerrit Maureau and Sheila Malm, crashed in the south-central Colorado mountains Saturday evening, and by late Sunday the terrain and weather were so hazardous that rescue crews temporarily halted efforts to reach the wreckage. They are planning to go back to the site when conditions are safe -- more than likely spring time.

A team from El Paso County Search and Rescue led the search for the crash site of a twin-engine Beechcraft airplane in Costilla County south of Culebra Peak, a 14,047 mountain. Other agencies were helping with the effort, including sheriff 's offices and search and rescue crews from Costilla, Custer and Las Animas counties.

Friends and colleagues of Gerrit Maureau and Sheila Malm reacted with shock Monday to confirmation from U.S. authorities that Maureau's 58 Beechcraft Baron had crashed in the mountains of south Colorado.

Maureau and Malm were flying to New Mexico to spend Christmas with friends.

Summer Fiestas!

2008-08-11T09:22:00.001-07:00

Summer Festivals in San Luis Valley land!

San Luis Valley communities host parades all throughout the month of July and August from San Luis to Monte Vista. For instance, San Luis hosts the Santiago and Santa Ana Fiesta from July 25th to July 27th and Manassa runs the Pioneer Days from July 25th through 26th. Monte Vista runs the SkiHi Stampede from July 24th to July 27th.

Parades are big in the summer and attracts tourists across from other states and also is an entertainment piece for many locals, reminding them the traditions that's been passed on through generations and the various celebrations about how each township was found. You can call these numbers for more information:

For more information about Manassa festivals: 719-843-5238.

For more information about San Luis festivals contact: 719-672-3611.

For more information about Monte Vista festivals: 719-852-2055.

Denver man cought trying to sell drugs

2008-01-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from the San Luis Valley law enforcement!

The first one on Santa's naughty list got caught. A Denver resident who was allegedly trying to sell drugs, Adrian William Romero, was arrested by an undercover sting operation conducted by the San Luis Valley Drug Task Force.

The suspect was in custody on Dec 22 and more arrests are expected to happen. Romero, 29, allegedly sold about a quarter ounce of cocaine. They also recovered marijuana and other paraphernalia.

While violent crime in San Luis Valley is rare (due to the fact that people live in acres instead of small lots in the cities), it is also difficult for law enforcement to watch the entire territory (it is the largest allpine valley in the world). So they setup sting operations attracting would be drug pushers from other parts of the country to pre-emptively hunt them down.

Good job guys, keep San Luis Valley safe!

San Luis Valley Residents: Call Your Congressman, Support Our Senior Citizens

2007-12-07T00:51:00.001-08:00

Imagine if your grandma fell due to a stroke. In order to walk and talk again she needs outpatient rehab. But after Jan 1, 2008, Medicare will only pay $1810. After that amount is gone, even if she can't walk or talk yet, she is on her own.

We need to tell Congress that Medicare needs to take care of our parents and grandparents. They paid for Medicare all their adult working life only to be taken when they need it most.

We need to fight this injustice.

Call your congressman and senator and ask them to support The Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act (HR 916 / S 450). Please no more blind therapy caps.

Help spread the message and post this on your bulletins/blogs/myspace.

San Luis Valley farms going through preventive e-coli inspections

2007-09-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

SAN LUIS VALLEY, COLORADO -- Federal officials are expected to join state agricultural and state health officials in the San Luis Valley on Wednesday to inspect vegetable farms. Dole's Hearts Delight is grown throughout the United States and Canada and is processed in Ohio and is currently under a recall due to e-coli issues.

Its main farms are located in California, Ohio, and Colorado's San Luis Valley. The area is known for its rich soil and the government is basically doing a checkup to see if it is affected by the e-coli issue. Colorado's deputy commissioner of agriculture said, ""We don't know where the contamination came from..." so they have to check everywhere. Farmers are concerned even though they doubt there was any issue with their San Luis Valley farms, it still reduces sales. David Petrocco, from a farming family, comments: "It's concerning to us, because last year's spinach recall affected our sales even though it (the contaminated spinach) didn't come from Colorado at all."

San Luis Valley Hunting Calendar

2007-08-29T23:27:00.001-07:00

Do you have land in San Luis Valley and want to know what the hunting seasons are? With thousands of acres available for all to use for hunting, this is going to be a great season! See the hunting calendar below.

DUCKS

Central Flyway

Youth | Mountain/Foothills Sept. 22-23; Plains Sept. 29-30.

Regular season | Mountain/Foothills Zone Sept. 9-Oct. 25; Dec. 21-Jan. 27. Eastern Plains Zone Oct. 6-22; Nov. 10-Jan. 27. Bag limit: Six ducks, no more than 5 mallards, of which no more than 2 can be females; 1 pintail; 1 canvasback; 2 redheads; 1 mottled duck; 2 wood ducks; 3 scaup. Also, 5 mergansers of which no more than one may be hooded; 15 coots. Teal: Sept. 8-16 east of I-25 and in Lake and Chaffee counties. Bag limit 4.

Pacific Flyway

Youth | Oct. 20-21.

Regular season | Sept. 29-Oct. 14, Oct. 31-Jan. 27. Bag limit: Seven ducks and mergansers, of which no more than 2 may female mallards, 1 pintail, 2 canvasback, 2 redheads, 4 scaup. Also: 25 coots.

GEESE

Central Flyway

Youth | Mountain/Foothills Sept. 22-23; Eastern Plains Sept. 29-30.

Early season | Sept. 29-Oct. 8 Northern Front Range, North Park, San Luis Valley, South Park. Bag limit: Four dark geese, possession 6.

Regular season | Nov. 17-Feb. 17. Bag limit: Four dark geese, 20 light geese. Light goose season: Nov. 8-Feb. 22. Daily bag limit 20, no possession limit. Light goose conservation order

East of I-25, Feb. 23-April 30.

Pacific Flyway

Youth | Oct. 20-21.

Early season | Sept. 1-9.

Regular season | Sept. 29-Oct. 5, Oct. 31-Jan. 27. Bag limit: Three geese in aggregate.

UPLAND BIRDS

Band-tailed pigeons | Sept. 1-30. Bag 5, possession 10.

Dusky (Blue) grouse | Sept. 1-Nov. 18. Bag 3/9.

Chukar | Sept. 1-Nov. 25. Bag 4/12.

Doves | Sept. 1-Oct. 30. Bag 15/30.

Eurasian collared doves only Dec. 1-Feb. 29.

Greater prairie chicken | Oct. 1-Nov. 9 in select portion of Yuma County by permit only. Bag 2/2.

Pheasant | Nov. 10-Jan. 21 east of I-25. Nov. 10-Jan. 6 west of I-25. Bag 3/9.

Ptarmigan: | Sept. 8-Oct. 7 except in units 53, 54, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 74, 75, 751, 76. 77, 78, 79, 80, 81. Sept. 8-Nov. 18 in the aforementioned units. Bag 3/6.

Quail | Nov. 10-Jan. 6 in northeast Colorado. Nov. 10-Jan. 21 in southeast Colorado. Nov. 10-Jan. 6 in western Colorado. Bag 8/24 of each.

Rail | Sept. 1-Nov. 9. Bag singly and aggregate 25/25.

Sage grouse | Sept. 8-14. Bag 2/4.

Sandhill crane | Oct. 6-Dec. 2 east of Continental Divide, except North Park and San Luis Valley. Bag 3/6.

Sharp-tailed grouse | Sept. 1-16. Bag 2/4.

Snipe | Sept. 1-Dec. 16. Bag 8/16.

Turkey | Sept. 1-Oct. 7. Bag 1 either sex.

SMALL GAME ANIMALS

Abert's squirrel | Nov. 15-Jan. 15. Bag 2/4.

Marmot | Aug. 10-Oct. 15. Bag 2/4.

Rabbit and hare | Oct. 1-Feb. 29: Bag 10/20 of each.

Fox and pine squirrel | Oct. 1-Feb. 29. Bag 5/10.

BIG GAME

Pronghorn | Archery Aug. 15-Sept. 20. Muzzleloading Oct. 21-29. Rifle Oct. 6-12.

Bear | Archery Sept. 2-23; Muzzleloading Sept. 8-16. Regular rifle Sept. 2-30 and concurrent with deer and elk seasons.

Deer | West of I-25 - Archery Aug. 25-Sept. 23. Muzzleloading Sept. 8-16. 3 regular rifle seasons Oct. 20-28, Nov. 3-9, Nov. 14-18. East of I-25 - Archery Oct. 1-26, Nov. 7-30, Dec. 15-31. Muzzleloading Oct. 13-21. Regular rifle Oct. 27-Nov. 6, Dec. 1-14.

Elk | Archery Aug. 25-Sept. 23. Muzzleloading Sept. 8-16. Four regular rifle seasons Oct. 13-17, Oct. 20-28, Nov. 3-9, Nov. 14-18.

Moose | Archery Sept. 8-23; Muzzleloading Sept. 8-16; Regular rifle Oct. 1-9.

Mountain lion | Nov. 19-March 31.

BLM meeting, public notice

2007-08-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

Public notice regarding BLM for San Luis Valley. Please attend this meeting if you are interested in the topics below.

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

Notice of Meeting, Front Range Resource Advisory Council (Colorado)

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Front Range Resource Advisory Council (RAC), will meet as indicated below.

DATE: The meeting will be held September 26, 2007 from 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Holy Cross Abbey Community Center, 2951 E. Highway 50, Canon City, Colorado 81212.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Smith, (719) 269-8500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 15 member Council advises the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management, on a variety of planning and management issues associated with public land management in the Royal Gorge Field Office and San Luis Valley, Colorado. Planned agenda topics include: Manager updates on current land management issues including; a summary of current Environmental Analysis in the Royal Gorge Field Office, Travel Management Planning in the San Luis Valley and a tour, for RAC members, of the Wild Horse and Burro facility in Canon City. All meetings are open to the public. The public is encouraged to make oral comments to the Council at 9:30 a.m. or written statements may be submitted for the Councils consideration. Depending on the number of persons wishing to comment and time available, the time for individual oral comments may be limited. Summary minutes for the Council Meeting will be maintained in the Royal Gorge Field Office and will be available for public inspection and reproduction during regular business hours within thirty (30) days following the meeting. Meeting Minutes and agenda (10 days prior to each meeting) are also available at: http://www.blm.gov/rac/co/frrac/co_fr.htm

Dated: August 20, 2007.
Roy L. Masinton,
Royal Gorge Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 07-4224 Filed 8-27-07; 8:45 am]

Great Sand Dunes National Park

2007-08-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

Summary
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a United States National Park located in Alamosa County and Saguache County, Colorado. Originally designated Great Sand Dunes National Monument, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve was created by an act of the United States Congress on September 13, 2004. The park contains approximately 85,000 acres.

Information
The park contains the tallest sand dunes in North America, rising about 750 feet (230 m) from the floor of the San Luis Valley on the western base of the Sangre de Cristo Range, covering about 19,000 acres (77 km²). They are perhaps 12,000 years old.

The dunes were slowly formed from sand deposits of the Rio Grande and its tributaries over thousands of years. Westerly winds picked up the sand particles and they flew over the Rocky Mountains from the flood plain. When the wind lost energy as it slowed down before crossing the Sangre de Cristo Range, the sand was deposited on the east edge of the valley. This pattern has been observed and continues to this day. The dunes are slowly growing by the wind that daily changes the shape. There are also areas of black sand which are deposits of magnetite, a crystal-based black oxide of iron.

If you dig a few inches below the dunes you'll find it reveals wet sand. You see if the streams were dried up, the entire dunes would disappear. This is why the park was named a National Park to protect the water that forms part of the dunes.

This is the newest national park in the United States. To call and ask for more information, dial +1 (719) 378-6300. They'll be able to provide you with information on hours of operation, directions, etc.

If you want to buy residential properties or acreage in this area, consider buying from trustworthy sellers.

Your land is part of history

2007-08-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

If you own land in the San Luis Valley, be proud to know that there's a lot of history on it. On August of 1779, Juan Bautista de Anza, governor and military commander of the Spanish province of New Mexico, led an army of 800 men to protect villagers at Taos, which had been victimized by raids from the Jupe Comanche.

Anza marched north of Taos at night to avoid detection and they went through San Luis Valley to finally find and battle the Comanches. In the fight, they killed the main chief Cuerno Verde ("Green Horn" in English) or Tabivo Naritgant in the native tongue. The death of the chief drastically reduced the raids in the area and the valley was open to settlements.

If you want to own historical San Luis Valley land, click here.

Closure of Taylor Ranch case nearing

2007-08-20T06:41:00.000-07:00

Senior Judge Gaspar Perricone told the Pueblo Chieftain that the long drawn out civil case of Taylor Ranch is coming to a close. The ranch is a 77,500-acre property that has been bought by Jack Taylor in 1960.

The ranch is one of the largest, privately owned, undeveloped chunks of mountain range left in Colorado. For communities in the southern end of Costilla County, where farmers use the oldest irrigation ditches and water rights in the state, it's the top of the watershed.

Taylor bought the ranch for $500,000 (roughly $7 an acre). The price was cheap because there were clouds in the title:

"... subject to the claims of the local people by prescription or otherwise to rights to pasture, wood and lumber and so-called settlement rights in or upon said land ..."

Local residents for generations were able to graze their cattle on the ranch but it all changed when Taylor fenced off the property in 1960 and put in no trespassing signs. The local residents sued and won an odd-ball claim claiming that Spanish land grants issued in the 19th century applied to U.S. property law. Taylor's descendants have attempted to sell the property and have sold its timber to pay for legal costs, which further caused an uproar in the area as truckloads of limber came passing by the county roads.

Smith Reservoir in Costilla County

2007-08-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

The Smith Reservoir in Costilla County is getting a recharge...of trout! This is great for folks that enjoy fishing in the San Luis Valley area. The water's been somewhat drained due to heavy irrigation in the area but is expected to go back up in the coming months.

The Smith Reservoir sits right under Mt. Blanca and is close by to San Luis Valley Ranches (SLVR) and San Luis North Estates (SLNE).

San Luis Valley judge promoted to $119,000/year job

2007-08-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

San Luis Valley district judge, Martin Gonzales of Alamosa received a promotion by Gov Bill Ritter. Gonzales has been an Alamosa County Judge since 2001 and has been in probate cases for Alamosa and Rio Grande counties. He's also been a juvenile judge since 1997.

“In his new role on the District Court bench, Judge Gonzales will bring the same high caliber of public service that he has provided to Alamosa and Rio Grande counties to the entire 12th District,” Gov. Ritter said. “Judge Gonzales possesses a keen understanding of the law and the administration of the justice system.”

Gonzales worked as a sole practitioner before and was also a partner at Motz, Gonzales & Martinez.

Gonzales received his bachelors from the University of Colorado and his law degree from the same university in 1978. The position is from House Bill 07-1054 and carries a $119,000 salary for two years tenure. It can be retained by the voters for a term of six years.

Land for sale in San Luis North Estates (SLNE)

2007-08-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Currently, there is land for sale in San Luis Valley, specifically right outside of the town. It's in a subdivision called San Luis North Estates. This is one of those rare finds that you'll get from the area because a lot of lots are off the beaten path. This particular lot is besides highway 159 (the road to Taos, New Mexico).

Current price is $3500.00 and will go up at the end of the week as it is an auction.

Click here for more information

Melby Ranch / Wild Horse Mesa / Great American Properties Information

2007-08-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of land sellers in San Luis Valley...why? Because there's a lot of land handed down through different families and companies. One of the more known developers is Evan Melby. People might know him from the name Wild Horse Mesa ranches or just Melby Ranches. If you drive on highway 159 to go to Taos, New Mexico, you can't miss his signs.

If you search online, a lot of people interested in Colorado land are asking about Melby. This is probably because he spends a decent amount of money advertising about San Luis Valley. But what is of particular concern is the Rip Off Report. It is on the top 5 search results on Google for Evan Melby. Ouch!

Alternatives to Melby Ranches
While we can't attest to the accuracy of the report, we can tell you that we think some of his land prices (per acre) is expensive. But that's just a personal opinion. If you want to buy cheap land in San Luis Valley, you should take a look at the various real estate firms in the area or if you want to view properties online, you can go to online land dealers, which lists San Luis Valley property from time to time. In short: Five acres can be owned for less than $5,000 in cash.

FYI
While a lot of rural residents do not like developers, they do bring in a few things. Development of roads, sewage, more money to the local economy, etc. These are all positives and perhaps this is why some people should be greatful.

Now there are some things that the county itself probably doesn't appreciate. Such as Melby suing the county commissioners, according to an article last year in THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN.

If you want to know more about Melby Ranch, Wild Horse Mesa, or Evan Melby, feel free to check out these links:

San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center goes digital

2007-08-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

A summary from http://www.chieftain.com/business/1185000933/3...

ALAMOSA, COLORADO - Officials at the San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center, the main hospital for this Rocky Mountains haven, hope that in the next 3 to 5 years, information retrieval for patient records at the 85-bed hospital someday will involve a computer keystroke instead of a walk to the filing cabinet.

The hospital, recently recognized for the IT advances it's made in the past year, is now looking to completely digitize its medical records. With $1 million in fundraising money, it hopes to complete the project in 3 to 5 years. The project also gives the hospital added security. Files won't "disappear".

Aspen Pure Bottled Water: Proof of San Luis Valley's Water Supply

2007-07-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

Here's some trivia for you...

Aspen Pure bottled water has been gaining popularity throughout the United States. What you probably didn't know is that it comes from the Rocky Mountains, specifically in the San Luis Valley area.

According to two sources, finewaters.com and Aspen Times Weekly, Aspen Pure gets their water from San Luis Valley. Most of the acquifers in the area get water run off from the snow melts from the surrounding mountains.

Ranches in the area are quite familiar with Sangre de Cristo, Mount Blanca, and other ranges that always get snow in the winter, which melts and recharges the acquifers. This is why San Luis Valley is a great place not only for good bottled water, but a place to farm, or just have a great ranch.

Water + views = good living.

Mormons in San Luis Valley

2007-06-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Lars and Mortensen family, early Mormon settlers of San Luis Valley land

The Mormons, yes the same group that Mitt Romney belongs to, has a unique position in the San Luis Valley area since 1878. They initially started farming to feed themselves but didn't know how to due to the weird winter seasons.

They were assisted by Roman Catholics in the area of Spanish/Latino origin who already knew how to farm the area. Since then the two groups have had a fairly peaceful co-existence together.

Mormons have thrived
While San Luis Valley only has about 8% Mormons, they make their presence known to the 92% that are Christian in the area. They hold very successful businesses and own a vast number of lands.

Why the Mormon controversy is surrounding Mitt Romney
Mormons have been peaceful in San Luis Valley, but because Mitt Romney is running for president, there has been some light shed on their beliefs and how they are heretical to the mainline Christian churches. You can judge for yourself below about their beliefs and whether they conflict with yours.

Mormon leaders like Hyde taught Jesus was married and had more than one wife. On October 6, 1854, Mormon Apostle Orson Hyde stated, "How was it with Mary and Martha, and other women that followed him [Jesus]? In old times, and it is common in this day, the women, even as Sarah, called their husbands Lord; the word Lord is tantamount to husband in some languages, master, lord, husband, are about synonymous... When Mary of old came to the sepulchre on the first day of the week, instead of finding Jesus she saw two angels in white, 'And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?' She said unto them,' Because they have taken away my Lord,' or husband, 'and I know not where they have laid him.' And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.' Is there not here manifested the affections of a wife. These words speak the kindred ties and sympathies that are common to that relation of husband and wife" (Journal of Discourses 2:81).
Jesus is the brother of Lucifer in the Mormon religion.
Jesus is a created being in the Mormon religion instead of an Alpha and Omega (eternally living, always existed) God.
Jesus sinned and was once imperfect in the Mormon religion
Jesus was conceived by physical sex by Father God and Mary in the Mormon religion

Mormons, have some rather strange, unorthodox, and heretical beliefs that go against mainline Christianity. This is why Mitt Romney is a controversial character in the presidential campaigns because as a devout Mormon, he believes in these things. But as for our Rocky Mountain Mormons in the SLV, despite having beliefs contrary to Christianity, they are a wonderful group to know and while they play a minor role in the population, their ethics and hard working attitudes play a major role in the community.

San Luis Valley land for sale in Colorado 5 acres

2007-05-21T10:25:00.001-07:00

There's lots of land for sale in this particular online store:

http://stores.ebay.com/LandTrades-Store

The store is run by LandTrades, which is probably one of the best and most honest land dealers on the Internet. They often run specials on land from Colorado to Florida. Check them out.

California developer Evan Melby sues Colorado Costilla County commissioners

2006-11-02T21:27:00.000-08:00

California developer appeals denial of rezoning request
By ERIN SMITH
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

SAN LUIS - California developer Evan Melby has filed an appeal in district court here alleging that Costilla County Commissioners violated the Sunshine Law, denied him due process and went beyond their jurisdiction when they denied the rezoning request for his Little Norway Phases V and VI last month.

On Oct. 3, with no discussion, county commissioners unanimously adopted a six-page resolution denying Melby’s request to rezone almost 650 acres to "estate residential" from "agricultural."

Melby, who has developed an area known as Wild Horse Mesa south of here to the east of Colorado 159, wanted to subdivide 242.2 acres in Little Norway Phase V into 99 residential lots of about two acres each with 97 of them single-family residential lots, one multi-unit lodging facility and one community church.

He proposed to subdivide 406.42 acres of land in Little Norway Phase VI into 124 approximately 3-acre lots for single-family residents, a public park and wildlife corridor.

Among the reasons cited by commissioners for denying the proposed re-zoning was the lack of a demonstrated community need for the residential lots, concern over a lack of documents relating to the formation of a proposed metropolitan water and sewer district, no discharge permit, geologic and wildfire hazards, no utility easements for water and sewer lines along county roadways, land erosion that could impact water quality in Sanchez Reservoir, potential adverse visual impact, insufficient county roads to support the traffic at final build-out for the subdivisions, and the potential for an increase in human and wildlife conflicts as well as a conflict between hunters and resident homeowners.

Melby’s attorney, Erich Schwiesow, of the Alamosa law firm Lester, Sigmond, Rooney and Schwiesow, said the commission’s actions “were beyond its jurisdiction, arbitrary and capricious and constituted an abuse of discretion.”

The Schwiesow filing, dated last Friday, stated that the county land use administrator, who is not named in the action, required Melby to reimburse the county all fees it incurred in the review of the various applications for the past few years, paying the fees into a pool up front before the review of the application, “and that Plaintiff continually replenish the pool, thereby extorting thousands of dollars from Plaintiff. Neither the Land Use Code nor Colorado statues provide for such reimbursement.”

The suit maintains there were a number of violations of the land-use code including that the planning commission never made a written recommendation as required; the land use administrator did not submit his recommendation on the plan five days prior to the commissioners’ hearing but did so only the morning of the meeting in front of the commissioners; and the land use administrator did not attend the original hearing scheduled by commissioners, requiring a continuance of the hearing.

“Testimony at the hearing was offered by Plaintiff showing that the land was not classified as agricultural by the Costilla County Assessor, and was not taxed as agricultural land because there are no agricultural uses,” the Melby suit states.

On Jan. 27, a month after the hearing, commissioners denied the application. Melby amended his application and another public hearing was conducted Sept. 5. After closing the hearing, it was continued until Oct. 3. At that hearing, no further comment was taken and the commissioners did not discuss the matter.

Schwiesow’s filing maintains that commissioners had to have had a discussion on the matter to come up with Resolution 2006-16. The filing states that commissioners apparently held a non-public meeting on Sept. 29.

“Because Resolution 2006-16, which consists of six pages, was adopted without discussion on October 3, 2006, the Commissioners presumably met in secret to discuss the amended application sometime between September 5, 2006 and October 6, 2006,” the filing states.

“The rubber-stamping of a decision taken in secret is prohibited by the Colorado Sunshine law (and) is void because it was made in secret, and merely rubber-stamped at a public meeting,” the filing maintains.

Melby maintains that a number of people spoke in favor of the application because Little Norway would be the only subdivision with full infrastructure support; the planning commission supported it; and the commissioners' denial was not supported by any competent evidence in the record and therefore was an abuse of discretion.

Melby wants the district court to void the commissioners’ decision; declare the county requirement reimbursing it for legal and consulting fees unlawful; award him costs, attorneys’ fees and pre- and post-judgment interest; and further relief the court deems proper under the circumstances.

Commissioners did not return phone calls on the matter Tuesday.

A hearing date has not been set and a judge had not been assigned as of Tuesday afternoon.

Survey services in San Luis Valley

2006-09-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

You may have wanted to survey your property in the San Luis Valley. A business called Rincon Associates Inc can do it for you. Their phone number is 719-589-1644. Their email address is office@rinconsurveying.com. Please note we haven't used them, so we don't know how well they perform.

Sangre de Cristo Ranches property for sale! 5 acres - Colorado lot / Colorado property

2006-09-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Reserve now with a one-time good faith deposit of $500.00! Pay via credit card/check through secure payment system.

Please contact us to verify payment and to initiate the paperwork. Call us toll-free, 9am-5pm EST at 1-877-964-3932.

Property Summary

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YOUR PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Straight Sale w/ No Financing = $9,800.00 + no closing fee (Best Deal!)

With Financing = $500.00 down, $185/month for 60 months + $150 closing fee

We take PayPal, Check, Cashier, VISA, MasterCard, or American Express.

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There's a reason why Sangre de Cristo Ranches is considered one of the last rural frontiers on earth. The beauty of the surrounding mountain ranges, the trees, the wildlife, and the undisturbed terrain speaks for itself.

This beautiful 5+ acre parcel is on a well maintained road that is one of the first plowed in winter, and will offer very good access, while being easy to build on and having abundant wildlife for your viewing. There's also a driveway already cleared for this lot, allowing you to build immediately or you could drive a camper or an RV on the property.

To the east and south is a great area of the San Isabel National forests, which is set aside and will never be developed. This assures a very large area of land that will never be developed and abundant wildlife for generations to come. The immediate area has about 5,000 acres of meadows, forests, streams, beaver ponds and lakes in protected common lands and many miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, cross country skiing, and wildlife viewing.

It also backs to a beautiful area of the San Isabel National forests for even more of your mountain enjoyment. There are many very nice log homes, timberframes and conventional homes and cabins in the development, and it is an area of abundant wildlife, and you will see herds of deer and elk in the meadows and forests and many birds from hummingbirds, songbirds to quail, turkey and eagles.

Summer is a time of weather that is as close to perfect as you can get. The air cool and dry, while the sun warm, many come here to escape the heat and humidity. It is the perfect time of year to hike the forested mountain trails, flyfish the streams for wild natural native trout, sit by the lake with a good book, or mountain bike to the top of a mountain where the views are forever.

This area is protected by covenants that maintain your property value over time. The following covenants are as follows:

1. Homes need to be 30 feet away from any lot boundary.

2. Land in the area cannot be subdivided further; hence, your neighbors will always be at minimum 5-6 acres away, giving you a lot of privacy.

3. Residential structures need to be at least 600 square feet.

4. All sanitary or disposal systems should be approved by the county public health agency.

5. You cannot erect a commercial building on the property.

San Luis Valley's Adams College: A determined college loves a challenge

2006-09-11T02:42:00.000-07:00

BY DAVID SVALDI

Adams State College is the four-year college of opportunity for citizens of the San Luis Valley. It is also the prime economic driver for Alamosa and the surrounding communities.

A recent economic impact study determined that the college stimulates a $70 million impact to this area, modest by Front Range standards, but huge for the communities of south-central Colorado. The San Luis Valley is the size of two average New England states, with a sparse population that wouldn’t even fill the stadium at Coors Field.

The history of Adams State College reflects on-going resilience and determination. Since its founding in 1921, Adams State has continuously provided college opportunities for high school graduates from the San Luis Valley, as well as for other qualified but low-income Colorado students.

The college is inextricably linked to Alamosa. In the early days, appropriation of the college’s operating budget was stalled by political opponents (including the Ku Klux Klan) of Gov. Billy Adams, for whom the college is named. The good citizens of Alamosa stepped up and donated crops, particularly potatoes, that were sold to provide funds so the college could open its doors.

Adams State has survived attempts to close it, including one proposal to transform the campus into a state training farm for boys and consolidate it with Western State College in Gunnison.

It has survived numerous reorganizations of higher education in Colorado and remains the only state college with significant graduate programs.

It has thrived under some exceptional leadership, and also managed to survive less effective management. As one state official described the college, "ASC is a hardscrabble institution" and enrolls students that, in all probability, "would never survive at either a larger or more distant institution and adds value to those students."

The college’s history as a "second chance institution" reveals highly successful alumni who initially enrolled at other, more prestigious institutions, became disillusioned, then came to ASC, where the personal attention of professors transformed their lives.

Alumnus William Porter, founder of E*Trade and generous donor to the college, has repeatedly said that if it weren’t for the opportunity he had at ASC, he does not know how his life might have turned out.

Mike Ware, chief of staff for Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, managed his first political campaign while at ASC, a successful run for president of the student body. He was brought to ASC by his father, chief of staff for Colorado Sen. Gordon Allott, so that Mike could focus on his studies.

Even in those days, students complained of little to do in Alamosa, but some parents have found the lack of distractions enabled their children to focus and succeed. (Alamosa does not have a mall or some of the other amenities that urban kids desire. We do have a Starbucks and virtually every fast food franchise known to mankind.) Mr. Ware and Mr. Porter did succeed, their experience at ASC transforming both their lives and the lives of their families.

What our students tend to have in common are limited income, diversity and the potential to succeed. The average family income of our fall 2005 students who applied for financial aid was $19,600. Additionally, Adams State is the most highly diverse four-year college in Colorado by percentages, with nearly 36 percent of our student population diverse students. We graduate double the percentage of diverse teachers of most other institutions in Colorado.

While this is significant, we nevertheless do not yet reflect the diversity of the San Luis Valley, where nearly 50 percent of the population is Hispanic or Native American.

The majority of our freshman class is qualified to attend other, more selective Colorado institutions, and nearly a quarter qualify to attend highly selective institutions. Additionally, 41 percent of our students are the first generation to attend college. This increases to 65 percent among Hispanic students.

As a new college president but a long-time resident of the San Luis Valley and a native Coloradan, access and increased diversity are two of my primary goals. I intend to invite every San Luis Valley high school graduate to attend ASC.

Another priority is to continue diversification of our faculty and administration so that our campus looks more like our surrounding communities. Each ASC student deserves a supportive environment with excellent learning opportunities provided by a faculty with whom they can identify. We are well on our way.

Our faculty has grown in diversity to 18 percent from 4 percent since my appointment as vice president in 1997. Our current staff is more than 60 percent diverse, and our percentage of female administrators has increased 200 percent in the last decade.

There are those who believe that Adams State is overfunded. It is true that our state funding is the second highest state reimbursement rate per student in Colorado. However, it is important to understand that the majority of the student population we serve is either female, of color, and/or with limited family income. This is the very same population from San Luis Valley high schools, which have the state’s highest rate of free or reduced lunches.

Moreover, 96 percent of our funding is based upon student enrollment only, while other institutions receive significant federal funds from grants and contracts. They also enroll thousands of out-of-state students who bring millions of dollars with them. ASC is a Hispanic Serving Institution, and nationally, Hispanic Serving Institutions receive only half the federal funds funneled to non-Hispanic serving institutions.

Only a small percentage of ASC students are from out of state, and most are also low income. Our focus is upon teaching. The limited grant writing and government contract work we do participate in targets effective instruction. Reducing our state funding would directly result in higher tuition for low-income, female, and Hispanic students: those who can least afford to pay.

Adams State College continues to defend itself against all threats. We champion the underserved of Colorado - deserving students who can achieve much with the opportunity we provide. I know that Billy Adams would be proud.

Welcome to the San Luis Valley

2006-09-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

San Luis Valley is a large broad alpine valley in the Rio Grande Basin of south-central Colorado. The valley is drained to the south by the Rio Grande which rises in the San Juan Mountains to the west of the valley and flows south into New Mexico. The valley is approximately 122 miles (196 km) long and about 74 miles (119 km) wide extending from the Continental Divide on the northwest to the New Mexico state line on the south. Parts of New Mexico are also considered to be part of the San Luis Valley.

The San Luis Valley is generally considered to comprise 6 counties: Saguache, Alamosa, Rio Grande, Conejos, Costilla and Mineral. The principal towns are: Alamosa, Monte Vista, Del Norte, South Fork, Creede, Saguache, Center, Fort Garland, San Luis, Antonito, La Jara, Manassa, Crestone, Villa Grove, Hooper, Mosca, San Acacio, Colorado and a number of smaller locations, some ghost towns. A few other counties have some land in the Rio Grande Basin including Archuleta County, Colorado, Hinsdale County, Colorado and San Juan County, Colorado

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains form the eastern border of the valley. Blanca Peak is prominent at the southern end of the northernmost section of the mountains, which is known as the Sangre de Cristo Range. There are several passes, with elevations between 9,000 and 10,000 feet (2,700 and 3,000 m), giving access to the valley. La Veta pass, through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, is used by US Highway 160 and by the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D. & R. G.) tracks. Other passes used historically were Medano, Mosca and Sangre de Cristo Passes. Otto Meers was the engineering genius behind the construction of a railroad link from the Arkansas River, over Poncha Pass (at the north end of the valley) and into the San Luis Valley.

The Great Sand Dunes is a famous feature of the valley. It lies directly to the west of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and the sand is said to come from many states surrounding Colorado. Some of the dunes can reach 200 feet high, and the dunes are kept in place by the waters of Medano Creek. The Great Sands Dunes National Monument is now in place to protect both the dunes and the numerous archeological sites found in the area. The natural valley aquifer is close to the surface in this part of the valley, and helps with maintenance of water levels in the San Luis Lakes, just to the west of the sand dunes.

Elevation rises as you go north in the valley to Poncha Pass, used now by US Highway 285 and historically by the narrow gauge tracks of the D. & R. G.

About 50% of the 2,000,000 acres (8,000 km²) in the San Luis Valley is privately owned.

500,000 acres (2,000 km²) on the borders of the valley, generally abutting National Forest Lands are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, BLM, a division of the United States Department of the Interior. This land is usually leased to neighboring ranches for grazing for a nominal fee. Part of the value of a ranch is its continuing lease of BLM or National Forest lands.

Public lands in the mountains surrounding the San Luis Valley are generally part of the Rio Grande National Forest and are managed by the United States Forest Service.

Agriculture in the San Luis Valley is generally concentrated around the Colorado towns of Alamosa, Monte Vista and Center. Principal crops include potatoes, head lettuce and beer barley. Less favored areas with a shorter growing season and less access to water rights tend to be devoted to alfalfa and grazing. Broad areas, especially in Saguache County, Colorado have a high water table or are even flooded part of the year, though agricultural drawn-down, evaporation, and climate change are drying up these natural wetlands earlier every year. Uncultivated land is often covered with "chico", low brush such as rabbitbrush, greasewood and other woody species.

Sandhill cranes migrate through the valley every Spring and Fall. The Monte Vista Crane Festival takes place in March, and centers on the wildlife refuge located six miles south of town. Occasionally, a whooping crane can be spotted among the thoudsands of grey sandhills. The valley is a flyway for many migrating birds, including avocets, bald eagles, gold finches, and too many types of hawks to list here.

There are over 300 known artists living in the San Luis Valley as evidenced by an onging directory maintained by Monte Vista artists' group, The Art Thing. The Art Things' membership boasts several nationally recognised artists working in various media.