The Yampa Valley Sustainability Council’s ReTree program has earned the organization the Arbor Day Foundation’s Excellence in Volunteer Management Award.
The award is presented to a community, group or organization for its outstanding efforts to mobilize and engage volunteers in tree planting and care within a community.
The award will be presented at the Arbor Day Awards Ceremony on April 24 in Nebraska City, Nebraska.
YVSC’s first ReTree event took place in 2010, when more than 14,000 tress were planted to replace those killed by the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic.
With leadership by YVSC and the Colorado State Forest Service, the annual program has evolved to focus on planting fewer trees and increasing tree survival and health.
Each June, YVSC strives to plant thousands more trees.
To learn more about ReTree and see where trees are being planted this year, visit www.yvsc.org.
District to offer preschool development screenings
The Steamboat Springs School District will offer preschool developmental screenings Tuesday and Wednesday at the Human Services Building, 325 Seventh St. The service, which includes screenings for vision, hearing, fine and gross motor skills, thinking skills, speech and language and social skills, is available to children who turn 2 1/2 by April 1 to 5-year-olds. Screening appointments can be made by calling Lori or Lennae at 970-879-5888.
City to host Kids Night Out on Friday at the Igloo
The city of Steamboat Springs is hosting Kid’s Night Out from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Igloo for kids in kindergarten through sixth grades. The movie is PG-rated “Big Hero 6,” and dinner is macaroni and cheese with veggies. The cost is $15 in advance and $20 for drop-ins if space is available. Register at the parks and recreation office or on-line at www.steamboatsprings.net/youth.
First Impressions to host Parenting and Pizza event
First Impressions of Routt County will present a Parenting and Pizza session for parents of children birth to age 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 26 at South Routt Community Center, 237 Dodge St. in Oak Creek. A panel of local experts, including an early childhood mental health specialist, a health professional and early childhood specialist, will present “Birth to Eight — Help Me Be Great,” offering parents information on how to support their child in their development. A pizza dinner and child care will be provided. Space is limited. To register, call 970-870-5270 or email smartin@co.routt.co.us. A donation of $5 per person or $10 per family is suggested to offset costs.
Make small changes to reduce energy consumption
Colorado’s Low-income Energy Assistance Program is encouraging all Colorado residents to make small changes in energy-usage habits so they can save on their home-heating costs.
LEAP is a federally funded program administered by the Colorado Department of Human Services that provides cash assistance to help Coloradans pay a portion of winter home heating costs. The program pays the highest benefits to those with the highest heating bills and lowest incomes by family size.
Applicant income cannot exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty level, which equates to $2,982 per month for a family of four. This year’s average LEAP benefit is expected to be $430 per household.
“Home heating is crucial for Colorado families, but there’s no denying that it’s expensive,” LEAP Manager Aggie Berens said in a news release. “Every family can follow a few small steps to reduce their home heating costs without greatly impacting their day-to-day lives.”
Some of these cost-saving tips include:
■ Turning down the thermostat at night or when you’re not home
■ Opening blinds and curtains to take advantage of Colorado’s average 360 days of sunshine
■ Lowering the hot water heater’s temperature to 120 degrees
■ Closing the fireplace damper when not in use
■ Checking the furnace filter monthly for cleanliness
■ Ensuring that furnace ducts are unobstructed
LEAP-eligible households may also qualify for Colorado’s Crisis Intervention Program or Weatherization Program to help with heating-source repair and efficiency.
To find out if you qualify for LEAP, call toll-free at 1-866-432-8435 or visit www.colorado.gov/cdhs/leap to view the current program application requirements. Applications will be accepted until April 30.
YVMC in need of volunteers who have computer skills
Yampa Valley Medical Center Volunteer Services is looking for caring people, 18 or older, with computer skills who are interested in working with patients to provide assistance and instruction on setting up an account in the new myChart patient portal system. For more information about this position or other volunteering opportunities at YVMC, contact Deb Bastian at 970-870-1146 or deb.bastian@ymvc.org.
CDOT to upgrade Statewide Bicycle, Scenic Byways Map
The Colorado Department of Transportation is upgrading its Statewide Bicycle and Scenic Byways map, giving local governments an opportunity to provide cycling information specific to their areas.
Initially, bicyclists could go online and review and select state routes to ride throughout Colorado based on shoulder width and traffic volumes. It also included a search capability for lodging, bike shops, restaurants and other areas of interest. Now, local jurisdictions can add similar cycling information to the site.
“This upgrade is adding another complete dimension to the map,” CDOT’s Bicycle/Pedestrian and Byways Manager Betsy Jacobsen said. “Users will be able to zoom in and find much more detailed information than was originally available. It will also allow local jurisdictions to update their information as they make physical changes to existing facilities.”
Local agencies can access the site and request to be a “trail editor.” Once approved, they can upload their GIS files showing their local trails, routes, bike lanes, etc. Trail editors must be associated with a government agency to be approved.
To access the map, go to www.dtdapps.coloradodot.info/bike.
Four locations available for recyclable small electronics
The Yampa Valley Sustainability Council and partners offer four drop-off locations in Steamboat Springs for the public to safely and responsibly recycle used small personal electronics for free. An expanded list of items, ranging from laptops and smaller, now can be taken to the YVSC office at 141 Ninth St.
Accepted electronics include: old cellphones, smartphones, cellphone batteries and chargers, iPods, MP3 players, digital cameras, tablets, AirCards and Bluetooth, ink and toner cartridges, laptops, GPS devices and headphones. Additional drop-off locations for all these items include the Steamboat Springs middle and high school front offices when school is in session.
All of the smaller items, aside from tablets and laptops, also may be deposited in the existing cellphone collection box in the Wells Fargo Bank lobby in downtown Steamboat. In addition to providing a service to the community, the collections help fund the YVSC Sustainable Schools program. For more information, email info@yvsc.org.
For larger items such as monitors, televisions, computer terminals/towers and hard drives, please Call G&S Mountain Recyclers at 303-682-3171 or visit www.mountainrecyclers.com for local pickup days. There is a fee for these items to be recycled, so do not bring these items to the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council’s office.