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News from Boulder, Colorado and Boulder Channel 1 News editors To advertise please call 303-447-8531
Survey seeks feedback on public involvement with county government
Jul 26th
Boulder County, Colo. – As part of its ongoing efforts to provide the best in public service, Boulder County is seeking to improve resident involvement with the county, increase access to the public process, and gather diverse opinions.
In order to do so, a small group of county employees is exploring ways to increase the effectiveness of boards, commissions and public involvement in Boulder County government. The group has developed a short survey designed to better understand residents’ perceptions of the public process.
Survey à www.surveymonkey.com/s/BoCoPublicInput
The survey is available through Monday, Aug. 13 and takes less than five minutes to complete. Please share it with friends and neighbors so they can voice their opinions as well.
For questions or additional information, please contact Abby Shannon at 720-564-2623 or ashannon@bouldercounty.org. Thank you for your interest in Boulder County government.
Nederland Area Community Forestry Sort Yard to reopen in August
Jul 26th
Forest Health Outreach Program offers tips and tools for landowners
Boulder County, Colo. – The Boulder County Forest Health Initiative is pleased to announce that the Nederland Community Forestry Sort Yard will reopen to area residents on Saturday, Aug. 4.
The sort yard, located at 291 Ridge Road just north of Nederland, will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays, through Oct. 20.
Boulder County operates two sort yards each summer in order to provide residents a free of charge location to dispose of logs and slash cut from their land. The Allenspark/Meeker Park area sort yard, located on the Peak-to-Peak Highway just north of the Boulder-Larimer county line closed for the season on July 7.
The widely popular sort yard program has experienced increasingly high usage since it first started accepting material in 2008.
“It was truly amazing seeing so many landowners taking action to prepare their homes for future wildfires,” sort yard manager Wayne Harrington said. “This summer we have seen a nearly constant stream of traffic with trucks, trailers, and even Subarus filled to the brim with slash and logs.”
Why should forest landowners be interested in this county service?
The county’s Forest Health Outreach Program for private landowners has been actively encouraging all forest landowners to be good stewards of their backyard forest. The county recommends all landowners create effective defensible space around their homes, aggressively fight bark beetle infestations, and otherwise create healthy sustainable forest ecosystems on their land.
Community forestry sort yards are one tool available to help landowners effectively manage their forested lands. A major hurdle many landowners face when implementing effective mitigation on their land is what to do with leftover slash and logs.
Learn more about wildfire mitigation and bark beetle management
The county works with local fire protection districts, communities and agency partners to offer local community forestry trainings and workshops on wildfire mitigation, bark beetle management and forest restoration. Residents can connect with the Boulder County Forest Outreach Program for private landowners by visiting www.BoulderCounty.org/ForestHealth.
One of the best ways to stay connected about upcoming programs is to sign up for the forest health listserv at www.BoulderCounty.org/ForestHealth. Once signed up, individuals will receive periodic forestry tips of the day, information about upcoming forestry trainings, and other information directly related to managing a backyard forest.
In addition, county outreach forester Ryan Ludlow is available to help answer individual forestry questions and can help set-up free mini neighborhood forest management workshops at a home or at larger community trainings for HOAs, towns and neighborhoods. Give Ryan a call at 720-564-2641 or emailrludlow@bouldercounty.org.
Forest Landowners are also encouraged to work with the Boulder District of Colorado State Forest Service to implement effective mitigation on their land. CSFS is the lead state agency providing forest stewardship and wildfire mitigation assistance to private landowners. Contact the Boulder District of CSFS at 303-823-5774.
To learn more about how to create and maintain effective wildfire mitigation on personal property visit http://csfs.colostate.edu/pages/wf-protection.html orwww.firewise.org.
To learn more about bark beetle management visit www.BoulderCounty.org/ForestHealth and open the “Bark Beetle Inspector Identification and Treatment Field Guide” or visit http://ammo.com/articles/why-prepare-for-a-disaster.
Health Fair for children on Friday, Aug.3
Jul 24th
Dia de los Ninos/Children’s Day celebration set for Aug. 3
Free dental checkups and low-cost immunizations available for kids
Boulder County, Colo. – Salud Family Health Center’s Longmont Clinic will host its annual Dia de los Niños/Children’s Day celebration on Friday, Aug. 3.
The health fair provides low-cost immunizations, free vision screenings, and free dental checkups in a fun, safe environment to celebrate and encourage good health for children. The Boulder County Healthy Kids Initiative will also be on hand to help families enroll in Medicaid and the Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+).
“Medical expenses can make or break family finances and enrolling in Medicaid or CHP+ helps families achieve financial stability and promotes self-sufficiency,” said Stephanie Arenales, Project Coordinator for Boulder County Healthy Kids. “Reliable access to healthcare will improve children’s lives now and in the future.”
What: Children’s Day celebration and healthcare enrollment fair
When: Friday, Aug. 3, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Salud Family Health Center, 220 E. Rogers Road, Longmont
The event is for children of all ages. The Medicaid and CHP+ programs are available for children up to age 19 and pregnant women. Some parents may also be eligible for Medicaid as long as they have a Medicaid-eligible child and meet the income limits.
To qualify for Medicaid or CHP+, an applicant must:
- Meet income eligibility guidelines and age requirements
- Be a Colorado resident
- Be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident for at least five years
Background
Boulder County Healthy Kids (BCHK) is a countywide effort to enroll eligible children, their families, and pregnant women in Colorado’s public health insurance programs, Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+), and to assist families in securing a medical home. Created in 2008, BCHK supports Boulder County’s commitment to improving access to affordable health, dental health, and mental health services and family self-sufficiency for its most vulnerable residents. In the last year, BCHK has helped nearly 5,500 people secure Medicaid or CHP+ coverage and demonstrated an enrollment rate of 98 percent.
Medicaid is a no-cost health insurance plan for low-income Colorado children, pregnant women, parents with dependent children, and elderly or disabled individuals. CHP+ is a low-cost health insurance plan for Colorado’s uninsured children and pregnant women who cannot afford private health insurance but whose household income is too high to qualify for Medicaid.
For more information about Medicaid or CHP+ eligibility call 303-441-1589 or visit www.bchealthykids.org. For more information about the enrollment fair, call 303-772-1906.
