The Community Catalyst May 2012

May 2012Pieces of our Past PG 3Book Nook PG 5Calendar of Events PG 6Nonprofit Listing PG 7

CatalystCatalystTHE COMMUNITY

Serving the towns of Nucla,Naturita, Redvale, Paradox,Bedrock and Norwood

By Beth NavarroI thought I knew all things girl. Pink, ponies, princesses. Despite

having a mean tomboy streak, my three year old loves thesethings. She adores fashion. She needs to wear a dress (sometimesmore than one) everyday and even turned to me while watchingTangled and whispered, “Do you think he likes her dress?” I smiled.Oh honey. That’s the eternal question isn’t it?

One thing she doesn’t like is dolls. Never has. Dolls are justsquishy things in the way of her trucks and trains. But when homein Chicago for Thanksgiving this year I had the bright idea to checkout American Girl. It was more of just a passing idea. I’d heard of it.I really thought nothing more of it than a giant store for kids.Something to kill some time. I had no idea what I was gettingmyself into and the subculture I was about to be immersed in.

When we walked in I was equally terrified and impressed at thesame time. The story is two impeccable doll filled stories. I immedi-ately felt underdressed. Little girls and their mothers packed theplace dressed for Sunday tea with an occasional father stuffed in asuit looking like he’s hoping to black out the next hour or two. Butthey are not alone. It’s them AND their American Girl dolls. Pushedin strollers, carried in baby backpacks, cradled delicately by their“mommies.”

And when you enter American Girl, your doll is treated as if sheis real.

I’m serious. Well maybe not exactly real, but they are acknowledged, you

can have a personal shopper and given many perks. That I will getto in a moment, but let me back up.

I’m thinking Frankie will start throwing dolls on the floor at anyminute since that seems to be her go to move when she sees one,but something is different... Her eyes are wide. She walks to one ofthe displays and touches the doll’s hair softly. She is transfixed.

“I want a little Frankie,” She whispers.What kind of drugs are they pumping in here? There is some-

thing in the air. I turn to my mom to share in my shock, but she’sgot the same look in her eyes that Frankie does. Whoa.

A saleswoman comes up to us and asks if she would like a doll.The idea in the American Girl Universe is that you pick a doll thatlooks like you. They have any hair, skin, and eye color combo topick from. I see Frankie look at the display of all the types of girls.For a moment I see her eyes stop on a dark haired and darkskinned doll. I wonder if she will break the unwritten rule I’veimagined exists: “The doll must look like you!” Buck the system kid,I find myself chanting in my head. But she wanders over to ablonde blue eyed mini Frank and says, “That one. That’s my littleFrankie.” I’ve never heard her speak with such tenderness when itcomes to... well anything. Who is this kid??

Now if this isn’t strange enough, on the second floor weentered the Twilight Zone. You can buy accessories like tennis rack-ets, bowling shoes or whatever extracurricular you might be intoso you doll is just like you. Okay, that seems pretty standard.

You can buy matching outfits. This I had seen evidence of allover the store. Weird, but I was prepared for that.

Then I saw the headgear. Yes, you read that right. Headgear. If you wore headgear, your

doll could too. Why would you want to subject your doll (or you!)to that?? That is a travesty! I mean (snorting laugher) that’s RIDICU-LOUS. Who would want... anyway moving on.

Your doll could have a broken leg or arm, if you had one.Frankie noticed the trend and asked if she could give her doll a

black eye.Let me explain. She had had an unfortunate incident with a counter corner

when she was running wild at my parents’ house that had givenher a black eye the day before. So she wanted LIttle Frankie tohave one too. This they didn’t have. At least I didn’t think so. Idoubt the domestic violence edition existed (I know.Inappropriate, but that totally popped into my head).

They also have historical dolls complete with books and acces-sories from the time period. I hovered around Julie, the doll fromthe seventies and couldn’t help but wonder is she had any joints togo along with her beret, roller skates and fondue set.

We emerged from the accessories section and into the craziestpart of the store in my opinion. There is a hair salon. For the doll(for the price of a regular kid haircut by the way). A photo studio. Acafe in which you have “a fun and fancy dining experience” withyour doll. The doll has its own seat and food too. I maneuveredFrankie away from here. Maybe next time. Who knew what they

would charge for the doll’s fake tea.There is also...wait for it... a doll hospital. My mom, the nurse,

watched as a girl brought her broken doll to the hospital. The “doc-tors” dressed the injured doll in a hospital gown, admitted her andwheeled her away in a wheel chair. Wow. They really take this allthe way.

“Maybe when I retire, I can work here,” My mom says with alaugh. I don’t think she’s kidding.

All I could keep thinking was: Is this place for real? Not only isthis is little girl heaven, but it’s marketing genius. Like I said, equal-ly terrified and impressed. I’ll admit, as much cynicism as I have, Iwould have loved this place as girl. A lot.

And NOT because headgear was available and maybe the doll’sheadgear would get caught on the pillow too and we could bondover that. NOT because of that.

Because my doll could be into horse back riding and kittens.Yeah. That’s it.

Beth Navarro is an actor, writer, teacher, and mother in Los Angeles. Find outmore at bethnavarro.com.

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Our StoryDo drive-in movie theaters hold a

special place in your heart? Did youever see a movie at the Uranium Drive-In in Naturita, Colorado? What is yourfavorite memory from the Drive-In?Who were you with? Or maybe some-one in your family has often told youwild and sweet stories from their youthat Uranium Drive-In. The UraniumDrive-In holds a dear place in all of ourhearts and memories!We are a group of enthusiastic citi-

zens from the towns of Naturita andNucla, Colorado who have cometogether with a common goal: torestore and resurrect one of the of theicons of our community: the oldUranium Drive-In movie sign.Back when uranium mining was

booming, Naturita, Colorado had theonly drive-in movie theater in theregion. Folks would come from milesaway to watch classic movies on the bigscreen. The drive-in theater was asource of community entertainment,and people from the area have fondmemories of that era and fun times hadat the Uranium Drive-In.When uranium mining went bust in

the mid-80s and many communitymembers moved away, the drive-inmovie theater eventually closed down.The Uranium Drive-In movie sign was

taken down and today it is lying in anempty field with weeds growing aroundit, just waiting to be restored to its for-mer glory!The town of Naturita owns the sign

and we would like to raise funds torestore and resurrect it.

The ImpactSince the mid-1980s when the mines

started to close, there has been an exo-dus of residents moving away to findwork in other parts of the country.Naturita’s population is now half ofwhat is was, and many current residentstravel a good distance to find work. Youcould say that times are hard right now.The Uranium Drive-In sign is a sym-

bol of a time-gone-by when the regionwas prospering. Resurrecting the signwill bring a sense of pride to the townsof Naturita and Nucla, and hopefullybring big smiles to all who see it. As oneresident said, “Things from the pastremind you to keep going.” As anotherresident put it, “We have a proud histo-ry, and the sign will bring hope to ourcommunity and remind us that we arestill a town and we are still trying to sur-vive.”Restoring the Uranium Drive-In sign

will be a very positive and hopefulachievement for the residents of thetowns of Naturita and Nucla, and willserve as a historic monument to the

boom days of the past.What We Need & What You GetWe need to raise $10,000 to restore

the sign. Funds will go directly to paylocal people to refurbish the sign—tore-weld it, paint it, buy and insert a newmarquee, hire a crane to lift the signback in place, have the land surveyedbefore the sign is installed, and trans-port the sign back to its original loca-tion.If we raise over $10,000, the excess

funds will go directly back to the townof Naturita to use that money for a pos-itive community project.Donors will receive a variety of

“prizes” when they donate any amountto this project. Everyone who con-tributes will be invited to attend oursign raising ceremony and BBQ sched-uled for early June 2012.

Other Ways You Can HelpIf you can not donate financially right

now, no worries! You can still help usspread the word. This campaign is allabout networking and social media.Please help us get the word out toeveryone and anyone you know whomight be interested in this cause. Doyou know someone from the area whomoved away, but has fond memories ofthe Drive-In? Send them a link to thiscampaign. Your support in any formmeans the world to us!

Restoration Of The Uranium Drive-In Sign

My Initiation Into the world of Girl-dom

When the first English settlers came to America, theydiscontinued the tradition of Mothering Day. While theBritish holiday would live on, the American Mother’sDay would be invented—with an entirely new histo-ry—centuries later. One explanation for the settlers’discontinuation of Mothering Day was that they justdidn’t have time; they lived under harsh conditions andwere forced to work long hours in order to survive.Another possibility, however, is that Mothering Dayconflicted with their Puritan ideals. Fleeing England topractice a more conservative Christianity without beingpersecuted, the pilgrims ignored the more secular holi-days, focusing instead on a no-frills devotion to God.For example, even holidays such as Christmas andEaster were much more somber occasions for the pil-grims, usually taking place in a Church that was strippedof all extraneous ornamentation.

Julia Ward Howe'sMother's Day Proclamaitionof 1870 The first North American

Mother’s Day was conceptual-ized with Julia Ward Howe’sMother’s Day Proclamation in1870. Despite having penned TheBattle Hymn of the Republic 12years earlier, Howe had becomeso distraught by the death andcarnage of the Civil War that shecalled on Mother’s to cometogether and protest what shesaw as the futility of their sons killing the Sons of otherMothers, she called for an international Mother's Day

celebrating peace and motherhood:

The Rise & Fall of Howe's Mother's Day At one point Howe even proposed converting July

4th into Mother’s Day, in order to dedicate the nation’sanniversary to peace. Eventually, however, June 2nd wasdesignated for the celebration. In 1873 women’s groupsin 18 North American cities observed this newMother’s holiday. Howe initially funded many of thesecelebrations, but most of them died out once shestopped footing the bill. The city of Boston, however,would continue celebrating Howe’s holiday for 10 moreyears. Despite the decided failure of her holiday, Howe had

nevertheless planted the seed that would blossom intowhat we know as Mother’s Day today. A West Virginiawomen’s group led by Anna Reeves Jarvis began to cel-ebrate an adaptation of Howe’s holiday. In order to re-unite families and neighbors that had been dividedbetween the Union and Confederate sides of the CivilWar, the group held a Mother’s Friendship Day.

Anna M. Jarvis'sMother's Day in 1908 After Anna Reeves Jarvis

died, her daughter Anna M.Jarvis campaigned for the cre-ation of an official Mother’sDay in remembrance of hermother and in honor ofpeace. In 1908, Anna peti-tioned the superintendent ofthe church where her Motherhad spent over 20 years

teaching Sunday School. Her request was honored, andon May 10, 1908, the first official Mother's Day celebra-tion took place at Andrew's Methodist Church inGrafton, West Virginia and a church in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania. The West Virginia event drew a congrega-tion of 407 and Anna Jarvis arranged for white carna-tions—her Mother’s favorite flower—to adorn thepatrons. Two carnations were given to every Mother inattendance. Today, white carnations are used to honordeceased Mothers, while pink or red carnations paytribute to Mothers who are still alive. Andrew'sMethodist Church exists to this day, and was incorpo-rated into the International Mother’s Day Shrine in1962.

US Government Adoption In 1908 a U.S. Senator from Nebraska, Elmer Burkett,

proposed making Mother's Day a national holiday at therequest of the Young Men's Christian Association(YMCA). The proposal was defeated, but by 1909 forty-six states were holding Mother's Day services as well asparts of Canada and Mexico.Anna Jarvis quit working and devoted herself full

time to the creation of Mother's Day, endlessly peti-tioning state governments, business leaders, womengroups, churches and other institutions and organiza-tions. She finally convinced the World's Sunday SchoolAssociation to back her, a key influence over state leg-islators and congress. In 1912 West Virginia became thefirst state to officially recognize Mother's Day, and in1914 Woodrow Wilson signed it into national obser-vance, declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother'sDay.

3Pieces of our Past: History of American Celebration :Mother’s Day

A Mother has so many things to do,From washing, ironing, cleaning to tying a shoe.She scrubs, she mends, she cooks and sews,

She bathes the children and washes their clothes.When they forget to wash their faces clean,

And their clothes are the muddiest you've ever seen,Who repairs the clothes and scrubs them like new?

Of course, that is what a Mother will do.

Who becomes the doctor or the nurse when they are ill?Applying a bandage or giving them a pill?

Who becomes a teacher when a child has homework?She must never her duty shirk.

Who becomes a detective to find a toy or a book?For missing things she must look and look?Who becomes a listener to every heartache?To every accomplishment that a child makes?

Who scolds their children when they are naughty?Or remind them of God when they are too haughty?Who tends her family with love and patience, too?

Of course that is what a Mother will do.- Unknown

What is a Mother?

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April Means Bears EmergeFrom HibernationWhether you are involved with non-profit

and/or volunteer work, raising a family, or work-ing there is a tendency to want to contribute tothe success of an organization, an event orapproval of your family, to the point where it canhurt. You spend more time trying to move thingsforward, taking on more responsibilities, untilyou exceed your capacity and start forgettingthings, seem incapable of accomplishing thingsthat used to come easily to you, or have a con-stant sense of being overwhelmed.

It's the beginning of the week, and you arealready longing for the weekend. For the pastfew months you’ve been feeling out of sorts atwork and not quite sure why. You always seemto be tired, feeling disengaged and unmotivatedmost days, constantly checking how long it isuntil you can go home.

Are you snapping at your friends and lovedones (something you never used to do),. Do youfeel that there's never enough time to get every-thing done? Are you feeling perpetually behindand demoralized?

These are the classic signs of burnout.

What is Burnout?Anyone can become exhausted. What is so

poignant about burnout is that it mainly strikespeople who are highly committed to their work:You can only "burn out" if you have been "alight" inthe first place. While exhaustion can be overcomewith rest, a core part of burnout is a deep sense ofdisillusionment, and it is not experienced by peo-ple who can take a more cynical view of their work.

Specific symptoms of burnout include:• Having a negative and critical attitude • Having low energy, and little interest in tasks..• Experiencing physical complaints such as

headaches, illness, or backache.• Being irritated easily by team members or

clients.• Having thoughts that your work doesn't have

meaning or make a difference.• Pulling away emo-

tionally from yourcolleagues orclients.

• Having trou-ble sleeping.

• Being absenta lot.

• Having feelingsof emptiness.

• Feeling that yourwork and contributiongoes unrecognized.

• Blaming others foryour mistakes.

• Thinking of quit-ting work, or changingroles.

Burnout often takes place over a longerperiod. You might experience it if youbelieve your work is meaningless; whenthere's a disconnect between what you'recurrently doing and what you truly want tobe doing; or when things change for theworse – for example, when you lose a sup-portive boss, or when your workloadincreases beyond a sustainable point.

You go through "the motions" instead ofbeing truly engaged. Over time, this leadsto cynicism, exhaustion, and, sometimes,poor performance. You might experienceburnout if you don't have much control overyour work, or if you feel that you never haveenough time to finish tasks and projects.Another common cause is when your valuesdon't align with the actions, behaviors, orvalues of your organization, or of your role.

Consequences of BurnoutClearly, the consequences of burnout can

be severe. Your productivity can drop dra-matically; and this not only impacts yourcareer, but it negatively impacts your teamand organization as well. Your creativity willalso be affected, so you're less likely to spotopportunities (and you don't have the inter-est or desire to act on them), and you mayfind excuses to miss work or take days offsick.

Burnout can also spill over into your per-sonal life, negatively impacting your well-being and your relationships with friendsand family. Burnout can cause a variety ofhealth problems including sleeplessness,physical ailments and sicknesses, depres-sion, and even substance abuse. If you'reconcerned for your health, speak with anappropriate health professional.

Burnout is a mixture of professionalexhaustion, and disillusionment with otherpeople, the organization, or the career, overthe long term.

Symptoms of burnout include low energy,a loss of interest in your work, and irritabili-ty with colleagues or team members. Assuch, it can cause low productivity, highabsenteeism, low creativity, and even healthproblems.

To avoid burnout, follow these tips:1.Work with purpose.2.Perform a job analysis, and eliminate or

delegate unnecessary work.3.Give to others.4.Take control, and actively manage your

time.5.Get more exercise. 6.Learn how to manage stress.

Avoiding BurnoutIt's that time of year when

Colorado's bears emerge from hiberna-tion. Male bears come out first.Depending on the weather and eleva-tion, they start coming out in early tomid-April. If they don't find green grassor new plant growth to eat, they mightgo back into the den. Females with cubscome out later, but they will all be outby May.Every year, the Colorado Division of

Wildlife (DOW) receives phone callsfrom residents concerned about bearsvisiting their property. It ran through myyard! It knocked over my trash! It wason my deck! The stories usually endwith a question, "What should I doabout it?" In communities located in bear coun-

try, residents often have conflictingviews about what to do. Most peoplesay, "learn to live with them," but somewant bears moved "back where theybelong." A hundred years ago, there were

places in Colorado where bears couldlive without coming in contact with peo-ple, but today there are few places left inbear habitat where people haven't builtsubdivisions, campgrounds, or summerhomes. Given a choice, bears would just as

soon avoid people, but there are notmany far-away places to move bears"back where they belong" anymore.Bears are territorial. Sometimes, bearsreturn to where they were capturedwithin days.As a result, the one of the best

options left today is for people to takeprecautions and learn to co-exist withbears, and other wildlife. To keep bears out of trash cans,

garages and homes, people shouldreduce the chance that bears find easyfood by removing attractants. Once abear finds food in a location, it becomesprogrammed to continue looking forfood in similar places. If that location isnear people, the desire for easy foodwill replace its fear of humans.In all likelihood, the bear that was

determined to get inside the trash canfound food in a similar trash can before.Leaving garbage out overnight - evenone time - is a tempting invitation tobears. A mother bear that eats trashteaches her offspring to do the same. On the other hand, if a bear wanders

through a community and does not findanything to eat, it will keep moving andgo back out of town looking for naturalfoods such as seeds, insects, edibleplants, nuts, or berries.Changing human behavior and

removing common attractants discour-ages bear visits that put both humansand bears at risk. The DOW encourages residents to

make property "bear-resistant" by clean-ing or removing any items a bear mightconsider potential food sources.• Keep garbage in airtight containers

inside a garage or storage area. • Clean trash cans with ammonia to

reduce odors that attract bears. • Place garbage for pickup outside just

before collection and not the nightbefore. • Use a bear-proof can or dumpster -

if not available, ask your trash-removalcompany for options. • Take down bird feeders when bears

are active. If a bear finds a birdfeeder, itwill look around the neighborhood forother easy food within reach.• Do not leave pet food or dishes

outdoors at night. Store pet food insidein airtight containers.• Clean outdoor grills after each use.

The smell of grease can attract bears,even when no food is present.• Never intentionally feed bears to

attract them for viewing. It is illegal tofeed bears in Colorado.Remember, "A fed bear is a dead

bear." By making food available to a bear,even a single time, teaches the bear toassociate humans with food. Once abear learns this association, it canbecome a returning nuisance andwildlife officers must destroy the bear. An ounce of prevention is truly

worth 200 pounds of cure.

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• The Book Nook •By dallas holmes

All of us grow up with an idea ofhow we think our lives will turn out. Wehave certain expectations, of ourselves,our spouses, and definitely our chil-dren.

Everything Stephanie Nielsenexpected about her life was turningout just as planned. She was married toher best friend, had 4 healthy, beautifulchildren, and just moved into a newhome in Mesa, Az. Her student pilothusband and his good friend and

instructor, along with

Stephanie, werereturning home from a day long trip tothe family ranch in New Mexico whentheir plane crashed. The flight instruc-tor was killed and the Nielsen’s wereboth seriously injured. But despiteremaining in a coma for 4 months andbeing burned over 80% of her body,Stephanie still considers herself theluckiest girl in the world. Relying onthe strength of her faith and her family,she recounts her journey of physicaland emotional healing as she carefullyrebuilt her body along with the rela-tionships with her children, in Heavenis Here, and on her blog, www.nieniedi-alogues.com.

Kelle Hampton was blissfullyexcited about her second healthypregnancy, and eagerly awaitedmeeting her new daughter. But thesecond she held her in her arms,she knew there was something dif-ferent, something very special,about her new baby. Even though itwasn’t something she planned on,she quickly embraces her role asNella’s mom and learns a lot about

herself and love after her daughter isdiagnosed with Down syndrome. Youcan learn more about Nella’s first yearand Kelle’s story, in her new book,Bloom.

24 year old Natalie Taylor wason cloud 9. She had just moved intoher dream house with her beloved hus-band, found a perfect job teachingEnglish at a nearbyhighschool,andwashappilyexpect-ing theirfirst child.The lastthing sheexpectedat 5 monthsalong wasto receivethe devastat-ing news herhusband waskilled in a freak accident. Suddenly shefound herself facing life and parent-hood on her own. Natalie quickly dis-covered that she could be destroyedby this turn of events, or she could riseabove it. And so with an awesomesense of humor (she was motivated towrite a book by the dream of one daybeing interviewed by Oprah on “thosecomfy leather chairs”) and determina-tion, Natalie and her toddler sonrejoice in the life they are given everyday. Look for her new book, Signs ofLife.

You’re probably wonderingwhy I would choose such tragic storiesin this tribute to mother’s, but none ofthese stories are really tragic. They arehopeful and encouraging, showcasingthe strength that is the common factor

of all women.

By Allie SutherlandWomen today are busier than ever. For me, it’s

trying to find that balance between a young pro-fessional and a domestic diva. Some days I’m ona roll where all I want to do is crafts with the kids,clean my house and cook agood dinner. Other days,I’m almost at a dead run toget to the office and awayfrom the household dutiespiling up. With this inmind, it’s no wonder to mewhy domestic arts seem tobe vanishing before oureyes.

There are, however,women keeping the artalive. Jodi Karo owns andoperates the shop“KettleKeepers” in Nucla .Her business card reads“Kettlekeepers - sewingneeds and information”and I have never seen amore true statement! Mrs.Karo was married in 1972and has been quilting,sewing, hemming, embroidering and just beingwonderfully creative ever since.

If you have never been into Kettlekeepers it isan inspiring experience. The instant I enter thedoorway, I am motivated to take up sewing andcreative projects. Jodi’s shop carries varioussewing supplies such as embroidery thread, nee-dles, yarn, elastic, and zippers. You can also findhomemade items such as aprons, quilts andembroidered hand towels. There seems to bean endless supply of every print fabric you canimagine. But, Mrs. Karo says she wants the shopto be known for her quilts.

At the moment, Jodi is working on approxi-mately 40 quilts. She just donated 15 baby quiltsand hats to St. Mary’s Hospital for the babiesborn prematurely. She also donates quilts to

children with cancer at Community and St.Mary’s Hospitals. Jodi is in her shop from 9am to5pm six days a week. Kettlekeepers in conve-niently located right outside the Karo home.She stated “It’s just something I enjoy. I have it at

my house so I can goinside and do laundry orwhatever.” Sometimesbusiness is better thanothers. Jodi reported thatlast month was a very slowmonth for her business.When asked how she dealswith slow times shereplied “I just kept sewingand sewing and sewing!”

Besides quilting, Jodihas started chickenScratch Embroidery. Thiscraft dates back to earlyAmerica and is also knownas Amish Lace, cross-stitchon gingham, depressionlace, and snowflakeembroidery to name a few.It is a type of embroiderydone on gingham (check-

ered) fabric and gives the impression of laceapplied on the fabric. Jodi is currently hostingclasses at the Naturita Community Library on thefirst and third Mondays of each month from 5-7in the evening. She is a wealth of knowledgeand the class is sure to be a fun treat for anyonelooking to expand their creative minds!

My visits to Kettlekeepers are always packedfull of fun conversation and knowledgeableadvice. I always find something that will makeprojects go more smoothly or an idea on how Ican improve on what I have already started.When I feel as if I have no time for all that needsdone, I think I will remember what Mrs.Karo saidwhen she told me “I’m always busy, it’s just amatter of how much I get accomplished in aday.” Well said, Jodi!

KettleKeepers: Domestic Arts areAlive and Well in the West End!

The Naturita Community Library now offers abrand new service for library patrons. RecordedBooks' Universal Class is an educational serviceproviding the highest quality online courses forpatrons interested in the lifelong pursuit ofknowledge for either personal or professionalreasons. Lifelong learning not only enhancessocial inclusion, active citizenship and personaldevelopment, but also competitiveness andemployability. To date, over 300,000 studentshave benefited from Universal Class state-of-the-

art online courses!You can access this database from your home

computer using your library card number, or fromyour library. Please visit the Naturita CommunityLibrary for more information and a sample class list.Naturita Community Library offers Universal ClassEducational Program Online.

This program is made available throughColorado Workforce center's VirtualWorkforce @ Your Library initiative

Naturita Community Library offers UniversalClass Educational Program Online

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Ladies Night OutNaturita Community Library

5-7pm

Womans Book Club 2pm

Naturita Community Library

Ladies Night Out Naturita Community Library

5-7pm

Naturita CommunityLibrary Closed forMemorial Day

Creatvie SpACE3:30-4:30

The Livery Barn

Abundant Life FoodBank

1:30 – 3:00 pm1450 Grand Ave., Norwood



MAY 10 & 17th : Abundant Life Food

Bank1:30 – 3:00 pm

1450 Grand Ave., Norwood

Creatvie SpACEThe Livery Barn

3:30-4:30

Creatvie SpACE3:30-4:30

The Livery Barn

Gourd Circle6:30-9:30The Livery

Writers Workshop andBook Talk with author

Ellen Metrick6:30-8pm

Naturita Community Library

Nucla Naturita AreaChamber of Commerce

Monthly Meeting7-8pm

425 E. Main in Naturita

Last Day of SchoolRE-2

Creative SpACEThe Livery Barn

3:30-4:30

AARP Presents"What’s Your Plan?"

Naturita Community Library 6:30pm

Teens Get CraftyNCL • 3:30-5pm

Norwood WaterCommission

7pm1670 Naturita St.

Town of NorwoodBoard Meeting


Seed Exchange andPermaculture

Information MeetingNCL • 6:30-8pm

Naturita CommunityLibrary

Spring Book Sale


Spring Book Sale


Spring Book Sale


Spring Book Sale


Spring Book Sale

Creative SpACEThe Livery Barn

3:30-4:30

Town of NaturitaBoard Meeting7-9pm 222 E. Main St.

WEPS Board Meeting7:30-10:30

Nucla High School

Town of NaturitaBoard Meeting

7-9pm222 E. Main St

Town of Nucla BoardMeeting7-9pm

320 E. Main St.

P&Z CommissionMeeting

7pm1670 Naturita St. Norwood

Nucla High SchoolBaccalureate

7pm

Registration forSummer ReadingProgram Party

Naturita Community Library 5-7PM

Last Day of Schoolfor Seniors at

Nucla High School

Town of Nucla BoardMeeting7-9pm

320 E. Main St.

Card Class with Ginger NCL • 4-7pm

Norwood SanitationMeeting


Naturita Food Bank4:00- 5:00 pmTLC Building



Free Friday MovieLivery in Norwood

7-9pm

Mother’s Day


7-9pm


7-9pm


7-9pm

Rimrocker HistoricalSociety tour ofCC Ditch in Nucla

Idea Cafe6:30-8:30pmThe Livery

Nucla High SchoolGraduation 4pm

Naturita CommunityLibrary Players

Present" The Ballad of the Pirate Queen"

6pm

To include your calendar item in this freelisting, email your information to:

[email protected] or call 970 859-7207.

Deadline is the 16th of every month.

May 2012 Calendar of Events

Ace of NorwoodLocated in the Livery PlayhouseNorwood, CO970-327-4016http://www.aceofnorwood.orgFurthering opportunity for the arts and education tothe communities of the west ends of San Miguel andMontrose counties.

All Points Transit100 Tessitore Court, Suite DMontrose, CO 81401970-249-6204

Alpine Hospice 924 Spring Creek Rd. Ste C. Montrose CO 81403 249-2500

Area Agency on Aging300 N. Cascade Avenue, Suite 1Montrose, CO 81401970-249-2436Providing valuable services and information for seniorpopulations.

Basin Clinic421 Adams StreetNaturita, CO 81424970-865-2665Division of Montrose Memorial Hospital. Offers gener-al practice medical treatment.

Center for Independence1-800-613-2271www.cfigj.orgHelping people with disabilities.

Center for Mental Health1350 Aspen Street #BNorwood, CO 81423970-327-4449Offering comprehensive mental health services 8 am to 5 pm Monday - Friday.

Dolphin House - 7th Judicial ChildAdvocacy Center735 South 1st Street

Montrose, CO 81401970-240-8655Provides a safe non-threatening child friendly environ-ment for interviewing child victims, assessments andreferrals.

Family Link CenterPO Box 602165 W. 10th AveNucla, CO 81424970-864-2245Our mission is to give the people of our community ahelping hand by providing resources, tools and strate-gies to strengthen families and individuals.

Montrose County HHS851 Main StreetNucla, CO 81424970-864-7319Child Care Assistance, Medicaid, food stamps, generalassistance, Child Protective Services, and many otherpublic services.

Montrose County Housing Authority222 Hap CourtOlathe, CO 81425970-323-5445Assisting with housing for eligible individuals, familiesand seniors meeting income guidelines.

Montrose County Veterans Services1845 South Townsend AvenueMontrose, CO 81401970-249-2115Health Care, Compensation or Pension, Education orTraining. Home Loan Guaranty, Life Insurance, Burialand Memorial Benefits, Service Connected Disability,Copies of DD214

Montrose West Recreation, IncPO Box 281Nucla, CO 81424970-428-7880

Naturita Community Library107 West 1st AvenueNaturita, CO 81422970-865-2848www.facebook.com/NaturitaLibrary2011 Best Small Library in AmericaThousands of pieces of reference materials, publiccomputers and community programming.

Norwood Chamber of CommercePO Box 116Norwood, CO 81423800-282-5988Education and assistance for businesses and organizations.

Norwood Public Library1110 Lucerne StreetNorwood, CO 81423970-327-4833Open 11 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday.

Nucla Naturita Area Chamber ofCommerce230 West Main StreetNaturita, CO 81422970-865-2350Serving the Bedrock, Naturita, Nucla, Paradox andRedvale communities.

Nucla Naturita Food BankPO Box 163Nucla, CO 81424970-864-7680Providing Food Boxes every 3rd Friday of everymonth from 4-5pm at the TLC Bldg 440 W. Main St.Naturita

Nucla Public Library544 Main StreetNucla, CO 81422970-864-2166Thousands of pieces of reference materials, publiccomputers and community programming.

One-to-One Mentoring(970)-327-4410Matching youth with mentors in the Norwood area.Accepting new mentors. Call the above number formore details.

PASCO/SW, Inc.45 S. WashingtonCortez, CO 81321970-565-6833

Rimrocker Historical SocietyPO Box 913Nucla, CO 81424Charged with collecting and preserving artifacts con-cerning the cultural and natural history of the WestEnd of Montrose County. Dedicated to promotingawareness, understanding appreciation of the pastand present.

San Miguel County HHS1120 Summit StreetNorwood, CO 81423(970) 327-4885Family Planning, Immunizations, Food Benefits,Medicaid, Child Care Assistance, County WellnessProgram, Heat bill payment assistance (LEAP). All serv-ices are confidential and provided on a sliding scalebase.

San Miguel Resource CenterFree and ConfidentialDomestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Safe HousingCrisis Center - 24 hour Hotlines: 970-864-2275 - 970-327-0566 - 970-728-5660

Small Business Development CenterWestern State College of Colorado600 North Adams Street Taylor Hall 112970-943-3159Providing free, confidential business consultingservices including legal formation, loan applica-tions, marketing, business planning and access tocapital.

Spruce and Columbine Garden ClubPO Box 912Nucla, Colorado 81424970-864-7422Promoting and organizing beautifications projectsin our area as well as other community projects inthe West End.

Uncompahgre Medical Center1350 Aspen StreetNorwood, CO 81423970-327-4233Committed to providing quality, cost effective,accessible healthcare. Services include generalhealthcare, dental care and special programs with afocus on prevention.

West Montrose Economic &Community DevelopmentOrganizationPublisher@TheCommunityCatalyst.comEncouraging community collaboration for the bet-terment of our region.

Volunteers of America - SeniorCommUnity Meals11407 Highway 65Eckert, CO 81418970-874-7662

Wright Stuff Community Foundation1215 Summit StreetNorwood, CO 81423970-327-0555Providing early and continuing educational oppor-tunities to rural youth and families in southwestColorado.

To include your nonprofit or organization in this free listing, email your

information to:[email protected]

or call 970 859-7207. Deadline is the 16th of every month.

7

Nonprof i t Direc tory - Serv ing the West End

Become a Native Plant Master™

Why should I become a Native Plant Master?

Have you always wanted to learn more about thebeautiful plants that grow in nature? Would you like tolearn how to use them in your landscape? Considerbecoming a Native Plant Master! This is a fun way tospend three or more mornings in the field this summer,getting to know the plants of Colorado.

Anyone can take one or more courses in this pro-gram, but to become a Native Plant Master (and theenvy of all your co-workers, family and friends), youwill need to take three courses and give back sometime educating others.

What is a Native Plant Master?A Native Plant Master is a volunteer who receives

special training about Colorado plants and certifica-tion from Colorado State University Extension whothen uses that training to educate the public. Anyonecan take Native Plant Master courses even if they donot wish to make educational contacts with the public.The mission of the Native Plant Master Program is toeducate the public about native plants in order to fos-ter stewardship, sustainable landscaping and manage-ment of weeds that threaten native ecosystems.

What training is provided? Award-winning Native Plant Master courses are

offered at various open space parks and public lands.Participants may apply to take one or more courses. Nocourse is a required prerequisite for another course.Class size is limited and course fees are $90 per course.Courses are offered at a reduced price of $60 per coursefor participants who agree to educate at least 20 peo-ple per year per course about Colorado plants.

Each 4 hour course is taught on three consecutive inthe mornings. 8:30 am -12:30 on the dates below:

2012 Course ScheduleMay 26, June 2, June 9th - “Old Fort” near HesperusJuly 5, 12, and 19th-Woods LakeTBD - Hawkins Preserve

What does each course cover? Courses are taught in the field using living examples

of Colorado flora. All courses will include the use of abotanical key, Colorado Flora, Western Slope, 3rdEdition, by Weber and Wittman. For each course, stu-dents learn:

Session 1: identification, including scientificnames, key botanical characteristics and family fea-tures;

Session 2: ecological relationships, includingnon-native plants;

Session 3: landscape, food and other humanuses.

Instructors for the courses have extensive fieldexperience, are Native Plant Masters and / or haveadvanced degrees.

The course manual is based on data from theColorado Plant Database at http://coloradoplants.jeffco.us.

Can anyone take courses?You can take courses even if you don’t plan on

becoming a Native Plant Master. This option is forthose do not wish to make public educational con-tacts or report contacts made. In order to successful-ly complete a course, participants must pass anexam.

Who is eligible to apply?Applicants who wish to become Native Plant

Masters must be at least 21 years old and must:Successfully complete three courses in three dif-•

ferent months and/or locations, including passingfield exams. (Courses do not have to be completed inthe same year.)

Teach at least 20 people per year about Colorado•plants for each course taken;

By Dec. 31, report on the number of educationalcontacts made.

How do you become a Native Plant Master?After successfully completing three courses and

the public contact requirement, participants will beawarded Native Plant Master certification and a spe-cial patch. Certification may be maintained byteaching at least 60 people per year about Coloradoplants and reporting quarterly on those contacts.

Why native plants?Colorado has a wealth of native plants, colorful

wildflowers, grasses, shrubs and trees, which arewell adapted to our variable climate, soils, tempera-tures and elevations.

The Colorado Native Plant Society recommendsthe use of native plants in landscaping, bothbecause of their adaptability and because Coloradohas a unique regional horticulture worth promotingand protecting.

NOTE: Courses can be moderately strenuous andmay require walking on steep inclines for up to twomiles on wet, rough, and/or slippery footing duringwindy, cold, hot or rainy days.

Application process required; registration is limit-ed. Applications are due no LATER than 1 WEEK priorto classes.

How do you apply?For questions or to request an application, see www.conativeplantmaster.orgor www.coopext.colostate.edu/sanmiguel/ or contact San Miguel and West Montrose

Counties CSU Extension Office at [email protected] or [email protected]

The mission of Extension is to provide practical, research-based information and rele-vant educational programs toenhance the quality of life for

Colorado citizens.

Colorado State University, U.S.Department of Agriculture andJefferson County Cooperating.Colorado State University

Extension is dedicated to serveall people on an equal andnondiscriminatory basis.

Colorado State University Cooperative Extension • www.ext.colostate.edu • Reprinted with permission • All rights reserved

Documents

The Community Catalyst May 2012