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Volunteers reporting on community issues in Monument, Palmer Lake, and the surrounding Tri-Lakes area

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Letters to Our Community – Remembering and honoring those who fought for our freedoms

Many thanks to those Monument and northern El Paso County community members who showed up to honor our fallen veterans on a beautiful sunny day on Memorial Day 2024. We all could have been elsewhere relaxing, preparing for a barbecue, shopping, hiking, etc. But each person took the time, mostly to honor people we never knew, and to remind the world that those veterans made a difference for our country.

OCN reported the crowd at hundreds, but it would have been nice to see thousands. Even in a highly concentrated military community, as we drift farther away from U.S. military engagements overseas, there seems to be less interest in remembering those who achieved those freedoms. That saddens me. In my father’s generation, “The Greatest Generation,” and himself a proud WWII Marine, 14 of 14 of my family’s male members served in the military. In our next generation, Baby Boomers, it was only 1 of 40. Of the Millennial children of my immediate family, so far only 2 of 18. Service to our country makes a huge difference in how someone views our nation, the world, and the values and truths enshrined in our Constitution.

If you look at the stats, the vast majority of our fallen soldiers were very young, probably averaging in their early 20s. They had their entire lives in front of them, yet most chose to voluntarily put their life in danger to fight for freedoms of religion, speech, press, to gather, and not just for our country but for others around the globe. After the ceremony, I walked throughout Monument Cemetery and was amazed to see the faded and simple gravestones from Civil War veterans who were buried there. Soldiers from Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Colorado, and other states. They each fought in our internal conflict over 160 years ago. I was proud to be among those who, in less than an hour, honored the memory of young heroes who lost decades of their lives for me.

Patrick Kiernan

Click here for Guidelines for Letters

Disclaimer: The information and opinions expressed in Letters to Our Community are the responsibility of the letter writers and should not be interpreted as the views of OCN even if the letter writer is an OCN volunteer.

Other Letters to Our Community

Between the Covers at Covered Treasures Bookstore – Let’s go outdoors!

By the staff at Covered Treasures

“One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by.—Jeannette Walls

July is the time for camping, swimming, cookouts, and enjoying a great book in the sun. Check out these titles to explore the trails, the stars, and/or to learn outdoor survival skills. The first two books listed are by authors that will be at the Bookstore in July to sign their books.

Exploring Colorado with Kids: 71 Field Trips + 142 Nature-Inspired Activities

By Jamie Siebrase (Falcon Press Publishing) $25

Travel journalists and local parenting experts Jamie Siebrase and Deborah Mock will guide you and your children through 71 incredible, in-state adventures. Get ready to discover nature centers, farms, outdoor history museums, art walks, hidden SUP spots, open-air theaters, story walks, and so much more. Each section includes a short section with action-item information on each site. This is an informative guide to discovering a variety of outdoor adventures that are a perfect fit for family weekends and getaways.

Best Hikes Colorado’s Front Range: Simple Strolls, Day Hikes, and Longer Adventures

By Abbie Mood (Falcon Press Publishing) $25

Best Hikes Colorado’s Front Range highlights the top trails from Fort Collins down to Colorado Springs. The book includes a variety of hikes in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains for everyone from novice hikers to more experienced adventurers. Best Hikes Colorado’s Front Range offers 40 main hikes plus eight bonus hikes ranging in altitude from 5,000 to 14,000 feet—all within driving distance of Fort Collins, Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs. Inside you’ll find a wide variety of hikes, difficulty ratings, trail contacts, fees and permits, local information, easy-to-follow directions to the trailhead and detailed trail descriptions, mile-by-mile directional cues, and GPS-compatible trail maps.

101 Amazing Sights of the Night Sky: A Guided Tour for Beginners

By George Moromisato (Adventure Publications) $15

This guide by George Moromisato introduces you to 101 sights, from old favorites like Saturn’s famous rings to awe-inspiring wonders like the Andromeda Galaxy. Learn what to look for and when and where to find it. The sights are ranked by beauty, accessibility, and importance. The guide features at least one full-color photograph for each entry, including many from NASA. As an added bonus, the author’s astrophotography tips provide information about taking pictures of the night sky. This astronomy book is perfect for beginners, as many objects can be seen with the unaided eye or binoculars, while others simply require a small telescope.

Send a Ranger: My Life Serving the National Parks

By Tom Habecker (Falcon Press Publishing) $20

This book is the story of one park ranger’s journey from Gettysburg to Denali and back, raising a family, contending with bears, and rescuing hikers, in four national parks over more than 30 years. Interspersed with real-time journal entries, these reflective, engaging stories illustrate the real life of a national park ranger.

Death in Rocky Mountain National Park: Accidents and Foolhardiness on the Continental Divide

By Randi Minetor (Lyons Press) $19

Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park welcomes more than 4 million visitors every year, but this jewel of America’s parks has seen more than its fair share of deaths among its tourists. More than 70 people have perished attempting to climb Longs Peak, the park’s tallest mountain. Some vanished into the wilderness never to be found. Thousand-foot falls from high rock ledges, hypothermia, avalanches that bury climbers, lightning strikes, a historic flood, and even plane crashes are among the ways that park visitors have met a bad end.

Outdoor Skills for Kids: The Essential Survival Guide to Increasing Confidence, Safety, and Enjoyment in the Wild

By Buck Tilton & Christine Conners (Falcon Press Publishing) $17

This book offers over 100 important wilderness lessons including what to do when you get lost, how to respond to wild animals, basic first aid, and ways to stay positive in a survival situation. Outdoor Skills for Kids is loaded with fun facts, games, safety tips, and inspiring true stories of kids who used these same skills successfully in survival situations.

Until next month, happy reading.

The staff at Covered Treasures can be reached at books@ocn.me.

Other Between the Covers articles

July Library Events – Exciting programs & Ice Cream Socials

By Harriet Halbig

Many exciting activities are planned for July at the Monument and Palmer Lake libraries.

The 50th annual Summer Adventure Reading Program ends on July 31. Visit your library to register and receive prizes for reading and other activities during the summer.

There will be an all-ages concert at the Palmer Lake Library on July 12 from 6 to 7 featuring Katherine Dines and her Hunk-Ta-Bunk-Ta music.

On July 16 from 10:30 to 11:30 there will be a Summer Fun program featuring the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center at the Monument Library. Space is limited. Please call ahead if you plan to bring more than 10 children.

There will be two events on July 17. At Palmer Lake from 2 to 3 p.m., create a Book Page Wreath. Registration is required. Please go to the library website, ppld.org, programs by location or call the library at 719-531-6333 extension 7007.

At the Monument Library on the same day there will be a Teen Escape Room from 3:30 to 4:30. Registration is required on the website or call 719-531-6333 extension 7005.

On July 23 from 4:30 to 5:30 there will be an Idea Lab to create a Makedo Cardboard building from 4:30 to 5:30. This program is for ages 5 to 12 and no registration is required.

Two Ice Cream Socials are on the calendar in July. The first, at Monument Library, will be on July 26 from 1:30 to 5:30. Drop by for a cool treat. The Ice Cream Social at Palmer Lake will be on July 31 from 2 to 5:30.

Enjoy your summer and we hope to see you at the library.

Harriet Halbig may be reached at harriethalbig@ocn.me.

Other Library articles

Palmer Lake Historical Society, June 6 – Book launch

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) introduced its newest book on June 6: The U.S. Forest Service Monument Nursery, 1907-1965, written by Dan Edwards and published by the PLHS.

Edwards, local resident and historian, explained how the U.S. Forest Service conducted its work for almost 60 years on what is known as National Forest Monument Preserve (Mount Herman). Millions of ponderosa pine saplings were started in the area and shipped to be planted where trees were cut down during the building of the Western expansion of the United States.

Above: Author Dan Edwards at the June 6 PLHS book launch. Photo by Steve Pate

Copies of the book are available at Covered Treasures in Monument. For more information, see palmerdividehistory.org.

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PLHS meetings are usually on the third Thursday of the month at Palmer Lake Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent, 7-8 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). For more information about future presentations and membership, go to www.palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be contacted at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

Other Palmer Lake Historical Society articles

On the Trail (in memory of Tim Watkins) – Prescribed burn promotes forest health

By Steve Pate

Above: Wildland firefighters gear up for the test fire. Photo by Steve Pate.

The Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands (PSICC) Pikes Peak Ranger District, with support from local fire, police, and emergency responders, began a three-day process of prescribed burns in the Monument Preserve on June 12.

Above: Test fire before the prescribed burn Photo by Steve Pate.

A “test fire” was lit just north of Mount Herman Road. A test fire is a small fire that firefighters light to evaluate fire behavior before igniting prescribed fires. The conditions were deemed ideal and prescribed burns were conducted in three areas of the Monument Fire Center in the Monument Preserve: Memorial Grove, Monument Rock, and the Mount Herman Trailhead. The prescribed fires treated about 1,000 acres of forest lands with low-intensity fire to limit the impact of smoke to the community.

Above: View of the prescribed burn from Woodmoor. Photo by Dawn Lervik.

The prescribed fire, a low-to-moderate-intensity burn, reduced available fuels and the risk of catastrophic fire in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) when fire suppression efforts would be less likely to succeed. Additional objectives of this prescribed fire were to reduce the amount of Gambel oak brush and promote the growth of ponderosa pine forest.

Above: View from Jackson Creek. Photo by Natalie Barszcz.

During a press briefing before the test fire, Dawn Sanchez, fire prevention technician with the PSICC, said 149 wildland firefighters were also being briefed on procedures for the upcoming test fire and prescribed burns. Sanchez explained how the low-intensity fires would stunt the regrowth of scrub oak in areas where the Forest Service conducted wildfire mitigation last year.

Above: Results near Monument Rock. Photo by Steve Pate

While some may become upset with smoke and the immediate after-effects of prescribed burns, Randy Phillips of the local hiking community who has lived adjacent to Pike National Forest for nearly four decades said the Berry Fire that roared through this area below and up Mount Herman, leaving only scrub oak in place of what was a thick and deep forest, is a major reason the Forest Service has masticated the area and are now prescribing a burn. “I get nervous … however, that nervousness pales to experiencing April 21, 1989, and the days that followed. It’s important to keep things in perspective,” Phillips said.

Above: The burn reduced surface fuel loads by reducing pine needles, leaves, and small branches, decreasing the risk of catastrophic wildfires. Photo by Chris Jeub.

As was the case last year when PSICC did wildfire mitigation over a wide area in Monument Preserve, the hiking and biking trails in the area appeared “ruined,” but this year were nearly recovered with new growth. The same will be true of the prescribed burns—ugly for a few weeks or months but healthier as the areas recover and again a pleasure to hike or ride in.

Right: Wildland firefighters protected a Ute “prayer tree” in the Monument Preserve. Photo by Steve Pate.

Steve Pate may be reached at StevePate@OCN.me

Other On The Trail articles