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

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Snapshots of Our Community

NASTaP hike in Fox Run Park, Mar. 9

Above: Members of Native American Sacred Trees and Places (NASTaP) and others went on a hike with Heidi Wigand-Nicely to look for Culturally Modified Trees (CMTs) on March 9 in Fox Run Regional Park. CMTs in Fox Run Park have been purported to have been bent, twisted, grafted or otherwise modified by the Ute and other tribes before the late 1800s. One of NASTaP’s strategic goals is to identify, document and protect Native American CMTs and sacred places. Nearly 100 trees have been identified in Fox Run Park with distinguishing traits such as bark peels, bent shapes and tie-down marks, girdling and burls, split trunks, and branches. The trees were used for trail markers, burial markers, medicine, and for ceremonial purposes. Fox Run Park and the surrounding areas included in the Front Range are known campsites for the nomadic indigenous peoples for hundreds of years. NASTaP is a 501C3; for more information go to www.nastap.org or visit its booth at the Roller Coaster Trailhead on April 20 for Earth Day. Contact Membership Chair Linda Davies at ldaviesrex@gmail.com  . Photo by Heidi Wigand-Nicely. Caption by Marlene Brown.

Schwarz honored for fundraising

Above: Tamara Schwarz, executive director of Trinity Community Park in Monument (at the right in the photo), was honored with the News 5 Jefferson Award for community service on March 11. TV station KOAA anchor Dianne Derby (at the left in the photo) presented Schwarz with the award that honors those who go above and beyond in serving their neighborhood. In two years, Schwarz raised $400,000 for state-of-the-art ADA-compliant playground equipment for the park. Schwarz will now compete for the national version of the award. Photo by Karen Heater.

Rotary collects products for TLC

Above: Tri-Lakes Dynamic Rotary Club collected 855 pounds of hygiene and household products during the club’s Give the Gift of Dignity Hygiene Drive for Tri-Lakes Cares. The drive was held March 13-17. The products included soap, body wash, shampoo, dish soap, laundry soap, and multi-purpose cleaner. From left are James Russell, Laurie Beasley, Brenda Small, Cara Simmons, Jeremiah Baty, and Rich Schur. Photo courtesy of Tri-Lakes Dynamic Rotary Club.

WMMI Family Day, Mar. 23

Above: On March 23, the Western Museum of Mining & Industry (WMMI) hosted its Spring Family Day with a focus on mining. WMMI staff person Jamie Gorrell coordinated the event and said she was “very happy with the exhibitor turnout and variety of participatory options provided to visitors.” The exhibitors included the Gold Prospectors of Colorado, demonstrating different techniques to mine for gold in water, including panning and sluicing; Cool Science, with exhibits on magnetism and making your own “dippin’ dots” ice cream using liquid nitrogen; the Phoenix Gold Mine, an active gold mine in Idaho Springs operated by fourth generation miners that offers tours of the mine for visitors to see copper sulfate, pyrite, and gold veins; and Newmont Mining Corp. Kaitlyn Ragsdale, external relations supervisor with Newmont Mining, said it was an exhibitor at the event to “inform visitors of the active gold mining being done by Newmont and the benefits of gold in everyday life.” She also said Newmont appreciated the long and ongoing partnership with the museum, including collaboration on an upcoming display on open pit mining. Information on upcoming events at the museum can be found at www.wmmi.org. Photo by David Futey.

Palmer Lake Easter festivities

Above: Kids had to bundle up on a chilly, windy day to take part in Palmer Lake’s Easter festivities on March 30. Children got to hunt for eggs on the town green. Young kids were given a head start before the older children were allowed to take part. The Easter Bunny was there for photos. There were also crafts, face painting and a bake sale. The day started with a pancake breakfast fundraiser put on by the Palmer Lake Fire Association. Caption by Michael Weinfeld. Photo by Shirley Murray.

Active shooter response training

Above: There are three words to remember if you ever have the unfortunate experience of being where someone starts shooting. Run. Hide. Fight. Cpl. Joshua Marks and Community Resource Officer Kelly Fisher of the Monument Police Department told an active shooter response training class Mar. 13 that the first thing you should do is run. Leave your belongings behind and get out as soon as you can. Then, find a place to hide. And, if possible, fight the shooter by throwing things at their sensitive areas like their head, their eyes, and their groin. There’s also a helpful anagram to remember. OODA stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. Observe what’s going on, orient yourself to your surroundings, decide what to do, and then do it. The class was sponsored by the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce and the Schur Success Group. Caption by Michael Weinfeld. Photo by Laura Kronick.

Stars of Tomorrow, Mar. 17

Above: Everleigh Larsen gives her winning performance among high schoolers at Stars of Tomorrow. (38 sec)

Above: Kurt Lambrech gives his second place performance at the Stars of Tomorrow talent show. (67 sec)

Above: Rowan Vaughn gives her third place performance at the Stars of Tomorrow talent show. (69 sec)

Above: Winners among high school students are announced at the Stars of Tomorrow talent show. (61 sec)

Being different can be hard on a kid, but it’s what earned these children big prizes at the Monument Hill Kiwanis Club’s Stars of Tomorrow talent show on March 17. Palmer Ridge 10th-grader Everleigh Larsen (above left) won the top prize of a $2,000 scholarship in the high school division. She performed Claude Debussy’s freeform clarinet piece Premiere Rhapsodie, which showed off her impressive breath control. Second place went to Kurt Lambrech, (above center) a Palmer Ridge 11th-grader, who played an eclectic version of George Gershwin’s I’ve Got Rhythm on piano. He went home with a $1,000 scholarship. The third-place scholarship worth $500 went to Rowan Vaughn, (above right) a senior at Palmer Ridge High, who sang Vanilla Ice Cream from the Broadway musical She Loves Me. Photo by Michael Weinfeld.

Among middle-schoolers, the drum trio Monument Music Drum Corp won the top prize of $750. Bear Creek Elementary fifth-grader Gavin Barkley and two sixth-graders from Monument Academy, Gunner Skalla and Kay Gillings, alternated playing different drum sets and a set of conga drums. They were the only ones who acted like kids when they heard the results. They jumped up and down and thrust their hands in the air.  

Above: The Monument Music Drum Corp gives 1st place performance among middle schoolers at Stars of Tomorrow. (23 sec)

Above: Winners among high school students are announced at the Stars of Tomorrow talent show. (61 sec)

Above: Winners in the middle school division are announced at Stars of Tomorrow talent show. (45 sec)

The Taylor Reeves Dance Troupe came in second among middle-schoolers and went home with $500.

Above: The Taylor Reeves dance troupe gives its 2nd place performance at the Stars of Tomorrow talent show. (66 sec)

Above: Winners in the middle school division are announced at Stars of Tomorrow talent show. (45 sec)

Above left: From left, Kay Gillings, Gavin Barkley, and Gunner Skatta hold their awards. Above center: Standing from left are Greysen Stevens, Taylor Reeves, Ada M.J. Campbell, and Adeline Moats. Ashley Hedstrom is doing the split in front. Above right: Gymnast Korina Mirenda. Photos by Michael Weinfeld.

Gymnast Korina Mirenda, a third-grader from Bear Creek Elementary, won $500 for coming in first in the elementary school division.

Above: Korina Medina gives her 1st place performance among elementary students at Stars of Tomorrow. (61 sec)

Above: The elementary school winner is announced at the Stars of Tomorrow talent show. (23 sec)

Flags retired, Mar. 23

Above: Members of Boy Scout Troop 17 retired dozens of tattered or faded American flags on March 23. They were assisted by the Monument Fire Department, Monument Police Department, and the Jackson Creek Senior Living facility. Photo courtesy of BSA Troop 17.

Biggest snowstorm of the winter, March 13-16

Above: The biggest snowstorm of the winter socked Monument with more than two feet of snow from March 13-15. Travel was next to impossible at the height of the storm. Hundreds of motorists were stranded around the Monument exit off I-25. The truck stops at the exit quickly filled up. A warming center was opened at St. Peter Catholic Church. School was canceled on the 14th and 15th. In the photo, the ornamental bicycle outside the Coffee Cup Café in Monument is covered in snow. Photo by Michael Weinfeld. For more weather news see page 18.

Above: You can hear the wind howl in this video of the snowstorm in a Monument community on March 14. (11 sec)

Other Snapshots of Our Community