March 2008
Newsletter
http://www.blackhawkranch.org
Blackhawk
Ranch
By Cissy Severance
E-mail [email protected]
This Month
 March 17—St. Patrick’s Day
 March 19 - SPRING!!!!!!!!
 March 22—Rural POA Alliance Meeting - Huerfano Comm.
Center
928 Russell Walsenburg 10AM to 2 PM
 March 23 - Easter
Do you realize how early Easter is this year?
Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 19th/20th/21st).
This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar used by the Hebrew people to identify Passover, which is
why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.
This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only people 95 years or older
have ever seen it this early before. And no one alive today has ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!
1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last
time it was this early was 1913.
2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last
time it was on March 22 was 1818.
Observing Calendar
March
7 New Moon 14 First Quarter Moon
19 Vernal Equinox 11:48 PM
21 Full Moon
29 Last Quarter Moon
April 5 New Moon
Blackhawk Ranch Business Office
Tom & Cissy Severance
SCW inc
257 CR 312 Walsenburg CO 81089
(719) 738-2475
[email protected]
Blackhawk Ranch March 2008 Newsletter
POA Board Meeting
Saturday
April 5th 10 AM
Severance’s Lot 5
Page 1
Jim and Red McPhearson
"I heard a bird sing, in the dark of December,
A lovely thing, and sweet to remember.."
Audubon sponsored a Great Backyard Bird Count, and it was amazing how many species I saw just on my back
deck, that I hadn't noticed before. I think that is the way of most things, that until we actually take the time to notice, we tend to let lovely things pass unnoticed. A list of birds I counted included a pair of red-tailed hawks, soaring on thermals and thoroughly enjoying their flight. There were the usual juncos and sparrows, Stellar jays and
Scrub jays, and my favorite, a little red-headed guy I think is a Common Red-poll or possibly a Rufous-headed
Sparrow. I also have a pair of spotted Towhees that have visited our feeders for years, bringing their offspring
every summer. It's too early for many of the more colorful birds, like our orange and yellow Grosbeaks, yellow
finches, buntings, doves, and woodpeckers. I thank Cissy for sending the invitation to participate in the count.
The hummingbirds will be returning soon, so be prepared. If yours are like the ones that visit here, they are very
perturbed if I don't have feeders ready for them. Talk about demanding!
Dumpsters
There are two very important reasons we are trying to keep the trash dumpsters on the ranch.
One, to keep our collective home free of unsightly, and illegal dumps which attract bears and other scavengers and cause other serious problems. In case you haven't heard, the Hanta virus is rampant in our area,
and is carried by vermin such as rats and mice.
Two, to provide a cheaper, more convenient way of disposing of our trash, than requiring trips to distant
dumps in Walsenburg. Trinidad or even further. Most towns are restricting dumping now, and it can get
expensive to haul all that way, in gas and fees.
Some POAs provide the amenity as part of their services, but we are a smaller group, and cannot afford to provide
this amenity. Therefore, we urge those who live on the ranch, and those who visit, to please sign up for the dumpster service.
Unfortunately, we still don't have enough participants to cover the fees, so we have to increase the fee to $57 a
quarter. We are also offering a monthly subscription for $20 for those who only visit for short periods of time.
Please consider a subscription for a quarter if you are here longer. Every little bit helps!
Funding the dumpster service by subscription saves the POA a lot of money, which goes into our roads.
Fire Safety
Just because you see snow on the ground doesn't mean there isn't a major fire danger! Please be mindful of any
backyard BBQ or other fire source - and remember the wind!
The Apache have a saying that 'when the wind stops, we die.' Well, it would be nice to have a little bit less?!? But
even with high humidity, for this area at least, the trees lose moisture in a reverse osmosis. So the scrub and the
pines are still VERY dry. Remember the Mauricio Canyon fire was in January!
Power Lines
LOOK UP! Please be mindful of the overhead power lines. Give a good look at those that span your property, and
the roads, and see if there are any potential problems with tree limbs, etc. Let Red know if you spot something so
she can contact San Isabel who will take care of any power line obstruction, or potential obstruction. DO NOT
ATTEMPT to take care of it yourself!! We try and observe the lines, but sometimes the weather keeps us from
some roads. [email protected] or leave message at 719-248-7913
Even though Beauregard (that's the Redneck groundhog) saw his shadow, Red's mare is shedding like mad. So
maybe Spring will be here before we know it! That means mud of course, and as Tom Haverty once said, 'mud
doesn't burn!'
Please enjoy our beautiful ranch responsibly.
Blackhawk Ranch March 2008 Newsletter
Page 2
FOUR MILE CANYON ROAD CLEANUP – SPRING 2008
The dates for this community event are scheduled for Friday, April 11, 2008 to Monday, April 14, 2008 inclusive - 8:00am MT. A simple sack lunch will be provided by the POA.
Meet at Dave Petet's parcel #146 - 1146 Rugby Mines Road. Marked by several white 55 gallon barrels
setting in front of the driveway.
Appropriate attire for this task: trousers, long sleeve shirt, leather boots with traction soles, leather work
gloves and safety glasses. A strong suggestion would be to NOT wear rings, other jewelry.
The concept of this task is to start at the intersection of Four-Mile Canyon Road and Wapiti Drive, working north to the general location of the lower pond on Four-Mile Canyon Road.
The dead trees and other dead foliage will be removed from the water drainage system to the road where it
will be loaded onto trailers for transport to a disposal site. Green trees that are leaning severely will be cut
down and de-branched. The brush will be brought
up to the road for disposal.
Vehicle and equipment requirements:
Trucks with trailers - 4
Van to transport workers -1
ATV's with winches -2
ATV with trailer for equipment transportation -1
A Skid steer to offload trailers -1
Truck with a winch -1
Log chains, 20ft - 4
Chain saws - 6
Hearing protection
Large trash bags
Support Personnel:
Persons to prepare sack lunch
Persons to direct traffic around work zone.
If you would like to volunteer your time and labor to this effort
please contact Dave Petet: [email protected] or (785) 213-3304
Blackhawk Ranch March 2008 Newsletter
Page 3
Lot 182 Ken Helm
Elevation 7,217’
February 2008
•High: 57.6° on February 24th
•Low: 6.1° on February 6th
Every day of the month got above 32° for the high except Feb 5th. Every night
got below 32° except the night of the 24th which was 32.4° degrees.
Very high winds during the month were unusual.
50.5 mph gust on the 1st & 64.1 mph on the 24th!
February 2008 Precip 1.26”
Snow
24.0”
YTD
Precip
2.01"
Snow
37.5”
Season to Date 2007-2008:
Snow
81.4"
The moisture content of the snow so far this year remains very low.
February 2007
2007 YTD
Precip
2”
Season-to-date 2006-2007
Snow
9.3”
Snow
23.2”
Snow
109.8”
Lot 5 Tom Severance
Elevation 6,490’
approximately 5.4 miles NNE of Lot 182
∗
∗
∗
High: 73° on February 29th
Low: 4.1° on February 6th
Highest wind gust: 51.4 mph on February 24th
Blackhawk Ranch March 2008 Newsletter
Page 4
Coming soon to a
feeder near you…..
Thanks
Al Swanson - Lot 178
Blackhawk Ranch March 2008 Newsletter
Page 5
BHR Neighbors’ Corner
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Blackhawk Ranch March 2008 Newsletter
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Page 6
bear from Warners’ window
March 20 2006
boys
sledding
on Lot 5
Tom & Cissy’s
Lot 178
Al Swanson
Blackhawk Ranch March 2008 Newsletter
Page 7
BHR WANT ADS
Antique, free-standing, 30 drawer Library Card Catalog. Very good condition, stored in
barn. Can't find these anymore. Great for CD's, DVD's, entertainment console, kitchen
gadgets, etc. $1050 OBO.
Miscellaneous building supplies
Contact Red McPhearson: [email protected] or leave message -719-248-7913
Blackhawk Ranch News
Welcome New Owners
Lot 3 Steven & Linda Pinski * Colorado Springs
Lot 39 John & Rebecca Kircher * Salt Lake City
PLEASE contribute to YOUR newsletter!
Write about your hobbies or interests, your experiences on Blackhawk Ranch, offer constructive
criticisms, or advice, share history, make recommendations, contribute articles or editorials—you
name it. I know there are many interesting people out there in Blackhawk Ranch and we’d love to
hear from you.
Send it to [email protected]
or mail it to me Cissy Severance Π257 County Road 312 ΠWalsenburg CO 81089
2008 Annual Meeting
Saturday June 28th
Huerfano Community Center
Blackhawk Ranch March 2008 Newsletter
Page 8
BOARD MEMBERS WANTED
◊
◊
◊ A speaker
Board members serve a two year term.
Board members DO NOT have to be full time residents.
phone is available for attending BHR BOD meetings if you are not “on the ranch”.
◊
Please consider volunteering
WE NEED YOU!!
Excerpt from Blackhawk Ranch’s Policies & Procedures Manual Section 3
3.1.1 Number of Board Members
The number of board members shall be no less than three and no more than ten. At least one member of the
Board should be a full-time resident of the Ranch. During a typical year on the Ranch, five board members
are recommended. Five members can comfortably handle all the activities of doing business for the POA. In
the event that a member of the board must resign or cannot serve for an extended period of time, the
remaining four members can still function adequately. During periods of high activity, as when the Board
was trying to keep the gas companies from drilling on the Blackhawk Ranch, more members are
recommended.
3.1.2 Tenure of Board Members
Board members are elected by the members of the POA each year at the Annual POA Meeting. Each member
shall serve a two-year term. To provide continuity from year to year, the rotation of members shall be
staggered. A portion, approximately half, of the board members shall be elected in even years and the other
half elected in odd years. Each board member shall hold office until a successor has been elected. Before the
outgoing member leaves office, the member shall brief the Board on the status of any unfinished business and
assigned tasks.
3.1.3 Qualification of Board Members
Any member in good standing, willing to donate personal time and energy to help run the affairs of the
Property Owners Association is deemed qualified if the member is a natural person, the legal owner of a
parcel on the Ranch, and 18 years of age. Board members can be full-time residents or reside elsewhere.
Members that serve on the Board need not be career politicians, professional accountants, seasoned road
technicians, legal advisors, or personal servants.
3.2.1 Election of Board Members
Members to the Board of Directors shall be elected by mail-in vote each year, with the results being
announced at the annual meeting. Contained within the annual meeting package, sent to each property owner
prior to the meeting, there shall be personal statements by each Board candidate and a ballot listing of all the
candidate’s names. Since the number of vacancies on the Board varies each year, instructions shall be include
in the package as to how many candidates members shall vote for. All members shall also be instructed to
mail their signed ballots to the management office prior to the meeting so that votes can be validated and
tabulated. This is a secret ballot and voter identification will not be released from the management office.
Blackhawk Ranch March 2008 Newsletter
Page 9
Rouse Schoolhouse Observatory
The Fool on the Hill
by Tom Severance
March 2008
Planets
My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas…
So goes the grade school mnemonic phrase for the order of the
planets of our solar system, from innermost Mercury to Pluto
at the outer edge of the planetary disk.
Since the International Astronomical Union has decided, as of
November 2006, that Pluto no longer has planetary status the
menu has changed. My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us
Nachos. This is quite a letdown for those of us who prefer
pizza.
Mercury and Venus are inside Earth’s orbit. Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune orbit in positions beyond
Earth. The inner planets and the outer planets out to Saturn
are visible to the unaided eye. Uranus and Neptune are too
far away to be seen without magnification.
Because of the timing of the various planetary orbits it is something of a rarity to be able to see
all the planets visible to the unaided eye between sunset and sunrise in one night. Until the 17th
of March you can see all of these planets in one night of viewing.
Right now, Mars is almost directly overhead as night begins. Well above Orion’s head in the
Southwest as it moves toward Gemini.
Saturn is visible now too. The ringed planet is in the east, traveling along with Leo the Lion. It
is near Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation.
Unless you are going to pull an all-nighter, it is best to split your viewing session in two and
look for the next planets before dawn.
Jupiter rises in the Southeast along with Sagittarius about 4:15 AM. Sagittarius has the appearance of a teapot, with the Milky Way rising as steam from its spout. It is located in one of
the brightest areas of the galaxy. In fact, the center of the Milky Way Galaxy is located behind
the star clouds in this region.
Mercury and Venus follow Capricorn rising in the east as the sky brightens toward dawn. If you
have an unobstructed view to the eastern horizon both planets will be visible by 6:30 AM., about
45 minutes before sunrise.
As soon as the light of dawn becomes bright enough, look at your feet. You are standing on the
sixth planet that can be seen by the unaided eye.
Blackhawk Ranch March 2008 Newsletter
Page 10
Would you like to be on the Agenda at a BHR Board meeting?
Here’s how…..
The public/owners are invited to participate in Blackhawk Ranch POA Board
Meetings during the PUBLIC /OWNER INPUT item on the agenda; a total of
15 minutes will be allotted for public/owner input. Any individual wishing to
be placed on the agenda as a general order of business for future meetings
must give five (5) days notice to the Business Office (719) 738-2475 or e-mail
[email protected]
"When you have a lot of
things to do,
it's best to get your nap
out of the way first"
ch.org
http://www.blackhawkran
Blackhawk Ranch March 2008 Newsletter
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