Welcome to the first edition of the Rico Alpine Society Newsletter. We’ve had a beautiful summer and spectacular fall, and I know many of us have enjoyed the outdoors in the Rico area. And that is what our organization is about, enjoying the outdoors in our wonderful corner of the San Juan Mountains.

The idea for the Rico Alpine Society came from our common appreciation of Rico’s special location and our love of the outdoors. Many Rico residents and property owners have expressed interest in all sorts of outdoor activities, from river corridor clean-up to controlling invasive weeds to grooming Nordic trails. The list of outdoor interests is actually very long, which is not surprising considering everyone’s enthusiasm for the backcountry in our neighborhood.

It is the goal of the Rico Alpine Society to establish a community based organization that can provide support for many of the outdoor activities that are important to the Rico community. Almost immediately, the Rico Alpine Society became involved in several projects this summer.

We hope that all who appreciate the outdoors around Rico will participate in this fledgling organization so that we can steadily build our capacity to support volunteer efforts related to preserving and enjoying the natural beauty that surrounds us. We also plan to have some fun along the way!

Eric James Heil, President

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING

The Rico Alpine Society will hold its first annual meeting at the Rico Courthouse on Thursday, October 23^rd at 6:00 p.m. Chili, refreshments and deserts will be provided, so bring your appetite and ideas for outdoors projects as well as any friends that may be interested in the Rico Alpine Society.

Meeting Agenda:

1. Adoption of meeting minutes

2. President’s Report, Secretary’s Report, Treasurer’s Report

3. Discussion of Nordic trails, grant application

4. Discussion of Softball Field, Special Use Permit

5. Informal member/community input on outdoor activities and projects.

6. Adjourn: finish chili and refreshments!

SUMMER HAPPENINGS

June

The RAS held several initial meetings to discuss the general concept of the organization and complete preliminary paperwork. Articles of Incorporation were filed and By-Laws were drafted and adopted. The RAS is a duly organized non-profit corporation in Colorado and is currently applying to the IRS for tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

July 4th

The RAS set up a booth at the 4th of July celebration in downtown Rico with a variety of outdoor information and membership forms. The booth was a great success and 67 people joined as members. Members include full-time residents, summer residents, property owners and visitors.

Gary is #1! Deanna Belch signs up Gary Gass, the first RAS member!

Weed Seminar

A noxious weed seminar was held at the Rico Elementary School on July 10th to provide information about invasive species identification and control. Mark Tucker, US Forest Service and Dan Fernandez, Dolores County CU Extension Office attended as guest speakers and explained the nature of this problem and described removal techniques.

Yellow Toad Flax (butter and eggs) and Canadian Thistle have taken hold in Rico during the last couple years and are rapidly spreading. Mark Tucker is working with RAS to identify potential grant funds to assist with mapping noxious weeds and purchasing special bugs that attack specific noxious weeds. Noxious weeds are a problem because they spread too quickly, force out native plants and flowers, and are not edible wildlife forage.

RAS hopes to organize volunteer days next summer to remove noxious weeds as well as organize additional educational meetings. A variety of brochures and informational pamphlets are available from the RAS and at the Rico Library. Contact Board member Mike Curran at lesski@webtv.net or Eric Heil at ericheil@frontier.net for more information.

River Corridor Clean-up

A volunteer river corridor clean-up in July was organized by Aron Smith with the Telluride’s Greenbucks program. The Town of Rico supplied a 30-yd dumpster, which was quickly filled with trash by 30+ volunteers. Many of the old applicances habitating along the river were finally removed. RAS assisted this effort with organizational and financial support. Each volunteer earned a Greenbuck to see a free concert in Telluride. RAS provided a picnic afterward with supplies donated by Wal*Mart.

Open House with the USFS

Rico Alpine Society organized an Open House for members and the community to meet with Forest Service representatives to learn about recreation use designations on Forest Service lands around Rico. Representatives from the San Juan National Forest district were present to discuss the upcoming Forest Plan revision and Travel Management Plan that includes the Rico region.

The current Forest Plan for our area is one of the oldest plans in the country and has not been updated for more than 20 years; therefore, the plan is in need of updating. The Forest Service hopes to gain community input and update the San Juan Forest Plan within the next couples years, which will include revisions to recreation use desigations.

The RAS will discuss and collect comments regarding Forest Service land designations at the Annual Meeting on October 23rd. Maps will be available, so bring your experience, observations and remarks to the meeting. Working maps are available at Rico Town Hall.

Second Annual Home Tour

The Not-So-Alternative Home Tour was held on September 20th at a variety of locations within and around the Rico town limits. 50 participants from the region toured over 20 homes that incorporated sustainable building techniques into their design and construction. The RAS was a sponsor of the event which included a late-season lunch during a special presentation at the Rico Theater and Café and trade show at the Fire Department. RAS Board member Donovan Spitzmen organized the event and member Mekeal Volimte designed and created the tour guide.

Softball Field

The historic softball field area was closed during the summer of 2001 due to concerns over long-term campers squatting (both legally and physically!), trespassing and wildfire concerns. Since the closure, many Ricoans have expressed a desire to re-open this area for traditional community uses and low-impact public camping. The Rico Alpine Society and the Town of Rico have decided to jointly apply to the U.S. Forest Service for a Special Use Permit for community use of the Softball Field area. The initial concept is for RAS to provide the organization and volunteer effort to insure trash is removed, camping is in appropriate areas for no longer than 14 days, and assisting with scheduling events (like the old timers picnic).

RAS plans to begin working with the Forest Service this fall with the hope that the details can be addressed and a permit obtained by next spring. Come to the Annual Meeting to learn more about this project.

*Teamwork in Action*

Through the group effort of the USFS, RAS, community member Ken Janke, and the Rico Fire Department, the adjacent landowner and the USFS agreed to open the gates to allow a softball game and picnic at the site over Labor Day weekend. The day was filled with fun as children and adults alike played softball, ate, drank, and enjoyed the sunshine until 7:00 in the evening. Everyone present helped to clean-up after the event and the site was left spotless. Thanks to all for their efforts to resurrect this century-old traditional use of our public lands.

THINK NORDIC!

Many cross-country skiiers have expressed interest in establishing groomed trails around Rico for classic and skate skiing. RAS is working on a grant application to Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to purchase a snowmobile and a “pull-behind” cross-country trail groomer for next winter.

The prospective budget is approximately $7,500 for a new 4 stroke “work-horse” snowmobile and $2,500 for a new trail-groomer (of course, we are looking for deals). Approximately $2,000.00 dollars in matching-funds money will need to be raised for the grant. Contact Deanna Belch, Secretary, at dbelch@fone.net to contribute or bring your donations to the Annual Meeting on October 23rd. A proposed trail route near the Argentine mill site and along the river may be packed this winter if equipment becomes available.

Other Winter Activities:

Other winter activities for which interest has been expressed are establishing an ice skating rink, a sledding hill, and a back-country hut. Come to the Annual Meeting if you have any interest in these activities.

Help Us Invite New Members!

RAS is a community based volunteer organization, and everyone is welcomed and invited to join. You can help by inviting others to join the Rico Alpine Society. Membership forms are included with this newsletter.

Final Note – Higher Love!

Rico Alpine Society baseball hats are still available. These sky blue hats are top quality baseball hats embroidered with the RAS logo by Iron Clad embroidery.

The hats are available for $25 a piece. Thanks to the donation by Nita Clark of Iron Clad embroidery, these hat sales are the main fund raiser for RAS. Contact Eric Heil if you would like to purchase a hat.