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COLORADO LIVING
Fall 2008
Happenings on the Western Slope-Northwest Area

Cutting Energy Costs
by Leigh Fortson First, think about having To ﬁnd a qualiﬁed auditor:
Western Region a detailed energy audit •Go to the Residential Energy Services Network:
conducted on your home. www.resnet.us/about/default.htm

A ccording to Consumer
Reports, the nationwide
These audits can identify
the source of your home’s
•Conduct a do-it-yourself audit via the Governor’s
Energy Ofﬁce www.colorado.gov/energy/ or the
Smart Energy Living webpage: smartenergyliving.
average cost of regular greatest energy loss and org/Library/EnergyLogic.lowres.pdf
gas in October 2007 advise you about how to •The Department of Energy also has good
was $2.87. Diesel was ﬁx them. You may be information: www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/
$3.16. Since then, it has surprised that most air
ﬂuctuated dramatically, leaks out from utility cut-
reaching as high as $5.00 throughs for plumbing
a gallon. Who knows what pipes, gaps around
tomorrrow will bring. chimneys and recessed
lights, and unﬁnished
The non-proﬁt Smart spaces behind cupboards
Energy Living Alliance and closets.
www.smartenergyliving. Meanwhile, follow these simple
org states that the average suggestions provided by the
house leaks 50-60 percent American Council for Energy
of its conditioned air every Efﬁciency www.aceee.org.
hour. Plus, an average
home is responsible for two These steps really do save energy, which means they really do save you money.
times as much pollution as
the average car. • Turn off the lights even if you’re leaving a room for just a few minutes.
• Use compact ﬂuorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Due to mercury contents,
Every step we can take dispose of them according to directions.
to conserve energy will • Purchase an Energy Star programmable thermostat that can set the best
translate into saving temperatures for waking hours, sleeping hours and while you’re away.
money. There are lots of • Change the air ﬁlter on your heating and air conditioning units once a month
things you can do in your and get them inspected every two to three years.
home—you’ve probably • Insulate your water heater with a blanket from the hardware store. Also,
considered doing them reduce the water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
before. With hair-raising • Buy low-ﬂow showerheads and faucet aerators.
fuel prices, your efforts • Insulate hot water pipes and ducts in areas where there is no heat.
will pay off now more than • Unplug products when not in use. That includes cell
ever before. phone chargers, hair dryers, toasters, blenders, etc. Use
a power strip with an on/off switch for home electronics
such as computer, DVD players, and stereos.
About
From Gas Guzzling to Green Goin’ Energy Star
by Leigh Fortson
The next time you need a new major appliance, purchase
Looking for one with the ENERGY STAR label. You’ll ﬁnd it on
a more fuel refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, clothes washers,
efﬁcient central and room air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces,
car? Go to boilers, lighting ﬁxtures, compact ﬂuorescent bulbs, and
greencars.org, numerous electronic appliances.
a non-proﬁt that can help you select the best (and worst)
value for the class and comfort you’re after. They Go to www.energystar.gov/ and select the appliance
provide comparative charts for all kinds of vehicles— category you are searching for at the top left-hand corner.
not just hybrids—so you can know which truck, van, Once on the appliance page, look for “Product Lists” near
SUV, or compact best suits your needs. the top right-hand corner of the page. Here’s an idea of
what you’ll save with Energy Star products:
The good news is that cars that most of us only dream
of—Lamborghini Roadsters and certain Mercedes •Freezers use at least 10% less energy than older
Benz—rank low because they’re the most offensive to products.
our wallets and the environment. The vehicles that most •Compact refrigerators and freezers use 20% less energy
of us are looking to actually buy are easiest on the air than old and larger units.
we breathe and at the fuel pump. •Dishwashers save 25% more energy.
•Air conditioners save 10% more energy.
More energy saving tips: •Clothes washers use 50% less energy than those
manufactured before 1994.
•Don’t warm up your car when it’s cold. Just drive
“gently” for the ﬁrst few minutes
•Avoid idling your car. It wastes more gas than turning
it off, even for short periods of time

2 Western Slope- Tri River area Colorado Living Fall, 2008
The Similarities between Dehydrated Yogurt and Cheesecake

They taste the same. That’s what Routt County Extension “It’s relaxing for me, and it’s
agent Karen Massey says, anyway. Her ofﬁce hosted a really fulﬁlling when you look
food dehydration workshop on July 29th and participants at the pantry and have your
got to taste some samples. Master food safety advisor and food stacked up for the win-
class instructor Gina Hackett said her children prefer the ter,” she said. “A lot of the
dehydrated yogurt to candy. time, you can’t get out to go
to the grocery store anyway.”
“It’s a good way to get your kids to eat it,” Hackett said. Hackett also is knowledge-
Massey said about 20 people attended the course, putting able about food safety.
it close to capacity.
“Food preservation is one of those things where if you
“There is just a lot of interest right
“The do it wrong, you could really be making somebody sick,”
now in Routt County surround- Massey said. “She’s gone through a lot of training for
ing food preservation,” she
in good standards of preservation of food.”
said. According to Massey,
s
those who are interested
t Hackett recommends people buy a commercial dehydra-
include people who want to
i tor if they want to preserve food that way. She has taught
buy and store locally produced
b classes before and said people tend to pick up the process
food, as well as backpackers
fo quickly.
who want healthy dried food to
take on hikes. “There’s nothing hard to it,” she said. “After you learn
your basics, there’s nothing hard to it at all.”
This course was the Extension ofﬁce’s ﬁrst on food de-
hydration. Hackett, who lives on a ranch about 10 miles
from Muddy Pass toward Walden, taught it with Candi
Loftsgard.

Hackett said she has been dehydrating food for 25 or 30
years. She started doing it out of necessity for her family,
and she dehydrates or cans just about everything. Hackett
tries to preserve enough food for a whole year. She also
makes her own seasonings through dehydration.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning-Keeping Your Family Safe
by Rhonda Follman, Tri River Area director and family & consumer science agent

A recent tragedy close to home Many of these initial symptoms are Preventing harmful fumes from
served as a stark reminder to me similar to those of the ﬂu or food accumulating inside your home and
and my husband that we did not poisoning. If high levels of carbon other enclosed spaces is imperative.
have a carbon monoxide detector in monoxide persist, victims can faint, Fuel-burning appliances including
our house. Of all the precautions we become unconscious, and death wood stoves, ﬁreplaces, furnaces,
take to make our home a safe place may result. Infants, small children, gas stoves, clothes dryers, and gas
for our family, this was not even on elderly people, and people with burning space heaters should be in-
our radar. It also never occurred to anemia or a history of heart or re- spected by a professional annually
us that carbon monoxide is the lead- spiratory conditions are most at risk to ensure they are in good work-
ing cause of poisoning deaths in the for carbon monoxide poisoning. ing condition and that vents, ﬂues,
United States, with over 500 deaths Symptoms should not be ignored and chimneys are connected and in
annually. especially if more than one person good condition. Whenever possible,
in the home is experiencing them. If appliances that vent their fumes
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, someone suspects carbon monoxide outside should be purchased.
colorless gas produced whenever poisoning, call 911.
a fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, Fumes from gasoline-powered
wood or charcoal is burned. When Carbon monoxide detectors can engines can build up inside an en-
fuel-burning appliances such as help protect your family from closed area very quickly. Therefore,
stoves, furnaces, clothes dryers, carbon monoxide poisoning. These an automobile should never be left
ﬁreplaces and spaces heaters are devices alert your family of unsafe idling in a garage even if the garage
maintained and used properly, levels in your home. However, door is open. A gas, propane, or
hazardous amounts of carbon mon- carbon monoxide detectors are not charcoal grill should never be used
oxide are usually not produced. the “end all” to safe-guarding your indoors. Small gasoline-powered
However, dangerous levels can family against carbon monoxide engines and tools such as lawn-
accumulate if appliances are in poisoning. Prevention is equally mowers, chain saws, weed trim-
disrepair or are used incorrectly. important. Follow the manufac- mers, or generators should not be
Carbon monoxide can also rise to turer’s recommended instructions used in enclosed spaces.
dangerous levels from an idling car on installation and placement in the
or a gasoline-powered engine or home since these devices do not
tool such as lawnmower or genera- work the same as smoke detectors.
tor operating in an enclosed garage
or space.

Initial symptoms of carbon mon- Carbon monoxide detectors can be
oxide poisoning include headache, purchased at most home improvement
stores and cost $20 or more.
fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea
and dizziness.
Overview of Fall Gardening Chores
by Yvette Henson, director, San Miguel County and natural resources agent

General Vegetables
• Winterize irrigation system • Harvest warm-season crops
• Turn compost before frost
• Clean beds of debris that can • Tomatoes, cucumbers, beans,
harbor disease and insects squash, etc. Native Plant
• Mulch • Harvest cool season crops Master® Program
• Harden plants/ deep watering after frost by Susan Rose, Tri River Area
• Plant spring-blooming bulbs • Cabbage, carrots, brussels horticulture education
sprouts, etc.
Perennials We are very excited in the Tri
• Cut back dead stems, except Lawn River Area to be participating
for crown protection and food • Fertilize in the Native Plant Master®
and shelter for small wildlife • Aerate Program, which has now gone
• Divide and transplant • Mow to 2” (never cut more statewide. The courses for this
• Plant new than 1/3) program take place in the ﬁeld
• Apply vole repellant and on three consecutive Saturdays.
Annuals fungicides
• Pot up any plants want to Participants learn to identify
bring indoors and place near Shrubs/ Trees native plants using a key, and
sunny window • Plant or transplant evergreens become familiar with their
• Sow seed for self-seeding • Apply anti-desiccant to ever botanical names. Alien spe-
types (California poppies, greens cies are also identiﬁed, and the
love-in-a-mist, cosmos, etc.) • Prune and discard diseased, importance of environmental
damaged wood stewardship is woven through-
out the course. We are currently
teaching the courses at three
For answers to your wonderful and diverse sites: the
gardening questions 24/7 Colorado National Monument,
visit Planttalk Colorado:
the Black Canyon of the Gunni-
www.planttalk.org
son, and on Grand Mesa.
You can also subscribe to an updated podcast
from PlantTalk Colorado by visiting the Check our Web site:
link above. westernslopegardening.org this fall
for dates and locations for 2009.
COLORADO LIVING Extension County Ofﬁce Phone Numbers
is a publication of Adams ........................................(303) 637-8100 Kiowa ........................................ (719) 438-5321
Colorado State University Alamosa .................................... (719) 852-7381 Kit Carson .................................. (719) 346-5571
Extension Arapahoe .................................. (303) 730-1920 La Plata ..................................... (970) 247-4355
Archuleta ................................... (970) 264-5931 Larimer ...................................... (970) 498-6000
4040 Campus Delivery Baca .......................................... (719) 523-6971 Las Animas ................................ (719) 846-6881
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-4040 Bent ........................................... (719) 456-0764 Lincoln ....................................... (719) 743-2542
(970) 491-3813 Boulder .................................... (303) 678-6238 Logan ........................................ (970) 522-3200
FAX 491-3722
Broomﬁeld ................................ (720) 887-2286 Mesa ......................................... (970) 244-1834
Joanne Littleﬁeld - Leigh Fortson - Meg Wilson
Chaffee ...................................... (719) 539-6447 Mineral ...................................... (719) 852-7381
Editors Cheyenne ................................... (719) 767-5716 Moffat ....................................... (970) 824-9180
Conejos ..................................... (719) 852-7381 Montezuma ............................... (970) 565-3123
Colorado State University Extension’s programs are available to all
without discrimination. The information contained herein is provided as
Costilla ...................................... (719) 852-7381 Montrose .................................. (970) 249-3935
a public service with the understanding that Colorado State University Crowley ................................ (719) 267-4741 x7 Morgan ..................................... (970) 542-3540
makes no warranties or endorsements, either expressed or implied.
Custer ........................................ (719) 783-2514 Otero ......................................... (719) 254-7608
Colorado State University Extension, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Delta .......................................... (970) 874-2195 Park .......................................... (719) 836-4289
and Colorado counties cooperating. Denver ....................................... (720) 913-5270 Phillips ...................................... (970) 854-3616
Dolores ...................................... (970) 677-2283 Prowers ..................................... (719) 336-7734
October 2008 Douglas ..................................... (720) 733-6930 Pueblo ....................................... (719) 583-6566
Eagle ......................................... (970) 328-8630 Rio Blanco ................................. (970) 878-4093
El Paso ...................................... (719) 636-8920 Rio Blanco ................... (Branch) (970) 675-2417
Elbert ......................................... (719) 541-2361 Rio Grande-Saguache ................ (719) 852-7381
Elbert ................. (Branch ofﬁce) (303) 621-3162 Routt ......................................... (970) 879-0825
Fremont ..................................... (719) 276-7390 San Miguel ................................ (970) 327-4393
Garﬁeld ..................................... (970) 625-3969 Sedgwick ................................... (970) 474-3479
Gilpin ........................................ (303) 582-9106 SLV Area Ofﬁce .......................... (719) 852-7381
Grand .........................................(970) 724-3436 Summit ..................................... (970) 668-3595
Gunnison ................................... (970) 641-1260 Teller ......................................... (719) 689-2552
Huerfano ................................... (719) 738-2170 Washington ............................... (970) 345-2287
Visit us online: Jackson ..................................... (970) 723-4298 Weld ......................................... (970) 304-6535
www.ext.colostate.edu Jefferson ................................... (303) 271-6620 Yuma ......................................... (970) 332-4151

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