These questions and more will be answered in a special one day workshop on May 1st.  Merry Cox and Denise Ackert will lead participants through the creation and management of a food forest. For those unfamiliar with food forests the Edible Forest Gardens website explains, “Edible forest gardening is the art and science of putting plants together in woodland like patterns that forge mutually beneficial relationships, creating a garden ecosystem that is more than the sum of its parts. You can grow fruits, nuts, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, other useful plants, and animals in a way that mimics natural ecosystems.”

Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Location: Salida Regional Library then to Merry’s in Smeltertown
Cost: $60 for GARNA members, $75 for non-members
Pre-registration required, Please print and mail this registration form with your payment.

Participants are encouraged to attend, free of charge, a “bonus” lecture:
An Introduction to Permaculture presented by Sandy Cruz

To register contact:  http://garna.org/seminars.htm

The public is invited to the event which starts at 9:30 a.m. Friday, June 26, with coffee, hosted by Buena Vista Roastery. Before cutting the ribbon, Ritter will talk about the importance of tourism and geotourism to the area. As sustainability is a key tenet of geotourism, attendees are encouraged to arrive at the event by foot or bike. If the weather turns bad, ceremonies will be moved indoors at Eddlyline Restaurant and Brewpub.

TravelGreenColorado.com development and marketing was made possible in large part thanks to a $15,000 regional matching grant provided by the Colorado Tourism Office and the generous support of underwriters such as The Trailhead, an outdoor specialty retail shop in Buena Vista, Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort and Pinon Real Estate Group. Recognizing that geotourism is aligned with its mission, the Greater Arkansas River Nature Association signed on as sponsoring non-profit for the effort.

“We’re obviously immensely gratified that the Governor is giving this effort his attention,” said CPG co-founder Lee Hart. “We’ve gotten an overwhelmingly positive response to the initiative whenever and with whoever we mention it to, so the Governor’s interest in helping us launch the site just lends credence and momentum to this grass roots geotourism effort.”

National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations defines geotourism as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. It is the umbrella under which is found ecotourism, sustainable tourism, culture and heritage tourism, culinary tourism and agritourism.

Geotourism is a movement that calls upon residents, businesses, civic and political leaders as well as visitors to embrace, celebrate and preserve the unique attributes of a destination, Hart explained. For that reason, she noted TravelGreenColorado.com provides equal access to locals and tourists as well as destination marketers to tell the stories of the people, places, businesses and non-profits that matter most and carry the past forward to the future.”In this way,”  Hart said, “We believe this site helps pave the way for the democratization of tourism information.”

Participation in TravelGreenColorado.com is priced in such a way to encourage participation in the site, since the members of CPG feel so strongly about making sure price is not a barrier. “In many cases, the places and businesses most interested in getting their stories out are the least able to afford it,” she said. The site focuses on storytelling; with “stories” illustrstrated with text, photos and videos. Stories are non-commercial in nature, but the site also welcomes commercial content such as may be provided by restaurants, lodging properties attractions and even non-profits that support the principles of geotourism.

Unique to most tourism sites, Hart said TravelGreenColorado.com will also feature an advocacy component so locals and visitors alike can discover and participate in opportunities that help promote a more sustainable approach to the futre. In addition to GARNA,  other geotourism allied non-profits are encouraged to use the site as a way to promote events, membership, volunteer opportunities and issues. All events, as well as blogs and other submissions by fans of geotourism can be found on TravelGreenColorado.com’s companion community site.

The concept for the site started out as just a local effort, but expanded statewide after the strong positive reception to the concept during last fall’s annual meeting of statewide tourism leaders. Other destinations throughout Colorado, including the San Luis Valley, Gunnison-Crested Butte, Glenwood Springs, Manitou Springs,  and others have expressed interest in joining the site.

TravelGreenColorado.com was created by Collegiate Peaks Geotourism co-founders Hart and Bill Donavan with programming wizardry provided by Andrew Koransky and Mark Wiard. For further information about the governor’s appearance or TravelGreenColorado.com, email Hart at lee@sustainable.travel.

The Chaffee County Board of Commissioners is accepting letters of interest from persons desiring to serve on the Chaffee County Heritage Area Advisory Board (CCHAAB). The CCHAAB was created pursuant to Chaffee County Resolution No. 2004-45 to provide advice and assistance on matters associated with planning and implementation of the Heritage Area Program. The CCHAAB is seeking applicants for three (3) seats for a three year term beginning February 1, 2009 – January 31, 2012.

The CCHAAB is also seeking applicants for one (1) “at large” seat with a one to three-year term beginning February 1, 2009. The Board’s focus in 2009 will be evaluation and inventory work to better define the details of historic and preservation projects listed as action items in the Management Plan and completing initial plans for heritage centers in the county’s municipalities.

Additionally, the CCHAAB is seeking applicants for one (1) seat from a representative of the ranching community, who lives and owns a significant amount of property along the scenic byway. This term is a three year term beginning February 1, 2009 – January 31, 2012.

All members must be full time residents of Chaffee County. The members are selected by the Chaffee County Commissioners, based on appropriate geographic representation of the county, and based on representation of interests in cultural, natural, economic, and recreational resources.

Please address the letter to the Board of Commissioners stating your qualifications to serve on this Board. Letters will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 19, 2008 in the Commissioner’s Office, 104 Crestone Ave., Salida, or mailed to GARNA, P.O. Box 1522, Salida, CO 81201. For further information please call (719) 539-5106.

For more information, contact Alison Ramsey at 719-539-5106.