Aurora, Colorado

Reducing Water Use

2008-07-01T10:54:00.001-07:00

By Dr. James R. Feucht, Extension Professor, Horticulture, Colorado State University
Less is more -- and better -- when water is involved. Cost increases, as well as shortages thanks to a low snow-pack, make water conservation a priority in 2002. With a few tricks, you can cut water consumption and still maintain a beautiful yard.
Check your sprinkler system. After danger of frost is past, turn it on, and observe where the water goes. Adjust sprinkler heads to point water where it is needed. In some cases, a different type of head may be in order. Most sprinkler systems are designed to water a lawn, but often they overlap and irrigate shrubs, trees and flower gardens that need less frequent watering. You may need to change entire portions of your sprinkler system to gain control over location and frequency of watering.
North exposure lawns do not need as much water as south or west exposures. Change your sprinkler system to occasionally skip waterings on north exposures, and to provide more water to sunny areas.
Most systems sprinkle in a circle or semi-circle pattern. Change your lawn to fit the sprinklers. Do away with corners that often are skipped. In place of lawn, consider ground covers that, once established, require little or no water. Creeping junipers, sedums and the old-fashioned hen-n-chicks do the job well.
Avoid large areas of gravel and plastic. While this method decreases lawn, it does not necessarily reduce water consumption. Light-colored gravel reflects a lot of heat and can create a microclimate resulting in greater water loss from the surrounding lawn. Black plastic over shrubs and trees creates oxygen starvation, causing these plants to develop shallow roots just beneath the plastic. After a few years, even drought-enduring trees such as Russian-olive develop shallow roots and lose their drought-tolerance. Plastic and gravel, therefore, are self-defeating. The new "breathable" fabrics are a better choice.
Wood chips or bark chunks, used without plastic or fabric, make a good mulch. These decorative materials allow air and water penetration, yet keep the soil cool. Heavier bark chunks are best in strong wind areas. Light weight wood chips will blow. Apply these mulches at least four inches deep to conserve water, as well as to discourage moisture loss and weeds. Over a period of time, materials closest to the soil will begin to break down to improve the soil. Add new chips after a few years.
Use drought-tolerant plants to reduce water consumption. Keep them separate from lawn and other plants that require more water. Design a succulent garden. Desert plants and nearly all succulents must have sandy, well-drained soils, of which there are few in Colorado.
With some effort you can convert your soil. Put three inches of coarse sand on top and incorporate it with a rototiller. Repeat using one inch of organic material such as aged barnyard manure or peat moss. This provides a well-drained top soil six to nine inches deep. Along with cacti and other succulents, consider gazania for a splash of color. This low-growing, drought-tolerant plant grows readily from seed and produces large showy flowers. Another choice is Cape Marigold, often called African daisy. This almost forgotten annual comes in a variety of colors including yellow, apricot and white. A variety of sedums or stonecrops also will produce interesting foliage, texture and color changes. Dragon's blood is one of the most popular. It produces a rose-red flower during the summer months.
Before you water, dig down and find out if the soil is dry. Don't gauge water needs on soil surface appearance. In this semi-arid climate, the surface dries quickly, but evaporation slows beneath. This is because dry soils tend to insulate, acting much as mulch. This insulation reduces heat conduction deep into the soil.
Black organic soil also is desirable, but it builds up heat and can be a water waster. Dark soils absorb heat and can need water as frequently as light-colored soils. The type of organic material makes a difference. Many mountain peats create a water problem. When they're dry, they are difficult to wet and they repel water. When they are wet, they are difficult to dry. The best organics to improve water-holding capacity are coarse materials such as compost and barnyard manures.

July 4th Fireworks

2008-07-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July Spectacular, Aurora’s seventh annual Independence Day Celebration, features the largest fireworks display in the metro area, live entertainment and a performance of music by the Air Force Academy Band and the Aurora Symphony Orchestra. Fourth of July Spectacular takes place at the great lawn on the west side of the Aurora Municipal Center.
Limited seating is available on the Aurora Municipal Center lawn. The fireworks also may be viewed from surrounding areas. Best viewing locations include east of Potomac Street, south of Sixth Avenue, north of Mississippi Avenue and west of Buckley Road.
When: July 4, 2008, 6:30 p.m. (Aurora Symphony Orchestra begins), 8:15 p.m. (Air Force Academy Band begins), 9:30 p.m. (fireworks begin)
Where: Aurora Municipal Center, 15151 Alameda Parkway
Estimated Attendance: 2,000 in the lawn seating; 100,000 viewing the fireworks display from surrounding neighborhoods and parking lots
Activities: Huge fireworks display (25 minutes) Food and beverage booths
Parking: Town Center at Aurora Aurora City Place

Denver Dumb Friends League

2008-07-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

Founded in 1910, the Dumb Friends League is a national leader in providing humane care to lost and abandoned animals, rescuing sick, injured and abused animals, adopting pets to new homes, helping pets stay in homes, and educating pet owners and the public about the needs of companion animals.
The Dumb Friends League is the largest animal welfare organization in the Rocky Mountain region, welcoming tens of thousands animals to our two shelters. We turn no animals away.
At our main shelter in southeast Denver and our Buddy Center in Castle Rock, dogs, cats, rabbits and other small pets enjoy the comfort of a nurturing environment in state-of-the-art facilities.
Our servicesThe Dumb Friends League:
Provides shelter and care for more than 28,000 lost and abandoned animals every year
Adopts homeless pets to new families
Reunites lost pets with their owners
Investigates animal cruelty and supports animal-friendly legislation
Provides animal behavior assistance through classes, a free telephone helpline and the Internet
Offers free pet-friendly housing referrals throughout Colorado
Educates children and adults about the humane treatment of animals and the importance of spaying and neutering
Our missionThe Dumb Friends League is committed to the welfare of animals:
We shall provide shelter and care for animals
We shall provide programs and services that enhance the bond between animals and people
We shall be advocates for animals … speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves
Why we're called the Dumb Friends League When our organization was founded in 1910, it was named after a London, England, animal shelter called Our Dumb Friends League. In those days, the term "dumb" was often used to refer to those who were unable to speak.
Although the term "dumb" is not generally used with that meaning today, we've kept our name, because it has significant recognition among Colorado residents.
The mission statement of the Dumb Friends League includes these words: “speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves," meaning our companion animal friends.
We are a private, nonprofit organization, and thanks to the support of many individual, foundation and corporate donors, we continue to make a big difference for the people and animals in our community and beyond.
The Dumb Friends League is an open-admission shelter The Dumb Friends League welcomes every animal in need. We turn no animals away. We are defined as an “open admission” shelter.
There are other organizations that call themselves “no kill” shelters, but we find the term misleading. These organizations are more accurately defined as “limited admission” shelters, because, generally speaking, they have to restrict the number of animals they take in. They may turn away those that aren’t healthy or behaviorally sound. To operate successfully, they have to limit their intake to animals that can be adopted quickly.
As an open-admission shelter, we take in ill and injured animals and those that are not immediate candidates for adoption. We receive pets that are no longer wanted, pets from people who can no longer care for them, as well as stray animals.
We work hard to give second chances to every healthy or rehabilitatable animal, and we do a very good job.
There is no set time limit for how long an animal can remain in our Adoptions program. As long as an animal maintains general good health, a sound temperament and we have space, we'll keep a pet for weeks, sometimes months. We may put a healthy but overlooked animal in temporary foster care and return it to the Adoptions program at a later time. We move sick animals into foster care or into our TLC Center for treatment, where they remain available for adoption. And we work with our placement partners (breed groups and other organizations), who find homes for some harder-to-place animals. We do everything we can to avoid euthanasia of healthy or rehabilitatable animals.
But more keep coming—an average of about 83 every day—and the reality is that there is not enough space and money to accommodate all of them. We humanely euthanize those animals—primarily cats—that are not chosen by new families. We also euthanize aggressive animals—primarily dogs—that are determined to be a potential threat to the community and those sick or injured animals that are unrehabilitatable given our resource limitations.
The Dumb Friends League's goal is to save the lives of all healthy and rehabilitatable dogs and cats in our communityTo reach the goal, we are working locally with our animal welfare partners in the Metro Denver Shelter Alliance and nationally with organizations like The Humane Society of the United States to make the community problem of surplus animals a thing of the past. Here’s our action plan.We are:
Stepping up efforts to promote spaying and neutering
Increasing the number of shelter animals adopted to new homes
Encouraging responsible pet ownership through expanded public awareness and humane education
Supporting pet owners through dog training classes, behavior counseling and Web sites
Involving ourselves proactively in humane issues through legislative processes
Learn more about the Dumb Friends League by reading our publications.
You can also subscribe to our online newsletter, League Mews.
The Dumb Friends League respects the privacy of its donors. We do not sell or exchange any individual donor information. For details on our privacy policy, click here.
Make a donation for the animals in our careWe are a private nonprofit organization. We spend an average of $300 on every animal adopted, over and above the fee paid by the patron. If you would like to help us, you can click here to make a secure online donation or print out a donation form and mail or fax it to us.

Hot Cars Cool Kids Summer Safety Campaign

2008-07-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

The Aurora Police Department, Aurora Fire Department and Rural/Metro Corporation have launched a new public awareness effort called Hot Cars, Cool Kids Summer Safety Campaign designed to shed light on the dangers involved when leaving kids in cars on hot days. Special emphasis will be placed on the dangers hot weather poses to children left in unattended vehicles.
Police are asking the public to get involved in this campaign to keep kids safe. If you see a child in this situation, please immediately call 911. The call will receive a high priority response from police and fire departments.
As part of the campaign, police officers will be directed to patrol parking lots looking for kids who have been left alone or are in distress in a vehicle. Officers will receive daily reminders of this campaign, which will run on a network of TV monitors located in patrol briefing rooms at all Police District.
Every summer first responders from Aurora are sent to rescue distressed kids from sweltering hot cars. Kids are either left in the car intentionally or forgotten about. This year, several communities around the country have already experienced the tragic loss of a child as a result of hyperthermia vehicular deaths. Although Colorado has not seen a large number of deaths involving kids left in hot cars, it’s important to note that each death was preventable.
The goal is to reach out to parents and caregivers to warn them about the dangers that vehicles pose to children, especially during the hot summer season. A child left alone in a vehicle is a priority call for the Police Department, especially during the summer months when the heat can result in serious injury or death.
More Information can be found at www.KidsandCars.org .

Arabian Horse Association

2008-07-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

AHA BASIC FACTS
Company Name: Arabian Horse Association
Location: 10805 East Bethany Drive, Aurora, CO 80014
Founded: In 2003, the Arabian Horse Association incorporated as a 501(c)(5) organization through a merger of the Arabian Horse Registry of America (founded 1908) and the International Arabian Horse Association (founded 1950)
Purpose: AHA is a 39,000 member equine association that registers and maintains a database of more then one million Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses. It administers approximately $4 million in annual prize money, produces national events, maintains official event records, recognizes more than 400 Arabian horse shows and distance rides and provides activities and programs that promote breeding and ownership.
Programs: Competitive Distance, Frequent Rider, Open Event Incentive, Horse and Amateur Achievement Awards, Halter and Performance Futurities, International Arabian Breeders Sweepstakes, Dressage Rider Awards, Distance Horse Awards, Endurance Ride High Point Awards, Competitive Trail High Point Awards, Volunteer Service Awards
Events: U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show, Canadian National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show, Youth National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show and the Sport Horse National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show
Membership: Adult, Youth, Business and Life categories are available
Governance: AHA represents the interests of Arabian horse owners throughout the United States and Canada through an Executive Committee (7 members/five elected, 2 appointed), a Board of Directors (18 elected/4 appointed), and an Annual Convention
Statistics: 39,000 members; 636,277 Arabian horses; 339,519 Half-Arabian horses; 9,528 Anglo-Arabian horses (As of Dec. 31, 2007)
Annual Convention: Delegates from 18 geographical regions meet annually to elect officers and other governing bodies and vote on rules that affect the Arabian horse industry
Corporate Partners: Bank of America, Cardinale GMC, Montana Silversmiths, Armstrong Display Concepts Inc., Markel Insurance Company, United Healthcare, New Holland, The Hat Lady, Equisure, Inc