Guest Columns - The Journal

Stewards of the Land Do spring rains mean no wildfires? Think again.

The recent spring rains may lull you into thinking there won’t be much of a fire season. And there may not be – this summer. But fast forward to next June and think about how much more fuel ...

DATE: Jun 29, 2015 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Choose pollinator plants, and they will help you

Editor’s note: Get Growing, written by the La Plata County Extension Office’s Master Gardener Program, appears during the growing season. It features timely tips and suggestions for your gar...

DATE: Jun 25, 2015 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Center provides readjustment counseling services

The Vet Center Program was established by Congress in 1979 out of recognition that a significant number of Vietnam-era veterans were experiencing readjustment problems after returning to civ...

DATE: Jun 25, 2015 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Welcome the recent rain, now monitor soil moisture

With all the recent moisture (2.5 inches since the first of April), it’s easy to get excited about gardening. After a relatively dry and warm winter, pessimism abounded, and it w...

DATE: Jun 4, 2015 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Don’t let fears diminish strengths of aging brain

The research and articles about the aging brain are daunting. There are so many focuses: memory with dementia and Alzheimer’s, emotional and physical changes, agility, learning, ...

DATE: Jun 4, 2015 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

There’s no ‘perfect’ tree

This is National Arbor Day. Really, it should be a recognized holiday – no school, no postal deliveries. The day has a pretty simple premise: planting trees in public spaces. ...

DATE: Apr 23, 2015 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

How you can help prevent food poisoning

“From farm to plate, make food safe” was the theme of this year’s World Health Day. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization highlighted the importance of food safety. Because th...

DATE: Apr 9, 2015 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Leave them alone: Helping baby wildlife can kill

By Maureen Keilty Living with Wildlife Advisory Board You see big eyes, a thin coat of shivering feathers, and your heart tells you, “Help me, I’ve been abandoned!” How...

DATE: Apr 2, 2015 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Early delights: Asparagus, garlic

With the (early) arrival of spring so comes the flowering shrubs and trees – forsythia, plums, apricots and crabapples – as well as the initial vegetable growth from asparagus and garlic. ...

DATE: Apr 2, 2015 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Christmas trees have uses after holidays

’Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the tree lot, many creatures were stirring and wondering, “What?” What to do with these trees that now have no home? Could we find them a place...

DATE: Jan 29, 2015 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Young farmers plant seeds for success

Way back when – perhaps the late 1990s – I wanted to be a farmer. I was close to getting mybachelor of science degree at Montana State University and was taking those “fluff” cla...

DATE: Jan 29, 2015 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns

Christmas dinner tradition continues

By Karen Sheek On Christmas Day, the public is invited to a free community dinner from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the county annex, 103 N. Chestnut, in Cortez. For ov...

DATE: Dec 15, 2014 | CATEGORY: Guest Columns