Grape vine pruning workshop planned

A grape vine pruning workshop presented by Colorado State University will be held in Cortez on Saturday, March 14, at The Box Bar Ranch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The cost is $25 a person, and pre-registration is required.

A minimum of 10 people is necessary to hold the workshop.

To get to Box Bar Ranch, 2997 Road 20.5, Cortez: Drive south from Cortez on U.S. 160/491 to Road B, go west past Road 21, take first right on Box Bar Ranch. Follow the road to the white house with a red roof.

For more information, call Tom Hooten at 565-3123. To pre-register, call Donna Iovanni at 970-434-3264, x201.

Oil, gas meeting set for March 26

A community oil-and-gas meeting will be held at 7 p.m. March 26 at the county annex on the corner of Chestnut Street and Montezuma Avenue in Cortez.

The focus of the meeting will be oil-and-gas regulatory overview. Representatives from the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Kinder Morgan, and the Colorado Emergency Planning Committee will give presentations. Written questions will be taken from the public, and a professional moderator will assist.

It's time to renew your membership

Membership fees help us keep the Grange running and also support the state and national Grange.

Mt. Lookout Grange membership is $38/year. A membership form is attached to make things easier. In order to renew, or become a new member, print out the attached form and send along with your check to PO Box 927, Mancos, CO 81328.

Free legal clinic offered at library

A free legal clinic for parties who have no attorney, will be held March 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at the Mancos Public Library, 211 West First Street in Mancos. By computer link, volunteer attorneys will answer questions, help fill out forms and explain the process and procedure for all areas of civil litigation, including family law, property law, probate law, collections, appeals, landlord-tenant law, small claims, veterans issues, and civil protection orders. Walk-ins are welcome, and everyone will be helped on a first-come, first-served basis.

Upcoming dates in 2015 are: March 12, April 9, May 14, June 11, July 9, Aug. 13, Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Nov. 12 and Dec. 10.

Recycling drive planned for March 13

The Four Corners Recycling Initiative is hosting the first plastics recycling drive Friday, March 13. Various schools in the area will participate, with the Southwest Open High opening their collection site to the public at the LIfeway Baptist Church, 601 North Dolores Road. Plastics number 1 and 2 will be accepted at that site between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Schools that will collect in-house are, Kemper, Kiva, and Dolores High School. The students at the Southwest Open High have been working to collect plastics one and two for a pilot project to determine if it's possible to bale and transport plastics as commodities from Montezuma County.

Many of the area high schools have a requirement to be self-sustaining to enable them to comply with grants received for construction. This project is also sponsored by a generous donation to FCRI from Osprey's local pack sale, which took place last November, for which we thank them sincerely.

For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected].

Job training geared toward senior citizens

SER Jobs For Progress, a federally funded job-training program for seniors, has several openings for paid job training positions.

SER partners with community organizations to provide paid job training opportunities for seniors who want to re-enter the workforce. Applicants must be at least 55 years old, currently unemployed and a member of a low-income family.

Training opportunities are available at Dolores Public Lands Office, Dolores Public Library, Habitat For Humanity, 2nd Chance Thrift Store, La Plata County, Colorado Work Force, Colorado Welcome Center, La Plata County Family Center, The Senior Center, Southwest Center For Independence and others.

Applicants may call 970-385-3995 for more information.

Sessions for Habitat for Humanity apps

Habitat For Humanity of Montezuma County will hold three free public information sessions for low-income families/households interested in applying to partner with Habitat to become homeowners. Potential applicants must be residents of Montezuma County for at least a year and must stay for full meeting to receive application.

All sessions begin at 6 p.m. at the following locations:

March 16, Dolores Public Library; March 17, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Cortez; March 23, Mancos Public Library.

Call 970-565-8312 for more information or email [email protected].

Talk on Puebloan villages planned

Mark Varien, Ph.D., executive vice president of the Crow Canyon Research Institute, will present a Life-Long Learning Series lecture at Fort Lewis College on Thursday, March 5.

Varien will talk about the Village Ecodynamics Project, which examines the long-term interaction between Pueblo Indians and their environment, including why the Mesa Verde region was depopulated at the end of the 13th century and where Pueblo people went when they migrated from the area.

He will answer these questions and explore how Pueblo Indian history is relevant to today's world.

The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in Noble Hall, Room 130.

The Mancos Times