Craig Daily Press

The Craig/Moffat Economic Development Partnership will help sponsor a free educational seminar for commercial business grant opportunities from 2:15 to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Colorado Northwestern Community College Craig campus.

Pattie Snidow, United States Department of Agriculture west area director, plans to lead two seminars on different USDA Rural Development Division grants.

After beginning with a general overview of both programs, the first seminar from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. is expected to focus on the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant Program. The program offers dollars to agriculture producers who use products from their land to make other goods, such as cheese, salsa, sausage or wood furniture.

The second program, from 3:45 to 5 p.m. is expected to tell the audience about renewable energy and energy efficiency grants available to all rural small businesses. Possible uses for the grant include heating and ventilation improvements and converting some energy needs to renewable resources.

Darcy Trask, EDP executive specialist, said this program could benefit any commercial building owner.

“If an owner of a commercial building is considering energy improvements, or if that person has an older building and they’re thinking about improvements,” Trask said, “this could be very valuable information.”

EDP will continue to bring other seminars to Craig and Moffat County, Trask said, adding the group will research other grant possibilities and work to bring those to the area, also.

“We think anything we can do to give help to businesses, we see that as part of our role,” she said. “This is free money to help your business.”

For more information, call the EDP office at 826-2039.

Humane Society sponsoring contest

The Humane Society of Moffat County is sponsoring a calendar contest featuring photos of area pets. The contest is free, and any pets are eligible. Entries must be submitted by June 15.

Submissions for main calendar art must be sent as an attachment to HSMC2009@yahoo.com. The e-mail must contain the following information: Name and age of the pet photographed, owner’s name, address, phone number and e-mail address. These photographs must .jpg images at least 6 inches wide with a minimum 200 dpi resolution. Only digital photos will be accepted for main calendar art. Photos must have been taken within the past 12 months, and the pet pictured must be living.

For $5 each, contestants may submit pet photographs for placement throughout the calendar. Print photographs and payment should be sent to the Human Society of Moffat County, P.O. Box 1587, Craig, CO, 81625. For more information, call 870-7500.

Teacher of the Year nominations sought

The Craig Daily Press is accepting nominations for the Teacher of the Year award for one more week.

Area residents are invited to nominate their favorite teacher by writing a nomination of no more than 100 words about why he or she deserves the award.

You must include your name for the nomination to be counted.

Nominations may be dropped off at the Daily Press office, 466 Yampa Ave., e-mailed to jraehal@craigdailypress.com or mailed to Craig Daily Press, Attn: Jerry Raehal, P.O. Box 5, Craig, CO 81626. Nominations must be received by 5 p.m. Friday.

The winner will be decided by the Daily Press Editorial Board, which includes employees and community members, based on the entries.

Local Taxidermy Championship results

Craig residents entered every division of the 2008 Colorado State Taxidermy Championships held May 1 to 3 at the Holiday Inn of Craig.

Ten residents representing themselves or their business, as well as five local children, put their skills against that of others for the judge’s eye. The locals did not go home empty-handed.

Following is a list of the competitors and how they placed:

Youth Division:

Tyler Baysinger

Panel Mount

1st place

Ashley Baysinger

Panel Mount

1st place

Drake Zimmerman

Panel Mount

1st place

European Mount

1st place

Darbi Zimmerman

Panel Mount

1st place

Tyler Wells

Panel Mount

1st place

Brianna Combs

Panel Mount

1st place

General competition:

Novice Division:

Tim Ciesco

Call of the Wild Taxidermy

Single Fish-Rainbow trout

3rd place

Single Bird-Mallard duck

3rd place

Ashley Wells

Gamehead-Mule deer

2nd place

Tom Wells

Gamehead-Mule deer

2nd place

Professional Division:

John Baysinger

Wapiti Valley Taxidermy

Large Life Size-Big horn sheep

N/A

Big Cat Taxidermy

Collective artist

Large Life Size-Leopard

3rd place

Todd Combs

Gamehead-Mule deer

3rd place

Grant Jones

Life Size-Antelope (buck)

N/A

Life Size-Antelope (doe)

N/A

Gamehead-Corican

3rd place

Scott Moore

Mountain Man Taxidermy

Gamehead-Antelope

N/A

Steve Rolan

Big Cat Taxidermy

Small Life Size-Pine marten

3rd place

Small Life Size-Pine marten

3rd place

Mark Zimmerman

Bullseye Taxidermy

Gamehead-Elk

2nd place

Gamehead-Elk

2nd place

Gamehead-Mule Deer (group)

2nd place

Gamehead-Mule Deer (buck)

1st place,

Best of Category (Gamehead)

Masters Division:

Leland Reiner

Big Cat Taxidermy

Large Life Size-Mountain lion

3rd place

Large Life Size-Lioness

N/A

Small Life Size-Lynx

2nd place

Gamehead-Elk

N/A

Gamehead-Big horn sheep

N/A