The Craig Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for its annual business awards.

The chamber is asking residents to consider the local businesses that have made an impression on them through their customer service, business practices or community support and nominate them as the 2014 Large Business of the Year (50 or more employees), Small Business of the Year (49 or fewer employees) or Businessperson of the Year.



Send your nominations to 360 E. Victory Way, Craig, CO 81625 or by email to director@craig-chamber.com. Award recipients must be members of the Craig Chamber of Commerce.



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Nominations are due March 7. Winners will be announced at the annual State of the County banquet in March.

Coffee and Newspaper topic is district budget

The Craig Daily Press will host its monthly Coffee and a Newspaper from 7 to 7:50 a.m. March 4 at The Memorial Hospital. The discussion will surround the budgetary concerns at Moffat County School District as well as its per-pupil head count. Publisher Renee Campbell and Managing Editor Noelle Leavitt Riley will moderate the discussion. The event is free, and coffee and pastries will be served. For more information, call 970-875-1788 or 970-875-1790. 

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New community impact coordinator is named

Moffat County United Way officials announced that they have hired Aspen Matthews as the new community impact coordinator. Aspen’s first day was Monday.

Aspen will develop, coordinate and lead activities related to community impact programs in Moffat County, including the Bridges Out of Poverty Program. Bridges Out of Poverty is a powerful model for economic and social change, sustainability and stability. It inspires innovative solutions in those looking to counter poverty and its impact at all levels in a community. This approach helps employers, higher education, community organizations, social service agencies, hospitals, individuals and others address poverty in a comprehensive way.

People from all economic classes come together to improve job retention rates, build resources, improve outcomes and support those who are moving out of poverty.

“I am very excited to join the Moffat County United Way team as the new community impact coordinator. I am looking forward to expanding on Amanda Arnold’s work with the Bridges Out of Poverty Model,” Matthews said. “Since moving to Craig last fall, I have been impressed with all the community resources available, and I am excited to have the opportunity to build on those assets.”

Aspen was previously the Asset Based Community Development Coordinator at The 32nd Avenue Jubilee Center in Denver. In that position, she implemented the ABCD project in the north Denver community.

Matthews earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a major in management at the University of Denver in 2013.

“We are pleased to welcome Aspen Matthews to Moffat County United Way,” said Amanda Arnold, executive director. “Aspen’s education and previous nonprofit experience as well as her passion in working with low-income individuals make her a great fit for this position. I am positive that she will be successful at continuing our Bridges Out of Poverty work and at growing our community impact program.”

For more information about Moffat County United Way, call Amanda Arnold at 970-824-6222 or visit http://www.unitedwaymoffat.org

Area antler restrictions protect wintering wildlife

 

In an effort to reduce stress and the disturbance of wintering big game animals, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission adopted a new regulation in January that limits shed antler collecting in portions of Eagle, Pitkin, Garfield and Routt counties, effective March 1.
 


The new rule prohibits the collection of shed antlers in game management units 25, 26, 35, 36, 43, 44, 47, 444 and 471, with the following criteria:



■ Effective March 1, the regulation goes into effect

■ Shed antler hunting will not be allowed at any time in these GMUs from March 1 through 14



■ From March 15 through May 15, collecting will be allowed only between 10 a.m. through sunset. Collecting is not allowed after sunset through 10 a.m. the next morning



■ Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, the regulation will be in effect. No antler shed hunting allowed prior to March 15 and then only between 10 a.m. and sunset.

For a map of Colorado’s GMUs, go to http://www.cpw.state.co.us/documents/maps/rulesregs/biggamegmumap.pdf

Farm Bill safety-net deadlines approaching

The United States Department of Agriculture is reminding producers of upcoming important deadlines for the new safety-net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage.

The final day to update yield history or reallocate base acres is Friday and the final day for farm owners and producers to choose coverage is March 31. 

“These programs provide financial protection against unexpected changes in the marketplace, so now is the time to have those final conversations, to ask any remaining questions, and to visit the Farm Service Agency to make these decisions,” Leland Swenson, state executive director, said in a statement. 

“For the first time in many years, farmers have the opportunity to update yields or reallocate base, but if no changes are made by Friday, the farm’s current yield and base will be used. If no program election occurs by March 31, then there will be no 2014 payments for the farm and the farm will default to PLC coverage through the 2018 crop year.”

Nationwide, more than 3,500 training sessions have been conducted on the new safety-net programs, including 67 in Colorado. The online tools, available at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/arc-plc, allow producers to explore projections on how ARC or PLC coverage will affect their operation under possible future scenarios.

Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long-grain rice, medium-grain rice (which includes short-grain rice), safflower seed, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat. Upland cotton is no longer a covered commodity.