The CSU Routt County Extension Office is accepting applications for 2015 Colorado Master Gardener and Colorado Gardener Certificate training.

Taught by CSU professionals, the program teaches all aspects of growing plants, trees and lawns in a mountain environment.

Reduced cost for attending the program can be obtained by volunteering with the Routt County Master Gardener program. Training sessions will be held every Thursday from Jan. 29 to April 9. Participation is limited to 20 people, with priority given to those who have completed an application by close of business Monday.

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Call 970-879-0825 or visit http://www.rcextension.colostate.edu for an application or more information.

Coffee and a Newspaper is Wednesday at Pilot office

The Steamboat Pilot & Today will be hosting its monthly Coffee and a Newspaper from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday.

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Members of the newspaper staff — including Publisher Suzanne Schlicht, Editor Lisa Schlichtman and Assistant Editor Laura Trabka — will be discussing the top stories of 2014 and looking ahead to top stories to watch in 2015.

The event is held at the newspaper office, 1901 Curve Plaza, and coffee and pastries will be provided. You also are welcome to tour the building.

Brand Inspection Division fees increased on Jan. 1

Effective Jan. 1, fees through the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Brand Inspection Division will increase, according to a news release.

The fee increase includes cattle, horse, and sheep inspection; licenses and permits; brand registration fees/estray fees; brand assessment fees; and cancelled brand reinstatement fees.

According to CDA Brand Commissioner Chris Whitney, brand inspection fees have not increased since 2005.

“Meanwhile, the livestock market has changed dramatically, and the cost of providing the services the industry expects from us has increased,” Whitney said in the news release. “The new fees are a reflection of those changes.”

The brand assessment fee was last increased in 2012; the new fee will be effective in 2017. Fees collected on behalf of the Colorado Beef Council and Colorado Horse Development Authority will not change.

For a complete list of the new fees, visit http://www.colorado.gov/agbrands.

Colorado law and regulations require that livestock, including cattle, calves, horses, mules, donkeys, burros and, when requested, sheep, whether or not they are branded, be inspected before: any change of ownership (whether by gift or sale); transport over 75 miles within the state of Colorado; transport to a destination outside Colorado (regardless of the distance); transport to sale; and transport to slaughter.

Livestock owners can schedule an inspection by contacting their area brand inspector directly. Contact information can be found at https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/agbrands/contact-us-41#map. They also may call CDA’s Brand Inspection division at 303-869-9160 or visit http://www.colorado.gov/agbrands.

Colorado newspaper must post public notices, legals

Beginning Jan. 1, Colorado newspapers that publish public notices and legal notices will be required to post them to http://www.publicnoticecolorado.com in addition to publishing them in the newspaper.  

According to Jerry Raehal, CEO of the Colorado Press Association, the association board and its members lobbied on behalf of newspapers and the public to ensure that public notices and legal notices stayed in newspapers as a permanent record and also would be made accessible to all Colorado residents.

Legislation was passed, stating, “When any legal notice is required by law to be published in any newspaper, the newspaper publishing the notice shall, at no additional cost to the person or entity placing the notice, place the notice on a statewide web site established and maintained by an organization representing the majority of Colorado newspapers as a repository for the notices.”

The Colorado Press Association serves as the site administrator at no cost to the newspapers or the government.

“It’s one website with all required the legal notices that run in the state,” Raehal said in a news release. “We think this set-up is the best of both worlds. The public is able to keep legal notices in a permanent, trusted form but also acknowledge that some might find a digital format more accessible.”

CASA in search of an in-kind photographer

Northwest Rocky Mountain CASA is in search of an in-kind photographer for the upcoming Dancing with the Stars event Jan. 30. 

The photographer needs to be able to take photos with the main lights off and the stage lights on the dancers. Advertisement in the program and tickets are available in exchange for services.

Call Nicole Stone at 970-846-9864 for more information.

Coffee for Dads group meets on 1st Tuesday

Coffee Break for Dads is an informal get-together that provides a casual opportunity for dads to talk with one another and share strategies for managing day-to-day challenges in any area of their lives.

The group will meet the first Tuesday of every month, beginning Jan. 6 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. upstairs at the Paddlewheel Coffee and Tea Co. For more information, call 970-870-5289.