TAHOSA VALLEY LANDOWNERS ASSOCIATION
PO Box 1605
Estes Park, CO 80517

MINUTES OF ANNUAL MEETING SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2022
The Salvation Army High Peak Camp Chapel
111 Salvation Ln, Estes Park, CO 80517

Call to Order

Roger Sherman, President, called the meeting to order at 9:15 AM.

Opening Remarks

Roger Sherman opened the 2022 Annual Meeting. He welcomed members and guests and thanked the Salvation Army for their generosity in hosting our annual meeting again. Roger briefly reviewed the changing focus of TVLA and current primary areas of concern: Wildfire and Short-term Rentals. TVLA is hoping for help and is trying to facilitate public/private partnerships so wildfire mitigation and forest health can move forward on a larger scale. Short-term Rentals have the potential to threaten the quality of life that we hope to preserve in the Tahosa Valley. Both Boulder and Larimer counties are struggling with how best to regulate and manage STRs. Roger encouraged Larimer County neighbors to access the Larimer County Short-term Rental Questionnaire.

Introduction of Attendees

Roger invited attendees to introduce themselves with their name, location, and how long they have been a resident.

Treasurer’s Report

Jonathan Dings, Treasurer, reported that TVLA has approximately $19,000 in assets. Expenses were approximately $1,000 and included mailers and our PO Box. A Venmo account has been set up. Members are encouraged to pay their annual dues using Venmo: venmo@TVLAdues

Approval of Minutes from 2021 Annual Meeting – Thanks to Joanne Brownhill

A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the 2021 Annual Meeting. The minutes were approved as written.

Announcements

Left Hand Watershed Days: Saturday, August 27, 2022, from 9am to 2pm at Camp St. Malo.

Larimer County Short-term Rentals Questionnaire: Please participate and fill out the forms. There are both long-form and short-form questionnaires available. This is our chance to voice our concerns and suggestions.

Annual Meeting Lunch: TVLA is no longer providing lunch at the annual meeting in an attempt to shorten the meeting, decrease expenses, and build up a cash reserve. A cash reserve is important if we ever need to hire legal counsel to help represent our concerns.

Old Business

Meeker Park Community Forestry Sort Yard

Many thanks to Wayne Harrington for his hard work at the Community Forestry Sort Yard. This is an extremely valuable resource for the Tahosa Valley. We sincerely appreciate Wayne’s dedication to the success of the sort yard.

Guest Speaker – Scott Heffernan, Associate Conservation Forester, Longmont and Boulder Valley Conservation Districts

Scott Heffernan gave a very informative presentation on forest restoration. One of the goals of the Longmont and Boulder Valley Conservation Districts is Forest Health and Watershed Management. According to their website www.LongmontCD.org, they “work in partnership with the National Association of Conservation Districts and the NRCS [Natural Resources Conservation Service, a part of the USDA] to address resource concerns on forested private lands... [They] provide technical assistance to complete forest assessments, develop forest management plans, identify and secure a variety of funding sources, and implement projects.”

Key points included the following.

  • Boulder Valley Conservation District is a separate entity from the county, state, and US Forest Service.

  • They are often on the side of landowners.

  • They work with landowners on forest restoration.

  • They help seek EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) funding through the NRCS; also look for other funding sources.

  • Funds are project sharing funds; they do not cover the entire project cost.

When a landowner contacts the Conservation District, they walk the landowner through the process. Considerations include:

  • Size of parcel

  • Status of forest: what it is like; the natural history of that particular piece of land

  • Owner objectives: eg, fire mitigation, barrier with neighbors, restoring ecology

  • Restoration of forest to fire resilient state similar to 100+ years ago

  • Resources landowner can offer; EQIP and other sources of funding

  • Size of acreage matters on priority of funding, competitiveness of proposal for funding

Neighborhood approaches, such as road associations or informal groups of interested neighbors, can be wrapped into one large project that could be funded.

Scott works directly with the Larimer Conservation District to determine how best to manage and/or combine projects that span Larimer and Boulder Counties.

The Conservation District can handle project management such as paperwork and red tape, applying for and managing grants, and managing contractors, loggers, etc. These are generally multi-year projects that continue through restoration, reseeding, and weed management.

For questions or more information, please contact Scott at scott.heffernan@bvlcd.com or visit www.longmontcd.org.

Short-term Rentals (STRs)

Larimer County is updating its regulations regarding Short-term Rentals. A questionnaire is available online for community input. Please let your viewpoint be heard so our collective thoughts can help shape the new regulations. Several concerns were discussed including banning fires for STRs, since many visitors do not appreciate the danger of fire in our valley, and requiring higher insurance rates for STRs due to potential damage to neighbors and other property.

Engage Estes Park

Engage Estes Park is still taking comments on revisions to their 25-year plan. Please take the time to participate and let your voice be heard.

Elections – County Commissioners

Elections are coming up for county commissioners in both Larimer and Boulder Counties. Please pay attention to the candidates, their viewpoints, and possible impact on the Tahosa Valley. John Kefalas is up for re-election in Larimer County. 

Inheritance

TVLA is trying to compile information for various options regarding how to pass property onto the next generation and other new owners in the future. Anyone who has experience with this is asked to please contact Roger Sherman, TVLA President. Roger will create a forum on the TVLA website so members can share and access this information.

Other Old Business

Burn Bans:

We need clear definitions of burn bans so both landowners and visitors understand what is allowed and what is prohibited.

Insurance:

Several insurance concerns were discussed:

  • Some insurance companies are offering a free evaluation of your property.

  • Secondary fire insurance may be possible to purchase.

  • It can be difficult to get full replacement value due to the recent fires and increased costs of new construction. Many insurance companies are recommending replacement value at $500-$600/square foot.

For more information, please talk with your insurance agent.

New Business

Agenda items from the floor

Roger asked for agenda items from the floor. The following were discussed:

Parking: Concerns regarding parking at Longs Peak Trailhead and Lily Lake.

Light and Noise Pollution: The ongoing amount of light and noise pollution coming from camps and STRs was discussed. Some of the light pollution is due to cutting trees as part of fire mitigation efforts throughout the Tahosa Valley. Possible actions included starting conversations about Dark Skies again and encouraging ordinances for noise and light. Dark skies fixtures are readily available now, and down lighting ordinances have been effective in many communities.

Motorcycle noise and speed: Motorcycle noise and speed continue to be a concern. Feel free to report motorcycle noise and speeding to state patrol. However, please understand that they need to be right there to hear it and see it in order for enforcement to occur.

Board Minutes on website

Posting Board Minutes on the TVLA Website was discussed and members agreed it would be valuable. The board will look into this for the future.

Elections

Roger asked for nominations for new Board members from the floor, especially full-time residents living in the Tahosa Valley year-round. It was moved, seconded, and approved to keep the present Board and to add Joanne Brownhill to the Board.  

Comments for the Good of the Valley

The purpose of the TVLA was discussed as a community of people with shared values seeking to preserve and protect, as much as possible, the Tahosa Valley in the same condition as when we were first introduced to it. Historic business and properties are welcome, and new development needs to be appropriate and consistent with current values of the valley.  

Adjourn

Roger called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. A motion was made and seconded, and the meeting was adjourned at 10:51 AM