Salida Chamber Calendar

There is nothing quite like empowering young women through the outdoors, or a night in with family, friends, good wine, and tapas! Join us at the first ever Virtual Vino Event and get the best of both! Spend an hour with three Sommeliers and the elevateHER crew to learn, laugh, and drink wine. Tickets are $125 and include (3) bottles of wine, small plates and tapas to pair with, and an hour of trivia, wine facts, and some virtual community building. Space is limited to 30 participants for this event. That is 30 "screens"! Talk to your inner circle, split the price amount amongst you, and reserve your spot now. Information about the pre-event wine pick up in Buena Vista will be in your confirmation email, once registered for the event! All proceeds from this event will benefit the girls at elevateHER. Click HERE for the Zoom Registration Link.  

Salida Community Center’s will be holding a food distribution on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. at 305 F. Street at the Community Center. The Salida Community Center will be handling the TEFAP program administered by Care and Share out of Colorado Springs. TEFAP stands for The Emergency Food Assistance Program and is a federal program that provides people living on a low income with extra food each month at NO COST!! Due to Covid-19 you will not be asked to sign any papers. We will only ask name, address and number of people in your household. We are aware that at this time there are a large number of people that are not able to work due to Covid-19. Please take advantage of this food program. Click HERE to view the full document including TEFAP Income Eligibility

Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Legislation ZOOM

Sandy Long, Group Leader of the Chaffee County Citizen’ Climate Lobby, is the speaker for this League ZOOM meeting.

           Ms. Long’s presentation will focus on climate change impacts, current Colorado state regulations and actions that can be taken to help pass the bipartisan Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 763 and S.3791) now before the U.S. Congress. 

            “Climate change affects everyone—Republicans, Democrats, and Independents,” Ms. Long notes. “Now is the time for bipartisan action…We can all see the impacts of warmer temperatures, such as the longer wildfire season, increased droughts, shorter ski seasons and shorter rafting seasons.”

The Salida Community Blood Drive will be held on Tuesday, March 9th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge located on 140 W. 3rd Street.  To schedule an appointment, contact the Vitalant Appointment Center at (800) 365-0006, ext. 2, or sign up online at Vitalant.org Click HERE to learn more about donating.  

The Creative Mixer is back...at least virtually!! Join Salida Council for the Arts for a Virtual Creative Mixer on March 11th with a live broadcast from the Paquette Gallery. The ethereal, magical paintings of artist Devyn Grundy will be featured throughout the evening, and Joan Lobeck will be our musical guest. Click HERE to learn more.

GARNA is excited to take the learning to the outdoor classroom. Chris Kassar and Ryan Kempfer from Elk Raven Photography, who led a Wildlife Wander Zoom Lecture, will be your hiking guides in local wildlife habitat. We will build on the information from the zoom lecture and attempt to see wildlife in their natural environment at dusk. This program may be postponed or it may be amazing (due to snow). Registrants are asked to be flexible! Click HERE to register!

Save the date for the next Salida circus Saint Patrick's Day Extravaganza! March 17th at 6 p.m. on the Salida Circus Outreach Facebook page don't miss it!!

Join GARNA and Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative Lead Forester Andy Lerch for an hour long event to learn more about the thinning efforts and fire mitigation on Monarch Pass. The lecture will focus on the recent fuels mitigation work visible across the valley from Monarch Mountain. Andy Lerch will discuss the spruce beetle that has caused widespread tree mortality and the innovative forestry work that ARWC and the US Forest Service are using to address this problem. Learn about how this collaborative work aims to reduce large scale wildfire in our community and protect our water resources. The Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative is a Salida based non-profit that serves the Arkansas River Basin communities by addressing locally-identified watershed issues for economic, ecological & social benefit. Learn more about what they do at www.arkcollaborative.org. Click HERE to register! This Zoom lecture will be followed up by a hike with ARWC lead forester, Andy Lerch on Saturday, April 17th.   Click HERE to sign up for the hike.

Marathon, half marathon, and a two mile fun run! Click HERE to learn details.

NAMI Family & Friends is a free 90-minute seminar that informs and supports people who have loved ones with a mental health condition.  Participants learn about diagnosis, treatment, recovery, communication strategies, crisis preparation, and NAMI resources.  Seminar leaders have personal experience with mental health conditions in their families. For more information, or to register, please contact info@namichaffee.org, or call 970-823-4751.

Help us celebrate National Doctor’s Day by telling your doctor why you appreciate them! After you fill out the doctor appreciation sheet, fax (719-530-0166) or email (tstutes@heartoftherockieshhh.com) this form to Heart of the Rockies Home Health & Hospice, and we will deliver it to your doctor. Click HERE for your APPRECIATION FORM!

Scholarship applications for the Brett Beasley Memorial Scholarship are due by March 31. GARNA will award one or more, $500 minimum, scholarship(s) in the spring of 2021 to those planning to start post high school education in the fall, pursuing a career in natural resources. The inspiration for the Memorial Scholarship is to honor Brett Beasley, who was a partner and friend to GARNA and employee of the US Forest Service – Salida Ranger District, who passed in January of 2017. One of Brett’s core values, as a steward of public lands, was to provide for a diversity of high quality education and volunteer experiences in the Upper Arkansas Valley. Apply here! Many thanks to all the generous donors who support the scholarship! Donate here.

In light of our state’s continued pandemic restrictions, The Royal Gorge Bridge & Park will hold its annual Easter Sunrise Service virtually on the park’s Facebook page at 6:30 am on Sunday, April 4th. For decades the park has opened its gates to hundreds each Easter Sunday and guests have enjoyed the beauty of the Royal Gorge sunrise. Please visit the Royal Gorge Facebook to watch. Click HERE to learn service details.  

League of Women Voters Hosts Drinks & Dialogue with Rural Utah Project On Wednesday, April 7th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm the Chaffee County League of Women Voters will host a Zoom Drinks and Dialogue with Ali Vallarta, Rural Utah Project Development Director. Click HERE to learn about the Rural Utah Project.   To register and obtain a link to the Zoom meeting visit lwvchaffeecounty.org

Last day Monarch lifts will be running.

County Commissioners to Offer Updates at League of Women Voters April Meeting A 5:30 p.m. start time for the Chaffee County League of Women Voters April 12th meeting will allow more working county residents to participate in a Zoom “Happy Hour” with the three County Commissioners. Click HERE to learn meeting agenda. The program is open to the public. To obtain the link to the Zoom meeting and submit questions in advance for the Commissioners, visit the League website at lwvchaffeecounty.org

Learn about Google My Business, a free tool for local businesses who want to connect with customers on Google Search and Maps. This is a LIVE event and will not be recorded. In this session you'll learn how to: • Create or claim your Business Profile on Google • Manage your business info across Google Search and Maps • Use Google My Business to connect with potential customers • Create a free website using the info from your Business Profile Speaker(s): Led by Pamela Starr, one of Google’s professional national trainers, this is a can’t miss workshop for every small business owner. Co-Sponsor(s): Central Mountain SBDC, West Central SBDC and Northwest SBDC Click HERE to register!

Featuring Just Adventure Art, Greater Arkansas River Nature Association, and Jay Lobeck and play "Humanchina." Viewer can watch the presentation and cast votes via their $5 , or more, secure Donorbox donation on the Website. Sponsored by the Partnership for  Community Action.

Salida Soup is the monthly, community-based, online micro-granting event where participants assist a variety of projects in the Upper Arkansas River Valley. At 6 pm on April 15, click here to watch GARNA's video presentation about how funds will support outdoor environmental education programs with Chaffee Boys and Girls Club. Once you've voted for GARNA, pop on over to our Birding 101 program (see on Chamber Calendar)!

Interested in discovering more about birding? Join GARNA Executive Director, Dominique Naccarato for an hour-long Zoom lecture to learn about an exciting way you can interact with nature anytime and anywhere. Dominique will uncover the basics of birding, including how to identify flight patterns, body and beak shape and function, and bird sounds. She will also introduce a wide range of topics including how to use binoculars, where to find birds, how to attract them to your yard, how we can conserve and provide bird habitat, and how bird behavior can provide insight into what’s going on in our neighborhood or ecosystem. Click HERE to register! This exciting presentation will be followed up with a birding hike on Saturday, May 8 at 8:30 am!  

Are you curious about the recent fuels mitigation work visible across the valley from Monarch Mountain? Let’s take the learning outside! Join the Greater Arkansas River Nature Association (GARNA) and the Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative (ARWC) Lead Forester, Andy Lerch  for an interpretive hike through areas just above Monarch Park, where ARWC and the US Forest Service (USFS) have worked to mitigate fire danger. Get up close and personal with the widespread impacts of the spruce beetle and explore the innovative forestry work that ARWC and the USFS are using to address these problems. PRE-REGISTRATION is required.

FibARK's POLE, PEDAL, PADDLE, will take place on April 18th!  This event features a multi-sport race that includes skiing, biking and kayaking. Competitors have followed the spring run off since 1999!  All proceeds from this event go to FibARK's Youth Paddling program, the Ark Valley River Riders. The FibARK Board is looking for volunteers for the event.  Log on to www.3PSalida.com for full details and call Alli at 719-221-3937 to volunteer.

Are you interested in learning more about certificates and degrees at CMC? Have you checked out our community education classes? Come to our Information Night to learn more about what CMC Salida has to offer.

Help preserve biodiversity and wildlife habitat by learning about the area’s invasive weeds and by helping local habitat corridors at an Earth Day Festival on the Monarch Spur Trail. Participants will meet at the Salida Farm to School site by the dog park and soccer fields on Holman Avenue to learn about weed mitigation from Kayla Malone of the Chaffee County Weed Management Office. Participants can also explore the soil health tunnel, scavenger hunt and other soil health activities with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Upper Arkansas Conservation District. Click HERE to learn more! For more information, please contact Kayla Malone at kmalone@chaffeecounty.org

Did you know that invasive species are the number one threat to biodiversity worldwide? Earth Day enthusiasts can help preserve biodiversity and wildlife habitat by learning about the area’s invasive weeds and by helping local habitat corridors at an Earth Day Festival on Friday, April 23 from 9 am to 12 pm. Participants will meet at the Salida Farm to School site by the dog park and soccer fields on Holman Avenue to learn about weed mitigation from Kayla Malone of the Chaffee County Weed Management Office. Participants can also explore the soil health tunnel, scavenger hunt and other soil health activities with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Upper Arkansas Conservation District. From there, volunteers will spread out on the Monarch Spur Trail to mitigate weeds with Salida-area Parks, Open-space and Trails (SPOT), the Central Colorado Conservancy, and GARNA – the Greater Arkansas River Nature Association, or stay at the garden to mitigate weeds with Guidestone Colorado. The City of  Salida will provide weed collection after the workday. The City of Salida will also staff a booth featuring the draft city Climate Action Plan, giving attendees the opportunity to review the plan, which outlines city goals and objectives to address climate change locally, and ask questions. All participants must fill out a City of Salida volunteer waiver to participate, found at - https://www.amilia.com/store/en/city-of-salidarecreation/shop/activities/3225451?view=month&scrollToCalendar=false Paper copies of the waiver will be on hand at the Farm to School site. For more information, please contact Kayla Malone at kmalone@chaffeecounty.org

Meet ‘em Before They’re Famous! Central Mountain Entrepreneurs Launch Party! Join us for the virtual launch of the Resilient Central Mountain Ecosystem and meet the trailblazers making the Central Mountains an emerging hub for entrepreneurship and innovation. Virtual Meetup (Zoom) must register to attend and get your “Kickoff box” ahead of the launch party event. Colorado’s Central Mountains have always been an awe-inspiring place to live and play. With your help, it’s also becoming one of the best places in the world to ideate, launch, and grow a thriving business. Entrepreneurs like you turn ideas and dreams into new businesses ventures daily, and together we’re building a local culture that supports and inspires entrepreneurs of all walks to start and grow their businesses, work remotely, build local wage diversity, create local resilience, and address community scale challenges. Click HERE to learn more and register.

We will be OPENING MAY 7th, 2021 on Friday, Saturdays & Sundays from 1 to 5 pm!  Kids under 7 enter free!  18+ cost $5, seniors are $3 and kids over 7 are $1. Come learn some Salida History with us!