CPW offers veterans, active-duty military free park admission Nov. 11
DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife will honor all veterans and active-duty members of the U.S. military, military reserve and National Guard on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, with free admission to any of Colorado’s 41 state parks.
It’s CPW’s way of saying “thank you” by giving our veterans and active-duty military a chance to unwind and enjoy the wildlife and wild spaces across the state. Military members or veterans visiting the parks must present proof of military service at the park gate. Free entry extends to all passengers in the same vehicle with a qualified service member. All other park fees, such as camping or fishing fees, still apply.
Military identification methods include: Military ID card, Applicable DD Form, Veterans Affairs health identification card, A current Colorado Driver’s License or state-issued identification card with the veteran seal printed on it.
Fishing, picnicking, camping, hiking, hunting and wildlife viewing are just some of the activities enjoyed in Colorado’s state parks in November. Use the Park Finder to locate a park near you and plan your Veterans Day visit.
To learn more about other military benefits offered by CPW year-round, visit cpw.state.co.us.
Seasonal boat ramp closures to impact aquatic nuisance species protocols at CPW lakes
SOUTHERN COLORADO — Access to boat ramps at John Martin Reservoir State Park, Trinidad Lake State Park and the twin lakes at Lathrop State Park in Walsenburg will be changing in coming weeks due to seasonal closures.
But the need to guard against the invasion of non-native zebra and quagga mussels, known as Aquatic Nuisance Species, or ANS, is not going away. And Colorado Parks and Wildlife reminds boaters to remain vigilant in protecting state waters from these damaging mussels.
At John Martin Reservoir, boat ramps will be closed beginning Nov. 1 because they fall within a designated “waterfowl resting area.” And the reservoir’s Lane 19 boat ramp currently does not allow access to water.
Hand launching of boats is still allowed at John Martin. But hand-launched boats still need an ANS inspection. Boaters should report to the John Martin Reservoir State Park Visitor Center during business hours, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday, to obtain an ANS inspection.
At Trinidad Lake, the boat ramps will close Dec. 1, unless an earlier freeze makes boating impossible. In the meantime, ANS inspections remain mandatory.
At Lathrop, the ANS inspection station closes Oct. 31, requiring boaters to stop at the Visitor Center to obtain an inspection between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Gates at the Martin boat ramp in Lathrop will remain open until the lake freezes. Horseshoe Lake boat ramp is closed for the season. Hand-launched boats may be used to retrieve waterfowl during the waterfowl season.
For more information about CPW’s ANS Program and the Mussel-Free Colorado Act, visit http://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/ISP-ANS.aspx.
AARP Tax preparation program looking for meeting place
WALSENBURG — The free AARP Tax preparation program, that has operated in the Walsenburg area for over 30 years, may be coming to a halt for the 2018 tax season. The room used at the Senior Center, 9th and Russell, is no longer available. If another location can not be found the program will no longer be coming to Walsenburg tax filers. If anyone knows of a meeting room that might be available, at no cost, please call 719-564-9452 and leave a message.
National Teen Driver Safety Week, Safety tips for teen drivers
DENVER — Teen drivers put everyone on the roadway at risk of a deadly crash. That’s the takeaway from a new AAA analysis of 2016 crash data, which found that 50 Coloradans were killed in crashes involving teen drivers. Importantly, 70 percent of all fatalities involving teen drivers were individuals other than the teen drivers themselves, underscoring the risks these drivers pose to everybody on the roads.
“By their very nature, teens tend to be less experienced and more reckless than any other group of drivers,” said AAA spokesman Skyler McKinley. “In concert, those characteristics increase the odds of a deadly outcome — not just for the teen driver but for their passengers and others on the roadways, including pedestrians and bicyclists.”
One surefire way to lower fatality rates? Don’t let teens ride with other teens. New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that when a teen driver has only teen passengers in their vehicle, the fatality rate for all people involved in a crash increased 51 percent. In contrast, when older passengers (35 or older) ride with a teen driver, overall fatality rates decreased eight percent.
Nationwide, in 2016, teen drivers were involved in more than 1 million police-reported crashes — resulting in more than 3,200 deaths. AAA researchers pinpointed that when teens were carrying teen passengers, fatality rates jumped: 56 percent for occupants of other vehicles 45 percent for the teen driver 17 percent for pedestrians and cyclists
“When you break down the data, it becomes clear that the risks posed by teen drivers are a public health issue,” McKinley said. “In crashes where teen drivers are behind the wheel with a teen passenger, a majority of those killed are other road users. Parents need to take this rite of passage seriously by setting and consistently enforcing rules to limit teenage passengers in the vehicle.”
Supervised driving — with parents in the passenger seat as the coach — is the first step to teaching teens how to become responsible and safe drivers. Parents should:
Require teens to log at least 100 hours of supervised practice driving with a parent before driving solo.
Begin by practicing driving in low-risk situations and gradually move to situations that are more complex: Highways, nighttime, driving in the rain and snow, and on and around challenging roadways, such as mountain roads and those with sharp curves.
Allow no more than one non-family passenger under the age of 20 to ride with the teen driver during the first six months of driving.
Practice adjusting speed based on three factors: visibility, on-road traffic, and different road conditions.
AAA resources available for parents include the StartSmart Online Parent Session to coach their teen through the learning-to-drive process and Teaching your Teen to Drive, a one-hour live action DVD and illustrated in-car handbook that parents can use to support supervised driving lessons.
These and other parent/teen resources are available at TeenDriving.AAA.com. Nominate a future leader! 2018-2019 Future Leaders Program COLORADO — The 2018-2019 Future Leaders program, presented by CBS4, Colorado School of Mines and PDC Energy, kicked-off to recognize Colorado high school students excelling in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics.) Teachers, parents, mentors, and others are encouraged to nominate students who they believe will be Colorado’s future STEM leaders. Nominations will be accepted now through April 20, 2019. One student will be selected each month to receive this special recognition that includes $1,000 and a student profile on CBS4. Nominations should include basic information on the student as well as information on the student’s STEM field of study/focus, and any extraordinary circumstances/obstacles the student has had to overcome in order to pursue his/her STEM studies. Nominate the next future leader at https://denver.cbslocal.com/future-leaders/ Contact: Danielle Dascalos 720-837-3845 ddascalos@cbs.com #CBS4FutureLeaders
