News from the San Luis Valley. Patty Lataille

News from the San Luis Valley

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SLV – The Mecca for Solar Energy in Colorado

U.S. Secretary of the Interior and native of the San Luis Valley Ken Salazar released the final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on July 24 identifying potential utility-scale solar development on public lands in the west.

All of the solar zones specified in Colorado are targeted for approximately 16,300 acres in the San Luis Valley. They include: Antonito Southeast on the boundary of Colorado/New Mexico, Los Mogotes East in Conejos County, Fourmile East in Alamosa County, and De Tilla Gulch about eight miles outside of Saguache.

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News from the San Luis Valley

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by Patty LaTaille

Census Shows Significant Migration

According to The Denver Post; “Walsenburg and other small traditionally Latino towns in southern Colorado are losing their historic cultural identity. As the older generation dies off and the younger generation moves to cities or resort towns where the jobs are, separations are tearing at close-knit Latino families that can trace their lineage back to Spanish conquistadors.”

Walsenburg has begun to attract retirees drawn by the small-town environment, slow pace, the desert climate and houses that sell for as little as $30,000.

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News from the San Luis Valley

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by Patty LaTaille & Mike Rosso

How Dry Is It – Really?

A Fire Hazard Emergency has been declared within Saguache County as of June 15.

It’s a rarity – but here it is: Due to the serious drought in the SLV, the Board of County Commissioners of Saguache County decided that – based upon “competent evidence” – the danger of wildfires within Saguache County is high and declared the county under Level 1 Fire Restrictions. The restrictions apply to all unincorporated areas in Saguache County East of the Continental Divide.

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