News from the San Luis Valley

Costilla County Dealing With Issues Surrounding Newcomers Costilla County is facing issues stemming from an influx of newcomers who are looking for an inexpensive place to live off the grid, according to Colorado Public Radio. A county commission meeting held in San Luis in September brought out impassioned residents on both sides of the issue, …

Read more

News from the San Luis Valley

Wetlands Work to Begin On Aug. 20, Colorado Parks and Wildlife approved $400,000 for wetlands and riparian habitat projects in the San Luis Valley. Three national wildlife refuges operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management will see the installation of 10 water-control structures which will benefit sandhill …

Read more

The Woes and Joys of an Experiment in the Off-Grid Life: Part I

By Magda Sokolowski

Since the day we met on a rutabaga farm more than ten years ago, my husband Michael and I have shared a dream of one day homesteading. Over the years, one variation of what this would look like gave way to another as we nurtured and fed our idea of greater self-sufficiency. Sometimes, we imagined a farm with goats from whose milk we would make cheese. The idea of a large organic garden and a seasonal vegetable market was always a favorite standby in our musings, and then sometimes, I found myself in one particular reverie that came back again and again: I had visions of myself sitting at a desk, breaking from the task of writing to look out the window of our hand-built cabin onto a large meadow with a sisterhood of peaks in the distance demanding attention. And to the left (or right) of the cabin, in a patch of piñons (or maybe they would be Douglas firs or Ponderosa), I could see Michael bear the axe down on a round of wood that would soon become our heat.

Read more

Energy Matters: Financing your Solar Dream

by Dave Beaulieu

When people learn that I work in the solar industry they like to pick my brain about the evolving technology. The conversation always gets around what it costs to go solar. I attribute this curiosity to the widespread media coverage of going “green” and a newfound awareness of the importance of energy independence. With the current focus on sustainability, I find that most people want to take responsibility for their energy use and make steps toward their family’s energy independence. For many, this goal appears out of reach due to the high initial cost of installing photovoltaics (PV). With solar running between $5.00 and $6.00 per watt-installed locally, and the average home requiring about 4,000 watts of power, upfront costs can be daunting. Nevertheless, you can see a substantial savings thanks to utility rebates, state government incentives, federal tax credits and some innovative financing. Those solar dreams can be made real if you do your homework.

Read more