Pueblo County

Threatening weather didn't deter a team of six Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists as they fanned out last week across 850 acres of Gary and Georgia Walker's cattle ranch in Pueblo County to distribute plague vaccine hidden inside peanut butter pellets.

Several of the biologists walked miles of transects across active prairie dog colonies where black-footed ferrets have been reintroduced, hand-tossing a pellet every eight yards, while a couple rode ATVs equipped with mechanical pellet shooters.

Technicians are expected to begin refurbishment work on the National Weather Service's Pueblo radar site Wednesday morning to replace original breakers and cables with new, modern fuses and cables.

The nation's weather radar network is undergoing a series of upgrades and replacements intended to extend the useful life of sites for another decade or more. 

The Colorado State University Extension office in Pueblo is offering two opportunities to learn how to make your own pickled foods at home.

The three-hour hands-on sessions cover pickling fruits, vegetables and relishes.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is investigating the mysterious die-off of hundreds of common carp that surfaced recently in the waters around Turkey Creek in Lake Pueblo State Park.

There is no obvious reason for the die-off, which was first discovered July 27 when park rangers on a routine boat patrol noticed approximately 10 dead carp in the area.

By Sunday evening, park visitors were reporting seeing "dozens and maybe hundreds of dead carp" in the Turkey Creek area on the far west edge of the lake on its north banks.

John Merson spent nearly four decades patrolling Colorado lakes as a park ranger, saving lives, teaching boating safety to fellow rangers and park visitors alike and, most important, making the waters safe for boaters, anglers and all visitors.

Even after he retired from Colorado Parks and Wildlife in 2010, Merson kept up the watch, returning each summer to Lake Pueblo State Park to work as a seasonal boat ranger. 

Extension Agent Laura Krause of CSU Extension-Pueblo County will hold a hands-on food preservation workshop on Jams and Jellies, Thursday, August 2, 2018

1:00 pm to 4:00 p.m. or 6:00 pm to 9:00 p.m. Learn the role of pectin in gelling and get hints and tips to get the right consistency. Receive recipes for canned jams and jellies as well as freezer/refrigerator jellies.  Registration is required by July 26. Space is limited, and a $10 fee will be charged.

Search and rescue experts from several area agencies plan to resume searching Lake Pueblo on Tuesday for a man in a small aluminum boat who went missing along the north shore of Lake Pueblo State Park.

The search began shortly after noon Monday following calls from witnesses who reported seeing a small boat, hearing a loud noise, then seeing the boat disappear and a man in the water several yards off shore, calling for help.

When the man didn't swim to shore, the witnesses, who were fishing on the shore, called 9-1-1 for help.

The Colorado Master Gardener / Supporters of Horticulture Education annual plant sale has been set for May 12 at the Colorado State Fairgrounds Fine Arts Building.

The sale will be held from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. with vendors offering native plants, water-wise plants, vegetables, annuals, perennials, hanging baskets and other plants.

Purchases can be made with cash or checks only.

The Colorado State Fairgrounds is located at 1001 Beulah Avenue in Pueblo.

Are you interested in a healthier lifestyle? Are you curious about the Mediterranean Diet? Mediterranean Diet: A dietary pattern for healthy living will be offered by Colorado State University Extension - Pueblo County January 24 from 1:00-4:00 pm.

Participants will learn strategies to incorporate Mediterranean foods and habits into their lifestyle. 

Topics covered include

Women and supporters from Southern Colorado will march and rally for women's rights in Pueblo January 20, starting at noon. Participants will meet in front of the old courthouse, 215 W. 10^th Street, Pueblo.