Fire crews burning slash piles

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Fire crews on the
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests will be burning slash piles in
the Boulder and Clear Creek Ranger Districts starting this fall and
continuing through the spring of 2010.

Cold and snowy
conditions in the fall and winter provide prime opportunities for
firefighters to burn slash piles. Pile burning occurs in areas where
forest management projects have been done to reduce fire risk. Slash
created from these projects, such as limbs and small trees, are piled
and left to dry out. After snow falls, firefighters burn the piles to
further reduce the hazardous fuels.

Pile burning is likely to
take place in a number of locations, including Porter Ranch, at
approximately milepost 5 on Magnolia Road (Boulder County Road 132); at
multiple locations near Gordon Gulch, Peewink Mountain and Switzerland
Trail north of Sugarloaf Road; and along James Creek and Overland Road
west of Jamestown. Contacts with cooperators, fire departments,
dispatch centers and local property owners located close to the units
will be made prior to burning the piles. Road signs indicating
prescribed fire activity will be posted in the area during burning
operations.

Those who are sensitive to smoke or want further information can contact the Boulder Ranger District at 303-541- 2500.

Policing efforts worked, police say

Though crowds on the Pearl Street Mall reached an estimated size of 4,000, police made only one arrest there between 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, and the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 1. Because of concerns about large crowds and public safety, the Boulder Police Department scheduled more than 100 officers to work Halloween. More than 40 of those officers were located on the Pearl Street Mall. Another large group patrolled University Hill, the site of rioting on Halloween five years ago.

City of Boulder officials said they faced even more challenges this Halloween than in the past. This Halloween fell on a Saturday, Daylight Savings Time ended early Sunday, and there was a homecoming football game on Oct. 31, all of which contributed to significant worries about this year’s festivities, officials said. They also said media attention about a possible naked pumpkin run and revival of the Mall Crawl had them worried.

“Our goal was to have a quiet evening in Boulder, and this was one of the quietest Halloweens we’ve had in a long time.

Our pro-active efforts paid off,” said Police Chief Mark Beckner.

First Descents relocating to Boulder

On Oct. 30, First Descents, a Colorado-based cancer charity organization for young adults, announced plans to move its headquarters from Vail to Boulder as part of its expansion efforts.

One reason cited for the move is that the city of Boulder provides access to a larger community of donors, and the organization’s goal is to support more than 1,000 young adult survivors a year by 2014.

First Descents board member Brendan Synnott, co-founder of the natural food company Bear Naked, recently offered to house the organization’s headquarters in his Boulder office of Revelry Brands, and will become First Descents’ executive director for the salary of $1 per year.

Dance Bridge wins state dance award

The Boulder Arts Commission’s Dance Bridge won the statewide Colorado Dance Award for Service to the Field on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The Dance Bridge acts as a clearing-house for dancers and dance-related activities in the area. Residents are encouraged to use Dance Bridge when seeking information on individual dance artists, performances, classes, studios, teachers, workshops and events.

The Colorado Dance Awards are held annually by the Colorado Dance Alliance to recognize excellence in the dance community.

Freikin’ great program

Boulder’s “Freiker” (short for “frequent biker”) program was one of 12 organizations singled out in a national report as an example of ways communities can help get their kids more active and healthy. National nonprofit KaBOOM! searched the country for local initiatives that have increased the quantity of available play spaces and opportunities, improved the quality of kids’ playtime, and increased children’s safe access to them.

Freiker is a nonprofit that uses incentives and technology to increase the number of K-8 school children regularly bicycling and walking to school. A solarpowered Freikometer counts daily trips by scanning tags issued to students. Students receive awards based on activity level. Within five years, the low-cost model has significantly increased physical activity and has spread to schools in five states and Canada.

Freiker reports that children have burned more than 6.3 million calories, saved nearly 8,000 gallons of gas, and prevented more than 150,000 pounds of CO 2 emissions in the program.

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