Meadows Monday

A mostly weekly news update from Elk Meadows HOA, Ridgway, Colorado
July 15, 2020
2020 ANNUAL ZOOM MEETING
Thank you to all who attended the first virtual 2020 EMHOA Annual Meeting! Also, thank you to those who sent in proxies. We had forty-eight members attend the virtual either by ZOOM so we had a quorum and could do business. We are grateful to David Graf, our attorney, for setting up the ZOOM meeting and co-hosting it with Kristi Martin. The meeting went well and the minutes will be posted soon on the website.
We also want to thank all the members who were on committees this year. We could not accomplish what we do with out the volunteers in Elk Meadows. There is always room for more!
WELCOME TO THE BOARD!!
Welcome to Sebastian Wicklein, Lot 207, and Edward Kemper, Lot 406, to the EMBOD! We are thrilled to have two new neighbors join the Board!
CLEARNETWORX
Today is the final day for Clearnetworx to apply for the DORA grant. Please go to:   https://www.clearnetworx.com/grants and register your download and upload speeds and sign the support letter. This takes less than five minutes and is very user friendly. There have been several emails from Maggie Guscott, EM Treasurer, sent in regard to this time sensitive issue. If enough people do this before the grant deadline which is today, we could be getting fiber optics in the future at no cost.
BEARS BEARS BEARS!!!
It is still bear season and they are roaming the neighborhood. One was reported near the intersection of Aspen Dr. and Forest Hill Road and was close to two young children. Please be responsible about your trash cans and do not leave food in any form outside, this includes cat and dog food, bears love it! If you are renting your home be sure to remind your guests that a fed bear is a dead bear.
WILDFIRES
Our biggest fear is a wildfire. Any spark can set one off. Yesterday a fire outside of Placerville caused the evacuation of Green Meadows. It has now been contained. Meanwhile, a person was seen throwing a lit cigarette from their car window in Elk Meadows. Please remember to remind your guests that we are in a Fire Ban situation which includes no smoking outdoors. 
TREE REMOVAL AND ASPEN HEALTH - THANKS
Thank you to Jim and Kathy Pettengill, Doug Bergh and Peter Rowland for removing dead Aspens in the green space and helping others remove their dead Aspens. Also, thank you to the homeowners who have taken down their own dead Aspens. We still have many dead Aspens in Elk Meadows that need to be removed. Our current Chainsaw Gang have done their duty and we need more volunteers to continue what we started. Already, we are a bit safer and Elk Meadows is more attractive without the dead trees.
Please contact emhoa.secretary@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer to prevent wildfires in Elk Meadows.

Thank you Diane Thompson for providing this information about Aspens:

  HOW TO SAVE A DYING ASPEN TREE
   A.  Pruning. Pruning out diseased branches is one of the most effective ways to  save a dying aspen tree . Pruning will prevent the spread of infection. It will also stop the infestation of pests that have a natural obsession to decaying branches.

   B.  Here are some common diseases, which are found in aspen trees, along with the ways to treat them. The domestic plantation of aspen trees has increased in recent times. The aspen tree is afflicted by many diseases, though not all are fatally harmful. This post lists a few common aspen tree diseases, and ways how to treat them.
  • Iron Chlorosis – this happens when the tree is unable to get an adequate amount of iron from the soil. The lack of iron leads to drop in chlorophyll production in the leaves. One common symptom of this disease is yellow leaves with green veins appearing on them. Dry conditions, root stress, and compaction of soil can worsen the disease.
  1. Treatment – Apply iron chelate onto the soil, inject it into the trunks or get the foliar sprays, all these can help the tree come back to health.
  • Cytospora – When an aspen tree is under stress, it becomes prone to fungus that causes cankers, which affect the trunks and branches. To identify, look for an orange-colored oozing stain on the trunk or the bark. 
  1. Treatment – Remove the infected bark and let the wound dry. Reduce the stress by pruning infected branches so they do not spread. Keep the watering regular and prune only in dry seasons.
  • Marssonina blight – This disease is caused a fungus that infects the leaves and the branches. This disease cause irregular defoliation and at time death of the tree. It reduces the growth of the tree. To identify, look for small brown circular spots on the surface of leaves. These appear in early summer or late spring and eventually, the spots merge and make big circular spots.
  1. Treatment – Remove the foliage from under the tree as the fungus can spread through the fallen leaves. Remove the infected branches and shed the infected leaves. Use proper irrigation, preferably drip irrigation and reduce the plant density.
  • Oyster scale shell – A disease in which scale insects cover the branches of the trees. These insects appear like small bumps similar to the shape of an oyster shell. Hence, the name. The insects infect the tree by sucking the saps and the branches and depriving them of nutrients, and sometimes the area infected simply dies. In springs, small insects come out of these shells and go further on the tree to infect the rest of the area.
  1. Treatment – Apply horticulture oils on the trunks and the branches use crawler sprays or scrap off the infected part. You can use insecticidal soaps as well. Apply the oils in the late summer. What the oil does is it suffocates the scale and controls the reproductions.


C.   WATERING ASPENS
  1. Water deeply and slowly. Apply water so it moistens the critical root zone (from near the trunk of the tree to the dripline) to a depth of 12 inches. Methods for watering include a deep root fork or needle, soaker hose or soft spray wand. Apply water to many locations under the dripline. If a deep root fork or needle is used, insert the device no deeper than eight inches into the soil.
  2. Consistent moisture is essential. Maintaining consistent soil moisture allows for better root water absorption. Drought stressed or over-watered trees are more vulnerable to disease and insect infestations, as well as branch dieback.
  3. Generally, a newly planted tree should be watered every three to five days during the growing season, depending on weather and soil conditions. Remember that newly planted trees also need water during dry periods in the winter months. Try to water at least once a month in the dormant season.
  4. Use the following “rule of thumb” for applying the proper amount of water: apply 10 gallons of water per inch of tree diameter; for instance a one-inch tree will require 10 gallons of water each time it is watered. For mature trees 10 inches in diameter or more, apply 15 gallons of water per inch of tree diameter. Use a ruler to measure your tree’s diameter.
  5. Mulch helps conserve and is critical to soil moisture. Apply organic mulch within the drip line, at a depth of three to four inches. It’s best to eliminate turf prior to adding mulch. Leave a six-inch space between the mulch and trunk of trees. Mulch materials may include wood chips, bark, leaves and evergreen needles.
ROGUE COWS
We have had some rogue cows lately. If you see any please note the color of their ear tag. This is the only way we know whose cows they are. We have a hanging fence that needs repair where the cows are getting through. We need volunteers with skills to repair this. Please contact emhoa.secretary@gmail.com to offer your services.
COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS
TODAY'S UPDATE
A s of July 15  the state of Colorado's death toll is 1738. There now have been a total of 37,686 confirmed cases of the virus in Colorado with a total of 1738 deaths. A total of 409,967 people have been tested. https://covid19.colorado.gov/data/case-data


Here is a quick video from the Surgeon General on how to make a simple mask. 

Please remember to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; washing every finger thoroughly as well as top and bottom your your hands.

Also, PLEASE check on your neighbors. If they are ill make sure they are getting the help they need. A simple phone call or a bag of groceries dropped at their doorstep is a huge help for many people at this time.
Please remember social distancing....it is working.
It is our only chance at containing this dreaded disease!!
STAY SAFE AND STAY WELL!!
If you have some Elk Meadows pictures you would like to
see in MM please send them
to me at ElkMeadows.Kristi@yahoo.com



None of the pictures in our database are labeled as to who provided them. Please feel free to let me know if I use one of your pictures and you want credit for it, I will credit you the following week. If not, then I THANK YOU in advance for providing pictures for all of us to enjoy.