The recycler that OLT has relied on for the past several years has gone out of business. Recycling has become very difficult. Therefore, we are asking that you take your recyclables home and use your local recycling service providers. This is akin to the idea of pack-it-in/pack-it-out that characterizes camping in many areas. We are looking for a solution to the problem as recycling is a fundamental part of sound environmental awareness. Please help us keep recyclables out of the landfill.

Winter was cold and snowy. The number of visitors during the cold weather months was less than in recent years. Now the weather is warming up. We expect to see more pressure on the use of the hot springs during the summer months. If people are trying to make up for the times that they didn't come this winter, then we will have more people at the gate this summer. We will continue to keep the capacity within our usual limits, which will make reservations even more necessary. Valley View people tend to be spontaneous and act on whim. That may not work so well. Try to plan ahead and make advance reservations to avoid the unpleasant experience of being told that the hot springs is full. We don't enjoy turning people away but minimizing overcrowded conditions is important for everybody.

There is a new face at Everson Ranch this summer. Meet our new ranch hand, Jacob Marsh. Jacob's passion for working on the land started in his own backyard. After purchasing a home in Aurora in 2009, Jacob quickly began the process of urban homesteading. He made two garden plots for veggies and herbs, another bed in the front yard to grow strawberries and raspberries, another for mint around the mailbox, lattice up the back deck for grapes, and an active compost pile. Soon after came the chickens, then the bees, then the rabbits. In the summers, about 40% of his food source was grown in the small backyard plot. The more work he put in, the bigger the passion grew. In early 2018, Jacob built out a Sprinter van into a mobile home, sold his house, and hit the road to work with and learn from builders, farmers and ranchers across the country. The trip started with a two week stay volunteering at Everson Ranch, and later included stints at farms in Vermont and Maine and North Carolina, as well as a month of workshops at the Maine Primitive Skills School. On April 1, Jacob became a proud staff member at Everson Ranch where he is helping build fencing for the livestock, care for the animals, give tours, build the new commercial food processing kitchen, maintain and restore the natural habitat of native plants and animals, and any other odd job that needs tending to. When not working on the ranch Jacob runs his two small businesses, Bite Back Bed Bug Removal and Fully Human SEO as well as enjoying time in the valley by hiking, mountain biking, volunteering with the Crestone End of Life Project, and maximizing time in rocking chairs staring off into the distance.

Do you know that taste? When you snap a leaf of arugula off the plant. Fold it or crumple it or shovel it right in your mouth, whatever fits your style. That initial almost minty flavor, followed by a sweetness that leads quickly into a pleasant bitterness. The thickness of the greens that are still full of the mornings watering. The satisfaction of realizing there is so much more to pick. Either you know the taste, or I highly recommend experiencing it. Either way, that moment is waiting for you at Everson Ranch. All summer, every day, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Everson Ranch is inviting guests to grab a bag, head to the greenhouse, and pick a bag full of greens. Whether you are more of a spinach person, or if arugula is your thing, maybe butter leaf lettuce, or if you prefer a mixed bag; the choice is yours. And the price is of your choosing too. For each bag please give the ranch a donation. The money is helpful, but it is the experience that the ranch wants to share more than anything. And if you accidentally fall in love with the garden while you are here, Everson Ranch is always accepting volunteers for any length of time. And if you don't feel like picking your own, bags of fresh greens from the ranch can be found at the main office of Valley View Hot Springs.