A safe and sacred haven not only for humans, but for all manner of life, Orient Land Trust/Valley View Hot Springs is home to an abundant and diverse population of wild plants. One cannot help but notice the wild roses blooming in late spring, the aromatic mint surrounding the ponds and offering up its gentle fragrance in the warmth of the mid-summer sun, and the Chokecherries hanging dark and

Summary: Good news!!! The financial position of OLT has improved significantly since the beginning of 2014. Net Income from all sources from January through September was $332,900, or $257,000 above expectations. This improvement was the result of a reduction in expenses of approximately $87,000 over the amount budgeted, and an increase in revenues of $ 158,500 over budget. The most significant factor in the revenue gain was the increase in Admission and Accommodation Fees of about $125,500 beyond budget. $176,000 of this net income has been transferred to the Winter Savings account to fund the slow season. Also, larger scale repair and improvements usually are done in December, so this will reduce the end of year net income further. Although OLT's financial position has greatly improved, the battle to get it on a solid footing financially is far from over. The Waste Water Treatment Plant has a $100,000 debt to be paid, the Everson Ranch needs significant capital improvements to get it on a self-sustaining basis, refurbishment of visitor accommodation and kitchen facilities needs to be done, and badly depleted financial reserves for land conservation and capital improvements need to be replenished. Realistically, it will take several years to regain a solid financial footing. But, the results for 2014 are an excellent start.

Some snapshot details:

COMPARISON OF JANUARY THROUGH SEPTEMBER, 2014 TO 2013:

• Total income (revenue) increased in 2014 by $173,167, or 21.1%;
• Total expenses in 2014 declined by $149,423, or 18.9%;
• Total employee expenses in 2014 declined by $18,448, or 3.9%;
• Visitation (person days) increased in 2014 by 2,187, or 9.8%;
• Donations decreased slightly in 2014 by $1,036, or 0.7%, primarily because of large donations in July and September, 2013 that were not matched in 2014;

Tentative budget for 2015:

A tentative (draft) budget for 2015 has been prepared for presentation to the Board of Directors for approval. The tentative budget projects total revenues for 2015 of $1,040,157, total expenses of $871,751, and net ordinary income of $142,910. Total employee expense is projected to be $640,000.

Other:

OLT financial policies currently are under review. It is planned that a policy for allocating net income to various reserve accounts, including the Land Conservation Fund, will be presented to the Board in January for their approval. Finally, at its October meeting, the Board authorized creation of a task force to create a five year development plan that is consistent with the Strategic Plan adopted earlier in 2014. It is expected that this development plan will be presented to the Board at its April, 2015 meeting.

Here are OLT's Audited Financial Reports for 2013. Last year we printed 2012 financial information with the printed 2013 Annual Report. We're planning to include 2014 financial information in the Annual Report / Newsletter  early next year.

In line with our land conservation mission and thanks to your generous contributions, one project that was undertaken after buying the ranch was the construction of a reservoir. There were dreams of using the water stored in the reservoir to irrigate a field using a circular pivot. The reservoir construction was costly and we learned from some mistakes. Now there is a nice reservoir that is part of a fish habitat project that we have with Natural Resources Conservation Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The birds and fish are flourishing and these partners are enthusiastic about the success. The project successfully protects the whole cycle of the hot springs waters from recreation to power generation to natural areas to working farm and ranch.

  Weather Underground (Station KCOMOFFA4)  

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[may split this into a series of stories regarding OLT's financial background... winter reserves, reservoir, land conservation, human resources]

Do your eyes glaze over when you look at a spreadsheet full of numbers? Do you wonder where the money goes? Me too.

I was recently at a meeting where one person pointed out that a couple of decades ago, the rates at the hot springs were lower and there were fewer people on staff. What happened? Part of the explanation is that Neil and Terry wore a lot of hats and worked a lot of hours. When the land trust was formed, decisions that they used to make around the dinner table were being discussed around that same table by a board of directors. There was a lot of work to do, background context to be digested, lessons to be learned, intentions and cautions to be communicated. Even though the land trust idea had formed and there was a board, the tax free status with IRS had to be obtained, which took some time and effort. Hard on the heels of that giant step we were faced with the "Land for Sale" signs along Road GG. OLT, with Neil's personal connection with the owners, contracted to buy the ranch. A few years later, and with much gratitude to you, the long suffering supporters of this place, we paid the bill and OLT became owners of the Everson Ranch. We have since purchased a couple more parcels along Road GG that protected the three mile view and the water shed of the hot springs.

In line with our land conservation mission and thanks to your generous contributions, one project that was undertaken after buying the ranch was the construction of a reservoir. There were dreams of using the water stored in the reservoir to irrigate a field using a circular pivot. The reservoir construction was costly and we learned from some mistakes. Now there is a nice reservoir that is part of a fish habitat project that we have with NRCS and the DOW. The fish are flourishing and the agencies are enthusiastic about the success. The reservoir (land trust?) successfully protects the whole cycle of the hot springs waters from recreation to power generation to natural areas to working farm and ranch.

Along the way, Neil and Terry still wanted to donate the hot springs and their other land to the trust. That took a while to accomplish and there were the inevitable legal fees and hurdles. At the same time, we entered into a conservation easement with The Nature Conservancy that provides another layer of protection for the springs, the hydroelectric property, and the ranch. We also have a conservation easement agreement with the DOW on the bat habitat at the mine. Now OLT holds a hot springs, a ranch, an old mine and bat habitat, a handful of tours and educational programs. There are still the usual (and unusual) aspects of maintaining the place with the added amenities of the new pools and carefully upgraded infrastructure. With our own water, waste water treatment and electric power systems, OLT provides all the infrastructure of a small municipality. It takes more people to keep up with it all and still attend to the requirements associated with the being a non-profit organization and the services and programs provided. We can never thank you, our members, enough for your patience and support.

Another question that was asked at that meeting was how much will the WWTP cost. As I tried to answer that question I remembered an initial presentation a few years ago from a company with a designs ambitious and innovative treatment systems. It was inspiring and beautiful. As we explored that option, we realized it was also very expensive. There were costs connected to investigating that possibility even though we ultimately decided to choose a less expensive avenue. Since then, we have paid a design firm for their work, we've paid fees to the state for inspections and permits. Each conversation with the experts includes a price tag. Altogether, we've already spent more than a $100,000 dollars ($118,000) for the WWTP even though we don't have many actual holes in the ground to show for it. Our estimate for the remaining actual construction costs of the facility is about $180,000. That is the amount for which we are taking donations. Your admission fees have not only kept the hot springs going, we have also covered all the costs of the WWTP so far.

We have also made improvements at the ranch. Existing, historic structures have been stabilized and maintained. Mike, the ranch manager, has been mending fences, irrigating hayfields, cleaning ditches, and tending animals while he has also worked on a bath/kitchen facility that will make it possible to have people visit and volunteer at the ranch. Once again, we offer our gratitude for your generous support.

by Doug Bishop, Executive Director

Brazilian Free-Tailed Bats from Colorado Parks & Wildlife on Vimeo.

Advisory board member and bat biologist, Kirk Navo, led a group of volunteers studying our bats with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Video footage shows the team of students and teachers working at the Orient Mine in August 2014. The mine's Glory Hole is located just a few miles north of Valley View Hot Springs. OLT offers free guided and self-guided tours of the area and wildlife. Even now that the bat colony has returned south for the winter, visitors still walk the scenic mining town and ruins. The colony will return next summer. With the help of these scientists, we hope they'll forever delight guests and support the Valley's rich agriculture. 

OLT finally received the needed ground water discharge permit from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) after a four year process that allows OLT to engage contractors for the construction of the project. We are currently obtaining bids as we await final design approval from the state. OLT plans to break ground on the new WWTP facilities this fall with completion expected in about 6-8 weeks. The new WWTP upgrades will be odorless, quiet and a great improvement to the overall wastewater treatment capacity at OLT. The WWTP campaign financing this project stands at $38,000 to date with a goal of $180,000.

Enjoy a Cooking Class with fellow OLT member and Master Chef, Scott Sharot, in the OLT pavilion at Valley View on Saturday Oct 11th at 12:30 pm. The cost is $25 and will benefit OLT's new Waste Water Treatment Plant upgrades. Chef Sharot will lead participants in a cooking demo of several delicious lunch dishes which they will get to enjoy and take home recipes from afterwards,

Visitors to the OLT’s Valley View Hot Springs may not realize that the water that warms them in the Apple Tree Pools also heats cabins via radiant underfloor piping, and then is used to generate electricity, which in turn heats the pools and provides power to the campus. This remarkable system is one of the unique things about Valley View, and an integral part of the facility’s “recycle, reuse, reduce” commitment.

OLT member Tom Bowes visited in October 2013 and took a tour of the hydroelectric generating station, hosted by OLT’s Master Electrician, Scott Wilfong. Scott demonstrated the means of controlling the water flow rate to the turbine, via the hydraulically operated “spear valve” powered by an electric motor. He explained that at one time the valve had been remotely controlled by means of a telephone line, connected to a control box that had been provided as part of the original hydroelectric equipment. Unfortunately, a lightning strike had blown out the controls and damaged the phone line a number of years ago, relegating the system to a rather crude method of manual control by means of two wires touched to an old car battery to operate the valve. When touched to the battery one way the valve would open, the other way and it would close.

This method of control was inconvenient to say the least, since one person had to drive the 2.2 miles to the hydro station to manipulate the valve, while another stood within sight of the collector box at the top of the penstock pipe. Two-way radios were used to communicate back and forth to increase or decrease the water flow rate based on the amount of water flowing over the weir at the collector box. This meant that at least twice a week, before and after pool cleaning, somebody had to go to the hydro plant to make adjustments. It also meant that at times excess water flowed over the weir and was lost, instead of being used to generate electricity, which was problematic in the winter when every kilowatt is needed to heat the Apple Tree Pools. Added to this, there was no effective way to monitor the operation of the system remotely in order to respond to a problem before the hydro system automatically shut down.

After the hydro tour, Tom, who is an electrician/instrumentation technician from Warren, Michigan, remarked that he might be able to come up with a new remote control system, and would donate it to the OLT. He began the design while recovering from knee surgery last December. Using a few new items, some repurposed items from eBay, and many “junk box” parts left over from other projects, he designed and built a new control system for the hydro plant. A recycled industrial pressure transmitter that had been cast off from a petroleum refinery found redemption as the primary sensor for this renewable energy project. Old pipe flanges from a gas-fired boiler were made into support stands for the spear valve position sensor and for the control box. It was rumored in Detroit that Tom could be heard chanting, “recycle, repurpose and re-use”, as he worked through the cold winter evenings building the system. The new design would feature a wireless data link between the OLT visitor center and the hydro plant, remote control via the internet, and automatic notifications and alarms to key facilities personnel in case of a problem.

In late January enough of the control system was assembled and tested that the OLT team of Interim Director Mark Jacobi, Information Manager Doug Bates, and Electrician Scott Wilfong were able to watch a brief YouTube video that Tom had made showing its design and operation. They were also able to remotely control the system, while it was located near Detroit. The team worked with Tom via email and phone to address areas of concern and to refine the design as he worked on things in Michigan. In late March, Tom and his girlfriend, Linda Diane Feldt, loaded up his Chevy Volt with what appeared to be “everything but the kitchen sink” and drove to Valley View for a busy week of installation. They were fortunate to witness the great migration of Sandhill Cranes near Kearney, Nebraska on their way.

Work on the installation began on Monday, March 24th, with Tom, Scott, and Doug tackling the various things that had to be done at the hydro station, with assistance from Mark Jacobi. Doug and Linda Diane documented the event with many photos and videos. After a couple of 10-12 hour work days, at lunch time on Wednesday, March 26th, a trial was conducted with the wireless transmitter for the visitor center temporarily pointing out the window toward the hydro plant. Success! The new system provided wireless control and monitoring of the hydro plant two miles away. Later that afternoon Mark and Doug mounted the transmitter in its final position near the peak of the visitor center roof, the final step in a months-long project.

The new control and monitoring system has already prevented a couple of shutdowns due to algae and weed obstructions of the water at the collector box, saving the OLT on expensive diesel fuel to run the backup generator when the hydro system goes down. Bearing, air, and water temperatures are now measured and logged, along with relative water flow rates. Head pressure and frequency alarms for the hydro plant, delivered via email and text messages, now help to alert OLT personnel if there is a problem. In the longer term, logging the water flow and temperature data will help the OLT to develop energy management strategies and will help to provide more comfortable soaking for visitors during the winter and spring months.

The OLT thanks Tom Bowes and Linda Diane Feldt for their work and generous donation.