Happy Fourth of July from CMD

We hope you enjoy the Fourth of July holiday in Cordillera! As a reminder, the Cordillera Metro District Admin Office is closed today, Friday, July 3.

JULY 4 IS A NO-WORK HOLIDAY: Worker gate access will not be allowed between 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 3, and 9:00 a.m. on Monday, July 6.

Emergency work exceptions:

If a property owner has an emergency need on a no-work day, call Public Safety at (970) 926-2335 to report the nature of the emergency repairs required and the company or name of the contractor responding to perform the work.

Hike On! Cordillera’s Hiking Trails are Open

Following calving season closures, all trails in Cordillera are now open for property owners to enjoy. Get into a healthy hiking routine with friends and neighbors, and get outside to explore.

Approximately 30 miles of trails have been developed within Cordillera and are continuously maintained to support summer hiking. Some trail segments also accommodate mountain biking while others are designed for horseback riding.

To access the most up-to-date online trails map from the CordilleraLiving.com website's hiking page, click the button below.

CORDILLERA HIKING

Fire Restrictions: Be in the Know

Looking forward to some backyard fire pit action this weekend? Planning on grilling out on a wood or charcoal grill? Not so fast: We’re currently under Stage 2 Fire Restrictions, so only liquid or gas-fueled grills, stoves, and fire pits with shut-off valves may be used.

ECEmergency.org Stage 2 Fire Restrictions:

No open flame, including but not limited to portable outdoor fireplaces, campfires, wood or charcoal grills. Liquid or gas-fueled stoves with shut-off valves may be utilized.
No personal fireworks
No smoking except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or in a barren area free of vegetation
No use of explosive materials, including explosive targets or incendiary rounds.
No welding or operation of an acetylene or other similar torch with open flame, or any other spark-producing device, without a permit. A ‘HOTWORK’ permit can be issued through your local fire department with a site inspection.
No operation of any internal combustion engine without a spark-arresting device properly installed and in working order.
No agricultural burning, unless a valid permit has been duly issued by the appropriate fire authorities.
Outdoor recreational shooting is permitted only in pre-approved, designated areas with appropriate mitigation measures and on-site fire suppression equipment. Preapproval must come from your local fire protection districts.

For current fire restrictions, see ECEmergency.org’s Fire Restrictions in Eagle County website page, and view a printable flyer with Stage 2 Fire Restriction information specifically related to Cordillera here:

STAGE 2 FIRE RESTRICTIONS

Wildfire Preparedness:

Resources for Homeowners

The CordilleraLiving.com website’s Wildfire Preparedness page now includes a Fire Safety Resources section for homeowners with the following curated list of helpful resources:

Homeowner Preparedness

• How to Prepare Your Home for Wildfire

• How to Pack an Evacuation Go-Bag

• Eagle County Mitigation and Wildfire Resources

Emergency Communications Outlets

• ECAlert: Eagle County’s emergency alerting system

• ECEmergency.org: In-progress emergencies, evacuations, and fire restrictions

• Genasys Protect: Digital map and mobile app for real-time, location-based alerts

Homeowners are encouraged to take personal emergency preparedness actions, sign up for ECAlerts, and stay informed of developing situations at ECEmergency.org, Eagle County's primary public safety information outlet.

The CordilleraLiving.com Wildfire Preparedness page also includes information about open space wildfire mitigation and residential wildfire mitigation in Cordillera. Explore more here:

WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS

Time to be BEAR-Y Careful with Trash

A homeowner recently sent in this photo of a bear sauntering off after an unsuccessful attempt at a neighbor’s trash bin.

Thank you for being bear aware! And keep it up with getting those latched trash bins out only on the morning of trash pickup day to significantly reduce the chances of problematic bear encounters in our community.

At this time of the year when bears and other wildlife are active, please take the time to review the following guidance and put it into practice at your home this summer:

Latch all dumpster doors and trash containers after each use.
Never leave trash or recyclables out overnight. Empty cans and boxes still smell like food. One study showed that simply putting trash out only on the morning of pick-up cuts the chances of a bear visit from 70% to 2%.
Don’t feed bears, and don’t put out food for other wildlife or birds, as it attracts bears.
Burn food off of grills and thoroughly clean after each use.
Keep all bear-accessible windows and doors closed and locked, including home, garage, and vehicle doors.
Don’t leave food, trash, coolers, air fresheners, or anything that smells in your vehicle.
Do NOT put any trash, food, or waste other than dog waste in dog waste stations.
Talk to your neighbors about doing their part to be bear responsible.

Recycling Update: Let's Clean it Up

Yikes! We got reports last month of pillows, bedding, Styrofoam, and other clearly non-recyclable items tossed in the co-mingle recycling bin at Cordillera’s Trash & Recycling Facility on Carterville Road. We’ve also had previous reports from the Eagle County Solid Waste & Recycling Center of Cordillera’s lack of attention to sorting at this facility. We need to do better in order to keep this amenity available for our community.

In short, if you use the Cordillera Trash & Recycling Facility, all recycling needs to be sorted responsibly and according to the following guidelines for the three bins outlined on the CordilleraLiving.com website’s Trash & Recycling page.

RECYCLING ACCEPTED: CORDILLERA TRASH & RECYCLING FACILITY

PAPER BIN

CARDBOARD BIN

CO-MINGLE BIN

Office Paper

Newspaper

Magazines

Paperboard

Flattened, corrugated cardboard ONLY

Glass Bottles & Jars

Aluminum & Tin Cans

Plastic Containers

The co-mingle bin at this facility is not a single-stream bin. Only the items listed above may be put in the co-mingle bin; NO paper, cardboard, or plastic bags.

KEEP COMMON CONTAMINANTS OUT OF RECYCLING BINS:

Plastic bags: Place loose sorted recycling in bins; KEEP PLASTIC BAGS OUT.
Food waste and unclean recyclables: Remove food and other waste from recyclables. If an item is dirty and you can’t clean it, put it in the trash. It is better to toss one item in garbage than contaminate an entire recycling truck load.
Trash and other non-acceptable items including coffee cups, Styrofoam, wrappers, mirrors & glassware, and soft plastics & packaging are not accepted for recycling at our facility.

CONTAMINATION RUINS RECYCLING:

Recycling contamination happens when unrecyclable or unclean items are mixed in with recycling. When a load of recycling has too much contamination, the entire load will be redirected to the landfill, which worsens our environmental impact.

The Cordillera Trash & Recycling Center depends on the cooperation of all who use it, so let's keep this amenity available in Cordillera.

CORDILLERA TRASH & RECYCLING

A Community Coming Together

—Message from ERWSD—

Many of us can already see the effects of this historic drought throughout our neighborhoods and public spaces like brown lawns, fewer flowers, and trails that are drier and dustier than usual.

While our valley looks different this year, these changes tell the story of a community coming together to protect the rivers, streams, and landscapes that define this place. Every brown lawn, unplanted flower bed, and adjusted irrigation schedule represents a real decision to conserve water when it matters most.

In May alone, ERWSD customers reduced water use by 28% compared to the three-year average. That result reflects thousands of individual decisions to use water more efficiently, rethink landscaping practices, and prioritize conservation. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this effort.

As we move into the hottest and driest months of summer, conservation will be even more important. Streamflows are expected to reach their lowest levels in July, August, and September, and water demand will have a direct impact on reservoir levels, river health, recreation, and an entire ecosystem of aquatic life. ERWSD will continue to closely monitor weather conditions, streamflows, reservoir levels, and community water use. If drought conditions persist or worsen, additional measures, including limiting outdoor watering to one day per week, may become necessary.

We encourage everyone to continue the conservation efforts that have already made a meaningful difference. For more information, visit: erwsd.org.

Thank you.

Headwater Heroes:

What CMD is Doing to Conserve Water

Find out more from CMD General Manager Trevor Broersma about what Cordillera Metro District is doing to conserve water in this Headwater Heroes series video from Eagle River Water and Sanitation District: