A no-cost community forum featuring on-site experts advising on planning for later life, will be held on Thursday, September 23, 2010, from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Douglas County Events Center, 500 Fairgrounds Road, Castle Rock, Colorado. 
Sixteen workshops throughout  the day will focus on smart and safe investing in the current market; guardianships [...]

The Douglas County Sustainability Initiative Advisory Committee (SIAC) asks Douglas County residents and business owners to comment on a draft vision statement and objectives related to a sustainable Douglas County.  Access the draft document online at www.douglas.co.us/planning/SIAC or visit any Douglas County Library reference desk for a copy, and send comments no later than Saturday, [...]

On behalf of the Veterans Services Office, the Douglas County Commissioners seek a Veterans Services Technician.  This County Commissioner appointee will fill a part-time, volunteer position and perform a variety of duties supporting the activities of the Office of Veterans Affairs including:  working with clients, assisting with the preparation of applications and enrollments for benefits [...]

Citizens are invited to a Community Conversation about Aging in the Douglas County area on Thursday, Sept. 2. The Senior Council of Douglas County and the Denver Regional Council of Governments and the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Office are hosting the event.  
The Area Agency on Aging is required to develop a Four-Year Plan on Aging for [...]

Just in time for fall outdoor activities and Holiday gift-giving, the Colorado Annual State Parks Pass will be available for purchase, effective September 1 at the Douglas County Recorders office, 301 Wilcox Street in Castle Rock.
Colorado’s Annual State Parks Pass is valid for a full 12 months after purchase. The pass is good through the [...]

The Tri –County Health Department announces Douglas County’s final Household Chemical Roundup of 2010 on Saturday, September 11 in Castle Rock. The drive-through event will be at the Town of Castle Rock Utilities building, 175 Kellogg Court, from 9a.m. – 3p.m. 
Acceptable items are: paint and paint products, motor oil, antifreeze, rechargeable batteries, vehicle batteries, house and [...]

Updates:
Registration Full – The  Survival Hike at Spruce Mountain scheduled for Sunday, August 29 is full at this time and no more registrations are being accepted.
Cancellations for August:
Prairie Canyon History Day scheduled for Saturday, August 28 has been cancelled.
Prairie Canyon Full Moonrise Hike scheduled for  Tuesday, August 24 has been cancelled.
 

A Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) and Zone information are available by request from Douglas County’s Engineering Division to residents of unincorporated Douglas County. 
The following is provided as a public service to Douglas County residents upon request:

Whether or not a property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area shown on the current FIRM of Douglas [...]

 The Upper portion of the Hidden Mesa Open Space Trail that was closed due to the outbreak of the plague has been reopened. 
Further testing of the fleas, from the dusted prairie dog burrows on the upper portion of Hidden Mesa, reveal no evidence of plague.  Nor do the colonies along the Cherry Creek Regional Trail [...]

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, is now accepting applications for its annual “One Day Citizen Academy”.  This is a great opportunity to learn more about the Sheriff’s Office, in a short amount of time.  
The one-day class will be held on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, at the Highlands Ranch Law Enforcement Training Facility located at 9008 [...]

Outdoor enthusiasts are invited to join veteran outdoorsman and Douglas County Park Ranger Tom Welle at the Spruce Mountain trailhead for a hike and simultaneous course in outdoor survival skills on Sunday, August 29 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  Registration is required by August 25. Course is limited to 25 participants.  Please call Carol [...]

Primary election results will be available beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. on election day, Tuesday, August 10 and updated throughout the evening until approximately 10:00 p.m. Visit www.DouglasVotes.com and click on the Election Results page.  The results will be unofficial until after the Board of Canvas meets on August 20, when results are certified.

 Featuring keynote address by Jonny 5 & Brer Rabbit of Flobots
Douglas County youth, ages 13 to 19, have an opportunity to become involved as youth delegates at the Douglas County 2010 Youth Congress on Friday, September 24th from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the State Capitol.
Youth Congress is an annual event uniting youth with [...]

The collection process for business personal property delinquent taxes is significantly different than the collection of delinquent real property taxes for the County Treasurer’s office.
Per Colorado Statute, when a business located in the County has not paid their personal property taxes, the County Treasurer shall enforce collection of the delinquent taxes by distraining, seizing [...]

Rabies is increasing in wildlife along Colorado’s Front Range, placing both humans and animals at risk for this deadly disease.
Rabies is a viral disease that causes severe inflammation in the brain and spinal cord and is nearly always fatal. Rabies is transmitted in saliva through animal bites.
Skunks and [...]

The Tri –County Health Department announces the August 14, drive-through Douglas County Household Chemical Roundup in Highlands Ranch at Shea Stadium, 3270 Redstone Park Circle, from 9am – 3pm. 
Acceptable items are: paint and paint products, motor oil, antifreeze, rechargeable batteries, vehicle batteries, house and garden chemicals, pool chemicals, fluorescent light bulbs, CFLs, fire extinguishers, fireworks, [...]

Ballots mailed to affiliated voters on July 19. 
The Douglas County August 10 Primary Election is a mail ballot-only election. Polling sites are not available. 
To receive a mail ballot to participate in the primary election, a registered voter must be affiliated with one of the three participating parties: Democratic, Libertarian or Republican Party. An unaffiliated voter [...]

Now in its third year, Douglas County’s public art program, Art Encounters, will again feature an opportunity for the public to vote for their favorite Art Encounters selection, ultimately determining the 2010 Art Encounters People’s Choice Award which will be revealed in May of 2011.    
Participants in Vote4art may vote for their favorite art from fourteen [...]

The U.S. Department of State has announced passport fee increases effective July 13, 2010 for a U.S. Passport book or card for first time applicants and minors, age 16 and over.  The fee changes were not initiated by Douglas County. Fees charged by Douglas County – $25 processing fee and $8.00 photo fee – have [...]

The public is invited to a Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) open house next week regarding the upcoming cable rail project along Interstate 25, between Plum Creek Parkway and Tomah Road.  It will be held on Wednesday, July 7, at the Larkspur Fire Protection District Office, 9414 South Spruce Mountain Road, in Larkspur, from 5:30 [...]

Tri- County Health Advisory
Since May 30th, four cases of laboratory-confirmed serogroup C meningococcal disease, including two deaths, have been reported in Larimer County, Colorado. One of the cases is a Colorado State University (CSU) student and the other three (including the two fatal cases) are hockey players in the same division of a Fort Collins [...]

Primary Election voting will be by mail ballot only.
Planning to vote in the August 10 primary election?  Please make note of the following important deadlines and facts:

Voter registrations must be received by the Douglas County Elections Division by Monday July 12.
To vote in the primary election, registered voters must be affiliated with the Democratic, [...]

Arts, culture, science and history advocates from the Parker or Lone Tree area are invited to apply for a vacancy on the Douglas County Cultural Council, the statutory board created with the establishment of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) in 1989 to manage Douglas County’s share of the annual SCFD funding.
Applicants for this [...]

The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) has received several reports of bears getting into bird feeders, ponds, trash, and attempting to enter homes in your neighborhood. 
On Thursday evening, at 3 AM, a young bear broke into a home on Old Ranch Trail.  He gained entry via a sliding glass door and proceeded to eat contents [...]

A presentation by the Castle Pines Metropolitan District to the Douglas County Commissioners on roundabouts proposed for Happy Canyon Road was planned for June 29, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. for information only.  However, the Commissioners have had requests from various groups to schedule this presentation for an evening meeting instead  and to allow citizen comment [...]

Leaders from Douglas County fire protection, wildfire mitigation and emergency management professions are preparing for the launch of a process that will produce The Douglas County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) by mid-year 2011. 
“Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) represent the best opportunity we have to address the challenges of the wild land-urban interface in a [...]

Recognizing the value of their generation’s voice, Douglas County’s teens are speaking out about the County’s economic, environmental and community sustainability…..and asking their peers and others to join them in the discussion – online. 
It’s called the Douglas County Sustainability Youth Zone – a blog featuring video commentary from teens on topics such as:  the role [...]

Experts advise to have horses and farm animals vaccinated in addition to dogs and cats
Rabies had not been seen in Colorado horses for at least 25 years 
A coalition of human and animal health agencies are warning of an increase in rabies along the Front Range of Colorado, taking the new step of urging people to [...]

A blockbuster bird walk on the Dawson Butte Ranch, a morning nature walk at Prairie Canyon Ranch, and a hike on the JA Ranch are among the activities offered by Douglas County Open Space and Natural Resources for June 2010.
In addition to these planned activities, visitors to County open space may access more than 50 [...]

Officials from the 100-year-old Douglas County Fair and Rodeo announce the birth of a new face……and it’s not one of the spring calves. 
Just in time for the August 5-8, 2010 Fair and Rodeo, themed Blue Jeans and Country Dreams, the event has a new Web face…a more user-friendly Web site:   http://www.douglascountyfairandrodeo.com/  celebrating all the best [...]