March is known for coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb; however, in Colorado, the lion can strike as late as May, even June. The mountains this year have received a record amount of snowfall ó 11 feet of snow in Crested Butte in January, and more than 13 feet in Wolf Creek. We havenít seen that much precipitation on the front range, but Mother Nature in Colorado is as fickle as young love. I am braced for more of the lion, but hoping for the lamb.March also teases us with activities akin to spring: Daylight Savings Time returns March 12. Spring break starts in early March; March Madness starts the 14th; and the first day of spring is March 20. Of course, I have to throw St. Patrickís Day into the mix, and an article by Breeanna Jent shows that on March 17, money will be flowing as fast as the green river in Chicago. Retailers definitely get their share of the green!Speaking of green, be sure to read the front page story about a unique and groundbreaking business based right here. Emerge Aquaponics is raising the bar on what local food movements can do worldwide.Also, the chief executive of Falcon School District 49 has written a heartfelt piece on†Gene Hammond, the †ìTransportation Guy,î as Peter Hilts refers to him. Mr. Hammond was recently the victim of †a senseless, violent act that cost him his life.†This month, two new columnists are joining us. Check out ìMarkís Meanderingsî on pg. Ö Mark Stoller of Falcon is a veteran with the Air Force, who lives in Falcon with his wife and three daughters and six rescue dogs. Check out more about Mark, and read his March column about helping his daughters with their writing assignments.Janice Tollini from Elbert, Colorado, is a clinical psychologist and a Talent Management Consultant. Janice is writing a column called ìPerspectives,î and she will be covering a wide array of topics. This month, Janice introduces us to the Holistic Therapeutic Equine Center in Black Forest and the benefits of horses in alternative therapy modalities. Janice is also an avid animal advocate.Also on board as a new stringer/writer for the NFH is Jeff Bowles. Jeff lives in Falcon and has lived in the area for more than 20 years. Jeff has experience as a technical writer (he worked for Lockheed Martin for five years) but he has a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Western State Colorado University and has had numerous short stories, nonfiction works and poems nationally published. For March, Jeff shared a personal story originally published in a Nashville newspaper that will have people thinking twice about judging others. See Jeffís story in the ìHealth and Wellnessî section.I will be working on an online survey for our readers this month. The survey should be completed by the April issue. We would welcome your ideas and thoughts on our local coverage, columns, ìfunî tidbits, etc. What stories do you like? What should we be covering that weíre not? What about our website presence? Iíll keep you informed about our progress with this survey.Finally, more people have been contacting us with story ideas and events or projects they are involved with. We welcome those ideas, and we also want to highlight people ó young and mature ó who are making a difference in the community or for a greater cause. If you have a ìrising starî student with a unique project or hobby or talent, let us know.Have a great March, and Happy St. Patrickís Day. See you in April!– Michelle
