Jade Crowley

So they finally sent us documents like they said they would, they sent us a google map with an arrow pointing to our land (as if we didn't know where we lived?!?!) and a generic contract that they say is a more than fair offer of $3. per linear foot, it pretty much gives them all rights to the land at any and all times in the "easement" they are asking for. But the map doesn't show where the lines will be going and apparently the guy in charge is going on vacation and wont be back until after the 19th, he said if we have any questions it will have to wait until after then.

Mike, no it is not that project, it's said to be in Huerfano County.

We finally heard back from them today, they sent a letter in the mail and said to call them, we called them and they said to email them, so now we have emailed and are awaiting the reply to that. What a freak show this is.

I love the idea of moving! We have no well here, the land is covered in selenium so I can't put my horses out on my pasture which sucks, the only good thing about it is I live close to a huge ranch that I work at and I love them, but no water and not being able to use my pasture really sucks.

Anne, I will look at those links, thank you. The wind/solar farm is said to be in the next county over which is about 30 miles or so away, but none of my neighbors on the "sides" of me got a letter that I know of (I only know a handful of them) so I am thinking they are going to want to put it from west to east, but that doesn't make any sense with the next county over as that county is south of me. So many questions they have not answered, they want to do a sit down meeting vs an over the phone meeting so who knows when we will get the answers we are looking for. If they put it east to west it will be sitting on top of my house, literally because my land is skinny and long. I am so lost on the whole thing, but I feel like moving is going to be in my near future.

Good thoughts everyone, thanks! I will be looking for an attorney and seeing what else I can find out tomorrow. I appreciate all the feedback as I am so lost on the whole thing. I don't like going into anything without fully knowing what I am getting myself into.

Red Smith wrote:Don't jump to a quick rejection, as far as the courts go they feel a transmission tower to be a pretty minimal trespass and eminent domain rulings are frequent.
Usually they are awarded carte blanche with rights to endless access and unlimited duration.
The best deal would be a monthly stipend for as long as the tower trespasses on your land.
If the tower belongs to the same organization as your provider a free service in exchange is a good deal.
A one time settlement is usual, and usually not very damn much considering the grotesque profit they'll realize.
If their alternative is to put a tower bridging your land and pay your neighbors while ignoring you, you've shot yourself in the hiney as you'll receive all the negatives with no compensation.

I had not thought of this, I will definitely keep it in mind, my husband is going to talk more to them on Monday, so we will get more details then. Thank you for your thoughts on it, I appreciate it.

We were contacted yesterday about the local energy company wanting to put a 345kV transmission line on our land, we have 45 acres, the farthest it would possibly be is 500 yards or so from our house, it might be closer but they have not discussed specifically where they plan to locate it. My gut feeling is hell no, but I wanted input from other people. There is one down the road 5 or so miles and there is no cell service anywhere near it, I have also read they are loud and I would then loose the ability to use a huge chunk of my land. Thought and ideas? Thanks!

Thank you both, I do let the fowl in the garden under supervision, but the grasshoppers jump the fence as they are picking them off and then they come right back in. The ducks do way better at eating them than the chickens do, I am interested to see how the guineas do once they get big enough. I don't know how to add pictures here but I am talking massive biblical swarms of them, at least that is how it was last year and judging by the amount in my garden today it will be just as bad this year. I have tried almost everything on that thread, the DE the garlic the nolo the fowl, hot peppers ground up and mixed, neem oil and flour. Its insane. They ate every type of mint, pepper, tomato, flower, beans, squash, cucumbers, they even eat the gourd plants so I covered things with that white thin material they sell at the garden stores that is supposed to keep them away, and it kinda worked until they ate holes in it, I switched to metal screen and they ate holes in it as well. I am at a complete loss as to what to do. Everyone around here says last year was the worst they have ever seen it, and we didn't have any snow or freezing last winter, this winter we had some cold spells and a few good snow storms this spring so I was really hopeful that they would be less this year. I am still crossing my fingers. Someone told me a few months ago that fish emulsion would keep them away, I need to figure out how to get some to try that. Thank you for the ideas though!

Good day, last year I had nothing but problems with grasshoppers and I tried everything I could find and nothing worked, not even slightly worked. I ended up planting a garden 3 full times and they ate everything each time even the trees I planted. So this year we had a late snow and I thought it was going to help with them but I just went into my garden and the whole thing is just hopping with the damn grasshoppers again, it was fine before yesterday but we got a huge storm yesterday so they seem to have all come out now today. So I am wondering what to do my options are give up completely, try and plant and see what happens or spend some of the money I have saved up for hay and build a greenhouse. I don't want to give up but my husband is still kinda mad about the failures of last year so if I can't get anything to grow this year next year is just going to be worse. I have a crapload of chickens running around plus ducks and 3 guineas in the brooder coop but last year they couldn't keep up and I don't want to bank of them being able to control it this year, they help but its impossible for them with how bad it got last year. So what would you do? Thank you in advance for any and all help!

Bryant- Great tips and I was planning on doing them except they ended up being in her sheep pasture so I couldn't leave big holes all over the place, so I had to take them as bare root saplings. So I am hoping they take well and don't completely die in my soil. It ended up being like 50+ saplings, so I am going to end up sharing them with my parents and a neighbor of mine.

O Donnelly - I have tons of them to experiment with, so I am going to plant some close together, some farther apart, some all alone. She says I can come every year and keep getting more, and she is going to try and get some peach saplings for me as well though she said that might not happen. Either way I can't complain about getting 50+ free trees! Even if they don't all live I know some of them will if I take care of them.

Michelle - Thanks for the tips! I was planning on heavily mulching them because we live in a very dry climate, we get 10-12 inches of rain a year on a good year, on bad years we get 7-9 inches of moisture.

Marco - I am in southeastern Colorado, they are just starting to get buds of leaves on them and the lady who has them is going to rip them out as she does not want them, from what I understand they are saplings and 2-3 feet tall (but I wont know for sure until I get there tonight to dig them up) so they are really young and probably not fruiting yet. I was going to take lots of buckets with water to keep the roots wet in between me digging them up and then getting them planted once I get them back at my place, but I am hoping to have them back in the ground asap. Thanks!