Lisa VonBargen Estes Park Real Estate Expert

Greetings from Estes Park!

Here in Estes, we are dealing with a pest called a "Pine Beetle". The trees affected are Ponderosas and Lodgepoles. Under normal conditiions, a fire would wipe out the pest and sterilize the soil, making way for new, healthy trees and plant life. Since we have homes in the forest, fires have been suppressed, and Mother Nature has given us this little pest to accomplish the natural thinning of the forest.

The photo below is from a tree that was hit with the beetle last summer. The "popcorn" on the outside of the bark is sap that the tree is using to flush out the bugs. This tree was about 300 years old, and had other health issues, and needed to be cut down yesterday before the beetles could mature and fly to another tree. We live on the edge of National Forest, and have been dealing with this bug for 20 years now. My husband has found pesticide free methods of killing the beetle, by skinning the bark and exposing the bugs to light and air. I'll post photos of that next, as the beetle tree in our yard goes through the process.

If you would like more information on pine beetles, send me an e-mail and I'll be happy to link you with the local resources available.

Greetings from Estes Park!

Our 21st Annual "Ducky Derby" was another huge success thanks to the Estes Park Rotarians and all the volunteers that came together to make it a fun event. Our Village Jazz Band played two sets and didn't get TOO cold, and the event raised over $118,000 for local organizations and charities. The photo below is the first little rubber ducky to cross the finish line! (Now I need to find out how my three ducks did in the race...)

Greetings from Estes Park!

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a housewarming party for one of my first time homebuyer customers. There was a great mix of his mountaineering and music friends, along with his relatives, and everyone was so happy that he finally has a house of his own. We looked for two years for a suitable home in his price range. With interest rates being low and the first time homebuyer tax credit, he was able to afford a home that was perfect for him, that had been out of his price range before. It's nice when the realtor gets hugs of thanks for helping someone find the house of their dreams!

Greetings from Estes Park,

Tomorrow is our Duck Race, sponsored by the Estes Park Rotary. The race was started 21 years ago by Steve Nagl of The Wheel Bar and has been a local tradition ever since! The ducks are dropped in Fall River at Nicky's Restaurant and Resort and travel down the river, sometimes with a little assistance to the Riverside Plaza. The Estes Park Village Jazz Band will be playing from 12:30 until 2:00 P.M., and there will be jugglers, face painters, clowns and assorted local characters until the ducks cross the finish line. if you're in town, stop by!

Greetings from Estes Park!

I have been invited to be a part of a fundraising group in Estes Park, Colorado for a Performing Arts Complex. Local architects Thorpe and Associates have completed the design and now it is up to us to line up matching funds to get this project off the ground. I'm excited! To view all the information about this fantastic project, visit www.estesparktheater.com/