ENVIRONMENT – The skinny on Steamboat Springs real estate.

27May 2022 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

GREEN THUMB, ROCKY MOUNTAIN-STYLE: A GUIDE TO GARDENING IN STEAMBOAT

Design Trends, ENVIRONMENT, Helpful Advice, STEAMBOAT LIFE STYLE

by steamboatsir | May 27, 2022 If you’ve ever tried to dig a hole in Colorado, you understand pretty quickly how the Rocky Mountains earned its name. If you’re from another part of the country and love to garden, get ready: a whole different set of rules apply here. Take it from Emma Friedland, Lead Horticulturist for the Yampa River Botanic Park, whose job it is to manage the horticulture team who maintains all the gardens. Part of her job description, in addition to keeping out weeds, making compost into viable soil, and pairing plants for the most successful growing season, is to showcase Colorado’s native plants. “I was born and raised in Colorado, so I’ve been gardening here all my life,” she says. “I always tell people who are new to Colorado…

05Apr 2022 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

BUILDING GREEN: A GUIDE TO LOCALLY SOURCED MATERIALS

Design Trends, ENVIRONMENT, Helpful Advice, STEAMBOAT LIFE STYLE

by steamboatsir | Apr 5, 2022 When settlers first came to the Yampa Valley, they built cabins from logs harvested from trees on their own land. Today, between materials that are engineered and those that are imported from the other side of the world, the carbon footprint and ecological cost of construction materials is staggering. Purchasing materials within a 100-mile radius of your home will greatly reduce the carbon footprint of building. For John Shively, who has been building homes in the Yampa Valley for 35 years, terms like “sustainable” and “green” when applied to building can be misleading. There’s a lot more to consider in the bigger picture and how impactful some of these materials that are billed as sustainable are going to function over the long run in terms of energy…

06Sep 2021 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

HOMEGROWN: SUPPORTING LOCAL RANCHERS WITH THE COMMUNITY AGRICULTURE ALLIANCE

ENVIRONMENT, SOTHEBY'S NEWS, STEAMBOAT LIFE STYLE

by steamboatsir | Sep 6, 2021 When the Steamboat Gravel bike race (SBT GVL) is held every summer, hundreds of cyclists are herded along the rural county roads of the Yampa Valley, much like the cattle who have occupied this land for generations. That’s one of the reasons why the Community Agriculture Alliance, a non-profit whose mission is to promote and support agriculture in the Yampa Valley, hosts ranch tours for cyclists. “They’re out riding on gravel roads past ranches, admiring the fields of hay and the cattle grazing, and we want them to know what they’re seeing, and vice versa. We provide education programs and events for riders and also let ranchers know when they can expect to have hundreds of cyclists on the roads,” says Michele Meyer, CAA Executive Director. Community…

27Aug 2021 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

GOT KIDS? A LOCAL GUIDE TO KID’S FALL ACTIVITIES IN STEAMBOAT

ENVIRONMENT, SOTHEBY'S NEWS, STEAMBOAT LIFE STYLE

by steamboatsir | Aug 27, 2021 Steamboat is known for producing Winter Olympians, thanks to the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and its world-renowned coaching staff and on-snow programming. In fact, many families move to the area specifically to enroll their kids in SSWSC programs. But with the influx of people who are moving to Steamboat from all over the country, there’s a growing population of kids who may want to do something other than ski. Whether it’s seasonal or year-round, sports or other activities, there are plenty of options for kids in the Yampa Valley who want to get out and play. Field Sports From the 6-week introductory fall program for kids age 5-8 years old to the competitive team program, the Steamboat Soccer Club, founded in 1984, has something for boys and…

08Jul 2021 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

FIRE PROOF: 4 WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM WILDFIRES

ENVIRONMENT, Helpful Advice, HOME BUYER HANDBOOK

by steamboatsir | Jul 8, 2021 With the increasing occurrence of wildfires throughout the Rocky Mountains and all over the western U.S. in the last few years, homeowners are taking stock of their insurance policies and looking at proactive measures to mitigate fire risk. The drought conditions in Steamboat Springs have led to wildfires that are uncomfortably close to many who own property in Routt County. The two wildfires burning in our area – the Muddy Slide fire in South Routt and the Morgan Creek fire in North Routt – are currently under control, but it’s important to make sure that property owners know how to take precautions to ensure that they are covered in a worst-case scenario. “One of the most important things people can do is make sure that the replacement…

23Jun 2021 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

FLOWER POWER: HERE’S WHY THE YAMPA RIVER BOTANIC PARK IS STEAMBOAT’S #1 FREE ATTRACTION

ENVIRONMENT, SOTHEBY'S NEWS, STEAMBOAT LIFE STYLE

by steamboatsir | Jun 23, 2021 Since its inception in the mid-90s, the Yampa River Botanic Park has become so much more than its spectacular gardens. Today, it’s a true community space, a place where all kinds of gatherings, from music festivals and weddings to yoga classes, can be celebrated surrounded by nature. “Our founders, Bob and Audrey Enever, gifted this land to the City of Steamboat Springs to be built as a botanic park. Their original vision was to have trees, flowers, and some benches. Never did they realize it would grow to be what it is today,” says Jennifer MacNeil, Yampa River Botanic Park Executive Director. In fact, YRBP, with over 60 themed gardens, was ranked the number one Free Attraction by Trip Advisor. “It was very important to the Enevers…

01Jun 2021 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

TREADING LIGHTLY: TIPS TO RECREATE RESPONSIBLY THIS SUMMER

ENVIRONMENT, SOTHEBY'S NEWS, STEAMBOAT LIFE STYLE

by steamboatsir | Jun 1, 2021 Photo Credit: Noah Wetzel Steamboat Springs is home to breathtaking landscapes, fresh air, and an abundance of recreation, making it the ideal destination for a vacation in the great outdoors. With endless summer activities, there’s something here for everyone. To maintain the natural beauty of the Yampa Valley and ensure the future of tourism here, it’s essential to know what you can do to take part in sustaining and preserving our community and surroundings so that Mother Nature can continue to provide us with plenty of opportunities for fun in the sun. LEAVE NO TRACE. Whether you’re hiking, biking, camping, or just strolling the streets of Downtown Steamboat Springs, it’s important to adhere to our “Leave No Trace” policy. Steamboat Springs partnered with the Colorado Tourism Office…

08Mar 2021 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

OUT THERE: BACKCOUNTRY SAFETY 101

ENVIRONMENT, SOTHEBY'S NEWS

by steamboatsir | Mar 8, 2021 There have been 33 avalanche fatalities in Colorado so far this season, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, 10 more than in 2019 – 20. “It’s been such a lean year in terms of snowfall with little bursts of snow but nothing significant, so the snowpack never got a chance to consolidate,” says Kyle Lawton, Avalanche Team Leader and Supervisor for the Steamboat Ski Patrol. “The snowpack was shallow, and it never bonded well. Then later, we got these big storms that added a lot of weight, and that’s where we’ve had our triggers.” Colorado snowpack is notoriously hazardous on any given year, Lawton says, because the snow is dry and inconsistent, and it doesn’t bond well. Throw in the sunny days we tend to see…

01Oct 2019 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

BLAZING NEW TRAIL

ENVIRONMENT, SOTHEBY'S NEWS, STEAMBOAT LIFE STYLE

by steamboatsir / Oct 1, 2019 An Insider’s Guide to the Best Fall Hiking and Biking Like most beautiful things, fall in Steamboat is as spectacular as it is fleeting. The Aspen trees don their autumn sequins and the whole valley is aglow in gold, but only for a few short weeks. That’s why there’s no better time of year to explore Steamboat’s network of world-famous mountain biking and hiking trails than in the fall when the temperatures are cooler, the foliage is firing, and the summer crowds have dispersed. There’s a reason the Yampa Valley’s trail systems are some of the best in the country. Steamboat was the first city in the United States to create a full endowment fund for the maintenance, improvement and development of its trails.…

10Feb 2018 by Olson | Tolan Team Blog

Having a hard time finding enough homes for sale? Here are six reasons why that might be happening.

ENVIRONMENT

6 Reasons There Aren’t Enough Homes for Sale Almost anyone who has searched for a house recently knows there are not enough houses for sale. One simple number defines the problem: In October 2017, the nation had a 3.9-month supply of existing homes for resale. That means, at the pace seen then, it would have taken 3.9 months to sell all the homes on the market. A supply under six months puts home buyers at a disadvantage. “Inventory is tighter than it appears. It’s much lower for entry-level buyers,” said Sam Khater, deputy chief economist for CoreLogic, a data provider for the real estate industry. He spoke at the Urban Institute’s annual housing finance symposium on Nov. 1. Why don’t millennial, first-time buyers and Generation X move-up buyers have more to choose…