Wilderness Ranch Landowners Association
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
March 19, 2025
Pres. Todd Carlson called the meeting to order at 6:08 pm
Board Members Present, Todd Carlson, Ty Stewart, and Vicki Burns in person, by phone
Eli Allen and Sid Arola. Guy Whitlock and Bud Bower were absent.
The minutes of the previous board meeting of October 8,2024, were approved as presented.
President Report: A discussion was had regarding the fencing work to be done this summer and what areas needed attention. It was decided to address the boundary line adjacent to the fencing that was completed last summer first. Then depending on the resources available work on the fence on the south and east side of the subdivision will be concerned as the next project.
Bids will be requested from both Smith Fencing contractor and Mr. Jensen. Material cost is in the budget from 2024 and will again be budgeted for in 2025.
The issue of a reduction in BLM and Forest Service personnel may affect the planned Bears Ears Fuel reduction project and board members will reach out and try and get clarification on the future of the project.
Sec. /Tres. Report –
Vicki reported to date there were 266 lot dues paid to date for 2025, and one owner has paid for 2026 dues.
General operating a/c balance as of Feb. 28th balanced to the bank statement is $62,586.95,
The legal balance as of Feb. 28th is $10,812.97.
There have been no map sales in 2025.
Status letter requests from January 1st have generated $100.00 in non-dues revenue. For those not
familiar, a status letter is requested by the title companies when a lot is being sold to determine if
the current years dues have been paid by the owner/seller, the title company then prorates the dues
due, if any, collects said dues and remits along with the status letter fee of $25.00 to the
Association.
Old Business:
Laying down th fence for Fall 2024: Smith fencing took care of laying down the fence and checked
Its condition when doing so for needed repairs in 2025.
Election of Officers for the 2025 calendar year.
After some discussion and nominations, the current officers were re-elected in their respective positions
For 2025. Todd Carlson, Pres., Ty Stewart, Vice-Pres., & Vicki Burns, Sec/Tres.
New Business: Landowners and the Association received a courtesy notice from the US Department of Interior, the BLM, regarding the potential sale of mineral leases in the area of Wilderness Ranches said sales of these leases are due to take place in December 2025. While landowners do not own mineral rights, any entity or individual who secures the mineral right leases will have to notify surface right owners before anyone can enter into private property for the purpose of exploration or extraction of any such minerals.
If anyone has concerns, they should visit the website address given in the notice.
http://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2036196/150 and you can email
kembaand@blm.gov or call 303-29-3939, (Kemba Anderson) Fluid Minerals Branch Chief.
Vicki will be applying for the fish permit for 2025 before the end of the month.
There being no other business to come before the board, the meeting was adjourned at 7:16 pm.
Respectfully Submitted
Vicki Burns Sec/Tres
Wilderness Ranch Landowners Association
Annual Fall Meeting Minutes
October 25, 2024
Pres. Elect Ty Stewart called meeting to order at 612 pm
Board Members Present: Ty Stewart, Bud Bower, Vicki Burns, Sid Arola,
Guy Whitlock.
Ty asked that each person sign the sign in sheet and provide the information requested.
Those present were asked to introduce themselves and mention the lot(s) they owned.
Ty asked for a motion to approve the minutes from the Annual Summer meeting July 6,2024; a motion was made and passed.
Ty then asked for three volunteers to count the ballots for the Director election results.
Volunteers will tally the votes and give the results to Ty later in the meeting.
Report from Officers:
President: Ty noted that several board members were absent due to family obligations.
Ty reported the water tank will be emptied in the next week or two. The lay down of the perimeter fence will be completed by month end. It was noted that the US Forest service is requesting assistance from the association with an upcoming fuels reduction project. Kevin Thompson is here to discuss the project and answer questions.
Guests: Marlin E. from the County building department reported the number of new and existing permits for cabin building in 2024 as well as gave an update on the permits that were pulled in 2023 where construction is ongoing. Marlin noted that he has been monitoring builds in the subdivision and insuring permits are pulled and inspections are taking place.
Kevin Thompson from the US Forest service discussed the upcoming fuels reduction project scheduled to begin summer of 2025 and potentially run through 2027.The project name is The Routt National Forests’ Bears Ears Reduction Project. Handouts were available for members wanted to review the paperwork later. The US Forest service will be working in conjunction with the Colorado Forest service personnel to achieve success in this project. The grant that was applied for in 2024 will again be resubmitted in the spring of 2025 for additional funding to accomplish the project.
Wilderness ranch land owners whose parcels border the national Forest will be contacted for possible access to the forest in areas where it is potentially impassable or dangerous to attempt fuel reduction strictly through the forest land. An access agreement will be entered into with those owners and will be forthcoming in the spring as well. This is a good project that will benefit the entire subdivision. It was noted that for approximately every 10’ of an area where fuel reduction has been achieved, gives owners in that area about 10 more minutes for evacuation when a wild fire is happening. It is only a matter of time as to when the forest has a major fire to deal with, it is not an “if” situation it is truly a “when”!
Sec. /Tres. Report –
Vicki reported that to date there are 326 land owners that have paid dues for 2024.That equates to 382 lots.
This is largest number of paid members. It was also mentioned that this time of the year owners are stopping in almost daily now with hunting seasons here to pay dues, get cards.
The operating account balance is $46,371.34 and the Legal fund balance is $10,312.97.
It was asked that when paying dues, please clarify the specific address you wish cards mailed to as several owners have multiple addresses. Addresses are taken from the assessor’s office records each year and if your home address is listed but you receive mail at a PO Box, this will result in double mailing and ad elay in your cards getting to you.
Old Business:
As previously mentioned, the Forest Service field office in Steamboat (Co. Forest service personnel) will be in touch between late October & November to preview potential areas for forest access for the upcoming
Fuels reduction project planning.
The issue of many cows being in the subdivision this summer was brought up and we were advised that the Forest service has been working on their fencing and have this year implemented a virtual fence in preparation for the fuel’s reduction project. What this means to ranch owners is that the actual fence was either removed or in such bad condition it did not prevent the ranchers’ cows grazing in the forest with a grazing permit from entering the ranch property. Some cows had the collars/tags on them but not all.
The board has asked for a meeting with the Forest service & the rancher to further discuss the issue.
When more info is available it will be posted on the website,
New Business:
There being no further business, Ty received the results of the ballot counting.
It was reported that there were 81 ballots returned; The five director nominees listed on the ballot vote
tallies were as follows: Guy Whitlock 78 votes, Sid Arola 68 votes, Todd Carlson 66 votes, Bud Bower 62 votes, and John Cochran 32 votes. There were several write in candidates that received a total of 6 votes. 5 receiving one vote each and one person receiving 5 votes.
The next general membership meeting will be the first Saturday in July 2025, which is July 5th.
Dues notices to be coming out to all land owners in January 2025. Everyone was thanked for attending and joining in the discussions.
Ty called for a motion to adjourn, a motion was made, seconded, and passed, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully Submitted
Vicki Burns
Sec/Tres
Wilderness Ranch Landowners Association
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
October 8, 2024
Pres. Todd Carlson called meeting to order at 7:00 pm
Board Members Present, Todd Carlson, Bud Bower, Sid Arola, and Vicki Burns, with
Eli Allen and Ty Stewart by phone. Guy Whitlock absent.
Minutes of the previous board meeting of May 4, 2024, were approved as presented.
President Report: Todd discussed the need for emptying the water storage tank as late as possible since we are still having very warm days, and the ranch is very dry. Eli & Ty both said they work on it and will coordinate the project and get it done in the next few weeks.
Fence project update: Bid was received from Smith Fencing contractor we have been using for the past few
years, labor to remove & replace one mile of lay-down fencing is $6864.00 Material cost are
approximately $12,000.00 which the ranch supplies. This does not include clearing the right of way.
After discussion was held, it was decided to contact Smith and coordinate the project for next Spring/Summer. The area of fence to be replaced will be decided at that time.
Sec. /Tres. Report –
Vicki reported to date there were 380 lot dues paid. That equates to 324 owners.
One owner has paid for 2025 dues.
General operating a/c balance as of Sept. 30th balanced bank statement is $46,371.34,
The legal a/c balance as of Sept. 30th is $10,312.97.
Status letter requests since the July meeting has generated $225.00 in non-dues revenue. For those not
familiar, a status letter is requested by the title companies when a lot is being sold to determine if
the current years dues have been paid by the owner/seller, the title company then prorates the dues
due, if any, collects said dues and remits along with the status letter fee of $25.00 to the
Association.
Old Business:
Follow up on lay-down fence being laid down for the winter; Eli will contact fencing people as well as other board members contacting adjoining ranchers to coordinate getting the fence put down.
Fire management grant process update: there is no new information to share at this time.
Website update: We are working to make the website more user-friendly and have the ability to get things posted more easily. Will keep working on this and report back.
New Business: The following individuals have been incited to the Fall Membership meeting:
KC Hume- Mo Co Sheriff, Todd Wheeler- MoCo Fire Management officer, Dan Martin- MoCo Road dept.
Supervisor, Marlin Echoff- MoCo Building dept., still trying to contact someone from Div of Wildlife
and the Forest Service to attend.
Todd & others to talk to Forest Service regarding the fence line between the ranch & the forest land,
It is our understanding that whoever leases the forest ground for grazing is responsible for maintaining the fence. It is painfully obvious that no one has done so for many years. The number of cows coming into the ranch from the forest is not acceptable. The tracking collar program while in its trail period is not working.
Todd will check on having a meeting with the forest service personnel to address the issues of the cows and the fence.
There being no other business to come before the board, the meeting was adjourned at 7:59 pm.
Respectfully Submitted
Vicki Burns Sec/Tres
Annual Summer Meeting Minutes
July 6, 2024
Pres. Todd Carlson called meeting to order at 1:10
Board Members Present: Todd Carlson, Ty Stewart, Sid Arola, Guy Whitlock, Bud Bower, & Vicki Burns.
Todd welcomed everyone and asked that before they leave today to please check/update the contact info
that is on file with the association. This info is only shared in the event of emergencies at the ranch.
Officers Report: Todd reported that the county had done the mag on Co Rd 38 again this year and over
towards Bakers Peak as well. Game Reserve Dr since being re-graveled is holding up very well.
The water tank has been filled and is ready in the event it is needed for fire mitigation. Bud Bower mentioned he may have another tank that he was willing to give to the Association for water storage for fire mitigation issues. Will follow up when he can get it in his schedule to get it to the ranch.
Reminded everyone that driveway permits from the county are a must to maintain the integrity of the roads
For all.
Approximately 800 lbs. of trout were delivered on June 22nd, a big Thank You to all of those who turned out to help with delivering the fish to the ponds. We had some new owners and it was nice to meet these folks.
The perimeter lay-down fence is up and some much-needed repairs were done at the time of standing it up.
An estimate was received for replacing a mile of fence for labor only in the amount of $6,864.00. When this happens, the Association will purchase the materials.
Guest Speaker: Kevin Thompson from the US Forest Service gave a presentation and answered questions
on the upcoming fire mitigation project affecting Routt Forest, on near future and overall long-range plans for the mitigation process and opportunities for grants for the Association and private land owners to get help with perimeter fire breaks and other topics. He will forward info to be posted on the website to follow up with his presentation.
Sec. /Tres. Report – Vicki reported that to date there were 308 paid association members which equates to 363 lots and one owner has already paid for 2025.
General checking account balance as of June 30, 2024 is $45,147.09, with the legal fund balance being $10,012.97.
Correspondence: We have received several retuned mail items, owners paid dues and when cards or recent postcards have been sent out, they have come back undeliverable, cards were sent to the same address as given on the dues notice or on checks and verified with the county. Please clarify as to where you wish your mailings to go so we are not double mailing items. We have at least 4 regular mailings a yr..
Old Business: None brought up.
New Business:
While the Building department rep could not attend, he is available by phone 5 days a week, contact info
is printed on the backside of your membership cards.
Upcoming elections this fall: there will be 4 director seats up for election. Todd will appoint 3 members to be the nominating committee, these folks will gather names of members in good standing to run for the positions. If you are interested, please contact Todd and he can pass your name onto one of these individuals once they have agreed to serve. Terms ending are: Todd Carlson, Sid Arola, Bud Bower, & Guy
Whitlock. (All of these members have expressed an interest in serving another term).
There being no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned.
45 paid members plus family members and 4 non-paid land owners in attendance.
Respectfully Submitted,
Vicki Burns Sec/Tres
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
May 1, 2024
Pres. Todd Carlson called meeting to order at 6:59 pm
Board Members Present: Todd Carlson, Guy Whitlock, Sid Arola, Vicki Burns, Eli Allen, Bud Bower with
Ty Stewart by phone.
Minutes of the previous board meeting of March 20, 2024, were approved as presented.
These are posted on the website.
President Report: Todd called the meeting so a budget could be discussed and approved.
Review of current income & ongoing expenses was done.
Numerous budget items were examined, and a budget was approved. (attached)
Sec. /Tres. Report –
Vicki reported to date there were 344 lot dues paid to date. That equates to 296 owners.
The 3 partial payments have now been paid in full.
The general checking a/c balance is $60,015.06.
Legal fund balance being $9,812.97.
Old Business:
The website has been updated and all pages reflect the current dues amount. Thank you, Guy.
No other old business was brought forward.
New Business:
In depth discussion was held regarding the fencing project for this summer, several board members will
be contacting the adjoining ranch owners to get cooperation with the expense of putting up new fencing
for approximately another mile. The idea of the ranchers sharing in the expense by in-kind work or
providing labor or equipment/operator use was discussed and will be shared with the owners.
Either an email, phone call or letter will go out to the lot owners whose lots are bordered by the fence that will be worked on this summer. It was suggested to advise the owners that an area of 20’ will be cleared on both sides of the fence line for better access and fire mitigation.
Todd dropped off pipe tubing for fence repairs and some is also coming from Montgomery Livestock Co,
These materials will be stored at Eli’s property. Ty is ordering the fence wire, stays and T-posts so all materials will be available when the fence is put back up and when the fence replacement project begins.
Bids will be requested from several companies before the job is given out. As of today, estimates for one mile of fence replacement is approximately $30,000.00. The board is working to keep that cost down by
Members volunteering time and potential equipment use.
The issue of fencing responsibility with adjoining owners was discussed at length and several board members will be contacting The Forest Service office, the local BLM office, The State land board office & NRCS office to discuss shared cost of the expense of fence maintenance and replacement with each of these entities.
It was discussed and a motion was made that once the legal fund balance reaches $10,000.00 to start accruing $100.00 monthly for a contingency or emergency fund for future expenses, these funds could also be used for legal fees if needed.
There being no other business to come before the board, the meeting was adjourned at 8:25 pm.
Respectfully Submitted
Vicki Burns Sec/Tres
Wilderness Ranch Landowners Association
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
March 20, 2024
Vice Pres. Ty Stewart called meeting to order at 6:59 pm
Board Members Present: Ty Stewart, Guy Whitlock, Vicki Burns, with
Todd Carlson and Eli Allen, Bud Bower by phone.
Minutes of the previous board meeting were approved as presented.
Vice President Report: Ty spoke with Todd earlier in the day and discussed a few issues the board
Needed to address. Filling the vacant seat on the board being one of them. Sid Arola was nominated
To fill the remainder of Jesse’s term. After discussion was held, a motion was made, seconded and passed.
Sec. /Tres. Report –
Vicki reported to date there were 303 lot dues paid. That equates to 252 owners.
3 partial payments made & several overpayments made that those members are being reimbursed for.
General checking a/c balance is $56,744.28, Legal fund balance being $9,712.97.
Map income from 1/1/24 to current is $120.00
A notice was sent to the local title companies regarding the increase in dues so when they are pro-rating dues for buyers and sellers they have the correct amount. Also, each real estate office in town was given a
courtesy call to let them know as well so when they are advertising properties, they can correctly say there is an HOA dues and how much it is.
Old Business:
The fish permit was obtained, and the fish order was placed, and a delivery date needs to be set.
After discussion regarding the roads being open, the date of June 22, 2024, was selected.
The fish hatchery will be notified. This is a Saturday delivery as in the past few years and a notice will be posted on the website for those interested in helping with this project.
Follow up on Fire Mitigation Grant – Ty spoke with Eli and as today Eli has not heard anything back
From our contact person regarding the grant or where they are in the process.
New Business:
Set the date for the Annual summer membership meeting for 2024. It was decided to go with July 6th,
Potluck @ noon followed by the meeting. The association will supply meat and rolls & everyone is asked to bring a side dish to share along with their chair, table service & plates.
There have been issues with parking at the snowmobile parking lot, signage does not seem to be the way to clear up the problems. Vehicles being left for very extended periods of time, parking as to not allow for
Others to park or get around vehicles parked. Not sure what can be done but hopefully people will start being more conscientious about how they park and be polite in doing so.
It was mentioned by Bud that we may wish to start a conversation about memorials at the ranch, if this is something we want to think about.
Property taxes will be paid for the hunting reserve & Lot 250 in the amount of $261.72.
The website needs some attention to clean up some issues, Guy volunteered to help with that.
There being no other business to come before the board, the meeting was adjourned at 8:22 pm.
Respectfully Submitted
Vicki Burns Sec/Tres
Wilderness Ranch Landowners Association
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes