JANUARY 2026 LEAGUE LINES
| Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
| | League Lines
The official monthly newsletter of the League of Women Voters of Estes Park
Vol. 24 Issue 7 | January 3, 2026
| | In this issue:
- President's Letter
- January 6 Rally
- Learn w/ the League 1/21
- Junior Elections Wants You
- Democracy Speaker Series
- And Much More
| | | Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!
I recently visited the Archives of the Estes Park Museum to review some information about our League. Much thanks to Jessica and Mollie in getting this all together for us. It is wonderfully curated and, along with the newspapers which have been scanned in, I was able to find what I was looking for. The digitized newspaper collection is keyword searchable and is searchable here. The museum is digitized through 2005 of the EP Trail Gazette with plans to move to the present in the next few years. You can alter the search terms or limit the results by year to get more specific results as well.
Please join us for the next Learn with the League on January 21st at 10:00 with Logan Lasley, Wildland Risk Reduction Education, and Interim Chief Warren Jones, Estes Valley Fire Protection District. Both of them will help us understand more about the fire issues within the District and what we can do to help keep Estes Park safe.
I hope those of you needing to renew are able to do this within the new system at the LWVUS membership portal https:/portal.lwv.org/membership. Please, if you have any questions, contact our Membership Chair Becky O’Connor at membe...@lwv-estespark.org Please consider volunteering on the League of Women Voters of Estes Park Board. We will soon be recruiting leadership for the 2026-2027 year.
Wishing you a wonderful start to 2026!
Yvonne Salfinger
President, LWV of Estes Park
| TAKE BACK JANUARY 6 FOR THE NATION | Join us in Estes Park to Take Back January 6th for the Nation!
We'll be out reminding our community and guests that real patriots support:
- The Constitution
- The Rule of Law
- Peaceful Transfer of Power
- Free Speech
- Etc.
(Virginia Drive/Park Lane and 170 MacGregor Ave -- Bond Park, south side) Everyone is welcome. Please bring signs, chants, songs, and goodwill.
FREE PARKING IS IN EFFECT throughout the Town's parking lots. Observe private paid parking information.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: Respect local organizers and protect future gatherings by not blocking vehicle or pedestrian traffic, following instructions from organizers, law enforcement, and emergency responders, and by removing trash. Do not step off the curb onto the street. Give wildlife plenty of room high elevation (7,500 feet), so bring plenty of water and dress appropriately for the conditions (cold, wind, sun, rain, etc.).
RESTRICTIONS: Amplification (mics, speakers, megaphones, etc.) is not permitted. Tables and easels are not permitted. Please do not affix signs, banners, balloons, etc. to trees, poles, etc. Please do not bring or release helium balloons, which endanger wildlife and livestock.
*We encourage you to visit local restaurants and merchants before and after the gathering. | LEARN WITH THE LEAGUE
WED. JANUARY 21 at 10 AM
EV FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT | JANUARY IS TIME FOR MANY OF US
TO RENEW OUR LEAGUE MEMBERSHIPS | Hello League Members,
It's time for many of you to renew. During the month of January, about 40% of our overall membership is up for renewal, so we want to be sure the renewal process goes smoothly! Membership renewal will be a little different this year. To ensure your membership stays current, please renew as soon as you can after you receive a renewal notice.
You should receive renewal notices as follows:
· 60 days prior to expiration from the National League of Women Voters (LWV) – if you are due for a renewal in January, you should have already received your first notification to renew.
· 30 days before expiration from the National LWV
· On your expiration date from the National LWV
· After your expiration date, from LWV Estes Park
You will be considered inactive if you do not renew by 60 days past your expiration.
Here are some important things to know about renewals:
GENERAL HOW TOS
· Renewals are processed through the National LWV portal. You will sign on using your email address and then receive a code through your email to complete the sign on process.
· The recommended dues rate is $75 per member, but you can pay any amount over the minimum dues rate of $20.
· To renew online, go here https://portal.lwv.org/. You can do this even if you do not receive the renewal notices!
· To renew manually, send your check and mail it to: LWV-Estes Park; 453 E. Wonderview Ave., Unit 3; PMB 188; Estes Park, CO 80517.
IF YOU FORMERLY HAD A FAMILY/ HOUSEHOLD MEMBERSHIP
The LWV no longer offers family memberships, but when you renew, you will be given the option to also renew for a second person. To do so, check the box on the renew form indicating this and the additional fields for renewing a second person will appear. Two things to be aware of:
· The dues amount you choose to pay will be the same for each member.
· Each member must have a unique email, which the system uses as your sign on.
TO MAKE A DONATION AT TIME OF RENEWAL
When going through the online renewal process, you may use the donate screens to indicate the amount you wish to contribute. This will ensure 100% of your intended donation goes to LWV Estes Park. If you increase your dues amount and don’t clearly indicate that the increase is a donation, the excess will be pro-rated to the national, state, and local leagues for membership using the standard dues allocation of 33%, 47%, and 20%. You may also send a donation check directly to LWV EP at: LWV-Estes Park; 453 E. Wonderview Ave., Unit 3; PMB 188; Estes Park, CO 80517. We appreciate all donations made!
Please contact Membership Director Becky O'Connor at membership@lwv-estespark.org with any questions or issues related to the renewal process. Thank you so much for your prompt attention to this important matter!
Thank you so much for your continued support!
Becky O'Connor
| SEEKING MORE
JUNIOR ELECTIONS VOLUNTEERS
FOR 2026 ELECTION PROGRAMS! | Do you have a passion for helping our youngest citizens get fired up for participating in our democracy? Junior Elections is one way our league encourages Civic Engagement. Join our Junior Elections team to educate our community’s current and future young voters through practice voting on real candidates and issues, and through events such as “Meet the Candidates". For more information please contact Lisa Essman at lisaes...@gmail.com
| LEARN MORE ABOUT RUNNING FOR THE TOWN BOARD
| Town prepares for April 7 municipal election; candidate forum scheduled Jan. 6
The Town of Estes Park will hold the next regular Municipal Election on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 to elect three trustee seats on the Board of Trustees. Voters will determine who will occupy seats currently held by Mayor Pro Tem Marie Cenac, Trustees Bill Brown and Kirby Hazelton. Mayor Pro Tem Cenac is term limited. The other two Trustees are eligible to run for one of the three four-year terms.
For individuals who are interested in learning more about becoming a candidate, the Town Clerk will offer a candidate information forum on Jan. 6, 2026 at 6 p.m. in the Town Board Room of Town Hall, at 170 MacGregor Ave. This forum will include a review of the candidate packet, including candidate eligibility, nomination instructions, the nomination petition, Fair Campaign Practices Act instructions, expectations of time commitment and the role of a Board member.
Registered electors 18 years of age or older may be a candidate and hold office if they have resided inside Town limits for at least 12 consecutive months immediately preceding April 7, 2026. Candidate packets will be available at the Town Clerk’s office, Room 130 of Town Hall on or after Jan. 6, 2026 and nomination petitions may be circulated beginning the same day. The petition must be signed by at least 10 registered electors who reside inside Town limits. The filing deadline for nomination petitions is Jan. 26, 2026 at 5 p.m.
Additional important dates for candidates:
Feb. 2: Last day to file a Write-In Candidate Affidavit.
Feb. 2: Last day for a candidate to withdraw from the election.
April 7: Election Day
April 28: Swearing-in of newly elected Town Trustees at the Town Board meeting.
For more election information, please visit estes.org/elections or contact the Town Clerk’s office at 970-577-4777 or town...@estes.org. Register to vote at govotecolorado.com.
| DEMOCRACY SPEAKER SERIES
JANUARY 15 TO FEBRUARY 19 | Our 2026 Democracy Speaker Series
We are excited to present our next step in our democracy work, the LWVCO Democracy Speaker Series, designed to educate, empower, enlighten, and engage Coloradans across the state. Beginning Thursday, January 15, we will convene weekly conversation that explore forces shaping our democracy and the tools communities can use to protect it.
Here's what you can expect:
- When: Every Thursday starting January 15
- Time: 4:30 - 6:00 pm
- Format: A five (5) session series
- 4th session: A Town-Hall style gathering focused on reflection and shared action.
Across these sessions, you'll hear from leaders in academia, government, journalism, community organizing, and the arts.
Our goal is clear: To create space for context, understanding, inspiration, and new definitions of civic action and to help every participant recognize that participation IS action.
|  | Thank you to our renewing members: Cathy Alper, Bev Bachman, Judith Beechy, Judy Brannon, Gary Hall, Karla Henderson, susan Langdon, Bob Leavitt, Connie Leavitt, Sydney Lewelling, John Long, Kathy Long, Ranee Morrison, Roberta Raworth, Elizabeth Spalding, Jeff Spalding, Jane Truesdale, Barbara Werner.
| NEWS FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS | | The Village Thrift Shop will permanently close at the end of February 2026. Between now and then clean out your closets and gather your donations. The Thrift Shop will be open for business Wednesday through Saturdays from 11:00 Am to 3:00 PM. Donations are very much welcomed. Their address is 1138 Manford Ave. Estes Park. | Drop off Christmas trees Dec. 29 - Jan. 16 at the Fairgrounds
The Town of Estes Park's free Christmas tree drop-off site will be open Mondays through Fridays beginning Dec. 29, from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The site will be open through Jan. 16. Please note the drop-off site will be closed New Year’s Day. The drop-off will be located at the Community Drive entrance to the Estes Park Events Complex/Fairgrounds; follow the signs to the fenced drop-off location. Trees must be stripped of ornaments, tinsel, and other decorations. No wreaths, garland, artificial trees, or tree stands will be accepted. Trees must be dropped during the specified hours in the identified area. Dropping trees after hours or in other locations will be considered illegal dumping and may be subject to a fine.
The Town offers this free service as a convenience and cost-saving measure for residents, with the added benefit of keeping discarded trees/slash out of the landscape. The trees are chipped and discarded in the Larimer County landfill. The high acidity of the chipped product makes it unsuitable for mulch or compost. For more information, please contact the Town of Estes Park Public Works Department at 970-577-3587.
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