The public is invited to participate in the Garfield County Energy Advisory Board meeting from 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, March 1, at the Rifle Branch Library, 207 East Ave.

The Energy Advisory Board is a monthly forum for the public, oil and gas industry, landowners and local government to engage in positive and proactive communication and actions that encourage responsible and balanced development of energy resources.

Peter Barkmann, supervisory hydrogeologist with the Colorado Geological Survey, will discuss Piceance Basin Geology and geologic features associated with Garfield County oil and gas development.

Beginning at 5:30 p.m., a light meal and social time is provided for meeting attendees. The meeting will begin promptly at 6 p.m. For meal-planning purposes, RSVPs are suggested. Please call Denice Brown, Garfield County Oil and Gas assistant, at (970) 625-5915 so she may order the correct amount of food for attendees.

The Colorado Basin Roundtable (CBRT) is looking to help fund projects that will address environmental and recreational water needs involving the Colorado River and its tributaries. Funding for these projects would be from the roundtable’s Water Supply Reserve Account, which is administered by the Colorado Water Conservation Board.

As much as $2 million may be available for competitive grants statewide. Although there is no limitation to grant requests, typical grants are about $200,000. CBRT hopes to identify up to five projects for near-term funding and implementation, and other projects may be considered for long-term prioritization.

The CBRT is sponsoring an informal workshop to help potential project applicants with the funding process. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 15, in the Blue River Room of the North Branch Library in Silverthorne. Interested parties should prepare a short project summary based on criteria that can be found on the Colorado River District website at http://www.ColoradoRiverDistrict.org or by calling Jacob Bornstein, CWCB (303-866-3441) or Lane Wyatt, CBRT (970-468-0295, ext. 116).

The Orchard, located at 110 Snowmass Drive in Carbondale, has announced plans for its newest project, the Good Seed Community Garden to be situated on the north side of The Orchard property.

The Good Seed Community Garden will feature 39 garden plots in 2 sizes; 4-feet-by-10-feet and 4-feet-by-20-feet. The annual cost is $25 for a small plot and $40 for the large plot. Garden plots will be assigned through a lottery from interested gardeners that have completed an application by March 21. Plots will be assigned the week of March 25.

The Good Seed Community Garden will be unique in that as part of signing the gardening agreement, gardeners will be asked to contribute 10 percent of their produce to those in need through either LIFT-UP or Feed My Sheep. Debi Boyle, the Carbondale food pantry coordinator from LIFT-UP, said, “This is a great need because the LIFT-UP program can’t supply fresh produce for a balanced diet. We would love it!”

Informational meetings to learn more about the Good Seed Community Garden will be hosted at The Orchard in Carbondale at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, and at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 14.

For more information or to donate time and/or materials please contact Garden@TheOrchardLife.com.

Stop by and see local art shows featuring paintings by Glenwood Springs Art Guild artists Dot Mulligan at Flower Mart, 210 Sixth St., Glenwood Springs, and Portia Griefenberg at Bullock Hinkey Real Estate, 311 Blake Ave., Glenwood Springs. Paintings may be viewed during business hours. The Glenwood Springs Art Guild puts on these shows to fulfill its mission statement to support visual arts in the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond.The current shows continue the through March.