The Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeology Society will present Erica Olsen at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Methodist Church, 515 Park St. in Cortez, to discuss “Cultural Material: Writing About Archaeology.”

Writer Olsen will read from her story collection, Recapture, as well as works in progress. She will discuss the role of archaeology as inspiration and provocation in her work. Themes of her stories include archaeology, memory and the lines between fact and fiction and between nature and culture.

For more information, call Kari Schleher at (505) 269-4475.

LPEA to host AMI fee meeting

The La Plata Electric Association Board of Directors will host two community meetings to receive input on the anticipated meter-reading fee that will be assessed of members who “opt out” of installation of a new AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) meter.

The meetings will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Ross Aragon Community Center in Pagosa Springs and Thursday at LPEA headquarters in Durango, 45 Stewart St. in Bodo Industrial Park.

The meter-reading fee under consideration is $25 to $50 per month. LPEA is in the process of replacing its analog meters with a new AMI system. The public meetings are specifically to hear comments about the proposed fee, not a discussion of the AMI system itself. Comments will be limited to three minutes.

For more information, visit www.lpea.coop or call 247-5786.

Women Voters to host candidate forum

The League of Women Voters of La Plata County will sponsor a local candidate forum from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday in the Durango City Council Chambers, 949 East Second Ave.

Candidates for county commissioner, treasurer, sheriff and coroner will answer written questions from the audience. The unopposed incumbent candidates for clerk/recorder and assessor will speak briefly. A handout summarizing the duties of each county position will be available. The forum will be televised live on CitySpan10, broadcast over KIUP radio station and streamed on the city’s website afterward. Durango Public Library will have a DVD of the forum available for circulation.

Nonpartisan election information, including the handout on job duties of county elected officials, is available on the league’s table in the foyer of the Durango library.

Oil, gas task force to meet in Durango

The 21-member Oil and Gas Task Force established by Gov. John Hickenlooper’s executive order will meet from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday and from 8 a.m. to noon Oct. 10 at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, 21636 U.S. Highway 160.

Audio of the meetings will be streamed live and a link for listening will be available at http://dnr.state.co.us/ogtaskforce/Pages/home.aspx on the day of the meeting. A meeting agenda, a schedule for future meetings and other materials will also be updated via the website. Public comment will be accepted from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday.

Commissioner to host office hours Thursday

La Plata County Commissioner Julie Westendorff will hold office hours for the general public to meet with her from 10 to 11:15 a.m. Thursday at the Pine River Library Conference Room, 395 Bayfield Center Drive, in Bayfield.

Westendorff meets with Bayfield area residents each month to learn about their interests and concerns.

For more information, call 382-6219.

Herald Staff