Dear Editor,

I do not engage in social media but I’d like to clear up some misrepresentations being posted about the relationship between Axe and Snax and the Rudolph Ranch. Earlier this Spring Corey Marshall and I were chatting about the type of work Axe and Snax did for the Gilpin community.

After hearing of the services we provided and the needs Axe & Snax had, Corey offered his property for wood supply, storage and processing. He also suggested the use of his wood splitting equipment and all ranch facilities to Axe and Snax volunteers in their community service. He never asked for anything in return and nothing political was ever made of the relationship. As Axe and Snax Chair, I recognized Corey’s offer as a unique opportunity to satisfy several of our needs. The Rudolph Ranch provides: 1) a sorely needed site to store green wood generated from our mitigation activities; 2) a valuable mid-Gilpin County firewood and green wood storage location, and 3) a large area for the noisy process of firewood preparation away from county residences.

After seeing the opportunity Corey was offering, I brought the issue up with the Axe and Snax Board and it was unanimously accepted as something to benefit our mission. An agreement was signed which included harvesting some of the Rudolph Ranch trees for our wood supply and a token one-dollar per year lease payment. Since signing the agreement, we have been utilizing the property for green wood storage, firewood preparation and stacking with full unhindered access from the Marshalls. Any communication Corey Marshall has made regarding his relationship with Axe & Snax have only been factual, and nothing more has been represented or suggested.

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that the Rudolph Ranch is, and will be, a critical asset to the services Axe and Snax provides to the Gilpin County community and I want to thank Corey Marshall for his generosity in making it happen.

Steve Mornis

Axe and Snax Chair