Ralph CarrThe Roan Plateau heads to auction, and honoring former Colorado Governor Ralph Carr for supporting Japanese Americans during World War II. Plus, a Denver Western-wear mogul dies, and Rage Against the Machine comes to the DNC.
1,000 acres of formerly privately owned land has been added to Cheyenne Mountain State Park, located in southwest Colorado Springs. The Cheyenne Mountain State Park Service held a public meeting Tuesday evening to discuss plans for the park’s newly acquired property. KRCC’s Rachael DeWitt attended the meeting and has this report.
When the National Sports Center for the Disabled opened at the Winter Park resort in 1970, it didn’t get an office with a mountain view — or even a window. Founder Hal O’Leary worked in a broom closet, organizing ski lessons for children and adults with disabilities. Now 70 years old, he’s still helping people sweep down the mountain and he’s built the center into a global force in disabled athletics. The center’s full-time instructors teach more than 30 thousand lessons annually and help train most of the U.S. disabled ski team’s members. Nancy Greenleese has the profile of a ski bum who has carved out new opportunities for the disabled.
Trinidad, Colorado, population 10,000, has a world renowned skate park, rated in pro-skateboarder Tony Hawk’s top ten. So why, many skaters wonder, does Colorado Springs, with over 35 times as many people, lack a professionally built skate park? Well, that’s set to change. The city is planning a new 40,000 sq foot skate park, and this one will be built by people who know what they’re doing. Colorado College student Kate Dawson has this report on what people want.
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Federal officials say that in the next decade, about 12 thousand new natural gas wells will be drilled in the San Juan Basin of southwestern Colorado. A two-state task force is developing strategies to keep all the new energy development, plus a growing population, from making air quality in the area worse. The task force’s final meeting is Wednesday. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
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Colorado must reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by the year 2020 under the state’s first ever plan to curb global warming. The Governor’s plan also calls for cleaner cars and carbon offsets for farmers, but says Colorado will not set regional benchmarks with other western states. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reversed its controversial assessment of the Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse, and now says it deserves protection under the federal endangered species act. That’s bad news for developers, who say federal protection of Prebles habitat along the Front Range is costing them billions of dollars in lost opportunities. Two years ago, Fish and Wildlife said new research proved that the mouse was so genetically similar to other, more common mice, that it could be removed from the endangered species list. That decision brought criticism from some rodent scientists, and now the agency is reversing its decision.
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Colorado has landed the largest convention contract in the state’s history, the ski and snowboard industry’s annual trade show. Governor Ritter says it’s expected to bring in more than $350 million to the state and a boost to downtown Denver and ski resorts across Colorado. Bente Birkeland reports from Denver
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Some 250,000 hunters are expected to head into Colorado’s backcountry this fall, but national trend data says fewer young people are showing an interest. The trend has wildlife managers and hunting-dependent businesses concerned. KUNC’s Brian Larson reports.
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A proposed land swap in southwestern Colorado is generating controversy. Outside Durango, a company wants to expand a golf course and development onto neighboring land now owned by the Forest Service. In exchange, they're offering property that the government says could provide important habitat for rare native trout. Bente Birkeland reports.
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Governor Bill Ritter says the Denver-area based PeaceJam festival is being considered for a Nobel Peace Prize. Ritter announced this afternoon that six Nobel Prize laureates have nominated the group, founded by Dawn Engle and Ivan Suvanjiff.
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With U.S. Troop deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan now well into its
fifth year, American military families are being stretched to their
limits. Tens of thousands of troops have already done two yearlong
combat tours, many have done three. Long deployments to dangerous places
can be especially hard on children of soldiers. A national program aims
to give these kids a chance to take a week off from their worries at
special summer camps for military kids only. Last week, we visited the
first one in Colorado.
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The Associated Press says a third case of West Nile Virus has been confirmed in Colorado, this time in Boulder County. So far this year only three cases have been confirmed in the state, the first coming a week ago in Logan County, the second in Cheyenne County.
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Colorado has plenty of tales about strange and apparently unexplainable occurrences. One story that’s been around for more than a century comes from the tiny town of Silver Cliff in the rural Wet Mountain Valley. Many folks there have witnessed blue lights flitting among the tombstones of the local cemetery on dark, overcast nights. In early June, ten members of the Crypto Science Society at Metro State College decided to investigate the phenomena. Shanna Lewis reports.
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Photo: Wikipedia Controversial artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude spoke in Salida this weekend. The duo are propsing a large scale art installation in the Arkansas River Canyon east of Salida. It would involve hanging large panels of fabric over the river for seven miles. They hope to put the installation up in 2011. There’s already been plenty of local criticism of their plans. KRCC’s Kate Dawson reports on their latest visit to the area.
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