South Platte River from Natural to Cement

DENVER– The South Platte River is a critical resource in the Denver area over the past 50 years it has endured massive change development and abuse. But fishing groups, the Greenway Foundation and water users say they are committed to restoring natural processes. The Chatfield Reservoir built in response to a massive flood which deluged Denver in 1965, holds water that could be released to simulate fluctuating flows. What’s the incentive? Property values…

Wildlife Eden in Denver  

DENVER –This wildlife refuge along Colorado’s Front Range just north of Denver is an emerging oasis for black footed ferrets and bison where rangers also promote conservation to children.   The 15,000-acre refuge once was home to a chemical weapons factory in WWII. Later shell leased the land and produced pesticides including DDT. Then in the Cold War, the army produced nerve agent called sarin, a deadly gas. The place…

Zapata Bison Ranch Promoter of Careful Land Management, Encourages need for Next Generation  

SAN LUIS VALLEY– The tradition of ranching is dying. Zapata Ranch is home to around 2000 bison located in the San Luis Valley.  The bison roam on 50,000 acres of the total 110,000-acre ranch. Each year, ranch workers harvest 500 bison. They are sold under their label, Lasater Grasslands Beef.  Among the buyers is Whole Foods. Ranch manager Duke Philips said his goal is to mimic…

The Importance of Water and Dark Skies at the Great Sand Dunes National Park 

GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK– Fighting light pollution to preserve starry night skies and securing water flows amid climate changes are growing concerns at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.  It falls to Fred Bunch, the parks natural resources manager, to face these challenges. Bunch has been working at the dunes for the past 30 years. Visitor rates have skyrocketed. In 2017 a record 487,000 people visited, up from 230,481 visitors…

Water Crisis in the San Luis Valley

ALAMOSA—Colorado’s San Luis Valley faces a water crisis that threatens survival of thousands of residents due to over use and over development of a marginal supply. Over the past 100 years, insurance companies subsidized the development of the San Luis Valley by offering coverage to farmers. Those companies helped promote this arid, desolate part of the United States…

Why Study Ice Cores?

DENVER– A huge federal government freezer west of Denver holds the nation’s collection of ice cores crucial for analyzing climate change. The ice cores come from Antarctica, Greenland and Alaska. In order to keep them from melting, curators keep the freezer set at around at least as cold as minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit. They have backup generators in…

Has Colorado Springs Utilities Been Unfairly Maligned? 

COLORADO SPRINGS—Colorado Springs Utilities electricity providers still rely largely on coal but say they increasingly will rely on natural gas and solar. “We’re not all the media portrays us to be,” public relations chief Amy Trinidad said during a recent visit. The latest efforts are focused on implementing more solar panels. Solar energy currently costs twice as much per megawatt…

Biography: Rhett Turner

  My mother is from Italy and my father is from Atlanta, Georgia. I grew up in Atlanta and went to the Atlanta International School, where I began my French studies when I was four years old. I also began learning how to play violin. Junior year I transferred to McCallie, a boarding School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This was a…