This summer's vast wildfires have left many Coloradans wary. And that fear shows up not just in how we react to wildfires—but in the words we use to describe them.

Your weekly regional science update.

On Colorado’s Western Slope, the arrival of Olathe Sweet Corn has always felt like a promise of summer, of abundance, and of a valley that knows how to grow something special. But this year, that promise has been tested. Drought, monsoons, rising costs, and stubborn pests have all converged, leaving farmers to wonder what the future of sweet corn might look like.

“Sometimes I let the subconscious deal with it,” says science writer Elizabeth Preston, author of the new book The Creature’s Guide to Caring, How animal parents teach us that humans were born to care. In this interview, we talk about the evolution of a manuscript–how she went from the “Big Idea” to the actual book. Other threads include the importance of walking away, balancing parenting with a writing life, why humor helps, the invitation to be bold, and how the “gnomes in the back of my head” have helped Elizabeth solve structural problems with her creative projects.Elizabeth Preston is a science journalist who contributes regularly to The New York Times and has written for Science, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Orion, Slate, Audubon, Discover, National Geographic, and others. She is a winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Kavli Science Journalism Gold Award. Preston is also a humor writer whose work has appeared in outlets such as McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Parents, and Real Simple, and was the editor of Muse, a magazine about science and ideas for kids. She lives in Massachusetts. Her new book is The Creature’s Guide to Caring: How animal parents teach us that humans were born to care

Your weekly regional science update.

In the tiny mountain town of Lake City, emergency medical care relies heavily on local volunteers. So when three residents recently completed a basic EMT course and passed the national boards, it's a cause for celebration in the community. As part of our continuing coverage of EMS services on the Western Slope, KVNF’s Laura Palmisano introduces us to two of the new volunteer EMTs.

A 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling significantly narrowed federal Clean Water Act protections for wetlands and intermittent streams, prompting Colorado to create a new state permitting program and New Mexico to develop a similar system. Supporters say the new state rules will help protect vulnerable waterways in the arid West, though officials acknowledge the programs will require significant resources and cannot fully replace federal oversight.

KVNF's weekly call-in gardening show. As the Worm Turns is now on Wednesday's @ 5 PM.

Blue Mesa Reservoir is at a record low for late July, and federal managers have cut minimum flows on the lower Gunnison below the floor set in 2012. KVNF's Brody Wilson looks at what that means for endangered fish, Uncompahgre Valley farms, and the Black Canyon.