“The problem with heroes, of course, is that no one is perfect, says Heather Hansman, author of Fierce Country. “Mine aren’t. They bumbled and lied and burned bridges and screwed up. They were often egotistical and angry, driven by an obsessive kind of love.” In this episode of Emerging Form, we talk with Heather about how her new book explores new kinds of heroes–specifically women in the outdoors–and why these voices have not been heard much in the past and why it’s important that we do hear about more women. In addition we talk about how hard it is to be honest about our heroes–to present them with all their flaws and struggles as well as their triumphs. We talk about researching real people after they’ve died, the importance of walking away from a project, and obsession.Heather Hansman is an award-winning freelance writer and the celebrated author of Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America’s Love for the Wild, Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns and the Future of Chasing Snow and Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Outside, among others. She lives in Durango, Colorado, right by the river.

There’s a major reason that Yellowstone National Park attracts close to 5 million visitors every year. Yes, there are spectacular geysers and world-class trout rivers, but what’s unique about the national park is that it’s home to all the wild animals native to its area, from grizzly bears and wolves to elk, deer and bison.That they flourish is due to Yellowstone’s huge expanse of wildlands — you’d have to drive 1,000 miles to circle what’s called the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.But new policies from Washington, D.C., would dramatically reduce the size of these wildlands and threaten wildlife’s ability to survive.

Last week we talked about the key components of a retreat and today we're going to talk about the benefits. Retreats are one of the many ways that I feed my soul and reconnect with my heart. They take us out of our habitual thinking, doing, pursuing, perceiving and place us in a whole new context completely geard towards peace, intention, healing and insight. They have the ability to get us unstuck from tough places by shifting our environment and routine, and surrounding us with symbols, sounds, movements and people that represent a pure and supportive energy.

Have you traveled along a dark road and been temporarily blinded by bright oncoming headlights? I think we all can relate.Vehicle headlights are among the most widespread and least regulated sources of artificial light at night. A full moon produces roughly 0.1–0.3 lux. Lux measures how bright light appears on a surface, specifically the amount of light that falls on a given surface. One lux equals one lumen per square meter. Lumens measure the total light output from a source. Lux depends on distance and beam focus: the closer you are to a light source or the more focused the light beam, the higher the lux reading.

Paramedic David Jepsen discusses upcoming training for EMS personnel in Hinsdale County and the challenges the agency is facing.

Colorado voters will decide 14 statewide ballot measures on Nov. 3. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KOTO's Julia Caulfield talks with Bente Birkeland of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance about all of them, from fentanyl penalties and immigration reporting to income taxes and the right to hunt and fish.

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

When fire commanders try to figure out how to contain a major wildfire, the last thing you might expect them to deploy is a herd of beef cattle. But on the recent Gold Mountain Fire in western Colorado, cows are eating the “fine fuels” along a three-mile fire line on the Big Cimarron River.Putting that idea into practice five years ago would have required miles of electric fencing and a range rider to gather strays. Now, new technology has changed the game for cattle grazing by putting electronic collars — all solar-powered — on cows and linking them by satellite.

State air regulators say the West Elk coal mine near Somerset put out nearly four times the volatile organic compounds its permit allows, and sanctions may follow. KVNF talked with the Colorado Sun reporter who covered the story and with a North Fork methane-burning entrepreneur.