Local Motion

In the September edition of the Delta County Commissioners Report, Felix Belmont and Eric Goold for KVNF News speak with District 2 Commissioner Don Suppes. Much of their discussion is about the Commissioners' decision to repeal Delta County's oil and gas regulations in favor of state control.

Our Western Slope forests provide a home for birds, big game and other wildlife. They furnish timber for building and firewood. They hold soil in place and prevent erosion, and filter rainwater and snowmelt flowing into streams and rivers. But our forests are in trouble. In parts of the Western Slope, aspens have died out, and conifers have turned reddish brown. To find out what’s affecting these trees, KVNF's Jodi Peterson spoke with forestry experts from Colorado State University and the US Forest Service.

The month of August was tough on nonprofits and charities that serve the homeless and veterans in Montrose. KVNF News visited the Warriors Rest, which provides a family-style home for 10 veterans who are down on their luck. But the building's owner is now trying to sell it. Christ's Kitchen, a food service for the homeless, recently closed while Lighthouse Ministries and Shepherd's Hand were denied a zoning permit to open a homeless shelter. KVNF News interviews service providers who are looking for help.

Western Slope children are heading back to school. More and more of them, though, are attending charter schools, independent public schools that offer more flexibility and autonomy. In this edition of Local Motion, Jodi Peterson interviews the directors of three local charter schools, and talks to a parent and student about why they chose this alternative form of education.

Farmers on the Western Slope often struggle to find enough workers. More and more of them are turning to hiring foreign farmhands through a federal program, H-2A. This program provides a legal way for workers to come to the U.S., earn money on farms, and return home. KVNF's Kori Stanton talks to H-2A agent, Kim Noland from Palisade, CO to get a better understanding of the program, how farmers can apply and how she assists farmers and foreign workers through the entire process.

In the August edition of the Delta County Commissioners Report, District 1 Commissioner Mike Lane sits down with Felix Belmont and Eric Goold for KVNF News. Topics for discussion include possible county action on oil and gas regulations; local annexation issues; economic forecasts in the county; and, the Delta County Fair.

The Remote Area Medical Clinic, a non profit based in Tennessee, visited Colorado for the first time August 3rd and 4th at the Paonia Energy Tech building. Volunteer medical practitioners provided medical, dental and vision health care services at no expense. KVNF News visited with volunteers, board members and participants to get the story about this unique health services provider.

In the far-flung communities of the Western Slope, ambulance and emergency medical services are a vital lifeline for residents. In this edition of Local Motion, KVNF's Jodi Peterson interviews three experts to get an understanding of how rural ambulance districts operate and what challenges they face. She speaks with Randy Kuykendall, the director of health facilities and emergency medical services at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

In this edition of Local Motion, KVNF News brings you stories from the Rocky Mountain  Community Radio exchange. Topics include the Bureau of Land Management completing its Uncompaghre Field Office Resource Management Plan; Connecting the Drops stories about water management in Colorado; and a story about uranium fallout in Utah.

More than three-quarters of Western Slope residents say that affordable housing is a serious problem in their community, ranking it above crime and infrastructure as a concern. In this edition of Local Motion, we delve into the housing crisis, and talk about how it affects communities and families across the KVNF listening area. KVNF's Jodi Peterson interviews representatives of two local organizations -- Habitat for Humanity of the San Juans and Housing Resources of Western Colorado -- that help people with various aspects of affordable housing, mostly in Mesa County and Montrose County.

District 3 Commissioner Mark Roeber joins Eric Goold and Felix Belmont for KVNF News and the July edition of the Delta County Commissioners Report. Topics include water issues in the North Fork Valley, oil and gas development, a lawsuit against Delta County is dropped, and the Back the Badge Initiative.

Agritourism in Colorado is thriving and on this program KVNF's Kori Stanton talks with Wendy White from the Colorado Department of Agriculture and manager of the Colorado Proud program. KVNF also spoke with North Fork newcomers Jayme Henderson and Steve Steese of The Storm Cellar, Jeff Schwartz from Delicious Orchards and Big B's and the Young family from Mountain View Orchard & Winery.

In this edition of Local Motion, Jodi Peterson looks back at the Paonia water crisis, when the entire town lost its water supply for a week in February. And she looks forward at what the town can do to better manage its water system. Interviewed are Ken Knight, Paonia town administrator; Thomas Wills, editor of the North Fork Merchant Herald; Bill Brunner, former Paonia trustee; and Benet Duncan of the Western Water Assessment.

Mosquitoes aren't just annoying -- their bite can transmit diseases to humans and animals, including West Nile virus. West Nile is generally not dangerous, but in some cases can lead to serious complications and even death. In this episode, KVNF's Jodi Peterson interviews experts to learn more about West Nile, mosquito control in Western Colorado, and how to avoid getting bitten this summer.

Lake City in Hinsdale County has seen an historic avalanche season followed by a runoff that threatens floods. For KVNF News, Laura Palmisano interviews local editor and historian Grant Houston about the flooding situation in Lake City, both past and present. Emergency steps have already been taken, including moving the treasures and artifacts housed in the museum to safety.

"Be a student of fire." That's just part of the advice that Colorado's first all-female wildland fire crew received at a training camp in late May. This summer, the women will work on conservation projects and help fight forest fires in the area around Grand Junction.  KVNF spoke to several of the crew members, their instructors, and a couple of longtime female firefighters.

The 2018 Farm Bill was officially passed on December 20th, 2018. The '18 Farm Bill is extremely vast and covers many topics including Industrial Hemp. The farm bill descheduled some cannabis products from the Controlled Substances Act for the first time. KVNF's Kori Stanton sought out to learn how this new farm bill will affect our local farmers in Western Colorado.

Here in Western Colorado, we love our pets. More than 65% of us have at least one dog or cat. Many of our critters come to us from animal shelters, which not only find homes for unwanted pets, they also help reduce pet overpopulation and educate people on animal care. KVNF visited three local shelters, in Delta, Montrose and Ridgway, to find out what they're doing for pets and people.

In the May version of the Delta County Commissioners Report, Felix Belmont and Eric Goold from KVNF News speak with Delta County District 1 Commissioner Mike Lane. Topics include law enforcement, the marijuana black market, oil and gas issues in the North Fork Valley, economic development, and civil discourse.

KVNF News talks to local electric cooperatives about their efforts to bring power costs down and provide additional renewable energy. Delta-Montrose Electric Association is seeking to cut ties with the big wholesale energy supplier, Tri-State Generation and Transmission, so that it can pursue more affordable sources and develop more local solar and hydropower.  San Miguel Power Association is also looking at its options. Meanwhile, Tri-State says it's working to increase flexibility for its members.

KVNF News interviews Brian Lazar from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center about the historic avalanche season this past winter. For 12 days in March, large and very destructive avalanches fell across the state. We'll hear two reports from KBUT about the massive avalanches around Lake City. This Local  Motion also features two stories from the Rocky Mountain Community Radio exchange, about the sewer system in Denver and about a search for fossils in southeast Utah.

Arts education helps kids in many ways, improving their focus and creativity, allowing them to learn more effectively, and building social skills and self-confidence. KVNF's Jodi Peterson spoke with several people involved with the Paonia-based Arts for All to learn more about how the program is benefiting local children. The kids' latest project, a clay tile mural, will be unveiled April 26 at 6pm at the Blue Sage in Paonia.  Interviews include director Neal Schwieterman, teachers Thesa Callinicos and Tricia Tittle, and young participants.

Felix Belmont and Eric Goold for KVNF News sit down with Delta County Director of Planning and Economic Development Elyse Ackerman Casselberry. She describes the role of the Planning Department and she talks about recent projects. Topics include planning, public meetings about civility, the process of writing new regulations for land development, and the Master Plan.

Artist and Elsewhere Studios resident Sonja Hinrichsen stopped by KVNF to talk about her art and her series Snow Drawings, which she recently shared with our local communities. Sonja has visited Colorado many times and has done Snow Drawings in Aspen and on Rabbit Ears Pass. A group of North Fork Valley locals participated in this snow series on the Grand Mesa on March 25th. Kori Stanton interviewed Sonja as well as local participants Natalie Haines and her five year old daughter Amelie about their snow-shoeing and snow drawing experience.

In a recent meeting, Delta County Commissioners declared Delta to be a 2nd Amendment Preservation County. The move was made in opposition to House Bill 1177, the so called Red Flag Bill, that would allow guns to be taken away from those deemed a risk to themselves or others. At least two different public meetings were held. KVNF News speaks with the Delta Mayor, the Delta County Sheriff and a local gun dealer about Delta County's passion for gun rights.

Delta County commissioner Don Suppes joined KVNF's Felix Belmont and Eric Goold to discuss the county's master development plan, land use regulations, zoning plans and property rights issues. They also talked about Paonia's recent water crisis.

Two seismic surveying projects are being proposed near Paonia by Gunnison Energy, which is seeking oil and gas deposits to develop.   KVNF News speaks with Andrew Forkes-Gudmondson, Associate program director at Citizens for a Healthy Community, about possible impacts of the project.   Levi Broyles, Paonia District Ranger for the Forest Service,  discusses how his agency is analyzing the project and gathering public comment.  Delta County Commissioner Don Suppes also weighs in.

The Town of Paonia has been dealing with a water emergency for nearly two weeks now. Service is expected to be returned next week to the one third to one half of all customers who have had their water turned off. We'll get updated on this evolving story. And, KVNF News talks with one former trustee who is launching a petition effort to completely change how the town does its water business. We'll also hear about a fundraising effort for employees and businesses hurt by the closure of businesses during the emergency.

KVNF's Kori Stanton attended the 7th Annual Food & Farm Forum in Montrose and interviewed author of "The Lean Farm" Ben Hartman and keynote speaker Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms.