RMCR

The Colorado Howl is focused on gray wolf restoration in Colorado following voter approval of Proposition 114 in 2020. The producer is Raymond Toney of Bayfield, a lawyer by trade. Jon Lynch, the Program Director at our Rocky Mountain Community Radio partner station KDUR, based at Fort Lewis College serves as liaison to the project. Plus, for nearly a century, scientists from around the world have studied water and climate in the north end of the Gunnison Valley. And in 2021, the high mountain watershed entered a new chapter: a first-of-its-kind project where scientists will trace snow from where it arrives in the atmosphere, to where it melts into the ground. The research aims to understand water and snow in mountain systems for the first time. This story is the first in a five-episode series, Headwaters, reported by Stephanie Maltarich.

After a canceled 2020 and a scaled back 2021, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival is back in full force this weekend. The 49th annual festival runs today through Sunday with 12,000 attendees daily. But the festivities were already underway a few days before the official start as throngs filled the Telluride Town Park Campground. KOTO's Matt Hoisch spoke with campers about what they're excited for and how it feels to be back.

This week we hear from our Rocky Mountain Community Radio partner station KGNU's news director Shannon Young. She speaks with Vince Waldron, co-author of Be My Baby, a memoir by the late Ronnie Spector. The singer originally published her memoir in 1990, but updated it for a release which is hitting bookstores last month. Ronnie Spector unfortunately did not live to see the release of this latest version of her book. She died in January after a private battle with cancer. But her story lives on for a younger audience.

This week we hear from reporter Will Walkey at our RMCR partner station KHOL in Jackson about a controversy examining the very core of what it means for humans to interact with public lands. A small population of bighorn sheep persists in the Teton range during the winter under impossible conditions, often above 10,000 feet. Local wildlife biologists, who have been painstakingly tracking the population for decades, say the herd is in danger and are proposing backcountry closures to try and give the sheep some space. This effort to conserve the herd is pitting some skiers against conservationists in emotional public discourse. This podcast is part of a series from KHOL and Stio called Facets: Voices of the Mountain Life.

The latest podcast distributed by Kaya Wright and Alicea Manzanares, students from the Paw Print at Delta High School, offers a glimpse into summer plans. Plus, backcountry flying is taking off. And a small but growing number of pilots are helping to upkeep historic dirt runways that dot southeastern Utah. Justin Higginbottom takes to the skies to learn about the growing hobby for Rocky Mountain Community Radio.

Congressmember Lauren Boebert and State Senator Don Coram clashed in a Republican primary debate in Ignacio on Thursday. The wide-ranging forum included personal attacks and calls to arm school teachers. KSUT's Mark Duggan reports. Plus, Grand Junction Sentinel reporter Charles Ashby attended a CD3 candidate forum on Wednesday hosted by the Mesa County Democratic Party. He writes the candidates, Sol Sandoval, Alex Walker, and Adam Frisch spent more time attacking Boebert than each other.

It's been a hard couple of years. Many people are struggling with mental health or addictions. Kate Redmond speaks with Kathleen Burnell, a Center for Mental Health clinician in the area, who offers an innovative program. Plus, Eric Galatas reports Colorado officials say now is the time to prepare for wildfires in your neighborhood.

A new Interior Department report is sharply critical of the Indian boarding school system used as a tool to assimilate indigenous people during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Lucas Brady Woods reports. Plus, Coloradans are on edge as climate change is fueling bigger, more destructive fires. Some forecasters say things could get worse this summer than they’ve ever been. Scott Franz reports for Capitol Coverage.

DART, the City of Montrose Development and Revitalization Team, earned the Governor’s Award for Downtown Excellence for what the city calls Block 64, anchored by Chow Down Pet Supplies and San Juan Brews. KVNF attended a celebration Thursday. Plus, the federal government’s pandemic response program to fund free school meals for all students is set to expire at the end of June. KGNU's Shannon Young reports.

The Delta County Board of Commissioners denied an agro-voltaic project on Garnet Mesa, despite a Delta County Independent poll showing 84 percent of Delta County residents in favor of it. Then, they approved a concrete plant in the same area. Kate Redmond speaks to Natasha Leger from Citizens for a Healthy Community about ongoing debates on land use. Plus, Colorado Democrats are advancing a bill to create a new statewide recycling program, paid for by businesses making or selling recyclable products. Scott Franz reports for Capitol Coverage.