Denver Herald 060823

Serving the community since 1926

WEEK OF JUNE 8, 2023

VOLUME 96 | ISSUE 29

$2

Celebrate Pride on South Pearl Come meet The Pie Queen of Denver on June 17

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Martin Howard spent years of his life making waves in New York City as a trained executive pastry chef, thrilling locals with his chocolatemade marvels. In 1996, Howard and several of his culinary colleagues participated in a chocolate-themed fundraising benefit where all of the chefs presented a themed tasting table. Howard’s was themed around “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” an Australian dragthemed road comedy from 1994.

Howard came in drag as Chocolatina, Queen of the Dessert. She served a dessert in the shape of a high-heeled shoe and did a musical baking demo.

On that day, Chocolatina Q. Dessert was born.

Later after moving to Denver, Chocolatina became known as The Pie Queen.

“The Pie Queen started during COVID when we had no work. I started at home, then Epicurean Catering — where I work — let me use their kitchen,” said Chocolatina. “During COVID, people were starved for comfort food and live entertainment. I decided to bring it to their front yard.”

On June 17, join Chocolatina as The Pie Queen of Denver at Pride on South Pearl, a fun-filled local pride event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.

“I will be there to provide sweet treats and musical merriment,” The Pie Queen said.

SEE PRIDE, P4

Colorado scientists delve into cattle intestines to cut greenhouse gas emissions

BY RAE SOLOMON KUNC

In many ways, the research pens at Colorado State University are what you’d find on your standard cattle feedlot. There are cows, of course, plenty of mud, and the inevitable, nostril-turning stench of livestock.

But this feedlot, at CSU’s agricultural research and education center in Fort Collins, doubles as a scientific laboratory. It’s where researchers in the AgNext program - a specialized research group for sustainability in animal agriculture - are learning about the greenhouse gases cows produce as they stand around digesting food. The feedlot is tricked out with millions of dollars of equipment that allow scientists to track everything that goes into each cow, along with some of what comes out.

Specialized feed bins use radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology to track every ounce of corn consumed on a per cow basis.

Another piece of equipment called the GreenFeed machine analyzes the gases cattle exhale. It’s a bit like a high-tech gumball machine, Chocolatina Q. Dessert, The Pie Queen of Denver

CALENDAR: 11 | VOICES: 12 | LIFE: 14

COURTESY PHOTO

SEE EMISSIONS, P2

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DAY OUT FOR DOGGIES SniffSpot matches dog owners with open yards P14

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June 8, 2023

EMISSIONS FROM PAGE 1

dispensing tasty cow treats – alfalfa pellets – on a schedule, and at the beckoning of a smartphone app operated by researchers.

On a chilly afternoon in March, Colorado State University Animal Sciences Professor Sara Place demonstrated the technology, tapping a button on her phone. A highpitched electronic chime sounded and the alfalfa pellets dropped into an opening at cow level, catching the attention of a big-eyed angus who moseyed up for a bite to eat.

“He’s got his head stuck in the machine and he’s chowing down a little bit of a snack,” Place explained.

Despite common misconceptions about the perils of bovine flatulence, most methane comes out of the cow’s front end in the form of enteric emissions. That means each time an cow gets a snack from the GreenFeed machine, Place has an opportunity to get information.

“The air gets pulled from around the animal’s face, and whatever they’re respiring out goes directly into the machine,” Place said. “We can get real time methane emissions data from that.”

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that has a warming

power 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years of emission. The animal agriculture industry, which includes all operations that raise animals for meat or dairy, produces more methane than any other human activity in the U.S. Climate experts say we’re running out of time to prevent climate catastrophe. To avoid the worst of it, experts say it is imperative to cut greenhouse gas emissions dramatically before 2030. Environmental groups have ambitious goals to reduce agricultural methane emissions by 30% globally by the year 2030.

But when it comes to emissions from the livestock sector, the science is still just emerging, and it’s not yet clear if the cuts will come in time—or how.

Place hopes to change that with her work in the research pens.

“We want to find solutions that can help mitigate those emissions to cut the climate impact of beef,” Place said.

A tricky proposition

Reducing the climate footprint of beef is a complex problem. According to Kim Stackhouse Lawson, director of CSU’s AgNext program, producing methane is just part of being a cow.

“They’re biologically supposed to make methane,” she said.

The gases are the byproduct of

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a complex fermentation process that happens inside a cow’s largest stomach, called the rumen.

Changing that equation involves tinkering with the complex microbiological ecosystem inside a living animal’s stomach, which means there’s still a lot we don’t know.

For instance, there is still no experimental data on baseline emissions from the livestock industry.

“The data is not granular enough,” Stackhouse Lawson said.

The best understanding of the cattle emissions picture comes from the Environmental Protection Agency’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory, which derives its data from a model that uses emissions factors - essentially multipliers from a chart, so the data is based on equations rather than direct measurements from the animals themselves.

Stackhouse Lawson said the inventory does a decent job of estimating livestock emissions at the scale of the entire U.S. But for individual operations trying to account for the carbon footprint of their own herds, those numbers are too generalized to tell the full story.

“There’s too much variability between animals, there’s too much variability within region,” she said.

Stackhouse Lawson’s team is only now doing the work of developing more precise numbers. She cited surprising initial data from CSU’s research pens that shows the quantities of methane cows produce can vary wildly from animal to animal, suggesting an entirely new frontier for the research.

“Is there a genetic component?”

She wondered. “Would we select animals that have lower methane?”

The CSU team is also looking at other variables like feed additives that can cut emissions outright.

John Tauzel, senior director for global agriculture methane with the Environmental Defense Fund, explained successful additives “will change the biome of the cow’s stomach to reduce the amount of methanogens—the organisms that create the methane.” It’s a solution he went on to describe as “really, really complex,” because of the complicated structure of the livestock industry and the biological intricacies of cattle microbiomes.

That complex problem remains only partially-solved, in part due to lack of funding for the research.

Tauzel pointed out that only 2% of federal funds that support research and development for climate adaptation and mitigation in agriculture go toward reducing enteric emissions.

“We need more investment in that space if we’re going to meet the reductions in timeframes that we need,” Tauzel said.

That investment is starting to come. Just last week, the team at AgNext announced it had received a $1 million Conservation Innovation grant from the US Department of Agriculture. The money will sup-

port continued research into emissions on the feedlot. It will also allow the researchers to expand their inquiry into cattle emissions to look at cows grazing in a pasture setting.

Stackhouse Lawson hopes more funding could be part of the next Farm Bill currently being negotiated in congress.

Until more federal dollars start flowing, the research being done on cattle emissions is dependent on industry to fill the funding gap.

Industry’s stake in reducing emissions

Five Rivers Cattle Feeding bills itself as the world’s biggest cattle feeding operation. The Northern Colorado-based company runs 13 feedlots across six western states, with the capacity to fatten up to 900,000 head of cattle at any given time. A cow typically spends about six months on one of Five Rivers’ feedlots, during which time it can put on anywhere between 500 and 700 pounds.

“What we’re all about is efficiency,” said Vice President of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability Tom McDonald. “[We’re] getting cattle to perform at their best while they’re at the feedlot.”

Part of that commitment to cattle performance includes support for the ongoing work at CSU’s research pens.

“The whole goal here is to learn what our greenhouse gas footprint is, and then how can we improve it?” McDonald said.

All of the emissions research animals at CSU are on loan from Five Rivers. The company also supplies the animals’ feed and has donated $600,000 worth of equipment to the cause, including the GreenFeed machines that collect and analyze cow exhalations.

McDonald said his company expects to recoup that sizeable investment and then some in the eventual efficiency gains made possible by the research.

Methane, after all, isn’t just a greenhouse gas. “Methane is energy,” McDonald said. “When energy is lost, that’s a wasted resource.”

CSU researcher Sarah Place said reducing methane emissions from cows could actually mean more beef to go around. “[Methane] is basically feed calories the animal eats that actually get lost to the atmosphere,” Place explained. That means the less methane a cow exhales as it digests, the more weight it puts on that ultimately becomes beef. In other words, a lower emitting cow is more efficient at converting corn feed to body mass than a higher emitting cow.

McDonald likened the company’s interest in lowering cows’ methane emissions to any other sound business decision.

“When we upgrade equipment at the feed mill, we look for energy SEE EMISSIONS, P20

Denver Herald 3

June 8, 2023

37th Annual

MILE HIGH HOOK & LADDER

In Partnership with South Metro Fire Rescue

Saturday, June 17, 2023 PARADE: 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Littleton Blvd West through Historic Downtown Littleton

MUSTER: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Arapahoe Community College 5900 S. Santa Fe, Littleton

FREE • EDUCATIONAL • FUN! • Firefighters & Other First Responders • Antique & Modern Fire Rescue Apparatus • Rescue Demonstrations • Fire Truck Rides • Junior Firefighter Games • Emergency Helicopter Landing

4 Denver Herald

June 8, 2023

PRIDE FROM PAGE 1

The event’s festivities take place from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Historic South Pearl Street in Denver’s Platt Park neighborhood. It will include food trucks, live music and other entertainment, and much more.

The event will also raise funds for The Center on Colfax, a nonprofit that serves the LGBTQ+ community throughout the Rocky Mountain region. The Center on Colfax gives a voice to Colorado’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, and plays a pivotal role in statewide initiatives to reduce harassment and discrimination.

Pride on South Pearl is a family friendly event with activities for people of all ages. Attendees can participate in an educational Pride flag scavenger hunt, prepare for The Center on Colfax’s Denver PrideFest 2023 — which takes place June 24-25 — with tie dying at the Second Star to the Right bookstore, and dance the night away at the DJ Dance Party with DJ Cyn. “We encourage the community to come dressed for a good time and demonstrate their support for Pride,” said Jody Fidler, event organizer and a South Pearl Street merchant.

Pride-goers can also engage with two of Denver’s most notable drag artists, Alice Glamoure and The Pie Queen herself. Alice Glamoure will be leading Drag Queen Story Time and The Pie Queen will do a song and dance performance and will have her tasty pies for sale.

“I am so excited that the Pie Queen will be singing and dancing during our Pride on South Pearl event,” said Fidler. “I read about her during the pandemic and hired her to entertain friends

and bring her delicious pies to two special occasions. Aside from the fact that we bonded over New York roots, the Pie Queen is charming, funny and an extremely talented performer and baker.”

The freedom of creative gender expression through drag has been under fire in recent months with some states restricting drag performances in public spaces. Denver, however, has generally been a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Gov. Jared Polis recently signed HB19-1129, which prohibits mental health care providers from engaging in conversion therapy with a patient under 18 years of age; and HB19-1039, Jude’s Law, which allows for easier change of gender markers on identification documents.

Though Colorado has several laws supporting the LGBTQ+ community, some Coloradans are concerned about HB23-1135, a 2023 State House Bill that increases the penalty for indecent exposure in view of a minor under 15 years of age from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 6 felony.

Opponents of the bill have some concern that it could lead to restricting drag shows in Colorado.

The bill is currently waiting for Polis’ signature.

“Everyone should be able to live their life freely and fully without being threatened,” The Pie Queen said. “Visibility is the best way for people to get over their fears. If someone told me in the ‘80s that we’d be at this point now, I would have laughed. We’ve gone backwards, but here in Denver, it seems to be embraced, thank goodness.”

Denver Herald 5

June 8, 2023

CELEBRATE PRIDE IN DENVER

T

here are numerous Pride events taking place in the Mile High City throughout June — everything from 21+ shows to familyfriendly live entertainment. Here are some suggestions.

Family Fun Day: PRIDE June 11, noon to 2 p.m. Girl Scout DreamLab, 63 N. Quebec St., Denver.

The Girl Scouts of Colorado is inviting the entire community to an all ages event that is planned around acceptance, harmony and a safe environment for all. This event will be open house style and will offer a variety of fun, familyfriendly activities. Registration required for RSVP purposes to ensure there are enough supplies for all attendees. tinyurl.com/GSCOFamilyFunDayPRIDE Queeridescence: A Prismatic Masqueerade June 15, 7-10 p.m. (doors open at 6:30). Grant-Humphreys Mansion, 770 Pennsylvania St., Denver.

Attendees will be able to participate in a variety of activities, including an opportunity for aspiring drag queens and kings to walk the runway. This Pride event is alcohol-free and is intended for teens and young adults. Attendees age 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets cost $10 for ages 1320 and $20 for ages 21+. Children 12 and younger are free. This event is put on in partnership with History Colorado. tinyurl.com/Queeridescence We Are Here. The Drag Guide to Pride June 15 and 16, 8 p.m. show (doors at 7 p.m.) both nights. The Perplexiplex at Meow Wolf Denver, 1338 First St. This 21+ show features The House of L’Whor. Tickets cost $42.50 for VIP and $32.50 for general admission. Meow Wolf exhibit tickets can be purchased separately and are based on availability. meowwolf.com/events/denver Melodies of Pride

June 22, 7 p.m. City Park, 2001 Steele St., Denver.

Melodies of Pride is the Mile High Freedom Bands’ musical celebration to start Denver Pride festivities. It features the symphonic band, MHFB Winds. The concert is free and family-friendly. Attendees are welcome to bring picnics to the event. mhfb.org Pride Shabbat at JCC Denver June 23, 6-8:30 p.m. (free Kabbalat Shabbat 6-7 p.m., Shabbat Dinner 7–8:30 p.m.). Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center, 350 S. Dahlia St., Denver.

Pride Shabbat offers an energetic Kabbalat Shabbat service that is built around celebrating the joy of Shabbat and the joy of Pride. Everyone is welcome to join for Kabbalat Shabbat, although registration is requested. A live stream of this service will be available. Shabbat dinner following the service is an additional fee on a sliding scale with hardship pricing available. tinyurl.com/PrideJCCDenver Denver PrideFest 2023 June 24-25, various events will take place all day at multiple locations.

The Center on Colfax’s Denver PrideFest 2023 offers a variety of experiences to celebrate Pride, including the Denver Pride Parade, Denver PRIDE 5K, exhibitors, food and beverage vendors, and lots of live performances and entertainment. denverpride.org Rainbow Family Party June 25, 3-5 p.m. (storytime starts at 3:30 p.m.). Children’s Library at Central Library, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway, Denver.

The Denver Public Library is inviting families to celebrate Pride with festive food, crafts, activities and storytime. Ideal for ages birth through 8, but families with children of all ages are welcome. tinyurl.com/RainbowFamilyParty

To find a list of the entertainment and attractions for Pride on South Pearl, visit southpearlstreet.com/pride-on-south-pearl.

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6 Denver Herald

June 8, 2023

Madison Marsh named 2023 Miss Colorado Event held at PACE center

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

From classic and simple to covered in sequins and rhinestones, each Miss Colorado and Miss Colorado Teen contestant expressed their individuality through their choices of evening gown during the 2023 Miss Colorado and Miss Colorado Teen competition.

The competition is more than wearing beautiful gowns and sporting athletic wear. Underneath the makeup and hairspray are inspirational women and young adults with unique stories.

Following the reign of Savannah Cavanaugh, Miss Academy, Madison Marsh was crowned as Miss Colorado 2023 during the pageant held in Parker.

In a green pilot’s uniform and headset on, Marsh encapsulated the audience when sharing her story about her first solo flight at the age of 16. As a recent graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Marsh is commissioned into the Air Force as a second

Lieutenant and is an officer.

In addition, Marsh has been accepted to Harvard Kennedy School.

“I think being Miss Colorado all has to do with who you are as a person,” said Marsh. “I have such a unique opportunity to represent all facets of myself, a pilot, a physicist, a pageant queen, a future politician. I think it’s such an amazing opportunity to show our entire state what it looks like to be a woman like myself.”

After Miss Colorado Teen 2022 Allison Carlson took her farewell walk, she helped crown Liv Newman as the new Miss Colorado Teen 2023.

The two-day competition was held at the Parker PACE Center as the Parker Chamber of Commerce secured Parker as the host city for the competition.

From former Miss America Organization members to a seasoned theater actress, judges for the competition were Becky Birdwell Walker, T.J. Sullivan, Randy Pruett, Kelly Bernard Field and Renee Lawless.

Before the crowning, a special appearance was made by Rebecca Ann King, who held the title of Miss Colorado 1973 and Miss America 1974.

While talking about her experience as titleholder, the opportunities she was given and the people she met, she brought her crown on stage.

In total, 20 women competed for the Miss Colorado title.

The top 11 included Allison Harrisonas Miss Cherry Creek, Makenzie Jensen as Miss Colorado River Valley, Deja Moore as Miss Boulder, Molly Casey as Miss Central Colorado, Sarah Swift as Miss Rocky Mountain, Mackenzie Mitchell as Miss Colorado Springs Elizabeth Melachrinoudis as Miss Denver Madison Marsh as Miss Academy, Madison Strasheim as Miss Northern Colorado, Savannah Watson as Miss Eastern Colorado and Madison Falkenstine as Miss Southern Colorado The women that made the top five were Marsh, Mitchell, Strasheim, Swift and Falkenstine.

Swift was then first runner up.

Mae Webster as Miss Douglas County’s Teen, Elizabeth Swift as Miss Rocky Mountain’s Teen, Liv Newman as Miss Southern Colorado’s Teen, Allie Phillips as Miss Denver’s Teen and Nadiya Romo as Miss Thornton’s Teen competed for the Miss Colorado Teen title.

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Madison Marsh with her crown, sash and flowers.

PHOTO BY HALEY LENA

303-770-ROOF

Denver Herald 7

June 8, 2023

Colorado offers millions to help truck and car fleets plug in

BY MICHAEL BOOTH THE COLORADO SUN

Colorado regulators have wielded plenty of sticks in recent years while mandating the changeover of fossil fuel use in the state to clean-generated electricity. Clean cars, clean trucks, clean stoves and furnaces, clean power stations — the rules are stacking up in bundles.

But state officials say they have plenty of carrots in stock, too. And they’re adding another, calling it Fleet ZERO, and dangling $7 million in the first year with millions more to come.

Fleet ZERO offers grants for building fast charging stations to local governments or private businesses that run large groups of light-, medium- or heavy-duty electric vehicles.

The government has done its job requiring manufacturers to produce increasing percentages of clean electric vehicles of all sizes, state regulators say, and now Colorado must ease the change with grants for charging and other support systems.

The transportation sector is the leading contributor of greenhouse gas emissions and the building

blocks of local ozone pollution, said Matt Lerman, infrastructure program manager at the Colorado Energy Office, which is funneling many federal and state grants for electrification.

Moreover, truck and service fleets are often located in or spend their day driving through disproportionately impacted communities, so the fleet changeover is a key to environmental justice mandates, Lerman said.

“Infrastructure is a foundation for that change,” he said.

The $7 million first-year fund is part of $310 million in electrification funding available through the Colorado Energy Office and other state agencies in coming years. The budget is also committed to tax credits for new and used electric vehicle purchases, e-bike support programs, home electrification by replacing gas appliances with induction ranges and heat pumps, and more.

Helping fleets transition to clean fuel faster will “protect the environment and significantly improve air quality in some of Colorado’s most polluted communities,” said Will Toor, executive director of the energy office.

Medium- and heavy-duty trucks are only 10% of vehicles on Colorado’s roads, but contribute 22% of transportation greenhouse gases, 30% of the nitrogen oxides that build into ozone, and 40% of particulate matter, another EPA-controlled pollutant. Colorado still generates a significant portion of its electricity through coal, but that percentage is declining fast and coal will be gone from the system by 2031.

Colorado has a goal of nearly 1 million electric light-duty cars, SUVs and pickups on state roads by 2030. The Air Quality Control Commission recently passed rules requiring manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty work vehicles to produce a gradually increasing percentage of clean-fuel engines beginning with the 2027 model year.

The Fleet ZERO (short for ZeroEmission Resource Opportunity) grants can cover up to 80% of the cost of projects, ranging from installing fleet charging stations to upgrading local electrical transformers and other transmission equipment.

Disadvantaged businesses or neighborhoods can see up to 90% grant

financing for their projects.

Initial projects will focus on fleets and businesses with vehicles traveling up to 150 miles a day and returning to a “base” for nine to 10 hours of overnight charging between shifts.

Later grants will help expand public charging access for working vehicles that use interstates or other heavily traveled corridors, Lerman said.

Grant recipients agree to share charging data on a network, which allows the state to see which funding ideas are the most efficient and how charging patterns develop as more electric vehicles join fleets.

The state grants can be combined with utility and local grants for electric infrastructure, Lerman said. The current round of grant applications is open through June 30.

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8 Denver Herald

June 8, 2023

Highlands Ranch author writes about Baha’i Faith, religious persecution in Iran

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Never leaving each other even when death felt near, three friends faced mother nature’s harsh elements, relied on the help of strangers and walked on foot through mountainous landscape to reach their dream of freedom.

Now, one of the three men, Dr. Mansur Nurdel, is sharing his story about fleeing Iran for America.

The local optometrist and new author Nurdel recently read excerpts from his book, “One More Mountain” in hopes of educating the public on the Baha’i Faith and the injustices that continue in Iran at the Highlands Ranch Library.

The Baha’i Faith, a religion practiced globally, was founded in Iran nearly 200 years ago. In Iran, Baha’i followers continue to be marginalized, abused, imprisoned and killed as it is considered a blasphemous religion by the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to

Nurdel.

Mixed with fond childhood memories of playing soccer with his siblings and his mother’s unconditional love are the memories of having to face religious persecution and the imminent threat of death in his homeland.

Nurdel takes the readers through pivotal moments in his life leading up to his escape when he was 25-years-old.

“It was not possible to just jump to the escape and all those mountains that I crossed, so I decided to really give a background so it’s possible to understand why I escaped,” said Nurdel.

The first part of Nurdel’s book focuses on how Nurdel’s came into the Baha’i Faith, his childhood and when he realized he and his family were treated differently due to their faith.

He vividly recalls the moments his heart raced from fear, the moments of sadness when he witnessed autopsies and the SEE NURDEL, P9

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Dr. Mansur Nurdel with his book, “One More Mountain”.

COURTESY OF DR. MANSUR NURDEL

Denver Herald 9

June 8, 2023

NURDEL FROM PAGE 8

anger when seeing family members get bullied.

The book transitions to Nurdel’s teen and young adult years after his family were forced to move to another part of the country following an attack on his childhood home.

Tensions continued to escalate across the country as well as the unfair treatment of the Baha’i community.

“It’s not easy to leave your family behind, everything you know behind, not just family,” said Nurdel.

“So I needed to build that understanding with the readers, the ‘why’ I am taking this such a risky step in my life.”

In 2007, Nurdel saw the theater production of “The Diary of Anne Frank”. He said it was difficult to sit and watch the play, so much so that he walked out of the theater.

“I just couldn’t control myself because my childhood was just right

in front of me and I saw so much similarities of what Anne Frank had endured and I had,” said Nurdel.

Although Nurdel shared bits and pieces of his story with others, the play helped him realize that he too needed to share his story of religious persecution with a wider audience. Over the years, he has felt more comfortable talking about his story and writing the book has been the ultimate healing, said Nurdel.

Throughout the book, Nurdel details each day of the two-week trek to the United Nations office in Ankara, Turkey. He writes about his time as a refugee in Turkey, what the process was like to get to America and when he got his U.S. citizenship in the nineties.

Along the way, Nurdel does not forget to mention the status of his two friends who also endured the terrain with him. He also introduces the readers to the families he bonded with, his family in Iran and the family he helped create with his wife.

As a promise to his family, he continued his education and completed

a doctor of optometry degree at the University of Missouri in St. Louis.

Nurdel found a home in Denver where he has helped establish one of the largest eye-care centers in Highlands Ranch and has become one of the nation’s top independently owned eye-care centers.

Stepping into a new country proved challenging, however, Nurdel kept his faith and dedicated his new found freedom to helping and educating others.

Nurdel started writing his book in 2019, finishing the first draft during the pandemic.

When the new unrest and riots started happening in Iran last year, Nurdel wanted the book out as soon as possible.

Nurdel canceled his contract, went down the self-publisher route and his book was printed in early March.

“The main goal is [for] everyone to know what’s going on today in the world,” said Nurdel. “We can close our eyes to see what’s going on around the world, but we cannot.

We need to know.

The Baha’i community in Iran continues to face injustices and persecution, said Nurdel.

“It seems that it was 35 years ago…

It’s really not,” said Nurdel.

Nurdel spoke about the resolutions passed by Congress that have made an impact. He encourages others to contact local representatives and ask them for support the next time there is a resolution in the Senate or Congress.

Nurdel also hopes people do not stereotype and avoid coming to an immediate judgment when hearing someone with an accent, instead take the opportunity to learn about them.

“There may be a beautiful story behind that accent,” said Nurdel.

“There could be a life changing story that you can learn from that person.”

The book can be purchased in major bookstores, on the official website as well as Amazon. In addition, an audio book of “One More Mountain” will soon be available.

“If the book has touched only one person, I’m good,” said Nurdel.

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In this way, The Sun contributes to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado.

The Sun, launched in 2018, is committed to fact-based, indepth and non-partisan journalism. It covers everything from politics and culture to the outdoor industry and education.

Now, The Colorado Sun co-owns this and other Colorado Community Media newspapers as a partner in the Colorado

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For Colorado Sun stories, opinions and more, and to support The Sun’s misssion as a member or subscriber, visit coloradosun.com.

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10 Denver Herald

June 8, 2023

State breathes life into lifeguard training More than $250,000 allocated to help open pools across the Front Range

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Countless public pools opened over the Memorial Day weekend as schools let out and summer approaches. But whether they remain open throughout the season is another matter.

The state of Colorado is boosting aid along the Front Range and across the state to help local pools avoid that outcome.

Gov. Jared Polis announced financial help on May 30 for nearly 50 cities and districts as part of the Lifeguard Training Initiative — a follow-up to his administration’s Pools Special Initiative, launched last summer.

The initiative was announced early this month at the Northglenn Recreation Center, along with administrators, local officials, lawmakers and community members.

“We are making a splash with this exciting support for lifeguards, part of our ongoing work to make sure that pools can safely open earlier, expand hours, and stay open longer this summer,” Polis said in his announcement. “We are thrilled that so many local governments across the state applied for this funding so that families, friends, and neighbors can dive right into the summer.”

The grants, implemented by the state’s local affairs and labor departments, ranged from $1,000 requests to $20,000, the maximum.

In the end, the state allocated mixed amounts, but exhausted almost all

The lifeguard shortage has become a crisis nationwide. Local pools and recreation centers have worked overtime to ensure its effects on them are minimal this season.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF BRIGHTON

of the available funds, leaving just $200 to potentially allocate supplementally..

South Suburban Parks and Recreation District (SSPRD), which reported a significant shortage of lifeguards earlier in the month, received $10,700 — the highest-allocated amount awarded to more than a dozen districts or cities. Cities like Aurora and Boulder received the same amount.

Part of the shortage lies with the

expensive cost of training lifeguards.

Many prospective employees may be dissuaded by the idea of paying to obtain lifeguard certification.

Though it won’t solve the main shortage problem, having the funding helps, said SSPRD Aquatics Manager Karl Brehm, who came down from a lifeguard stand himself to talk to Colorado Community Media.

“It will help us reach a demographic that is lacking in having the

funds upfront to start,” Brehm said.

“With the grant, we will defer the payment of those [lifeguard] certification costs.”

A full-course lifeguard training at South Suburban through Red Cross costs $175. Community First Aid, CPR and AED training/blended learning costs $80. But after 75 hours of work, South Suburban reimburses course fees [excluding the $40 certification fee].

Other communities received smaller amounts. The City of Thornton got $6,892, Commerce City, $1,462, and Parker, $4,499. The Town of Castle Rock received $7,873 and Brighton received $1,687.

A national lifeguard shortage affects roughly a third of public pools throughout the country. Colorado has struggled similarly. The state grant money aims to help train and retain lifeguards, which can be difficult to do these days, according to Brehm.

“I have seen, more and more, less interest in the position,” Brehm told Colorado Community Media in May. Brehm said South Suburban, like many other area pools, must hire throughout the season to try and maintain strong employee numbers.

The funds from the state help provide time for pools to keep hiring and training ongoing, Brehm added.

He described the support as not a favor, however, but a public service.

“It hearkens to a safety situation.

People want to have the pools open.

We want to have them open. But there’s a barrier that stands there,” Brehm said in response to the funding. “Having the state recognize that it is something that people want, and there’s a barrier to it, I look at it as a civic responsibility. There is a need, and it is being met.”

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LOCAL

June 8, 2023

VOICES

Looking back, and forward, as I depart City Council

M

y election to Denver City

Council was against the odds. I grew up working class without a lot of money.

I went to law school on loans and scholarships, but rather than chase a fat law firm salary, I became an organizer holding developers accountable for affordable housing, good jobs and sustainability — but campaigning is expensive. I was juggling a toddler and couldn’t even legally marry my son’s other mom — in a city that had never elected an out LGBT leader.

But Denver embraced me, and re-elected me twice. Serving this city has been a gift and a challenge, and I look back with gratitude on all we’ve accomplished together.

My service began with a city budget stuck in the Great Recession. Voters wisely restored financial stability, and you know the rest: Our sunshine, mountains and amenities welcomed a decade of strong job and population growth that lasted until the pandemic.

Throughout it all, I focused on ensuring a high quality of life for Denver’s families — good jobs that

pay enough to live here, more affordable housing in inclusive communities that are healthy and sustainable for future generations.

Denver is a city in an America that sells land and housing to the highest bidder, making Councilmember housing affordability among our Robin Kniech greatest challenges — and we started way behind. I was elected to govern a Denver with no housing department, zero dollars in local funding and a state law banning affordability requirements for the apartments going up everywhere.

Together, we fought and won a transformation in the city’s approach to housing. I led the charge for onetime funding and then for Denver’s first Affordable Housing Fund in 2016, doubled in 2018. It took eight years to generate the first $99 million in local housing dollars. Thanks to development fees, a voter-approved

GUEST COLUMN

sales tax to reduce homelessness, marijuana and property tax, and more, Denver invested $97 million from these funds in 2023 alone for home ownership, rental assistance, new affordable housing and services to transition people out of homelessness. By 2030, they’ll invest nearly $1 billion.

On top of the funding, I championed a change in state law so we can now require affordability in all new residential development, and passed other policies like a prohibition on discrimination in source of income and more.

We also transformed expectations for job quality with new policies and wage standards. The statewide minimum wage was $7.36 in 2011. In 2019, I led passage of Colorado’s first, and only, local wage — which goes further than any city in the nation at $17.29. It’s helping Denver live up to our values of racial and gender equity as more Black, Indigenous, people of color and women make up the ranks of service workers, and helps all workers keep up with cost of living.

Denver’s challenges are still great,

but as I leave office, “basic city services” now include a wider foundation of programs for housing, economic stability and sustainability. Your next elected leaders have critical new tools and can expand and build upon this foundation.

All of this happened because of community partners, supporters (and pressure!) from constituents like you, who helped overcome reluctance and opposition we faced along the way. I will cheer the next generation of leaders on, but your engagement remains important. When the ease of the campaign trail translates to the rough realities of governing, sometimes hard decisions are needed to maintain progress toward expanded access to affordable housing, economic justice and sustainability.

I hope you will support the next generation of leaders as you have me, even if you don’t always agree, as no citywide elected can with every constituent they represent. But you’ve stayed in dialogue with me all the same. Thank you for an amazing 12 years.

Reminiscing, lamenting — it’s all good

N

ot sure about you, but one of my favorite pastimes is reminiscing with friends and family about the good times that we enjoyed over all the years we have been a part of each other’s lives.

Oh, the stories change and grow in grandeur over time, but then we all laugh at one another as we realize the tall tales we are sharing about our favorite, crazy, and sometimes even cringeworthy events that we shared together.

We reminisce about those we have loved and lost. We remember our family and friends as tears build up in our eyes, recounting their most infamous moments that we can recall.

And then we think about how angry we were with them at some point in our life, but we just can’t seem to remember why. Has that ever happened to you? It has certainly hap-

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pened to me.

When we find ourselves reminiscing, we sometimes drift off into the daydreams of happy times and incredible memories. That day we first held hands, that first kiss, our first football championship, our Michael Norton first beer together, and so many other firsts. Or we go down memory lane, reminded not just of our “firsts” in life, but of many years of shared hardships, hurts, disappointments, wins and celebrations. Reminiscing brings back joyful moments of those we have lived our lives with and through, and just how special each moment was to us during those seasons of life. Do

WINNING WORDS

you have any of those memories? I sure do.

While reminiscing brings fond memories of years gone by, we sometimes visit that other side of our memories as we lament the missed opportunities in life, lost chances of love, and the mistakes we may have made along the way. We don’t often hear the word “lament” anymore.

Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines “lament” as, to express sorrow, mourning, or regret often demonstratively, or, to regret strongly, or, to cry out in grief. Those are some very strong words that should emote some very deep feelings.

When given the choice, most of us would probably prefer to reminisce about the good old days, right? We can laugh with one another, embrace one another, and choose to only remember the best times of our lives.

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There is nothing wrong with that and as a matter of fact I highly recommend it. There is no greater cure for the blues than spending time with a family member or friend stirring up our greatest and most memorable escapades of our past.

Yet there is also something to be said of lamenting our past, our sorrows, our griefs, and the challenges we have faced in all our years here on earth. The struggles have been real, the hurts have been devastating, the challenges have brought us to tears, and the disappointments many and plentiful. Why would I say that there is something to be said about lamenting our past? Because sometimes even the pain brings back memories of something once cherished. Because sometimes it’s healthy to lament, and

Columnists & Guest Commentaries Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Herald-Dispatch.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Email letters to letters@coloradocommunitymedia.com Deadline Wed. for the following week’s paper.

SEE NORTON, P13

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Denver Herald 13

June 8, 2023

T

Colorado Brass names new music director

he Colorado Brass announced the appointment of Dr. Brett Keating as music director. He was principal conductor of the band last year and SONYA’S is an internationally recognized euphoSAMPLER nium soloist. He led the Colorado Brass to awards last year.

He is director of bands and brass at Western Colorado University Photos at museum

The Littleton Sonya Ellingboe Museum holds a reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on June 15 for an exhibit of photographs, “A Colorful Dream,” by photographer Adrien Broom, which will run through Aug. 9 at the museum, 6028 S. Gallup St. Admission free.

Vintage Theatre

Vintage Theatre presents “In the Heights” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, with book by Alegira Hudes. Vintage is at 1468 Dayton St., Aurora. Performances: Fridays and Saturdays and Monday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Director is Jonathan Adujar. 303-856-7830, vintagetheatre. com.

Dr. Brett Keating, center, has been chosen as music director of Colorado Brass, following his service as principal condustor.

COURTESY OF COLORADO BRASS

Tsouhlarakis. B-Side music Fridays on the MCA rooftop garden. Starting July 7: Mixed Taste. See website for membership information: mcadenver.org.

Aurora Fox Arts Center, 9900 E. Colfax Ave, Aurora, continues “One Night of Thunder” at 5:30 p.m. on June 10 and 11 in the Studio Theater and and an Aurora Symphony 2023 Chamber Works Music Concert at 3 p.m. on June 18 from 3 to 5 p.m. Free-reserve ticket. 303-739-1970, aurorafox.org.

Road, Littleton. Not all paths will carry strollers and wheelchairs, but many will, and the Lavender Festival is planned for July 15/16. (Reserve space ahead.) History of local agriculture, was once a cattle ranch. Growing vegetables, “One Fell Swoop,” an immersive architectural sculpture

by Patrick Dougherty delights young and old. There are picnic tables, the original one room schoolhouse and a children’s play area. Admission charged for non-Denver Botanic Gardens members. See botanicgardens.org.

Western art

Exhibition at church

Aurora Fox

Castle Rock painter Cindy Welch will present a two-day watercolor workshop on June 21 and 22, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Taft House, 3570 Celestial Ave., Castle Rock. (In the Meadows.) $185 for 13 hours of instruction. Complete a painting of Castle Rock and Pikes Peak. Drawing, reference photo and supply list will be provided. Age 14 and up. All experience levels. Call 303-814-2358, CindyWelchArtist.com

The American Museum of Western Art at 1727 Tremont Place, Denver, will participate in First Friday art openings through the summer. Check on daytime hours as well. This is a special spot to take visiting art lovers.

A special ArtSPARK program will be on June 22 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., free. 303-293-2000, anschutzcollection.org. Reminder: Your libraries offer free Culture Passes during the summer that will include American Museum of Western Art free of charge. Check with your local library.

Contemporary art

Family outing hot spot

Watercolor workshop

New at Museum of Contemporary Art, 1485 Delgany St., Denver — Open June 14: exhibition of works by Tomashi Jackson and Anna

Summer family outing suggestion: Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield Farms, a 700-acre native plant refuge at 8500 W. Deer Creek Canyon

NORTON

How about you? Do you love and appreciate the moments where you get to reminisce about the best, happiest, and craziest times of life with your family and friends? Do you also lament those moments in life where you wish things could’ve been different? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can remember all of the sweet, bitter and bittersweet moments of life that shape who we are, it really will be a better than good life.

FROM PAGE 12

feel the pain so that we can maybe finally let it go. And sometimes, it’s OK to never let go of something or someone we cherished so deeply, that is now lost, because it keeps us on connected forever. ch The daughter who lost her mom before her wedding day laments that 02.she couldn’t experience that special occasion with her mom. The same daughter reminisces each holiday about how special her mom made each and every holiday, bringing both o: tears of sorrow and tears of joy to her face. Do you see how they can both exist in the same moment?

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

Paint Box Guild members will

exhibit work at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, opening June 18 with a 10 a.m. reception. 9203 S. University Blvd., Highlands Ranch, paintboxguildlittleton.org.

MOA presents dance

The Museum of Outdoor Arts will present an evening of dance with the Zikr Dance Ensemble at 8 p.m. on June 8 at Marjorie Park, 6331 Fiddlers Green Circle., Greenwood Village.

Tickets$30, 303-806-0444. MOA Members: $10. Food and beverage will be available for purchase (no outside food and beverage allowed).

Doors open at 7 p.m., performance at 8 p.m., moaonline.org.

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14 Denver Herald

LOCAL

LIFE

June 8, 2023

Private dog park site gaining pup-ularity

BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

S

ince Elle Ritt started renting her Wheat

Ridge yard to fellow dog owners in November, she’s hosted birthday parties for pups, pooch photoshoots and doggie play groups almost every weekend.

Ritt is one of dozens of renters in the Denver metro area on a website called SniffSpot, which links people interested in sharing their yard with local dog owners who want a private fenced area to let their pups off-leash.

Through SniffSpot, renters set an hourly rate per dog and time slot availability for users to book.

With two older dogs who need less exercise, Ritt said she wanted to let other dogs take advantage of her large yard and, so far, there has been no shortage of demand.

“It’s just mindblowing how frequently it’s used,” she said.

Ritt said a majority of her visitors don’t have their own yards and prefer to avoid public dog parks because of reactive or sensitive pups. The site allows users to tailor their search to fit needs like a taller fence height or not having other dogs or animals visible.

Dr. Rebecca Ruch-Gallie, a 23-year veterinarian at Colorado State University’s Community Practice clinic, said the uncontrolled nature of dog parks leads to risks like fights and disease transmission, which is why she typically recommends other ways to exercise dogs, such as daycare or private yard time.

In addition to walks and playtime, RuchGallie said some dogs need to run and all dogs benefit from exploring new routes and places.

Ruch-Gallie said she will sometimes take her pups on what she calls a “sniff-ari.”

“They take in the world much differently than we do, so give them those different scents to pick up and opportunities to see and smell different things,” she said.

“Sometimes they just want to go, go, go and get their energy out and other times they just want to meander and take the sniffs in.”

Mike Rieber, who has been renting his fenced pasture in Parker since October, said one of the best perks of sharing his yard is seeing how excited pups get to check out new scents and release their energy.

“They call it a SniffSpot and I never really understood how important that was to a dog, but that’s the first thing they all do when they get here is smell everything,” Rieber said. “Especially with the repeat dogs, as soon as their paws hit the ground, boy, they’re off.”

Ritt’s experience has been similar, she said, adding that SniffSpot has been mutually beneficial, not just for the dogs, but also the humans.

She’s received multiple thank you notes from visitors and attests that catching glimpses of visitors always makes her smile.

“It’s so cute to peek in the backyard and see grown men laying on their stomachs taking pictures of their puppies,” Ritt said.

Another SniffSpot user, Lyndsey Leach, who

rents her Lakewood backyard, agreed. Leach lost her own pooch three years ago but remains an avid dog-lover.

“It’s so nice when they’re comfortable and running around,” she said. “I’m always happy when they’re happy.”

None of the three renters report issues with destroyed yards, rude users, neighbor complaints or unruly animals.

In addition to the positive mental health benefits, Leach said renting her yard is a convenient passive income and gives her the flexibility to be away from home if needed. Leach estimates that since she started in January, she’s had about 50 visitors and made around $400.

“I don’t really have any expenses associated with it, other than eaten tennis balls,” she joked.

Rieber said he didn’t originally think he would make much money from the app but has been happy with the extra cash. He noted the demand is only picking up in the warmer months, though he got a fair share of visitors during the winter as well.

“We’re not trying to maximize our revenue, we’re doing this more as a service for young people that have dogs and need a place that’s private,” he said.

For Ritt, her most recent month was her most successful, cashing in over $1,000, and before that, she averaged a few hundred dollars monthly.

“One of our dogs has had a ton of health issues, so it’s like SniffSpot funds her care,” Ritt said. “It truly has been a notable supplemental income.”

To learn more, visit sniffspot.com.

SEE DOG PARK PHOTOS, P15

June 8, 2023

Denver Herald 15

DOG PARK PHOTOS

A doggie play group poses in Elle Ritt’s Lakewood yard, which she rents to other dog owners through a website and app called SniffSpot. Ritt said sharing her yard benefits PHOTOS COURTESY OF SNIFFSPOT everyone involved.

Bailey, an Australian Cattle Dog, runs around Mike Rieber’s pasture in Parker. Rieber joined SniffSpot to provide a service to dog owners who don’t have yards or want to avoid dog parks.

Furry friends Finn and Mellie enjoy a sunny afternoon at a SniffSpot in Aurora. Dog owners can rent yards by the hour to let their canines release their energy in a safe and controlled environment.

16 Denver Herald

June 8, 2023

Adaptive sports have become core to Colorado skiing

BY TRACY ROSS THE COLORADO SUN

When Kevin Wilson was a kid growing up in Texas and Oklahoma he told his parents that if he didn’t get a college football scholarship he was going to move to Colorado to ski bum in the winter and raft guide in summer.

It made sense, what with his dad being a coach of all trades — football, basketball, baseball — and Wilson his heir to the interscholastic sports dynasties of eight different counties.

School sports were the family’s life save for weekends. Then they’d drive to their cabin in New Mexico to ski at Angel Fire and Red River resorts, flying downhill amid the scents of pinyon pine and Englemann spruce.

But when Wilson was 16, he was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. There began a long period of recovery and rehabilitation, learning to use a wheelchair, and pain pills doctors prescribed to the tune of 300 every time he went in for a checkup, while failing to address the pain itself, he says. Through it all he managed to go to college, meet his wife and survive heavy partying and drinking. But he suffered from depression linked to his inability to move through the world as he once did.

Then, in a fit of inspiration in 2014, he and his wife came to Colorado.

They loved it so much, they moved to Broomfield. Wilson had heard of Eldora ski area, but it wasn’t until 2018 that he found out about the Ignite adaptive ski program housed at the resort, and went there to try skiing after his wife signed him up.

On a form his instructor gave him to list his goals, he wrote, “I want to be an independent skier and I want to work for Ignite.”

It would take a couple years, but Wilson would achieve exactly what he wanted. He’s now a sit skier, a ski

Kevin Wilson, operations manager for the Ignite adaptive skier program at Eldora ski area, navigates past the sit-ski equipment designed for adaptive users inside the program’s current headquarters Wednesday, May 24, 2023, in Nederland.

PHOTO BY HUGH CAREY / THE COLORADO SUN

instructor and Ignite’s operations manager at an auspicious time for the non-profit.

Founded as the Eldora Handicapped Recreation Program in the 1970s, Ignite struggled along, first out of the back of a van, then out of a used AT&T shed and for 20 years, in a couple of cramped trailers in the corner of Eldora’s lower parking lot near the EZ chair and beginner terrain.

The program grew, surviving a fire in 2006 and basking in the spotlight of the Today Show’s Lend a Hand Program. In 2008, it received a grant from the United States Olympic Committee, allowing it to start serving disabled veterans. And in 2010, with its current name, it topped 1,000 lessons given by about 200 volunteers in a single season, after which it was “bursting at the seams” in its modular buildings.

A curveball arrived in 2014, when

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Eldora’s old owner, Bill Killebrew, threatened to shutter the program by refusing to renew its lease at the resort. He welcomed the program back the following season as Dave Levin, Ignite’s then board chair, started discussing the possibility of Ignite raising funds to build its own facility.

In 2016, Powdr Corporation bought Eldora and Levin kicked off a capital fundraising campaign with $250,000 of his own money. Fast forward a few years and Brent Tregaskis, Eldora’s current general manager, says, “Ignite was maybe going to build a two-story building and rent the top floor back to us. But John Cumming, Powdr’s founder, was like, ‘Look. We should build it. We should own the building and give them a 99-year lease.’ You don’t want to have a little quarter of an acre (of your property) owned by somebody else.”

Levin died of cancer before he could see Powdr, Eldora and Ignite kick his dream into high gear. “The only thing more important to him than Ignite was his family,” Carol Nickell, Ignite’s executive director, says. On May 18, Eldora broke ground on the facility. The new building, set to open for the 2024-25 season will span 12,000 square feet with roughly half going to Eldora’s ski and ride school for children and half to Ignite.

Nickell says Ignite is raising $1.9 million toward construction and an

endowment to insure future programming. Tregaskis, while refusing to give a hard number, says Eldora is putting up many millions more to make the co-operating space a reality.

“Financially, it would have been better not to that,” he adds. “But John’s idea shows he’s really committed to Ignite.”

As, it seems, are the 15 Colorado resorts that report supporting some sort of adaptive programming, according to Adrienne Saia Isaac of the National Ski Areas Association (“although there could be more; some folks are better than others about filling out their info,” she adds).

A short list includes the National Sports Center for the Disabled at Winter Park Resort, which teaches adaptive lessons and has a competition center for athletes wanting to race at the elite level. Vail and Beaver Creek both offer “integrative lessons” for individuals needing extra support in any of its general ski school group lessons. With Telluride Adaptive Sports, if you’re skilled enough, you can go heli-skiing with Helitrax and an adaptive instructor.

The Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center offers group or individual lessons at Keystone, Breck and Copper; Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports hosts multi-day camps for kids and adults; Foresight Adventure Guides for the Blind, an independent non-profit operating out of Beaver Creek and Vail for level-4 skiers with visual impairments, matches coaches to skiers based on skiers’ ability and helps them fine-tune existing skills; and at Vail Resorts-owned Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Crested Butte Adaptive Sports, which operates independently of the resort, recently built a $14 million, 25,000-square-foot, four-story, ski-in, ski-out base facility with living quarters.

Some of these programs have been around for nearly as long as the resorts they’re housed in, while others moved in later. Ignite came to Eldora five years after it opened in 1970.

NSCD started up in 1970, 40 years after Winter Park Resort. Telluride first spun its lifts in 1972 with adaptive lessons in its general ski school, while the non-profit Telluride Adaptive Sports Program opened on its premises in 1995. And while Steamboat

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ADAPTIVE FROM PAGE 16

Resort opened in 1963, Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports (STARS) didn’t start until 2007.

These programs and a handful more now give thousands of snow sports lessons each winter to people affected by disability at resorts that don’t appear too concerned about the programs bringing them a profit.

Winter Park gives NSCD free lift tickets and “a generous rent rate” on their offices beneath the Balcony House at the base of the resort, Diane Eustace, NSCD’s communications manager, says. And “while in theory, we’re losing space, we’ve been a longtime partner of NSCD because we’re a bunch of people who believe the outdoors are for everyone,” Jen Miller, Winter Park spokesperson, adds.

Chris Werhane, adaptive sports lead at Adaptive Adventures in Westminster, says people affected by disability are increasingly interested in skiing because “everyone in the last 30 years has been born with technology,” and people aren’t afraid as they were before to step out of their comfort zones. He cites advances in prosthetics technology, cars with hand controls, public bus services like Bustang, which serves resorts up and down Interstate 70, adaptivecompliant hotels and adaptive sports programs. With increased access to adaptive adventure and adaptive adventure travel improved, some of the once-insurmountable-seeming barriers to rolling up to a resort and shredding have been lowered.

As for the high cost of tearing down the slopes in search of a goggle tan, “that’s a barrier for anybody wanting to go skiing,” Werhane adds. Adaptive equipment — for things like sit skis and outriggers — can cost thousands of dollars. Many adaptive snow sports programs are non-profit, so they rely on fundraising, donations and in-kind gifts to stay running.

“But look at Breck’s adaptive program,” Werhane says. “For $165 a day you get a lift ticket, an instructor and the ability to ski on a $6,000 piece of equipment the Breck adaptive center bought. Breck probably isn’t going to get their money back on that purchase in one to two years. Thank goodness they and many other resorts comp tickets because otherwise a lot of these programs wouldn’t

June 8, 2023 exist.”

Thousands of Colorado’s adaptive ski instructors are volunteers, so paying them isn’t a problem; many resorts will donate day or season passes to them. Nickell says Ignite’s roughly 250 instructors all volunteer.

In the 2019-20 season, 244 gave 1,085 lessons to 285 students, amounting to 14,253 hours of volunteer time at a value of $399,365.

“We do what we do really well,” Nickell says.

But Erik Weihenmayer, the blind adventurer who has climbed Mount Everest, kayaked the Grand Canyon and skied the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt with guides, says not all volunteer instructors are equal either in guiding ability or sensitivity to their students.

“I like some programs, but the problem with others is that you show up and you don’t know who your guide is,” he says. “I can’t speak to other disabilities, but as a blind person, it’s about creating relationship, trust and communication. You can’t snap your fingers and do that in five minutes. You have to have consistency. You’re listening to the person guiding you. You’re learning to read each other’s minds so when your guide says turn left you know exactly what they mean by that. If you don’t have consistency, if there’s a new guide every time you go skiing, then it’s a problem and a lot of organizations fall short in that way.”

He also takes issue with the prices he says some adaptive programs charge: “I went to Vail one time and they were gonna charge me $500 — over $200 for me and $200 for my guide. I go, ‘Wait, my guide is my eyes, folks. He should be free.

He’s simply here to guide me down the mountain. I can’t see and you’re gonna charge me double?’”

Weihenmayer is a high-level skier, so a program like Foresight Adventure Guides for the Blind works better for him anyway.

“I like them because I can call them up and they’ll pair me with the right person who guides me from behind,” he says. “Most blind guides guide from the front, but guiding from behind is better, because as a sighted person what do they tell you to do? Look down the fall line. They don’t tell you to lean your head back to try to listen to a guy behind you.

If your guide is in front of you, the sound comes back and you ski into it.” With the right guide and using this method, Weihenmayer says he skis

“I had a kid, she’s almost 30 now, when I was doing a children’s program at Winter Park,” he adds. “The family was at Vail, and she wasn’t skiing because they didn’t know about Vail adaptive. I got called out to do a 3-day lesson. After skiing in the morning, it was like this is cool, you skied in Winter Park, that’s great.

She’d never skied with her family before, and after that, she did. Now, 15 years later, they own a condo at River Run, she’s been skiing for 20 years and her kids volunteer. They bring their friends up to Vail, Winter Park and Breck all the time. Those resorts have captured them for the season. That’s a lot of money coming back into resorts because of adaptive programs.”

With its new facility at Eldora, Ignite will have greater ability to give some of the 1,015,417 adults in Colorado living with disabilities a chance to try or continue taking in the exhilaration, fun and freedom of sliding on Colorado’s most famous substance. In doing so, Conyers says, they may find relief from some of the difficulties of living with a disability. It’s well-known how time in the outdoors coupled with movement and nature’s beauty can help anyone, and Nickell says as the closest adaptive ski program to the Front Range, with a larger space and easier access to skiing, Ignite is poised to broaden the reach of adaptive skiing while enticing more people to contribute to its longevity.

“A lot of our volunteers and their friends and community members have somehow seen our program and are touched by it,” she adds. “We have amazing adaptive programs throughout Colorado, but there’s a magic about Ignite that inspires people. I think a big piece is our core volunteer base. Once you’ve seen it in action you can’t help but donate.”

When that happens, adaptive athletes, adaptive programs, ski areas partnering with adaptive programs and resorts all benefit. Eldora plans to have its new Ignite/children’s center up and running for the 2024-25 ski season.

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aggressively, with good form, and makes “nice, round turns.”

Programs like Ignite, Telluride Adaptive Sports and 30-year-old Crested Butte Adaptive Sports Center, which annually attracts around 800 people with physical and developmental disabilities, have improved their facilities, increased their offerings and given their instructors the opportunity to train with the Professional Ski Instructors Association.

Crested Butte adaptive went over and above in 2019, when it constructed the massive ski-in, ski-out Kelsey Wright Building in the resort’s base area with funds raised in a capital campaign. Their center also offers veterans, active military and first responders with disabilities — and their families — $50 full-day lessons for summer and winter activities. The special rate extends to veterans, active military and first responders who have a family member or child with a disability.

So what do resorts get for supporting adaptive programs?

Jessica Conyers, a therapist who works for the Veterans Administration at the Valor Point Domiciliary in Lakewood and helps coordinate the largest rehabilitative ski and snowboard program in the U.S., the annual National Disabled Winter Sports Clinic for Veterans, says for over a week every March, veterans from across the country descend on Snowmass to try adaptive skiing or snowboarding for the first time or to continue their adaptive journey.

“Without a doubt, snow sports provide enormous benefits to veterans, especially those I work with who may have a history of substance abuse and are thrill seekers and are looking for a way to get that adrenaline rush to maybe replace their substance habit,” she says.

Teresa Parks, Conyer’s colleague and director of the sports clinic, adds, “For each veteran or those supporting veterans it costs around $1,700 to $2,200 dollars for the week, depending upon where they are coming from.”

That program and others like it bring residual cash to resorts and resort towns, through family members supporting adaptive adventurers learning everything from alpine skiing to snowboarding to Nordic skiing and snowshoeing, and through adaptive skiers, snowboarders, Nordic skiers and snowshoers falling in love with these sports and introducing them to their families, says Werhane.

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EMISSIONS FROM PAGE 2

efficient equipment. We strive to reduce our energy usage in those areas,” he said. “From a cattle performance standpoint, we utilize the tools available to help the cattle grow faster, gain faster.”

A race against the climate time horizon

But for all the enthusiasm from the agriculture industry, the work at AgNext and a handful of related research facilities around the country is still young. Scientists are working to translate promising treatments from the pristine laboratory setting to actual, scalable applications in the feed lot.

“We’ve got a lot of exciting research that is underway,” Stackhouse Lawson said. “But it’s not ready yet.”

That’s a problem, according to Ben Lilliston, director of climate and rural strategies at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a climate and agriculture think tank. “[The technologies] are not proven yet,” Lilliston said. “We need to have emissions reductions really quickly, like in the next seven years. Speculative technologies are… You know, it’s not to say that they’re not worth exploring, but [I] wouldn’t rely on them as a real climate mitigation strategy.”

Apart from the scarcity of feedlot-ready solutions, Lilliston points to factory farming itself – an industrial system hell-bent on continual growth - as the main culprit.

“Even if you’re able to reduce emissions a small amount by some of these scientific advances, if you’re going to continue to grow and expand the number of ani-

mals that are part of that system, then you’re going to negate those gains,” he said.

He thinks of the emerging technologies as a distraction from the bigger question that we’re not asking: how many beef and dairy cows do we need in this country? After all, a more immediate solution to the livestock methane conundrum is to have fewer cows.

“Reducing the cattle herd is the clearest way to reduce actual emissions,” Lilliston said.

Of course, a smaller cattle herd would mean less meat and dairy on the market, which would impact consumers’ meal choices.

It’s a situation John Tauzel doesn’t find feasible.

“For various reasons, whether that’s social, whether that’s economic, livestock products are going to continue to be part of a significant portion of the global diet for the foreseeable future,” Tauzel said.

That’s why he believes advancing research on livestock methane emissions is critical.

“If people choose to eat a hamburger, we want to make sure that when they eat that hamburger, it has the lowest methane footprint possible,” Tauzel said.

As for Place, she wants to find solutions that simultaneously work for consumers, cattlemen and the climate.

“At the end of the day, we want to make sure we create practical solutions that can be adopted in the real world,” Place said.

After all, people like their burgers. It just might be easier to alter the microbiome of an animal’s gut than it is to change the cravings of a hungry planet.

This KUNC story via The Associated Press’ Storyshare, of which Colorado Community Media is a member.

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Legal Notice No. DHD1201 First Publication: June 8, 2023 Last Publication: June 22, 2023 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Lawrence Richard Brogan, a/k/a Lawrence R. Brogan, a/k/a Lawrence Brogan, a/k/a Larry Brogan, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30525 All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before September 25, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Brady McFarland & Lord, LLC Attorney to the Personal Representative 6870 W. 52nd Ave, Suite 103 Arvada, CO 80002 Legal Notice No. 82246 First Publication: May 25, 2023 Last Publication: June 8, 2023 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

Counsel for Victor Jarmone Ramshur The McKenzie Law Firm, LLC Daniel E. McKenzie, Esq. Atty. Reg. #: 39288 Andrew Z. Lepore, Esq. Atty. Reg. #: 54417 Mark C. Pirozzi, Esq. Atty. Reg. #: 53680 2305 East Arapahoe Rd., Suite 223 Centennial, Colorado 80122 Phone Number: (303) 578-2745 E-mail: dan@themckenziefirm.com E-mail: andrew@themckenziefirm.com E-mail: mark@themckenziefirm.com Case Number: 2023PR030594 Division 3 NOTICE OF HEARING BY PUBLICATION PURSUANT TO § 15-10-401, C.R.S. To: Zachary Martinez Last Known Address, if any: Unknown A hearing on Petition for Adjudication of Intestacy and Formal Appointment of Personal Representative for (brief description of relief requested) seeking the appointment of the decedent’s spouse, Victor Jarmone Ramshur, as Personal Representative and beneficiary entitled to 100% of decedent’s estate. will be held at the following time and location or at a later date to which the hearing may be continued:

Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Douglas Grant Willits, a/k/a Douglas G. Willits, and Douglas Willits, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR030553 All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before 9/25/2023 or the claims may be forever barred.

By: /s/ Irdina A Irawati Willits Irdina A Irawati Willits Personal Representative 6325 W Mansfield Ave #209, Denver, CO 80235

Date: July 3rd, 2023 Time: 8:30 AM Division: 3 Address: 1437 Bannock Street, #230 Denver, CO 80202 The hearing will take approximately 30 minutes.

Legal Notice No. 82247 First Publication: May 25, 2023 Last Publication: June 8, 2023 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch _____________________________________ Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Lucille L. McGee, AKA Lucille Linda McGee, AKA Lu McGee, AKA Lucy McGee, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30600

Legal Notice No. 82248 First Publication: May 25, 2023 Last Publication: June 8, 2023 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Gerardo Barnett, also known as Jerry Barnett, Deceased Case Number: 2023PR30350 All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before September 25, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Leslie Rosanne Capin Personal Representative 11400 E. Peakview Avenue, #1304 Centennial, CO 80111

All persons having claims against the above named estate are required to present them to the personal representative or to the Denver Probate Court of the City and County of Denver, Colorado on or before October 9, 2023, or the claims may be forever barred.

Richard H. Sugg, Jr. Attorney at Law 6500 S. Quebec Street, Suite 300 Centennial, CO 80111 Ph: 303-770-0025 Legal Notice No. 82264 First Publication: June 8, 2023 Last Publication: June 22, 2023 Publisher: Denver Herald-Dispatch

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Legal Notice No. 82250 First Publication: May 25, 2023 Last Publication: June 8, 2023 Publisher: Douglas County News-Press

We are community.

Public Notice NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Melinda N. Anderson, Deceased Case Number: 2023-PR-30289

Your Community Connector to Boundless Rewards

Denver Herald Legals June 8, 2023 * 1

24 Denver Herald

June 8, 2023

Carnival Rides:

JUNE 8-11, 2023

Open Thursday, June 8 from 4:00 pm – 10:30 pm

Festival and Carnival Rides:

FREE ADMISSION

Friday 4 pm – 10:30 pm Saturday 10 am – 10:30 pm Sunday 10 am – 8:30 pm

PARKER’S FAVORITE WEEKEND! Shopping H FOOD H EXHIBITS H MUSIC H RIDES H FAMILY FUN

Groove Mazda MAIN STAGE – Live Music ALL Day

CARNIVAL RIDES & GAMES: presented by

HEADLINERS: Friday, June 9 presented by 8:15 pm: Still They Ride (Journey Tribute Band) Saturday, June 10 presented by 8:30 pm: Chris Daniels and The Kings Sunday, June 11 presented by 5:15 pm: That Eighties Band

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: CORE Electric Cooperative Community Stage

BUY DISCOUNTED UNLIMITED CARNIVAL RIDE WRISTBANDS ONLINE Thursday Friends & Family Special 4 wristbands for $99 Only available for use on Thursday, June 8 Sold online through 12 noon Wed. May 31 Single-Day Unlimited Carnival Rides: $35 each Good any one day during the festival Sold online through 12 noon Wed. June 7 4-Day MEGA Unlimited Carnival Rides: $89 each Good all 4 days of the festival

PURCHASE DURING THE FESTIVAL Single-Day Unlimited Carnival Rides: $40 each

supported by

TICKETS FOR INDIVIDUAL RIDES

Food, Beverage & Ride Tickets may be purchased at Festival Ticket Booths.

EAST MUSIC Stage

®

®

Special Hotel offer from our host hotel, Holiday Inn – Parker – E470/Parker Rd

SPECIALTY APPLIANCE CHEF DEMO STAGE parkerdaysfestival.com

Please go to ParkerDaysFestival.com and click on Host Hotel tab for more details

Parker Days Festival is brought to you by the Parker Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation