Controls on burns likely to backfire

BY JENNIFER OLDHAM FOR PROPUBLICA

Colorado’s snowcapped

Rockies towered in the distance on a crisp April day as re ghter Emilio Palestro used a torch to ignite damp prairie grass within view of a nearby farmhouse and a suburban neighborhood.

Propelled by a breeze, orange ames crackled up a ditch bank, devouring a thick mat of dead grass, cornhusks and weeds. It was neither too windy, nor too humid, nor too hot — a rare goldilocks moment for re ghters to safely clear irrigation ditches of weeds, grasses and brush that can block the ow of water and spread wild re.

“At this time of year, it’s a race against what we call green-up,” said Seth McKinney, re management o cer for the Boulder County Sheri ’s O ce, as eye-stinging smoke curled over newly emerging shoots of grass nourished by a wet winter. “We are threading that needle to nd the right time in between a rainstorm, red ag conditions” — when winds, temperatures and dry conditions magnify wild re risk — “and snow melt.” McKinney is trying to prevent con agrations like the Marshall Fire, the most destructive wild re in the state’s history, which killed two people and incinerated 1,084 residences and seven businesses in December 2021. at re ignited in overgrown grasslands crisscrossed by unkempt ditches, which together spread ames into urban areas with unprecedented speed, according to scienti c simulations and eyewitnesses. e controlled use of re by expert crews is widely considered the most e ective way to reduce the dangerous build-up of grasses and other vegetation that fuel larger con agrations, experts agree.

But it has become nearly impossible to conduct controlled burns like the one McKinney’s crew set last month. A combination of overly broad restrictions, erratic weather patterns and public resistance have left piles of dead branches and shrubs sitting in open spaces for months.

Figuring out how to overcome these barriers, preva- lent throughout the West, is crucial to addressing the re risk, say land managers whose homes were also threatened by the Marshall Fire.

“We’ve done a lot of work in the forests about what to do to reduce re risk and anticipate re behavior,” said Katharine Suding, a plant community ecologist at the University of Colorado Boulder who is working to update re modeling of prairie vegetation. “We need to do that in the grasslands.”

County hosts mass wedding June 10 Adams County Pride Fest will host a mass wedding ceremony on June 10, penned Marriagepalooza, and will be hosted by drag queens Stella Diver and AllSpyce.

All couples are welcome to participate and, according to Adams County Spokesperson Nikki Kimbleton, a limited-edition marriage license will be available. ose licenses will be printed on special paper and have a special design, though the details aren’t nalized yet.

According to a news release, Stella Diver, one of 2023’s “10 Freshest Faces of Colorado Drag” by Westword magazine, will be o ciating the ceremony and AllSpyce, a nominee for Westword’s 10 Freshest Faces of Colorado Drag, will be the Maid of Honor.

To participate, a marriage or civil union license must be purchased between May 9 and June 9 at the Adams County Clerk and Recorder’s O ce. For the limited edition marriage license, this application must be completed.

Couples also must be checked in by 1:30 p.m. on the day of the ceremony, which will begin at 2 p.m.

Open air theater returns to Westminster

Take a journey through local history by traveling through one of Westminster’s original farm homesteads!

Site-speci c, immersive theater returns to Westminster with Pride of the Farm—a month-long production by celebrated theater company e Catamounts that brings to life the rich history of Metzger Farm.

Pride of the Farm Outdoor eater Series runs from nightly at 7 p.m. June 1-25, Wednesdays-Sundays at the Metzger Farm Open Space, 12080 Lowell Blvd.

Admission is $25/person and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic options) will be available for purchase.

Anythink mySummer returns

Anythink’s annual mySummer initiative returns June 1 with programs inspired by the theme of “Let’s Play.” is year’s summer experience includes opportunities for local residents to learn in fun, new ways, nd joy through games and embrace carefree moments.

Anythink has partnered with Colorado artist Jessica Moon BernsteinSchiano to o er art workshops for children at Anythink Commerce City and adults at Anythink Huron Street. In addition, community members can expect visits with live goats, children’s improv workshops with 5280 eater Company, gaming sessions with Denver Extreme Game Truck and interactive performances by the Colorado Symphony.

Bernstein-Schiano also crafted “Animal Lore,” a card deck exclusively available when participants register for mySummer at their local Anythink. Limited edition poster prints of the “Animal Lore” illustrations will be available for purchase at the Anythink Backyard Concert Series. Funds raised will support the Anythink Foundation.

Community members are encouraged to sign up online and visit their local Anythink to kick o mySummer 2023.

Block Party trailers return e Block Party Trailer is intended to build and strengthen neighborhoods in Adams County. e program is administered by the Neighborhood Services division in the Community Safety and Well-Being Department on a rst come, rst served basis.

Unincorporated Adams County residents can apply and reserve a complimentary Block Party trailer for their next event.

For more information, go to https:// adcogov.org/block-party, call 720 5236465 or email blockparty@adcogov. org.

Twist and Shout Summer Concert Series

Starts June 1

Grab your picnic baskets, lawn chairs and ip ops for ornton’s free summer concert series and Ward Ice Cream Socials on ursday nights at 7 p.m. through July 27. Arts in the Park family entertainment is also back on select nights at 5:30 p.m. with food trucks and giveaways.

For event information, visit goCOT. net/concerts or call 720-977-5880. See you there!

Thornton Fire Department wins award

National Life Group recently announced May 19 that City of ornton Fire Department is a winner of the 2023 Do Good Heroes Award.

Sponsored by the National Life Group Foundation, the award program honors re rescue and police personnel and departments who perform community service activities above and beyond their public safety duty.

During COVID-19, the department spearheaded a testing site and vaccination clinics and received the 2021 Congressional Fire Service-Based EMS Award for their community-driven approach to addressing COVID-19. Alongside the drive to help health services, ornton Fire Department currently has a Test to Treat program which helps treat residents that may be sick with the u.

As a Do Good Heroes award winner, the department will receive $1,000 to donate to a nonpro t of their choice. ey will be recognized during a celebration on Monday, May 22nd at 10AM at ornton Fire Station 1.

Northglenn summer series is back Northglenn Arts is excited to announce a free summer concert and movies series starting June 7 and running through July 19 on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. Concerts and movies will be held on Festival Lawn near the Northglenn Recreation Center, 1 E. Memorial Pkwy.

Performances include include the Eagles tribute band e Long Run Jun 7, the Hand Turkey Band June 14 and Led Zepplin tribute band Ten Year Gone and a showing of Disney’s “Coco” on June 21.

In addition to the Wednesday night concerts and movies, Northglenn Arts will host a concert for preschool to early elementary kids and their favorite stu ed pals! Teddy Bear Picnic is 10 a.m. June 8 at on Festival Lawn. Tiny Mule will bring silly and serious together to deliver music and movement for the kiddos with songs that bring laughs and nostalgia to the grown-ups in the crowd. Bring a stu ed pal and a picnic lunch and enjoy the show!

For more information about summer events, please call the Northglenn Arts Box O ce at 303-450-8888.