Sensi Magazine - Southern Colorado (June 2019)

SOUTHERN COLORADO

LISTEN

UP! Podcasts are the new beach reads

LIVE FREE, TIGER

Visit Colorado’s Wild Animal Sanctuary

FRESH FINDS The Best Farmers Markets Around

{plus} GPS COORDINATES TO A SECRET WATERFALL

THE NEW NORMAL

6.2019

Trinidad's Friendliest Dispensary No Waiting Room Pet Friendly 33% Of Profits Go To Local Charities

www.FaragosiFarms.com 719-846-2310 118 Sante Fe Trail, Trinidad, CO 81082

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 3

4 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 5

6 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

ISSUE 6 // VOLUME 3 // 6.2019

FEATURES 26 A Walk on the Wild Side The Wild Animal Sanctuary saves lives far beyond the Rocky Mountain Range.

42 Hotcasting

After languishing for nearly two decades, the podcast medium is finally having its moment.

FRESH AS CAN BE Italian markets are the original farmers markets.

18

every issue TO THE RESCUE Put “Visit the Wild Animal Sanctuary” on your summer to-do list.

26

09 Editor’s Note 10 The Buzz 18 TasteBuds

SPAGHETTI A LA WESTERN

50 HereWeGo

OFF THE MAP

Sensi magazine is published monthly by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2019 SENSI MEDIA GROUP LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 7

sensi magazine

SOLACE Joint & Muscle Pain Relief Cream Solace uses only high-quality, organic, full-spectrum, hemp-derived CBD oil to increase the effectiveness of it’s pain killing abilities, without any psychotropic effects. This patented technology improves permeation by up to 70%, and is one of only a handful of products on the market that are backed by research from top scientists and clinical trials. This means that you’ll receive a faster and more effective result than other products.

20%

Save 20% on your order with promo code “SENSI 20%”

Coming Soon!

Watch for our entire lineup of CBD cosmetics this Spring.

Ron Kolb ron@sensimag.com CEO, SENSI MEDIA GROUP

Tae Darnell tae@sensimag.com PRESIDENT, SENSI MEDIA GROUP

Alex Martinez alex@sensimag.com CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

sensimediagroup

FLOWERKIST.com

EXECUTIVE FOLLOW US

THE FASHION INDUSTRY THROUGH CBD COSMETICS

ISSUE 6 / VOLUME 3 / 6.2019

EDITORIAL Stephanie Wilson stephanie@sensimag.com EDITOR IN CHIEF

Leland Rucker leland.rucker@sensimag.com SENIOR EDITOR

John Lehndorff ediblecritic@sensimag.com DINING EDITOR

Robyn Griggs Lawrence, Nora Mounce CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

JOY

A RT & D E S I G N Jamie Ezra Mark jamie@emagency.com Rheya Tanner, Wendy Mak, Josh Clark em@sensimag.com

sensimag

E M

DESIGN & LAYOUT

BUSINESS & A D M I N I S T R AT I V E Lacy Ayers lacy.ayers@sensimag.com Bo Olagbegi bo.olagbegi@sensimag.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS

Amber Orvik amber.orvik@sensimag.com CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR

Andre Velez andre.velez@sensimag.com

W A You +

MARKETING DIRECTOR

Neil Willis neil.willis@sensimag.com PRODUCTION MANAGER

Hector Irizarry distribution@sensimag.com DISTRIBUTION

M E D I A PA RT N E R S

Natural Plant Powered Products

(@# . COM) REV: 102018

8 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

Ricardo Baca COLUMNIST

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

SO

E

sensimagazine

We are currently looking for great professional sales people and distributors to represent our growing line of health & wellness and cosmetics products. Reply in confidence to info@flowerkist.com

Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

NATURAL A D V I S O RY B O A R D Agricor Laboratories // TESTING LAB Blazy Susan, LLC // SMOKING ACCESSORIES Canyon Cultivation // MICRO DOSING Dabble Extracts // MEDICAL CONCENTRATES The Daily Dose Radio Show // RADIO SHOW Faragosi Farms //

RECREATIONAL DISPENSARY

Greenhouse Payment Solutions // PAYMENT PROCESSING

Herbal Healing // COMPLIANCE Incredibles // WELLNESS Industrial Hemp Recycling //

MMJ & HEMP WASTE MANAGEMENT

Lux Leaf // EDUCATION marQaha // SUBLINGUALS AND BEVERAGES Monte Fiore Farms //

RECREATIONAL CULTIVATION

Next Frontier Biosciences // BIOSCIENCES NuVue // LIVE RESIN The PAT Pen // CO2 VAPE PEN Pyramid // DISTILLATES Sharp Solutions // TRANSPORTATION Third Day Apothecary // MEDICAL CULTIVATION

STATE

editor’s

NOTE

When Sensi’s senior editor approached me

with a pitch for a story about a wild animal sanctuary in Colorado that rescued tigers and other exotic animals from around the world, his passion for the subject was palpable. Leland is more than your typical animal lover. He lives in Boulder, where he’s not a pet owner, he’s a pet guardian, because “you can’t own another living being,” he says. Over the past few years, he’s told me stories of adventures he and his partner have been on around the globe: tracking wolves in Yellowstone, living with grizzly bears in Alaska, feeding orphaned baby elephants in Africa. So green lighting his story for our annual green-themed issue was a quick and easy decision. I expected an interesting read. What he wrote is a masterpiece.

The story is by far the longest read we’ve ever published in Sensi, and the topic warrants it. One thing I learned while making this issue is that there are fewer tigers living in the wild than there are held captive in the US alone. Possibly in Texas alone. Many of those animals—and other exotics like them—have never seen life outside a cage…until Boulder native Pat Craig’s organization rescued them and brought them to Colorado to live out their lives freed from captivity. I haven’t had a chance to visit the Wild Animal Sanctuary yet, but it’s now on the top of my to-do list this summer. Once you read the piece, it’s likely going to be on yours as well.

Elsewhere in the issue, you’ll find eco-friendly topics alongside suggestions to help you make the most of the coming season.

It is coming, right? As I write this, it’s just a month away, according to the calendar. According to the snow that’s melting outside my window, we’re still waiting on spring. But for as snowy a season we’ve had this year, the snowfall totals along the Front Range were still below average. Global warming is a crisis that is already affecting our lives in tangible ways, and it’s up to each of us to be a steward for the environment, making small adjustments to unsustainable habits, like saying ‘no thanks’ to receipts and taking our cars to a car wash instead of wasting all that water at home. You’ll find more tips for eco-friendly choices throughout this month’s edition. All of our micro actions can lead to macro change. Let’s make something happen.

Stephanie Wilson E D I TO R I N C H I E F SENSI MAGAZINE

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 9

Plogging: The New Jogging A fitness trend we all can get behind.

We spent the winter and snowy spring living the hyg-

while jogging. A simple act that’s good for you, good for

ge life—or at least trying to. The Scandinavian art of cozi-

the planet. And thanks to the efforts of the nonprofit org

ness is all about taking pleasure in the presence of gen-

Keep America Beautiful, it’s turning into a movement.

tle, soothing things. Like slipping off your ski boots and

Getting into this trend couldn’t be easier, just take a

sliding into furry, warm slippers, wrapping yourself in a

bag out on your jog, walk, hike, or trail run, and fill it up

thick, cream-colored knit blanket, and drinking spiked

with trash you pick up along your route—and in Southern

hot chocolate by the fire in a room decorated in sooth-

Colorado, we’ve got some of the planet’s most gorgeous

ing neutral hues.

routes to help beautify.

That was then; this is now. And now there is a new

Log and track your green fitness journey on the Life-

Scandinavian trend in town we all can get behind: plog-

sum fitness app using the plogging workout setting.

ging. No, it’s not a sexual innuendo. The word is a combo

Burn bonus calories by doing a proper squat to pick up

of the Swedish phrase plocka upp (translation: pick up)

every piece of litter. Your ass will thank you. The planet

and jogging. As is the activity it describes: picking up litter

will thank you. We all will thank you.

10 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

–Stephanie Wilson

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 11

Getting to know A woman’s guide to cannabis.

American families are finally talking about marijuana at the dinner table, but it’s hardly what Richard

good with the support of cannabis (formerly known as “medical marijuana”).

Nixon had in mind. As a country with the worst health

A bookworm turned independent book store owner,

care among high-income nations and an opioid cri-

Furrer’s mental and physical health was suffering as she

sis breaking hearts in every state, the potential for im-

struggled to make ends meet. After sadly closing shop,

provement is vast. Doubling down on systemic woes,

Furrer found herself drawn west by big mountains and

even the average “healthy” American is increasingly

open minds, starting over behind the counter at a dis-

overworked and exhausted, turning to screens and

pensary in Denver. Daily, she meets with a colorful cast

pills for a moment’s relief.

of characters—including the oft-played tropes of soccer

This is the melancholic landscape painted by lawyer,

moms and grandmas—asking the how and what of

former bookstore owner, and cannabis advocate Nikki

weed. Furrer quickly realizes she was missing her go-to

Furrer in her 2018 release from Workman Publishing,

move, a solid recommendation for the right book.

A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis. Amid this grim snap-

So, voila, Furrer wrote her own comprehensive can-

shot, Furrer, a Midwesterner who now calls Colorado

nabis guide, customized for the everyday Jane. A Wom-

home, writes that cannabis offers untapped potential

an’s Guide to Cannabis covers everything a woman—or

for the radical act of feeling well and good. Not dis-

man or non-binary individual—might wonder about

criminating between pain from chronic diseases and

weed. “Men are more than welcome to read this book,

everyday stress, Furrer wants to help everyone feel

too,” she writes. “Cannabis is for everyone.”

12 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

As a NorCal native living in Humboldt County who has written about cannabis from every angle, I was skeptical about what Furrer’s guide could offer me; the endocannabinoid system, entourage effect, and terpenes are rooted in my daily lexicon. But beginning with the pained portrait of a typical American, Furrer stresses that whatever your troubles, cannabis will probably help. “A plant that makes us happier and healthier isn’t wrong,” she writes.

Admittedly, this is her target audience: Women living in red states whose value systems dictate that cannabis is still cause for shame and skepticism. Reading through heartfelt and info-packed chapters on edibles, inhalants, shopping, and health—and more importantly, why these topics matter—I quickly started thinking of friends to whom I should gift A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis. Deep diving into anxiety, menstruation, and weight loss, Furrer innately understands that the path of womanhood is paved with rocks and hard places. From start to finish, women’s bodies mold, bleed, birth, and hurt, leaving our minds to make sense of all. It’s no walk in the park.

“Now that I’m in my 40s, cannabis makes me feel prettier and more relaxed than I ever was in my 20s or 30s,” writes Furrer. While many women are curious about how cannabis might help them “feel better, look better, and sleep better,” the barriers to safe and clean cannabis products are many. In her guidebook, Furrer breaks down the loopholes to obtaining doctors recommendations, going out of state (don’t come back with your weed, please!), and talking to your therapist/children/partner about cannabis. As she explains, you’re not the only one who might be feeling unsure and overwhelmed. “Medical schools do not teach cannabis medicine, so this is a new subject for doctors, too,” writes Furrer.

Though giving serious attention to legality, adolescent brain development, and dependence, Furrer is conscientious rather than conservative in her approach. “And dose just for fun? Well, that works too!” she writes.

The cannabis plant is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and promotes healthy cell regeneration. If we consider mental, physical, and emotional health as one, it makes sense that treating arthritis or menstrual cramps comes with the fringe benefits of feeling better in every sense of the word.

Though A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis is meticulously detailed, Furrer encourages women to do their own research, using her book as point of departure. TCH or CBD? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, she writes, dedicating an entire chapter to synergistic effects of the two cannabinoids.

She calls THC the Queen Bee and CBD the Valedictorian, “But when they work together, they bring out the best in each other.” Illustrated charts on cannabis strains, terpenes, and minor cannabinoids you’ve never heard of (THCV?) are helpful, even whimsical, guides to keep you motivated during your cannabis education.

Whether a gift for Gram, that certain friend, or yourself, A Woman’s Guide to Cannabis provides insight and a pragmatism from a woman who knows. If you’re considering adding cannabis to your life or changing up your relationship to the plant, Furrer is the unabashed friend you want to bring along on your journey.

–Nora Mounce sensimag.com JUNE 2019 13

Meatless Mainstream It’s more than possible you’ll love the Impossible Burger.

Your beef burger habit is not just killing your chances of rocking a six-pack this swimsuit season, it’s killing the planet, one juicy cheesy bite at a time. How’s that? Turns out cows are gassy creatures. Livestock, ahem, flatulence accounts for 26 percent of “man-made” methane emissions in the US—yes, man-made, we’re the ones breeding those cows so we can eat them and/or the milk products they produce. Methane traps heat in the atmosphere, ultimately speeding up global warming.

That’s not new news. What’s new is the tasty meat-free meat alternative that tastes impossibly like real meat that you can eat instead of beef—good for you, good for the planet. And it’s, you know, actually good. While veggie burgers of yore were hard, tasteless pucks that resembled a burger in nothing but shape, the Impossible Burger by Impossible Foods looks, smells, tastes, and satisfies just like the beef-based ones you’re used to. Like, a lot.

In May, news broke that Impossible Foods, the company behind the alternative meat patty known as the Impossible Burger, is valued at $2 billion, a figure that just a few years ago would have seemed, well, impossible. Burger King is even adding an Impossible Whopper to its menu.

While we applaud the fast food giant for bringing this healthy option to the masses, if you haven’t tried one of these marvels of nature yet, starting with a BK bite would be a whopper of a mistake. You, dear Colorado diner, are far too discerning for that.

Luckily, you’ve got options.

The Find the Impossible tool on the company’s website shows a bunch of locations throughout the region with the goods on the menu. Since you can’t try them all, here are our picks for the top three we endorse as flippin’ delicious.

–SW 14 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

Springs Orleans // 123 E. Pikes Peak Ave, Colorado Springs, SPRINGSORLEANS.COM

On the Menu: “Impossible” Burger 100% plant based vegetarian, all natural patty with the look and taste of beef, served on a buttered brioche bun with dill pickle chips, red onion, romaine lettuce, and roma tomatoes, $12.

Trinity Brewing // 1466 Garden of the Gods Rd., Colorado Springs, TRINITYBREW.COM

On the Menu: Trinity Tacos Vegan Impossible Burger tacos topped with cabbage, slaw, pickled red onions, vegan cilantro-lime cream sauce, served with southwestern smashed black beans, $14.

Wild Blue Yonder // 519 Wilcox St., Castle Rock, WILDBLUEYONDERBREWING.COM

On the Menu: Impossible Burger Revolutionary Impossible vegetarian burger topped with lettuce, red onions, and tomato, served on a toasted roll, $15.

Cactus Flower Mexican Restaurant // 4610 N. Elizabeth St., Pueblo CACTUSFLOWERRESTAURANT.COM

On the (Monthly Specials) Menu: A Plant Protein Patty Grilled and topped with shredded cheese, served on a kaiser roll with sriracha ketchip, lettuce, and onion, $11.

Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl and Grill // 13013 Bass Pro Dr., Colorado Springs UNCLEBUCKSFISHBOWLANDGRILL.COM

On the Menu: The Impossible Burger Made from plant-based ingredients, the mouth-watering Impossible Burger is seasoned and grilled with American and sautéed onions, lettuce, tomato, $12.

Dog Haus // 162 Tracker Dr. #130, Colorado Springs COLORADOSPRINGS.DOGHAUS.COM

On the Menu: Impossible Slider Mayo, white american cheese, caramelized onions, $2.99. There’s also an Impossible Burger on the menu, with pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion, white american cheese, and secret sauce, $7.49.

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 15

Now Serving the

CANNABIS INDUSTRY “I’m pleased to expand our Security Services to Pueblo and Southern Colorado. I’m commited to keeping you and your property safe.”

lNTERNAL THEFT INVESTIGATIONS, SITE SECURITY, ARMED INTRUDER TRAINING, CONSULTING & MORE!

AFFORDABLE - INSURED - CONFIDENTIAL (O) 719.696.9208 (C) 719.671.5703 dan-corsentino@msn.com - DanCorsentino.com 1218 N. Main, Suite 101, Pueblo, CO 81003

16 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 17

{tastebuds }

by J O H N L E H N D O R F F

SPAGHETTI ALLA WESTERN Midsummer’s farmers market shopping is an Italian contact sport.

Walking through the Boulder Farmers Market with Anto-

According to Antonio Laudisio, you’ve got to elbow your

nio Laudisio is a little like shopping for paints with Vincent

way in to see, touch, and smell the produce and ask ques-

Van Gogh. You’re not just going to grab a tube of cobalt blue

tions. Taste the greens. Getting the most out of a farmers

and go home because the goods guide you, not vice versa.

market means treating it like a contact sport.

“Look at that! That spinach is beautiful,” says Laudisio. “I would take it and add farm eggs and make a frittata.”

As he walks through the farmers market, every fresh ingredient leads to a story, a recipe or a cautionary tale.

Then Laudisio notices crusty baguettes at a nearby

“Less is more when you start with great stuff. Those

booth. “You could cut those in half and toast them. Cook the

young radish greens are so good and spicy. They don’t

spinach in olive oil with a little lemon juice and a sprinkle of

need to be cooked, just add them raw to a salad,” he says.

red pepper flakes. You put that over the bread with parmi-

Perfect baby potatoes came into view. “Boil them just a

giano, and there’s no way you don’t want to eat it,” he says.

little while, then roast them with rosemary in a mix of 40

Laudisio is looking for ingredients to top the pizzas at his market food booth. On a sunny Saturday morning, half the strolling shoppers seem to know and greet him.

With his curled white moustache, Brooklyn-tinged accent and tendency to talk with his hands, Antonio Laudisio

percent butter and 60 percent oil so they don’t burn.”

I asked him how he would cook exotic fresh mushrooms. “I wouldn’t. You slice the royal trumpet mushrooms razor thin and toss with some cremini mushrooms in a salad with salt, pepper, and a simple dressing with fresh parsley,” he says.

is a market icon. Talk to him about his life and he legit-

Asparagus should be simply steamed and served with

imately name drops Al Capone, Ernest Hemingway, and

poached eggs on top, he shares, noting that this is exactly

Fidel Castro. He has stories to tell.

what he feeds his own family. “My daughter said: ‘How do

With his brothers Raimondo and Leonardo, Antonio introduced generations of Boulder-Denver diners to simple, authentic Italian cuisine beyond spaghetti and meatballs at Ristorante Laudisio from 1989 to 2013. At 78, he co-owns The Mediterranean Restaurant and operates a catering business using the portable wood-burning ovens he built by hand.

you make them taste so good?’ I just pick good ones and then leave them alone.”

TRACKING DOWN THE GOODS To cook like Laudisio you need to have certain basics on hand. Not the cheap stuff—you have to invest in the good

Colorado’s first farmer-run market opened in Boulder,

stuff like Parmigiano-Reggiano, extra virgin olive oil, ca-

inspired in part by markets Laudisio had seen throughout

pers, and prosciutto. (For essential Italian pantry items to

Italy. “In Italy, there’s no farmers market. It’s just the mar-

have on hand, see the pantry list sidebar.)

ket. It’s a way of life. Nobody would ask chefs how to cook

You can find some of these ingredients at many supermar-

things. Everyone who sold at the market will tell you how

kets, but along the Front Range you’ll find the real thing—

to clean a vegetable and cook it,” he says.

markets and delis run by multigenerational Italian families

18 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

o n s ’ e r e h t , y l “In Ita et. k r a m s r e m far et. k r a m e h t t s It’s ju fe.” i l f o y a w a It’s disio

au —Antonio L

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 19

20 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

reflecting the strong Italian immigrant heritage of Colorado.

Find a Farmers Market BOULDER 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturdays and 4–8 p.m. Wednesdays

This summer, take a farmers market road trip, and stop at Spinelli’s Market in Denver, Carmine Lonardo’s Meat Market and Italian Deli in Lakewood, Mollica’s Italian Market and Deli in Colorado Springs, and the state’s ultimate

LONGMONT 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Saturdays

Italian family store, Gagliano’s Italian Market in Pueblo.

DENVER 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturdays

Torrone nougat, Stella D’oro anisette toasts, and Cento

LAFAYETTE 4 p.m.–8 p.m. Thursdays

sold wrapped in white butcher paper, bake cookies, sell

COLORADO SPRINGS: Colorado Farm and Art Market 3–7 p.m. Wednesdays Colorado Springs Pioneer’s Museum 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Saturdays Old Colorado City Farmers Market 7 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Saturdays PUEBLO 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Fridays For more info on these and other markets:

COLORADOFARMERS.ORG/FIND-MARKETS

This is where you’ll find imported grocery items—your canned tomatoes. They often make their own sausage “grinders” (hot sandwiches), and offer take-home entrées like lasagna big enough to feed the family.

A FARMERS MARKET TO CALL HOME Colorado’s cache of farmers markets has grown each year, and markets can be found in towns from Fort Collins to Trinidad, but all markets are not all the same. Antonio Laudisio said that the only “real” farmers markets are those run by the growers themselves who generally

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 21

22 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: Bring salted water to boil in large pot, add spaghetti, cook

until “al dente”—that means “firm to the tooth,” not soft.

STEP 2: Heat olive oil and garlic over medium flame in a large skillet.

Be careful not to brown the garlic, or it will have a bitter taste.

STEP 3: Add eggs and fry over medium heat, with yolks not runny, but slightly firm. Drain pasta, reserving pasta water on the side.

STEP 4: Put spaghetti in frying pan and slowly add pasta water (to just moisten, not soak).

STEP 5: Toss gently with eggs and garlic, then add parmesan, crushed red pepper, and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

STEP 6: Serve hot sprinkled with parsley on a warmed platter.

A Midsummer Night’s Pasta Dish Here is Antonio Laudisio’s recipe for Spaghetti All’uovo from La Famiglia Laudisio: The Cookbook.

INGREDIENTS

Yields four servings.

• 1 lb spaghetti • 4 tbsp olive oil (best quality) • 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed • 6 large farm eggs • ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese • 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, chopped • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley • Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

ITALIAN ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR PANTRY

• Grating cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano • • • • • • • • • • •

• •

Extra virgin olive oil Capers: Tart nuggets for seafood and salad dressings Canned San Marzano tomatoes for an easy sauce Fresh lemons: Juice, zest and grilled slices for seafood Dried pasta: Long spaghetti and short, chewy penne Breadcrumbs, Italian or panko, turn summer veggies into tasty pan-sizzled treats Garlic: fresh—not pre-peeled, pre-minced, a paste or dried Red wine: Box or bottle Pine nuts: Toasted atop sautéed spinach, bruschetta, ice cream Cured meats: Salami, pancetta, prosciutto, and bacon Sea salt, green herbs, red pepper flakes Vinegar: Balsamic, red wine, or sherry Optional: Canned anchovies, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, and Cannellini or fava beans

sell only what they grow with the exception of Western

of cooking with cured meats for quick dinner. “For a veg-

Slope fruit. In other words, no pineapples. The prepared

etable like broccoli raab, first you cut up the stems and

food vendors are also always local businesses, not chains.

poach them until they’re just tender. Start with one clove of

Farmers market and ethnic market foods are some-

crushed garlic in extra virgin olive oil in a pan and add sliced

times perceived as being overpriced compared to super-

summer sausage. Put in the poached stems and broccoli

market options, but they deliver great family values. The

raab tops…and al dente penne if you like,” he says.

heirloom and organic varieties are unavailable elsewhere,

Knowing the question would irk him, I wonder aloud: Why

and are generally fresher and better tasting. Pointing your

so little garlic? “What they’ve done with garlic in America is

dollars that way supports family farmers, sustainability, a

just terrible,” he says. “You have use peel fresh garlic just

viable local economy, and the larger community.

before you use it. I know because I used to have to peel

Italians have a saying: La famiglia sopra tutto. Family

bushels of it at my family’s restaurant in Miami. Now, you

above all. However you define yours, family is the most

get bins of peeled garlic and a lot of it is rancid. It’s too easy

important thing in the world.

to use too much. When I was a kid, my mother would cut up

HOLD THE GARLIC! My final Boulder Farmers Market stop with Antonio Laudisio is near a charcuterie stand, which prompts thoughts

garlic and put it in the oil for a minute and then remove it, or it just gets bitter. You’ve got to respect the ingredients.”

JOHN LEHNDORFF is the grandson of a Sicilian grocer and sausage maker. John hosts Radio Nibbles on KGNU. Podcasts: NEWS.KGNU.ORG/CATEGORY/RADIO-NIBBLES

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 23

24 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

A Trusted Voice of the Industry Every weekday J and Paul bring you the latest news and info on the cannabis industry locally and globally.

Tune in to hear from industry leaders and take advantage of The Daily Dose deals on our webpage.

Broadcast live on Gnarly 101.3 FM Monday-Friday, 6-7am and 6-7pm So... tune in to the only cannabis talk show on the radio in Southern Colorado to get the 411 on the 420!

For more information or to listen LIVE, visit our website www.TheDailyDoseTalkShow.com sensimag.com JUNE 2019 25

In Colorado, wild animals roam far beyond the Rocky Mountain Range.

by L E L A N D R U C K E R

26 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 27

28 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

HERE’S A WILD FACT FOR YOU: YOU CAN BUY A TIGER ONLINE FOR AS LITTLE AS A COUPLE

HUNDRED DOLLARS. HERE’S SOME ADVICE: DON’T DO THAT. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD. YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD NOT.

TIPS FOR YOUR VISIT The Wildlife Sanctuary 2999 Co Rd 53 Keenesburg, CO WILDLIFESANCTUARY.ORG

There are fewer than 4,000 wild tigers left in the world, most of them in Asia. In the US, there are at least 7,000 tigers in captivity—and that’s a conservative estimate.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare puts that number closer to 10,000. The Humane Society of the United States estimates there are as many as 15,000 big cats in private hands in this country; more than 4,000 are in individual hands in Texas alone.

These animals are living in constricted environments—held in public and roadside zoos, kept in cages in backyards and basements, often in squalid, inhumane conditions. Some are made to perform, appearing in advertisements for everything from grocery stores to home furniture outlets. Others are sold to hunting ranches or euthanized when they get too large to be useful.

None of these animals were captured in the wild. They were bred here, born in captivity, and most have never seen the outside of a cage.

This is not a wildlife conservation issue, it’s a captive wildlife crisis. It’s animal cruelty. And there’s a Colora-

It takes three to six hours to see the entire facility, so plan on arriving at least four hours before closing (sunset).

They stop taking visitors two hours before then.

Animals are most active around dusk, especially during the summer.

Adults: $30; children: $15.

No dogs allowed, not even service dogs. No, not even if you leave it in your car. You shouldn’t do that anyway.

Your GPS isn’t guaranteed to guide you there. Use the directions on the website, unless you want to check out some dead-end dirt roads.

Don’t Uber or Lyft out there; drivers may be happy to drop you off but good luck getting one to pick you up.

It gets hot during the summer, but there’s almost always a breeze up on the walkway, so bring layers. As well as hats, sunglasses, sunscreen—the standards.

If you have binoculars, bring them! Otherwise, you can use the free stationary units on walkways and decks, along with the other bino-less visitors.

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 29

30 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

BY

T H E

N U M B E R S

The Wild Animal Sanctuary’s Rescued Residents 70 African Lions 85 Tigers 156 Black Bears 43 Grizzly Bears 20 Wolves 2 Jaguars 12 Mountain Lions 5 Leopards 1 Camel 4 Coatimundis

9 Bobcats 9 Lynx 12 Coyotes 14 Foxes 2 Porcupines 1 Raccoon 3 Ostriches 2 Emus 51 Alpacas 6 Horses

9,684-acre property in Southern Colorado. Farther north, about 30 miles northeast of Denver, is the 789-acre educational facility, open to the public—and worth visiting time and again. Here, more than 450 lions, tigers, bears, wolves, foxes, leopards, jaguars, mountain lions, and other exotic animals live on rolling grasslands and former wheat fields offering majestic views of Colorado’s Front Range.

The first thing that happens when you arrive at the Wild Animal Sanctuary, about an hour from of Denver, two hours from Colorado Springs, is that you are met at the door by about 15 of the friendliest dogs in the world of all sizes, from large Irish wolfhounds to cuddly French bulldogs.

I was there to speak with founder Pat Craig, but he was busy when I arrived and I was told that it would be a bit.

Looking around, I noticed Craig down on the floor working on one of the exhibits. That’s not surprising, since Craig and the Sanctuary are practically one and the

do organization dedicated to giving these abused tigers,

same. He’s one of the premier rescuers of wild animals

and lions, and bears (oh my!), alpacas, leopards, wolves,

in the world, and the sanctuary is the stuff of his dreams.

lynx, and other animals lives of dignity. Giving large, ex-

A few minutes later, Craig sits down in the snack bar,

otic, and endangered captives rescued from around the

followed by several of his friendly canine crew. He talks

world a wild sanctuary where they can live out their lives

about growing up in Boulder and a love affair with ani-

in peace—literally a retirement home for abused animals.

mals that began at an early age. He couldn’t afford to go

That appropriately named organization: The Wild Animal

to veterinarian school, so he figured he’d get a business

Sanctuary.

degree and live on a farm where he could enjoy a few

The nonprofit organization operates two sites in Colo-

animals. Little did he know.

rado, with more than 10,000 acres of land providing shelter for more than 500 large carnivores. The majority of the land is the recently purchased Refuge facility, a private

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 31

32 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

His world was rocked forever in 1979, when he visit-

to kill these animals, either.”

ed a friend who had gotten a job as a groundskeeper in

The response was so intense that he wondered wheth-

a North Carolina zoo. “He gave me a behind-the-scenes

er he was getting in over his head. “But after about two

tour,” he explains. “In the back they had a ton of lions, ti-

weeks, the phone started ringing, and there were keep-

gers, bears, and stuff, in really cruddy little cages.” When

ers who had gotten my letter and said, ‘Hey, I don’t want

he asked, he was told that for whatever reasons, there

to kill this animal or this animal or this animal.’ So I

were too many to put on display, and the rest were kept

started driving all over the country, picking up animals

in cages out of sight of the public.

from zoos and bringing them back.”

That really bothered Craig. He got in touch with the

The first 12 cages were occupied quickly. He dropped

Denver Zoo and found out that it had more animals than

out of school, started building more structures, and got a

it knew what to do with as well, and that some were eu-

second, part-time job to help pay for the new infrastruc-

thanized. When he asked what would it take to stop this,

ture. He began getting calls from sheriffs and local law

he was told he’d have to build his own zoo. Craig couldn’t

enforcement about tigers found in a house or apartment

do that, but he did have room on his farm, and after some

or garage. “So they told me, ‘If you want to take it, great,

research, found that if he built enclosures that met zoo

but otherwise I’ll shoot it tomorrow.’” So he’d jump in the

standards, he could save the animals. “Back then we

truck to pick them up.

called it the conservation center because nobody was using the word sanctuary back then.”

He moved his “zoo” to a location with more space near Lyons, Colorado, for eight years. Volunteers were donat-

He put up some buildings on the farm, passed inspec-

ing time to help out, but there was always more to do. “I

tions, and was licensed, in essence becoming the young-

typically would work until seven or eight at night and

est zookeeper in the country. He petitioned to change

then go home and clean till one or two in the morning

laws about captive animals to allow them more space.

and feed the animals and then go get a few hours of

“Initially I didn’t know what I was getting into,” he ad-

sleep, go back to work and do that again. I always tell

mits. “But I got the zoning changed and applied for a

people that it’s like having kids—once you get them,

nonprofit and did all that stuff you’re supposed to do.”

you’re on the hook for the rest of their lives.”

He immediately sent out letters to every zoo in the

The sanctuary relocated again to its present location in

country offering to take surplus animals off their hands.

1994. “When we moved out here, the main goal was to get

The reaction was overwhelming. “The first month I got

a lot more space for habitats, because in the early years all

over 300 responses saying they were interested in the

the laws and regulations said you needed a concrete floor,

idea rather than euthanizing. Those people didn’t want

chain-link walls or bars or a steel top and a pretty sterile

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 33

Dispose

Responsibly.

2222 W COLORADO AVE, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80904

IHR offers complete waste management solutions for Colorado’s emerging marijuana/hemp industry. We assist residential and commercial grow facilities equally in their marijuana/hemp waste disposal procedures by helping them comply to the state’s waste compliance regulations.

Colorado's 1st Hemp & Cannabis Fibrous Waste Management Company Licensed & Operating Since 2011 info@ihrecycling.com • (720) 432-1562 • www.ihrecycling.com

34 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

719.999.5934

On-Site Precision Cultivation

Complimentary Patient Consulations

Award-Winning Genetics

Personalized Cannabis Therapy Plans

Professional Approach to Patient Care

Member Loyalty Program

COME VISIT COLORADO SPRINGS’ PREMIER MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY AND RECEIVE 15% OFF YOUR FIRST VISIT

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES PLEASE GO TO

www.luxleaf.com

environment. I was like, ‘Well this kind of sucks. I’m saving a life, but I’m not really giving any kind of quality of life.’”

ing to put animals on a more equal footing with humans.

Craig mentions a website that says animals should be

Watching their behavior helped him better understand

here with us, not for us. He’s not sure we’ll ever get to a

the kinds of habitats they needed. “When they come here,

place where we don’t have zoos or sanctuaries, so that

they go into a normal cage—because that was their life

concept is key to the future. “You know, our goal is that we

before. And then we kind of let them out into a little big-

all go out of business, and animals are just in the wild. But

ger space until they finally go, ‘OK, I’m cool. I realize no-

unfortunately every animal out there is going to go extinct

body else here is going to hurt me.’ And then they have

other than tiny managed groups that are theoretically

to start building muscles and learning motor skills. A lot

wild, but are just basically habitats that are still fenced. It’s

of them have never touched grass before in their lives.”

already happening in Africa and in many parts of India.

Craig says that one of the sanctuary’s goals is to help

The future is that these animals are going to live in these

people better understand animal intelligence. “Animals

managed spaces and we’ll call it the wild, but it’s relative.”

are incredibly smart,” he says. “And obviously, they’re

Meanwhile, Craig is always looking for ways to make

not people where they do math and computation, but a

his animals’ lives better. “We never feel like, ‘Oh yeah,

lot of that is just relative.”

we’re doing it right.’ We constantly beat ourselves up

One of the first cats Craig rescued was a jaguar. “The jaguar is the smartest cat there is, far smarter than a tiger or lion, and they’re incredibly intelligent,” he says. “This jaguar could open a house door, a car door, and it opened the refrigerator I kept her food in. It’s that level of intelligence

saying, ‘You know, what can we do better?’ You’re just constantly pushing yourself to do more for them.”

A New Perspective

An elevated walkway—in fact, the longest pedestri-

to where you can’t say they’re human, but they’re pretty

an bridge in the world, a certified Guinness World Re-

danged close. I think most people way underestimate the

cord holder at 1.5 miles long—lets visitors stroll 30 feet

intelligence of these large, exotic cats and bears.”

above the complex’s expansive pens and habitats. The

Attitudes are slowly changing about animals and how

pedestrian bridge is based on one of the things Craig has

they are treated. A recent study, “America’s Wildlife Val-

learned about animals over the years. While animals are

ues,” conducted by Colorado, Ohio, and Minnesota state

intensely protective of their immediate area, they could

universities, says that more people than ever are even will-

care less about something above and beyond them.

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 35

Colorado Springs best kept secret. Organically and locally grown, on-site cultivation, edibles, and extractions. Veteran owned and operated.

36 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

For those who can no longer tolerate zoos or seeing

$200 apiece for selfies with the cubs paddling around.

animals caged in small enclosures, walking through the

Online videos of individual owners “playing” with their

sanctuary is a real breath of fresh air, an opportunity to

cats proliferate on the web, with one owner even ad-

watch content animals, not ones pacing back and forth

mitting he is super careful about never giving them a

at the limits of their boundaries as you see in zoos.

chance to get at his vitals. (WTF.)

Craig has been rescuing animals for 40 years, from

No federal agency tracks big cats, who owns them,

zoos, circuses, and backyards. The Sanctuary is celebrat-

how they are bred, and where they wind up. Backyard

ing 25 years at its present location near the town of Hud-

breeders, essentially tiger mills, produce for unusual

son. There are a few others scattered across the country,

colors and markings and even cross-breed tigers and li-

says Kent Drotar, the sanctuary’s director of communica-

ons into tigons and ligers. Females, who are very protec-

tions. “But there’s no other place that has large acreage

tive of their young and breed every only three years in

habitats like us—no other place with a walkway.”

the wild to care for their offspring, have their cubs tak-

Wild Stats

en away soon after birth and then forced to breed again, some as often as three times a year.

The proliferation of captive wild animals in the US is a

“The vast majority of tigers in the US come from the

fairly recent phenomenon. According to Tigers in Amer-

irresponsible captive breeding to supply the cub petting

ica, a nonprofit which supports rescue operations for

industry,” Ben Callison, a former animal sanctuary direc-

confined and abused cats, there were 100,000 tigers in

tor, told The Guardian. “Tigers are smuggled in, but this

the wild and only 50 in the US held by exhibitors in 1900.

is mostly a US-born issue.”

While tigers in the wild have rapidly diminished, that second number increased as zoos became popular in the early 20th century. By the 1970s, tigers and other big cats

A Growing Issue

The Wildlife Sanctuary is close to running out of

became fixtures in Las Vegas lounge acts and on televi-

space. “We’ve pretty much developed this whole area.

sion, and individual people were purchasing their own

It’s all built out in habitats,” says Drotar. “Not every one is

exotic “pets,” or worse, buying them to breed even more.

completely full yet, but effectively, there’s no more hab-

At a sanctuary in Florida, tiger cubs are thrown in a swimming pool to fend for themselves while people pay

itat space to build, and that’s what prompted us a little over a year ago to be looking for more acreage.”

He points to a newly completed $80,000 habitat that now houses half a dozen foxes. “This is all former wheat fields. It’s as flat as can be,” he explains. “Effectively, when we build habitats, we have to put every single tree in, dig every water hole and bring the boulders in to

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 37

CBD Coffee + Tea ~ NEw coffees ~ DARK ROAST Sumatra, Papua New Guinea, & Uganda Blend

Light roast Santa Rosa, Honduras Single Origin

Boulder, Co

enjoy "sensi20june" at checkout for 20% off

38 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

make it more comfortable for the animals.”

The sanctuary also found itself essentially boxed in as well, with little land left to purchase and all of it at ex-

the male lion, and Tasha, a female Siberian tiger, are now recovering at the refuge, learning to socialize with other tigers and adapting to the colder climate.

orbitant prices. “So we thought that if we’re going to go

“She’s a Pacific Island girl, so she didn’t really like our

farther, let’s get land that already has these natural ame-

winter weather,” Drotar laughs. “She didn’t like getting

nities in place,” Drotar says. They looked at a secluded—

her feet in the snow. We have hot-water heat that we use

ultimately, too remote—30,000-acre plot in Oregon, before

for the leopards. We added some extra heat lights and

deciding on the 9,000-acre site in the southeast corner

stuff, and she loved it.”

of Colorado, 40 miles from the small town of Springfield.

That’s just one of the joys of being part of what is a re-

I know what you’re thinking. Southeast Colorado is as

tirement home for mistreated animals, many who suffer

flat as the High Plains northeast of Denver, right? Nope.

the same ailments, like arthritis and mobility issues, as

This region drops off from the prairie into canyons of

we do as we age. “I always say that as animals get old-

grassland with natural rock outcroppings. Even better,

er, you know, they’d rather have their studio apartment

land is about one quarter the cost of Front Range wheat

than a 3,000-square foot house with stairs,” Drotar says.

fields. “They call it Canyonlands,” he says. “It has these

“It’s just easier to get around.”

meadows in between these big rock formations.”

Among the first things to do was getting local ranchers and dwellers to buy into the concept of sharing space with big cats. “That was a big concern among local people,” Drotar admits. “The rumor was that we’re just going to fence the 9,000 acres, turn loose a bunch of wild cats and hope for the best.”

Two information sessions were held in Springfield that allowed people to voice any apprehensions and to let Craig explain what we have learned about the difference between wild and caged animals. “Some of these people might live 12 miles away, and you almost get the sense that they think that tiger is going to escape and go straight to their front door and wait for them—and slaughter every cow between here and there.”

But captive animals were born and have always been behind a fence, Drotar says, which makes for a unique worldview. “A wild-born animal is going to try to get out.

But our animals see a fence as an asset—what feels like home and what feels safe—and because it keeps those bad guys out—the bad guys being the other lions and tigers.”

No animal has ever escaped the sanctuary, and today, Drotar says that, like the farmers that surround the Sanctuary, local residents have now bought into the idea. It will take years to build out the habitat. The first 35-acre portion is almost finished, and plans are to proceed cautiously to make sure no native animals or wildlife might be harmed by fencing or other human intrusion.

Craig has rescued big cats from circuses and zoos around the world. After Bolivia passed a law banning circuses in 2011, 25 lions that would have been sold were rescued and brought to Colorado. Most recently, in December, the sanctuary and the disaster charity Samaritan’s Purse saved a lion and a tiger left in a roadside zoo on the Pacific Ocean island of Saipan after a typhoon ravaged the area. Lambert, sensimag.com JUNE 2019 39

40 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 41

If it seems like everyone is listening to podcasts (or thinking about starting one), it’s because they are. After languishing for two decades, the medium is having its moment.

by R O BY N G R I G G S L AW R E N C E

CASTING SINCE RACHEL KENNERLY, A CPA IN LUFKIN, TEXAS,

DISCOVERED PODCASTS THREE

YEARS AGO, THEY’VE BECOME HER MAINSTAY WHEN SHE DOES MINDLESS TASKS HER JOB REQUIRES LIKE DATA ENTRY. NOT A FAN OF TRADITIONAL MEDIA AND DISGRUNTLED BY HER POLITICAL “CHOICES,” KENNERLY GETS HER NEWS FROM PODCASTERS LIKE LIBERTARIANS TOM WOODS AND JASON STAPLETON. A stark contrast to to the nightly news broadcasts her

outlawed until a few years ago, when a close acquaintance

parents watch as religiously as they attend church, the

moved to Colorado so she could legally treat her son’s sei-

podcasts expose Kennerly to ideas and viewpoints worlds

zures with CBD oil (after a local doctor threatened to turn

away from what she can find on the TV dial in East Texas.

her in to child-protective services if he discovered she had

Programmed by D.A.R.E., Kennerly—along with pretty

tried CBD). As Kennerly’s mind was further opened by the

much everyone else in her conservative Christian com-

liberty-based podcasts she listens to, she began to see the

munity—believed cannabis was evil and deserved to be

injustice of prohibiting a plant that could benefit so many.

42 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 43

SO, YOU WANNA START A PODCAST… There’s no shortage of courses out there to help you get started and be successful. Before you bother with any of them, make sure you can answer the question, “This is the only podcast that…”

A little advice from the experts: • Keep it short, valuable, and consistent.

• Include interactive content such as games or lessons.

• Tell stories.

• Stick to a theme rather than letting conversation wander.

• Create at least five episodes before uploading the first one. Post at least three for your debut.

thing about the podcast world is that I can just kind of get out there and say whatever I want,” she says. “I could never get on the radio in Lufkin, Texas, and talk about cannabis and how we should decriminalize it. I don’t know any other forum I could get on in East Texas and talk about the subjects I talk about and not get run out on a rail.”

THE POWER OF THE PODCAST A mishmash of iPod and broadcasting, the term describes digital audio files that can be downloaded and listened to on a computer or digital device. Podcasting has been around since 2001, when the iPod was introduced. It began as a way for individuals to get out their message and build community within their niche, and it has evolved to encompass high-production, wide-reaching shows by TV and radio networks, podcast networks such as Gimlet Media (now owned

by Spotify), comedians, churches, even the FBI—all bringing in more than $700 million in advertising revenue annually.

Last year, she quit her day job to start an accounting and compliance firm for cannabis businesses and set out to learn as much as she could as quickly as she could about a substance she had vilified but never actually encountered.

“When I was growing up, they told me all these people would be offering me drugs, and they were just way off,” she jokes.

“All those years they told us to just say no, and I never got to.”

Kennerly wanted to learn more about cannabis, and she couldn’t rely on her inner circle for anything other than propaganda. “What better way to do that than with a podcast, where I can actually speak with people affected by cannabis and then share their stories with other people?” she says.

She launched “Cannabis Heals Me,” a podcast that tells the stories of patients who have healed everything from lupus to Hashimoto’s disease with cannabis, last October.

The podcast focuses on stories because “you don’t change people’s minds by citing them a bunch of statistics,” she says. About 100 people—most of them in Texas but a few from as far away as South Korea—download the podcast every Monday. Recently, Kennerly added a Thursday podcast featuring experts who give the stories context.

Kennerly says her podcast’s message is counter-intuitive to her Christian family and friends (though she does have to question, “what part of the Bible does Jesus talk about putting people in a cage over a plant?”).

She knows they don’t agree with her stance, but she hopes they’re tuning in. “The nice

The technology is destined to emerge as a player in the 2020 election, as media-savvy candidates like Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang take to the podcast circuit. “Podcasts are really hot right now, and I think underappreciated,” Lis Smith, Buttigieg’s communications adviser, told CNN. The first podcast that garnered any mainstream attention, former MTV VJ Adam Curry’s “Daily Source Code,” debuted in 2004 (the year Apple began supporting podcast technology with iTunes 4.9) and attracted more than half a million subscribers. But podcasting was a fringe media populated mainly by niche-minded extremists until National Public Radio broke the two-guys-talking mold dominating the medium (think: “Joe Rogan Experience” without Joe’s charisma) with “Serial,” a true-crime series about a murder investigation, in 2014. The show ran for three seasons and has been downloaded anywhere from 175 million to 420 million times, depending on which source you believe. Whatever the number, “Serial” had a lot of people addicted, and the buzz opened a lot of eyes to the possibilities of podcasts. NPR now keeps more than 40 of them active, reaching over 16 million people.

“I believe 2019 is a time for hockey stick growth and diversification of the audience and the offering,” Courtney William Holt, head of global studios for Spotify, which began offering podcasts last year and now captures more than a quarter of all listeners, told Medium. The 2020 election will be no small contributor to that growth, added Dane Cardiel of podcast host and distribution company Simplecast, as more candidates launch podcasts “to earn trust and win over voters in crowded primary races.” Podcast listeners— generally educated and leaning liberal—are just the kind of voters Democratic contenders are looking to reach.

44 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 45

There are now more than 700,000 podcast shows in more than 100 languages out there, according to Podcast Insights.

(Comedy is the most popular genre, followed by education and news.) Fifty-one percent of Americans have listened to a podcast, and one in three listen to at least one every month. (Edison Research found that 40 percent of people between ages 12 and 24 identified as monthly podcast listeners, and baby boomers have been slower to adapt to the new medium. In 2019, 17 percent of people 55 and older listened to a podcast every month.) This year for the first time, on-demand audio streaming accounts for the majority of total audio consumption, according to Adweek. “I think we hit a tipping point,” Tom Webster, senior vice president for Edison Research, told the New York Times.

Consumers looking for curated, searchable podcast content have no shortage of options. Earlier this year, Luminary launched a podcast subscription service it calls “Netflix for podcasts,” featuring exclusive shows from A-listers like Lena Dunham and Trevor Noah. Luminary caught everybody’s attention when it took in $100 million in funding, but it doesn’t have an easy road ahead in a market already dominated by Spotify and the leading podcatcher, Apple Podcasts, which is included on all iOS devices. Industry titans including Google, Pandora, and iHeartRadio have entered the market, alongside scrappy new companies like Wondery, a podcast publisher known for emotionally immersive podcasts, and Stitcher, which bills itself as the easiest way to listen to podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, or smart speaker.

Stitcher CEO Erik Diehn predicts better curation and discovery, a more reliable listener experience, and better support will bring exponentially more listeners this year.

Chances are, we’ll see a lot more podcasters like Kennerly as well. Why not, when you can get started with absolutely no experience and a shoestring budget? Initially, Kennerly used a free app from Anchor.FM (now owned by Stitcher) to record her podcast and a free program from Audacity to edit it. A couple months later, she bought herself an Audio Tecnica mic for Christmas and upgraded to Hindenburg editing software, both of which have improved her podcast’s quality—but she’s quick to point out it can be done without them.

“I spend far more time working on the podcast than I should,” Kennerly admits, but there’s no question it’s a labor of love that she believes is well worth it. Podcasting is the foundation of her quest “to do my tiny part to convert people once like me into people who believe the federal government has no right to tell us what we can and can’t put into our bodies.”

Her advice to anyone considering a similar quest (no matter what the topic)? “Stop talking about it and go do it.”

ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE, author of The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook and Pot in Pans: A History of Eating Cannabis, secretly wants to be the Joe Rogan of cannabis.

46 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

12 GREAT PODCASTS FOR SUMMER LISTENING Adam Dunn Show // A cannabis legend and friends dish about 25 years in the industry.

Against the Rules with Michael Lewis // Journalist and bestselling author looks at what’s happened to fairness “in a world where everyone loves to hate the referee.”

Brave New Weed // Conversations with the healers, politicians, scientists, and “troublemakers of all sorts” who have contributed to cannabis liberation.

Broken Record with Malcolm Gladwell, Rick Rubin, and Bruce Headlam // Longform conversation about music “for a world without liner notes.”

Getting Doug with High // Doug Benson of “Super High Me” fame partakes and talks with guests.

Great Moments in Weed History // Abdullah Saeed and David Bienenstock delve into humanity’s long relationship with cannabis.

I’m Too Effing High // Stoned comedians take on challenges and play games.

Jalen & Jacoby // Jalen Rose and David Jacoby break down sports and pop culture.

The Jimmy Dore Show // “The Marijuana-Logues” writer discusses his raw takes on the news with top comedians and comedy writers.

The Joe Rogan Experience // The granddaddy of them all, JRE has been around for nearly a decade, and Rogan has been called “the Walter Cronkite of our era.”

Ron Burgundy Podcast // Will Ferrell reprises everyone’s favorite role, conducting interviews that “have a tendency to go off the rails, and we find out things about people we never knew we wanted to know.”

WTF with Marc Maron // The comedian’s conversations with icons such as Robin Williams, Keith Richards, and President Barack Obama have garnered more than 250 million downloads.

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 47

48 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado

RMZ

Finding A More Direct Route to Customer Satisfaction ONE DISPENSARY OWNER CREATED A BUSINESS TO MAKE CANNABIS PRODUCTS THAT CUSTOMERS TRULY DEMAND.

RMZ was started in 2016 by co-founder and CEO Don

RMZ doesn’t do any extraction in its facility, but works

Novak, who has also owned and operated a dispensary

with selected growers to get flower to extraction part-

in Denver since 2010. “A lot of the patients were chil-

ners, and then use the extracted oil to create its products.

dren dealing with epileptic seizures moving to Colorado

RMZ works with brand partners such as Vera Wellness,

from all over the country,” Danielle Massey, RMZ brand

created by the scientists at Denver-based Next Frontier

engagement manager, says. “He had patients that really

Biosciences; the Whoopi Goldberg and Maya Elisabeth

needed products that weren’t full of sugars and fats and

line of medicinal cannabis products designed to relieve

all of the bad things that don’t help you heal,”

menstrual discomfort; and ioVia, a line of precision-dose

That customer need inspired Novak to build a business making precision-dosed products and managing

CBD and THC products that has been on the market since 2013.

brands, instead of just selling any random item that

The company is growing rapidly, Massey says, with up

could be loaded on a dispensary shelf. He brings true

to 30, including lab techs and a chemist. “We didn’t want

customer-centric satisfaction to a loyal medical and rec-

to create a transdermal product with any chemicals in

reational cannabis consumer base. “RMZ is a production

the base,” she says. “So that is why we have a chemist

facility and a place for distribution, sales and production

creating vegetable and mineral-based products.”

of different brands,” Massey says.

The company offers two types of products under its

A new product that RMZ is working on is a “Cool Relief Gel”, set to launch by the end of summer this year.

own ioVia brand (which means “by way of Life”): transdermal infused creams, with completely absorbable formulations where the cannabinoids enter into the bloodstream through both layers of skin, and completely

For more information, visit:

RMZCOLORADO.COM

flavorless, precision-dose tinctures.

Both medical and recreational products are available with specific THC/CBD ratios—high CBD, CBD/THC blends, and high THC. “The THC/CBD blend has enough THC in it to not be intoxicating, but just enough to help the CBD work to its maximum efficiency,” Massey says.

“The precision-dose tincture products were really born out of necessity for pure and potent products that customers demanded. ioVia is all about getting people back to living their best lives.”

sensimag.com JUNE 2019 49

{HereWeGo }

by S T E P H A N I E W I L S O N

OFF THE MAP Adventure to Moab.

When you receive a satellite phone message from a friend with

google the coordinates, the first intelligible result is for “Inven-

directions to an unmarked waterfall coordinate somewhere 80

toried Roadless Areas.” It’s worth it, and Dre’s got the photos to

miles into the Moab desert, you pack the truck and go. That’s

prove it. If you go, bring lots of water, obviously, and make sure

how life works, if you’re doing it right. Sensi’s marketing director

to tag us in your pics, @SENSIMAGAZINE on Insta. Tag Dre as

Andre Velez is. He got the coordinates and made the six-and-

well, @DREBOTZ , and follow along. It’s summer time and living

a-half-or-so mile drive from Colorado Springs to Canyonlands

is easy. Let’s adventure.

National Park, then ventured out into unmarked territory. If you

Coordinates for the destination: -109.743505, 38.178358

50 JUNE 2019 Southern Colorado