In The NOCO

In 1978, three men from Boulder set out a journey to make the first-ever crossing of Colorado on skis.    The three amateur skiers – Alex Drummond, John King, and Peter Vanderwall – carved a continuous line across the state, covering 490 miles of rugged, snowy backcountry from Durango to northeast of Fort Collins.    A new documentary, Moving Line , tells the story of their remarkable trek. Ahead...

It's a painful moment for the team at KUNC and The Colorado Sound.   In recent months we've talked about how federal cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting could hurt local member stations like KUNC.  In July, that became a reality when Congress clawed back more than a billion dollars in money from the public broadcasting system. And this week, station leaders announced 10 staff members h...

Colorado's Rocky Mountains have always drawn tourists. But for Black Americans in the 1920s and 30s, segregation and discrimination severely restricted where they could travel and take a vacation.   Which is why, in 1922, Lincoln Hills emerged as a mountain resort created by and for African Americans. It sits near Rollinsville, northwest of Denver, and was the largest resort of its kind west of th...

Visitors from around the globe head to Breckenridge for hiking in the summer, and skiing and snowboarding in the winter.   And soon, they might also visit to take in the town’s crystal-clear views of the night sky.   Breckenridge recently became the first ski resort town in Colorado to become a certified dark sky community. The designation comes from DarkSky International , which pushes to limit l...

In the depths of the ocean, miles beneath the surface, unusual new technology developed by Colorado researchers could soon help scientists make discoveries.   Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder are harnessing the unique abilities of jellyfish to act as underwater explorers in places humans can't easily go – like the Mariana Trench, 7 miles below sea level.  Nicole Xu is an assistant...

When the Colorado River makes headlines these days, it's usually in reference to drought. And what lower water levels mean for the 40 million people in the Southwest U.S. who depend on the river.    A new documentary screening in theaters around Colorado looks at those issues from a different perspective. It's a portrait of the plants and animals that rely on the river’s water as it winds its way...

More people in Colorado are turning their backyards into coops and runs for chickens. According to The Denver Post , people are finding satisfaction in raising their own broods – especially as egg prices remain high.  Paul Fleischer leads an introductory class to backyard chicken keeping at Fleischer Family Farm in Lakewood. The class addresses everything from how to build your own coops to how to...

Gardening in Colorado takes work.   You prepare the soil, choose what you want to plant, and lay out a design. Then once things start to grow, there’s all that weeding, pruning and manicuring – most of which is trickier given the Front Range’s tough soil and fickle climate.   Or – you could just grab a few random seed packets, sprinkle them over a patch of bare ground, and sit back and wait for th...

Kindergarten teacher Ellen Javernick has published over twenty illustrated children’s books. The Loveland resident’s first book, What If Everybody Did That? has sold more than a million copies.   She just published her newest book titled Awesome of the Day . It tells the story of a boy named Andrew who has one bad day after the next – until he learns to change his outlook.  Ellen teaches at Garfie...

A small herd of bison roams the Soapstone Prairie north of Fort Collins. The herd offers a glimpse of what Colorado’s high plains looked like 200 years ago.  These bison are unique for a few reasons. First, they’re descendants of the herd at Yellowstone National Park . Second, while most bison today carry some cattle DNA, this herd has nearly pure bison genes. That has spiritual significance for m...

A new study suggests that researchers should take a closer look at cannabis as a treatment for cancer and its symptoms. The team behind the study says the results suggest the federal government should remove restrictions on that research.   An organization called Cancer Playbook , which is based in Evergreen, paid for the study. Cancer Playbook’s head of research says it works to provide people ba...

If you had a dog or cat in the house when you were growing up, your body may be better equipped to respond to stress.   That’s according to a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder in collaboration with researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany . Stress initiates an inflammation response in our bodies. In small doses, it’s a normal part of our immune systems. However, chronic infl...

For many of us, fireflies are synonymous with childhood wonder. We chase them on summer evenings, catch them and gently put them in a jar – with plenty of holes poked in the lid, of course.  But if you grew up in Colorado, you may have never experienced that particular wonder. You may not realize that Colorado even has native fireflies. Because of development and pesticide use destroying their hab...

Every year, in an historic mining town in the mountains, runners lace up their running shoes and approach the starting line with their most loyal burro by their side.   The annual pack burro race in Victor , southwest of Colorado Springs, sees athletes and burros run side-by-side over mountain trails and roads.  Pack burro racing is the official summer heritage sport of Colorado . Burros, also kno...

If you look at your calendar – or your weather app – you’ll notice that we are still firmly in the dog days of summer. You should be spending weekends at the pool or sitting in the shade with a cold beverage.  But if you look at your local aspen trees, you might be fooled into thinking it’s time for jack-o’-lanterns and pumpkin spice lattes. And it’s not even Labor Day.  Colorado’s aspens are star...

An unusual art show held each year in Cañon City displays – and sells – pieces by some of the most dangerous convicted criminals in the country.    Fremont Center for the Arts sits about 20 minutes from the highest security prison in the nation: the USP Florence ADMAX, better known as Supermax .  Each year, an art show at the gallery displays work created by Supermax inmates – like Terry Nichols,...

Denver relationship therapist, Lindsay Hayes , has an uncommon specialty.   She’s part of a growing group of professionals who work with people who practice polyamory. These are folks who openly have more than one romantic partner. Lindsay also researches and publishes about polyamorous communities.     In her therapy practice, Lindsay promotes open communication and flexibility as the foundation...

Colorado lawmakers head back to the state capitol on Thursday for a special session to fix a $750 million hole in the state budget.    If this feels like deja vu – it is, in a way. Earlier this year, state legislators addressed a $1.2 billion shortfall during the regular session -- and balanced the state budget.    But President Trump recently signed into law the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill...

A small menace is invading the river that supplies water to 40 million people in southwestern states.  Zebra mussels are tiny freshwater shellfish. They’re about the size of your thumbnail, with a striped shell. Since the late 1980s, they’ve spread to 30 states across the country, including Colorado.   Now, Colorado Parks and Wildlife says they’ve been found in the Colorado River near towns like G...

After several years of record-setting numbers , Colorado's mountain towns are experiencing an unexpected summer slowdown in tourism.   A drop in international visitors is a significant factor. This year, European visitors to mountain towns in Colorado and six other Western states are down 39 percent compared to 2024. Canadian visitors dropped 58 percent from last year.   The trend has state and lo...

Demon rabbits. Frankenstein bunnies.  Zombie cottontails.  Phrases like those went viral this week after photos were published of rabbits near Fort Collins that appeared to have horns or tentacles on or around their heads.    Wildlife officials say the unusual-looking rabbits aren't a cause for concern . The rabbits suffer from a relatively common virus that's harmless to humans, called rabbit or...

The goo and gunk you find in your dishwasher, or in the drip tray underneath your refrigerator, could hold secrets to fighting climate change or reducing pollution.  That’s according to James Henrickson , a research scientist from Colorado State University. He says your hot water heater, washing machine, and shower are similar to hot springs or volcanic vents on the ocean floor. James studies crea...

An innovative cancer therapy inspired by the gripping power of geckos might be on the horizon.    Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder studied the microscopic structures on gecko toes that allow the tiny reptiles to climb walls and cling to slippery surfaces like windows.   That work inspired the development of a new material that could help chemotherapy drugs cling onto tumors, enabli...

The world’s largest wildlife overpass will soon be open for use in Colorado.   Wildlife overpasses allow animals to safely cross over highways. And Western states are building more of them to cut down on the number of crashes between vehicles and animals.    This new overpass is being constructed over a section of I-25 between Denver and Colorado Springs, just north of Monument. Some 80,000 driver...

Colorado teachers say their students are missing something that helps determine their academic success. They call it grit.   If a student who struggles with math studies hard and performs well on their math test, that’s grit. If they complete a homework assignment that was tough to finish, that's also grit.    Erica Breunlin covers education for The Colorado Sun . Since the pandemic, she says teac...