Mountain Biking: Rubber side down- Exploration Is Cool.So, last week I left the house like this: The grand plan was to meet Josh, drive the fat-tire bikes up to the Peak to Peak, ride down on singletrack/dirt roads, then ride the skinny tire bikes back up for the car. You know, a little something-different adventure. We got off to a rocky start, […]
- Sometimes Gadgets MatterIt’s not often that I credit an improvement in my riding to equipment. In fact, I’m willing to bet that a lot of issues with most folks are operator error rather than the need for some expensive toy. But this time, I’ve got a few exceptions. Sunglasses, for me, are a tough purchase. Not only […]
- Exploration Is Cool.
- Edgy Veggie
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Denver’s South Platte River revitalization looking good
Confluence Park in Denver | flickr user jessicareeder
EPA blog Greenversations just gave a shout-out to a part of Denver that looks very different now than it did a few short years ago:
Confluence Park seen from REI, across the S. Platte River | flickr user Payton Chung
While visiting Denver over Memorial Day weekend, I walked from my downtown hotel to the lower downtown area and the South Platte River. I did not expect to see a revitalized waterfront with very busy bicycle paths lining the river along with new apartments and condos.
I had the same experience! I lived in Boulder before from 2005-2007, left, and came back in 2009. On my first trip back to downtown Denver, I was really impressed with the changes. The river is a much more prominent part of the city now thanks to that area, which is called Confluence Park (due to the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek).
Xcel franchise drama: Xcel turns up heat on City Council before franchise decision
UPDATE: Boulder staff to council: Do not put Xcel franchise renewal on the ballot
Xcel Energy's Colorado chief is making the rounds in Boulder.
Well, there’s not a much more boring phrase than “franchise agreement” out there, but now would be a good time to educate yourself on Boulder’s Xcel franchise agreement options (and those laid out by the City Council) and what’s going on, because a lot of energy and tax dollars are in the mix and that affects everyone — for the next 20 years. On Tuesday, City Council will decide whether or not to put the franchise agreement renewal on the ballot this year, but not before they hear a lot from the president of Xcel in Colorado: Read more
And if you lived near the Arkansas River…?
High Country News’ Ed Quillen lives relatively close to where Christo’s “Over the River” installation would be placed over the Arkansas River. We already posted on that subject, but here’s his handy summary:
Since this involves federal land, an Environmental Impact Statement is required (paid for by Christo), The Bureau of Land Management is the lead agency. About two weeks ago, the BLM released a draft environmental statement; the Pueblo Chieftain ran a pretty good summary, and all thousand-plus pages are available on-line, with a comment deadline of Aug. 30 before the final EIS is prepared.
So where does a guy who lives near there fall on the art vs. river debate? He says he’s “agnostic.”
Goatscaping back in Boulder
A goat chews on weeds on the dam face of the Boulder Reservoir on Wednesday. | Photo: Greg Lindstrom / The Camera
Goatscaping is one of my favorite blog topics.
So you know I’m going to let you know about Boulder bringing in 300 goats to eat weeds at Boulder Reservoir, which means not using chemicals. Every time I read about this topic, I learn something new. Here’s this week’s tidbit: Read more
Boulder Farmers’ Market among “Top 10 farmers markets in U.S.”
File photo: Mark Guttridge, of Ollin Farms, at right, passes on a bag of fresh spinach to Steve Toon on the first Wednesday night of the Boulder Farmers' Market in 2010. Toon from Golden, works in Boulder and considers going to the market his hobby. | Paul Aiken / Camera
This via Top 10 farmers markets in U.S. | Gadling.com:
4. Boulder Farmers Market, Colorado
Regional farmers prove that a short growing season can still be spectacular in the form of red sunchokes, fingerling potatoes, maroon heirloom carrots, and peaches to die for from Morton's Orchards. A kaleidoscope of cut flowers and an adjoining prepared food section make this bustling market a colorful-and delicious- community hot spot.
What do you think — is #4 good enough?
Cool bottled water graphic
Check out this cool poster. Found via mi amigo Brian.
Via: Term Life Insurance
Whole Foods, WhiteWave Foods, Gaiam among top 50 employers in Boulder
Each year, the Camera’s Alicia Wallace takes a look at the top 50 Boulder county employers. This year’s private sector leaders included three companies you’d think of as green types right away, and of course plenty that have some kind of environmental initiative or another.
Whole Foods comes in at No. 13 with 712 employees, WhiteWave Foods at No. 16 with 507 employees and Gaiam at No. 41 with 231 employees.
For reference, IBM is at the top with about 2,800 employees and public sector employers remain huge in Boulder, of course, with the University of Colorado far outsizing everybody else at nearly 7,000 employees, followed by the Boulder Valley School District and St. Vrain Valley School District at about 2,700 apiece.
Fifth grade wildlife art contest winners!
Hey! It’s a follow-up guest post from Deanna Williams, USFS Wildlife Biologist & Angela Mundt, USFS Wildlife Technician!
In an effort to promote awareness of watershed protection, wildlife conservation and the rules of the trails, the Boulder Ranger District of the Araphoe-Roosevelt National Forest held an art contest for local fifth-grade students. The winning art will be incorporated into educational trail signs.
The project was inspired by efforts to repair miles of a sensitive stream-side area that had been polluted by undesignated trails causing damage to plants, wildlife and introducing pollutants into the Boulder Creek watershed.
Winning artwork by:
Noah Cadigan-Deutsch–Whittier International Elementary | art teacher Jennifer Shepherd
Cutter Fugett–Crestview Elementary | art teacher Wendy Rochman
Jordan Holderby–Crestview Elementary | art teacher Wendy Rochman
Erin Watt–Whittier Inernational elementary | art teacher Jennifer Shepherd
Morgan long–Nederland Elementary | art teacher Jessica Bernstein
Shane Kaiser–Emerald Elementary | art teacher Jenny Weich
BBC slams Boulder: green, but for all the cars and coal
That frog was right — it’s not easy bein’ green. Boulder knows it and, apparently, so does the BBC, which did a story on Boulder’s efforts to reduce its pollution and poor energy habits — and while it’s very short, it’s not very flattering.
But for all the solar panels arrayed on the roof of the municipal building on the corner of Broadway and Canyon, the roar of traffic tells a different story.
The people of Boulder are just as wedded to their cars as they are anywhere else in America.
Read the rest at the BBC’s site.
Annual early marmot love fest results in population explosion
Wired Science reports that marmots have been getting steadily fatter since our fine country’s bicentennial and that, lately, they’ve also been getting busy earlier and earlier in the new millennium. That’s resulting in a marmot population explosion:
Increasingly, short winters have meant that yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) near the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory now emerge 20 days earlier from their seven- to eight-month hibernation than they did in the late ’70s. This, in turn, has meant more time to get fat over the summer, less fat loss over the winter and, over the past decade, a huge spike in their survival and reproductive success.
“We believe that gradual change in climate crosses a threshold, and causes abrupt changes in population,” said biologist Arpat Ozgul from the Imperial College of London, lead author of a study on the marmots being published July 21 in Nature.
This led me (and my traveling partner) to think back to a trip we recently took down to Taos, N.M., during which we encountered an interesting front-page piece in the Valley Courier newspaper of southern Colorado. I can’t find it online, so I’ll just post the two photos I happened to take of the story…
From the pages of the Valley Courier...
And the closing sentences… Read more
