In The NOCO

It’s been a tough winter for skiers and snowboarders in Colorado. And that’s also rippling through the local economy of nearby resort towns. Workers in bars and restaurants, backcountry gear shops, and hotels that depend on busy ski seasons are feeling the pinch. Many businesses are coping by cutting employee hours, not hiring some seasonal workers, or cutting back on overall spending. Journalist Steve Knopper wrote in 5280 Magazine about the economic ripple effects this low-snow season is creating beyond the ski resorts. His article is a snapshot of how a historically dry year is affecting the lives of the people who live and work in Colorado’s mountain towns. Steve talked with Erin O'Toole about what he learned, and why he wanted to write this particular story now. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A position on the ski patrol at a Colorado resort is a dream job for many people – even in a dry winter like this one. They get paid to spend their days on some of the best terrain in the U.S. And they help thousands of skiers and snowboarders have a great time in the High Country. But that work can also take a toll. Aside from the physical demands of skiing as a full-time job, there are downright traumatic moments -- like when a patrol team responds to a skier who's badly injured or gone missing. Winter Park's ski patrol set out in recent years to make sure its patrol members are properly equipped to handle the toughest incidents. Working with a nonprofit called Responder Alliance, they got their patrol team talking about stress and resilience. The story was featured in a recent Colorado Sun article. Zachary Akselrad is in his 16th season as a ski patrol employee, and he's assistant director of Winter Park’s ski patrol. He talked with In The NoCo’s Brad Turner in January about how the new approach has made the patrol team better. As a particularly tough ski season winds down in Colorado, we’re listening back to that conversation today. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Creede is a small, former silver mining town in the heart of a canyon in the San Juan mountains. It has about 300 full-time residents. Just about everywhere you look, you see reminders of the area's mining heritage – including the abandoned mines that surround the town. One thing sets Creede apart from other mining towns in Colorado: It has a thriving local theater scene. In the 1960s, as the silver mining industry began to die out, The Creede Repertory Theatre opened with a handful of theater students. Sixty years later – there's still some tension between the free-spirited thespians who visit each summer, and the locals who work as ranchers or outfitters. Yet, somehow, they coexist. That dynamic – and how everyone gets along with one another – drew filmmakers Kahane Corn Cooperman and Innbo Shim to make the new documentary Creede, USA. The film will be screened this Saturday as part of Colorado State University's ACT Human Rights Film Festival in Fort Collins. Ahead of the film festival’s opening, Kahane and Innbo joined Erin O’Toole to talk about the film, and what they think other communities could learn from Creede about civility and kindness. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

For people in much of the world, snakebite is a life-threatening condition. We don't think about it much in Colorado — though it may be more top of mind this spring, since the warm winter is prompting rattlesnakes to emerge from their dens a little earlier than usual. Here, a nasty rattlesnake bite might send the occasional hiker to the emergency room. But the World Health Organization estimates that, around the globe, as many as 138,000 people die from venomous snakebites each year. And while antivenom can be used to treat snakebite, it’s often costly and difficult to produce. An expert at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley hopes to change that. Biology professor Stephen Mackessy is part of an international team that recently announced a breakthrough in the production of antivenom. The new technology could save lives by making antivenom cheaper to manufacture — and available in larger quantities. Mackessy and his team recently published their findings in the journal Nature. He spoke with Erin O’Toole in November about the important research happening at his lab in Greeley that led to the breakthrough. We’re listening back to that conversation today. If you enjoyed this interview, check out this In The NoCo conversation with the retiring director of the Rocky Mountain Poison Center, whose work helped develop a better antivenom to treat rattlesnake bites. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Just a note - today's episode touches on themes of depression and suicide. Ten years ago, Colorado writer Becky Jensen’s life seemed great. She was raising two sons and engaged to be married. Yet, she was struggling quietly with depression and thoughts of suicide – although she didn't know why. Hoping to find clarity, Becky decided to take a bold step: She shouldered a backpack and set out to hike all 500 miles of the Colorado Trail on her own. Along the way, she confronted dangers in the wilderness – and her own feelings of low self-worth and repressed trauma. What began for her as an escape turned into a journey toward healing and, ultimately, a newly published memoir called No Man’s Land: Unpacking One Woman’s Worth on the Colorado Trail. Becky joined Erin O'Toole to talk about her experience, and what led to her taking this unusual step toward self-discovery. Becky will present a book talk and slide show at Wolverine Farm Publick House in Fort Collins on Thursday, April 9. And she’ll join Colorado Trail legend David Fanning at Old Firehouse Books (Fort Collins) for conversation on May 14. Find more upcoming author events at her website. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Steam powers much of the modern world. It drove the Industrial Revolution, and is still widely used to generate electricity, to sterilize equipment used in food production and medicine, and to heat and cool large buildings. However, the traditional method of making steam hasn’t changed in more than 150 years. It involves burning fossil fuels like coal or natural gas to heat water in a boiler – a process which creates harmful emissions. Which is why Todd Bandhauer felt that the old way was long overdue for an upgrade. He's a professor of mechanical engineering at Colorado State University, and co-founder and chief technical officer of a CSU spinoff company called AtmosZero. He recently helped develop a method that uses heat from the air, rather than from burning gas or fossil fuels, to make steam generation cleaner. And Bandhauer thinks it could be transformative for manufacturing cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, heating college campuses, and brewing beer. Bandhauer was recently named to the Time 100 Climate list, which recognizes innovations in clean energy. He joined Erin O’Toole last November to talk about why making cleaner steam could be transformative for manufacturing around the world – and how it’s already being used at New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins. We’re listening back to that conversation today. * * * * *Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected] Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks! Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole Executive Producer: Brad Turner Theme music by Robbie Reverb Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.