In The NOCO

Trails on several of Colorado’s fourteeners are getting a facelift this summer.   Mount Democrat [https://www.14ers.org/peaks/mosquito-range/mount-democrat/], Mount Bierstadt [https://www.14ers.org/peaks/front-range/mount-bierstadt/], Mount Blue Sky [https://www.colorado.com/byways/mount-blue-sky], and Mount Shavano [https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/recreation] are some of Colorado’s most popular mountains for hikers, but some of the trails on them are in rough shape.   A nonprofit called the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative [https://www.14ers.org/] (CFI) is working this summer to update trail routes on those and other mountains to eliminate erosion and generally protect the surrounding tundra. Crews move boulders, install steps, and even restore plant life. Workers grapple with smashed fingers, dehydration, and altitude sickness.   Tom Cronin [https://www.14ers.org/who-we-are/our-team/staff/] is the Field Programs Manager for CFI and he has lots of experience managing these trail projects. He joined Erin O’Toole to talk about what the work is like and how these eroding trails fell into disrepair in the first place. KUNC is holding its first-ever emergency fundraiser because Congress recently clawed back public broadcasting funds. That’s funding we rely on to cover local news, report on critical issues, and bring you conversations with Coloradans on In The NoCo. You value this journalism. You know it matters. Help keep it strong. Go to KUNC.org/donate [http://kunc.org/donate] and make a gift today. And thank you. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org [http://kunc.org/] Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org [NOCO@KUNC.org] 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 Producer: Ariel Lavery 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.

If you decided to plant a vegetable garden earlier this spring, you’re probably already enjoying some of those home-grown tomatoes, zucchini, or peppers.    On the other hand, you may have decided that the potential benefits of growing your own food just aren’t worth the effort.  Colorado’s intense climate, elevation and scarce rainfall make vegetable gardening a challenge. But there’s hope.  Cassey Anderson [https://adams.extension.colostate.edu/horticulture/] is a horticulture specialist with Colorado State University Extension whose mission is to help new gardeners succeed. She joined Erin O’Toole to discuss how to help vegetables thrive.   CSU Extension has a number of helpful resources for gardeners [https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/vegetables/], including a seasonal planting tip sheet [https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/720.pdf] and this vegetable garden guide [https://growgive.extension.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/63/2021/01/Colorado-Vegetable-Guide-2.1.pdf].  You can also find tips on how to deal with plant diseases and insects [https://growgive.extension.colostate.edu/grow/pests-and-diseases-ipm/].  * * * * * KUNC is holding its first-ever emergency fundraiser because Congress recently clawed back public broadcasting funds. That’s funding we rely on to cover local news, report on critical issues, and bring you conversations with Coloradans on In The NoCo. You value this journalism. You know it matters. Help keep it strong. Go to KUNC.org/donate [http://kunc.org/donate] and make a gift today. And thank you. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org [http://kunc.org/] Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org [NOCO@KUNC.org] 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 Producer: Ariel Lavery 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.

Dozens of aspiring educators in Colorado are taking an unusual path to earn their teacher certificates.   They’re doing apprenticeships in public schools as part of a state program [https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb23-087] that offers an alternative path to gaining a teacher’s license and bachelor’s degree. Proponents see the program as a partial solution to Colorado’s teacher shortage, which resulted in thousands of unfilled classroom positions last school year.  Teachers’ apprentices spend about four years getting experience in the classroom while taking courses on the side through Colorado Mountain College [https://coloradomtn.edu/]. It’s a different model from more traditional bachelor’s degrees that require years of coursework before setting foot in the classroom.     Advocates say it opens doors for those who find the traditional college route to becoming a teacher prohibitive due to lack of time and money.   Erica Breunlin [https://coloradosun.com/author/erica-breunlin/] is a reporter with the Colorado Sun. She spoke with Erin O’Toole about how the program works and what it promises for teachers and students in Colorado. Read Erica’s recent story [https://coloradosun.com/2025/07/10/colorado-schools-paraprofessionals-teacher-apprenticeships-shortages/] on the program. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org [http://kunc.org/] Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org [NOCO@KUNC.org] 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 Producer: Ariel Lavery 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.

When we shop for food, the labels on our groceries give us guideposts, such as how much fiber, protein or fat is in that loaf of bread or jar of peanut butter.    But more than a decade after Colorado legalized recreational cannabis, the potency labeling on products at your local marijuana dispensary may be far less helpful – and less reliable.  A new study from the University of Colorado Boulder [https://www.colorado.edu/today/2025/07/03/can-weed-labels-be-trusted-study-shows-it-depends-what-youre-buying] found that almost half of cannabis flower products sold at dispensaries across the state are inaccurately labeled. Researchers found that flower products often contain less – or more – of compounds like THC and CBD than indicated on the label.   The findings raise questions about quality control within cannabis companies, as well as how much consumers should trust these labels, especially when they buy higher-potency marijuana. The results of the study were published earlier this month in the journal Scientific Reports [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-03854-3].  Erin O’Toole spoke with one of the CU researchers, Jonny Lisano [https://www.colorado.edu/ics/jonny-lisano], to learn more about the study and what it means for consumer trust.  For more cannabis coverage, check out In The NoCo’s recent conversations that explored how long-term marijuana use might impact memory [https://www.kunc.org/podcast/inthenoco/2025-02-11/how-long-term-marijuana-use-could-cause-a-reduction-in-memory-according-to-a-cu-anschutz-researcher] and a study of cannabis’ potential as a treatment [https://www.kunc.org/podcast/inthenoco/2025-05-07/why-cannabis-holds-real-promise-as-a-treatment-for-cancer-according-to-a-sweeping-new-study] for cancer and its symptoms. * * * * * Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org [http://kunc.org/] Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org [NOCO@KUNC.org] 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 Producer: Ariel Lavery 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.

The red admiral. The black swallowtail. And the beautiful, bright orange monarch.   Each year a network of volunteers fans out across Colorado to see how many of these, and other butterfly species, they can find. Those observations help scientists understand the health of the state’s butterfly population.   Our guest today says that work is vital because butterflies are sensitive to changes in climate and habitat. And butterflies across the U.S. appear to be declining [https://phys.org/news/2025-06-butterflies-colorado-community-scientists.html]. That’s according to a recent study [https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp4671] in the journal Science that incorporated some alarming data from the Colorado volunteers.  Shiran Hershcovich [https://butterflies.org/shiran-hershcovich/] oversees the network of butterfly observers. It’s part of her job managing conservation projects for the Butterfly Pavilion [https://butterflies.org/] in Westminster. The program has trained more than 300 citizen butterfly observers since its launch in 2013.  Shiran joined Erin O’Toole to talk about the network, and what its findings can tell us.  Learn more about the butterfly monitoring network and its trainings [https://butterflies.org/science-and-conservation/butterfly-monitoring/] for people interested in becoming volunteer butterfly observers. Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org [http://kunc.org/] Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org [NOCO@KUNC.org] 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 Producer: Ariel Lavery 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.