In The NOCO

Colorado has been impacted severely by wildfires in recent years. And, as climate change continues to intensify, the threat  is growing.  Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper [https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/], a Democrat, recently co-sponsored [https://www.denverpost.com/2025/05/19/wildfire-prevention-bill-congress-fix-forests-john-hickenlooper-colorado/] a sweeping new bill to expand, and speed up, wildfire prevention efforts across the country. It’s called the Fix Our Forests Act [https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1462/text].   It calls for more funding for research to prevent wildfires, the creation of a central wildfire response center for the whole country, and the removal of more dead and diseased trees on federal land.   It also calls for the time allowed to review or push back on these forest management projects to be much shorter. “The difference is it won't take five years or eight years... People will be able to do it fast enough so that they can really respond to this tinderbox situation we find ourselves in, in of the American West,” Hickenlooper said.   Some critics have taken issue with the bill. They say it would undermine environmental protections and could lead to more logging.   Host Erin O’Toole asked Hickenlooper to talk about the bill, address some of that criticism, and talk about why this proposal makes sense now. 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.

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 [https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/bison.htm]. Second, while most bison today carry some cattle DNA, this herd has nearly pure bison genes. That has spiritual significance for many Indigenous tribes.   The breeding project [https://cvmbs.source.colostate.edu/csu-partners-provide-39-laramie-foothills-bison-to-3-native-nations/] is based at Colorado State University. It's raised hundreds of bison over the last decade and transferred them to tribes and wildlife organizations.   Host Erin O’Toole spoke with Jennifer Barfield, a professor and reproductive physiologist at CSU who has been leading the project for the past 10 years.  * * * * *   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.

A unique legal argument [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25950709-20250519-camping-ban-appeal-opening-brief/] caught our attention recently here at In The NoCo [https://www.kunc.org/podcast/inthenoco]. It’s about rules banning people experiencing homelessness from sleeping in public places in Boulder.    The recent court filing by the ACLU of Colorado argues that camping is so fundamental to the culture and history of Colorado that cities should not be allowed to punish people who camp in public.    The ACLU of Colorado [https://www.aclu-co.org/] filed that brief to fight a recent ruling that said the city of Boulder can ticket or arrest people for sleeping outdoors. So-called “camping bans” like the one in Boulder are used by cities across the country. And they’ve been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.  So how did the ACLU of Colorado decide to build an argument around the state’s camping culture, and how likely is it to win?  Host Erin O’Toole spoke with  Tim Macdonald [https://www.aclu-co.org/en/biographies/tim-macdonald-legal-director-hehim], legal director of the ACLU of Colorado, to talk about why the group wants to end camping bans.  For more coverage on the recent filing read the Boulder Reporting Lab’s coverage [https://boulderreportinglab.org/2025/05/22/aclu-files-opening-brief-in-boulder-camping-ban-appeal-arguing-it-violates-colorado-constitution/]. 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.

Commercial airline travel is one of the safest ways to get around.  In 2024, around five billion passengers worldwide flew on 40 million flights, according to the International Air Transport Association [https://www.iata.org/]. In that year there was less than one aircraft-related accident for every million flights in the air.  In other words, the odds are in your favor when you buy a plane ticket.  And yet, fear of flying is one of the most common phobias people struggle with. Researchers estimate about 25 million adults [https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22431-aerophobia-fear-of-flying] in the U.S. suffer from aerophobia, or fear of flying.   Randi Smith is a professor of psychology at Metropolitan State University of Denver [https://www.msudenver.edu/psychological-sciences/]. She studies why air travel provokes such an intense reaction in so many people.   With the summer travel season about to get underway, she joined Erin O’Toole to share some science-backed strategies [https://red.msudenver.edu/2025/fear-is-flying-high/] to help you, or a loved one, overcome a fear of flying.    * * * * * 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.

Picture this: It’s a warm summer evening. You’ve got burgers and sweet corn roasting on the grill. And for dessert, homemade cobbler with fresh peaches – picked right off your very own peach tree.   If you live along the Front Range, you might think the only place you can get sweet, juicy Palisade peaches is at your local farmer's market. But it is possible to grow a peach tree outside of western Colorado, although it’s a bit more challenging than you might expect.  Jeff Pieper [https://tra.extension.colostate.edu/gardening-hort/about-gardening/] is a horticulture specialist with Colorado State University Extension in Mesa County, on the Western Slope. He’s been on the show before, to discuss the science behind why Palisade peaches taste [https://www.kunc.org/news/2024-09-06/what-makes-western-colorados-peaches-so-good] so incredible.   He joined Erin O’Toole to walk through some of the pros – and pitfalls – of growing your own peach tree.   Jeff mentioned lots of other fruit options that are more suited for the Front Range, including apple trees [https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/gardening-resources/online-garden-publications/tree-fruits/] as well as small fruits like strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries and currants [https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/currants-gooseberries-and-jostaberries-7-005/?_gl=1*6ioqr1*_gcl_au*Nzc5NjY2NjkyLjE3NDY4MjkxMDQ.*_ga*ODg0ODk3MzI4LjE3Mzc1NjU5NzA.*_ga_ZZ27K7HW51*czE3NDg0NDM5MTgkbzkkZzEkdDE3NDg0NDQ1MjckajQ2JGwwJGgw*_ga_2HV0QS6SKP*czE3NDg0NDM5MTgkbzkkZzEkdDE3NDg0NDQ1MjckajQ2JGwwJGgw].    Find more info and advice from CSU Extension on growing fruit trees [https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/backyard-orchard-stone-fruits-2-804/] and berries [https://growgive.extension.colostate.edu/grow/fruit-crops/].     * * * * *   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.