Indy - July 19, 2023 Vol 31. No. 28

Gray wolf reintroduction mixes wild predators with the human kind, bringing challenges for all involved

THE SMELL TEST

Seven Falls wants to transport wastewater via trucks. Some residents say the plan stinks

Our mission is to deliver the truth, build community and engage citizens.

PUBLISHER

Fran Zankowski

EDITORIAL

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Bryan Grossman

MANAGING EDITOR Helen Lewis

COPY EDITOR Mary Jo Meade

SENIOR REPORTER Pam Zubeck

CULTURE REPORTER Nick Raven

INTERN Marynn Krull

CONTRIBUTORS

Rob Brezsny, Jim Hightower, Clay Jones, Mike Littwin, Matthew Schniper, Tom Tomorrow, Andrew “Shaggy” Warren

ONLINE CONTRIBUTOR “Hiking Bob” Falcone SALES

AD DIRECTOR Teri Homick

Felicia Anzaldúa, Viktoria Costantino, Monty Hatch

EDITORIAL ART DIRECTOR Dustin Glatz

Zk Bradley, Rowdy Tompkins OPERATIONS

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COVER DESIGN BY Zk Bradley

JW Roth was at the end of the rainbow at the July 12 groundbreaking for The Sunset, but the Notes Live CEO hopes the $55 million, 8,000-person venue will be the real pot of gold. Roth plans to host huge touring acts at “the most luxurious amphitheater in history.” The project, near North Gate Bou levard and I-25, is expected to open next summer and AEG is under contract to book acts. — HL

FIREFIGHTING STRIKE TEAM FORMS

Pikes Peak Fire Chief’s Council has agreed to form the Pikes Peak Mutual Aid Type 6 Strike Team, available for immediate response anywhere in El Paso County.

The team consists of five Type VI fire engines — commonly called brush trucks — from several fire agencies, and staff for those trucks, along with a strike team leader who will be a battalion chief.

“Without this collaboration, mutual aid responses to fires could take longer to dispatch, which would cost precious time,” the Council said in a release. “This new system will improve efficiency and increase safety for both firefighters and communities throughout El Paso County.”

The county has seen devastating wildland fires, notably the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012 that destroyed 347 homes, and the Black Forest Fire in 2013 that wiped out more than 500 homes.

“Time is of the essence in wind-driven wildfires in the wildland-urban interface,” the release said. “The Pikes Peak Fire Chief’s Council has diligently worked together to refine the process for a faster response to incidents no matter the location in the county.”

Agencies involved are Black Forest Fire Rescue, Cimarron Hills Fire Department, City of Fountain Fire Department, Colorado Springs Fire Department, Falcon Fire Protection District, Monument Fire District and Security Fire Department. Other partners are Colorado Springs Utilities — which has its own wildland fire team — El Paso County Wild Fire Management, Southern Colorado Wildland Crew and the Air Force Academy Fire Department.

Other firefighting agencies in the county either already formed a similar team or lack staffing to participate.

“Other agencies in the county rely on some level of volunteerism which means their staffing may not be as consistent,” CSFD Public Information Officer Ashley Franco says in an email.

The South Group has a similar team comprised of resources from SW Highway 115 department, Stratmoor Hills, Fountain, Fort Carson, Hanover and Security. — PZ

HOMELESS DEATHS RISE

Sudden, unexpected and injurious homeless deaths skyrocketed last year from 78 in 2021 to 121 in 2022, according to data compiled by El Paso County Coroner Dr. Leon Kelly in his annual report.

“When you break out the causes it becomes immediately clear why, fentanyl deaths went from 7 to 35 in just this population,” Kelly says via email. “Our homicides went from 4 to 11 in that same span. There was also a 6 percent increase in the deaths that were female homeless which is a shift.”

Kelly couldn’t explain the increase, especially in light of the most recent homeless census that showed the homeless population has declined. The annual report also showed suicides increased in 2022 to 194, compared to 176 the prior year, and homicides climbed from 61 to 78.

Other findings:

• 360 people died from natural diseases, compared to 398 in 2021. It’s worth noting that chronic alcohol use was blamed in 71 deaths, 11 percent more than the 64 in 2021. In 2022, 20 people died of COVID, compared to 54 in 2021.

• Deaths due to accidents went up to 395 last year from 385 in 2021. Traffic crashes killed 77 people (or 19 percent of the death-by-accident total) compared to 58 in 2021 (or 15 percent of the total). Also of note, last year 28 of the traffic fatalities involved motorcycles, compared to 19 in 2021.

• Drug-related accidental deaths declined from 227 in 2021 to 216 last year. Fentanyl deaths dropped from 45 to 36. Methamphetamine still led the way on the number who died from drugs accidentally, with 48 in 2022, compared to 56 in 2021.

• Firearms remain the top method of committing homicides, with 54 of the 78 homicides being carried out with a gun, or 69 percent. In 2021, 52 of 61 killings were done with guns, or 85 percent. Guns also were the most frequently used method of suicide, with 119 of the 194 suicides in 2022 involving guns, or 61 percent. In 2021, 114 of 176 suicides were completed with guns, or 65 percent.

Kelly has been issuing annual reports for several years to give a sense of how people are dying and in what numbers, which can lead the community to seek solutions. — PZ

Matter of Record

The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled on July 13 that City Council was within its authority to deny rezoning of 125 acres at 2424 Garden of the Gods Road based on public safety. The ruling upheld a District Court decision and essentially sanctioned the argument that emergency evacuation concerns raised by citizens is a legitimate reason to deny rezoning.

The city announced that work will begin July 21 on the 1.2-mile stretch of Marksheffel Road between North Carefree Circle and Tamlin Road. It will be two lanes in each direction when completed.

Mayor Yemi Mobolade asked City Council on July 10 to reserve a spot on the Nov. 7 ballot for a measure seeking to retain $5 million collected in excess of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights cap. The money would partially fund either a remodeled police academy or a new building. Council will vote this month.

Among recipients of $48 million in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act for affordable housing is Catholic Charities of Central Colorado in Colorado Springs, which was given $4.4 million for its Helen Hunt Campus project. The goal is to convert the former school into 24 family apartments of various sizes.

WIRE Compiled by Helen Lewis and Pam Zubeck

Helen Lewis

RAISING A STINK

Seven Falls sewage proposal gets second review after neighbors object to wastewater disposal plan

APLAN BY THE BROADMOOR RESORT

to truck sewage away from its Seven Falls attraction in Cheyenne Cañon will undergo another analysis after neighbors complained they didn’t get a chance to comment on the proposal.

The resort plans to replace Seven Falls’ existing wastewater disposal system with six 2,500-gallon tanks for its Restaurant 1858 and two 2,500-gallon tanks to service the waterfall tourism venue’s restrooms.

The Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments board decided July 12 to postpone consideration of the proposal after the Community Advisory Committee voted June 28 not to recommend approval of the plan, which was reported by the Indy on July 7.

Colorado Springs City Councilor Dave Donelson, a PPACG board member, called for delaying the matter until the Aug. 9 PPACG meeting, agreeing with PPACG Executive Director Andrew Gunning, who suggested the agency’s Water Quality Management Committee and Community Advisory Committee conduct a second review of the proposal.

“We’ve had a lot of concern from neighborhood residents and others about this, and I think it would be wise

WHEN

for us to give it one more month,” Donelson said, stressing that citizens be given more opportunity to weigh in.

Among those who sought greater citizen input was former El Paso County Commissioner Jim Bensberg, who lives in the canyon and founded Cheyenne Cañon Conservationists in 2009.

“I was caught flat-footed when I became aware this was on your plate,” Bensberg told the board. “I think it’s appropriate for this issue to be fully vetted and neighbors to be fully informed.”

AT

ISSUE IS THE BROADMOOR’S PLAN TO

cart wastewater loaded into tanker trucks from Seven Falls to Colorado Springs Utilities’ Las Vegas Street treatment plant.

The existing sewage system lacks capacity for the wastewater produced by the attraction, which relies in part on portable toilets and a septic-type system.

The Broadmoor’s outline of the project in a filing with PPACG noted that Seven Falls is bounded by undeveloped mountainous land on all sides of its 125 acres and is not served by any wastewater district.

“The existing reception/retail buildings and res -

BY PAM ZUBECK | zubeck@csindy.com

taurants are currently connected to an existing OWTS [on-site wastewater treatment system] which is being pumped,” the outline said. “The existing restroom facilities are closed to limit flows. Restroom facilities are temporarily provided by mobile portable toilets. The existing Soil Treatment Area utilizing a pre-treatment tank, pump tank and pressurized lateral piping are no longer suitable for the restaurant and restroom facilities. The STA [soil treatment area] will remain in place and offline. The pre-treatment tank, pump tank and associated piping are to be removed and disposed of properly according to EPA and CDPHE [Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment] regulations.”

The explanation also says the closest central wastewater treatment facility is on Las Vegas Street, about five miles away.

Springs Utilities spokesperson Jennifer Jordan tells the Indy via email that Utilities provides service to those who deliver waste from outside the city limits to the plant.

“Under our liquid waste hauler program, we currently have about 35 permitted liquid waste haulers that can discharge to our Las Vegas Water Resource Recovery Facility,” she says. “We charge a flat fee for discharging

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under this permit of $0.0725245/gallon, or $72.5245 per 1,000 gallons.

“The Broadmoor (inclusive of 7 Falls) would not be specifically permitted to haul their waste to our facility, but may be using a permitted hauler,” Jordan says. “I am making an assumption they don’t operate their own licensed liquid waste disposal trucks, which would be a requirement of getting a permit from us.”

In a June 30 letter to PPACG, Entech Engineering Inc. — which developed the site application report — wrote that its client, Seven Falls, plans to load one 4,000-gallon truck per day with sewage to be hauled to the wastewater treatment plant. It would run at 6 a.m. each day. Route information was not provided.

Welling Clark, a member of the Community Advisory Committee, tells the Indy by phone that he was in the majority on a 7-6 vote against recommending approval on June 28.

“I was concerned half the blocks on the application form weren’t filled out,” Clark says. “I didn’t see how they were going to truck it out.”

His chief question focused on his desire for The Broadmoor to guarantee that the tanks will never overflow into the creek running through Cheyenne Cañon — which lies downstream from Seven Falls — and that the resort provide more information on the planned routes through largely residential neighborhoods.

“When you start shipping waste through neighborhoods, as a citizen, I do have a concern,” Clark, who represents El Paso County on the committee, says. “I don’t want sewage spilled in the creek. How many trucks will there be and where are they going?”

ANOTHER CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE member, Judith Rice-Jones, tells the Indy she voted against recommending approval because, “The idea of additional trucks would be of concern to the neighborhood.”

She also was disappointed that many neighbors in that area were not notified of the proposal before the Community Advisory Committee meeting. “I believe in neighborhood notification and neighborhood involvement, and apparently that wasn’t done,” she said.

Moreover, Rice-Jones had hoped someone with Colorado Springs Utilities would have been on hand to explain the longer-range plan to connect Seven Falls with a city sewer line. “So there’s no end date to the trucking in and out,” she says.

More questions revolve around potential damage to neighborhood streets due to the trucks’ weight, she says.

Four thousand gallons of sewage weighs roughly 33,200 pounds, according to online sources, and the truck itself can weigh from 17,000 to 21,000 pounds.

The city imposes weight limits on its streets as follows: Maximum (with load) for one-axle vehicles, 20,000 pounds; twoaxle vehicles, 36,000 pounds; three or more axles, 54,000 pounds; and no vehicle can weigh more than 85,000 pounds.

Entech Engineering noted it hopes to get started on the $250,000 project later this summer or fall, with a March 2024 completion date.

DONNA STROM, WHO’S LIVED IN CHEYENNE Cañon more than 50 years, wrote in an email to the PPACG board on July 11, “I believe it is safe to say that the Broadmoor would vigorously oppose those trucks routinely passing on Lake Circle and past the main entrance of the Broadmoor. And yet they are more than willing to ask that they be routed through the Cheyenne Canyon neighborhood.”

Google Maps shows two possible routes between Seven Falls and the sewage plant.

One covers 5.3 miles and takes 17 minutes. It follows South Cheyenne Cañon Road to Cheyenne Boulevard to Nevada Avenue and then to the plant on Las Vegas.

The other would traverse South Cheyenne Cañon Road to Mesa Avenue, then travel through the traffic circle to the front of The Broadmoor and onto Lake Avenue to Nevada. This route is 6 miles and takes 18 minutes.

Seven Falls lies outside Colorado Springs city limits and apparently isn’t included in any sanitation district. (Nor does it lie within any fire protection district, according to district maps available online, though Springs firefighters have responded to fires at Seven Falls.)

While the PPACG board postponed action July 12 on the sewage plan, no mention was made of exploring a longer- range solution, such as tying in to an existing wastewater line through annexation.

Now, the disposal plan will be reheard by the water quality committee, which already recommended approval, and the CAC, which didn’t. Both panels meet July 26 at 15 S. Seventh St. — at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

The PPACG board didn’t discuss what, if any, additional resident notifications would be sent to neighbors and those living on the potential routes.

Ed Dills, who chairs the CAC, told the PPACG board on July 12 that the committee’s chief sticking point was “the safety and concerns for citizens that live in the area,” but that The Broadmoor has since filled in blanks on its initial application that the CAC asked

When you start shipping waste through neighborhoods, as a citizen, I do have a concern.

— Welling Clark

Some residents say Seven Falls’ plan to ship wastewater through the Cheyenne Cañon neighborhood doesn’t pass the smell test.

Gray wolf reintroduction mixes wild predators with the human kind, bringing challenges for all involved

IN 2020, COLORADO VOTERS NARROWLY APPROVED PROPOSITION

114, which directed the Parks and Wildlife Commission to build a plan to reintroduce gray wolves on the Western Slope by the end of 2023.

Before white settlement, these apex predators ranged throughout what is now Colo rado. But after bison, elk and deer populations were reduced by market hunters in the 1800s, wolves switched from tracking wild prey to newly arrived livestock. So when wolf-scalp bounties offered in Colorado Territory — 50 cents in 1869 and increasing over time — failed to make sufficient progress toward eradication, federal funds were allocated beginning in 1915 to rid the West of wolves. The money went to trapping and poisoning, and finding wolf dens to kill the pups.

By the mid-1920s, wolves were very rare in Colorado, and the last one was killed in 1945. Prop 114 — which found most of its support in urban and suburban areas, not the rural counties where gray wolves will be reintroduced — resulted in a final reintroduction plan, released on May 3. Not sur prisingly, both sides have found fault with it — ranchers with livestock to protect and wildlife ecologists wanting greater protections for the wolves.

The stories on these pages tease out the edges of the issues and offer ways you can contribute to the plan’s success by supporting projects that make it easier for wolves and humans to coexist peaceably.

A BETTER WAY?

Colorado’s plan shows how humans are rethinking their relationships with wild animals

FROM SPORTS TO POP CULTURE, THERE are few themes more appealing than a good comeback. They happen in nature, too. Even with the Earth losing species at a historic rate, some animals have defied the trend toward extinction and started refilling their old ecological niches.

I’m a philosopher based in Montana and specialize in environmental ethics. For my book, Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think About Animals, I spent three years looking at wildlife comebacks across North America and Europe and considering the lessons they offer. In every case, whether the returnee is a bison, humpback whale, beaver, salmon, sea otter or wolf, the recovery has created an opportunity for humans to profoundly rethink how we live with these animals.

One place to see the rethink in action is Colorado, where voters approved a ballot measure in 2020 mandating the reintroduction of gray wolves west of the

BY CHRISTOPHER J. PRESTON | The Conversation

Continental Divide. Colorado’s Parks and Wildlife released its final plan on May 3 [tinyurl.com/graywolfco], which calls for moving 30 to 50 gray wolves from other Rocky Mountain states into northwest Colorado over five years, starting in 2023.

Aldo Leopold, the famed conservationist and professor of game management at the University of Wisconsin, believed that moral beliefs evolve over time to become more inclusive of the natural world. And what’s happening in Colorado suggests Leopold was right. Human attitudes toward wolves have clearly evolved since the mid-1940s, when bounties, mass poisoning and trapping eradicated wolves from the state.

Recovering animals encounter a world that is markedly different from the one in which they declined, especially in terms of how people think about wildlife. Here are several reasons I see why societal attitudes toward wolves have changed.

KEYSTONE SPECIES

The idea that certain influential species, which ecologists call keystone species, can significantly alter the ecosystems around them first appeared in scientific literature in 1974. Bison, sea otters, beavers, elephants and wolves all exert this power. One way in which wolves wield influence is by preying on coyotes, which produces ripple effects across the system. Fewer coyotes means more rodents, which in turn means better hunting success for birds of prey.

Wolves also cause nervous behaviors among their prey. Some scientists believe that newly returned predators create a “landscape of fear” among prey species — a term that isn’t positive or negative, just descriptive. This idea has shifted thinking about predators. For example, elk avoid some areas when wolves are around, resulting in ecological changes that cascade down from the top. Vegetation can recover, which in turn may benefit other species.

PACK DYNAMICS

Animal behavioral science research has provided pointers for better wolf management. Studies show that wolf packs are less likely to prey on livestock if their social structure remains intact. This means that ranchers and wildlife managers should take care not to remove the pack’s breeding pair when problems occur. Doing so can fragment the pack and send dispersing wolves into new territories.

Wildlife agencies also have access to years of data from close observation of wolf behavior in places like Yellowstone National Park, where wolves were reintroduced starting in 1995. This research offers insights into the wolf’s intelligence and social complexity. All of this information helps to show how people can live successfully alongside them.

ECONOMIC VALUE

Research has also demonstrated that wolves provide economic benefits to states and communities. Wisconsin researchers discovered that changes in deer behavior due to the presence of wolves have saved millions of dollars in avoided deer collisions with cars. These savings far exceed what it costs the state to manage wolves.

Wolf recovery has been shown to be a net economic benefit in areas of the U.S. West where they have returned. The dollars they attract from wolf-watchers, photographers and foreign visitors have provided a valuable new income stream in many communities.

Predators do kill livestock, but improved tracking has helped to put these losses in perspective. Montana Board of Livestock numbers show that wolves, grizzly bears and mountain lions caused the loss of 131 cattle and 137 sheep in the state in 2022. This is

from a total of 2,200,000 cattle and 190,000 sheep. Of the 131 cattle, 36 were confirmed to be taken by wolves — 0.0016 percent of the statewide herd.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, dogs, foxes and coyotes in Montana all killed more sheep and lambs than wolves did in 2020. Even eagles were three times more deadly to sheep and lambs than wolves were.

Actual costs to ranchers are certainly higher than these numbers suggest. The presence of wolves causes livestock to lose weight because the animals feed more nervously when wolves are around. Ranchers also lose sleep as they worry about wolves attacking their livestock and guard dogs. And clearly, low statewide kills are small comfort to a rancher who loses a dozen or more animals in one year. Margins are always tight in the livestock business.

What’s more, predators’ economic impacts don’t end with ranching. In Colorado, for example, elk numbers are likely to decline after wolves are reintroduced. This may affect state wildlife agency budgets that rely on license fees from elk hunters. It may also affect hunting outfitters’ incomes.

In my view, voters who supported bringing wolves back to Colorado should remain deeply aware of the full distribution of costs and support proactive compensation schemes for losses. They should be mindful that support for wolf reintroduction varies drastically between urban and rural communities and should insist that effective mechanisms are in place ahead of time to ensure fair sharing of the economic burdens that wolves generate.

A NEW ETHICAL PLAYING FIELD

Despite these complexities, the idea of the “big bad wolf” clearly no longer dominates Americans’ thinking. And the wolf is not alone. Social acceptance of many other wildlife species is also increasing. For example, a 2023 study found that between 80 and 90 percent of Montanans believed grizzly bears — which are recovering and expanding their presence there — have a right to exist.

Aldo Leopold famously claimed to have experienced an epiphany when he shot a wolf in New Mexico in the 1920s and saw “a fierce green fire” dying in her eyes. In reality, his attitude took several more decades to change. Humans may have an ingrained evolutionary disposition to fear carnivorous predators like wolves, but the change ended up being real for Leopold, and it lasted.

Leopold, who died in 1948, did not live to see many wildlife species recover, but I believe he would have regarded what’s happening now as an opportunity for Americans’ moral growth. Because Leopold knew that ethics, like animals, are always evolving.

Writing for The Conversation (theconversation. com): Christopher J. Preston is a professor of philosophy at the University of Montana.

BORN TO BE WILD

Gov. Jared Polis signed HB23-1265 in May to create a specialty wolf license plate that will be available in 2024 for most noncommercial vehicles. “The ‘Born to Be Wild’ license plate will move hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to Colorado Parks and Wildlife to fund nonlethal conflict reduction programs and tools,” says Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, which sponsored the license project. Cost? Two $25 non-wolf-related one-time fees and a $50 annual fee that will provide ongoing conflict-reduction funding. See wolfplate.org for more info.

GREEN FIRE

“We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes — something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of trigger itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters’ paradise. But af ter seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view.” — Aldo Leopold, from A Sand County Almanac, 1949

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Keeping reintroduced wolves away from human activities is a challenge inherent in the reintroduction project (see “A flawed plan,” p. 8). Conflict-reduction strategies include using randomized strobe lights and noise makers to keep wolves away from livestock, fencing, fladry (rope with flags or strips of fabric suspended from it), guard dogs, range riders, and certain livestock management practices. You can donate to the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center’s Colorado Wolf Co-Existence Fund (wolfeducation.org), which supports “nonlethal anti-predation measures to reduce conflicts between ranchers and wolves,” and Colorado State University’s Wolf Conflict Reduction Fund (tinyurl.com/ CSU-nonlethal) to “implement on-the-ground, nonlethal tools to assist livestock producers and local communities in regions with wolves.”

The idea of the “big bad wolf” clearly no longer dominates Americans’ thinking.

All of the wolves will be fitted with GPS tracking collars.

By Michael J. Robinson biologicaldiversity.org

A FLAWED PLAN

FOUR DECADES OF FEDERAL wolf trapping and poisoning on behalf of the livestock industry culminated in the 1945 killing of Colorado’s last original gray wolf in the San Juan Mountains.

With wolves gone, ancient connections between species unraveled. Sedentary elk gorged on streamside saplings that would have matured into trees, supported bird nests and provided building materials for beaver dams. Scavenging bears, eagles and wolverines no longer dined on wolf-kill leftovers.

Coloradans recognized this mistake. In 2020 voters approved Proposition 114 to make amends for the deeply misguided governmental campaign to drive a species extinct, and to undo its dismal legacy on the ground.

Proposition 114 acknowledges that “wolves were an essential part of the wild habitat of Colorado but were exterminated.” The law is explicitly intended to “help restore a critical balance in nature.”

Unfortunately, Colorado Parks and Wildlife plans to manage reintroduced wolves according to a politically derived predator-control model that calls for killing wolves that prey on livestock. This is exactly the wrong way to approach wolf reintroduction in the state.

The wolf population reintroduced to the northern Rocky Mountains has survived this style of management because wolves from Yellowstone National Park repopulate areas outside the park where others are killed. But there’s no place in Colorado as large as Yellowstone where wolves won’t encounter livestock.

THE MANAGEMENT PLAN

ignores peer-reviewed studies showing that killing wolves actually saves fewer livestock than does vigorous prevention. Even worse, the plan fails to require such prevention, which would address the root cause of conflict — the vulnerability of livestock. This vulnerability can be greatly reduced using nonlethal deterrence.

Colorado’s wolf management plan ignores modern science and requires nothing of livestock owners to further coexistence. In fact, it incentivizes ranchers to create conditions under which wolves will prey on cattle and sheep, and it recklessly allows killing livestockpreying wolves with no limits.

Killing wolves because they prey on livestock will curtail or even prevent ecosystem restoration. If too many wolves die — if their numbers are suppressed long-term in significant portions of the state — their wondrous ecological benefits die with them, just as they did generations ago.

Moreover, wolves are social, intelligent mammals who form deep bonds with their mates, pups, brothers, sisters and parents. Would our society be making a sufficient break with the cruel past if we resume the regular and routine killing of wolves, without requiring anything of ranchers to prevent such tragedies?

As soon as possible after reintroduction begins in December, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission should add two commonsense safeguards to the plan. First, require ranchers to remove the carcasses of livestock that die of nonwolf causes, before wolves scavenge on them and are brought close to vulnerable live domestic animals. That would prevent wolves from beginning to regard cattle and sheep as potential prey.

Second, prohibit killing wolves for preying on livestock on public lands. Our national forests and other shared landscapes should be safe havens for wolves to play out their beneficial interactions with other wild species.

With the chance to undo a historical injustice and create a more vibrant natural world for future generations, let’s not fumble trying to fix last century’s mistake by slaughtering wolves again.

Michael Robinson is a senior conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity and author of Predatory Bureaucracy: The Extermination of Wolves and the Transformation of the West (University Press of Colorado, 2005, tinyurl.com/MR-wolves).

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...Let’s not fumble trying to fix last century’s mistake by slaughtering wolves again.

WHEN WOLVES MOVE IN

Apex predators tend to push smaller carnivores closer to human development

BY CALUM CUNNINGHAM AND LAURA PRUGH | theconversation.com

landscapes wolves are now returning to are heavily modified by humans. This level of development raises the question: Do predators have the same influence on ecosystems where humans, rather than wolves, are the top dogs?

To answer this question, we used GPS collars to track the movements of 22 wolves, 60 cougars, 35 coyotes and 37 bobcats as they navigated the landscapes of northern Washington, comprising a patchwork of public forests and land used for agriculture, ranching, logging and residential development.

Using hundreds of thousands of GPS locations, we constructed statistical models to reveal how coyotes and bobcats navigated a landscape where humans, wolves and cougars all posed concurrent threats. The GPS collars also notified us when coyotes and bobcats died, allowing us to investigate what caused their deaths.

that smaller predators do indeed fear humans, so they likely still recognize that humans are dangerous. Instead, we think they might not correctly interpret the threats posed by modern humans.

Most bobcats and coyotes in our study were either shot or trapped. These technologies allow people to kill animals either when absent or from large distances, possibly making it difficult for animals to accurately gauge risk.

Additionally, lenient hunting regulations for these small predators puts them at high risk. Under a Washington hunting license, for example, coyotes and bobcats can be legally hunted and trapped without limits — all year for coyotes and six months for bobcats.

LARGE CARNIVORES LIKE wolves are returning to areas they used to occupy, leading scientists to wonder whether they may once again fulfill important ecological roles. But wolves’ return to the landscape can affect other nearby animals in complex ways.

Our research, published in the journal Science, shows that an increase in predators can lead smaller carnivores, like coyotes and bobcats, to seek refuge near people — but humans then kill them at even higher rates than large predators do.

We are wildlife ecologists who study how predators shape ecosystems. Along with colleagues from the Washington Predator Prey Project and the Spokane Tribe of Indians, we are seeking to understand how recoveries of wolves and other predators are altering ecosystems in Washington state.

Large carnivores play crucial roles in their ecosystems. As they prey on or push other animals to avoid the areas they frequently use, predators shape the way interconnected food webs work.

The iconic reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 had cascading effects down the food chain. The elk population shrank, and those that remained avoided areas with wolves, termed a “landscape of fear.”

These changes in elk abundance and behavior allowed aspen and willow trees to recover after decades of overconsumption by elk.

Wolves also kill smaller predators like coyotes, providing respite for the animals that coyotes eat. Research from Yellowstone suggests that landscapes with wolves may have more diverse vegetation and more small animals like songbirds than those without wolves.

But because humans are often intolerant of predators and kill them at high rates, large predators tend to avoid areas that are frequented by people. In national parks where humans rarely kill wildlife, some prey species use areas popular with people, such as hiking trails and campgrounds, as refuges from predators. This is known as the “human shield” effect.

THREE DECADES AFTER THE YELlowstone release, wolves have continued to recolonize vast areas of the American West. In 2008, after an 80-year absence, wolves — some of which descended from the original Yellowstone population — began to naturally recolonize Washington. These wolves moved in from neighboring populations in Idaho and British Columbia.

But unlike Yellowstone, many of the

We found that wolves and cougars avoided areas heavily influenced by humans, such as busy roads and residential areas. Coyotes strongly avoided wolves, which brought them closer to humans. In parts of the landscape with large predators around, both coyotes and bobcats moved to areas with approximately double the human influence, potentially using humans as shields.

When coyotes and bobcats sought refuge near people, they instead encountered a more lethal source of danger. We found that humans were the greatest cause of mortality, killing these smaller predators at more than three times the rate that large carnivores did.

Our findings fit with earlier research that characterizes humans as “super predators.” People use modern technologies such as firearms and steel traps to kill small predators at far higher rates than other predators kill small predators. Unlike other predators, humans often target animals in prime condition.

But if people are so dangerous, why would coyotes and bobcats seek refuge near them? Other research shows

WHILE OUR FINDINGS MAY AT first seem like bad news for conserving smaller predators, these results have important implications for maintaining balanced ecosystems, where no species is too abundant. Unbalanced ecosystems, like ones with too many small predators, can face devastating effects. In Australia, for example, overabundant cats and foxes have contributed to the extinctions of about 30 small mammal species.

Our results show that larger predators can constrain the behavior of smaller predators in human-dominated landscapes, which may help to prevent overabundance.

Rewilding ecosystems by using large predators to reestablish missing ecological processes may provide a way to maintain balanced ecosystems. As wolf populations continue to recover in large parts of the U.S. and Europe, our findings suggest that they are reestablishing important ecological processes by recreating these landscapes of fear that have long been missing.

Writing for The Conversation (theconversation.com): Calum Cunningham, postdoctoral researcher, University of Washington; and Laura Prugh, associate professor of quantitative wildlife sciences, University of Washington.

Do predators have the same influence on ecosystems where humans, rather than wolves, are the top dogs?

Courtesy Center for Biological Diversity

Appetizers

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AMERICAN

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THE WAREHOUSE 25 W. CIMARRON ST. | 719-475-8880 | THEWAREHOUSERESTAURANT.COM

Curbside pickup with call ahead ordering. Silver for Best Chef 2016. American Comfort Food with a Twist. Burgers, Salads, Bison, Elk, Quail. Awesome Craft Cocktails. Friendly Service. Just South of Downtown, Convenient Access, Free Parking. Happy Hour From 4 To 6 P.m. Daily. Dinner Tuesday - Saturday, 4 P.m. To 10 P.m.

FUJIYAMA

ASIAN

22 S. TEJON ST. | 719-630-1167

Beautiful, award-winning downtown restaurant with a full-service bar. Enjoy authentic sushi & creative rolls, teriyaki, tempura, udon & more! See our ad or call for great lunch, Happy Hour, & Ladies night specials! Fri. & Sat. 11am-2:30pm lunch & 5-10pm dinner. Sun. 5-9pm dinner.

SAIGON CAFÉ

20 E. COLORADO AVE. | 719-633-2888 | COLORADOSAIGONCAFE.COM

Open for Lunch and Dinner Mon-Sat. Welcome to the Saigon Café the award winning Vietnamese restaurant in Colorado Springs. Our cuisine is cooked with fresh vegetables, herbs and meats in authentic Vietnamese style. Try our renowned noodle bowl, a lunchtime favorite. M-Th 11AM–3PM; 4PM–8:30PM F-Sat 11AM–3PM; 4PM-9:30PM

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STORY BY MATTHEW SCHNIPER

MY NEIGHBOR FÉLIX COMING OVER

MY NEIGHBOR FÉLIX plans to open in early August (exact date TBD, follow their social media) at The Promenade Shops at Briargate (1645 Briargate Parkway, #203, myneighborfelix.com). It’s the fourth location for the brand, with the other three in LoHi Denver, Boulder and Centennial. Denver-based Lotus Concepts Management operates MNF; they’re the same parent company behind Viewhouse (7114 Campus Drive, Viewhouse.com).

I’ll be attending a pre-opening tasting at a VIP event on Aug. 2, so I plan to have more direct details for you after that. Meanwhile, here’s some tidbits from a press release:

• The Springs location is big, with 6,300 square feet that includes a 1,200-square-foot outdoor patio, complete with a fountain and requisite mountain views.

• “… offering cuisine inspired by all seven regions of Mexico… each of the seven regions hold distinctive characteristics.” (See the website for map and details.)

• My Neighbor Félix makes a sizable sustainability pledge, saying they source Colorado

Proud produce, organic Colorado pork (from Corner Post Meats) and chicken (from Red Bird Farms), and Coloradoraised, grass-fed beef (from “family-owned and -operated local companies like Frontière Natural Meats”).

• Look for happy hours and weekend brunch along with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes.

Courtesy My Neighbor Félix

Courtesy My Neighbor Félix

Crispy fish and fixings at My Neighbor Félix

ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE

DON’T LET THAT HEADLINE MISLEAD YOU: I’M SURE LEMON Lodge Ski Bar (lemonlodge.com) will perform just fine. It’s the new business taking over the former, longtime Josh & John’s space at 111 E. Pikes Peak Ave.

They held a media preview at a July 6 soft opening that I was unable to attend. (They fully opened on July 13.) But from their social media, I’ve gleaned that it’s home to the state’s sole “Olympic-caliber” ski and snowboard simulator. They say it’s fully interactive with a VR experience of international resorts.

That’s the main attraction, but there’s a full food and drink menu in a “rustic ski lodge setting.” Lemon Lodge Ski Bar’s hyping use of locally made Evergood Adventure Wines such as Skier Pee and Snow Bunny, which also feature prominently in cocktails. They offer a short all-day breakfast list plus mac and cheese bowls, melts, wraps, sandwiches and salads. That menu appears to be based on the limits of countertop cooking. Also look for desserts like a lemon bar (of course they had to!) and something unappetizingly called Brown Snow — actually Boylan Cane Soda with chocolate ice cream.

NARA RETURNS

NARA SUSHI & GRILL (3117 W. COLORADO AVE., FACEBOOK. com/NaraSushiAndGrill) reopened on June 29. That’s nearly two years after a fire at a neighboring business forced the restaurant to close. Periodic posts on their Facebook page throughout 2021 and 2022 indicated a number of hurdles faced, including roof repairs, structural concerns and equipment damage. Nara’s owners have said they’ll relaunch with a limited menu for the time being, with the full menu coming soon. They’ve asked for help in spreading the word that they’re finally open again.

Courtesy Lemon Lodge/Facebook

Filephoto

Slopes simulation at Lemon Lodge Ski Bar

Nara Sushi returns after a long hiatus.

BIRD DOG BBQ

BBQ

3 LOCATIONS + CATERING | BIRDDOGBBQ.COM

719-573-7671

Bird Dog now offers online ordering from the location of your choice! Order and pay online, then skip the line when you pick it up! Visit our website at www.BirdDogBBQ.com and click ORDER ONLINE to place your order. We also offer our award-winning catering services in individuallyboxed meals! Call 719-573-7671 for details.

CRAFT PUB

ODYSSEY GASTROPUB

311 N. TEJON ST. | 719-999-5127 | ODYSS EYGASTROPUB.COM

Voted Best New Restaurant 2015 by Indy readers. Specializing in an eclectic mix of craft food, craft beer, and craft cocktails. Odyssey Gastropub is a downtown gem with a warm, intimate atmosphere and awesome staff. Start your adventure with us! Mon.- Fri. 11am - 10pm, Sat. & Sun. 10am - 10pm

GERMAN

EDELWEISS RESTAURANT

34 E. RAMONA AVE. | (SOUTH NEVADA & TEJON) | 719-633-2220

For 50 Years Edelweiss has brought Bavaria to Colorado Springs. Using fresh ingredients, the menu invites you to visit Germany. Support local business! We’re open and doing drive-thru and takeout with a limited menu that can be found on our website! www. edelweissrest.com.

SOUTHWESTERN/MEXICAN

JOSÉ MULDOON’S

222 N. TEJON ST. | 719-636-2311 | 5710 S. CAREFREE CR @ POWERS | 719-574-5673

Since 1974. Features authentic Tex-Mex & Mexican fare in contemporary Sante Fe-styled establishment. Across from Acacia Park, and west of Powers & Carefree. Josemuldoons.com. Support local restaurants! We are open for delivery, carry out, and dine-in at both locations! Please check our Facebook page for hours daily, as they are subject to change.

STEAKHOUSE

THE FAMOUS 31 N. TEJON ST. | DOWNTOWN | 719-227-7333

Colorado Springs’ finest upscale steak house and lounge located in the center of downtown. Dine in an elegant and classic steak house environment. Award winning prime steaks, fresh seafood, premium wines, craft brews and piano bar provide a provocative mix of atmosphere and entertainment. Reservations suggested.

MACKENZIE’S CHOP HOUSE

128 S. TEJON ST. HISTORIC ALAMO BUILDING | DOWNTOWN | 719-635-3536

Offering half off all bottles of wine under $100! Voted Best Power Lunch, Steakhouse and Martini! Downtown’s choice for quality meats and mixed drinks. Mackenzieschophouse.com. Open Mon.-Fri. 11:30am-3pm for lunch, and 5pm- close every day for dinner!

➔ continued from p. 11

NEVER NOT A TIME FOR BURGERS

THE JULY SCHNIP’S PICK AT RANCH FOODS DIRECT (4635 TOWN Center Drive; 1228 E. Fillmore St., ranchfoodsdirect.com) is their 80/20 ground beef as well as a Callicrate ground beef with beef heart and liver incorporated into the grind. Gather Food Studio (2011 W. Colorado Ave., gatherfoodstudio.com) has created two awesome burger recipes — one for each product. Find those at sidedishschnip.substack.com/p/grill-season.

Transparency note: Ranch Foods Direct is both an advertiser in the Indy and a sponsor of Side Dish with Schniper; Gather Food Studio is one of Side Dish’s content partners. We are collaborating as like-minded parties who believe in and support sustainable and humane ranching practices as well as local food systems, growers and independent businesses.

Back to programming: We designed this month’s Schnip’s pick with Fourth of July grilling in mind. But as I say above, there’s never not a time for burgers. So file these recipes for anytime. There’s a fantastic onion marmalade that tops the Beast Mode Burger (the one with liver and heart incorporated), which can be used in many other ways, including with pastry-making. And the Next Level OCC Burger sees Canadian bacon and smoked cheddar among its fixings atop the Callicrate Beef.

THE REVIEWS YOU’VE BEEN MISSING

OVER THE LAST FEW months you’ve probably noticed the QR code at the end of this column and the footnote about “expanded food and drink news and reviews at sidedishschnip.substack.com.” I want to remind my longtime readers — who were used to seeing my restaurant reviews in the Indy for more than 15 years — that those reviews continue at Side Dish with Schniper. A couple of articles that both subscribers and casual readers can check out now are my write-ups on Grand View at Garden of the Gods Resort and Club (3320 Mesa Road, gardenofthegodsresort.com) and Bloom Ultra Lounge (114 N. Tejon St., #20, bloomultralounge.com).

Two things to know about each spot (excerpted from the write-ups):

• Grand View is 1) open to non-members of the club and 2) newly renovated and designed to gorgeous effect with a new executive chef, Keith Theodore, in place as well. (Wait, that was actually three teasers … oh well. You’re welcome.)

• Subterranean Bloom, located below Bell Brothers Brewing, 1) makes beautiful, colorful cocktails — you can see a video of them being made by scanning a QR code at the bar — and 2) leads with a floral decor and influence on those cocktails; start with The Bee Sting for a zingy, impressive sip.

Matthew Schniper is the former Food & Drink editor and critic at the Indy. You can find expanded food and drink news and reviews at sidedishschnip. substack.com.

Bloom Ultra Lounge’s Bee Sting cocktail

Keith Theodore

Matthew Schniper

Matthew Schniper

Your guide to events in the Pikes Peak region CALENDAR

ists featured in Contested Terrains acknowledge how human intervention has shaped landscapes across the Americas.” Through Dec. 20. Eiko Otake: I Invited Myself, vol. II: “Movement is fundamental to the artist Eiko Otake, who uses her body to explore themes of mortality, time, and place.” Through July 29. Museum free day, Friday, July 21.

Commonwheel Artists Co-op, 719-6851008, 102 Cañon Ave., Manitou Springs, commonwheel.com. Cheers! Drink Up! — clay drinking vessels in four categories: beer, coffee, tea and spirits. “More than 20 potters from all over the state of Colorado contributing to this celebration of the drinking vessel.” Through July.

Cottonwood Center for the Arts, 427 E. Colorado Ave., 719-520-1899, cottonwoodcenterforthearts.com. Forgive My Pop Heart, for it hides such vacuous sorrow, by poet and artist Jacqueline Viola Moulton. A solo “pop art show exploring that deep and still place underneath the shiny and palpable veneer of the exterior face that we present to the world.” Through July 29.

EL PASO COUNTY FAIR

The fair has extended hours for special features this year, including Cowtown USA, Butterfly Encounter and Animals That Built America. Don’t miss the Big Bubble Bonanza, the laser light show and the poultry agility competition. Through Saturday, July 22, at the fairgrounds in Calhan, 366 10th St. Check out the detailed schedule and prices at tinyurl.com/EPCO-23fair and see elpasocountyfair.com for tickets.

ART EVENTS

Skyway Artisan Market, presented by the 8th Street Artisans (an offshoot of Who Gives A Scrap), it’s “an eclectic group of artisans displaying, and in some cases, demonstrating how they create their wares,” including “artists working with paint, ceramics, mixed media, fashion, jewelry, and ‘groovy oddities.’” There also will be food trucks and music by acoustic trio Grapefruit Moon. Friday, July 21, 5-8 p.m. (every third Friday in the summer); Who Gives A Scrap, 810 Arcturus Drive; whogivesascrapcolorado.com/sam.

Broadmoor Traditions Fine Art Festival, features “90 artists exhibiting painting, jewelry, sculpture, glass, ceramics, woodwork, metalwork, fiber and more!” Saturday-Sunday, July 22-23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free; The Colorado Springs School, 21 Broadmoor Ave.; broadmoorartsfestival. com.

39th Annual Woodcarving & Woodcraft Show, Saturday-Sunday, July 29-30, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Shrine Club, 6 S. 33rd St.; see pikespeakwhittlers.com for more info.

Ivywild Garden Art Toure, visit “half a dozen creative and colorful gardens in the historic Ivywild neighborhood” plus an art mart — an Ivywild Improvement Society fundraiser for future arts programs. Saturday, July 22, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; suggested minimum donation $10; starts at Millibo Art Theatre garden, 1626 S. Tejon St.; tinyurl.com/Ivywild-toure.

ART EXHIBITS

45º Gallery, 2528 W. Colorado Ave., Suite B, 719-434-1214, 45degreegallery.com. Works by wood artisan Thomas Conter

and painter Lorraine Danzo. Academy Art & Frame Company, 7560 N. Academy Blvd., 719-265-6694, academyframesco.com, How Do You See God? — works by artists of “all faiths and beliefs, as well as all media, all ages, and 2D or 3D works.” Parking lot party, Saturday, July 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; through August.

Art 1eleven Gallery, 111 E. Bijou St., 719493-5084, facebook.com/Art1elevenGallery. Large abstract acrylic paintings by Jesse Stockwell.

Bella Art & Frame, 251 Front St., #11, Monument, 719-487-7691, bellaartandframe.com. An Ode to Colorado, work by fine art photographer Andrew Bailey. Reception Thursday, July 20, 5-8 p.m.; through July 28.

The Bridge Gallery, 218 W. Colorado Ave., #104, 719-629-7055, thebridgeartgallery. com. Earth Works, featuring Deena Bennett’s porcelain clay works and her daughter, Logan’s, photos of the landscape around Crested Butte. Through July 29.

Citizens Art Gallery at City Hall, 107 N. Nevada Ave. (second floor in the northwest section of the building; enter through the southeast ADA door). Featuring works by abstract painter Becca Day: “When I paint, I tread a path between design and spontaneity; intention and accident. Each painting is its own experiment. I create non-objective abstraction that allows room for interpretation.”

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, 30 W. Dale St., fac. coloradocollege.edu. Contested Terrains, with a new work by Carolina AranibarFernández, July 21-Sept. 16. “The five art-

G44 Gallery, 121 E. Boulder St., 720-9510573, g44gallery.com. Windows by Shannon Mello: “Negative space is so often overlooked. The spaces between people in this room, ... spaces between trees and their branches. There are perfect little frames all around us creating these small viewfinders of a whole new world of composition.” Bird Brain by Robert Lococo: “The phrase came to being because it was assumed birds lacked intelligence. But there is beauty to being a cuckoo or a boob.” Through July. Artist talks, Shannon Mello and Robert Lococo, Thursday, July 20, 5:30 p.m.

Gallery 113, 125½ N. Tejon St., gallery113cos.com, 719-634-5299. July’s show features Irv Middlemist’s mixed-media paintings and Mary Gorman’s paintings on silk

The Garfield Gallery, 332 E. Willamette Ave., 719-227-8836, garfieldgallery.com. July’s show features works by Pikes Peak Arts Council members in multiple mediums.

Kreuser Gallery, 125 E. Boulder St., 719464-5880, kreusergallery.com. Playful

Resistance: Play and Beauty as Acts of Creative Resistance — the batik work of Beth and Jonathan Evans and sculpture by Maria Battista. Murmurations, new work by April Dawes , “acknowledges the human need for connection and confronts the haunting loneliness, loss and longing for community in my life, over the last several years.” La Soma, works by Foster and Daniel Romano. Artist talks: July 19, 5:30 p.m., Maria Battista, Beth and Jonathan Evans; July 27, 5:30 p.m., April Dawes and Daniel and Foster Romano. Through July 28.

The Look Up Gallery, 11 E. Bijou St. (inside Yobel), thelookupgallery.com. New works by Rachel Dinda, “a multidisciplinary artist who draws inspiration from graffiti, art nouveau and marine biodiversity.”

Manitou Art Center, 513/515 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, 719-685-1861, manitouartcenter.org. Monument, a new show

by Manitou artist Larry Kledzik in the Hagnauer Gallery, through July 29.

Portraits of Manitou by C.H. Rockey, features original town views and significant historical buildings. Manitou Springs Heritage Center, 517 Manitou Ave.; manitouspringsheritagecenter.org; through November.

Surface Gallery, 2752 W. Colorado Ave., surfacegallerycos.com. 4D Vision: A capsule exhibit by Claire Swinford: “Her current bodies of work explore, respectively, feminist world-building and liminality through the trope of textiles; and deconstructing the concept of a shared past through the nostalgic visual cues of Kodachrome slide decks.” Fear & Fortitude: A Journey in Geometric Abstraction by Rachel Espenlaub: “a collection of paintings about determination and overcoming fear.” Through July 28.

Through Our Eyes, art from the frontlines of the foster care system, featuring artwork from Kids Crossing foster youths, foster families/parents, caseworkers, therapists and home coordinators. Runs through July 31; PPLD’s Penrose Library, 20 N. Cascade Ave., 719-531-6333, kidscrossing.com.

True North Art Gallery, 31 E. Bijou St., 210842-2476, truenorthartgallery.com. True North After Dark, “all new work by 16 member artists.”

BOOK SIGNING

Former Springs Mayor John Suthers will sign copies of his new memoir, All This I Saw, and Part of It I Was, at bookstores around the city — Saturday, July 22 , noon to 4 p.m., Hooked On Books, 12 E. Bijou St., 719-419-7660; Sunday, July 23, noon to 3 p.m., Poor Richard’s Book Store, 320 N. Tejon St., 719-578-5549; Sunday, July 30, noon to 3 p.m., Barnes and Noble, 1565 Briargate Blvd., 719-266-9960.

Courtesy El Paso County Fair

CALENDAR

at 8; outdoors at City Auditorium, 221 E. Kiowa St.; tinyurl.com/cityaud-cement.

STAGE & THEATER

Taming of the Shrew, “Will’s original battle of wills, staged in an Elizabethan England every bit as stylized and strict as we always imagine it, with one key difference: This society is a matriarchy.” Brought to you by Theatreworks, through July 30; outdoors on the Ent Center lawn, 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays; indoors on Fridays, 7 p.m.; $10;

CAT FEST COLORADO

stock.adobe.com

Yep, it’s fur-real... an entire day dedicated to the fuzzy little dudes that make human life complete. Includes a cat show, cat adoptions, The Amazing Acro-Cats, a Hello Kitty bounce house, cat-themed vendors, the Mystical Egyptian Cat Oasis (complete with tarot readers) a costume contest, all-day cat tunes and more. Saturday, July 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Colorado Springs Event Center, 3960 Palmer Park Blvd.; catfestco.com.

➔ continued from p. 13

UCCS Downtown, 102 S. Tejon St., downtown.uccs.edu/our-space. Pikes Peak Arts Council member show with tattoo artist/ painter Sole Junkie.

ZoneFIVE, 1902 E. Boulder St., zonefivecs.com. Idiom: Works by Warren Arcila, “a collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures created throughout the years.” Through August.

KIDS & FAMILIES

Frozen Jr., a stage adaptation of the Disney classic; cast includes about 70 Springs community students ages 9 to 18. Five shows July 20-22, see starztheater.org for times and tickets; Ent Center for the Arts, 5225 N. Nevada Ave.

The Mighty Burros of Manitou Springs, “[a] show for all ages that uses four styles of puppetry, as well as music and historic photos to tell the story of the burros who helped build trails and boost tourism in Manitou Springs and the surrounding areas about 100 years ago.” Tuesday, July 25, 11:30 a.m.; Manitou Art Center, 513 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs; see tinyurl.com/ MAC-burro for more info.

PPLD Summer Adventure, Pikes Peak Library District offers a truly massive list of activities for young people ages 0 to 18. Runs through July 31; register an individual, family, class or group for free at ppld.org/ summerkids or download the app.

LEARNING & LECTURES

Nuclear Arms Control in Dire Straits, with Steven Pifer, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, presented by the Colorado Springs World Affairs Council. Wednesday, Aug. 23, 5:30 p.m.; $45; The Pinery at the Hill, 775 W. Bijou St.; learn more and register at tinyurl.com/cswacpifer.

History of Ghost Towns, “Colorado has approximately 600 ghost towns with buildings and artifacts attesting to their history. The economy that created the towns and stories of their abandonment recounts the history of Colorado development.” Thursday, July 27, 8 p.m.; Mueller State Park amphitheatre; 21045 Highway 67 South, Divide; 719-687-2366, Mueller. Park@State.Co.Us.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Taste of Pikes Peak, presented by the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, with “tastes from more than 75 of the region’s best restaurants, distilleries, breweries and coffee shops.” Thursday, July 27, 5-9 p.m.; Park Union, Downtown at the corner of Sierra Madre Street and Vermijo Avenue; see tinyurl.com/TasteOPeak for tickets and more info.

Rocky Mountain Flower Fest — A Music Festival Full of Flowers, with an alcohol tent and beer garden, food trucks, you-pick flowers, an artisan market, line dancing in the barn, and music by Steve Harris, Deirdre McCarthy & Friends, Stillhouse Junkies and Grass It Up. Saturday, July 29, 4-11 p.m., Venetucci Farm, 5210 S. Highway 85; see gathermountainblooms.com/flower-fest for full schedule and tickets (also available at the gate).

Bronc Day Festival, the 85th Annual Bronc Day Festival in Green Mountain Falls. Pancake breakfast, parade, music, art, crafts, a pie contest, games, food, free swimming in the pool, and a free barn dance the night before at the Green Box farm stand. FridaySaturday, July 28-29; Green Mountain Falls; seebroncdayfestival.org for more info.

Cement Stage Series, with family-friendly activities, vendors, film and live “homegrown” music (this week, The Reminders and Lady Los). Friday, July 21, 6-10 p.m., with films by the IFSOC at 6 and music starting

Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater, 5225 N. Nevada Ave.; see entarts.org/tamingoftheshrew for tickets and more info.

Circus of the Night: Angels of Elvis, “with an all-star cast of singers, aerial acrobats, jugglers, and laugh-makers. There will be a lot of swiveling hips as Circus of the Night presents ... a tribute to all the Elvis Imitators that have ever aspired to play Vegas.” Fridays-Saturdays, through July 29, 9 p.m.; Millibo Art Theatre, 1626 S. Tejon St., see themat.org for tickets and more info.

PLAYING AROUND

WEDNESDAY, 7/19

Manitou Library Lawn Concert: A Car penter’s Daughter, mountain folk rock/Americana; 6 p.m., Carnegie Library, ppld.org/librarylawn-concerts.

Countywyde, bluegrass; 6:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/events.

Cari Dell, variety ; John Wise & Tribe New Orleans R&B/blues/jazz/island

The Barefoot Family Caravan, chedelic rock ; 6 p.m., Hillside Gar dens, hillsidecolorado.com/upcomingevents.

Dom Martin, Irish blues/rock Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/jack quinns.

Krash Karma, metal; with Sabbatar, Hellscircus, HRZN, Sin on Six; 6 p.m., Sunshine Studios, sunshinestudioslive. com.

LOOK’EE HERE!, blues/jazz Broadmoor Community Church, broadmoorchurch.org/music-ministry.

Narrow Gauge, rock/country Limbach Park, Monument, townof monument.org.

Springs Contemporary Jazz Band, 6 p.m., Bear Creek Regional Park, com munityservices.elpasoco.com.

THURSDAY,

7/20

Blackthorn, Celtic; 7 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/jackquinns.

Black Rose Band, country/rock; 7 p.m., El Paso County Fair, elpasocountyfair. com.

Cowboy Dave, country ; 6 p.m., Creekwalk Amphitheater, creekwalkcos. com.

Adam Gang Quintet, jazz; 7:30 p.m., Summa, dizzycharlies.com.

Reese Glover, country/folk; 6 p.m., Mash Mechanix Brewery, mashmechanix. com.

Joelton Mayfield, rock; with Red Moon Rounder, Benjamin Morse and the Sensations; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Lethal Lisa McCall, blues; 5:30 p.m., Thorndale Park, facebook.com/ColoradoSpringsBlues.

Nube Nueve, Latin jazz ; 6:30 p.m., Soda Springs Park, manitousprings. org/2023-summer-concert-series.

Out The Shadows, free local hip-hop showcase; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Riding Carpets, psych rock; 8 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com/events.

Violence in Violet, death metal; with Anxious Arms, Aligned in Ruins; 7 p.m., Dog House, doghousecos.com.

FRIDAY, 7/21

Begley, Mock and Murphy Trio, traditional bluegrass; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

Cement Stage Series: The Reminders, soul/roots; with Lady Los; 8 p.m., City Auditorium, communityculturalcollective.org/events.

Chicago Farmer, folk; with Jesh Yancey; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulu’sdownstairs.com.

Cowboy Dave, country ; 6 p.m., Vista Park, banninglewisranch.com.

Emerald Hour, rock ; with Vakara, Lord Velvet; 7 p.m., Dog House, doghousecos.com.

Exit West, country/alternative/classic rock; 7 p.m., El Paso County Fair, elpasocountyfair.com.

Flatfoot 56, “a positive-natured brand of hardcore-tinged Celtic punk”; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

Alastair Greene, blues rock; 7 p.m., Stargazers Theatre, stargazerstheatre.com.

Michael Martin Murphey, Western/ country; 7 p.m., Boot Barn Hall, bootbarnhallco.com.

Shrek Rave, EDM; 9 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

The Springstown Shakers, blues ; 7 p.m., Mash Mechanix Brewery, mashmechanix.com.

Rafiel and the Roomshakers, R&B/Motown/funk ; 9 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com.

Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand, pop/ Americana; 7 p.m., University Village North Plaza, uvcshopping.com/concert-series.

Mike Van Arsdale Project, jazz; 7 p.m., Grace and St. Stephen’s Church, gssepiscopal.org/jazz-in-the-garden.

Zeppelin Alive, Led Zeppelin tribute; 5 p.m., First and Main Town Center, firstandmaintowncenter.com.

Karl Ziedins, classic rock/alternative; 9 p.m., Cleats Bar and Grill West, facebook.com/CleatsBar.

SATURDAY, 7/22

Ashlee and The Longshot Revival, country ; 7 p.m., El Paso County Fair, elpasocountyfair.com.

Baphies Blastbeat Bonanza, death metal; 5 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

The Brandon Henderson Band, acoustic/alternative rock ; 7:30 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/jackquinns.

Pamela Chaddon, classical; 11:30 a.m., First Lutheran Church, flccs.net/news/ calendar.

Christmas in July, handbell concert,

Southern Colorado Handbell Alliance; noon, Acacia Park, socohandbells.org. Dear Rabbit, singer-songwriter, with Broth and 36?; 7 p.m., Dog House, doghousecos.com.

Eternal Temples, jam rock/space funk; 7 p.m., Mash Mechanix Brewery, mashmechanix.com.

Frog & Fiddle, rock/bluegrass/folk ; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

The Local Honeys, “music from Ken; 7 p.m., Oskar Blues, coloradosprings.oskarbluesfooderies.com. metal, with Suicide Cages, Slumbering Sun; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

with Jarv; 7 p.m., Brues Alehouse, Pueblo, bruesalehouse.com. Sqwerv, indie/jam; 9 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com.

Aaron Watson, country; 6 p.m., Whiskey Baron Dance Hall & Saloon, tinyurl.com/whisk-dh.

7/23

Caitlyn Krisko and the Broadcast, soul with Grace Devine; 8 p.m., Lulu’s Downstairs, lulusdownstairs.com. acoustic; 5 p.m., Goat Patch Brewing Co., goatpatchbrewing.com. Steve Langemo, jazz fusion; 1 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com.

Traditional Irish Music, Irish; 3 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/jackquinns.

MONDAY, 7/24

Boss’ Daughter, punk, with P.I.D., Euphoria; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks. com.

Frog & Fiddle, rock/bluegrass/folk; 6:30 p.m., Monument Valley Park, fmvp.net/ musical-mondays.html.

Little London Winds: Band Camp!, wind ensemble; 7 p.m., Soda Springs Park, Manitou, littlelondonwinds.org/ concerts/2023/summer.html.

Tidal Breeze Hot Club Trio, Latin/jazz/ swing/New Orleans/blues, with Valerie Rose, Matt Podschweit; 6 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com.

Roma Ransom, “eclectic bohemian world folk”; 6 p.m., Green Mountain Falls Gazebo Island, discoverutepass. com/monday-music-series.

TUESDAY, 7/25

Kaitlin Butts, country; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Orthodox, EDM, with Momentum, Chamber, Cell; 6 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road, bluegrass; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks. com.

WEDNESDAY, 7/26

49 Winchester, “tear-in-your-beer altcountry, sticky barroom floor rockn-roll, and high-octane Appalachian folk,” with Kat Hasty; 7 p.m., Black Sheep, blacksheeprocks.com.

Acoustic Hour, local musicians; 6 p.m., Buffalo Lodge, bicycleresort.com.

Deirdre McCarthy Band, violin and vocals; 6:30 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook. com/jackquinns.

Irish blues rocker Dom Martin plays Quinn’s July 19 at 7 p.m.

Jim Heal

Ryan Flores, Latin gypsy; John Wise & Tribe, New Orleans R&B/blues/jazz/ island; Roma Ransom, bohemian psych folk ; 6 p.m., Hillside Gardens, hillsidecolorado.com/upcomingevents.

Hymn for Her, “juiced-up, backwoods country blues with a dose of desert rock psychedelia”; 8:30 p.m., Front Range Barbeque, frbbq.com/events.

LOOK’EE HERE!, blues/jazz; 6 p.m., Bancroft Park, occpartnership.org.

Missy and the Dirty Secrets, rock; 6:30 p.m., Limbach Park, townofmonument.org.

Peak Big Band, jazz; 6 p.m., Bear Creek Regional Park, communityservices.elpasoco.com.

Springs Contemporary Jazz Band, jazz; 6 p.m., Bancroft Park, facebook.com/ SCJBB/events.

Wirewood Station, Americana; 6 p.m., Broadmoor Community Church, broadmoorchurch.org/music-ministry.

THURSDAY, 7/27

PLAYING AROUND BIG GIGS

Kyle Cervantes Trio, jazz ; 7:30 p.m., Summa, dizzycharlies.com.

Dalonious Funk, instrumental jazz/ funk/fusion; 8 p.m., Armadillo Ranch, manitouarmadilloranch.com.

Andrew Duhon, blues/folk; 8 p.m., Lulu’s, lulusdownstairs.com.

Six O’Clock, hip-hop, with DJ Konz, JUS1, HA$H, Moe Hendrix, Mike Steel; 7 p.m., Vultures, vulturesrocks.com.

The Sleeping Giants, Irish/Celtic; 6 p.m., Jack Quinn’s, facebook.com/jackquinns.

Tails, Tunes, and Tastes, local variety; 6:30 p.m., Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, cmzoo.org/events-programs.

Upcoming music events

Doja Cat’s first North American arena tour, “The Scarlet Tour,” comes to Ball Arena on Nov. 10.

Tears For Fears, Ball Arena, Denver, July 20

Alastair Greene, Stargazers, July 21

Arlo McKinley, Fox Theatre, Boulder, July 21

STS9, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, July 21-22

Buscabulla, Bluebird Theater, Denver, July 23

Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast, Lulu’s, July 23

Portugal. the Man with The Colorado Symphony, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, July 23

Brent Faiyaz, Mission Ballroom, Denver, July 25

Kaitlin Butts, Lulu’s, July 25

Madonna, Ball Arena, Denver, July 25

Andrew Duhon, Lulu’s, July 27

Alicia Keys, Ball Arena, Denver, July 27

Ambrosia, Pikes Peak Center, July 28

Kaleta & Super Yamba Band, Lulu’s, July 28

Weathers, Black Sheep, July 28

Tedeschi Trucks Band, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, July 28-29

EPROM, Mission Ballroom, Denver, July 29

Los Lonely Boys, Pikes Peak Center, July 29

Magic Beans, Lulu’s, July 30

Big Thief and Lucinda Williams, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, July 31

Rema, Summit Music Hall, Denver, July 31

Rod Stewart & Cheap Trick, Ball Arena, Denver, Aug. 1

George Clinton, George Porter Jr., Parliament-Funkadelic , Ogden Theatre, Denver, Aug. 2

Elliot Greer, Globe Hall, Denver, Aug. 2

Amythyst Kiah, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver, Aug. 2

Continued at csindy.com

Grizz Lee

WATER COLORING

Heavy rains couldn’t stop July’s First Friday

BY NICK RAVEN | nick@csindy.com

COMMONWHEEL ARTISTS CO-OP

– Cheers! Drink Up! by various artists

102 Cañon Ave. • Through July

It feels like just yesterday we were surveying Commonwheel’s You’re My Cuppa Tea (the co-op’s May exhibit) and the sheer variety of clay vessels on display this month for tea, spirits, beer and more had us thinking about how little we value the artistry of our daily drinkware.

SURFACE GALLERY – 4D Vision: A capsule exhibit by Claire Swinford, Fear & Fortitude: A Journey in Geometric Abstraction by Rachel Espenlaub

2752 W. Colorado Ave. • Through July 28

Nostalgic Americana and perfectly tuned geometry: what a combo! Claire Swinford’s new exhibit further interpolates her scenes from 1961 Iowa that not only evoked The Good Old Days, but looked primed and ready for periodappropriate 3D glasses. Meanwhile, Rachel Espenlaub’s experiments with precisely tilted, flat-shaded right triangles are deceptive at a glance, but they trigger feelings of alarm or calm while depicting foggy days, distant shores and more.

WE TYPICALLY USE THIS INTRO TO COMMENT ON the weather of our First Friday experiences because, alongside the art and the venues themselves, it’s the weather that truly sets the tone for each art walk. Warm and bright? Crowds galore. Stormy and gray? Eh, not so much.

The silver lining, naturally, is that wet weather gives us more time and space to interact with featured artists and gallery owners, which is reason enough to step out any month of the year.

While they don’t run monthly exhibits, we did get to stop by relatively new art shops in Old Colorado City. Lucky Pig Gallery (2524½ W. Colorado Ave.) featured no pigs (that we saw) but it’s a cozy little shop with some incredible indigenous art, mixed-media work, street photography and more. Plus, you get to chat with their enthusiastic owner Cathe Physioc. Nearby, Sanctuary Inspired Goods (2506 W. Colorado Ave.) is a cheery souvenir shop that features works from 20 artists and a henna studio in the back.

MANITOU ART CENTER – Monument: I Can See Clearly

Now by Larry Kledzik

513 Manitou Ave. • Through July 29

The joy of this exhibit by Manitou Springs native Larry Kledzik was half in the artistry and half in its inherent oddness. An entire wall had fixtures to hang paintings, but none were there. There was a scrapbook in a heavy case filled with his photos of wildlife and his other exhibits, but also photos of works from this exhibit. Apparently, Kledzik is known for tweaking exhibits after he’s set them, so was this truly the show, or were we losing our minds...

LIGHTSPEED CURATIONS

– The Surprise Show! by various artists

306 S. 25th St.

• Through July

ULTRA FLAT BLACK GALLERY & LOUNGE

Cat Everington exhibition

603 W. Colorado Ave. • Through July

Few collections this month popped quite as brightly as Cat Everington’s series of paintings at Ultra Flat Black. It’s hard to imagine any performer there letting an audience down when they’ve got such vibrant and cartoon-y compositions behind them onstage. On the adjacent wall, Childish Gambino, meme Elmo and more supported the show.

If you were seeking pure artistic density this First Friday, Lightspeed Cura -

tions provided (as did Kreuser Gallery, which we’ll get to.) Stocked up for a show that was supposed to co-occur at City Aud, Muji Rieger painted the four elements (Milla Jovovich was sadly not present), Jesse Stockwell provided an array of paintings and Lightspeed’s own Jacob Lonergan and Nat Feather had colorful experiments. Looking up, one of their cottony cloud mobiles concealed a fun boardgame-themed Easter egg.

Dragon saki set by Jerry Rhodes

“Change Taking Hold” by Rachel Espenlaub

From Larry Kledzik’s Monument: I Can See Clearly Now

“Element: Water” by Muji Rieger

“Mushy” by Cat Everington

THE BRIDGE GALLERY – Earth Works by Deena and Logan Bennett

COMMONS GALLERY – Groovy Printshop pop-up show

218 W. Colorado Ave. #104 • Through July 29

The Bridge’s new exhibit by mother and daughter Deena and Logan Bennett was a more reserved, contemplative show, begging for deeper study of its earthen clay works and vivid landscapes while our umbrellas dried out. The duo’s works paired well with the clean celebrity portraits and Chris Alvarez abstracts at Groovy Printshop’s pop-up display next door, too.

G44

121 E. Boulder St. • Through July

Before we could even get our bearings at G44, featured artist Shannon Mello pounced, wanting to let us know she was around if we had any questions. Up front, Mello’s work had two modes: ethereal compositions of streaky clouds and time-lapsed nature alongside more tactile works featuring gold leafed branches on beds of layered encaustic where paint strategically fills negative spaces. Her mix paired well with Robert Lococo’s adventures in bird-themed compositions and sculptures, including a girl clearly excited that her head was the new perch of a large white owl.

111 E. Bijou St. • Through July

If you need some bombastic abstracts in medium and large formats, Jesse Stockwell has you covered. Are they the hides of alien space cows? The neon spectrograph of a strange signal? A cave system map? His trademark look was fed a lot of interesting new colors for this exhibit, producing an interesting new set of compositions.

11 E. Bijou St. • Through July

Multidisciplined muralist Rachel Dinda told us her works on display at The Look Up Gallery were an interesting challenge. Naturally, spray painting wall-sized art is different than her much smaller canvases here, but the results are still absolutely stunning. Depicting glowing women — as well as the artistic process itself — her spicy oranges, golds and grays swirl together perfectly with turbulent blues across the whole series of bold, in-your-face paintings.

KREUSER GALLERY – Playful Resistance: Play and Beauty as Acts of Creative Resistance by Beth and Jonathan Evans and Maria Battista, Murmurations by April Dawes and La Soma by Foster and Daniel Romano

125 E. Boulder St. • Through July 28

While Lightspeed may have been overpacked, Kreuser was packed just so. Maria Battista taught us about bronzing and sculpture, Beth Evans taught us about the patience she and her husband required to create their batik-on-canvas art, April Dawes’ works preached on loneliness and the need for connection, while father and son Daniel and Foster Romano exercised both precision and jittery excitement across a variety of mediums. Phew!

THE GARFIELD GALLERY

– Pikes Peak Art Council exhibition

322 E. Willamette Ave. • Through July 29

A cache of the Pikes Peak Arts Council’s art landed at The Garfield Gallery this month, including an absolute monster of a collage by local curator Jessica de la Luna. But amidst it all, the highlight might have been the works from the Elevated Arts Academy, a studio for neurodivergent creatives and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was a last-minute reminder — after such a grand tour — that art belongs to all of us.

GALLERY – Windows by Shannon Mello, Bird Brain by Robert Lococo

ART 1ELEVEN GALLERY – Jesse Stockwell exhibition

THE LOOK UP GALLERY

– Rachel Dinda exhibition

Pit-fired clay by Deena Bennett

“Joie de Vivre” by Robert Lococo

“Flight Masquerade” by April Dawes

“Leave No Trace” by Joy Alona

“Inertia” by Rachel Dinda “One” by Jesse Stockwell

FAIR AND UNBALANCED

By Mike Littwin Courtesy The Colorado Sun

THE EVER-SHRINKING COLORADO GOP

Party wants unaffiliated voters out of their primaries

IN TODAY’S LOOK AT DUMB THINGS POLITical parties do — and I know the list never ends — I give you the Colorado Republican Party and dare anyone to top it.

If you saw the story in The Colorado Sun, you know that the ever-shrinking state GOP is attempting to revive its longstanding plan to grow the party by, yes, insisting on making it smaller first. Maybe they’re inspired by Elon Musk’s fine work at Twitter.

State chair Dave Williams and his leadership team are taking varied approaches. They are not only conducting party purges — the latest target being Roger Hudson, deputy chief of staff for the Colorado House GOP, who tweeted that the “bankrupt” state party can no longer even afford to pay the rent for the party’s offices. The party officially responded by calling Hudson a liar and saying he supported the “mutilation and chemical castration of kids.”

But purging apostates takes time. And who doesn’t qualify as an apostate these days when the U.S. House Freedom Caucus is giving the boot to Marjorie Taylor Greene?

The state GOP wants to move more quickly. The principal goal of its revitalization program is to block hundreds of thousands of unaffiliated voters, who represent 47 percent of the Colorado electorate, from taking part in Republican primaries.

OK, that may sound counterintuitive, and also not very smart, because political parties are supposedly in the business of trying to win elections, and last I checked, the smaller party — you know, the one that gets fewer votes — generally loses. And, just spitballing here, it seems that shutting out unaffiliated voters, who would still be able to participate in state Democratic primaries, might not be the best way to win them over in the general election.

In other words, kicking out the unaffiliated would be a very large gift to Colorado Democrats, one so big that even Clarence Thomas would have to declare it.

But if you listen to Williams and the other far-right members of his caucus, they don’t necessarily see it that way. And not only because they’re mostly election-denying Trumpists who believe any election they lose — which, in Colorado, is most of them — must be rigged.

No, it’s because ever since 2016, when Colorado voters decided to allow unaffiliated voters to participate in partisan primaries, the party’s, uh, purity has been compromised, allowing RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) to run free and worse. And there’s also the chance — conspiracy alert here — for conniving, George Sorosbacked Democrats to cross over en masse, spoiling the GOP’s chances by helping nominate weaker Republican candidates. In 2022, 434,000 Republicans and 231,000 unaffiliateds participated in the Republican primaries.

You’ve seen the results. Republicans keep losing. And now there’s not a single Republican holding statewide office.

Of course, they were also losing before 2016 — Republicans have won only one top-of-the-ballot race in evermore-blue Colorado since 2004 — but we shouldn’t let facts get in the way. I mean, I can remember when Republicans nominated Dan Maes for governor all by themselves.

And as for unaffiliated voters, they aren’t actually all that independent. As many as 80 percent of them are socalled leaners who identify with one major party or the other, including the Republican Party, and not, say, the No Labels party.

Still, Williams ran for party chair on the promise to change the primaries back to the way they used to be or, even better, get rid of them altogether. The state GOP had already tried a federal lawsuit to end Colorado’s scandalous mixing of voters, but that failed. The leaders tried to get the Republican state central committee to change the rules. That also failed. Now Williams hopes to hire John Eastman — yes, that John Eastman, the old CU visiting professor who devised the loony scheme to try to keep Donald Trump in office — for another try. That is, if Eastman isn’t disbarred first.

SO NOW, IN THE LATEST PLAN, GOP LEADERS want to change the state party bylaws so that a nonvote by a member of the central committee becomes a “yes” vote in any action that requires 70 percent of the votes to pass. That sounds complicated, but stay with me.

Dave Williams

Dave Williams for Congress

Proposition 108, which is the one that opened the primaries to unaffiliated voters, allows parties to opt out of primary voting if at least 75 percent of central committee members vote to do so. The problem is that many members don’t show up to vote, meaning that getting to 75 percent is all but impossible.

That’s why conservative commentator Chuck Bonniwell made the proposal, to make the impossible merely improbable. To change the bylaw would require a two-thirds vote in the GOP central committee’s Aug. 5 meeting in Castle Rock. That’s probably going to fail, too.

If they did pass it, then Republicans would presumably revert to the caucus and assembly method of nominating candidates, which would all but assure that only the most right-wing candidates get nominated. And if you think being a far-right-winger in Colorado is the way to go, then remind me how Lauren Boebert won her reelection by only 500 votes in the 3rd Congressional District when national Democrats failed to even try to win there.

You remember the last election, in which Republican Joe O’Dea lost to Michael Bennet in the U.S. Senate race by 14 points. Williams considered O’Dea a RINO. But how about Heidi Ganahl’s 19-point loss to Gov. Jared Polis? Did he think the furry vote beat her?

Meanwhile, you may have noticed that in the presidential primary Trump

and main rival — so far, anyway — Ron DeSantis have basically forsworn policy arguments in favor of all-out culture warfare, with each trying to out-rightwing the other. But severely restricting abortions — or restricting them at all — doesn’t work in Colorado. Anti-LGBTQ legislation doesn’t work in Colorado. Banning the discussion of race and gender in schools and/or banning books doesn’t work in Colorado. Limiting voting rights doesn’t work in Colorado. Pretending that elections are rigged doesn’t work in Colorado.

Let’s go back to House GOP deputy chief of staff Roger Hudson, GOP leadership’s target of choice.

In a tweet, Weston Imer, a Williams ally, warned Hudson that “KARMA IS A BITCH! Every single liar in this party will get theirs, don’t even worry.”

In his tweet about the party being bankrupt — and there’s mounting evidence for that — Hudson offered the idea that it was time to build a party “that reflects the BIG aspirations of Coloradans, the BIG tent of [Ronald] Reagan …”

And yet, the Colorado GOP keeps thinking small. And smaller. And, if they keep heading that way, they might get so small they could all fit in a pup tent.

Mike Littwin’s column was produced for The Colorado Sun, a reader-supported news organization committed to covering the people, places and policies of Colorado. Learn more at coloradosun.com.

[Dave] Williams ran for party chair on the promise to change the primaries back to the way they used to be....

DENTISTRY WITH A

LOWDOWN

By Jim Hightower jimhightower.com

THE POLITICAL EXTREMists demanding that government control every woman’s personal reproductive decisions claim that they are “pro-life.” But that’s a rhetorical fraud.

Look at their overall policy agenda and you’ll see that they are merely probirth. After that, adios, baby… good luck. They consistently join Republican lawmakers to kill public programs that deliver essential real-life needs to babies after they’re born.

Also, why not automate the system… and do the little nippers really need that orange juice and daily snack?

SO YES... PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN was thwarted by Senate Republicans and Joe Manchin. As a result, Biden completely surrendered an urgently needed program for America: Universal child care.

The U.S. child care system is broken at every level — availability is scarce, and even if parents can find an opening, the price is forbidding. Yet care providers and teachers are grossly underpaid. So we’re doomed by corporate greed and Washington’s indifference, right? Wrong! Grassroots people across the country are demanding and getting real change at the state level.

Consider child care, a fundamental need in any society. Yet the “leaders” of our rich, sophisticated nation that supposedly treasures family, work and children have created a mingy system that literally is a crying shame, revealing that our society deliberately does NOT care for children.

Here’s reality for you: 98 percent of American workers are better paid than those we entrust to care for our children. Working at a nail salon, loading boxes at an Amazon warehouse, flipping burgers at McDonald’s are jobs given more pay and respect than most child care jobs!

This is not just a “poor people’s problem,” for the lack of child care availability, affordability and quality is a looming crisis for a majority of American families. Nonetheless, Republicans, enabled by corporate Democrat Joe Manchin, recently killed funding of a program to both raise worker pay and lower the prices families are charged. Such care is “too expensive,” squawked the same lawmakers who routinely dole out billions in welfare to corporate profiteers.

But wait — the GOP has come up with a genius, low-cost solution: Relax safety and educational requirements for child care centers (as Iowa and Montana have already done), allowing 16-year-olds to provide “care” for up to 15 children each!

Last year, for example, voters in New Mexico rallied a decade-long care rebellion to put a landmark initiative on the ballot to guarantee that all children ages 0 to 5 have a constitutional right to quality early childhood education. Moreover, Amendment 1 allocates a steady stream of money from New Mexico’s Land Grant Permanent Fund to make this promise real. The initiative passed with 70 percent of the vote.

Vermont, led by such persistent grassroots groups as Let’s Grow Kids, is providing $130 million a year to establish a solid base for universal child care. Last month, the Republican governor vetoed the funding provision — but a bipartisan legislative majority, prodded by public demand, has now voted to override this veto.

Also, the red state legislature in Tennessee is providing a new and essential child care benefit to low-income parents of infants and toddlers: Diapers. And even some in the U.S. Congress are beginning to get the child care message, having formed the first-ever Congressional Dads Caucus to push familyfriendly policies.

This is Jim Hightower saying… This is democracy in action — when leaders won’t lead, shove them! And if you want to support life, not just birth, join up with the First Five Years Fund at ffyf.org.

PUZZLES

All words to be constructed pertain to the topic to the right. To your advantage one word has already been traced. You must trace the three remaining words, using only the letters designated by the darkened circles. Words may begin and end from either column but each letter can only be used once.

Each puzzle has a difficulty rating (right). Four stars signify the highest degree of difficulty.

Given to the right are the point values for each word. Your words must correctly match these point values.

MINI SUDOKU X

SUDOKU X

News of the WEIRD

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

Oops

The Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Croydon, Australia, a private girls’ school, recently had egg on its face after drone footage captured the suggestive shape of a new garden bed on the campus, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on July 5. The garden was designed by an architectural firm; a school staff member said that as they considered chairs for the garden, they “sent a drone up to take pictures. At a certain angle from up high, the garden ... took on a phallic shape which was unintended and unexpected. As a result, the architects made some alterations which were completed within 72 hours of the drone pictures.” One unidentified former student said, “The immediate response was laughter ... Photos have been circulating among the school as memes, saying, ‘Oh good morning’ and various kinds of jokes.”

Field report

Emma Tetewsky, 31, of Stoughton, Massachusetts, went missing on June 26, WBZTV reported, and her family was frantic to find her. On July 3, a group of hikers at Borderland State Park in Eastland called police after hearing a woman “screaming for help in a swamplike area,” officials said. Tetewsky was found in “thick brush and swamp” about 50 feet off the trail, where she said she’d been stuck for three days. “We did initially try to pick her up, but the weight of her on top of our body weight sunk us further,” said

Easton police officer Corey McLaugh lin. “It took me 20 seconds to get my feet out of the mud,” added officer Jason Wheeler. Tetewsky’s family said she suffered from severe dehydration but was otherwise unharmed.

Questionable judgment

The Greater Muscatine [Iowa] Chamber of Commerce and Industry is apologizing after a controversial Fourth of July parade entry drew heated responses, KCRG-TV reported. The entry consisted of a man on horseback, leading a woman on foot dressed in Native American attire. The woman had a rope tied around her hands. “The group [submitting the entry] stated that their intention was to pay homage to the Cherokee Nation on how unjustly they were treated,” read a statement from the GMCCI, but “the entry does not represent our community.”

Inexplicable

Michael Banks, 36, told Brevard County [Florida] Sheriff’s deputies that he decided to go “car surfing” after he left a Home Depot store on July 5 in Merritt Island, Click Orlando reported. Banks allegedly climbed on top of a van, then jumped from it onto a Nissan truck, an SUV, a Jeep, another SUV and a sedan, causing damage to each vehicle in the neighborhood of $1,000. He faces two counts of criminal mischief and was held at the county jail.

CHANDLER, ARIZONA, TAXIDERMIST RACHEL LEWIS, 38, HAS found her niche in the world of preserving dead animals: She makes piggy banks out of stillborn piglets. Metro News reported that Lewis, a former hairdresser, took a taxidermy class four years ago and just came up with the piggy bank idea in May. “Most of my specimens I get from local farms around me,” Lewis said. “I feel like they get to live a second life ... it’s kinda cool.” She called her process “labor-intensive,” involving hollowing out the insides and adding a pork ... er, cork plug. “I have a larger pig that I plan on doing as a piggy bank, too,” she said. She also hopes to make objects with jewelry boxes and “secret stash” compartments.

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BLACK FORCES MATE

Hint: Create a winning pin.

Solution: 1. ... Rh1ch! 2. Kxh1 Qxh3ch! 3. Kg1 Qxg2 mate! [Wong-Basanta ‘1999}.

Tuesdays 7-10PM • Acacia Apts 104 E Platte • 685-1984

CHESS QUIZ w________w ásdwdrdsd] àdpdsGk0p] ßpdwds0sd] Þ)sdbds)w] Ýsds)w)sd] Üdsdsdsdr] ÛsdsdRdsd] Údsds$wIs] sÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈs

BLACK WINS THE BISHOP

Hint: Eliminate a defender.

Solution: 1. ... Rh1ch! 2. Kf2 Rxe1 (followed by ... Rxe7) [Ssonko-Shankland ‘14].

CHESS QUIZ

Free Will ASTROLOGY

CANCER

(June 21-July 22): The sometimes overly clever author Oscar Wilde said, “When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers.” I reject that warped view of reality and assure you it will have no bearing on your life in the coming weeks. If you formulate your prayers

with care and discernment, they will lead you to rewards, not problems. Maybe not the exact rewards you imagined, but still close to your hopes and helpful in the next chapter of your life story. (PS: No sloppy, lazy, careless prayers, please. Be precise and clear.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo theologian Bernard McGinn defines mysticism as “the consciousness of the immediate presence of God.” In other words, people having a mystic experience are filled with a visceral sensation of the divine intelligence. It’s not just an idea or concept; it’s a deeply felt communion infused with intimate tenderness. You Leos will be more likely than usual to have such contact in the coming weeks — if you want it. If you don’t want it, or don’t believe it’s real, or don’t think it’s possible, well, then, you can of course resist it. But why not give it a whirl? There’s nothing to lose, and it could be fun.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Here’s a parable for you. Once upon a time, there was a woman who could read the future in the night sky. She regarded the planets and stars as her divine informants. On one moonless evening, she took a walk down a dirt road near her home. It was so dark she could barely see two feet ahead of her. Oops! She should have brought a flashlight. Lost in wonder, she gazed up at the heavenly bodies, watching and listening for revelations they might have for her. Then one of the lights, the planet Saturn, whispered, “Stop and look down, friend.” The woman turned her eyes from the sky to the ground just in time to find she was two strides away from stepping into a deep, muddy hole. What’s the moral of the tale? Here are some possibilities. 1) Sometimes the heights provide useful information about the depths. 2) Soaring visions may help you tune in to practical details. 3) To become aware of important facts you’ve overlooked in your daily rhythm, consult your higher mind.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A Libran writer I know received many rejection notices when he launched his career. I was amazed at how undaunted he was. In fact, he was the opposite of undaunted. He taped copies of his rejection notices to his bedroom wall. Seeing the evidence of his failures motivated him. It drove him to improve his writing and churn out even more articles. It fueled his search for a wider array of publications that might host his work. During the fourth year of this approach, luck and fate turned in his favor. Within the next eight months, 12 of his pieces appeared in print. My muses tell me, Libra, that you need to hear this story right now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The cartoon character Bart Simpson is one of the stars of The Simpsons animated TV show. According to him, “Life is a paradox. You’re damned if you do and damned if you

don’t.” While that principle may sometimes be true, I believe you will be exempt from it in the coming weeks. In fact, I suspect you will be as free as it’s possible for a human to be of grueling contradictions, frustrating oppositions, clashing truths and paralyzing contraries. There’s a good chance you will also outwit and avoid annoying incongruities and silly arguments. Congratulations in advance, Scorpio! Take full advantage of this phase of simple clarity.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The dragon has appeared in the myths and legends of many cultures. Europe, China and Mesoamerica are just a few places where the fire-breathing flying reptiles have fascinated the human imagination. In some traditions, they are dangerous and predatory. In China, though, they have been harbingers of good fortune and symbols of great power. Emperors claimed the dragon as their special emblem. In assigning the dragon to be your soul creature, Sagittarius, I am drawing from Chinese lore. What would you like to accomplish that would benefit from you having access to fierce, dynamic, indomitable energy? Call on the dragon for help and power.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “There is a world of people who will love you for who you are,” writes author Cheryl Strayed. “A whole, vibrant, fucked-up, happy, conflicted, joyous, and depressed mass of people.” In the coming months, one of your prime tasks is to specialize in communing with these folks. Make it your intention to surround yourself more and more with interesting, imperfect, ever-changing life-lovers who appreciate you for exactly who you are — and who inspire you to grow more and more into the full idiosyncratic glory of your authentic self.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): What psychic or prophet is most popular with A-list celebrities? I can assure you it’s not me. Few of my millions of readers are worldfamous. What about the planet’s most scientifically accurate astrologer? Who might that be? It ain’t me. I don’t regard astrology as a science, and I mistrust those who say it is. In my view, astrology is a mythopoetic language and psychospiritual system that nurtures our souls and helps liberate us from our conditioning. We shouldn’t try to get “scientifically accurate” information from it. Now I encourage you to do what I just did, Aquarius. Have fun telling people who you are not, what you don’t believe in, and which goals you aren’t interested in pursuing.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): To come up with your astrological reports, I study the positions of the sun, moon and planets in relation to your sign. That’s the techni cal part of the work, the framework within which I unleash my intuition and imagina tion. To augment this work, I meditate and pray, asking higher powers to guide me in providing useful information for you. I of ten consult books written by my favorite astrology writers. (Currently reading Steven Forrest’s The Elements Series.) I also ask my deep mind to slip me info that might not be accounted for by traditional factors. How about you, Pisces? How do you do the work that you love and care about? Now is a good time to take inventory and make necessary adjustments.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your deep psyche will soon well up with extra creativity and fertility. I hope you will eagerly tap in to these gifts. You should assume that you will be more imaginative and ingenious than usual. You will have an enhanced ability to solve problems with vigor and flair. In what areas of your life would you love to gently erupt with a burst of reinvention? Which of your habits might benefit from being cheerfully disrupted? Give yourself permission to change whatever bores you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): My teacher Paul Foster Case said the color yellow is midway between warm, exciting red and cool, calming blue. “Yellow has an equilibrating influence,” he wrote. “It stimulates the finer functions of the brain, is of assistance in developing alertness and discrimination, and helps to establish emotional balance.” According to my astrological analysis, Taurus, you should emphasize this hue in the coming days. If you call on yellow to help strengthen the qualities Case describes, you will place yourself in sweet alignment with cosmic rhythms.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Because I enjoy joking with you, I am slightly tempted right now to give you one of the following nicknames: Fidgety, Twitch, Jittery, Quivers or Shakes. But I will take a more serious tack. Let’s instead see if we can influence you to slow down, stabilize your rhythm, get really steady and secure, and stand strong in your foundational power spot. Would you consider adopting any of the following nicknames? Anchor, Unshakable, Sturdy, Rock Solid, Staunch, Steadfast, Resolute.

HOMEWORK: Is there anyone you love that you could or should love better? Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com.

Diversifying Focus Banking/Finance

Bored with traditional investing? So many options (and likely more risk)

BY SARAH MCMAHON

Investing in unique markets (and the potential for large payoffs) can make the world of alternative investments enticing. But these investments are not for everyone — they carry heavy, often invisible risks that can cost unwitting investors everything, experts say. Abuzz in the investment world, alternatives comprise anything outside of traditional stocks, bonds, mutual funds and Exchange-traded-funds. It’s a broad term for an even broader market that most commonly includes real estate, gas and oil, wine and art, private equity, and cryptocurrency. And according to Forbes.com’s most recent analysis of trending alternatives for 2023, we can add artificial intelligence, merchant debt and private equity health care to the ever-growing list.

Historically, these types of investments were reserved for high net worth or institutional investors. But the last decade has seen changes in accessibility, opening the opportunities

to anyone who wants to participate.

Understanding the risks and complexities of the alternatives market is essential to making well-informed decisions for your financial commitment, which is why it is advised investors work with financial professionals when thinking of taking the leap.

ILLIQUIDITY

What’s different about these investments compared to more traditional ones is that they are primarily illiquid, meaning they are not easily sold or converted into cash, or they have few participants or a low volume of activity. Basically, your money can be locked away for a while.

“There’s always a lot of risks involved when you get into alternative investments. And for the most part, they’re geared toward the higher-net-worth person who can afford to give up dollars for long periods of time,” says George

Garro, senior vice president-investments and branch manager at Raymond James.

Due to the nature of certain investment packages, it can take a long time to see a return. For example, investing in real estate may mean waiting for a building to be constructed before the economic wheels start rolling. Or, fine wine may take a long time to sell because it will have a niche consumer market. Same with art.

Moreover, no liquidity means these investments may be subject to different restrictions than those in more traditional markets.

“For most alternatives, the risk is the lack of liquidity, meaning that to get your money back, either it takes time, or there are certain windows to get access to it — a certain period of time during the year, maybe quarterly, or maybe even annually, or there’s a lock up period for a year or more when it comes to these,” says Brian Colvert, CEO of Bonfire Financial.

REGULATION

Lack of regulatory oversight is another thing to consider when investing in alternatives. It’s not the same regulatory environment as the traditional market, and investors can be left in the dark — especially if they aren’t working with reputable advisors or brokerage firms.

Unlike traditional markets watched by the S&P 500, alternatives aren’t regulated in the same way. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission oversees alternatives, but the reporting requirements vary across the board.

“The S&P 500 Index is tracked minute by minute, day by day. Everyone can easily go online and see exactly what’s happening,” says Colvert. “It’s very clear, versus a private credit investment that may only report quarterly. And sometimes those reports aren’t available, they’re not public knowledge.”

“With a lack of regulatory oversight, you have to trust the people and the reputation of the organization that’s putting that alternative investment together,” says Garro.

Of course, blindly trusting organizations is not best practice, which is why Garro recommends working with firms that can take out some of that guesswork. “Now, generally, if you’re working through a brokerage firm, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley, Raymond James, or whomever, they do their due diligence with these alternative investments before allowing them to be sold to their clients,” he says.

Chris Long, managing partner at Intentional Wealth Strategies, also warns of the dangers of low regulation. “Anytime you’re looking at unregulated markets, the people that get hurt the worst are the people that are small investors or not professionals,” he says. “Cryptocurrency is a perfect example. People made tons and tons of money, but you know who lost a lot of money? All the average people.”

DIVERSIFICATION

Diversification is one of the main appeals with alternatives because they perform differently than traditional investments, which can help portfolios grow and even mitigate losses. But diversification can also be tricky, depending on whether investments are local, national or global.

“Alternative investments perform differently in various economic conditions. So, it can add an element of diversification. It can add a very unique and custom investment strategy to a portfolio,” says Nathan Archuleta, senior financial adviser at Summit Wealth Group. And with that diversification, investors can balance any potential loss from traditional asset classes.

“When you have a year like last year, which is a rare year, but you have stocks and bonds both down, if your alternative investments are not correlated to those, then you have the opportunity to mitigate losses,” says Long. But it can also depend on where you are investing. Local-

ized alternative investments can be risky because the market is so small and focused for those ventures, unlike packages that may be nationally or globally diversified.

Investing locally is important to community and the economy, and there have been and there are successful local investment packages. But to invest locally means to carry additional risks that may be too rich for the smaller investor.

“When you’re invested in Starbucks, you’re invested across the entire world, right? If something happens in one city or the other, it doesn’t affect you,” says Long. “If you’re invested in one tiny little thing in Colorado Springs, tiny in the context of the overall market, whatever industry, you have massive amount of risk. And so, with massive risk — when you’re right — comes massive returns. But with massive risk — when you’re wrong — comes massive losses.”

WORKING WITH THE PROS

Alternatives provide an interesting, potentially lucrative financial venture, but not understanding their risks and process can be detrimental. Some ventures work out, but not all do.

“If people don’t have any experience in this area, and they’re interested in it, they need to go to a financial adviser that they can trust. And then hopefully, that financial adviser has a strong firm behind them that has done the necessary homework,” says Garro.

“Understanding how an alternative investment fits with your goals is an important piece — determining if it’s necessary, acceptable, and if the benefits outweigh the risks,” says Archuleta. “We believe in a long-term perspective with a planning-driven approach, so it’s important to understand what your roadmap is to your financial freedom. From there, it’s easy to determine if any given type of investment strategy really fits within that long-term plan.” n CSBJ

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WHEN YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT REAL ESTATE

You know who lost a lot of money? All the average people.

— Chris Long

BY KATHERINE ATHERTON

“What’s important is for people to treat

like an employee.”

At 15, Kevin Davis was working with the audio-visual department of his local church. By 18, he was running a team of his own, puzzling through early-2000s livestreaming technology, and developing real time televised sermons that aired on The Word Network.

In 2021, with more than 20 years of experience as a songwriter, photographer and videographer under his belt, he launched Guerrilla Media, using his production skills to help businesses achieve their marketing goals and express their company culture through product and service videos, YouTube content, and podcasts.

“It’s an ever-changing industry. It’s an ever-changing idea,” Davis says. “You can get the same results with 50 different directions, so it’s always a fun thing.”

You have a significant background in music?

I’ve been in the music industry for quite a long time, working with so many different artists as a songwriter and especially in photography. I ended up being a celebrity photographer for a lot of events and stuff like that. Being in studios with Omarion, being around if Chris Brown’s recording, and just understanding and

seeing what’s happening was really inspiring.

The music industry [in Los Angeles] had a lot of opportunities — but what a lot of people don’t realize is you could work with the biggest artists but if you don’t go on somebody’s album, then you don’t get paid. So, in order to help my living there, I started doing photography and a little bit of video because I knew how to do it. So that’s what launched me into my passion. Like, ‘I really love this — it’s something that I want to do.’ That’s how we got here today.

How does your music background impact what you do in video production?

I was really passionate about writing songs for people — not really being in the forefront — so understanding people’s emotions and how to engage with them, ... and making it into a form where other people can understand it or relate to it. That’s something I love to do. In my very humble opinion, pop music is the hardest genre to write....

You find that the difference between local artists and artists that are huge and have a lot of backing is, most local artists just write their heart out and they put it in the song. There’s no direction. There’s just

‘Everything I’m feeling is in the song.’ But with pop music and things that the general masses love, you can take that very broad feeling and make it specific for them. ... It’s a hard job to do that.

What are some of the most exciting projects you’ve worked on?

Every project seems to get better and better. ... I’m currently working with El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs. We’re working on the Milton E. Proby Induction Ceremony. This [work] specifically is talking about the life of Ray Aguilera from Pueblo — he was a councilman out there and his work in the community focused on education with kids. It’s just amazing to see the impact that he had on Pueblo. Talking to and engaging with so many people and seeing their story of him and his legacy, it’s really inspiring. I want to make sure my legacy is impacting people just as much.

You’ve been working with the Colorado Springs Black Chamber of Commerce on a series called The Show. Tell us about that project.

It’s a really cool concept. It’s educating the Black community and showing that there’s people in industries where

the minority community may [be underrepresented], specifically the Black community. Whether it’s investing or home ownership or banking, we’re looking at anything that can inspire the minority community to go beyond where they’re at, and to show that we can be a part of those industries and we can be at those tables as well.

Why should businesses and organizations in Colorado Springs be getting on board with video marketing?

What’s important is for people to treat video like an employee. You have to hire an employee. You have to train an employee. You have to put money behind an employee. You have to cater to that employee to make sure they are the best version of what they are to represent your business. Not only do I have to create this video, I have to think where this video is going to go. I’ve got to say, ‘Who do I need to send it to? How much money do I need to put behind it? Every week I need to put $100 behind that video so it can get to this bar and then this bar.’ It’s so important because video can reach places that you can’t. It’s an extension of your business, and it’s a salesperson, so it’s treated like an employee. n CSBJ

Front The

Pikes Peak or Bust

The rodeo has long ties to the local military community

BY TED ROBERTSON

The 2023 Pikes Peak or Bust

Rodeo has come and gone, but since it was established in the 1930s, the iconic event has made a mark on both the local economy and, most notably, the military community.

Colorado Springs resident Ron Fitch brings the connection between the rodeo and military community neatly in to focus. Fitch is veteran of the Army Special Forces, having served 24 years on active duty as a Green Beret. He spent the last two of those years at Fort Carson as garrison commander before retiring.

These days he serves UCHealth as president of Pikes Peak Regional Hospital and Grandview Hospital.

Part of Fitch’s work with UCHealth has him involved with the Next Chapter project, a partnership formed between Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration, Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center and UCHealth. Next Chapter is a pilot suicide awareness and prevention initiative funded for a 3-year period by a $1.3 million grant. Colorado Senate Bill 21-129 established the funding.

Fitch commits his volunteer time to serving as a member of the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo board of directors. He’s well versed in the rodeo’s history and connection to the military.

“The rodeo goes back to 1937 and was brought and developed by Spencer Penrose,” Fitch says. “And actually, the first location was back behind The Broadmoor hotel…,” he adds. He goes on to explain the rodeo’s long-standing connection to the military community.

“You know if you go back and you talk about the military connection too, Spencer Penrose died in 1939. But the people that took on and carried on the rodeo to continue with his legacy…,” Fitch says. “ Once Camp Carson was established in 1941, the land was donated by the community to the War Department. The decision was made that all proceeds from the rodeo would then

go back to the military community here in Colorado Springs to support those qualityof-life initiatives for service members and their families.”

The Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo Foundation oversees the rodeo as well as related events like the annual Street Breakfast, which, Fitch notes, he helps to organize. Thousands gather Downtown for the annual tradition and enjoy food cooked up on large griddles by members of the military from area bases who volunteer every year for the event.

“We have upwards of 325 volunteers,” Fitch says. “A lot of service members will volunteer while they’re on active duty. And even when they PCS, they’re taking vacation to come back here and volunteer at the rodeo. It’s pretty amazing to see.”

According to Nikki Wall, public relations director for the rodeo, donations to the military from the Foundation amount to about $180,000 every year.

The rodeo celebrates and honors the military community by giving each night of the weeklong event a theme.

This year’s rodeo started with the U.S. Army Space Missile Defense Command & MDA Night. The second night was dedicated to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson. The third evening was First Responders & 302nd Airlift Wing Night. And wrapping up the week’s events, the Friday matinee was dedicated to Guard and Reserve units and educators in the area. That evening was Space Night. Saturday’s matinee was committed to Air Force Academy cadets, followed by NORAD/USNORTHCOM Night on Saturday.

— Ron Fitch

Fitch says the rodeo has grown recently to add more performances and events which, he notes, sell out quickly. It is now home to the National Finals Rodeo Open where competitors will come from Canada, Mexico and throughout the United States looking for a piece of the $1 million purse. And, it has recently earned a

new distinction — the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo is the second-oldest sporting event in Colorado Springs behind the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Fitch explains that all those years add up to make the rodeo a legacy event and in October of this year, it will be inducted in to the Colorado

Springs Sports Hall of Fame.

With the help of community minded veterans like Fitch and others, and as it continues to grow in prominence and popularity, the rodeo will be able to serve and support more members of the military community and their families.

The Veterans Voice News Service, presented by The Veterans Voice Project and Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center, provides weekly, military and business-themed news, analysis and commentary for The Front in partnership with the Colorado Springs Business Journal

A lot of service members will volunteer while they’re on active duty.

Courtesy Visit COS

Brian Q. Gauck

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