Headlines — July 19, 2022

July 19, 2022

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Boulder Launches New Online Resource For Emergency Preparedness

Community members now have an online resource to help residents learn how to prepare for wildfires, floods, and other emergencies.

The portal will show how to sign up for emergency alerts, put together a go-bag, and create a safety plan for your family. It links to the emergency updates blog and the Office of Disaster Management website. 

Due to the natural environment and changing climate, it’s critical that community members are prepared to respond quickly if there is a wildfire, flood, or other disasters.

Conservationists Unveil Wolf Restoration Plan

On Monday, wildlife protection advocates released the “Colorado Wolf Restoration Plan. Advocates say the wildlife protection plan is the first step in fulfilling Coloradans’ 2020 vote to reintroduce gray wolf populations to the Rocky Mountains. 

The plan outlines twelve habitat blocks for wolf reintroduction, including Rocky Mountain National Park which spans across the Western Slope. The habitat blocks were chosen based on the availability of elk and other prey while keeping a distance from humans and domestic animals. 

Advocates hope the reintroduction of gray wolves will help ecosystems thrive by checking elk populations. Since the eradication of Colorado’s wolves, which ended in 1945, elk populations grew to rates too high to work sustainably within the ecosystem, leading to what the report calls “a slowly building ecological disaster and biodiversity loss.”

“Wolves have a tremendous impact on biodiversity and ecosystem health,” said Johanna Hamburger, of the Animal Welfare Institute’s terrestrial wildlife program. “By reducing overbrowsing by elk and deer, wolves improve the quality of riparian habitat, which benefits beavers, songbirds, amphibians, and fish. The plan lays out a path forward that would restore balance to landscapes across the Western Slope.”

Also outlined are procedures for minimizing wolf attacks on livestock and compensation in the case that agricultural losses occur, and prohibits the killing of wolves preying on livestock on public land.

Colorado Authorities Distribute Grants To Help Communities With Human/Bear Conflict

As part of a recently signed new nature conservation law, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is distributing grants to develop programs to minimize human/bear conflict. Boulder County will receive more than 100 thousand dollars to place bear-resistant trash bins and electrified fencing in the towns of Jamestown and Lyons. The Boulder-based non-profit Community Fruit Rescue will receive 45 thousand dollars to expand local capacity to harvest urban fruit trees.

Plane Crash In North Boulder

Four people were killed this weekend when a small passenger aircraft crashed into the hills north of Boulder. Officials originally stated that only one person was killed in the crash, but have since revised the number of deaths to all four members aboard the plane. Officials say the plane was registered to a Broomfield-based Aviation LLC. They have not released the identities of those killed in the crash, which also started a small wildfire.

Denver Working To Provide Cash Assistance For Persons Experiencing Homelessness

Denver’s Mayor Michael B. Hancock and the Department of Housing Stability are 

working to pass a basic income program to address the area’s homelessness. The program would use  2 million dollars from the American rescue plan act to provide a thousand dollar monthly payment to nearly 140 individuals living without a home in Denver. 

Denver’s center for housing homelessness research will oversee the program. 

Cities like Stockton CA, Vancouver, Los Angeles, and New York that utilize similar programs have seen positive outcomes with this assistance such as increases in full-time employment,  moving into full-time housing more quickly, increased food security, and a reduction in spending on alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes.

Director Britta Fisher explains, “By providing a small amount of basic income, the City can help lift people out of homelessness more quickly and cost-effectively. We are confident in the resiliency of our residents and their ability to leverage a small amount of basic income to work best in their unique individual circumstances.” 

The pilot program is one of many the Department of Housing Stability has identified to address homelessness in Denver.

Longmont To Select Three Colorado Artists As Finalists For A Mural Project 

The Longmont Art in Public Places is joining forces with the Boulder County Housing Authority to select a Colorado-based artist for a mural project tomorrow, Wednesday, July 20th.

Longmont Art in Public Places will host the open meeting for a selection panel to choose the finalist for the “Spoke Mural project.”

The Spoke Mural project will feature a 1,600-square-foot mural on the top tiers of the parking garage of The Spoke building, which is part of the Boulder County Housing Authority in Downtown Longmont. The art will face east and be visible from Main Street.

The project selection panel narrowed the field of Colorado artists to three finalists. The panel will choose between artist AJ Davis, from Denver, and artist ILL.DES, also from Denver, and artist Mariah Kaminsky out of Durango. Each artist will be given 30 minutes to present the proposed design concept. And then members of the public will be given two minutes per person to promote their choice of the artist.

Once the mural is completed the artist is to receive a $60,000 commission.

The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Longmont Museum’s Stewart Auditorium at 400 Quail Rd. in Longmont.

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