All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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In July 2021, the Boulder City Council greenlighted the development of a 9.8-acre parcel of land near Celestial Seasonings in Gunbarrel, a long-time home to a large prairie dog colony. Over a year later, the first stage of the project is underway. The controversial development project, which will add 230 apartments, a cafe, library, art space, community areas, mobility hub, and green space to the land along Spine Road, has been a source of tension between Gunbarrel residents and the City of...
On Monday, July 4, the Niwot Historical Society welcomed Fourth of July parade-goers to take a self-guided tour of the Niwot Fire House Museum as part of their patriotic revels. The Niwot Fire House, which was built in 1910 to house the Niwot area firefighting equipment, now is a tiny museum packed with local historic items, including classic school desks, an old anvil, old post office boxes, and other Niwot artifacts. Attendees young and old enjoyed a stop-off at the museum for a self-paced...
"Kore That Awakening," a sculpture on loan from Ukrainian artist Egor Zigura, is getting closer to calling Niwot home. On April 1, the Sculpture Park Committee of the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA), made up of Anne Postle, Lisa Rivard, and Jill Whitener, kicked off a fundraising effort to purchase the sculpture. Since the event, the fund to purchase the $25,000 sculpture has continued to grow. Vicki Maurer, treasurer of the NCAA, said the total money raised to date sits at $9,899.60....
Five months have elapsed since the Marshall Fire, and as the affected families continue the long process of rebuilding their homes and lives, Niwot's 'Small Town, Big Heart' campaign continues to drive on toward the Niwot Business Association's goal of donating $100,000 to victims of the devastating fire. Deborah Read Fowler, vice-president of the NBA and local broker at the Niwot Colorado Landmark office, has spearheaded the Small Town, Big Heart Wildfire Relief Fund campaign from day one. "I...
Where there's smoke, there's fire, but that's not always a bad thing. In the case of prescribed burns, fire is often used as a land management tool to help maintain agricultural properties, including ditches that provide water for open space farming and ranching operations. Prescribed burns are also used to help control plant growth and invasive weed species. After the recent Marshall Fire and the NCAR Fire, it's understandable for residents to be concerned when they see smoke - even if that...
Over the last 41 years, the Boulder County Fairgrounds has grown from a site singularly focused on hosting the Boulder County Fair to a multi-purpose venue supporting a wide variety of community events. While the fairgrounds is still home to the Boulder County Fair, it now hosts 1,500 annual events drawing over 400,000 visitors. It also operates as an evacuation center in times of disaster. Even as the use of the fairgrounds has dramatically increased in recent years, the facilities have not...
In the six months since Farow opened, co-owners Lisa and Patrick Balcom have been busy bringing the best local ingredients to diners' plates-an endeavor that recently garnered the attention of Slow Food USA which awarded Farow the Slow Foods Snail of Approval. This award is given to food and beverage establishments that are pursuing and practicing Slow Food values in their business. These values go beyond just dishing up top-rated cuisine. The award specifically recognizes businesses that have...
The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) normally implements its first round of seasonal wildlife closures on Feb. 1, to protect cliff-nesting raptors such as peregrine falcons, prairie falcons, and golden eagles. For 2022, the City of Boulder OSMP will implement several seasonal closures to protect sensitive habitats that support many wildlife species, including cliff-nesting raptors, bald eagles, grassland-nesting birds, burrowing owls, and bats. Many of these wildlife species...
Last summer was the first time I signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) membership with a local farm. I had long debated about getting a vegetable share, but for various reasons, mostly owing to my frazzled memory, I missed the spring sign-up window. By the time I remembered my good intentions, CSA registrations were usually filled, and I would have to content myself with picking up local fare at the weekend Farmer's Market. Not a bad option, mind you, though I only would ever go...
February is American Heart Month and to kickstart your cardiovascular health, here are some astounding facts about the human heart. - The human heart pumps blood through the 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the body. By comparison, the distance around the Earth at the equator is about 24,901 miles. - Your heart beats approximately 100,000 times per day. That's about 5 times the number of breaths you take every day. - Each heartbeat pumps about 4 tablespoons of blood which amounts to around 1.5...
The beginning of February finally brought the Arctic chill typical of a Colorado winter. With temperatures dropping below zero and highs barely above freezing, you could be forgiven if you traded your normal exercise routine for sitting by a blazing fire and sipping hot chocolate. We won't judge. But if you are feeling motivated, the ice, snow, and cold temperatures don't have to stop you from getting in your daily exercise. If you aren't inclined to hit the gym, you can still safely get outside...
The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) recently announced that active construction of the Cottontail Trail north of Lookout Road and east of the Gunbarrel Estates would resume on Monday, Jan. 24. This section of the Cottontail Trail will be closed for the duration of the construction and is expected to re-open sometime in mid-April, weather permitting, pending the completion of the trail. The ongoing realignment and resurfacing project is part of a larger improvement effort...
Jack's Solar Garden is seeking applicants to fill two community-focused roles for 2022. The family-owned solar garden, which is located between Niwot and Longmont off of North 95th Street, recently posted a call for their 2022 Artist on the Farm program and opened a position for an agrivoltaics education specialist at the farm's non-profit Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center (CALC). Agrivoltaics, or the practice of growing crops in conjunction with solar panels, is Jack's Solar Garden's unique...
In the wake of the Marshall Fire, many homeowners might be wondering how to be better prepared in case of future urban wildfires. Urban wildfires like the Marshall Fire, while relatively rare in Colorado when compared to the incidence of forest fires in the state, can be incredibly destructive and fast-moving, as the events of Dec. 30 proved. This type of fire is not entirely unprecedented as both the Black Forest Fire and Waldo Canyon Fire saw the destruction of homes at the wildland urban...
Boulder County will conduct extensive field work as part of the preliminary design phase of the proposed bikeway connecting Longmont and Boulder along Highway 119. The proposed bikeway design was initially presented to the community at a public meeting on Aug. 30. Since then, Boulder County has received more than 1,000 survey responses and 45 comments, in addition to the questions and comments from attendees of the meeting. The estimated timeline for the project has a preliminary design being...
The story, names, characters, and incidents portrayed below are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons or Christmas 2021 events is purely coincidental. Jeremy and Megan weren't planning on getting a new puppy yet. Their 14-year-old dog had passed away the summer before and while they wanted another dog eventually, they weren't sure when that time would be. But when Jeremy stumbled across this particular puppy on the Human Society's website, he knew that pup was the one. Megan agreed as so...
On Dec. 7, Boulder County Commissioners approved the budget to fund 23 of 32 proposed Boulder County Parks & Open Space projects. The $1.5 million line item for the proposed Capital & Stewardship plan is funded by the county open space sales tax, money that is designated to support the acquisition of open space and pay for programs that help preserve habitat, provide educational and recreational programs and create and maintain trails. In addition to the sales tax funding, the county will utiliz...
As 2021 draws to a close, we look ahead to 2022 with hopes for a big (and better) year. However, few people likely have the same definition of a Big Year as local author and birding expert, John Vanderpoel. In May, Vanderpoel published his book "Full Chase Mode: Big Year of Birding in North America" which follows the 365 days he spent chasing a birding record in 2011, in an endeavor known in the birding world as a "Big Year." For birders, doing a Big Year is a kind of bucket list project. For...
On Nov. 1, Front Range Community College (FRCC) announced that the college has received approval from the Higher Learning Commission to offer a new degree—a two-year Associate of Engineering Science (AES). FRCC is the first community college in the state of Colorado to offer this type of degree. Though FRCC has previously offered an engineering pathway for students wanting to pursue a bachelor's degree in engineering, the process of transferring FRCC credits to an accredited four-year program was often complicated since transfer agreements d...
As the Christmas carol goes, it's beginning to look a lot like ... well ... not exactly Christmas. Or at least not a wintery December, as Niwot has yet to see any significant snow accumulation this season.. That, along with unseasonably warm temperatures, has residents wondering if winter will ever show up. And while Colorado's warm weather and dry conditions could easily change at the drop of a hat (as the saying goes, if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes) the longer-term consequenc...
Turkey Trots seem to be the ubiquitous activity of choice for many on Thanksgiving morning. These fun races vary in distance from 5k to 10k (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter) and usually feature more than a few people festively sporting a turkey outfit. This year, in lieu of trotting, some Niwot runners opted to take their Turkey Trot to the track - for a speedy mile run at the Turkey Mile 4 REAL. The event, which was put on by REAL Training, featured seven one-mile races hosted at the Niwot...
October 2021 marked the one year anniversary for the Little Shops at Niwot (7960 Niwot Rd., Suite D-15), a unique small business collaboration that began life last year as the Little Holiday Shops at Niwot. And though the storefront has rebranded and moved across the shopping center, the business, which functions as a type of co-op for local artists and vendors, has continued to see success. "When you think about it, there were a lot of pop-up vendors who lost their opportunity to do farmer's...
Hundreds of Canada geese take off from the mowed fields around Dodd Reservoir where they have spent the day browsing for food. The evening sky is going purple after a clear day. Some of these geese make a fuss, honking as they take off. Others silently glide away, the turmoil of a disordered flock resolving into a giant V-formation that disappears into the distance. But where are they going? According to the Audubon Society, in North America, seven out of 10 bird species participate in either a...
The Altona Grange Hall sits on a little over an acre on the corner of Nelson Road and North 39th Street. From its hilltop vantage point, visitors to this historic site can enjoy views that stretch all the way to the Flatirons on a clear day. Yet few people may know the history of this unassuming, tidy building - or be aware that the 126-year-old structure is due for a facelift to restore its exterior to its 1895 origins. This facelift is the latest project in a restoration effort that began in...
For Niwot resident, Cathy McCall, gardening is much more than a casual weekend hobby. McCall, who lives on 3rd Avenue in downtown Niwot, has used her enthusiasm for gardening to not only curate her own yard into a pollinator (and wildlife) paradise, but she has also been helping her neighbors turn little corners of their property into similarly inviting oases of flowers, shrubs, and grasses. Her latest project is a pollinator garden on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Franklin, where Niwot resident...
Boulder County Parks & Open Space is currently accepting entries for the 2021 Outdoor Creations Plein Air Art Show. This juried art exhibit will run from November 12 through December 30. Submitted artwork will be displayed at the Great Frame Up in Longmont. The 2021 art exhibit will focus on en plein air art or art created from observation in the outdoors. The en plein air technique or "working in the open air" is a style of painting where an artist leaves behind the four walls of the studio...
On July 8, the Board of Boulder County Commissioners held a town hall meeting to discuss increased recreational visitation to Boulder County Parks and Open Space properties. The 90-minute Zoom meeting also discussed programs and activities that are being hosted by area partners and the county and answered questions from residents. County commissioners, Matt Jones, Claire Levy, and Marta Loachamin were joined by interim co-director of Boulder County Parks and Open Space, Jeff Moline, as well as...
Boulder County Parks and Open Space recently completed several planting projects to offset canopy loss on open space property caused by the emerald ash borer. County staff and volunteers planted 52 new trees at four trailheads throughout the county, including at the Niwot Loop and Lefthand Valley Grange Trailheads. Funding for the project was provided, in part, by a $1,500 grant that Boulder County received from the Colorado Tree Coalition (CTC), a nonprofit that works with commercial and munici...
Looking for a fun way to celebrate Independence Day this year? Now you can kick off the 4th with a celebratory run down Niwot Road. Brand new for 2021, the Niwot Downhill Mile will feature a mostly downhill course starting at Niwot High School at 8 a.m. and finishing at Niwot Market. After the race, participants can enjoy a pancake breakfast at the Market until 10:30 a.m., along with local vendors before the motorcade kicks off at 11 a.m. Registration starts on the day of the race at Niwot...
Last year, the Cal-Wood Fire burned 10,113 acres and damaged or destroyed 26 structures. The fire, which was fully contained on Nov. 14, burned for nearly a month, and an investigation by the Boulder County Sheriff's office found the cause of the fire to be undetermined. Now, six months later and after months of planning, modeling, surveying, and assessing fire damage, Boulder County Parks and Open Space, along with other key stakeholders, are beginning the recovery work on some of the land...
Visitors looking to get out on the trails or to head out camping in certain areas of Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests this summer have some new rules and regulations to navigate. In a recent press release, the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland managers noted that they are currently "exploring new strategies to help visitors have safe and enjoyable outdoor experiences this summer while protecting wildlife, clean water and healthy forests." In 2021, these s...
The City of Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) is planning to build a new loop trail in the northwest corner of the Gunbarrel Hill open space. The approximately 1,000-acre open space site, which is owned by the City of Boulder and managed by its Open Space and Mountain Parks Department, is located to the south of Lookout Road between North 75th Street and North 95th Street. The proposed loop trail is estimated to add roughly two miles of trail to the system and is part of a larger...
On April 3, the Longmont Farmers Market started in full swing for the 2021 season. The market, which is held at the Boulder County Fairgrounds, will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through November 20. "It was great that we were able to open on time this year," said Brian Coppom, executive director of the Boulder County Farmers Markets (BCFM). Last year, the opening day for the Boulder County markets was delayed by eight weeks due to COVID-19 restrictions. For the 2021 market,...
From historic droughts and wildfires, recent air quality scandals, unwanted dam expansion, rapid development, and population growth, Colorado is facing both challenges and opportunities in the management of the state’s natural resources in light of climate change. The Longmont Museum is tackling these tough topics with a week-long virtual program to discuss these big issues facing our environment. The Climate Change series will examine climate change, its impact, and potential solutions. ...
The City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) recently announcedseveral planned prescribed fire projects in the coming weeks. These prescribed fires, also known as controlled burns, are intended to help improve open space agricultural properties and irrigation ditches and waterways utilized by farmers and ranchers in the area. The burns are used to remove vegetation from irrigation infrastructure where the vegetation competes for water, as well as to help control plant growth and...
As we eagerly await the official start of spring, there's plenty to look forward to in Niwot during March. Starting March 1, and continuing all month, visitors to Niwot can participate in a St. Patrick's Day-inspired virtual scavenger hunt. This festive activity, sponsored by the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) and the Niwot Business Association (NBA), will send players on a quest to find the lucky leprechauns hidden around town. Owner of Deborah Read Fowler Real Estate (DRF) and recent L...
If you or your cat has ever been anxious about a trip to the veterinarian, Left Hand Animal Hospital is one veterinary practice that has gone the extra mile to provide veterinary care that is less stressful for both cats and their caregivers. The hospital, which is also a certified fear-free practice, recently announced that they are now a certified Cat Friendly Practice® (CFP). This program, established by the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and the International Society...
Growing up, I remember a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" playing regularly on the radio. The last lines of the chorus have always stuck with me: Don't it always seem to go / That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone / They paved paradise to put up a parking lot. Truly, I didn't know what I had growing up in Colorado until I took a short excursion to live in another state. I traded the Rocky Mountains for a brief stint in central Texas, and it didn't take me long to see that I...
"Spring has sprung, the grass is ris, I wonder where the birdies is?" - children's rhyme Turns out the birds are all around, you simply need to take the time to look. Time, which some folks have found an excess of during the pandemic, has inspired people to flock to all sorts of new hobbies-one of which is bird watching. Jamie Simo, store manager of Front Range Birding Company in Boulder, said you don't have to wait for spring to start bird watching in the area. "We always get really...
On Aug. 27, 2020, the Veterans Community Project (VCP) broke ground on a two-acre site in Longmont, the beginning of the much-anticipated construction of a tiny home village for homeless veterans. Governor Jared Polis and Niwot resident Kevin Mulshine of HMS Development were among the speakers who oversaw the groundbreaking ceremonies. The joint venture between VCP, the City of Longmont, and HMS Development is in the process of transforming the property into a tiny home village to serve...
In February, the Longmont Library will be hosting a digital art expo for artists of all ages and experience levels to display their work. For artists interested in sharing their work, the library will be accepting submission through the end of January. Teresa Myers, marketing and communications manager for the Longmont Public Library, hopes to see wide community participation from beginners to professionals."If anyone has created something that brought them joy in the process of creating it, we...
On June 11, 2020, a beautiful flower bloomed somewhere in Japan. That same day in Colorado, Gunbarrel resident Beniko Olsen drove home with her family after 45 days in the hospital fighting for her life after contracting COVID-19. But first, she directed her husband and two sons to stop off at Starbucks for a long-anticipated Matcha latte. Olsen is a petite woman with a radiant smile and a joyous laugh. In her late 60s, she worked for over 20 years as a teacher's aide at a local preschool while...
As wishes for a white Christmas were foiled by 60 degrees and plenty of sunshine, folks continue to head to higher elevations to seek out snow. And while the current snowpack in Colorado is below average and snowfall has come in fits and spurts, the avalanche danger across much of the state is currently moderate to high. This includes some areas of Indian Peaks Wilderness, Rocky Mountain National Park, and other high alpine zones where locals might be headed to find fresh powder. These local...
Like many first-time business owners, Stacey Slupik didn't know exactly what to expect when she started her flower farm business in 2020. What started as a passion project for Slupik, a mother of three who discovered flower farming in her search for a fulfilling creative outlet, quickly grew into a way for Slupik to share her newfound love of home-grown flowers with the local community. Unknowingly, she picked a year to start her flower farm when people were actively looking for ways to bring jo...
In 2018, the EPA reported the total generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States was 292.4 million tons or 4.9 pounds per person per day. Of the total MSW, 25 million tons were composted. This included approximately 22.3 million tons of yard trimmings and 2.6 million tons of food waste across the United States. At a local level, Boulder County estimates that almost 20% of the waste stream in Boulder County is plant trimmings and fruit and vegetable scraps that could be recycled as compost. As part of Boulder County’s o...
On Nov. 18, Boulder County hosted a virtual public meeting to discuss current and future improvements to cycling corridors in east Boulder County. The virtual meeting discussing future bike improvements had 113 participants and was followed by a short Q/A session. Three separate issues related to improving cycling safety, and access in eastern Boulder County were discussed with several county representatives giving a high-level overview of each project or proposed improvement. First,...
In the closing line of the poem First Things First, W.H. Auden writes, "Thousands have lived without love, but not one without water." Water is the topic of author and retired water resource manager Bob Crifasi's lecture for the Niwot Historical Society's latest Now & Then lecture series set to be released on Nov. 18. Crifasi's lecture, "From Desert To Oasis, A Land Made From Water," will be available for the public to watch on the Niwot Historical Society's YouTube channel. Crifasi worked for...
Veterinarian Dr. Crystal Conner has devoted her career to helping animals ever since graduating from CSU's veterinary school in 2007. In June 2016, she joined Niwot's Left Hand Animal Hospital after several years of working as an emergency veterinarian. Connor's work helping animals in the local community extended to a pet CPR training that she offered for first responders in Boulder County, a class that she has previously taught to firefighters and medics with the Mountain View Fire District...
On March 5, 2020, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's public health laboratory confirmed the first presumptive positive COVID-19 test result in Colorado. What followed is well known to Coloradans, but looking back to March, there are some behind-the-scenes heroes from the early months of the pandemic who deserve some added thanks, namely the volunteers and organizations who helped support early mask-making endeavors in local communities. When COVID-19 cases were first on t...
4 marks the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment which guaranteed women the constitutional right to vote in the United States. However, this year does not mark the 100th year of women voters in Colorado as the state actually granted women voting rights in 1893, 27 years before the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. The Niwot Historical Society will be exploring the history of women's suffrage in Colorado with Dr. Rebecca Hunt in the latest NHS Now & Then fall lecture series. Hunt's...
