Good morning, Colorado!
I turned 40 yesterday, and the timing was such that the page turned on my 30s right as I was dipping into a hot spring pool full of arsenic. As I soaked, I thought back to my parents’ 40th birthday parties, complete with black balloons, gag gifts of walking canes and “over the hill” cards. It felt like such a momentous milestone to me back then — the midpoint for life, the beginning of the end, etc.
But I feel healthier than ever, more capable than ever and I haven’t been able to shake the feeling that I’m just getting started. So no matter how long it takes you to scroll backwards to find your birth year when you’re filling out a form online, remember that the absolutely cliché line “you’re only as old as you feel” seems a little bit more true every day.
Speaking of today, we’ve got a newsletter full of stories that grapple with the past, highlight the forces shaping Colorado right here in the present and look at how we’re fighting for the future.
So let’s blow out these candles and dig into a corner piece of this news cake, shall we?
CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE NEWS
WATER
Coloradans could spend $2 billion-plus replacing water-hungry grass in the name of conservation
One of the most popular strategies for conserving water in Colorado continues to be the replacement of thirsty, nonfunctional turf with local vegetation that doesn’t require the regular watering that traditional grass does. Shannon Mullane breaks down a new report that calculated the cost and water savings of the most ambitious turf-replacement plans — and why water experts and landscapers are backing the move despite the high cost and relatively low water savings.
EQUITY
How Ute tribes in Colorado resisted U.S. boarding schools
In 2022, the Colorado legislature directed History Colorado to produce a report documenting the impacts of the federally run boarding schools for Native American children within the state’s boundaries. Kristin Jones with The Colorado Trust has a deep dive into the report — and how the Ute tribes of the state organized and resisted the often deadly attempts to assimilate tribal kids.
CLIMATE
Colorado has hit 80% of its goal to cut greenhouse gases — but it must double down to reach 100%
Ask anyone working on a complex project, and they’ll tell you it’s the last 20% that takes the most work. And as Michael Booth reports, the last fifth of the work the state needs to do to cut greenhouse emissions in half by 2030 includes rapid transit, passenger rail, plugging more old oil wells and other actions that the state has historically struggled with.
MORE NEWS
Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
THE COLORADO REPORT
🔑 = source has article meter or paywall
Section by Olivia Prentzel | Reporter
THE OPINION PAGE
COMMUNITY
The Colorado Sun is a nonpartisan news organization, and the opinions of columnists and editorial writers do not reflect the opinions of the newsroom. Read our ethics policy for more on The Sun’s opinion policy and submit columns, suggest writers or provide feedback at opinion@coloradosun.com.
Tuesday: SunLit
SunLit
In “Lorelle of the Dark,” a contentious meeting about impending war
Author Todd Fahnestock creates fantasy worlds with the best of them, but like most good stories, his lean heavily on character. That’s strikingly evident in this excerpt from the beginning of his novel, “Lorelle of the Dark,” in which three key players convene in what emerges as something of a strategy session for a war that lies ahead.
Kevin Simpson | Writer
Happy birthday to my fellow February Pisces reading this, especially those lucky few Leap Year babies who get to celebrate this week!
See you back here tomorrow.
— Eric & the whole staff of The Sun
Corrections & Clarifications
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