Good morning, Colorado.
I’ve been hitting the snooze button more often than normal the past two days, but daylight saving time isn’t the only culprit. Over the weekend, I took a winter survival class near Kenosha Pass to learn how to best prepare if I were forced to stay overnight in the backcountry with only the gear in my day pack. At 10,115 feet, I learned to build different types of snow shelters (like a quinzee), create a compass using the sun and pinecones, and how to start a fire in the snow, before hunkering down in my snow trench for the night.
As I crawled out of my trench at the day’s first light, my eyes felt heavy and my body ached from all of the shoveling. But sometimes, it’s all worth it knowing you did something you weren’t sure you could do.
That being said, I’m grateful for my fuzzy slippers and hot coffee while I write this morning’s newsletter from the warmth of my home. Let’s get reading.
Reporter
THE NEWS
ENVIRONMENT
Colorado Parks and Wildlife lands a spectacular hunting and fishing ranch in South Park
Calling all hunters and anglers — there’s a new state wildlife area to add to your list. Nearly 1,900 acres of stunning South Park fishing and hunting habitat will be turned into a new state wildlife area later this year after Great Outdoors Colorado funded most of the $8.25 million purchase of Collard Ranch on Tarryall Creek. Public access could begin “in months,” but in the meantime, Michael Booth has more details on the 5 miles of pristine trout stream and ranch that is known as a corridor for thousands of elk moving to and from the nearby mountains.
WATER
How do Colorado ski resorts prepare for a changing climate? Ask Eldora Mountain Resort.
Ski resorts may only take up a tiny slice of Colorado’s overall water use, but they’ll likely need to boost their supply by about 41% by 2050, according to state estimates. Eldora Mountain Resort is eyeing water storage sites to prepare for new ski runs and a drier future, and people opposed to the effort are requesting more transparency in their plans, Shannon Mullane reports.
HEALTH
Colorado leads on medical debt protections, even as health care costs remain “out of control”
For nearly half her life, Lindsay Vance has carried medical debt. It began stacking up when she was 19 and has prevented her from having a car, an apartment and credit cards in her name for most of her adult life. A newly enacted law aims to help the 700,000 Coloradans like Vance by removing medical debt from consumer credit reports. Sara Wilson digs into the legislation that is putting Colorado at the forefront of the issue.
EDUCATION
Need to use the bathroom during class? At this Colorado school, students must first show their ID.
Asking your teacher if you can step out for a bathroom break during class no longer requires simply raising your hand at Eagle Ridge Academy, a charter school in Brighton that now requires kids to show their student ID before dashing to the restroom. The school’s principal says the new policy seeks to cut down on loitering and vandalism, but many students are frustrated, saying they are sometimes forced to wait several hours for the restroom. Erica Breunlin has more.
BUSINESS
Why Colorado had higher unemployment rates but more job growth in 2023 than the Feds reported
Colorado’s labor market last year wasn’t quite as sluggish as federal data estimated, Tamara Chuang reports. With stronger job growth and overall economic growth rates outpacing national averages, the latest revisions to the state’s numbers are painting a rosier picture.
READ MORE, HEAR MORE IN TODAY’S SUN-UP PODCAST
Section by Olivia Prentzel | Reporter
THE COLORADO REPORT
🔑 = source has article meter or paywall
Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
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.
SunLit
“Disneyland on the Mountain” recounts a high-profile tussle for development rights
At a time when Walt Disney exercised tremendous influence on American culture, he and his company set their sights on developing a massive ski area in California’s Mineral King Valley. Co-authors and spouses Kathryn Mayer and Greg Glasgow couldn’t believe no one had written a book about the competition for what turned out to be an ill-fated bid — and the fledgling environmental movement that mobilized to stop it. So they wrote it themselves, and in this week’s excerpt describe the beginnings of the star-studded effort that stretched for more than a decade.
Section by Kevin Simpson | Writer
Enjoy today’s sunshine. We hope to catch you back here tomorrow.
— Olivia & the whole staff of The Sun
Corrections & Clarifications
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