A tall fence separating Cielo Vista Ranch from the rest of the San Luis Valley
About 20 miles of tall fence borders the Cielo Vista Ranch east of San Luis. (Owen Woods, Alamosa Citizen)
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Good morning and happy 7/11!

I won’t be partaking in the annual corporatized ritual of getting a Slurpee on this date, but not because of some kind of moral objection. It’s just that I recently splurged on a nugget ice machine at Costco — mostly to save money on my one true vice, a Big Icy Gas Station Drink — and my beverage needs are handled.

But with temps in the 100s for parts of Colorado in the forecast, that seemingly indulgent purchase almost seems like a prudent reaction to the reality of climate change, where extreme heat and ozone flares make it harder to go outside on some summer days. And beyond the personal inconvenience, the changing relationship between the environment and Colorado’s lifestyle are causing some major upheavals, including the struggle to keep homes insured against threats that are more common than ever.

Our environment reporter Michael Booth hosted a fascinating conversation among insurance regulators, consumer advocates and industry representatives about this very question, and you can watch it all right here. It’s a necessary and urgent discussion that you’ll want to see whether you own a home or just aspire to someday.

With that in mind, let’s dive into today’s newsletter, where we dig deeper into a battle over how land is used, take a look at just how bad the air can get this summer and much more.

Let’s pour another Sidral over our nugget ice and get going, shall we?

P.S. — Pro tip on watching longer YouTube videos like our home insurance discussion: if you don’t have a full hour to watch, try adjusting the playback settings on YouTube to play it at 1.5x speed. It’s a little jarring at first, but you can really absorb a lot of information quickly with this technique!

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Eli Rael uses rocks to prop open a gate in the 8-foot fence that separates his ranch from the Cielo Vista Ranch boundary. His cattle move through the gate to graze on the mountain, then return home to drink from the creek. Rael recently was accused of trespassing when he went to check on his cows on horseback. (John McEvoy, Special to The Colorado Sun)

The local residents who are fighting for access to the Cielo Vista Ranch were relieved to see that Colorado’s attorney general personally arrived to inspect the 20-mile-long, 8-foot-high wire fence on the property. But as Jennifer Brown reports, it’s unclear exactly how the state’s top law enforcement official will get involved in the ongoing fight.

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Smog from forest fires in northern Alberta obscures areas of downtown Denver on May 22, 2023. The Canadian smoke added to Denver’s existing ozone problems and created high pollution warning days for the Front Range. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)

Even before the upcoming heat wave that could spike ozone levels, the Front Range logged 12 days of readings above the 2015-era EPA limit for toxic ozone and seven days of readings above the looser 2008-era ozone limits. Michael Booth explains the violations and how these limits are used to determine whether the region should be moved to the category of “extreme” violations, up from the current “severe.”

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Lawmakers gather on the Colorado House floor Jan. 12, 2022, in Denver at the start of the 2022 session. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun)

Colorado Democrats have two goals this November: Maintain the supermajority in the state House and achieve a supermajority in the Senate. Jesse Paul breaks down the races to watch and what achieving those goals could mean, including the ability for the party to refer constitutional amendments to the ballot without Republican support.

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Southern Ute Chairman Melvin Baker, right, and Ute Mountain Ute Chairman Manuel Heart are welcomed into the Colorado House chambers Jan. 11, 2023, to address a joint session of the legislature. Baker emphasized resolving sports betting in his 2023 and 2024 addresses to the legislature. (Elliott Wenzler, The Colorado Sun)

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe lawsuit alleges that the state of Colorado tried to exclude the tribe from online sports betting by acting in bad faith, using delay tactics and violating a state gambling compact with the tribe. Shannon Mullane lays out the current state of betting in Colorado and details the allegations included in the suit — and how it could impact revenue for the Colorado Water Plan.

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A bull rider is launched off during the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo on Aug. 5, 2021. The rodeo is put on Thursday nights until late August by the all-volunteer Carbondale Rodeo Committee. (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun)

Rodeo Roundup. Colorado’s cowboy culture is on full display all throughout July. Whether you’re into barrel racing, bull riding or mutton busting, we’ve got an abundance of rodeos to choose from — one nearly every day of the week, and that’s before you count the county fairs.

Start the week in Fruita at the Tuesday night Rim Rock Rodeo. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Snowmass Rodeo on Wednesdays. Choose between the all-volunteer run Carbondale Wild West Rodeo and the Meeker Summer Rodeo on Thursdays. Double dip the Steamboat Pro Rodeo weekly Friday and Saturday evenings, or round out the week at the Saturday night Granby Rodeo.

A few one-off rodeos coming up this week include the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo in Colorado Springs (July 9-13), the 124-year-old Cattlemen’s Days in Gunnison (July 11-13) and the Wet Mountain Valley Stampede in Westcliffe (July 18-20).

Various prices; various dates; various locations

While you’re thinking about it, now’s a great time for a big icy drink. You deserve it.

— Eric & the whole staff of The Sun

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