In The NoCo

Kindergarten teacher Ellen Javernick has published over twenty illustrated children’s books. The Loveland resident’s first book, What If Everybody Did That? has sold more than a million copies.  

She just published her newest book titled Awesome of the Day. It tells the story of a boy named Andrew who has one bad day after the next – until he learns to change his outlook. 

Ellen teaches at Garfield Elementary School in Loveland. She says she wants her books to inspire positive behavior in kids without getting overly sappy. 

She joined Erin O’Toole to talk about what inspired her newest book, and how – at age 87 – she continues to find energy that matches that of her young students.

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Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A small herd of bison roams the Soapstone Prairie north of Fort Collins. The herd offers a glimpse of what Colorado’s high plains looked like 200 years ago. 

These bison are unique for a few reasons. First, they’re descendants of the herd at Yellowstone National Park. Second, while most bison today carry some cattle DNA, this herd has nearly pure bison genes. That has spiritual significance for many Indigenous tribes.  

The breeding project is based at Colorado State University. It's raised hundreds of bison over the last decade and transferred them to tribes and wildlife organizations.  

Jennifer Barfield has led this project for the past 10 years. She’s  a professor and reproductive physiologist at CSU. She spoke with Erin O’Toole earlier this year about how her team created the herd, and what their future plans are.

Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

A new study suggests that researchers should take a closer look at cannabis as a treatment for cancer and its symptoms. The team behind the study says the results suggest the federal government should remove restrictions on that research.  

An organization called Cancer Playbook, which is based in Evergreen, paid for the study. Cancer Playbook’s head of research says it works to provide people battling cancer with information about what treatments have helped other cancer patients – and that often includes medical marijuana. 

The study reviewed more than 10,000 published papers on medical cannabis. That makes it the most comprehensive analysis ever conducted on the topic, according to a recent story in The Guardian.  

Ryan Castle, director of research for Cancer Playbook, led the research. It found that cannabis showed clear promise in many aspects of cancer treatment, from reducing pain to shrinking tumors. 

Ryan talked with Erin O’Toole in May about the study. We’re listening back to that conversation today. He explained why it’s hard to get reliable data on the effectiveness of medical marijuana – which is legal in Colorado and many other states, but still illegal at the federal level. 

Also: Check out our recent interview with a CU researcher developing an innovative bladder cancer therapy that’s modeled on the gripping power of gecko feet. 

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

If you had a dog or cat in the house when you were growing up, your body may be better equipped to respond to stress.  

That’s according to a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder in collaboration with researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany. Stress initiates an inflammation response in our bodies. In small doses, it’s a normal part of our immune systems. However, chronic inflammation can lead to illnesses like, cardiovascular disease, and even depression and anxiety.  

Here’s where your cat or dog comes in: Researchers put participants through a series of stressful activities and measured the level of inflammation in their bodies afterward. They found that the participants who reported owning pets as kids had lower levels of inflammation after the stressful activities ended. 

So how do pets help our bodies process stress? Erin O’Toole talked with Chris Lowry, a professor of integrative physiology at CU who led this study.  

Check out a past conversation with Chris about a study that suggests a vaccine against weight gain could be on the horizon. 

Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

If you had a dog or cat in the house when you were growing up, your body may be better equipped to respond to stress.  

That’s according to a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder in collaboration with researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany. Stress initiates an inflammation response in our bodies. In small doses, it’s a normal part of our immune systems. However, chronic inflammation can lead to illnesses like, cardiovascular disease, and even depression and anxiety.  

Here’s where your cat or dog comes in: Researchers put participants through a series of stressful activities and measured the level of inflammation in their bodies afterward. They found that the participants who reported owning pets as kids had lower levels of inflammation after the stressful activities ended. 

So how do pets help our bodies process stress? Erin O’Toole talked with Chris Lowry, a professor of integrative physiology at CU who led this study.  

Check out a past conversation with Chris about a study that suggests a vaccine against weight gain could be on the horizon. 

Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

For many of us, fireflies are synonymous with childhood wonder. We chase them on summer evenings, catch them and gently put them in a jar – with plenty of holes poked in the lid, of course. 

But if you grew up in Colorado, you may have never experienced that particular wonder. You may not realize that Colorado even has native fireflies. Because of development and pesticide use destroying their habitat, it’s difficult to spot these tiny beetles glowing along the Front Range. 

Scientists with the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster hope to change that.  

Eight years ago, they began a program called the Firefly Lifecycle Project that set out to completely raise a firefly from egg to adulthood – something that had never happened in a lab setting before.  

This year, a female firefly raised entirely under human care at the Butterfly Pavilion, laid eggs. In July, one of those eggs hatched, and several more of them have done so in the weeks after. 

To learn more, we reached out to Malaney Dodson, Animal Well Being Coordinator for the project, and Rich Reading, VP of Science and Conservation at Butterfly Pavilion. 

They spoke with Erin O’Toole about what made this such a milestone for insect science, and how it might set the stage for Colorado evenings filled with fireflies.   

For more conversations about wildlife in Colorado, check out our recent interviews about the demon bunnies spotted in Fort Collins; how to survive an encounter with a moose,; and a network of volunteers that helps the Butterfly Pavilion monitor Colorado’s butterflies. 

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Every year, in an historic mining town in the mountains, runners lace up their running shoes and approach the starting line with their most loyal burro by their side.  

The annual pack burro race in Victor, southwest of Colorado Springs, sees athletes and burros run side-by-side over mountain trails and roads. 

Pack burro racing is the official summer heritage sport of Colorado. Burros, also known as donkeys, are outfitted with a saddle carrying a pickax, a shovel, and a gold pan. Carrying these objects honors Colorado’s history of gold mining.  

Running one of these races requires not only athleticism, but skill in persuading some notoriously stubborn animals, says Olivia Prentzel, a reporter for the Colorado Sun. She recently set out to complete her first pack burro race and wrote about the experience.  

Olivia told Erin O’Toole about how she prepared and what made her want to try running with a burro in the first place.

Check out this list of upcoming races from the Western Pack Burro Ass-ociation. 

Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

If you look at your calendar – or your weather app – you’ll notice that we are still firmly in the dog days of summer. You should be spending weekends at the pool or sitting in the shade with a cold beverage. 

But if you look at your local aspen trees, you might be fooled into thinking it’s time for jack-o’-lanterns and pumpkin spice lattes. And it’s not even Labor Day. 

Colorado’s aspens are starting to show their fall colors alarmingly early — despite the summer heat. But why? Turns out, it’s a combination of chemistry and climate science.  

To learn more about the science behind what’s happening, Erin O’Toole spoke to John Murgel, a horticulture specialist with CSU Extension in Douglas County.  

If you're planning a trip to enjoy the fall colors, this map from the Colorado State Forest Service can help you figure out where and when to go. 

For more tree wisdom from John, check out our conversation about how to prepare your trees to survive a Colorado winter, or this one explaining why aspens aren't a great choice for Front Range yards. 

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
 
Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

An unusual art show held each year in Cañon City displays – and sells – pieces by some of the most dangerous convicted criminals in the country.   

Fremont Center for the Arts sits about 20 minutes from the highest security prison in the nation: the USP Florence ADMAX, better known as Supermax.  Each year, an art show at the gallery displays work created by Supermax inmates – like Terry Nichols, who helped plan the Oklahoma City bombing.  

The public can purchase any of the art, which is created through a unique program at Supermax.  

Journalist Sue McMillin lives in Cañon City, and recently wrote about the prison art program for the Colorado Sun. She spoke with Erin O’Toole about why the program was developed, and the ethical concerns of selling art created by high-profile inmates. 

The exhibition, titled “Art in Isolation: Creating Space,” runs through Aug. 29.

Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Denver relationship therapist, Lindsay Hayes, has an uncommon specialty.  

She’s part of a growing group of professionals who work with people who practice polyamory. These are folks who openly have more than one romantic partner. Lindsay also researches and publishes about polyamorous communities.  
 

In her therapy practice, Lindsay promotes open communication and flexibility as the foundation for healthy relationships. She says those fundamentals also apply to monogamous couples and can strengthen any relationship.  

Erin O’Toole got a few tips from Lindsay for building and keeping healthy relationships.

Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: [email protected]
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions

In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.