Wild Horse Roundup Continues

About 800 wild horses have been hauled off public Western Slope land this month, part of a $900,000 federal plan to thin Colorado’s mustang herds this year.

The helicopter drive started Aug. 1 in a basin where drought has thinned the forage, and six horses have died since, four of them euthanized for preexisting conditions.

The removals come as a New York Times investigation found federally protected mustangs sold for as little as $25 and were later routed toward slaughterhouses.

The bureau says it does not sell horses to slaughter, but buyers can legally resell them to middlemen, an arrangement critics call a loophole.

Voters to Decide on Right to Hunt, Fish

Colorado voters will decide in November whether to write a right to hunt and fish into the state constitution after Initiative 302 qualified for the ballot.

Backers turned in more than 184,000 signatures, and state officials validated over 145,000 of them, clearing the roughly 124,000 required.

The proposed amendment covers state-managed species and would make hunting and fishing the state’s preferred method of managing wildlife populations.

Opponents warn that the undefined “traditional methods” language could revive practices voters have already banned. Passage requires 55% of the vote.

Rockies Lab Hosts Fat Marmot Week

Voting is underway in the first Fat Marmot Week, a tournament to crown the fattest yellow-bellied marmot in the mountains above Crested Butte.

The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory is running the bracket through Aug. 28. The winning marmot will be named the following day.

The contest doubles as a fundraiser for the lab’s Marmot Project, which has tracked individually marked marmots in Gothic since 1962 and now faces a funding shortfall.

Researchers recorded the largest marmot die-off in the project’s history last winter, when thin snowpack left burrows without their usual insulating blanket.

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➤ Statewide: Wildlife officials are expanding bear safety outreach after logging more than 6,000 bear sightings this year, nearly double last year’s total. (More)

➤ Colorado Springs: A black bear walked into the bay at Fire Station 16, made off with a gear bag, and left, a reminder that bears are fattening up for winter. (See Video)

➤ Rocky Mountain National Park: Crews closed more than 14 miles of stream this week to kill off brook trout, clearing habitat for the threatened greenback cutthroat trout. (More)

➤ Lyons: The town is weighing a first-in-Colorado ordinance requiring wildfire mitigation at existing homes, with a town hall on the proposal set for Sept. 3. (More)

➤ Denver: An audit found an unmapped brick storm sewer struck in 2022 delayed the 16th Street project by 301 days and added $18 million the council never approved. (More)

➤ Mesa County: A critical incident team is investigating after a man became unresponsive while being detained by sheriff’s deputies early Saturday and later died. (More)

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➤ The Colorado Rockies unveiled a statue of Hall of Famer Larry Walker outside Coors Field before the team’s game against Cleveland. Walker played for Colorado from 1995 to 2004 and won the 1997 National League MVP award. (More)

➤ Former Denver lacrosse star Alex Simmons scored a late winner to give Canada the gold medal at the Pan-American Championship, stunning the United States at the final in Jamaica. (More)

➤ Colorado Avalanche president of hockey operations Joe Sakic says he’s confident a Cale Makar extension will get done before the NHL season begins. Makar’s current deal expires after 2026-27 and he became eligible for a new contract on July 1. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | U.S. Open | WNBA | Little League World Series

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➤ Coffee vs Hot Cacao vs Green Tea:  Which of these hot drinks was proven in a study boost stem cells by 220% in 30 days?  Billionaires drop 6 figures on stem cell therapy, but this hot drink costs 50 cents a day and boosts anti-aging stem cells improving heart health, blood pressure, and longevity.

➤ Postcard Pizza, a Detroit-style pizzeria operating out of Equinox Brewing in Old Town Fort Collins, made a USA Today list of the best pizza restaurants in the nation. (More)

➤ Boulder City Council approved a $5.8 million sale of the Spruce Street parking lot for a 110-room hotel at Broadway and Spruce, removing 59 public spaces downtown. (More)

➤ Arapahoe Community College was named one of seven NASA State Hubs, drawing $1.3 million over three years to build training pathways for aerospace technicians. (More)

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➤ Airbnb ranked Glenwood Springs the No. 6 trending fall weekend destination in the country, making it the only spot west of the Mississippi to crack the top six. (More)

➤ Drought has dropped Blue Mesa Reservoir to roughly a quarter of capacity, exposing the roads and foundations of Iola, Sapinero, and Cebolla, towns flooded in the 1960s. (More)

➤ A Frisco cyclist founded Spoke, a Saturday group ride built to ease isolation in Summit County, and it now draws 15 to 20 riders most weeks. (More)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. 

➤ Passengers feared for their lives when an engine failure over the Atlantic sent their flight into chaos (See Exclusive Interview)

➤ The Washington Post has been ordered to reinstate an opinion writer who was fired over critical Charlie Kirk posts. (Hear Episode)

➤ Google’s AI was caught giving racist safety warnings about being alone with certain nationalities. (Listen Now)

What’s your favorite style of pizza?

1. New York
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. Colorado
5. Classic Italian
6. Other
7. None

Yesterday’s Results:

How many times have you run into a black bear in Colorado?

1. Zero: 38%
2. A few times: 21%
3. Just once: 16%
4. More than a few times: 15%
5. Twice: 10%

Horsetooth Reservoir was created by flooding what small town?

Show me the answer