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DENVER, CO, MAY 15, 2023 – Clint Evans, NRCS State Conservationist in Colorado announced today, funding availability for Colorado ag producers transitioning to organic operations. As part of the multi-agency Organic Transition Initiative (OTI), USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will dedicate financial and technical assistance to a new organic management standard. NRCS is accepting applications until June 15, 2023. The NRCS will help producers adopt the new organic management standard, which allows flexibility for producers to get the assistance and education they need such as attending workshops or requesting help from experts or mentors. It supports conservation practices required for organic certification and may provide foregone income reimbursement for dips in production during the transition period. Higher payment rates and other options are available for underserved producers including socially disadvantaged, beginning, veteran, and limited resource farmers and ranchers. How to Apply To apply or for more information, interested producers should contact their local Colorado NRCS field office located in the USDA Service Center that services their County. Eligible producers include farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and other producers beginning or in the process of transitioning to organic certification. Applications are accepted at local NRCS field offices and must be received by 4:00p.m., June 15, 2023. About the Organic Transition Initiative These NRCS investments are part of the OTI, a multi-agency $300 million effort to support organic and transitioning producers. OTI also includes farmer-to-farmer mentoring, direct support for crop insurance, and market development projects. In addition to NRCS, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) are the primary agencies supporting OTI and are closely collaborating on implementation. As part of OTI’s cross-agency coordination, NRCS organic specialists will be closely connected with the AMS Transition to Organic Partnership Program regional partners, to align and share resources and best practices. NRCS and AMS’s National Organic Program also plan to coordinate data collection activities, to prevent transitioning farmers from having to submit duplicative information as much as possible. AMS will also soon announce a funding program to support the creation of new and improved markets for domestically produced organic products and provide critical companion resources to existing and transitioning organic producers. RMA reminds producers interested in the Transitional and Organic Grower Assistance Program, also part of OTI, to visit with their crop insurance agent for more information. Premium benefits for eligible policies will be automatically applied to the producer’s billing statement later this year. Other USDA Organic Assistance OTI complements existing assistance for organic producers, including FSA’s Organic Certification Cost Share Program which helps producers obtain or renew their organic certification. RMA also administers federal crop insurance options, including Whole Farm Revenue Protection and Micro Farm, which may be good options for organic producers. The National Organic Program is a federal regulatory program, administered by AMS, that develops and enforces consistent national standards for organically produced agricultural products sold in the United States. More Information For more information, visit farmers.gov/organic.

Wildlife advocates applaud act to uphold the will of Colorado voters

DENVER – Today, Colorado Governor Jared Polis vetoed Senate Bill 23-256, a controversial piece of legislation which would have delayed gray wolf reintroduction in the state pending the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) finalizing a ‘10(j) rule’ to grant Colorado management authority over the federally endangered species. SB 256 failed to provide any certain date for completion of a 10(j) rule or wolf reintroduction, despite requests for such an amendment. If it became law, the legislation could have delayed wolf reintroduction past December 31, 2023, which is mandated by state law as the reintroduction deadline. 

“We are grateful to Governor Polis for vetoing SB-256, and ensuring that wolves will be reintroduced to Colorado by the end of the year,” said Lindsay Larris, wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians. “For the past six weeks, the conservation community has been aggressively fighting this harmful legislation which would have thwarted the will of Colorado voters.”

The conservation community’s opposition to the bill, even in its final form, was due to the harmful potential unintended consequences of legislation introduced at such a late stage in the federal planning process. The state has been working with the FWS for the past year to write a 10(j) management rule for gray wolves in Colorado which would allow significant management of the federally listed species by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The rule is scheduled to be finalized prior to wolf releases at the end of the year. A change in state law–such as enactment of SB-256–would have thrown an unnecessary wrench into the federal environmental review process, causing delays and potentially requiring additional funding from the state of Colorado. 

“Coloradans who voted “Yes” on Proposition 114, believed that their vote to reintroduce wolves into the state by the end of 2023 would be respected by the state agencies and elected officials,” said Larris. “This legislation was a slap in the face to the voting public as well as those Coloradans who spent the past 2.5 years and hundreds of hours working on wolf planning and coordinating with federal officials. We are glad that the real work of planning for wolf reintroduction, conflict mitigation, and restoring this native species to its natural landscape can resume.”

Issued for northeastern Colorado

Issued at 6:00 AM MDT, Friday, May 19, 2023
Issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Affected Area: > Larimer, Weld, Morgan, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Washington, Yuma, Douglas, Elbert, El Paso, Lincoln, Kit Carson, and Cheyenne Counties. Locations include, but are not limited to, Fort Collins, Greeley, Fort Morgan, Sterling, Julesburg, Holyoke, Boulder, Broomfield, Central City, Golden, Denver, Brighton, Littleton, Akron, Wray, Castle Rock, Colorado Springs, Kiowa, Hugo, Burlington, and Cheyenne Wells.

Advisory in Effect: 6:00 AM MDT, Friday, May 19, 2023 to 4:00 PM MDT, Friday, May 19, 2023.
Public Health Recommendations: If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you may want to remain indoors. This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and the elderly. Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill. If visibility is less than 5 miles in smoke in your neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.

Outlook: Several large wildfires are burning in Canada, resulting in heavy smoke across several states including northeastern Colorado. Moderate to heavy smoke will be possible through at least Friday afternoon, mainly at elevations below 8000 feet.

For the latest Smoke Outlook, visit:
http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/addendum.aspx#smoke

For more information about smoke and your health, visit:
http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/wildfire.aspx
For the latest Colorado statewide air quality conditions, forecasts, and advisories, visit:
http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/colorado_summary.aspx

To achieve success and stability upon entering the workforce, having a basic understanding of the financial system is crucial. However, many Americans are not receiving the fundamentals of financial education, and a surprising number of young adults already have debt in collections. Moreover, the economic shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic quickly revealed that many Americans do not have the ability to withstand long-term economic hardships.

Some states, including Nebraska, Ohio, and Rhode Island have recently begun to require financial literacy courses for high school students, and more states plan to implement requirements like this in the coming years—an important step in ensuring access to financial education for all Americans. Furthermore, an additional 34 states have addressed financial literacy education in 2021–22 legislative sessions, with 20 of those states focusing on the high school level. In time, perhaps these measures will assist in reversing America’s fading financial literacy.

According to data collected by the FINRA Foundation, the number of U.S. adults who possess basic financial knowledge has been steadily declining, despite increased access to financial information online. In 2009, 79% of U.S. adults had basic interest rate knowledge, while 12 years later in 2021, that percentage had declined to slightly above 70%. Furthermore, over half of U.S. adults had basic investment risk knowledge in 2009. But in 2021, just 42.1% of adults possessed this knowledge. And though the ability to purchase stock holdings and access investing information has become increasingly available, the percentage of U.S. households who own stock holdings has remained around 50% since 2010.

A key issue is that a large majority of Americans are not being taught basic financial literacy. Over 61% of U.S. adults were never offered financial education, while just over 9% were offered an opportunity for financial education but did not participate. Combined, this means that about 70% of U.S. adults haven’t received any financial education.

Of those who did receive financial education, most reported receiving at least a portion of this information in high school (58%) or college (54%). These institutions are important sources of financial education for many Americans, and potentially required financial literacy curricula provides information to those who may not readily seek out information on their own.

Despite a lack of formal financial instruction, financial literacy does increase with age and educational attainment. While just 27% of 18- to 24-year-olds have high financial literacy—defined as adults who scored better than the national median on a multiple choice financial literacy exam—over 63% of adults age 65 and older demonstrated the same level of knowledge. Additionally, while less than 29% of Americans who only completed high school have high financial literacy, these numbers jump to 63% for adults with a bachelor’s degree.

While age and education are highly correlated with financial literacy, geography also appears to play a major role. States in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest have the largest shares of adults with high financial literacy, with nine out of the top 15 states located in those regions.

To determine the most financially savvy states, researchers at Smartest Dollar analyzed data from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation. States were ranked based on the share of adults with high financial literacy—defined as those who scored higher than the national median score of 42.9% on FINRA’s Financial Literacy Quiz.

Here is a summary of the data for Colorado:

• Share of adults with high financial literacy: 48.4%
• Share of adults with basic interest rate knowledge: 70.1%
• Share of adults with basic inflation knowledge: 57.3%
• Share of adults with basic investment risk knowledge: 48.5%

For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:

• Share of adults with high financial literacy: N/A
• Share of adults with basic interest rate knowledge: 70.4%
• Share of adults with basic inflation knowledge: 54.0%
• Share of adults with basic investment risk knowledge: 42.1%

For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Smartest Dollar’s website: https://smartestdollar.com/research/most-financially-savvy-states-2023

Due to severe weather and heavy rain, numerous roadways in Adams County are closed due to flooding and road damage. These roadways are unsafe and will remain impassable to the public until flood waters recede and necessary repairs are made.

The Adams County Public Works staff is currently mobilized and ready to assess damage and begin repairs. Thank you for your patience as we work to repair these segments of roadways.

The following roads are currently closed to the public and will remain closed until further notice:

• 26th Ave., between Yulle Rd. and Wolf Creek Rd.
• 64th Ave., between Piggott Rd. and Wolf Creek Rd.
• Piggott Rd. from 80th Ave. to 88th Ave.
• Old Victory Rd., from Hwy. 36 to Hwy. 79
• 72nd Ave., from Bradbury-Krebs Rd. to Xmore Rd.
• Road 15, from Bradbury-Krebs Rd. to Xmore Rd.
• 26^th Ave., from Strasburg Rd. to Comanche Dr.
• 26^th Ave., from Piggott Rd. to Yulle Rd.
• 48^th Ave., from Strasburg Rd. to Piggott Rd.
• 112^th Ave., from Headlight Rd. to Nordbye Rd.
• 112^th Ave., from Behrens Rd. to Horrogate Rd.
• 72nd Ave. from Converse Rd. to SH 79
• 80th Ave., from Schumaker Rd. to SH 79
• Cameron Dr., from Guy Ct. to O’Brien
• Converse Rd., from 128th Ave. to 144th Ave.
• Converse Rd., from 88th Ave. to 112th Ave.
• E. 112th Ave., from SH 79 to Converse Rd.
• 104^th Ave., at Manilla Rd. and at Tumbleweed Ct.
• 64th Ave., from Converse Rd. to Schumaker Rd.
• Converse Rd., from 88^th Ave. to 64th Ave.
• 72^nd Ave., at Converse Rd. and SH 79
• 80^th Ave., from SH 79 to Schumaker Rd.
• 112^th Ave., from Himalaya Rd. to Picadilly

For more information on the road closures, please call 303.853.7137.

In addition to road closures, all Adams County Trails are closed until further notice. These include:

• South Platte River Trail

• Clear Creek Trail
• Niver Creek Trail
• Little Dry Creek Trails

Please stay safe, and we will notify you as soon as roads and trails reopen.

BUENA VISTA, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife euthanized a young mountain lion after it swatted an 11-year-old girl, leaving a puncture wound on her face, on Wednesday evening.

The girl was attacked when she entered the family chicken coop to check on her chickens. She found one dead on the ground. When she opened the wooden hen house, the mountain lion was inside and swatted her in the face.

CPW wildlife officers responded to the house, located in a rural area southeast of Buena Vista, to find the small, sub-adult mountain lion still in the wire mesh coop. 

They quickly euthanized it and its remains were sent to a CPW animal health lab in Fort Collins for examination. It was a young female that weighed about 30 pounds and appeared in good body condition.

The girl was treated for a small puncture to her cheek and released at a Chaffee County hospital.

“This was a small mountain lion probably just looking for an easy meal in the chicken coop,” said Sean Shepherd, Area Wildlife Manager based in Salida. “The victim likely surprised the lion. It probably felt threatened and it swatted at her as she entered.”

He believes it was a defensive swat by the mountain lion and not a stalking-type of attack because the animal did not pursue the girl. Either way, CPW takes such incidents very seriously and officers responded aggressively to protect human health and safety.

“Mountain lion attacks are rare, but we can’t take any chances when any predator makes contact with a human,” Shepherd said. “And we need to know if there was anything else going on with this lion, such as rabies, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza or some other infection that may have influenced its behavior. So it must be euthanized and tested.”

Shepherd called it an unfortunate coincidence that CPW responded to another mountain lion attack in March in nearby Nathrop. In that incident, a man soaking in an in-ground hot tub was clawed in the head by a mountain lion. 

“Both of these incidents are highly unusual,” Shepherd said. “I do not believe there is a pattern here. These were unfortunate coincidences. Nothing more.”

CPW encourages residents to report mountain lion sightings or activity near their homes by calling their local CPW office or by calling Colorado State Patrol after business hours.

Prior to these two mountain lion incidents in Chaffee County, there had not been a mountain lion attack on a human in Colorado since Feb. 27, 2022.

This is the 25th known attack of a mountain lion causing injury to a human in Colorado since 1990. Three other attacks in Colorado since 1990 have resulted in human deaths. CPW does not characterize lion depredation of pets or other animals as attacks.

Though mountain lion attacks are relatively rare, it is important to know how to avoid or manage potential encounters. To learn more about living with mountain lions in Colorado, go to https://cpw.state.co.us/lions.

To reduce the risk of problems with mountain lions on or near your property, CPW urges you to follow these simple precautions:

• Make lots of noise if you come and go during the times mountain lions are most active: dusk to dawn.

• Install outside lighting. Light areas where you walk so you could see a lion if one were present.

• Closely supervise children whenever they play outdoors. Make sure children are inside before dusk and not outside before dawn. Talk with children about lions and teach them what to do if they meet one.

• Landscape or remove vegetation to eliminate hiding places for lions. Make it difficult for lions to approach unseen.

• Planting non-native shrubs and plants that deer often prefer to eat encourages wildlife to come onto your property. Predators follow prey. Never feed any wildlife.

• Keep your pet under control. Roaming pets are easy prey and can attract lions. Bring pets in at night. If you leave your pet outside, keep it in a kennel with a secure top. Don’t feed pets outside; this can attract raccoons and other animals that are eaten by lions. Store all garbage securely.

• Place livestock in enclosed sheds or barns at night. Close doors to all outbuildings since inquisitive lions may go inside for a look.