LITTLETON, Colo. – Given recent reports of concerning mountain lion activity at Deer Creek Canyon Park, Colorado Parks and Wildlife advises the public to be aware and take necessary precautions in Jefferson County Open Space’s 1,637-acre park southwest of Littleton.

On the evening of Sept. 24, multiple hikers reported to a trail volunteer that they encountered a lion on the Red Mesa Loop trail. On Friday, Oct. 9, a cyclist encountered a lion and was unable to scare it away for approximately 25 minutes as it followed her down the trail. This also occurred on the Red Mesa Loop Trail. Fortunately nobody was injured in either occurrence.

Jefferson County Open Space closed the park following the most recent report from Saturday through Monday, allowing CPW wildlife officers time to investigate.

From Friday night through Monday afternoon, wildlife officers conducted an extensive search, looking for the mountain lion or other observable lion activity. Wildlife Officers set traps and utilized calls to try and draw the lion in. Additionally, trail cameras were deployed and wildlife officers hiked, biked and used ATVs throughout the park looking for activity.

No additional lion activity was observed, but wildlife officers still advise recreators to remain cautious and alert while in the park.

“Please be aware that there could still be a mountain lion in the area and report any unusual lion activity or behavior to authorities,” said Wildlife Officer Melanie Kaknes. “The individual from Friday’s encounter did all the right things – she did not run, she faced the animal and kept her bike in between her and the lion.”

Unusual mountain lion activity can be reported through Colorado State Patrol by calling 303-239-4501 at any time. It can also be reported through CPW’s Denver office, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., by dialing 303-291-7227.

CPW recommends you walk/hike/bike in groups and make plenty of noise to reduce your chances of surprising a mountain lion. Lions are most active early in the morning and in the evening, you may choose to avoid recreating during those times. Always be aware of your surroundings.

Helpful tips to know if you encounter a mountain lion: • Stay calm, talk calmly yet firmly to it and make enough eye contact so that it knows you have seen it. Maintain visual contact with the lion so you can always see what it is doing.

• Do not approach a lion, especially one that is feeding or with kittens. 
• Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.
• Stop or back away slowly if you can do it safely. Running may stimulate a lion’s instinct to chase and attack. Face the lion and stand upright while backing away slowly.
• Do all you can to appear larger. Raise your arms, position yourself to appear bigger by getting up on a stump or a rock. Open your jacket if you’re wearing one. 
• Place obstacles you may have, like a bike, between you and the lion.
• If you see a lion and you are with a small child, pick up the child immediately so they won’t panic and run. Tell the child not to speak – the high voice may sound like prey to a lion.
• If the lion behaves aggressively, throw stones, branches or whatever you can get your hands on without crouching down or turning your back. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly. Convince the lion you are not prey and that you may in fact be a danger to the lion.
• If the lion behaves more aggressively (eyes locked on you, ears pinned back, feet underneath them), continue to speak firmly and wave whatever you may have (backpack, walking stick) in front of you. If you can’t talk calmly then we recommend clapping your hands or making other noise.
• If the lion gets even more aggressive (crouched, tail twitching, hind feet pumping in preparation to jump), be ready to fight back.
• FIGHT BACK if a lion attacks you. People have successfully fought back with rocks, sticks, keys, tools and their bare hands. Remain standing or if you are knocked down try to get back up! A lion’s face, including its eyes, can be sensitive areas to target with fingers or car keys if you have to strike back. Visit our website to learn more.

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DENVER – Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020 – The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) and Bicycle Colorado today announced a newly launched pilot program to provide Class 1 electric bikes to low-income essential workers as a transportation solution in Denver. Northeast Transportation Connections, a transportation management agency in Northeast Denver, provided outreach support to community members, and the bikes were ordered, built and distributed by SloHi Bikes on Colfax Avenue. The Colorado Electric Vehicle Coalition Equity Subgroup Committee provided guidance on program design.

 The new Can Do Colorado eBike pilot program for low-income essential workers is part of the Can Do Colorado Community Challenge, a state initiative Governor Polis announced in June. Can Do Colorado provides an array of state resources to help reopen the economy safely while making progress toward important health and community vitality goals including making streets more accessible to pedestrians, cyclists, and retail and restaurant uses, supporting telecommuting, and expanding use of eBikes. The goal of the Can Do Colorado eBike pilot program is to support essential workers’ access to jobs by providing electric bikes as a safe, healthy and convenient way to take essential trips around town.

 Bicycle Colorado distributed 13 Momentum LaFree E+ eBikes to the first program participants along with equipment including helmets, lights, locks, other accessories and informational materials. Bicycle Colorado and Northeast Transportation Connections hosted 1-on-1 trainings as well as educational sessions on safe and legal city riding practices. Participants also received access to the CanBikeCO trip and emission tracking app, which was developed in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The Can Do Colorado eBike program, launched as a pilot, sets the stage for a larger statewide version in 2021.

 “Electric bicycles are a wonderful option for commuting to work and doing errands around town. They provide affordable, low emission, healthy transportation,” said CEO Executive Director Will Toor. “The state is excited to be able to help expand access to eBikes for low-income essential workers.”

 “We are thrilled to be a part of kicking this program into high gear alongside the Colorado Energy Office,” said Jack Todd, Director of Communications and Policy at Bicycle Colorado. “eBikes are an efficient, cost-effective and fun way to travel, and have been shown to change transportation habits. With the Can Do Colorado eBike program, the state is making a statement that ‘electric vehicles’ means more than just cars, and putting that into action while supporting low-income, essential worker Coloradans.”  

 Governor Polis is acting to address Colorado’s climate crisis through a bold vision to get to 100 percent renewable energy by 2040 and meet the science-based targets for reducing GHG pollution. Under the direction of the Governor’s Climate Cabinet, several state agencies including CEO are working together to deliver on the goals of this vision by building a roadmap for climate action , which includes partnerships like this one with Bicycle Colorado. The Colorado Electric Vehicle Plan 2020 includes state actions to consider eBikes in mobility planning and to support policies providing eBike incentives for low-income individuals.

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Denver, Colorado — While the COVID-19 pandemic impacted new student enrollment across the CSU System this fall, declines in the number of new freshmen were partially offset by strong returning student enrollment, including a record-setting 5 percentage point increase in the number of students persisting from their freshman to sophomore years at CSU Pueblo.

Remarkably during a pandemic year, CSU Pueblo increased student retention more than at any time in the last decade, and CSU in Fort Collins held steady, retaining 85.3% of its 2019 freshman class, exactly the same percentage as the previous year when COVID-19 was not a factor.

Overall declines

Though overall enrollment turned out better than the double-digit declines anticipated for the three CSU campuses, total numbers were still down from past years: 3.6% at the flagship Fort Collins campus (with a total headcount of 27,835) and 3.3% at the Pueblo campus (with a total headcount of 3,716). The fully online CSU Global operates on a trimester system, different from the two physical campuses, so its total numbers for the term are not yet available.

The campuses reported their enrollment figures today at the October meeting of the CSU System Board of Governors.

“We’re proud of how hard our universities have worked to support students and employees in returning to campus this fall, despite the enormous challenges of reopening during a pandemic,” CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank said. “These numbers reflect that extraordinary effort as well as what we’ve heard anecdotally: A majority of our students want to be back and continuing their progress toward a degree. We want to support that as much as we possibly can.”

Frank also noted the CSU Pueblo retention increases likely reflect some of the System’s recent investments in student services and support in conjunction with the campus’s Vision 2028 strategic plan, led by CSU Pueblo President Timothy Mottet.

Online enrollment increases

Predictably, given international travel restrictions, both the Pueblo and Fort Collins campuses saw declines in new international students. Meanwhile, online enrollment saw a sharp increase, as students who chose not to study on campus this fall sought other ways to continue their degree progress:

• Preliminary numbers from CSU Global’s fall trimester reflect a nearly sixfold increase in international enrollment in their online programs: from 73 students to 433. (This includes both US citizens living abroad and international students.)
• CSU Pueblo’s online-only enrollment is up 67% over last year.
• CSU Online at the Fort Collins campus saw a 59% increase in new undergraduate enrollment.

Impact on low-income students

The CSU System’s Chief Academic Officer Rick Miranda noted a concern felt across the System for how the pandemic is impacting the most vulnerable students, particularly low-income and first-generation students.

“CSU is known for its strong commitment — across all our campuses — to supporting students who are the first in their families to go to college, and we’re concerned to see that first-generation student enrollment at our Fort Collins campus is down this year by nearly twice that of non-first-generation students,” Miranda said. “The impact of the pandemic recession is taking a toll on these students and their families, and we need to continue to focus on how we can support these students in pursuing their academic goals.”

Miranda noted that there is some good news in that CSU’s four-year graduation rate is now at a record high, meaning that students are graduating faster, which saves on tuition costs, reduces student debt loads, and enables them to enter the employment market more quickly.

CSU Fort Collins

CSU Fort Collins welcomed 23,590 undergraduates this fall, a 4.1% decline from last year with most of that decrease in numbers of new freshmen. Graduate student numbers were down slightly (0.7%), with 3,648 graduate students enrolled this fall. The campus saw increases in the number of Native American and Hispanic/Latinx students enrolled, but declines among Black, Asian, and non-minority students. Transfer student enrollment dropped by 20.3%. The ratio of in-state to out-of-state students held constant at 65% in-state to 34% out-of-state.

CSU Pueblo

CSU Pueblo welcomed 3,378 undergraduates this fall, a 5% decline from last year that was offset somewhat by a 13% increase in graduate students (338 graduate students enrolled this fall). Re-enrollment of continuing students at CSU Pueblo was up at every undergraduate level (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors) for the first time in at least five years. Pueblo also saw a slight increase in numbers of diverse students enrolling. The retention rate for students who entered as transfer students also hit an all-time high (73%) and the highest year-to-year gain ever for the Pueblo campus (9 percentage points over the previous year).

CSU Global

CSU Global only has data available for the first three terms of its fall trimester but experienced a 4.5% increase from last fall through those terms. The University is anticipating an overall increase in non-degree-seeking students and new undergraduates. Preliminary numbers also show a slight increase in number of first-generation and underrepresented minority students.

Chancellor Frank credited strong leadership across the CSU System — President Mottet at Pueblo, President Joyce McConnell in Fort Collins, and President Pamela Toney at CSU Global for their support of students in the face of the pandemic.

“All the CSU campuses have worked tirelessly to be back in operation this fall as safely as possible, continuing to focus on providing an excellent education to our students even while navigating budget reductions and unprecedented health and safety concerns,” Frank said. “That would not have been possible without the strong, collaborative leadership on all our campuses and a commitment to putting the health, education, and well-being of students, faculty, and staff at the forefront.”

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Colorado State University’s Energy Institute has acquired Colorado’s first public hydrogen fuel station to eventually enable the deployment of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) and support a wide variety of research projects focused on hydrogen.

The CSU station will be one of the few electrolyzer stations in the U.S. that will generate hydrogen on-site by splitting water molecules using electricity.

A significant milestone for Colorado

The acquisition of the station marks a significant milestone for Colorado as the transportation industry shifts away from fossil fuels to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. Hydrogen can be used in both fuel cells and engines to power vehicles of any size including cars and heavy-duty trucks, as well as large stationary power systems.

The station will be operated and maintained by the CSU Energy Institute at the Powerhouse Energy Campus on North College Avenue in Fort Collins. It will be used to teach and train students in hydrogen technology and will allow researchers to gather cost and operational data that can inform future station deployment in Colorado by commercial operators and by the non-profit Colorado Hydrogen Network.

“The Powerhouse hydrogen station represents a major advancement in our goal to promote the environmental and economic benefits of hydrogen and fuel cell technology for both transportation and large-scale power systems,” said Bryan Willson, executive director of the Energy Institute and co-founder of the Colorado Hydrogen Network.

“We will be able to use the station to conduct research on hydrogen fuel cell technology and hydrogen combustion, provide hands-on learning opportunities for students, and serve as a resource for the state of Colorado and the general public in research, testing and deployment of hydrogen-fueled vehicle and hydrogen energy systems,” he said.

Fast fueling, long cold-weather range and high cargo capacity

Unlike more common battery EVs on the market, Fuel Cell Electrical Vehicles provide fast fueling, long cold-weather range and high cargo capacity. The declining costs of renewable electricity from wind and solar has only recently allowed FCEVs to compete with traditional petroleum vehicles.

The station that CSU acquired was operating in Washington, D.C., and scheduled to be decommissioned.  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, was responsible for directing the decommissioning and alerted the Colorado Hydrogen Network of the station’s availability. CHN prepared a proposal to Nel Hydrogen, the current owner, requesting that the station be donated to the CSU Energy Institute.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, there are currently 44 hydrogen fueling stations in the country. Only a few of those stations are currently generating hydrogen with on-site electricity, which includes a non-public, research-focused station at NREL. CSU’s hydrogen station will initially operate in a semi-public mode with limited hours or by appointment.

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Issued for northeastern Colorado

Issued at 9:00 AM MDT, Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Affected Area: Morgan, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Washington, and Yuma counties. Locations include, but are not limited to Ft. Morgan, Sterling, Julesburg, Holyoke, Akron, and Wray.  

Advisory in Effect:  9:00 AM MDT, Wednesday, October 7, 2020 to 4:00 PM MDT, Wednesday, October 7, 2020.

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:  Moderate to heavy smoke transported from several local wildfires has been observed across the advisory area Wednesday morning.  Smoke is expected to be slow to decrease on Wednesday, especially for locations along the Platte River Valley.

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