Boulder Weekly 07.13.2023

Nuts and Bolts

Does permanent climbing hardware belong in the wilderness? P. 4

CLIMATE ACTION ON FILM

P. 23

PAINTING THE WEST WITH MUSIC

P. 13

BOCO’S PRAIRIE DOG

TURF WAR

P. 7

Courtesy: Dan Peterson

COMMENTARY

JULY 13, 2023

Volume 30, Number 47

PUBLISHER: Fran Zankowski

EDITORIAL

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WRITERS ON THE RANGE

MOUNTAINS DON’T NEED HARDWARE

BY DANA JOHNSON

Editor’s note: This syndicated opinion column follows the tragic death of Boulder local Bailee Mulholland, 26, who died on Sunday after falling during a free-solo climb in Rocky Mountain National Park. Boulder Weekly staff sends our deepest condolences to her family, friends and fellow climbers who are reeling from this incalculable loss. Watch this space for future stories on the evolving sport, and share your thoughts at letters@boulderweekly.com

We humans want the most out of life, so why shouldn’t we push to get more of what we want?

That’s what some rock climbers must be thinking. They want to enter designated wilderness in order to drill permanent anchors into rock faces, turning these wild places into sport-climbing walls.

When the Wilderness Act became law in 1964, it put wildlife and wildlands first, decreeing that these special places should be left alone as much as possible. This unusual approach codified humility, arguing

that some wild places, rich in fauna and natural beauty, needed as much protection as possible.

So far, the act protects less than 3% of what Congress called “untrammeled” public land in the Lower 48. These are unique places free of roads and vehicles and most man-made intrusions that afflict the rest of America.

The Wilderness Act also prohibits “installations,” but to get around this, a group called the Access Fund has persuaded friends in Congress to introduce a bill that would, in effect, amend the Wilderness Act.

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LETTERS

Introduced by Rep. John Curtis, a Republican from the anti-environmental delegation of Utah, and cosponsored by Democrat Joe Neguse from Colorado, the Protect America’s Rock Climbing Act (PARC Act) has been promoted as bi-partisan.

Yet over 40 conservation groups, from small grassroots greens to large national organizations, have written Congress to oppose the bill. Wilderness is not about human convenience, they say, it’s about safeguarding the tiny pockets of wild landscape we’ve allowed to remain.

The PARC Act directs federal agencies to recognize the legal use of fixed anchors in the wilderness, a backdoor approach to statutory amendment that even the U.S. Forest Service and Department of Interior oppose.

In a hearing on the bill, the Forest Service stated that “creating new definitions for allowable uses in wilderness areas, as (the PARC Act) would do, has the practical effect of amending the Wilderness Act. (It) could have serious and harmful consequences for the management of wilderness areas across the nation.”

Beyond the permanent visual evidence of human development, fixed anchors would attract more climbers looking for bolted routes and concentrate use in sensitive habitats. That impact is harmful enough, but the bill also sends a loud message: Recreation interests are more important than preserving the small bit of Wilderness we have left.

What’s coming next is clear.

Some mountain bikers, led by the Sustainable Trails Coalition, have introduced legislation to exempt mountain bikes from the prohibition on mechanized travel in wilderness.

Then there are the trail runners who want exemptions from the ban on commercial trail racing. Drone pilots and hang-gliders also want their forms of aircraft exempted.

What’s confounding is that climbing is already allowed in the wilderness. This bill is simply about

using fixed bolts to climb as opposed to using removable protection. That’s apparently confusing to some people.

An article in the Salt Lake Tribune went so far as to wrongly state that, “a ban on anchors would be tantamount to a ban on climbing in wilderness areas.”

But now, even some climbers are pushing back. The Montana writer George Ochenski, known for his decades of first ascents in the wilderness, calls the Tribune’s position “Total bullshit.” In an email, he said bolting routes “bring ‘sport climbing’ into the wilderness when it belongs in the gym or on non-wilderness rocks.”

For decades, many climbers have advocated for a marriage of climbing and wilderness ethics. In Chouinard Equipment’s first catalog, Patagonia founder and legendary climber Yvon Chouinard called for an ethic of “clean climbing” that comes from “the exercise of moral restraint and individual responsibility.”

We don’t like to think of recreation as consumptive, but it consumes the diminishing resource of space. And protected space is in short supply as stressors on the natural world increase. With every “user group” demand, the refuge for wild animals grows smaller. Meanwhile, a startling number of our animal counterparts have faded into extinction.

As someone who loves trail running, I understand the allure of wedding a love of wild places with the love of adventure and sport. But I’ve also come to see that the flip side of freedom is restraint, and wilderness needs our restraint more than ever.

Dana Johnson is a contributor to Writers on the Range, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She is a staff attorney and policy director for Wilderness Watch, a national wilderness nonprofit.

This opinion does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.

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TURF WAR

Booming prairie dog populations leave Boulder County with a removal conundrum

BY SAGE KELLEY

When Lyons resident Tess McDonald heard Boulder County was using poison to kill prairie dogs on public land, she was dejected.

“Kids were telling the prairie dogs not to eat the white pellets,” she says. “That was upsetting.”

According to McDonald, she and many of her neighbors are “astounded …[at the] pure disregard for life.” Other local voices, like the Lyons Climate Action Group, are also speaking out, leaving Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BCPOS) to weigh citizen concerns against problems posed by the rodents’ historically booming numbers.

Prairie dog colonies expanded to more than 5,000 acres of city open space in Boulder last year, according to a city presentation last December. Overpopulation issues stem outside the city, too. In the fall of 2022, BCPOS relocated approximately 250 prairie dogs from the Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm to a neighboring location. In 2023, the efforts continue.

Over the past month, Boulder County has trapped and relocated around half the prairie dog population from the Picture Rock Trailhead on Heil Ranch Open Space, right outside of Lyons. But these captured rodents aren’t going off to greener pastures. They are being directly donated to the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center near Fort Collins, where the prairie dogs are fed to the onceendangered animal of its namesake.

Mike Foster, the agricultural resources division manager at BCPOS, says they’ve seen a one-third prairie dog population increase at Picture Rock Trailhead over the past year, “and a

tenfold increase in the last seven years.” While some locals are perplexed by the need for removal, the department has received complaints about prairie dog damage from people who live near the trailhead.

“With any issue, there’s a spectrum of opinions,” Foster says. “We have people throughout the county [with] opinions on how we should manage this. We try to find a reasonable balance to try and manage [a variety] of concerns.”

“There are a lot of prairie dog colonies in the county,” says Robert Brakenridge, a Lyons resident and senior research scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. “Why are they focusing up here where there’s barely anyone?”

Foster says there are a number of reasons to control the rapid growth of prairie dog colonies, regardless of how many people reside nearby. At Picture Rock, county trail and recreation teams have found that the rodents have spread into the trailhead and parking lot, damaging land and creating dangerous burrows on walking trails.

the prairie dog destruction is enough to warrant action.

“We want to give priority to wildlife doing what wildlife does,” Foster says. “We only manage when we deem it necessary.”

‘WAR ON WILDLIFE’

Kathleen Sands of the Lyons Climate Action Group is one local resident who is raising concerns around the county’s prairie dog removal efforts. She underscores the fact that Picture Rock is designated as a Habitat Conservation Area by the county.

“We’re not tree huggers. We understand that if things get out of control, you deal with it,” Sands says. “But these spaces are designated for prairie dogs to live undisturbed.”

Brakenridge raises the possibility of creating natural barriers, like waterways or shrubs, to prevent prairie dogs from migrating away from the designated space. Foster notes that implementing these barriers would take time and effort away from current projects the county is managing on its more than 100,000 acres of open space.

“We are trying to look out for the entire ecosystem,” Foster says. “Sometimes there’s an imbalance. In those cases, we make a very difficult decision to go in and implement management.”

Despite their cute appearance, the rodents can also despoil farmland and contribute to the desertification of the landscape, leading to a lack of feeding ground for other animals. In the case of Picture Rock, there are no surrounding farms, but the county says

Foster says control of prairie dog populations in Habitat Conservation Areas is protected under the county’s “carefully crafted” Prairie Dog Management Plan, last updated in 2022, which states: “Effects of prairie dog occupation will be monitored and evaluated annually. Non-lethal and lethal control may be implemented in habitat conservation areas if deemed necessary.”

According to the plan, a number of factors can justify control measures, like colonies migrating onto adjacent properties, which Foster says is the main issue at Picture Rock.

But Deanna Meyer, executive director at Prairie Protection Colorado, calls it a “war on wildlife.” She says Habitat Conservation Areas “were supposed to be protective, but [BCPOS] is going to continue to destroy these colonies. The people that have fought for decades to put protections up for prairie dogs are run into the ground again.”

According to BCPOS, the county is taking a holistic approach to ecosystem health through the removal — lethal and otherwise — of these misunderstood rodents who call our prairies home. As the debate continues to churn, Foster says to consider the nuance of the task ahead.

“There are very few things in life that are black and white,” he says. “Our prairie dog crew is dealing with these animals. They understand the importance of these animals. There’s a lot of care here. It’s not a wanton, reckless decision.”

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ALL ABOARD

Electric school bus tour and roundtable addresses climate, public health and equity

BY WILL MATUSKA

Afour-star U.S. officer walks onto an electric school bus. But besides the familiar black and yellow exterior of the vehicle, this isn’t a typical field trip.

The officer in question is Admiral Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the Biden Administration and the first openly transgender federal official confirmed by the U.S. Senate. She visited Boulder for the recent July 10 ridealong with county commissioners, state representatives and scientists to see up close how Boulder County is addressing climate impacts on public health.

Stops on the eco-friendly bus tour included an air quality monitoring site at the Boulder Reservoir and a fully electric mobile home in Boulder.

Cindy Copeland, air and climate policy advisor at Boulder County, spoke during the tour about air quality at the Boulder Reservoir monitoring site, which tracks emissions, temperature and humidity to help understand ozone levels. She said it’s hard to tell her kid, who has asthma, not to go to practice because of unhealthy air, especially when ozone is invisible and odorless.

The bus itself is owned and operated by the Boulder Valley School District, which bought Colorado’s first

electric school bus in March 2021 with funding from the state and federal government. Now the district has six buses in its fleet, with plans to add more.

Projects like these are commonplace in Boulder County, where residents have long supported environmental initiatives like Boulder’s Climate Tax, which raises $6.5 million per year for climate resilience projects, and the county’s Wildfire Mitigation Sales Tax passed last fall.

Such endeavors help form a narrative that the county’s wheels are turning faster than other local governments when it comes to climate. But a later roundtable discussion hosted by the Admiral at the Boulder County Courthouse revealed that while sustainability-centered programs continue to be rolled out, some local communities are at risk of being left behind.

THE ‘UNDERSIDE’

The Centennial State has a reputation of being a beautiful place full of healthy people, but that’s not everyone’s experience.

Poor ozone levels exacerbated by climate change, especially now in the peak of summer, disproportionately harm children, underrepresented communities and people with underlying

health issues. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies the Denver Metro and North Front Range as “severe” violators of federal ozone level limits.

Equity was at the center of discussion during the packed, post-tour roundtable discussion. The conversation included representatives from federal agencies like the EPA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), plus state lawmakers, Boulder County Commissioners and officials with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Renee Millard-Chacon, executive director of the environmental nonprofit Womxn from the Mountain, spoke during the roundtable about ongoing environmental threats facing Indigenous people in her area. Those ongoing issues include exposure to harmful chemicals and limited access to clean water.

“[Pollution] is in our everyday life, and how we live is a form of injustice,” Millard-Chacon said at the roundtable. The Adams County resident serves on the city council in nearby Commerce City, an area deemed by the EPA as “overburdened by environmental pollution.”

Millard-Chacon, whose background includes Diné, Xicana and Filipina heritage, was one of a handful of Indigenous voices who spoke about ongoing problems facing communities on the front lines of the climate crisis.

She highlighted national solutions like universal healthcare, alongside local fixes like shifting more resources to community-led initiatives.

“Right now there’s only one narrative out there, and it’s from the top,” says Lorena Gonzalez with Conservation Colorado. “And it’s disconnected from what we know the reality is on the ground.”

Levine says it was “illuminating” to learn about the “underside” of a place with a health-conscious reputation like Colorado. Compared to non-Native communities she’s visited around the country, she says Indigenous perspectives like those she heard in Boulder are unique.

“The communities [across the nation] all want to be empowered to work themselves in their community,” she says. “But the idea that that is part of their culture to heal the earth, and that they have many of the solutions themselves if we’re able to work with them [is different].”

Levine says her office will respond to the roundtable’s input with a community-based approach through the HHS regional department, which oversees six states including Colorado.

Boulder County Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann says the county emphasizes racial equity as its first priority when approaching climate action. According to her, that helps keep diverse community voices like MillardChacon and Gonzalez at the table.

“There’s a lot of work that has to be done, and most of the things [pertain] to zero carbon emissions, or everybody [being] electrified,” she says. “We’ll never do that if we leave people behind.”

Of course, most of these conversations and goals aren’t new. Gonzalez says these discussions between underrepresented community voices and governmental officials frequently happen, but are often not followed up with action.

“It becomes tokenization when we’re invited to speak on these things, but there’s no movement to actually address the things that we’ve talked about,” she says. “So then it just becomes a photo op.”

Gonzalez is hopeful this time is different.

The roundtable discussion at the Boulder County Courthouse focused on environmental justice and equity. Photo by Morgan Gardner.

Admiral Rachel Levine boards BVSD’s electric school bus in downtown Boulder. Photo by Will Matuska.

ADVENTURE

HEAD ABOVE THE ALPINE

Boulder runners prepare for one of the hardest 200-mile races in the world

BY WILL MATUSKA

in the race this year after a recent knee injury.

Fellow Boulder-based ultra-racer Laura Kaplan competed in Tor in 2022. She’s headed back this year.

“[Tor] was definitely, hands down, the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she says.

Ultra-marathoners like these Boulderites achieve incredible feats over countless miles and peaked skylines few others can accomplish. But their motivations — discovering themselves, trying something new and exploring the outdoors — are relatable to many.

WHEN THE MAGIC HAPPENS

Growing up, Stafford hated running. The 29-year-old didn’t consider himself a runner until his early 20s.

“I wasn’t super outdoorsy or fit,” he says. “I remember the first time I [trail] ran, I did a 1.2 mile run. It was the hardest run I’d ever done.”

While he’s put a few more miles on the odometer since then, Stafford’s still drawn to challenging himself. When he goes far enough, he says those experiences become meditative and spiritual.

They are really hard. But they stick with you for a long time.”

One of those moments came last year during Stafford’s first 100-mile race with Peterson at the notoriously difficult Ouray 100. About 40 hours into the race through the rugged San Juan Mountains, Stafford hurt his knee 15 miles short of the finish line.

“It was really sad,” he says. “I’m not a big crier, but I just cried on the trail for like 10 minutes after I knew I wasn’t going to finish the race. That was devastating.”

Looking back, Stafford calls Ouray one of his favorite races because he learned the most about himself and his limits. Within a few months, he completed another 100-miler and a double Ironman triathlon. He’s going back to Ouray this year for “redemption.”

The ability to endure through struggle is a necessity for ultra-marathoners, says Kaplan, who regularly trains with Peterson around Boulder and the state.

It’s unusual to sit with Nick Stafford and Dan Peterson.

Not because of anything the late 20-somethings are doing or saying, but because they’re sitting at all.

It’s more common to encounter Stafford and Peterson on running and scrambling escapades in the high mountains of Colorado and across the country.

“I love going out to the mountains and expressing myself and seeing what’s possible,” Peterson says.

Stafford, who grew up in Boulder, met Peterson while trail running around town. The two bonded while racing ultra-marathons together and going on self-supported mountaineering trips in Glacier National Park and Colorado’s Crestone Traverse.

“This guy has the most adventurous mindset of anyone I’ve ever met,” Stafford says of Peterson, who

encouraged him to run ultras. “I have to push myself pretty hard just to keep up with him on a regular basis.”

Neither are professional athletes. They both have day jobs as remote consultants.

“We’re just trying to have fun with it and challenge ourselves,” says Stafford.

But after running a handful of ultramarathons together, the friends are gearing up for their biggest adventure yet on Sept. 10 — Tor des Géants (Tor). Known as one of the hardest races in the world, this “tour of the giants” crosses 25 mountain passes across some of the highest peaks in Europe, covering more than 200 miles and 75,000 feet of elevation gain.

To help train for the event, on July 23 Stafford is running the Ouray 100, which is roughly half the mileage and vertical feet. Peterson won’t compete

“When you’re in your really, really low moments, that’s kind of when the magic seems to happen,” Stafford says. “You just seem to find new strength that you weren’t really sure you had. But you have to get to those moments, and those aren’t enjoyable by any means.

“It’s being able to suffer that’s gonna get you through it,” she says. The desire to persevere draws Kaplan to difficult athletic projects, like “Everesting” all five peaks in Boulder, which she completed earlier this year, or attempting to break the Max Vert October Challenge record later this year.

It’s the same recipe for Tor des Géants, but with more extreme ingredients.

While traversing through visually stunning terrain in Italy’s Aosta Valley, it’s common for temperatures to swing

Kaplan trail running in Boulder. Photo by Can’t Buy Cool Studios.

Dan Peterson scrambles in the Tetons. Photo courtesy Dan Peterson.

from snow-covered and freezing to upwards of 80 degrees in the valleys. Weather conditions in the high Alps frequently change. To finish before the 150-hour limit, participants get little sleep and eat only enough food to keep moving.

Because of these factors, Flavio Coffano, a 2021 Tor runner who works as the communication manager at TORX Trail Running Races, calls it “the hardest mountain endurance race in the world.”

Runners are selected by a lottery system. Out of about 1,200 people from around the world running Tor this year, 47 are from the U.S. Coffano says many people don’t finish because of the conditions and mental stress.

Peterson says he wants to incorporate at least 30,000 feet of vertical gain into his training each week to prepare for Tor. He expects the race to physically and mentally take him to new terrain.

“I’ve done a lot of really big days, but over 100 hours with little to no sleep, I don’t really know what that’s gonna be like,” he says.

Stafford trains less than Peterson, but will rely on his mental fortitude to carry him through arduous moments in the Italian Alps. He says he isn’t nervous about the race, and finds similarities between preparing for it and navigating life’s struggles.

“I feel like everyone battles themselves a lot in life — life is challenging. Most people are used to battling themselves,” he says. “And that’s what these races are — you don’t really go at other people’s pace, you just try to find a rhythm you can sustain and just endure the adversity that’s bound to come.”

Peterson climbs the Second Flatiron’s Freezeway route. Courtesy Dan Peterson.

Peterson in the North Cascade Mountain Range. Courtesy Dan Peterson.

(Top left): Peterson and Kaplan on the First Flatiron

Photo courtesy Dan Peterson. (Top right): Kaplan trains in Boulder. Photo by Can’t Buy Cool Studios.

NEW ERA

Indie-pop trio MUNA bring queer love anthems to Mile High with Taylor Swift

BY LAUREN HILL

When MUNA’s “Silk Chiffon” entered the world in late summer 2021, life was, in general, definitively not fun. But as we collectively prepared to enter our second pandemic-burdened winter, a pop anthem whose acoustic guitar-backed melodies float on air like the song’s namesake fabric was just what we needed.

Songwriter Katie Gavin’s luminous vocals were suddenly everywhere, and the lyrical refrain “life’s so fun” was so inescapable that it almost made you believe it. Today, there are more than 34,000 videos on TikTok posted to the song.

“It was really surreal, given the circumstances of the time,” says multiinstrumentalist Naomi McPherson. “It was just nice that people liked the song — it felt out of our hands. It was a nice re-entering into the world of music.”

At the time, the trio’s effervescent return felt more like standing on a cliff at the precipice of an uncertain future.

After the release of their 2019 LP Saves the World, MUNA was dropped by RCA Records. Without an outlet for new projects or live shows to fall back on, they were nearly ready to fall apart. But saving grace came in the form of a record deal from indie powerhouse Phoebe Bridgers’ label Saddest Factory.

“The situation that we fell into with Phoebe and Saddest [Factory] made us feel quite creatively free,” says guitarist Josette Maskin. “It did feel like we were standing on the edge of a cliff, but at the same time, we were really confident in the songs we had. We were just excited about putting music out again.”

MUNA found a new self-assuredness in their partnership with Bridgers, who is featured on “Silk Chiffon” and stars in the accompanying But I’m a Cheerleader-inspired music video. The carefree strength in the song’s windswept lyrics is a common touchpoint on the band’s third self-titled album. Take the indignant “Anything But Me,” which

finds Gavin bickering with an ex-lover: “You’re gonna say that I’m on a high horse / I think that my horse is regularsized.”

“From the beginning, I was struggling with bigger questions of how to have a sense of self-love; I was into that in the first record, and it’s dealt with a lot in the second record,” Gavin says. “The third record feels like more of an arrival.”

‘OUR FANS ARE OUR PEOPLE’

Gavin’s discovery of this new lyrical confidence came in tandem with a renewed drive to hear their own desires reflected in popular music.

MUNA’s ethos is unapologetically queer — McPherson calls the band’s aforementioned 2021 comeback single “a song for kids to have their first gay kiss to” — with a growing catalog exploring the turbulent joy of sapphic romance.

“It’s always been interesting to me to try to sing about my experiences of love and intimacy in new ways I haven’t heard reflected as much in popular song as a medium,” Gavin says. “Part of that is just writing about queer love.”

In many ways, this faithful representation of queer love is the link between the band and its cult following. From concerts to Instagram comment sections, MUNA creates space for a reciprocal authenticity between themselves and listeners,

where all parties can be the truest versions of themselves.

“I think it’s even beyond just sexuality or identity, I really feel like our fans are our people,” Gavin says. “We can be ourselves with them. I think it’s taken us a long time to understand that we really can.”

Following up the band’s recent stop this spring at Mission Ballroom, MUNA will return to the Front Range on July 14 and 15 in support of one of the biggest, most powerful acts in the industry: Taylor Swift. The trio joins Bridgers, girl in red and other predominantly queer artists in Swift’s rotating opening lineup on the pop icon’s Eras Tour. Gavin has faith the audience at Mile High Stadium will connect with the band’s message.

“I self-identify [as a Swiftie]; I feel like they’re really sensitive humans who have big feelings and maybe a propensity for overthinking,” Gavin says. “So they’ll probably vibe with the MUNA songs.”

They may be nearing their 10th anniversary as a band, but MUNA is just getting started; and surely nine opening dates in sold-out stadiums will introduce swaths of Swifties to MUNA’s already robust discography. But they’re approaching the Eras Tour the same way they would any other show — with their signature openness and charisma, knowing that those who are meant to fall into their orbit will do so.

“We’re not going to do things any differently than we do if we’re playing for 10 people,” Gavin says. “I mean, it’s gonna feel insane to be in a stadium, but I’m hoping that if there are people there who need to hear our message, then they take it with them.”

ON THE BILL: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour with MUNA and Gracie Abrams. 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15, Empower Field at Mile High, 1701 Bryant St., Denver. Sold out (resale only)

MUNA, left to right: Naomi McPherson, Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin. Photo by Isaac Schneider.

The self-titled third LP from indie-pop trio MUNA was released June 24, 2022, via Saddest Factory / Dead Oceans.

BIG SKY SON

Cary Morin paints the West with music

BY ADAM PERRY

The latest offering from Fort Collins-based singer-songwriter

Cary Morin was inspired by paintings from his Montana childhood of an American West that was wild, beautiful, and populated by his Indigenous ancestors.

“This land is talking to me,” he sings in “Big Sky Goes Down,” the warm and sweeping opening track on his rich new folk-blues album Innocent Allies. “Sounds become familiar, yet they fade from memory. Nothing is ordinary when the big sky sun goes down.”

Each song on his new full-length LP, slated for a planned release this fall, was written by Morin as a sort of partner to a series of paintings by Charlie Russell that were ubiquitous in the Big Sky Country of Morin’s youth. The works were featured in magazines in big Eastern cities to show what was going on in the mystical and mythical West. Russell’s art, for better or worse, inspired many white people to move to the so-called “frontier.”

“He ended up hating that, because he wanted Montana to stay exactly like it was,” Morin says. “He hated the fact that people came and cut it up and plowed it under and, in his eyes, ruined what was already perfect.”

Morin, a Crow tribal member with Assiniboine Sioux and Black heritage, was born in Billings and grew up surrounded by Russell’s paintings in Great Falls, where the painter kept a home studio until his death in 1926. He even went to Charlie Russell High School.

“I didn’t think much about it at the time, how we were growing up in a place where we were completely surrounded by his work,” Morin says. “All of our parents had his prints or sculptures. It was literally everywhere — all around town, the businesses. The state capitol has the most gigantic mural that he ever made, in the chambers.”

A few years ago, Morin was thinking about writing and recording an album inspired by Russell’s artwork, and the slowed-down pace of the pandemic turned out to be the perfect time.

“I was trying to think, ‘How can I use … everything that I have at my disposal at home?’ That was the time when we were all at home trying to figure out, ‘What am I going to do?’ and ‘When is this going to end?’ We had no idea. There was no expiration date,” he says. “I thought, ‘I know all these paintings from when I was a child.’ My dad had all these books — Charlie Russell books.”

‘HE PAINTED MY CHILDHOOD PLAYGROUND’

Morin’s son dropped his grandfather’s books off for Morin, who pored through them like he did as a kid. His Native American background made identifying with the paintings easy and special, then and now.

“It’s almost like we’re in the paintings. He painted what turned out to be where I grew up, and [where] I rode horses — in the middle of nowhere. I would ride to no place in particular for hours, and just go out in the fields and just wander around. He painted my childhood playground, essentially,” he says. “I looked at a lot of those paintings and I tried to write the backstory to that moment that the painting depicts and what might have happened afterwards. I did that 13 times or something.”

That “13 times or something” resulted in Innocent Allies, his ninth record — the title of which refers to horses.

Morin’s guitar playing is famously gorgeous, soulful and intricate, matched with a depth of songwriting that takes listeners on an easygoing, poignant and affecting road trip through the Montana of Charlie Russell’s time.

Morin has been in Fort Collins for many years and now tours the United States incessantly with his wife and musical collaborator, Celeste, after traveling the world as a sideman for singer-songwriter and storyteller Pura Fé. He says he’s “trying to create a narrative” for the release of Innocent Allies, exploring the possibility of packaging the record with extensive liner notes and perhaps even reproductions of Russell’s paintings.

As that unfolds, he and Celeste will be on the road — Wyoming, Nebraska, California, Montana and beyond — listening to what the land has to say.

“The relationship between me and the land includes everywhere I’ve been, all the way from New Mexico up to Canada along the Rocky Mountains ... and the Black Hills and that area, too,” Morin says. “It’s all had a huge influence on what I do, and the songs I’ve written and the guitar styles I’ve tried to pursue. It’s all rolled up in this kind of weird, long history of keeping all those things in mind while trying to drive 90 miles an hour with a coffee and a cigarette.”

ON THE BILL: Cary Morin.

8 p.m. Friday, July 14, Oskar Blues Grill & Brew, 303 Main St., Lyons. Free

The upcoming album by Fort Collins-based musician Cary Morin was inspired by a series of paintings by the late Montana artist Charlie Russell. Photos courtesy the artist.

THEN AND NOW

Trailblazing Asian authors step out of history and onto the stage in ‘Bi-Passing’ world premiere

BY TONI TRESCA

When Cecilia J. Pang set out to write a play based on the writings of two historical figures, she didn’t expect to reunite with someone from her own past. The CU Boulder theater professor had begun work on a production called Bi-Passing — exploring the legacy of sisters Edith and Winnifred Eaton, regarded as the first Asian women authors in North America — when she got an email from Dr. Mary Chapman, a Winnifred Eaton scholar and professor at the University of British Columbia. The two academics, it turns out, shared a special connection beyond the material at hand.

“We chatted about Bi-Passing, and she promised to help get the word out about the play,” Pang says. “Then Mary asked if I had played the Fool in a high school production of King Lear near Niagara Falls, which I had. I could not believe that I was reconnecting with a high school classmate over the Eaton sisters’ writing.”

The sisters’ story had long fascinated Pang. Both siblings, who were born to an English father and a Chinese mother, used pen names when writing about their experiences as mixed-race immigrants. Edith used the pseudonym Sui Sin Far for her work focusing on the Chinese experience in 19th-century America, and Winnifred selected the name Onoto Watanna as her primary moniker as an author and screenwriter.

“I wanted to write Bi-Passing because I felt like people needed to know about these women,” Pang says. “I had been trying to write this play for many years but got stuck because I was too focused on trying to make their stories theatrical rather than just telling their stories. This adaptation focuses on giving the two sisters a platform to introduce themselves and tell some of their stories through vignettes.”

The world premiere of Pang’s stage adaptation of the Eaton sisters’ short

stories runs at the People’s Building in Aurora from July 14 to 16. Bi-Passing is the third production from Insight Colab Theatre — previously known as Theatre Esprit Asia (TEA), Colorado’s first and only Asian American theater company — following their devised piece APART/ TOGETHER in 2020 and original musical Say My Name in January 2023.

‘A COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP’

Insight Colab Theatre’s mission is to “spotlight inclusive, innovative and inspiring works to illuminate our shared human experience.” Pang is committed to broadening the company’s audience by sharing narratives that promote multiculturalism. The company prioritizes diverse casting, training for artists of color, and providing a platform for works like Bi-Passing that explore issues surrounding identity, race and privilege.

“I love being able to share stories by these two Asian writers that many people may not know about,” says Bi-Passing actor Kim Egan. “I think their stories provide a snapshot of what life was like at that time period for Asian and mixed-race people in North America. It is interesting to see the themes that are still relevant over 100 years later.”

As a transracial adoptee — a term describing a child adopted by parents of a racial or ethnic background different from their own — Egan relates to the feelings that the sisters describe in their work. “I know what it’s like to grow up in a predominantly white society,” she says. “Much like the characters in the play, I also struggled with feeling like I didn’t belong to either community.”

Egan and other performers say they are grateful to Insight Colab Theatre for bringing so many Asian American artists together to tell a story of the diaspora here on the Front Range.

“As an Asian American actor, those opportunities aren’t always easy to come by,” says Bi-Passing actor Will Choy Edelson. “I think a lot of the characters in the play have a complex relationship with the way they are perceived because of their race, which feels familiar to me.”

Pang notes that the upcoming premiere is a “‘no frills’ production focused on storytelling.” Because the goal of Bi-Passing is to highlight the powerful work of these trailblazing women, Pang’s direction emphasized the Eaton sisters’ own writing over theatrical artifice.

“I was struck by the simplicity of these women’s stories and didn’t want to distract from their words,” Pang says. “Even though we are telling an Asian story, I hope that people from all walks of life attend. The intent of this production is to introduce these authors to an American audience. In my dreams, people who have never heard of the Eaton sisters will come to see Bi-Passing, find the history interesting and want to learn more about them.”

ON STAGE: Bi-Passing by Insight Colab Theatre. Various times, July 14–16, The People’s Building, 9995 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora. $20-$30

Their stories provide a snapshot of what life was like [during] that time period for Asian and mixed-race people in North America … themes that are still relevant over 100 years later.”

— BI-PASSING ACTOR KIM EGAN

The world premiere of Bi-Passing by Insight Colab Theatre explores the works of sisters Edith (left) and Winnifred Eaton (right), regarded as the first Asian women authors in North America.

13 -16

BOULDER ENVIRONMENTAL / NATURE / OUTDOORS FILM

FESTIVAL

Various times. Thursday, July 13 through Sunday, July 16, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. $15-150

The great outdoors return to the big screen during the 2023 Boulder Environmental / Nature / Outdoors Film Festival. This four-day cinematic bash includes documentary features and short films from around the world — with opening and closing night receptions featuring live music, food and drink at Hilton Garden Inn/ Embassy Suites Boulder.

14

ART NIGHT OUT

5-9 p.m. Friday, July 14, Festival Plaza, 311 S. Public Road, Lafayette. Free

The one and only Hazel Miller and the Collective takes the stage during this week’s Art Night Out in Lafayette. In addition to the soulful sounds of a local music legend, visitors can expect street performers and a beer, wine and cider garden, plus an art market with 50 vendors. This free second-Friday celebration is a great way to enjoy an evening out in Lafayette.

15

POLLINATOR PARTY

10-11 a.m. Saturday, July 15, Harlequin’s Gardens 4795 N. 26th St., Boulder. $22 per family

14 -16

PEARL STREET ARTS FEST

Various times. Friday, July 14 through Sunday, July 16, Pearl Street Mall, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

From the whimsical to the traditional, you’ll find it all at Pearl Street Arts Fest. This annual showcase features the best in local creativity with a beautiful outdoor gallery in the heart of downtown Boulder. Whether you’re looking for the perfect piece to complete your home decor, or you’re just looking to enjoy some art-forward community on the bricks, you won’t want to miss it.

14

TOP TACO 2023

6 p.m. Friday, July 14, Westminster City Park, 10455 N. Sheridan Blvd., Westminster. $89-169

Which taco will reign supreme? That’s the question at the heart of Top Taco 2023, featuring unlimited tastings and signature tequila cocktails by local purveyors at Westminster City Park. Who will take home Top Creative Taco, Top Traditional Taco, Top Vegetarian Taco and Top Cocktail? Cast your vote at this south-of-theborder bash to find out.

Looking to keep your kiddo as busy as a bee this summer? This one-hour class teaches young ones about the important role played by pollinators and the native plants that support them. Participants will create their own native-bee shelters to take home, and enjoy local honey tastings, during this educational outdoor event at Harlequin’s Gardens. 15

WILD PROVISIONS ANNIVERSARY PARTY

1-8 p.m. Saturday, July 15, Wild Provisions by 4 Noses Brewing, 2209 Central Ave., Boulder. Free

Celebrate three years of Wild Provisions in Boulder during this anniversary party at passion-project taphouse from Broomfield-based 4 Noses Brewing. The daylong event will include a beer-blending class, archived bottle tastings, axe-throwing, new releases and more. Come thirsty and leave happy.

JFK: THE LAST SPEECH

6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 16, Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder.

$18-$75

Join conductor Peter Oundjian for a world-premiere symphony at Chautauqua Auditorium as part of the Colorado Music Festival. Inspired by the celebration of Robert Frost that would become President John F. Kennedy’s final prepared remarks, JFK: The Last Speech “will reflect the autumn season, the solemnity of the moment, and the unique oratorical gifts of Kennedy the president, and the profound literary gifts of Frost the poet.”

16

SANITAS

MAKERS MARKET

1-6 p.m. Sunday, July 16, Sanitas Brewing Co., 3550 Frontier Ave. - Unit A, Boulder. Free

Local arts and goods are on the menu during the Sanitas Makers Market. Stop by the celebrated local brewery to find that one-of-a-kind item crafted with love by a local artisan — from jewelry to prints, candles, soaps and points in between. Stick around for tacos, live DJs and, of course, plenty of craft beer.

19

BANDS ON THE BRICKS

5:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, Pearl Street Mall, 1300 block of Pearl Street, Boulder. Free

We don’t have to tell you that Bands on the Bricks is the free live music series of the summer in Boulder. The heartfelt sound of The Sweet Lillies will be the soundtrack to next week’s downtown blowout, featuring a newly formed lineup of guitar, viola, upright bass, live drums and infectious harmonies. Head there on two wheels and drop your bike with the secure bike valet before grabbing libations at the beer garden during this summertime staple.

THU. 7/13 - 7:30PM

CLAY ROSE, SINGERSONGWRITER NIGHT W/SPECIAL GUEST SILENT BEAR

FRI. 7/14 - 8:00PM

JOHNNY & THE MONGRELS Starts at $15.00

TUE. 7/18 - 7:00PM

LIZ BARNEZ LIVE BROADCAST ON 88.5 KGNU

EVERY WEDNSDAY BOULDER BLUEGRASS JAM

FRI. 7/21 - 8:00PM

DAVE TAMKIN & CO AND ANTONIO LOPEZ W/ SPECIAL GUEST CHRISTOPHER MORSE Starts at $15.00

SAT. 7/22 - 8:00PM

GOOD MUSIC MEDICINE

SAT. 8/5 - 8:30PM

JEFF CROSBY

FRI. 8/11 - 8:00PM

PETER KARP BAND

SAT. 8/12 - 7:00PM

PINE TOP PERKINS BENEFIT WITH BOB MARGOLIN

16

CHARLES SAWTELLE MEMORIAL

MOUNTAIN JAM

Noon. Sunday, July 16, Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main St., Boulder. $40

Want to enjoy a day of live music while supporting the local community radio station you love? KGNU’s Annual Charles Sawtelle Memorial Mountain Jam returns to the Gold Hill area outside of Boulder for its 35th year. Named after late Hot Rize guitarist Charles Sawtelle, an avid KGNU supporter who helped launch the event in 1989, this yearly bluegrass blowout is not to be missed.

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TALON TALK

2-3 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, Steinbaugh Pavilion 824 Front St., Louisville. Free

Head to the Steinbaugh Pavilion in Louisville to get up close and personal with live raptors. You’ll learn all about the habitats, diets and special adaptations of these amazing creatures with the help of knowledgeable wildlife educators during this high-flying educational event presented by Louisville Public Library.

20

GROWING GARDENS:

LONGMONT FARM STAND

4-6 p.m. Thursday, July 20, Longmont YMCA 950 Lashley St., Longmont. Free

Drop by the Longmont YMCA on July 20 for the Growing Gardens Longmont Farm Stand, featuring organically grown veggies at affordable prices (SNAP accepted). The produce market is staffed by young people from the organization’s Cultiva Program, a youth leadership initiative for ages 14-18.

TUE. 8/15 - 8:00PM WILL EVANS (OF BAREFOOT TRUTH)

SAT. 8/19 - 9:00PM

SQUEAKY FEET

FRI. 8/25 - 8:00PM

TERESA STORCH

BAND WITH MACKENZIE RAE

LIVE MUSIC

ON THE BILL

Local singer-songwriter Patrick Dethlefs comes to the Fox Theatre in support of Old Crow Medicine Show co-founder Willie Watson on July 16. The Front Range folk artist brings his warm and wistful songs to the iconic University Hill venue ahead of the release of his upcoming self-described “mini-album,” Some Songs Aren’t That Long, due later this year. Scan the QR code for a BW feature on Dethlefs. See listing for details

THURSDAY, JULY 13

JOHN CORIGLIANO Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. $18

VIENNA TANG 7 p.m. eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St., Boulder. $35

PARAMORE. 7 p.m. Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Cir., Denver. $100

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES WITH AMIGO THE DEVIL. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $45

BOULDER B-SIDES 5 p.m. BOCO Cider, 1501 Lee Hill Drive, Unit 14, Boulder. Free

JUSTIN HOWL 6 p.m. Trident Cafe, 940 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

GEORGE NELSON. 7 p.m. R Gallery + Wine Bar, 2027 Broadway, Boulder. Free

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER WITH THE KEEPS AND TIRE SHOE 8 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $15

FRIDAY, JULY 14

STRING CHEESE INCIDENT WITH THE JOHN FOGERTY INCIDENT 7 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $75

JUPITER AND OKWESS 7 p.m. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder. $20

JOHNNY & THE MONGRELS 8 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl, Suite V3A, Boulder. $15

RAGGED UNION. 8:30 p.m. Gold Hill Inn, 401 Main St., Boulder. $10

MAYGEN & THE BIRDWATCHER. 9 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. $14

THE WRECKLUNDS 6 p.m. Oskar Blues, 1555 S. Hover St., Longmont. Free

TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR WITH MUNA AND GRACIE ABRAMS (NIGHT 1). 6:30 p.m. Empower Field at Mile High, 1701 Bryant St., Denver. Sold out (resale only). Story on p. 12

LIVE MUSIC

SPELLS WITH AUDIO VISCERAL, HELLGRAMMITES AND MINERAL PALACE 9 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $15

WALLICE WITH NITEFIRE AND CARD CATALOG 9 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $18

SATURDAY, JULY 15

STRING CHEESE INCIDENT WITH KITCHEN DWELLERS 7 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $75

DREAM THEATER WITH DEVIN TOWNSEND AND ANIMALS AS LEADERS. 7 p.m. Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver.

MAX GOMEZ WITH ORDINARY ELEPHANT 7 p.m. eTown Hall, 1535 Spruce St., Boulder. $20

CLAY STREET UNIT 9 p.m. Velvet Elk Lounge, 2037 13th St., Boulder. $14

LOVE GANG WITH AXESLASHER AND GLUEMAN 9 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $20

THE MODE WITH ALEX BLOCKER AND LIQUID CHICKEN. 5 p.m. Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St., Denver. $14

THE GODDAMN GALLOWS WITH IV AND THE STRANGE BAND AND VOLK 9 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $24

SUNDAY, JULY 16

WILLIE WATSON WITH PATRICK DETHLEFS.

8 p.m. Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder. $20. BW Pick of the week

STRING CHEESE INCIDENT WITH THIEVERY CORPORATION. 7 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $75

STRANGEBYRDS. 4 p.m. Oskar Blues, 303 Main St., Lyons. Free

CODY CANADA & THE DEPARTED WITH THE BARLOW AND KYLE WARNER 8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $20

DANIEL CAESAR. 6:30 p.m. Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St., Denver. $100

MONDAY, JULY 17

NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND

7:30 p.m. Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. $50

TORI AMOS WITH TOW’RS. 8 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $60

TUESDAY, JULY 18

LIZ BARNEZ 7 p.m. Roots Music Project, 4747 Pearl, Suite V3A, Boulder. Free

BRENTANO STRING QUARTET.

7:30 p.m. Chautauqua Auditorium, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder. $18

PROFANATICA WITH PANZERFAUST AND HELLEBORUS

8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $28

NICKELBACK. 6:30 p.m. Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Cir., Denver. $45

WEDNESDAY, JULY 19

CAAMP WITH CARSIE BLANTON AND ZACH NYTOMT. 7 p.m. Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison. $100

THE BASEMENT BLUES PROJECT

7:30 p.m. Nissi’s 1455 Coal Creek Drive, Unit T, Lafayette. Free

PARDONER WITH AMERICAN CULTURE, SUPREME JOY AND FISHLEGS. 8 p.m. Hi-Dive, 7 S. Broadway, Denver. $18

LATE NIGHT DRIVE HOME WITH BENCHES 8 p.m. Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver. $16

ON STAGE

The world-premiere workshop Things We Will Miss: Meditations on the Climate Crisis is collagestyle work composed of personal reflections on living amid worsening climate change. Through a collection of personal vignettes, this presentation from Square Product Theater at the Dairy Arts Center invites viewers to consider what will be remembered as the world we know disappears. Scan the QR code for a BW feature on the show. See listing for details

ON VIEW

ALICE @ WONDERLAND. Broomfield Auditorium, 3 Community Park Road, Broomfield. 2:30-4:30 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, July 7 and 2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 8. $7

THINGS WE WILL MISS: MEDITATIONS ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS 7:30 p.m. Through July 22, and 3 p.m. July 15. Carsen Theater, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. Name your price: $5-$50. BW Pick of the Week

THE SOUND OF MUSIC. BDT Stage, 5501 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder. Through Aug. 19. $75. Story at boulderweekly.com

From handwoven birth charts to Magic 8 Ballinspired fortunes, Reply Hazy, Try Again — a whimsical exhibition of works by local artist Darcie Shively — offers a fresh perspective on fortune-telling at The Annex (713 Pearl St.) The satellite exhibition presented by The New Local runs through Aug. 27, with the artist present in the studio-gallery space from 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays. See listing for details

ON THE PAGE

As a kid, Kareem Rosser had a hard time seeing a way out of his neighborhood in West Philadelphia. An obsession with the sport of polo turned out to be the ticket, with Rosser eventually leading the first all-Black collegiate polo team at Colorado State University, where he won a national title and was named college player of the year. Wasser shares his story as recounted in Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever at Tattered Cover in Denver on July 14. See listing for details

A&C EVENTS

WILLY WONKA. Jester’s Dinner Theatre, 224 Main St., Longmont. Through Aug. 6. $30

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING & KING LEAR PRESENTED BY COLORADO

SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, Broadway Street & College Ave., Boulder. Through Aug. 13. $25

MISS RHYTHM: THE LEGEND OF RUTH BROWN Denver Center for the Performing Arts (Garner Galleria Theatre), 1101 13th St. Through Oct. 15. $46.

ANNIE JR The Arts HUB, 420 Courtney Way, Lafayette. 7 p.m. Friday, July 7 and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 8. $12

ONWARD AND UPWARD: SHARK’S INK CU Art Museum, 1085 18th St., Boulder. Through July 15. Free

CRAFTED: SUBVERTING THE FRAME Firehouse Art Center, 667 4th Ave., Longmont. Through July 23. Free

DARCIE SHIVELY: REPLY HAZY, TRY AGAIN. The New Local Annex, 713 Pearl St., Boulder. 10 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and Thursdays through Aug. 27. BW Pick of the Week

SOUL IS WATERPROOF: ADVENTURE SWIMMING AND STORIES OF WATER BY MATTHEW

L. MOSELEY 6-8 p.m. Friday, July 14, Trident Booksellers and Cafe, 940 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

CROSSING THE LINE: A FEARLESS TEAM OF BROTHERS AND THE SPORTS THAT CHANGED THEIR LIVES FOREVER BY KAREEM ROSSER. 6 p.m. Friday, July 14, Tattered Cover Book Store, 2526 E. Colfax Ave., Denver. Free BW Pick of the Week

TOMBOY AND OLD SALTY: NEW WORK FROM THE STUDIO OF ALLYSON MCDUFFIE Bus Stop Gallery, 4895 Broadway, Boulder. 6-9 p.m. Through July 30. Free.

agriCULTURE: ART INSPIRED BY THE LAND. BMoCA, 1750 13th St., Boulder; and The Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road. Through Oct. 1 (BMoCA) and Jan. 7 (Longmont Museum). $2 / $8

NO BOUNDARIES: WOMEN TRANSFORMING THE WORLD. Jerry Crail Earth Science & Map Library, 2200 Colorado Ave., Boulder. Through May 2024. Free

SOMETIMES, A TIGER BY Z.B. ASTERPLUME. 11 a.m.-noon. Saturday, July 15, The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop, 198 2nd Ave., Suite 1-A, Niwot. Free

COMIC BOOK SUMMER CAMP MonThurs, July 17-21, Museum of Boulder, 2205 Broadway, Boulder. $320

STAND AS TALL AS THE TREES: HOW AN AMAZONIAN COMMUNITY PROTECTED THE RAIN FOREST BY LAURA RESAU 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 19, Boulder Book Store, 1107 Pearl St., Boulder. Free (registration required)

RACING THE CLOCK

Boulder ENOFF returns with an urgent call to climate action

BY MICHAEL J. CASEY

Yes, it’s beautiful out there. Probably the Boulder region’s best summer in recent memory: cool temperatures (until recently), lots of rain and no smoke to speak of. It’s lovely. But not too far east, it’s tornadoes and hail. To the south, heat domes push into the triple digits. And to the north, a massive wildfire has displaced more than 100,000 people and blotted out the skies along the east coast.

“We’ve run out of time to be afraid,” filmmaker Oliver Stone says in his new documentary, Nuclear Now, which will open the 2023 Boulder Environmental / Nature / Outdoors Film Festival at the Dairy Arts Center. Founded by Richard Paradise, Boulder ENOFF is a four-day

THURSDAY, JULY 13

Opening night reception

Feat. live music by

The Atom Collective

5:30-9 p.m. - Hilton Garden Inn Boulder

Nuclear Now

Feat. Mark P. Jensen of the Colorado School of Mines and Chris Noonan of Peregrine Energy

7:30 p.m. - Gordon

Gamm Theater

(July 13-16) marriage of activism and entertainment, the kind of soirée where intelligent people talk about potential solutions to serious problems while walking the green carpet. That makes Nuclear Now the ideal kickoff for a festival tackling the sticky side of doing right. Yes, Stone is a filmmaker who loves to court controversy. And, sure, nuclear-powered anything is a touchy subject in a town less than 20 miles north of a former nuclear munitions plant. But we have to turn somewhere to stop the worldwide damage from burning fossil fuels while filling in the energy gap left by wind and solar. For Stone, that answer is nuclear power.

FRIDAY, JULY 14

Youth v. Gov

Feat. Nic Venner, climate activist and film subject

4 p.m. - Boedecker

Cinema

The Grab

Feat. Sean Kohler of Boulder Food Rescue

4:30 p.m. - Gordon

Gamm Theater

Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story

Feat. Matt Jessmore of the Wild Animal Sanctuary

7 p.m. - Boedecker

Cinema

Enter the Slipstream

Feat. director Ted

Youngs and producer

Matthew Rogers

7:30 p.m. - Gordon

Gamm Theater

And Stone knows most of his viewers are scared of that proposition. They associate nuclear with Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Chernobyl and Rocky Flats, and Blinky, the three-eyed fish in The Simpsons. There is no shortage of nuclear doomsday in media, and with the release of the big-budget blockbuster Oppenheimer due out this month, it’s not going away.

SATURDAY, JULY 15

Short Film Competition Program

4 p.m. - Boedecker

Cinema

One Kidney Climb: Kilimanjaro + All

Among the Bison + Elevated Feat. climbers Samantha Carreiro, Emily Polet Monterosso and Matt Harmody

4:30 p.m. - Gordon Gamm Theater

The Scale of Hope

Feat. Molly Kawahata, former Obama White House climate advisor

7 p.m. - Boedecker

Cinema

Vertical Life: Rock Climbing Shorts

7:30 p.m. - Gordon

Gamm Theater

SUNDAY, JULY 16

Solutions

Feat. Kelsey Simpkins of Regional Air Quality Council

1 p.m. - Boedecker

Cinema

A Crack in the Mountain

Feat. Dylan Beeson of Travel-Well Consultancy

1:30 p.m. - Gordon Gamm Theater

Patrick and the Whale Feat. adventurer Patrick Dykstra

4 p.m. - Gordon Gamm Theater

Closing night reception

Feat. Shawn Cunnane Trio

6-7:30 p.m. - Hilton Garden Inn Boulder

But as Stone and the scientists he interviews point out, the real threat remains climate change. One scientist likens it to the scene in Stand By Me, where the two boys are stuck on a high bridge with an oncoming train. Neither wants to jump off the bridge into the river below to avoid the train. But, as the scientist points out: “The jump is scary, but it’s the train that’s gonna kill you.”

And Boulder ENOFF’s line-up features plenty of those metaphorical trains. In Youth v. Gov, the younger generation speaks up for their right to a safe and stable planet, while the investigative documentary The Grab uncovers the political maneuvering of global land grabs and the economic and humanitarian fallout they cause.

Thankfully, not everything playing Boulder ENOFF is dire. Many of the titles celebrate the beauty, majesty and diversity of our world, not to mention the tenacity and resourcefulness of the human spirit. These movies make you want to get outside and enjoy nature while you can.

There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow coming, and if you’re looking to embrace it instead of fear it, these movies will help.

ON SCREEN: Boulder

Environmental / Nature / Outdoors Film Festival, July 13-16, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut, Boulder, 80302. Tickets and details at thedairy.org

The 2022 Oliver Stone documentary Nuclear Now opens this year’s Boulder Environmental / Nature / Outdoors Film Festival at the Dairy Arts Center on July 13. Photo courtesy Abramorama.

ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Many astrologers enjoy meditating on the heavenly body Chiron. With an orbit between Saturn and Uranus, it is an anomalous object that has qualities of both a comet and a minor planet. Its name is derived from a character in ancient Greek myth: the wisest teacher and healer of all the centaurs. Chiron is now in the sign of Aries and will be there for a while. Let’s invoke its symbolic power to inspire two quests in the coming months: 1. Seek a teacher who excites your love of life. 2. Seek a healer who alleviates any hurts that interfere with your love of life.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): It’s high time for some high culture! You are in a phase to get rich benefits from reading Shakespeare, listening to Beethoven, and enjoying paintings by Matisse and Picasso. You’d also benefit lavishly from communing with the work of virtuosos like Mozart, Michelangelo, and novelist Haruki Murakami. However, I think you would garner even greater emotional treasures from reading Virginia Woolf, listening to Janelle Monáe’s music, and enjoying Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings. For extra credit, get cozy with the books of Simone Weil, listen to Patti Smith’s music, and see Frida Kahlo’s art. If you read between the lines here, you understand I’m telling you that the most excellent thing to do for your mental and spiritual health is to commune with brilliant women artists, writers, and musicians.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): The French phrase j’ajoute (translated as “I adjust”) is a chess term used when a player is about to adjust their pieces but does not yet intend to make a move. J’ajoute might be an apt motto for you to invoke in the coming days. You are not ready to make major shifts in the way you play the games you’re involved in. But it’s an excellent time to meditate on that prospect. You will gain clarity and refine your perspective if you tinker with and rearrange the overall look and feel of things.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): The Simpsons animated show has been on TV for 34 seasons. Ten-year-old Bart Simpson is one of the stars. He is a mischievous rascal who’s ingenious in defying authority. Sometimes teachers catch him in his rebellious acts and punish him by making him write apologetic affirmations on the classroom blackboard. For example: “I will not strut around like I own the place. I will not obey the voices in my head. I will not express my feelings through chaos. I will not trade pants with others. I will not instigate revolution. I am not deliciously saucy. I cannot absolve sins. Hot dogs are not bookmarks.” In accordance with your unruly astrological omens, Cancerian, I authorize you to do things Bart said he wouldn’t do. You have a license to be deliciously saucy.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Early in her career, Leo actor Lisa Kudrow endured disappointments. She auditioned for the TV show Saturday Night Live but wasn’t chosen. She was cast as a main character in the TV show Frasier but was replaced during the filming of the pilot episode. A few months later, though, she landed a key role in the new TV show Friends. In retrospect, she was glad she got fired from Frasier so she could be available for Friends Frasier was popular, but Friends was a super hit. Kudrow won numerous awards for her work on the show and rode her fame to a successful film career. Will there be a Frasier moment for you in the coming months, dear Leo? That’s what I suspect. So keep the faith.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): The coming weeks will be a good time to seek helpful clues and guidance from your nightly dreams. Take steps to remember them — maybe keep a pen and notebook next to your bed. Here are a few possible dream scenes and their meanings. 1. A dream of planting a tree means you’re primed to begin a project that will grow for years. 2. A dream of riding in a spaceship suggests you yearn to make your future come more

alive in your life. 3. A dream of taking a long trip or standing on a mountaintop may signify you’re ready to come to new conclusions about your life story. (PS: Even if you don’t have these specific dreams, the interpretations I offered are still apt.)

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): In reviewing the life work of neurologist and author Oliver Sacks, critic Patricia Holt said he marveled at how “average people not only adapt to injury and disease but also create something transcendent out of a condition others call disability.” Sacks specialized in collaborating with neurological patients who used their seeming debilitations “to uncover otherwise unknown resources and create lives of originality and innovation.” I bring this up, Libra, because I suspect that in the coming months, you will have extra power to turn your apparent weaknesses or liabilities into assets.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): It’s a mistake to believe we must ration our love as if we only have so much to offer. The fact is, the more love we give, the more we have available to give. As we tap into our deepest source of generosity, we discover we have greater reserves of it than we imagined. What I’ve just said is always true, but it’s especially apropos for you right now. You are in a phase when you can dramatically expand your understanding of how many blessings you have to dole out.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): Home computers didn’t become common until the 1980s. During the previous decade, small start-up companies with adventurous experimenters did the grunt work that made the digital revolution possible. Many early adapters worked out of garages in the Silicon Valley area of Northern California. They preferred to devote their modest resources to the actual work rather than to fancy labs. I suspect the coming months will invite you to do something similar, Sagittarius: to be discerning about how you allocate your resources as you plan and implement your vigorous transformations.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): I’m tempted to call this upcoming chapter of your life story “The Partial Conquest of Loneliness.” Other good titles might be “Restoration of Degraded Treasure” or “Turning a Confusing Triumph into a Gratifying One” or “Replacing a Mediocre Kind of Strength with the Right Kind.” Can you guess that I foresee an exciting and productive time for you in the coming weeks? To best prepare, drop as many expectations and assumptions as you can so you will be fully available for the novel and sometimes surprising opportunities. Life will offer you fresh perspectives.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): By 1582, the inexact old Julian calendar used by the Western world for 13 centuries was out of whack because it had no leap years. The spring equinox was occurring too early, on March 10. Pope Gregory commissioned scientists who devised a more accurate way to account for the passage of time. The problem was that the new calendar needed a modification that required the day after October 4 to be October 15. Eleven days went missing — permanently. People were resentful and resistant, though eventually all of Europe made the conversion. In that spirit, Aquarius, I ask you to consider an adjustment that requires a shift in habits. It may be inconvenient at first, but will ultimately be good for you.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): Piscean novelist Peter De Vries wrote, “Sometimes I write drunk and revise sober, and sometimes I write sober and revise drunk. But you have to have both elements in creation — the Apollonian and the Dionysian, or spontaneity and restraint, emotion and discipline.” In the coming weeks, you Pisces folks will be skilled at weaving these modes as you practice what you love to do. You’ll be a master of cultivating dynamic balance; a wizard of blending creativity and organization; a productive changemaker who fosters both structure and morale.

SAVAGE LOVE

BY DAN SAVAGE

DEAR DAN: Can something count as an affair if you never do anything physical with the other person? I reconnected with an old friend, who is married. We had hooked up a long time ago, but it was kissing only. Years passed and we reconnected during the pandemic and began texting. Then the floodgates opened. He confessed he loves me. And he started describing all the things he wanted to do to me. Then we started describing them together. This has all been via text, but it’s not like sexting. No genital pics. Nothing crude. It’s poetic, it’s erotic, it’s passionate. It’s like the perfect blend of love and sex, and there’s a huge amount of trust, support, friendship, everything you’d ever want in a partner.

But there are obstacles. He’s married, even though he and his wife according to him — married so she could get a green card. Things are tense with her. She doesn’t know about “us,” and they had issues before there was an “us.” She has anger issues, he says, and is emotionally abusive, but he has no plans to divorce her. He is thinking about buying her a separate place so they can live apart. I know it’s a cliché: the married man complaining about his marriage to get some on the side. But he’s never made a move to have sex with me in person, which makes him seem more credible. I also have a partner, although we haven’t had a sexual relationship in ages.

My “affair,” if that’s what it is, has been going on for months, but I put the sexting on pause as I felt guilty. But the love part didn’t stop. I want to resume the sexting, even if it’s only talk, but I want to understand what we’re doing and how we might be able to be together without hurting other people.

— Sexless In Nearby Seattle

Send

DEAR SINS: There’s no “being together,” assuming that’s even something he wants, without leaving your current partners, and there’s no leaving your current partners without hurting them.

What you describe sounds like a pretty unambiguous example of an emotional affair. Here’s the thing about emotional affairs: They take up a lot of space. They eat up a lot of emotional and erotic energy that might otherwise get channeled into an existing marriage or relationship. If you weren’t taking up so much of his time and meeting some of his important needs, he might be motivated to work on his marriage — and vice versa for you and your relationship. But if two people can honestly say that nothing they do or say will make their existing commitments any better and you don’t have it in you to join hands and jump together… well, then, no one who isn’t married to you would blame you for doing what you need to do to feel alive.

But if his marriage is as awful as he says it is — and your relationship is as sexually unsatisfying as you make it sound — the two people you’re cheating most are yourselves. By staying, you’re cheating yourself out of the chance that you could have everything you want with one person. Passionate sex, loving words, someone living with and for you, for as long as it lasts.

It’s a difficult choice and there is no easy or obvious answer.

DO COOKBOOKS STILL MATTER?

Despite recipe-generating A.I. and search engines, printed food guides are still flying off the shelves

BY JOHN LEHNDORFF

On a recent visit to the Peppercorn cookware store on the Pearl Street Mall, I found myself gawking at the hundreds of cookbooks lining the walls to the ceiling. Who buys all these books? I wondered. And will they actually cook using any of the recipes?

I have a love-hate relationship with the several hundred cookbooks in my collection. I’ve halved the haul after two moving yard sales trimmed it to the essentials. The thing is: I almost never cook using recipes inside any of them. I get ideas from cookbooks, not formulas. When I really need a “recipe,” like for baking, I use Google.

Some of my food books are for reading; others look cool, and a few are precious collections of family recipes. I’m not getting rid of them. My huge collection of local cookbooks will eventually get donated to the Boulder historical folks. One hundred years from now, our descendants may want to know what their grandparents ate in the 1990s.

My first Nibbles column about cookbooks appeared in the mid-80s (for the Daily Camera) when cookbooks, newspapers and magazines were our only source of recipes. After 40 years of writing about food, I must ask the question: Do cookbooks still matter?

When I shared my existential dilemma with friends and acquaintances on social media, their responses reminded me why I love cookbooks and why the printed versions are likely to endure in a digital future. Some friends admit they mainly get recipes from the internet, but many others rose to the defense of recipe collections.

“Cookbooks matter so much,” Kate Lacroix wrote in response. “They do provide a springboard but they often contain great pantry suggestions and some even sneak in some technique. When I redesigned my kitchen, I had a special cookbook shelf built in. I also built a bed. Priorities!”

Award-winning Denver cookbook author Adrian Miller says he owns thousands of cookbooks: “I cook from them until I get the hang of the recipe.” Miller’s suggested reading? Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis. Many folks recommended specific cookbooks that have dependable recipes including such major classics as The Betty Crocker Cookbook, The Moosewood Cookbook, The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, How to Cook Everything, and the only cookbook I think every cook should own: The Joy of Cooking

Some of my foodie friends are admitted cookbook collectors, possibly even cookbook hoarders.

“I love everything about them,” wrote Jodie Popma of Slow Food Boulder County. “I have old ones, new ones, complex and colorful books. I use them for menu ideas, primarily. Some of my books are compilations with beautiful pictures, and I have never made a recipe out of them. Others, like How to Bake Everything by Mark Bittman, I use almost weekly.”

Others swear by the recipes in Fast, Fresh & Green, Williams Sonoma Pizza and Pie in the Sky: Successful High Altitude Baking. Plus Priya Krishna’s Indian-ish, John Ash’s From the Earth to the Table, and the definitive Cajun-Creole collection River Road Recipes

“My must-have, hard copy cookbook is The Tassajara Bread Book.’ I use almost every recipe. Corn bread, muffins, pancakes, etc.,” wrote Heidi Kessler. “I like it because its baseline is whole grains and because many measurements are a bit of this and a touch of that. I like flexible recipes and that’s hard to get in baking. It was a life changer in terms of bread baking.”

My respondents say they experience some cookbook guilt and vow to actually use them as more than décor. As for myself, I don’t worry about having cookbooks next to the stove. I figure that if I have Jacques Pepin, Julia Child, Tony Bourdain and Mom on the kitchen shelf, I’ll never cook alone.

Do cookbooks still matter to you?

Do you have any (printed) cookbooks that you actually use when you’re cooking? Let us know: Nibbles@BoulderWeekly.com

Cookbooks line the shelves at Peppercorn on 1235 Pearl St. Photo by John Lehndorff.

The family recipe collection. Photo by John Lehndorff.

NIBBLES INDEX: WE PAY FOR RECIPES

According to The NPD Group, we buy about 20 million cookbooks a year, the fourth largest category of nonfiction sold in the United States. “Easy recipes” was cited as the top reason by 60 percent for buying cookbooks. About 39 percent consider themselves to be “cookbook collectors.” None admitted to being “cookbook hoarders.”

LOCAL FOOD NEWS

Boulder-born fast-casual concept Pizzeria Locale is officially gone after the remaining Denver locations were shuttered recently by owner, Denver-born Chipotle Mexican Grill. The original Pizzeria Locale — an extension of next door Frasca Food and Wine — was recently revamped with a new name, Pizzeria Alberico, and a wider menu.

Zoe Ma Ma is moving from its original location at 2010 10th St. to 919 Pearl St., a former Chipotle location.

Coming soon: Locavore, 2690 28th St., Boulder; Argentos Empanadas, 1030 E. South Boulder Road, Louisville; MECO Coffee Collective, 1280 Centaur Village, Lafayette.

Museum of Boulder hosts The Culture of Tea, an international interactive tasting with Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse owner Sara Martinelli at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 20.

Boulder-based American Homebrewers Association is introducing Home Fermentation Day on August 5 — beyond beer, it includes all fermented foods. Plan accordingly.

WORDS TO CHEW

FLAVORS

“The food in such places is so tasteless because the members associate spices and garlic with just the sort of people they’re trying to keep out.”

— Calvin Trillin, author of Alice, Let’s Eat!

John Lehndorff hosts Radio Nibbles at 8:20 a.m. Thursdays on KGNU.

GOOD TASTE

2004 he’s worked a couple of long stints at Frasca as well as helming the now-shuttered Arcana which served great plates just a few doors down from his current restaurant.

On June 23, McCandless and partner Bryan Dayton opened CBurger, which slings a simple menu of burgers from a counter at the newly christened Sanitas Brewing location in Englewood. For anyone unfamiliar, Dayton is the founder of Half Eaten Cookie Hospitality, the folks behind OAK at Fourteenth, Brider, Bellota and Corrida.

GROUND ZERO

When Chef Samuel McCandless describes his recent trip to the worldclass beef mecca of El Capricho in Spain, his eyes light up. He may run the kitchen at one of Boulder’s best eateries, but it’s his annual pilgrimage to the renowned restaurant in the city of Jimenez de Jamuz that has been a key inspiration since taking over the reins at Corrida in 2021.

“[El Capricho owner] Jose Gordon is friends with the animals. He goes out

and hangs out in the pens,” says McCandless, who waxes reverently on the 90-day aged steaks from eightyear-old cows enjoyed during his most recent visit in May. “With El Capricho being our North Star along with the beef culture of Spain, we want to see more of that culture here in Colorado.”

McCandless currently sits in the top class of chefs who worked their way through some of the most-lauded kitchens in Boulder. He’s from Montana, but since coming to town in

McCandless is a lifetime cook, but he says his position at Corrida is what really got him thinking seriously about beef. Through the restaurant, he’s since become a champion of sourcing high-quality product from ranches that are committed to regenerative beef.

“I’m not the biggest fan of throwing around the term too much,” he says. “But it’s the original way animals were raised — think of bison on the plains.”

McCandless says the essential component is giving the animals enough room so they can move to different areas while their previous stomping ground has time to revive. He says the other major tenets are good water management, the prevention of soil erosion and real considerations for animal welfare.

Primals, or the whole sections of the animals, are currently either hitting

plates or aging at Corrida, as the ground beef is served at CBurger. The current system allows him to source all the Half Eaten Cookie restaurants.

“This is ground zero for using the ground beef,” McCandless says.

CBurger’s menu is short and sweet, with only two signature burgers being joined by fries. There’s the namesake CBurger Cheeseburger with American cheese, tomato, lettuce and house sauce, and there’s the Colorado Cheeseburger, with American cheese, smoked bacon, jalapeños and green chili sauce. “It’s just made with good beef, we’re not breaking any other mold,” McCandless says. Singles are available, but doubles are the obvious answer.

In a world full of burgers, McCandless has opted towards perfecting the fundamentals rather than veering into creativity. It’s clear that the plan is working. According to the chef, the CBurger is one part of an ongoing program, and diners can expect the concept to expand to additional locations. “There are exciting plans for getting regenerative beef onto more people’s plates,” he says. “This is the base of the pyramid.”

He also expects more Colorado beef to line the shelves at Corrida. “We’re really into Colorado. Why wouldn’t we be into where we’re living? We’re really fucking proud to be here.”

CBurger, the new concept from Chef Samuel McCandless of Boulder-based Corrida, opened in Englewood on June 23.

Photo by Lucy Beaugard.

The team behind Corrida opens a burger joint in Englewood BY COLIN WRENN

THE SEVENTH PSYCHEDELIC

BY WILL BRENDZA

Colorado took a leap into uncharted waters with the passage of SB23-290, the Natural Medicine and Legalization bill (Weed Between the Lines, “Laying down the law,” May 11, 2023). That bill decriminalized five natural psychedelic substances for therapeutic use: psilocybin, psilocin, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline. On top of that, licensed physicians in this state can also legally prescribe the FDA-approved ketamine nasal spray or tablets for patients suffering from specific mental health disorders.

That’s six psychedelic substances that are now legally available for Coloradans suffering from treatmentresistant depression, anxiety, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), addiction and more.

But one substance that remains illegal — at least for now — is considered by some to be the most effective PTSD treatment ever created. Commonly called “Molly” or “ecstasy” 3,4-Methyl enedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) isn’t a classic psychedelic. Technically it’s an empathogen–entactogen with stimulant and minor psychedelic prop-

erties. And according to the federal government, it is a highly dangerous, highly addictive Schedule I substance with no known medical benefits.

Scientists tend to disagree with that, though. As our understanding of this drug has grown along with research conducted by organizations like the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the psychiatric benefits possessed by MDMA are showing greater and greater potential.

MDMA was invented in 1912 by the drug company Merck. And in fact, it was first used to enhance psychotherapy in the 1970s. But by the 1980s it had been adopted as a party drug. It was classified as a Schedule I substance in 1985 and subsequently found its way into concerts, dance parties, raves and music festivals over the next 40 years via the black market.

But as the science of psychedelics has slowly progressed, so has our

understanding of this strange molecule’s potential uses and benefits.

Throughout the ’90s and into the ’00s, MAPS funded many different clinical trials around the globe investigating MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and more.

It wasn’t until 2004 that the FDA and DEA approved the first U.S. clinical trial of MDMA in humans. The study, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology in 2010, was a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial with 20 patients all suffering from treatment-refractory PTSD. At the end of the study, 83% of the paricipans no longer qualified for PTSD as measured by the ClinicianAdministered PTSD Scale (CAPS).

In 2006, MAPS funded a Phase 2 study of MDMA for PTSD treatment that showed a similar reduction in CAPS scores, with even greater reductions at the oneyear follow-up.

“If you were to design the perfect drug to treat PTSD, MDMA would be it,” Rick Doblin, founder and president of MAPS recently told the Washington Post.

But PTSD isn’t all this drug can treat. MDMA has also shown promise as a couple’s therapy drug, a treatment for anxiety in autistic adults, anxiety in those facing life-threatening illnesses, and even for treating eating disorders. According to MAPS, since the classifi-

cation of MDMA as a Schedule I substance, “there have been over 5,000 articles written about the compound in academic journals, and over 1,100 volunteers have taken MDMA in clinical settings.”

Still, MDMA was not included in the ballot measure or subsequent bill (SB23-290) that decriminalized psychedelics for psychotherapy in Colorado. According to state and federal law, possession of less than four grams of MDMA is a Class 4 felony in Colorado, and anything more than that is a Class 6 felony.

That is, until the federal government permits the use of MDMA itself. In June 2022 Governor Jared Polis signed HB22-1344 into law. The “FDAapproved Prescription 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Drug Use” bill would legalize prescribing, possessing and using MDMA if and when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) eventually approves the substance as a prescription drug.

Which could happen sooner in the U.S. than one might expect. MAPS has already applied for FDA approval of MDMA, and Doblin is hopeful for its chances of success. He told Fox Business Live that it’s “quite likely that FDA will indeed approve MDMAassisted therapy for PTSD, we think, sometime around April-May 2024.”

At which point, Colorado will follow suit. And this state will then have seven different psychoactive drugs at its disposal to treat some of the most insidious mental health disorders facing Coloradans today.

Six psychedelic drugs are currently legally available for therapeutic use in Colorado — and there may soon be one more