We bring you Fort Collins.
Volume 1, Issue 1
fort collins , colorado
wolverine farm publishing
Spring 2014
FREE
Food,
People,
& Justice: A Profile of The Growing Project
By Jenna Allen
up
It Doesn’t Have to Be an Uphill Battle:
& over the
MOUNTAIN
Bicycle Transportation Planning in Fort Collins
Wolverines and Climate Change By Todd Simmons
M56 as photographed in Colorado, 2012. © Courtesy Cameron Miller
“An insatiable need to keep moving is the hallmark of the wolverine.” —Jeff Copeland, wolverine scientist
I
n summer 2009, a lone male wolverine made its way over the mountains just west of Fort Collins, on a 560-mile journey from the Tetons in Wyoming. Tagged M56—M for male, and because he is the 56th wolverine tagged—he’s the first known wolverine in Colorado since 1919, an era when humans nearly poisoned, shot, and trapped them out of the lower 48 states. Since then, wolverines have been staging their own comeback from Canada, with established populations in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Though the number of wolverines is on the rise, it’s estimated the current population in the lower 48 states is somewhere around a lowly 300 individuals. New science explains how climate change poses a serious risk to their survival due to the loss of their preferred habitat—high, cold, and snowy elevations. M56 was ahead of the curve—Colorado is a great place, ecologically-speaking, for wolverines, and reintroduction plans have been talked about for decades. M56’s journey is exemplary of the wolverine’s strength, endurance, and legendary fearlessness, and perhaps the only thing larger than the life in a wolverine is the myth surrounding them. But for a creature so in tune with cold and snow—regardless of how tough and tenacious they may be—a time of increasing global warming may leave us with only myths. In response, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is considering whether or not to list the wolverine as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The reason: climate change. The USFWS has been quick to point out that it is not listing the wolverine as a backdoor attempt to regulate greenhouse gases, but since wolverine habitat will be adversely affected by rising temperatures—less snow means less wolverine habitat—its potential listing is an attempt to address future concerns. The polar bear was the first animal to be listed due to climate change, but increasingly, more and more animals are being added to the list. The decision about listing the wolverine was supposed to be made in 2013, but disagreement amongst the scientific community about the relationship between wolverines and snow—the nuances of the conversation are very specific, complex, and contradictory—has delayed the decision until August of this year. If the wolverine is listed, Colorado will be at the top of the list for the species’ reintroduction efforts, following in the footsteps of the state’s successful lynx reintroduction program.
W
hile policymakers are wringing their hands over what’s to be done about urban agriculture in Fort Collins, Dana Guber, Chad Shavor, and the volunteers at The Growing Project (TGP) are getting their hands dirty. A 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2009, TGP is a group of down-to-earth folk serving their community by creating a more just food
Article & Photographs By Rick Price, Ph.D.
T
he city’s bike plan is scheduled for a major revision in 2014. Written first in 1995 and revised in 2008, the plan set the stage to launch Fort Collins as a “platinum-level” bicycle friendly community this past year. The 2014 plan revision is a scheduled part of the planning process followed by the city’s Planning, Development, and Transportation department. Citizens and bicycle advocacy groups will be invited to provide input, and a major national consulting firm, Toole Design Group, has been contracted to help write the revision. The final result will give city staff their marching orders for the next five years. But writing a bike plan is a little like sending a letter to Santa Claus: it is a wish list of projects and dreams. Yes, it’s also a kind of blueprint for city staff to follow, but imagine building a house piecemeal without first securing funding. You might think it important to build the foundation first, but that’s expensive. An outhouse would be cheaper. So you
© Courtesy The Growing Project
system in Northern Colorado. Their mission is to reduce the gap between residents and their food source by bringing local produce to underprivileged families, building community gardens, and advocating for seed-to-fork education in Northern Colorado. Like most nonprofits, The Growing Project operates on a shoestring budget. They are funded and equipped largely through grants, material donations from community sponsors, and an annual fundraiser held every winter. They recently secured the financial resources to hire their only full-time employee, Executive Director Dana Guber, who is, in many ways, a one-woman show. A third-generation Meals on Wheels volunteer, Guber is a woman with get-up-and-go who lives to give back to her community. She tirelessly Cont. on pg. 12
Cont. on pg. 6
SECTIONS
Bicycle.....4 Agriculture.....12 History.....14 Literature.....16
Make.....20 Nature.....24 Food & Drink.....26 Visionary.....30
Cont. on pg. 3
Atop bicycles with pitchforks in hand, we bring you Fort Collins, the best little city between the plains and the mountains.