Tonight.

Why are worms so important to our gardens?

We're digging deep with the Denver Urban Gardens to find out.

Then we're heading to Buena Vista, Colorado, where Peaks precast is using a special concrete technology to build faster, more affordable homes across our state.

And we're meeting the next generation of civic leaders competing in Falcon, Colorado for the Eastern Plains area.

Civic B plus, a Colorado film maker takes us on a river adventure as we see women exploring the joys of fly fishing for the first time.

It all starts now here on studio 12.

From the Five Points Media Center in the heart of Denver, Colorado.

This is studio 12.

Good evening.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Ryan Hare.

Tonight we're getting our hands dirty with Denver Urban Gardens by digging into the surprising world of worms.

PBS Twelve's Erica McLarty and her daughter Charley got a hands on lesson in how red wiggler worms can turn everyday food scraps into nutrient rich compost.

From building their very own worm bin to meeting the wiggly creatures up close.

The experience shows us just how easy and cute sustainability can be.

Take a look.

I would not live in this.

What if something small and a little wiggly could make a big difference?

We're here with Denver Urban Garden learning how to make nutrient rich compost that you could do right at home using worm bins has.

And we're learning not only how to make the worm bins, but also why worms are the superheroes of nutrient rich compost.

Joining us today is Christy from Denver Urban Gardens to teach Charli and her bestie Murray how to make their own warm bed.

So we start with a ten gallon tote.

What do you see in this bin?

Oh, oh.

Why do we have holes in the bin?

We're like here to get you.

Got it.

Charlie, for air.

Our worms are living creatures, so we're going to build them a really happy home so that they can turn our food scraps into compost.

We've got some paper bags.

I've got a cardboard drink tray and then some compostable packaging that we can put in our warm bin.

The other thing that we use for bedding and use leaves when the leaves fall to the ground in fall.

In the fall.

Exactly.

So these are all free materials that we can get from our very own home and use them for bedding.

So let's start sharing some stuff up.

You want to take a napkin, Charlie?

You grab that one, Mary, and let's put it into this bin.

All right.

Throw it in here.

This will be our bucket, and we'll just make it into little pieces.

Okay?

What else can we put in there?

Let's get some newspaper.

Okay, so why don't we put some gloves on?

Because we're going to crumble up these leaves and put them in the bin here.

Shake, shake, shake up.

Get in there with your hands and crumple up those leaves.

Pretty.

You guys ready to add some water?

Yeah.

Let's go outside.

Okay.

Making a glare.

Going.

You.

Do you guys want to add your leaves into that pan?

So rather than sending all this great or organic material to the landfill, we're going to turn it into compost and we're will go in there.

They're going to go in there.

But first we're going to set up their home.

This looks pretty wet, doesn't it?

Can worms swim?

No, no.

You're right.

This looks like a good worm.

What do you think it.

I mean, I would not live in this.

It's.

It's soggy.

Soggy wet.

I don't think mine wants to live in newspaper.

It might be cold.

Okay, so we're back inside.

Are you guys ready to meet our office warmed in?

Yes.

Okay, so this is the lid that we have.

Notice that it's not closed.

Why do you think that might be?

So the worms can breathe more.

You're so smart.

Yes, exactly.

So the worms can breathe.

So we always want to leave the lid a little bit open so that the worms have lots of airflow.

Do you think worms can see?

Do they have eyeballs?

No.

You're right, but they do detect light.

So these are really special worms.

These are composting worms.

They're called red wigglers.

And they live in the leaf litter.

They're decomposers.

So that's why they work really well for home composting.

So if we keep the lid ajar, they can see the light, and then they know where their home is.

Otherwise, if it was all completely dark, it would be one.

They would be so lost, they'd be so confused.

So that's our lid.

Okay.

This is their air conditioning.

So when we have a bin, we use the spray bottle to keep the paper nice and moist.

And then that way when it evaporates, it acts like a little cooling system so that our worms don't get too hot or too cold.

So these worms are going to live nice and happy, either indoors in our air conditioning, in our garages.

Maybe they can live in our basement.

And then if we put all of this bedding aside, where do you think we'll find the worms?

The barn at the bottom.

Exact link.

The worms like to live really close to where their food is.

They also don't like the light.

So if we were to pick some of these guys up and scoop them up, they're going to try to hide from the light to see all the little babies.

Yeah, they're being so busy turning all of our kitchen scraps.

Everything that we're putting into the bin, into soil, into compost.

Now, what do these worms eat?

That is such a good question.

Delicious.

I want to eat this so bad.

So we've got a banana peel.

We've got some avocado shells.

I've got half eaten apple, apple core, some mushy lettuce.

And then what?

And lots of tea.

I drink a lot of tea, but if you drink coffee, you guys don't drink coffee, tea or coffee?

I actually do have coffee.

The worms love coffee.

Do they eat, like, the coffee grounds?

They do eat the coffee grounds.

So, what do you think?

These are really small worms.

Do you think they're going to be able to eat this big banana peel?

Should we peel it up into pieces?

Yeah, but our worms are vegan, so they don't like to eat meat, fat, cheese or dairy.

They just like to eat vegetable scraps.

But they can also eat paper products.

So basically, if it comes from the earth, it can go back to the Earth.

Oh that's funny.

You guys are like a sous chef for the worms.

So we're going to give the worms a little bit of eggshells to see how it's these big pieces here.

This is going to be really hard for them to break down.

So when we put egg shells in, we want to grind them really fine.

So you can use a mortar and pestle or you can put them in your blender.

Do you think that worms have teeth?

No they don't.

Do they just like, swallow at home?

So they have a really, really basic digestive system.

So we give them these eggshells so that they have a little bit of grit that helps their gizzard move along their food.

All right.

So a worms favorite food.

Is it's avocado.

Yes.

Okay.

So when we feed the worms, we want to put the food at the very, very bottom.

So let's move all of this bedding out of the way.

This is the gooey part in you.

Yay!

Hungry, hungry worms.

These worms are doing a great ecological service, and they're turning that food into compost.

So one day, this whole bin is going to be just worm castings.

Look at that.

Fresh compost ready to go into our soil so that we can grow some healthy food.

Or it's good for our plants.

It's good for our planet.

It's like we're recycling.

It is recycling.

We are recycling organic material.

So how do you know if your ones are happy?

Well, there's a couple ways to tell.

First of all, if they're living in the bottom, then they're happy.

If you come in, you see your worms trying to crawl away.

They're looking for a better place to live.

Do we want to collect some worms from here?

Yes.

Let's do it.

How do you think we get the worms out?

Why don't you just take it and get more?

We can have, like, some sort of.

We've got a special tool.

So this is a sifter, a soil sifter.

And when I want to collect my worms, I'm going to keep all of this bedding, and I will just go into the old barn.

We'll give them a new place to live.

But say we wanted to harvest these guys.

So we can put some of this stuff on here.

And then we would just shake it up, see how all the castings are coming out the bottom.

You're going to keep doing that until all that's left in here is worms.

But I think for today we're just going to go worm hunting.

So just dig in.

Let's dig in there and find, what's going on inside this guy's barn?

Involve the composting worm.

This is Timothy.

Timmy.

The special.

Oh, there's a few.

Look at that.

What should this guy give me?

Tony.

Tony, do you want some worms?

My sister.

Oh, he's going so fast.

Said oh, yeah.

Speedo.

Speedo.

Teredo.

Sanic.

Compost club book.

Okay.

All right.

So.

Oh, go finish them.

I'll go into the bin and we're going to put a brick or a block or something so that the bin is lifted up off of the ground.

What will happen if we put it right flat on the ground.

The holes might not be able to like that.

We don't like too much water.

Just.

Exactly.

Do you want to put your worms in their new home?

Can I grab them one at a time or just pour?

Just dump them in there.

Kristy also said that this is perfect if you live in an apartment or you don't have a backyard.

They even have a worm bin at their office, which is pretty cool.

Anyway, thanks so much for learning today.

They're welcome.

And if you want to see more workshops with Doug, you just go to Doug Talk.

Which one's Bob again?

I love how they named their worms.

What a great TV debut for Speedo Dorito.

For more information on worm bin workshops and community garden programs, you can get involved in, visit Denver Urban gardens@dog.org.

Colorado's housing challenges have sparked a search for faster, more affordable building solutions, and one company in Buena Vista believes it can help by changing the way homes are built.

In tonight's business of Colorado.

Randy Matthews sits down with Brant Wall, founder and president of Peaks Precast, to explore how precast concrete can help speed up construction timelines while approving efficiency, while also shares how the company is working to reduce costs, limit weather related delays, and build a more consistent construction process.

Take a look.

My name is Brant Wall and I'm with Peaks Precast where I'm the founder and president.

Tell me about your company.

So Peake's Precast designs manufactures and installs precast concrete solutions to expedite construction for commercial and residential.

Tell me about where you're set up and what your business looks like physically.

Absolutely.

So we have a manufacturing facility in Buena Vista.

We're up in the industrial park right next to the airport.

We acquired that building in May 2025 and had to undergo a pretty large renovation to get it to where it is today.

We've been actively pouring concrete and doing our precast panels since October, and we're really excited.

This week, we're going to be delivering to our first client for our precast concrete panels called First Foundations.

Tell me a little bit about what this means for innovation in the construction industry, and specifically in housing, because affordable housing is a big deal in Colorado, obviously.

Absolutely.

So it's two parts.

The first part is education.

Precast concrete has been all around for a long time.

I'm originally from Pennsylvania and utilized it a fair amount in the northeast.

If you go up to Wisconsin, Minnesota, any other state or city that has labor problems or weather constraints, they've all turned to precast.

Colorado's been a slow adopter to precast concrete.

So a big part of it is just educating people of what precast concrete is, how we can utilize it to expedite our construction schedules and to reduce overall project costs.

But then additionally, we have a little bit of innovation to go with it and how we're utilizing offsite manufacturing and some of our modular components to be able to deliver it to the jobsite faster and have it be installed even quicker to really expedite the construction schedules.

When you're, you're in, manufacturing environment, how flexible are you on, on changing the, the requirements for each thing that you're doing?

We're extremely flexible, but it will slow down the process.

So it's all about being efficient.

So if we can rinse and repeat the same product over and over, we can be even more efficient and more cost effective.

But we are able to do custom applications.

How does this, compare to the traditional way of doing it on site?

Sure.

So the traditional way you need to do your excavation, and then you need to start with your strip footer.

And that's a 2 to 3 day process.

And there's also inspections and cure time and some weather constraints and labor constraints that go into that.

Once that process is done, then you can start doing your vertical wall systems.

And again it could be 2 to 3 to up to a week long.

And that also has the same labor weather constraints and inspection requirements.

What we do is we fabricate everything off site, deliver it to the project, and it can get installed in the same day.

Once the excavation has been complete.

So our quote is foundations in a day versus three weeks, which would be the traditional method.

So that's got to be more cost effective.

Yes.

Yeah.

Our product is cost effective to begin with.

We want to make sure we're cost neutral when getting compared against a more traditional foundation system.

But then additionally, all the soft costs that go along with taking weeks off the construction schedule.

So a huge benefit to the contractor and to the owner.

Well, I would think Colorado this would be especially helpful because the old saying is you don't like Colorado's weather.

Just wait ten minutes.

So it's it's gotten a lot more predictable, but it is very variable.

So I would think that that would take huge, amounts of time off the process.

It would it limits risk.

That's really what we're all about, limiting risk by accelerating the construction schedule with offsite solutions.

So today for example, is beautiful.

It's 58 degrees outside.

You could be doing every type of construction activity.

Tomorrow we're supposed to get a foot of snow.

Realistically, we probably wouldn't be able to do another concrete activity for four or 5 or 6 more days when we can still produce our offsite fabricated solution and deliver that to the jobsite when they're ready for it.

And we won't miss multiple days on the calendar because of the snowstorm.

Talk to me about workforce because I'm assuming that you have employees mostly, rather than contractors.

How does that change your point of view on how you, you know, plan for your business?

Sure.

So we're a team of five.

And what Peaks Precast has we have our design.

We have our manufacturing and then our install.

So we're anywhere from a high school graduate to a professional engineer with multiple degrees.

So we're able to offer several different jobs to the community.

And what's really important to us is to find our workforce locally, which we've been able to do with our teamwork of five.

We're also looking outside the community to bring in some precast concrete experience and some offsite manufacturing experience.

But we really want to spread the word to the community that these jobs are here.

People don't need to go look for another community or go to the big city to get that innovative job.

There's a lot happening here.

There's a lot of innovative companies here, and we're creating a small ecosystem of people that are working inside innovation for construction.

Well, it sounds like there's a lot of on the job training that would yes, it would happen.

So you really learn problem solving at the base level, learning by doing.

Yes, I am every day.

Yeah.

So you've been in Chaffee County for a little bit of time, right?

And how long?

About five years.

Yeah.

And then Denver before then.

So how would you, characterize Chaffee County from, innovation and entrepreneurial?

It's on the leading edge right now.

And the reason why I believe Chaffee County is at the forefront of innovation is because our ability to problem solve.

And additionally, I believe Chaffee County has seen a huge population growth that has outpaced our housing supply.

So it's a necessity.

This isn't a fun hobby.

It's a true necessity to increase the quality of our housing supply to ensure that there's affordability.

And Chaffee County has been at the forefront of it.

And additionally, Chaffee County is centrally located to a lot of other towns that are experiencing the same thing.

So our ability to have a workforce here and have all the innovation here that can also service the surrounding county, where there's a lot of the big, you know, ski resorts and different mountain towns that people are familiar with.

So we can help Cherokee County and we can help the surrounding counties as well.

So when I think about precast concrete, I think heavy.

Yes, big.

How do you you look at it for being able to, to economically get out to other geographic areas.

So when I said precast concrete has been around for a while, but we're doing something a little innovative.

What we're doing innovation wise is really through our engineering, and we're able to reduce the component size and therefore weight, and we're able to reduce the materials by about 25 to 30%, which then has a massive weight reduction.

So at the core of every decision and every design is the weight to ensure that we can transport it.

And then it can be easily installed with just your typical construction equipment.

We don't want to have huge trucks and huge cranes.

We want to make sure that this is designed for every construction project and every general contractor.

So we have a 200 mile shipping radius.

And right now we can put about one house where the foundations on one truck, really limiting the amount of transportation.

And our carbon footprint.

Chaffee County has an accelerator program, the ascent program.

You haven't gone through it yet?

I have not, but I've been accepted and we just had our first meeting last week.

I'm very excited for it.

So what do you think that's going to bring for you?

It's going to bring a lot of council, a lot of advisement, and additionally a ton of fantastic networking with local business owners, leaders, not only from a startup standpoint, but also leaders and advisors who have been in business for a long time and can provide appropriate direction for a new startup.

And this is going to be a hard question for you to answer, because you really are an emerging company.

But if you if I were a genie and I could give you one wish, what would you wish for to reduce the friction of your business to be successful?

Sure.

So I'd ask for more wishes, but if I only had one, I would certainly ask for people to be open minded.

As I mentioned, precast concrete has been around for a long time, but educating Colorado and our local community how we can truly utilize it to expedite our construction projects and lower the overall cost of the construction project to provide more attainable homes.

That would be the wish.

It's education.

I love that.

Well, there's concrete science back in science on it to show there's engineering.

Yeah, we have a ton of engineering.

Yeah, terrific.

Well, Brant, thank you so much for joining us today.

I look forward to continuing the conversation.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

Funding for the Business of Colorado on PBS 12 is provided in part by Collegiate Peaks Bank Ibotta.

And from the generous support of viewers like you.

Thank you.

Peak's Precast is also focused on building a local workforce while expanding its approach to communities across central Colorado.

Walsh says the long term goal is to help create more efficient, affordable and sustainable housing options for the future.

if you've ever wondered who the next generation of civic leaders in Colorado could be, all you have to do is experience a civics bead competition in action.

Regional competitions are happening across our state, and this week we head down to Falcon near Colorado Springs, where middle school students competed to answer questions about government history and civic responsibility.

Take a look.

It's great to see kids getting involved with with government and civics.

And, I don't know if you guys tried to answer some of those questions, but they were they were a little difficult.

It's just great to see to see kids that want to be involved in thinking originally and having to answer questions live, you know, from us just.

We're listening to the clarity, of the ideas and how it's presented from the kids, which we're always very impressed with.

And then we're comparing that to the civic virtues that they were given in classroom to try to integrate into their essays.

They've got great ideas and they're supporting them very well.

And they're citing, very good information.

And then they're also elaborating on how they're going to, construct those ideas, how they're going to, you know, communicate within the community who they're going to talk to.

It's just a great way to get the kids involved in school.

A lot of the teachers are, promoting it for extra credit or actually making it part of their curriculum.

And it's a way for them to learn about how government works and how ideas get brought up, and how ideas also get challenged.

I think it's important to be participating in a suit, because it kind of pushes you to learn more.

And so when you learn more, it'll it'll help you in life later on because you understand things better and deeply.

It's fun because you get to meet new people.

And then there's also prizes.

If you end for a second or third.

And then you can also go to DC.

Essentially, if you make it really far.

I'm nervous, but I also am extremely impressed by the knowledge base.

This is students in these children selected, they know so much and they studied very hard.

And so as a parent just watching, there's not much I can do, but just, you know, encourage and support them afterwards.

I'm as proud as can be.

It allows them to engage more in their community and really see that, yeah.

Civics is like something just historical and that, you know, book information, but you can learn and apply it in real life.

Good morning everyone.

We're about to begin our program, and as we do, we're going to start with a video production that was produced by the Daniels Fund.

Civics be is in all 50 states this year.

And El Paso County, it's only being hosted by our chamber.

So although our chamber is the Eastern Plains, primarily Falcon, we reach all districts in our county and try to reach out to every single private and public school that has six seventh or eighth graders so that we can get broad and diverse participation.

The Daniels Fund had this idea to put money into hosting civics education with the U.S.

Chamber of Commerce.

The State Chamber of Commerce, and individual chambers.

The Daniels Fund comes in as a partner and the sponsor to help design curriculum and promote the event.

We're just excited about anything that gets kids engaged because the more that they learn and grow, the better our society will be because they are our future.

Well, good morning everyone.

I want to welcome all of you to the third annual El Paso County Civic Bee.

I want to particularly thank all the students here today for your participation.

The Daniels Fund is extremely, interested in civics education.

Here's why.

Sadly, in enough, only about 30% of our, adults in America over the age of 21 can pass our citizenship test holding 1 in 4 of our high school students.

So when they're asked whether the three branches of government can answer it.

That's not good.

Our goal, and it's an ambitious one, is to have a million participants by 2030.

I think it's achievable because we're seeing dramatically increasing numbers of participants on the local and state level every year.

Our objective is to incite greater civics understanding, by our citizens.

We've chosen middle school because we think it's really the best place to start.

And I would encourage parents to talk to the schools and say, why aren't you, involved in civics be because this is something that our country desperately, desperately needs.

Before we start the final round, round three, can we give all our finalists a huge round of applause?

Thank you guys so much.

I'm feeling really nervous, but I'm also feeling kind of confident since, my sister and my mom helped me prepare.

I make sure I know the content that the judges are going to ask, that I know a lot about the subject that I'm going to be, questioned on.

So, like the 27 amendments in the, Bill of rights and all that.

We just need to be actually engaged citizens in our community and to make our community better.

So by doing this and by being, like actively engaged in civics, we can kind of make our country better.

I'm very proud of him, and I'm also very grateful for his teachers that helped him.

I was very excited for him to compete.

I was nervous for him.

But I think it's really important that he represents Saint Gabriel as well.

It's, it's a new school.

It's only been open for years.

It's good for young students to feel that little bit of nervousness and keep going anyways.

Right.

It's important for them to have opportunities to feel nervous, to feel challenged and to still keep going forward.

It helps him to understand, some a little bit about local politics, about voting, about how important it is to vote, participate in democracy, and participate in whatever he can do to help his local community improve.

I didn't know if Mike or my essay would be like enough to get to the midterm election, but I'm surprised, like, I didn't know I could get Sharon.

What makes you so interested in wanting to compete in this event like this today?

Like my voice is heard, like everyone can hear.

Like what I have to say.

Why do you think it's important for kids to be talking about this kind of stuff?

And not just adults?

Well, kids are the future, and they can change it.

It doesn't matter how young they are.

And in first place, Sidney Zane.

I studied a lot, especially with the study guide they gave us.

Me and my mom rehearsed our answers in the car on our way down here.

I think seeing all of the talent of people here was really nerve wracking.

But I eventually was like, you know what?

If I win, I win.

If I don't, I don't, and it's going to be great either way.

There's so many good people and they're good essays.

And I was surprised that I won, and I'm just super excited because I love, like helping my community and learning about our country.

And I was so excited.

What does that mean to you that you, as a public school student, won against?

I think the majority of the kids here do not necessarily go to traditional public schools.

I think it shows that kids in public schools can actually win things, and if they put their mind to it, they can do stuff that private school kids, they can be smart.

Yeah, but you can also be smart if you go to a public school.

Support for the civics Be is brought to you in part by the Daniels Fund in commemoration of America's 250th and Colorado's 150th anniversary.

Falcon near Colorado Springs is just one of the many communities competing in our state's regional civic speed competitions this year.

We'll be featuring more of these civics bees in the coming weeks right here on studio 12.

So make sure to stay tuned for that.

The top three students from each regional Be will go on to compete at the State Civics Bee on July 24th at the Cable Center on the Duke campus.

The city of Denver is dreaming of an economic boost of $500 million, and the opportunity to be cast in a very bright spotlight as a potential host of the 2028 Democratic National Convention.

The last time Denver played host was back in 2008, but the city is hoping the Democratic National Committee will be moved by nostalgia and choose Denver again in 2028.

It's something that our insiders talked about on the latest episode of Colorado Inside Out.

So let's check in now with Kyle Dyer for more.

The first full week of May last week was a memorable one.

We got that much needed moisture.

We had wanted plenty of kids, had a great surprise snow day, but we had some important visitors in town.

Probably not expecting a winter storm, and what they took away could factor into Denver's hopes of landing a future Democratic National Convention.

Here are some thoughts from our insiders.

This week was supposed to showcase Denver hosting members of the Democratic National Committee and making the case to land a future presidential convention instead.

A blast of May snow shut down schools and kind of stole the spotlight.

Did the weather dampen Denver's pitch?

And more broadly, what does the city have going for it now?

And what might give decision makers some pause?

Because Patty is a different Denver than when we hosted the DNC the last time they did get to come in, and rather than fight on the Boulevard, they got to take the airline in Tuesday morning.

So that's a bonus.

At least that did not exist in 2008.

I have to say, snow in May in Denver is not going to be a big damper on the in a convention that would be here in the summer, because we know Denver's weather is going to be good in the summer and very likely will not have a snow storm, unlike, say, Atlanta, which is the who's the city dissing the others the most?

Atlanta.

That'll be 100 degrees and 100 degrees.

100% humidity.

By the time this convention is held.

So for weather, Denver has that over Philadelphia and Boston and Chicago.

What we're pushing in Denver is it's the only site in the West, and Atlanta's dissin us for nostalgia.

But people remember 2008, the first convention here in 100 years, very fondly, because it was Barack Obama's acceptance speech at that had to move from Ball Arena, then Pepsi Center to the Empower Field because everyone wanted to be there.

So it was hope and change.

It was exciting.

And I think Denver really is wanting to play off that again, like we are a Democrat run state.

It's only gotten more so in the 20 years.

In fact, it changed in the 20 years after that and it's gotten more so.

So Denver might have a chance if they really want to celebrate what can be accomplished.

But if they want to get more votes, might be another state.

But they did go the avalanche game.

They went to the avalanche game.

They went insane.

Karaoke at Charlie Brown's best idea yet.

Right, David, what do you think?

Well, I covered the 2008 convention for the Rocky Mountain News, and from what I could see at the Pepsi Center at the time.

But it seemed, well run.

So there's got to be some good memories of that.

And as Patty was saying, the Obama messianic speech at Mile High Stadium were the was was very helpful for his campaign and the believe me, the media there was just as, enthralled with him as word is any 19 year old, Democrat delegate doing going to her first convention.

The worst thing about 2008 was so many state delegations were housed in south suburban hotels, and the shuttle busses just couldn't keep up the capacity.

So we had a lot of state delegations, the missed huge portions of the convention because they didn't get there in time now.

But there's a big change.

There was about 8000 hotel rooms in downtown Denver in 2008.

Now we're up to about 13,000.

So that solves the big thing.

The only downside is another thing that's up in Denver is violent crime.

That's up 43% compared to 2008.

Okay.

Marianne, I, I also covered the DNC in 2008.

It was one of the most amazing experiences of of my life as a reporter.

And, and I had a very, very small portion of it to cover because my beat was really higher ed.

But but I had I had a great time getting to meet the protesters and the, the other folks who were outside the, outside ball arena primarily.

And that's one area that I would want to see a little bit different is a different way of handling the, handling people who disagree with what's going on.

I don't think that they did a good job in 2008.

I, and I think anybody who wound up being caged, because that's what they did, everybody kind of got put in cages around Paul Arena, actually over on the campus.

So they weren't even on the same side of of Sphere Boulevard.

That's that's one thing that I would hope that they would reconsider is a different way of addressing that.

The other thing, and I don't think anybody has really thought about this, is drought.

And this state in August can turn into a very smoky mess if we have wildfire problems.

And there's not a whole lot that they can do about that.

On the other hand, if we wind up with that kind of with that kind of summer, you know, this this year looks bad, although not as bad as it did a couple days ago.

But if we wind up with a really bad wildfire season during 2028, that's that's not going to be a good look for Denver.

Okay.

All right Adam.

Denver's changed a lot in 20 years.

And I think the state of Colorado as a whole, you could argue we're we're much more blue than we were 20 years ago.

When you look at the state legislative landscape.

I also think it's interesting to look at the other cities.

So Boston and Philly claiming, you know, it's the bicentennial or on the heels of the Bicentennial and returning to the roots of, of national politics, something I think Denver has going for it is it's not just about Denver and Colorado.

It's also about the West and the Sunbelt.

So regionally you have Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, big states in upcoming elections.

So I think coming to the West would showcase the party interest in this part of the country, more so than on the East Coast, where we've seen pretty well established roots of of the party.

Okay.

And what do I hear that they think $500 million is what Denver would get if we got this.

For how many days in the weeks before and the, you know, and we don't only have to raise 75 million to get it.

Okay.

There's that every show we have four topics.

And that was just one of them.

You can watch our full conversation on Call of Colorado Inside Out on the PBS passport app, on our YouTube channel or on PBS Twelve's website.

And of course we've got podcasts as well on Spotify and Apple.

Now we're already working on what are we could conversation makers for this week show, so make sure to tune in starting this Friday night here on PBS 12 at 8:00. tonight through our partnership with the Colorado Environmental Film Festival, we're bringing you a story that flows straight from our state's rivers and the women who find power in them.

Fly chicks is a Colorado based short documentary that takes a fresh look at fly fishing through a feminist lens, directed by University of Denver filmmaker Kenzie Claflin.

This story is as much about identity and community as it is about the outdoors.

Here's the film.

Fly Chicks.

I've had a lot of experiences that I doubt would happen to somebody who looked different than me.

I never saw anybody like me.

I've never liked when someone said I couldn't do something.

I didn't mind being the only girl.

Who?

Walked across the mountains up to the Great Divide.

It crossed the creeks and rivers, searching far and wide.

Craving for the color crystal mountain streams.

You never found another one.

Or love to make history.

My name is more serene and I am a fly fishing guide and a mental health therapist in Colorado.

My favorite part about fly fishing?

I think that's hard because I. I just love every part of it.

The most exciting part of fly fishing for me is being able to be in such close contact with these beautiful fish.

The colors for me are really striking, and, that's what keeps me coming back.

My thing is, like, I'm a woman in this industry in a very visible space, and there's all these men posting big pictures of fish.

So it's not even necessarily I want to reflect myself well, but I want to show people that women are competent in continuing to challenge that.

I asked myself, well, how can we, instead of making competence, look like achieving big fish?

And in big fish days, maybe it looks like just appreciating nature, because at the end of the day, that's what a lot of people are out there for.

My name is Stephanie Gordon, and I'm with Colorado women Fly Fishers, and I'm on the board as the Trips director.

When I first moved to Colorado, I didn't know anyone here.

And I started fly fishing and kind of hanging out at my local fly shop.

And little by little, I met some other women, and they were all really welcoming.

And then I found Colorado women, Fly Fishers.

I walked away feeling like I was part of a group, and I had a sense of community at this point.

We have almost 400 members in this organization, and we stay true to that original mission.

It's building camaraderie and a culture of connection amongst this common passion of fly fishing.

There has been, like so many little moments, I think, you know, helping someone catch their first fish.

But for me personally, I just get the most reward out of seeing other women really succeeding and fly fishing.

Like, what are you.

Oh, here.

Getting a little fish over here for a little bit.

I think they're headed to the river.

For the.

My name is Erica Nelson.

My pronouns are she and her.

I currently reside in new territory currently known as Crested Butte, Colorado.

I am a fly fishing guide, a consultant, and I also host the Awkward Angler podcast.

Most of my clients are from historically excluded communities, so I get a lot of women.

Transgendered folks, a lot of folks from the LGBTQ plus community to spirit.

I think that's a pretty awesome honor.

And I really like kind of setting them up on their own journey.

I learned how to fly fish in Wyoming around 2016.

I was looking for a new hobby and picked up a fly rod.

Got on to kind of like a puzzle.

You know the right, not the right fly the right life cycle of the hatch.

I had to kind of figure it out on my own, and I had this thing in, like, don't know, notch tie loft fly fishing has taught me a lot of patience, a lot of gratitude, and sometimes not when I'm wanting those things to be taught to me.

My favorite part about fly fishing is the connection.

I think it takes a lot of things holistically to connect.

It's not just about catching the fish, but it's about connecting with all living things.

So the healthy air, the clean water, the bugs, the birds, and just watching the fish in a healthy habitat.

Last weekend, I pulled up to one of my favorite spots.

There's a man and a woman, and he turns to me and he says, so would you tell my wife that even women can learn to fly fish?

And I looked at her and I said, anyone can learn to fly fish if it doesn't go well with your husband.

Here's my card.

It's not just women fishing with their boyfriends or their husbands or a partner.

They see women fishing by themselves.

I see Group A ladies fishing.

It's a tricky question on whether misogyny plays into the way that people approach me online or on the water.

My personal assumption is yes.

Let's just say I've never been harassed by a woman on the water.

It's interesting because when I'm fishing, I am the least aware of what I look like and the gender that I identify with.

All that to say, I've shared negative, interactions with men on the water online, and I cannot tell you how many messages I've received from some men, but a majority of women who have experienced the same type of you're not supposed to be here.

You're not allowed to take up space where we are.

When I was fishing in Wyoming, I would experience a lot of, like, racist and sexist, things and experiences, which were unfortunate.

And I started an Instagram account called Awkward Angler.

That name means two things.

One, it's awkward to fly fish, and nobody would broadcast that.

It was always this picturesque.

Beautiful places, but also really big fish.

And it seemed like every time you went out you would catch a fish.

And that wasn't my experience.

And I kind of had these questions of like, is anyone else experiencing this and why?

And how can we call in the industry to be empowered to change that?

I struggle significantly with anxiety, especially social anxiety.

You know, things have helped me through my life, but the thing that helps me the most to manage those symptoms or to be present, that I've ever found is fishing.

And so I imagine a lot of other people might turn to fishing because of that reason.

It's just soothing.

I'm going to use a word called flow.

Flow is where you totally lose sense of time.

You're completely immersed in an activity, and then all of a sudden the sun is down.

So when I'm engaged in something, I'm not thinking about past trauma experiences or anxiety that I'm experiencing.

To engage in a sport where so often you're feeling or I can imagine it has those same long term effects for you as well.

For a moment.

You might say, wow, I'm so small.

And it kind of puts into perspective.

We're only here for so long.

I say, well, I need to be more present.

I think it has a lot to do with just a quality of mental health and well-being that I think we can easily lose in these really hectic times in which we live.

I think fly fishing and standing on a river, casting a rod, it just instills all the things, honestly, that make me happy.

And sometimes you forget them or things just seem a little off kilter.

And I can get a fly rod and go to the river for an hour or eat whatever it may be, and I'm right back where I need to be.

One of the things that I've helped try to do is educate others by creating the angling for all pledge, which is looking at ways to be more inclusive.

And I think that's something that I'm trying to change and work on in the industry is being that representation and being that influence, that it is accessible, and you don't need the whole get up in the gear, like you can literally just go with what you have.

Everybody starts somewhere.

And the more challenging something is to start, I think the more rewarding it is when you start to figure it out.

I was working with a woman who is a survivor of abuse.

She just wasn't confident at all.

And then by the end of the day, she actually hooked into maybe one of the biggest fish that a client has ever hooked into.

By the end of the day, she's like, I did it like I caught fish today, and I hooked into that big fish.

And you could just tell not only in her words, but in her mannerisms.

She felt so empowered by the experience.

I think it just takes some bravery to get out there and do it.

This is a sport for all people of all abilities, from all backgrounds, to get out and try it.

The people who say you can't or shouldn't, don't pay any attention to them.

Just pick up your fly rod and keep going.

Myself and so many other women out there continuously share how impactful this sport is to them.

And so there must be something there, right?

A firearm in your hand that makes you an angler that we fish on for the summer times coming from the trees.

I sleep with women I know I would manage fine blooms around the purple heather where you could have equal.

And we all go together to pull.

I hope I'm dying all around the purple heather will you go me go.

That was fly chicks.

A powerful look at the intersection of nature, identity and belonging right here in Colorado.

The film highlights how fly fishing can be more than a sport.

It can be a space for connection, reflection, and breaking barriers.

Fly chicks is just one of the many impactful films you will see here on PBS 12.

With the support of our partners from the Colorado Environmental Film Festival to watch Fly Chicks and all of our CFF films, go to PBS, 12 Dawgs, CFF.

what happens when you mix meaningful conversation with a little bit of doodling?

You get the doodle desk where the stories are real and the drawings are questionable at best.

In this episode, Kyle Dyer sits down with Colorado Inside Out panelist and Colorado Sun co-founder Jesse Paul.

They also talk about statehouse reporting, trust in journalism, and telling stories that matter.

And of course, it wouldn't be the doodle desk without a twist.

They'll be drawing each other's portraits along the way, so we'll let you decide who the better artist is.

Here's the doodle desk.

Okay.

Jesse Paul is a journalist, a go getter.

He's always thinking, always listening, and an excellent writer.

Colorado is so fortunate to have someone so in the know about what is happening at the state legislature, and who can then translate it all in such a conversational way for the Colorado Sun, which he helped found after leaving the Denver Post with other colleagues.

When Jesse is slated to join an episode of Colorado Inside Out, I know he will bring an inside scoop or a quote from the governor or our leader on the legislature to add some context to the stories that are out there.

Jesse, this is the first time I think you have brought your dog with us to, PBS 12.

Welcome to, Ruthie there.

Hi, Ruthie.

Tell me about this, Ruthie.

She is a two and a half year old white.

Golden is trying not to fall asleep, but, yeah, she's she's very pretty, very calm, very nice sidekick.

I'm hoping I can bring her to the capital this year.

Do we just start?

We can just start.

Okay.

And I'm just gonna ask you questions to distract you when you can find a good journalist who can filter out so much of the sensational focus on what we need to know, and be able to express it in a way that we need to know so we can digest it.

That's a find.

And we're you're very good at what you do.

Thank you.

Did you always want to be a journalist?

I really liked writing.

And when I was growing up, you know, both my dad and my grandfather, both, doctors.

And so I kind of went to college.

I went to Colorado College and thought that was going to be a doctor, too.

But I've learned, like, within two months, that that wasn't going to be the right thing for me.

You know, took a journalism class and just kind of fell in love with it.

And then you came to Denver for the Denver Post.

You interned there?

I did actually started.

Yeah.

So when I was, when I, when I was still in college, they offered me an internship.

And a few months into the internship, they offered me a full time job, which which was kind of a pinch me moment because I really was not expecting that.

And then, I was there for four years until I left to help, found the Colorado Sun.

That's impressive that you got a job out of an internship right away.

But the Denver Post changed so much.

Yeah, it must have been hard.

It was.

And.

But it was also like a good lesson in journalism.

Like, you know, people are getting into journalism now.

I think they're kind of warned, like, don't do it.

It's going to be terrible.

Like you're going to get laid off.

And, I was really lucky that I didn't lose my job.

You know, it was a really great place to work.

But when I had the opportunity to help found the Sun, it just seemed like a no opportunity.

But how how daunting was it?

I mean, why why did you guys say we need to do this?

You know, I think the idea was like, look, you know, journalism is just not sustainable in Colorado right now.

Yeah.

And the idea, you know, a lot of us were complaining about the owners of the Denver Post and wanted to, do something about it.

And so I felt like if I had an opportunity to put my money where my mouth was like that, I had to do it, and it worked.

People love the Colorado sun.

It works.

It works so far.

I mean, it's been it's not been like an easy, not been an easy road at all.

I've only been doing it for about a decade.

So, this is kind of all I've ever known.

You've only been working for ten years.

Yeah.

You made such a splash so soon?

Well, it feels like I've been doing it for a long time.

No, I think I appreciate your presence in Colorado inside out.

Because you.

You come over prepared and it's so natural for you, but with all your demands.

Why did why is cover inside out something that you want to commit to?

And it's fun.

I mean, well, first of all, I think it's good for the Colorado sun.

You know, I think it helps kind of boost our profile.

We're still like a new organization.

I really like talking with you.

Okay.

Thank you.

Waiting for that people on it.

Yeah.

Like, the topics are fun, and it brings, like, a all these different mediums that I've been trying to explore kind of help my brain a little bit like, think about different stories.

Because it's so rare that I'm actually like talking to people about what I'm doing, if that makes sense.

Okay.

You know, my wife doesn't think politics is interesting, so she doesn't doesn't read my stories anymore like she did when I was writing about people murdering each other.

But she, so, you know, I, you know, we work from home mostly, and so it's great to get out of the house and kind of have a, you know, conversation with people about what's going on and, have a deep conversation with the state about what's going on.

My.

I'm done.

How are you doing?

Oh, I'm it's it's just that look at all like you and mine's abstract, and I need your shoulders to thin, and you're like, you're a former wrestler.

So, like, you have, like, big shoulders.

I mean, you like this little skinny guy.

So are you ready now or never?

All right, let's do it.

No matter what happens, Ruthy will always love you.

Okay?

Oh, yeah, I get it.

And I will not be offended, but please.

And I made you so frail like it's so sorry.

Okay.

Are you ready?

Do we need a countdown?

Okay.

Three, two.

I love you, Jessie.

I like I like yours.

Let's kind of abstract.

You see what I did?

I missed the three, and I, I need it.

I need a brown marker because it's.

I like that for you.

Too pale.

Like I need more brown.

And this must be abstract.

That it is.

So here we go.

Thank you so much.

Yeah.

What do you think?

So when you're no longer reporting, you're going to become an illustrator.

So I am trying to write a children's book.

You are?

A friend of mine is a very good writer.

Yeah.

Really?

What would it be about?

I can't tell you.

It's.

It's, Somebody can steal my idea.

Oh, really?

This isn't like.

No, I think that's really good.

I mess up the nurse, then there's this.

It's okay.

I'm not myself.

It's a little darkened and maybe cancerous.

That.

I'm sure it's fine.

Jesse, thank you so much for coming today.

Ruthie, my darling, thank you for coming.

And, Jesse, thank you for being such an important part of our journalistic community in Colorado.

Yeah.

Thank you for having me.

And thanks for including us.

Yeah.

That was just a sneak peek of one of our conversations with our panelists.

For our full conversation with all of our insiders, check out the doodle Desk on the passport app.

PBS Twelve's YouTube channel, or on our website, PBS 12.org, or wherever you get your podcasts.

We look forward to seeing you the next time at the doodle desk.

from worm bins and affordable housing to young civic leaders, fly fishing and a little doodling along the way.

Thanks for spending your time with us tonight.

We love sharing the people, ideas, and stories that make Colorado such a unique place to live, work, and create community.

You can watch full episodes of studio 12 any time on our YouTube channel or at PBS 12.org.

For all of us here at PBS 12.

Thanks for joining us tonight.

I'm Ryan Hare.

We'll see you next week.