Camping helps us refresh our mind and soul. There’s nothing better than seeing the wilderness wake up as the sun lights up the sky! Camping requires some preparation to keep you warm, safe, and healthy. If you are planning a camping trip this year, keep in mind these essential health and safety tips. Assess your fitness level.  If you are planning a particularly strenuous trip, make sure you are fit enough to withstand the strain of the journey. You may want to consider working with a fitness professional before you go on a particularly strenuous trip, especially if you aren’t physically active... Read More

It is important to remember how to stay safe if there is lightning and avoid getting injured, though the chances of getting struck are very low. The CDC recommends a variety of indoor and outdoor safety tips if you are stuck in a storm: Safety precautions outdoors If the weather forecast calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity. Remember: When thunder roars, go indoors. Find a safe, enclosed shelter. Don’t forget the 30-30 rule. After you see lightning, start counting to 30. If you hear thunder before you reach 30, go indoors. Suspend activities for at least 30 minutes after the... Read More

As you may have heard, Boulder County’s most recent emergency warning systems test was Monday evening. Boulder’s flood season stretches from April through August, and that means the emergency warning systems need to be tested regularly. Flash floods are no joke, but neither are the 30+ sirens of Boulder County’s outdoor warning system. Following World War II most cities and towns in the United States incorporated siren alarm systems for civil defense. These were originally intended to warn civilians of impending air raids, hence the colloquial term “air raid sirens”.... Read More

Tomorrow is Super Bowl LIII. The Los Angeles Rams will be up against the New England Patriots. One team will go home with the trophy, the rings, and bragging rights as Super Bowl Champions for the year. There’s sure to be some incredible plays, a few amazing runs and receptions, and a whole lot of high contact hits. You might even be cheering for hard hitting tackles to stop your rival team short of a first down, or cause a fumble and a turnover so your team can recover the ball, but what happens to the players after the game is over and they go home? Several NFL players suffer from a variety... Read More

I have big news. Save thousands of lives a year kind of news. Here it is: it exists, right now, an easy, accessible solution to the world’s texting while driving epidemic that causes nearly 2 million car accidents a year. And it isn’t a hefty fine or self-driving cars. The solution is Groove by Katasi. Its inventor, Scott Tibbitts, has all the characteristics of a person destined for greatness.  As a former space entrepreneur, Tibbits built over 3,500 devices for NASA which never once failed in the vacuum of space. What makes him stand apart from other rocket scientists is his  ability to... Read More

If you’ve been anywhere around Boulder this weekend, you’ve seen the plume of smoke caused by the Cold Springs Fire above Nederland. This fire, caused by the mindless neglect of a campfire, has claimed 8 homes, burnt over 600 acres, and displaced almost 2,000 people so far. These numbers seem staggering, but it could have been much worse. In 2010, the Four Mile Canyon Fire destroyed upwards of 150 homes just a few miles outside of Boulder. At the time, it was the most destructive fire in Colorado history. This status would soon be overtaken by the High Park fire, Waldo Canyon Fire, and the... Read More

Boulder County commissioners have approved the use of unmanned flying aircraft aka “drones” over Boulder County’s open spaces. What does this mean for you? Boulder County has approved the use of unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS for short, on/above Boulder County property. The craft may take off, fly, and land on city-owned public lands. But not just anyone can fly their own craft over Boulder. Only UAS working on pre-approved agricultural and scientific research projects will be permitted. The hope for the UAS is that they will improve the yield of locally grown crops. Agricultural... Read More

Safety first, Buffs! 1.Always have a buddy. Never leave a party alone or let your friends leave without you. If you want to stay and others want to leave, make sure you have at least one friend with you. Halloween means parties on top of parties – lots going on. It’s easy to get lost, so having a buddy is a must. 2.Don’t take any vitamins. The Hill will be explosive with parties, parties and more parties this weekend. Resist the urge to take things that people give you (other than wrapped candy, that is) because you never truly know a strangers intentions. 3.If you can’t... Read More

  Throughout the ages as human society has developed our planet and conquered new frontiers, people brought with them all sorts of things.  Including other species. Anthropogenic development has allowed other species to inhabit places once not accessible to them by riding on the metaphorical coattails of humanity.  In fact white-nose syndrome, which continues to devastate bat populations across North America, arrived in North America on the actual bottom of someone’s shoe that the person had worn spelunking.  Invasive species can cause no major issue for their new environments but can... Read More

After facing the devastating floods that began on September 11, the result of an eight-day period in which The National Weather Service reported between 7 and 18 inches of rain, Boulder County has maintained its resolve and continues to rebuild. After the natural disaster, which destroyed approximately 2,000 homes, cut off entire towns, and washed away countless roads, hundreds of people were reported to be missing or unaccounted for. That number diminished quickly, however, as people checked in to authorities and on Tuesday, it was reported that the final six missing people were found to be safe. Of... Read More