Mesacountylibraries Podcasts

In our continuing series on journalistic challenges in a digital environment saturated with disinformation, we profile The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel's Dan West, the paper's newly-minted editorial page editor. In addition to exploring Dan's past history in the industry, we examine the important role of the paper's dedicated Opinion section in a …

An interview with Citizens for Clean Air members Karen Sjoberg and Jerry Nelson about their organization's ongoing study into the potential use of biochar as an alternative to agricultural burning.

A conversation with 37-year Grand Junction Daily Sentinel photojournalist Christopher Tomlinson on the eve of his retirement from full time working life.

Part 2 of my conversation with Wayne Hare, founder of The Civil Conversations Project. Where Part 1 focused on Wayne's personal history and racial awakening, Part 2 focuses on some of the more over-arching themes and consequences of racial division, such as the physical and emotional toll it takes on the human body and how to reconcile the history …

Part 1 of a conversation of being black in America with Wayne Hare, founder of the Civil Conversations Project. Wayne's story is living proof that no group of people - black, white or otherwise - is monolithic and that eradicating racial inequality involves a process of recognizing the almost undetectable socialization that prolongs it.…

Travel the culinary world from the comfort of home with one of The Daily Sentinel's newest additions, Christine Gallagher, columnist of All Things Food. In addition to reflecting on the bounty offered by Grand Valley growers, vintners and brewers, Christine shares her personal relationship to food and its ability to nourish the body and soul; gives…

The 3rd installment in this podcast collaboration between the Crossing the Divide media project and The Daily Sentinel, which provides an inside look at life behind the scenes at your local newspaper. This episode, a Reader Feature, is a conversation with Sentinel reader Keith Vogt. Not a local resident, Keith reached out to the Sentinel to reconne…

This promo show, featuring excerpts from the full-length Pine Gulch Fire episode, focuses specifically on the role of human behavior in preventing wildfire outbreaks, protecting property from encroaching blazes and aiding firefighting efforts once crews are on the ground. This show originally aired on KAFM Community Radio in Grand Junction.…

On July 31st of 2020, a lightning strike in a remote area north of Grand Junction, CO sparked what would later come to be called The Pine Gulch Fire. It would eventually blow up into the largest wildfire in Colorado history until The Cameron Peak fire on Colorado's Front Range exceeded it in October of the same year. Eric Coulter, Public Affairs Sp…

The 2nd installment of Crossing the Divide's Season 4 feature, The Daily Direct, introduces Daily Sentinel Managing Editor Dale Shrull. Dale takes you inside the newsroom, tracing the journey of a local news tip as it transforms into a full-fledged news story and discusses the challenge of properly vetting facts before publication in a culture wher…

Targeted Disinformation. Social Media. Section 230. Just a few of the threats facing traditional print media outlets in the 21st century. Crossing the Divide takes you behind the scenes at a small town newspaper, The Daily Sentinel, with frank and open discussions about the difficulties and importance of keeping local journalism alive in an age of …

Transpersonal Counseling. Alchemical Hypnotherapy. Astrology. Radical Living. Part reflection, part projection. You've embarked on Season 4 of Crossing the Divide via Astrologer Dulce Bell-Bulley.

The Daily Sentinel Publisher Jay Seaton joins me for a sneak preview of a new feature for Season 4, The Daily Direct, an intimate look inside a newspaper industry in flux as it adapts to the pressures and realities of a digital DISinformation age. Look for the full podcast end of March.

If your wanderlust has been stifled during our Year of Covid, take a trip down Memory Lane as we recap all the amazing conversations we managed to eke out of an otherwise dismal period. If you need a reminder that despite the upheaval of 2020 good people were still busy doing good things, this one's for you. Season 4 coming soon!…

An in-depth discussion about climate change in the Western Slope region with former National Weather Service forecaster, Joe Ramey. Roughly a decade ago, as the Climate Liaison at the Grand Junction office, Joe undertook his own regional climate study to better understand potential changes in climate occurring here on the ground and to inform the l…

Crossing the Divide CMU Intern Lohgan McClung joins me at the KAFM studio to discuss her internship project, Deep Roots, available on our social media accounts in January. Deep Roots is an in-depth profile of Parachute, CO as told through several of its residents.

8 months into the year 2020 a global pandemic of COVID-19 continues to rage here at home and around the world. The United States, struggling to adopt a coherent national plan to combat the disease, faces another rise in cases and surmounting death toll as we enter our yearly flu season with the potential for a twindemic that could cripple our healt…

Mesa County Public Health Epidemiologist Andrew Tyler joins me at the KAFM studio for a preview of our upcoming podcast, Pandemic! with a focus on proper cleaning and hygiene to help prevent the spread of illness during a pandemic.

Former National Weather Service Meteorologist Joe Ramey joins me in the KAFM studio to preview our upcoming podcast, "Climate Talks," detailing the process and results of a Western Slope climate study he undertook analyzing 100 years of weather data in Western Colorado and Eastern Utah. In this preview, we discuss the potential impact of climate ch…

A conversation with best-selling author and Colorado Mesa University Assistant Professor of History, Timothy Winegard, whose latest book, The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator examines the dramatic impact of a pesky but seemingly unassuming creature on the course of human existence. The release of this podcast coincides with the r…

This PREVIEW to our upcoming release, Mosquito, features excerpts from our conversation with New York Times bestselling author Tim Winegard on his most recent book highlighting the dramatic impact this disease-carrying foe has had on the course of human history. Our in-studio guest for this sneak preview is Tim Moore, Director of the Grand River Mo…

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our …

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our …

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our …

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our …

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our …

In an effort to document the unique Zeitgeist of the COVID-19 pandemic, Crossing the Divide has created a limited video series, Life Under Lockdown, where we interview individuals, businesses and organizations impacted by a society in limbo while the battle against an insidious disease rages all around us. How has a life under lockdown altered our …

Audience members of the 2019 Grand Junction Film Festival Filmmaker Panel follow up with their own questions about how to succeed in the production world.

Your Oscar awaits! Crossing the Divide brings you exclusive access to the Filmmaker Panel hosted in October 2019 by the Grand Junction Film Festival. This discussion features professionals from the film and television industry sharing their personal journeys on the path to successful media careers along with predictions for what lies ahead for view…

A preview of our upcoming release Breaking In: The GJ Film Fest Filmmaker Panel, which features actor, writer, producer and Grand Junction Film Festival Board member and panel moderator Arielle Brachfeld. Arielle shares her journey into the world of film and television production from her early years in Denver as a teen with a flair for the stage a…

Part 2 of Going Paleo features Stephanie Lukowski, Curator of Education for Museums of Western Colorado. Stephanie details what drew her to study the strange world of prehistoric mammals and her eventual decision to pursue science education. She addresses the struggles encountered as an aspiring scientist raised in a devout religious family and exp…

A discussion with Julia McHugh, Museum of the West's Curator of Palentology, about the importance of the Western Colorado region in shaping the future of paleontological study. In addition to providing an insider's perspective on this small but intriguing area of natural science, Julia reveals details of groundbreaking work in the study of Forgotte…

A sneak peek at Part 2 of our upcoming episode, Going Paleo, features Museums of Western Colorado's Curator of Education Stephanie Lukowski riffing on how to approach science education; what makes the high desert region of Western Colorado the ideal place for finding hidden paleontologic treasure; and what to do should you come across an object of …

This add-on to Ep 14 is a recording of the Q & A session between our live audience and panelists that followed our discussion.

In 2019, for the first time in our nation's history, power generated from renewable energy surpassed that of coal, the result of a continued downward trend in the demand for coal-fired electricity driven largely by market forces reducing the cost of renewable energy production. For rural communities built on extractive industries, the potential imp…

A preview of our upcoming podcast Renewed Energy: A Stop on the Rural Electric Listening Tour, a panel discussion sponsored by Solar United Neighbors, WeOwnIt and The Craig Chamber of Commerce about the demise of coal and its effect on communities economically dependent on the high paying jobs and tax base provided by coal-fired power.…

Museums of the West's Curator of Paleontology Julia McHugh joins me in the broadcast studio at KAFM Community Radio for a preview of Part 1 of Going Paleo, an inside look at the field of Paleontology and how regional finds past and present and the unique geology of Western Colorado and Eastern Utah contribute greatly to the growing body of knowledg…

Open spaces open minds and soothe the soul. Yet increasing demands on our time and continued economic disparity prevent many of us from enjoying the recreational offerings of our public lands. And a population disconnected from its natural landscapes is less likely to grasp the interplay between environmental health and human well-being. In 2010 Co…

Killian Rush, Development Director for Colorado Canyons Association, joins me in the studio at KAFM Community Radio for a preview of our upcoming podcast about ongoing efforts to promote and protect local Conservation Areas.

If you've been harboring thoughts of major life changes, this conversation with Grand Junction philanthropist and entrepreneur Jen Taylor will give you the kick in the pants you need to make them happen. A master of re[invention], Jen has been carving out unique niches for herself on this earth since before she left home. It's a craft she continues…

Part 2 of Development in Bloom/s/ features a conversation with Bennett Boeschenstein, who, in his former role as Community Development Director for the City of Grand Junction, was intricately involved in the planning and development of the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens. Bennett reflects on the poor state of the riverfront upon his arrival in t…

Sue and John Harris remember their mother, Elizabeth Harris, founder of Grand Junction's Western Colorado Botanical Gardens and a visionary in the movement to reclaim the Colorado Riverfront from decades of pollution and neglect. They detail her passion for promoting our unique history and riparian habitat by connecting access to the river with the…

Crossing the Divide's monthly sneak preview show features a behind-the-scenes look at our upcoming podcast with Grand Valley Visionary Jen Rieke Taylor whose contributions to outdoor rec on the Western Slope have been a boon to our quality of life and tourism industry. We talk career shifts, economic development, philanthropic capitalism and so muc…

A sneak preview of our upcoming podcast on the development of our local Botanic Gardens, which helped kickstart the restoration and revitalization of the Colorado Riverfront still in progress today. The interview features Mayor Pro Tem Bennett Boeschenstein who helped guide the permitting process for the Gardens in his role as Community Development…

A profile of Hilltop's Latimer House program, Safe House features Program Director Jackie Sievers detailing the critical services provided to victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault throughout a four county region. Jackie sheds light on the scope and spectrum of domestic violence in our community and on the difficulties associated with leaving…

Short and sweet sneak preview of our upcoming release, Safe House. Safe House features a conversation with Jackie Sievers, Director of Hilltop's Latimer House, providing shelter and vital services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. This show was broadcast 2/20/19 on KAFM Community Radio.…

Our final, full-length podcast on the Old Spanish Trail has arrived. Put on your hiking shoes, saddle up your horse or hop on your bike to travel the arduous lengths of the Old Spanish Trail. Old Spanish Trail Association President and Grand Junction local Vicki Felmee details fascinating aspects of a historic trade route that wends its way westwar…

Long before it earned the name Old Spanish Trail, this 2700 mile trade route was one of numerous trails traversed by Native Americans moving across the western landscape. In this PopUp prelude to our full-length podcast on the history and preservation of the Old Spanish Trail, Carl Conner of the Dominguez Archaeological Research Group discusses how…

A tie-in to our upcoming full-length podcast on the Old Spanish Trail, this PopUp is one of many figurative road trips for the taking along this historic 2,700 mile trade route. It features Old Spanish Trail Association President and Grand Valley resident Vicki Felmlee discussing the global phenomenon of Culturally Modified Trees. Click play now fo…

Katherine Bedell, owner of Roan Creek Ranch, discusses mounting threats to modern day ranching and details her efforts to transform the cattle industry here on the Western Slope by utilizing sustainable practices that benefit the animal, the ecosystem and the consumer. Katherine's vision encompasses a cooperative farm-to-table effort on the part of…