Rapid Development in Colorado Worries the Agricultural Community

Growth in the housing sector has begun to encroach on ranchers' land and water.







-Fountain, CO   Ann Hanna has seen the expansion of the Colorado Springs-area explode within the last ten years. It seems like everyday she has had a developer knocking on her door or leaving a note offering to buy a portion of her ranch. However, Hanna never thought about accepting one of these offers.

"We are way too close to the city of Fountain and the city of Colorado Springs," says Hanna. "We are right there now." Instead, she wants to keep her land and water as is, preserving it for the future. That's why Hanna turned to Colorado Open Lands.

The Lakewood-based non-profit organization works to "preserve the significant open lands and diminishing natural heritage of Colorado through private and public partnerships, innovative land conservation techniques and strategic leadership." Colorado Open Lands purchased 550 acres of Hanna's ranch in an effort to maintain the integrity of the land. "It's an agreement between the conservation easement holder and a private land owner that essentially restricts the use of the property," says Colorado Open Lands Director Dieter Erdmann.

Colorado Open Lands Website

Under this conservation easement, Hanna's land will permanently remain an area for cattle grazing and large-scale hay production.

Hanna's late husband, Kirk, fostered her passion for conservation, something she has passed down to her two daughters, Maggie and Emy. Both are in college and plan on returning to the ranch to continue in conservation efforts. The family realizes how important the agricultural community is in America. Ranchers and farmers make up a mere two percent of the nation's adult work force, but their livelihood is in danger due to rapid expansion nationwide.

Not only is this growth affecting those in the agricultural community, but those in cities as well. "Our focus, first and foremost, is connecting people to land, making sure that all kids are in walking distance of a park," says Trust for Public Land Project Manager, Wade Shelton. "That everybody has the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors because we feel that to really further conservation, you need people to want to go outside and, if they don't have the opportunity to do that, they're not going to do it."

Thanks in part to proceeds from the Colorado Lottery, Colorado has taken steps towards conservation, and is now a leader throughout the country.

Hanna likes to see the progress around the state, but understands it will be an uphill battle. "Now that I have a conservation easement, you know, they understand that that's where my desires are. I am not a seller." Kirk and Ann Hanna's commitment to conservation has been documented in a new feature film expected to be released in 2011.

Here's a link to the video's promo. Hanna Ranch Promo

Other links of interest:
Colorado Springs Gazette article about Hanna Ranch
Rocky Mountain News article about the Hanna family
Trust for Public Land website

Really FIFA?

While my blog has focused on Tim Tebow and his religious values, the announcement by FIFA that Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup has me more than a little upset.

First, and most obvious, I'm upset because Qatar beat out the United States. The U.S. had been the odds-on favorite because A. Europe is hosting the 2018 World Cup (no continent can host consecutive World Cups), B. the 1994-U.S.-staged World Cup was the most attended EVER, C. the U.S. does not need to build new facilities,  D. do you know how much money would come out of hosting a World Cup in the world's richest and most developed country?, and E. it's the U.S.

But Qatar snuck in with a gaudy and emotional presentation about why the Arab world should host a World Cup.

Quick. $10 to the first person who can point out where Qatar is on a map. Qatar is a rich, oil and gas-producing country about the size of Connecticut, with a population around 1.3 million (half of which are non-natives). Yes, Qatar has the government-backing for the World Cup (something the U.S. did not necessarily have) and it has an abundance of money. Yes, Qatar's stadiums will be amazing, though 9 of the 12 still need to be built. Yes, FIFA wanted to continue it's endeavor of bringing the World Cup to new parts of the world (see South Africa, Brazil, Russia). But really FIFA? Qatar?

I don't care if Qatar builds air-conditioned stadiums to combat the 120-130 degree heat during the event. I don't care if the facilities will be absurdly nice.
I don't care that this will be the first major sporting event held in the Middle East.

What I do care about is the way this all went about. First, Qatar and the Spain-Portugal joint-bid for the 2018 World Cup have been accused of colluding to buy votes for the other to make sure they won. Really? Classy moves by both parties. Yes, FIFA did remove 2 members from its Executive Committee in response to these allegations, but I still don't buy that Qatar is innocent. Second, it seems a little fishy to me that Russia magically won the 2018 vote and President Putin was nowhere to be found, but suddenly is on a flight to Zurich as I write this, to celebrate. Corruption anyone? But what really bothers me, and the reason this is in a blog about religion and media, is what Qatar is changing to fit in.

Qatar is a Muslim nation. Muslims do not drink, at least not heavily. However, Qatar has said that it will allow more alcohol in the country for the World Cup. Cool selling point. Ignoring your religious values so that the rest of the world can party. And believe me, the World Cup is a giant party. Under sharia law, being drunk in public is a huge offense. Have you seen someone from the UK after a soccer match? Complete and utter shitshow. So I have zero respect for Qatar doing this. It's disgraceful that a country which has such deep religious roots would be willing to alter them just to host an event. I mean really Qatar?

So congratulations to FIFA for choosing four straight questionable locations for the World Cup: South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Qatar. Really?

In case you were keeping tabs about how good the U.S. and Qatar soccer teams are, the U.S. is currently ranked 24th. Qatar is ranked 113th. Out of 203 nations. Really FIFA? At least we can watch Germany or Spain beat Qatar 10-0 in the first round.

This whole situation should be a "Really? With Seth and Amy" on Saturday Night Live.

Really? With Seth and Amy

Tim Tebow to publish memoir

It's not everyday a 23-year old can publish a memoir about his/her life and expect it to be a best seller. But such is the life of Tim Tebow, the most publicized football player in ages. Harper Collins announced that it signed a book deal with Tebow. The book, entitled Through My Eyes, will examine Tebow's life growing up with missionary parents and how he works to keep faith in his life every day. The book is supposed to be a journey through Tebow's life, examining every step he's taken and allowing him an opportunity to analyze and reflect on what he has gone through.

I find this situation a little ridiculous. I'm a Tebow fan, but how much can a 23-year old know at that age? I'm only a year younger than Timmy and have had plenty of my own experiences, but you don't see me publishing a book. However, I think what really drives the inspiration for this text is religion. It is not meant to be read as a prophesy, but rather Tebow's exploration of his life as it relates to his religion. This is why media is amazing. It allows anyone to convey anything in any way he/she wishes. Furthermore, Tebow is using a full-length text version to do so, which is now somewhat non-traditional. The advent of Facebook, Twitter and increased TV viewing have diminished the role that true written work has taken in society. The fact that Tebow is using it with religious connotations is also striking because religion has adapted to societal changes. But I do think the book will be a hit, no matter how bizarre and early in Tebow's career it is.

Link to Harper Collins' book description.

Through My Eyes

Friar Tuck

I was thinking about what to write this week, when I realized that I had not addressed one Tim Tebow related situation. During the Broncos preseason camp, all rookie players are hazed to some degree. Some players have to perform skits, others have to carry extra pads after practice and the higher-paid rookies have to take the entire offense/defense out to dinner (Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys disrespected veteran wide receiver Roy Williams during preseason and took the entire offense and most of the defense to dinner. His bill came to over $50,000). What was Tim Tebow's hazing? A well-crafted Friar Tuck look-a-like haircut.

I have to admit, this is pretty funny. The chin-strap beard makes it even better. Couldn't you picture him with a brown robe on praying? Obviously, the haircut has to do with how religious Tebow is; however, I did some research and found a blog in the Washington Post by Elizabeth Tenety. She describes what such a haircut means in Hinduism, Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism, and Buddhism. I had no idea that some so simple as your hair could actually symbolize something greater. I'm sure none of the Broncos players had any idea about this and why should they? Clearly, they were not doing this out of malice. However, this incident shows how even the slightest ignorance toward another religion/culture can cause controversy.

Washington Post

Tim Tebow and the Broncos' failure against the Dark Side

Two weeks ago, Tim Tebow was on top of the world. He scored his first career regular season NFL touchdown. Now? Not so much. The Broncos not only lost a heart-breaker two weeks ago to the Jets, they followed it up with the most pathetic performance in team history. The Oakland Raiders are the enemy. Always have been. So there is no excuse for the Broncos to get shredded 59-14. Where does Tebow fit into all of this? Well he did not step on the field against the Raiders, though he probably should have in the fourth quarter. Tebow's job as the backup quarterback is to A) learn from Kyle Orton, and B) provide relief or other opportunities. He was not given such opportunity. That falls on Josh McDaniels and a blog for another day.

So what does this have to do with religion? This whole experience is trying for Tebow and after the tongue-lashing McD probably gave the team, faith remains his rock. On his website he Tweeted, "Thanks so much for the kind words of encouragement! You have no idea how much it means to me! BTW, meet my new best friend, Bronco!" Ok, obviously there is no religious statement here. However, the first comment made by a fan was from the Bible and struck me. Tebow's following looks to him for support just as much as he does them and no matter where his profession takes him, Tebow will always be there for people. It is rather inspirational that he has this effect on people. 


Tebow's new best friend is a dog, BTW. 

Nine rock climbing accidents in Boulder raises concern

The Boulder County Sheriff's Office reports nine rock climbing accidents since May, one resulting in a local man's death.









An increase in accidents has characterized this year's rock climbing season. The most recent accident occurred on Longs Peak last Saturday. A local Broomfield man died after falling nearly 1,000 feet while climbing with two friends. This is part of a growing trend in the Rocky Mountain region. The Boulder County Sheriff's Office has responded to over 130 calls this year, nine of which were rock climbing accidents.

The Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, a volunteer organization in Boulder County, gets dispatched to every rescue mission, no matter how severe. Volunteer Kevin Harner says he thinks he knows why there have been more accidents this year. "It's not necessarily experienced rock climbers, it may be somebody just scrambling, not using a rope or harness or climbing shoes, any equipment."

John Lowe, a trauma nurse from Denver, frequently climbs in Boulder Canyon and never worried about accidents until recently. However, now he makes sure everyone in his group is climbing safely. "I have whoever I'm climbing with double check me. That way, I don't trust myself, but I don't trust them, but I'll trust both of us together."

Harner and Lowe see first hand the consequences of unsafe and unprepared rock climbing. "Fairly simple stuff. People out hiking a trail and twist a knee or ankle...up to severe injuries or sometimes fatal injuries," said Harner.

So what should anyone heading outdoors do in preparation? "We would like to have them tell a friend or family member where they're going and when they expect to be back," said Boulder County Sheriff's Office Emergency Services Sergeant Dave Booton. "So if something does happen, we have a starting place [for our rescue] to start from."

If you are not ready to tackle Boulder Canyon or any other mountain in the area, Harner offers suggestions to gain experience. "For the CU students, there's good access to some good programs on the campus through the rec center and the student clubs."

The CU rec center offers beginning climbing lessons for $35.

LINKS TO RELATED SUBJECTS:

Rise in 14er deaths

Why 10 climbers have died

Rocky Mountain Rescue Group

Tim Tebow and reactions to his outward religious beliefs

While I am not offended or bothered by Tim Tebow's religious beliefs, I decided it would be a good idea to look at the response around sports to Tebow's "in-your-face" beliefs. Generally, the results were on the extremes: either people didn't mind and supported him, or they were vehemently against his religious expression. What I found that struck me most were two posts about Tim Tebow's request for prayer during the NFL scouting combine.

Tebow asked that the players in his test take a moment for prayer before taking the Wonderlic Test, virtually an NFL IQ test. In response to this request, another NFL prospect told Tebow to "shut the f*** up." Though Tebow denied the incident, it was later confirmed by NFL sources. Two things about this. Classy move by the NFL prospect who said that (hint my sarcasm). Really? That's what you want one of your first impressions in front of NFL executives to be? At the same time, I understand. So much has been made of Tebow's religion that I could understand the frustration if you had to deal with it before a test, especially if you are not religious or of a different religious belief.

I found an article from reporter in Portland named Michael Stone. A. It's pretty obvious Stone has been drinking the anti-establishment kool-aid with his rant. B. I would be interested to see his journalistic background because it seems to be lacking. C. His generalization about Tebow's effect on others is unsubstantiated. I did get a good laugh out of it however. Here's the link.

http://www.examiner.com/humanist-in-portland/religion-tim-tebow-angers-fellow-nfl-recruits-with-prayer-request

The second post was an article by Les Carpenter of Yahoo Sports. He provides both sides of the Tebow-religion debate and analyzes how fine a line there is in pro sports when religious beliefs are involved. I was surprised how open certain unnamed NFL executives were about Tebow's beliefs. My guess is that Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, was one of the more vocal people, given his disregard for humanity. Overall, however, I think it is fair that people are tired of hearing about Tebow and religion. Everyone just wants to play football. I think Tebow has received this message and is managing to stay out of the limelight so far this season (probably because he isn't playing). Also, I'm still waiting for those Focus on the Family Ads.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=lc-tebow042110