thedenverpost--2020-12-06--One Colorado sibling has DACA. The other doesn’t. A Biden administration offers hope to both.

Siblings Joel and Ruth Rivera are three years apart , but so close they joke about being twins .
They consider each other best friends and even attend Metropolitan State University of Denver together .
But one major difference — in the form of federal paperwork — divides the undocumented duo , affording 22-year-old Ruth more opportunities and less stress than her 19-year-old brother .
Ruth is one of the more than 18,000 Colorado recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program since 2012 .
Joel only aspires to be .
“ It would definitely give me a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It would boost my self-esteem .
Being undocumented kind of feels like you know you ’ re different from other people .
You feel below them .
You feel nervous.
” Joel came of age to apply for DACA — which provides deportation protections and work authorization for people who came to the United States illegally as children and have since passed a background check and paid fees — as rumors swirled in the immigrant community that the Trump administration might deport applicants .
He held off on applying out of fear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent back to Mexico — a country he left when he was so young he doesn ’ t remember it .
This summer , the Trump administration announced it would stop accepting new DACA applications altogether after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to shut down the Obama-era program .
In 2017 , the Republican president announced he planned to rescind DACA , setting off a series of court cases that left the hundreds of thousands of U.S. recipients in limbo .
On Friday , a federal judge in New York ordered the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ form , instructing the Department of Homeland Security to post a public notice Monday stating the administration will resume accepting new DACA applications .
President-elect Joe Biden ’ s incoming administration had promised to immediately reinstate DACA once the Democrat takes office next month , offering hope to Joel and thousands of Coloradans who are eligible to reap the benefits of the program that allows young Dreamers to go to school , work , get a driver ’ s license and breathe a sigh of relief in the only country many of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Joel , who lives in Westminster .
“ This is all I know .
My family brought me from Mexico when I was 2 .
I don ’ t remember anything from over there .
This is my country even though it ’ s not written down on paper.
” Violeta Chapin , clinical law professor at the University of Colorado Boulder , said there is hope on the horizon for young people who have been unable to apply for the DACA program .
“ There are thousands of young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DACA and meet all the requirements yet they have been prohibited from applying , ” Chapin said .
However , as typically goes with the much-contested DACA program , a threat to its existence looms , Chapin said .
Attorneys general in several states are asking a federal judge in Texas to declare DACA unlawful because it was created by Obama via executive order and did not go through a traditional rule-making process , Chapin said .
“ The argument has always been that DACA was a lawful exercise of the president ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ It ’ s saying , ‘ I see a difference between undocumented felons and undocumented students and , in my discretion , I ’ m allowed to use my resource I have to find those undocumented people we actually want to remove .
The others — we aren ’ t going to remove them . '
” To be eligible for DACA , applicants must have arrived in the U.S. before their 16th birthday , lived in the U.S. continuously since June 2007 , be free of any felony convictions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no threat to national security or public safety , among other requirements .
If the Texas lawsuit goes forward and DACA is ruled illegal , Chapin said either the U.S. Supreme Court would have to take it up or Biden would need to go through more formal channels to recreate the program .
In the meantime , Joel and Ruth will cross their fingers as they once again await their fate .
Joel has his paperwork to apply for DACA ready to go when the time comes .
Joel ’ s dreams of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the recruitment office told him his immigration status prevented him from serving the country he loved .
Hoping he could at least serve his community locally , Joel pursued a career as a police officer but was again turned away because he was undocumented .
Now , Joel is studying to become a firefighter , banking on faith in obtaining DACA status to provide him work authorization .
“ He ’ s working hard on his classes , doing everything he needs to do the way he needs to do it and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this might be for nothing , ” Ruth said of her brother .
“ He worries he could graduate and his degree could mean nothing for him if he can ’ t get a work permit.
” Ruth is majoring in Spanish with a minor in human services .
The 22-year-old hopes to use her language skills and mental health knowledge to provide translation services to Colorado ’ s Spanish-speaking community .
Ruth ’ s DACA status allows her to receive financial aid through MSU Denver , whereas Joel is ineligible and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MSU Denver educates more undocumented students than any college in the state , said Gregor Mieder , the university ’ s immigrant services program coordinator .
“ Any time there is the potential for legislation that would introduce more stable pathways to an immigration status , there is oftentimes extremely cautious optimism from the students I talk to , ” Mieder said .
“ Some express they ’ re monitoring what ’ s happening , listening to it but intentionally choosing not to feel or not to allow themselves to be too optimistic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process and there have been promises of developments that have not led to anything substantial.
” Mieder said MSU Denver vows to work with its undocumented community and keep their students informed and connected to the services they need to succeed , no matter what happens .
“ When I finally got DACA , it was great because it was like I was like everybody else , ” Ruth said .
“ With DACA , I was able to find help to pay for college .
DACA gave me more confidence in who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you feel invisible , and it makes you feel like you ’ re not worthy in a way .
That is a very false idea , but it ’ s one that I carried with me and one I didn ’ t really notice or acknowledge until I had the DACA status when I could really see how it was affecting me to be undocumented .
”

Siblings Joel and Ruth Rivera are three years apart, but so close they joke about being twins.
They consider each other best friends and even attend Metropolitan State University of Denver together.
But one major difference — in the form of federal paperwork — divides the undocumented duo, affording 22-year-old Ruth more opportunities and less stress than her 19-year-old brother.
Ruth is one of the more than 18,000 Colorado recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program since 2012. Joel only aspires to be.
“It would definitely give me a lot more confidence,” Joel said. “It would boost my self-esteem. Being undocumented kind of feels like you know you’re different from other people. You feel below them. You feel nervous.”
Joel came of age to apply for DACA — which provides deportation protections and work authorization for people who came to the United States illegally as children and have since passed a background check and paid fees — as rumors swirled in the immigrant community that the Trump administration might deport applicants. He held off on applying out of fear of being ripped from his family and sent back to Mexico — a country he left when he was so young he doesn’t remember it.
This summer, the Trump administration announced it would stop accepting new DACA applications altogether after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to shut down the Obama-era program. In 2017, the Republican president announced he planned to rescind DACA, setting off a series of court cases that left the hundreds of thousands of U.S. recipients in limbo.
On Friday, a federal judge in New York ordered the Trump administration to restore DACA to its original form, instructing the Department of Homeland Security to post a public notice Monday stating the administration will resume accepting new DACA applications.
President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration had promised to immediately reinstate DACA once the Democrat takes office next month, offering hope to Joel and thousands of Coloradans who are eligible to reap the benefits of the program that allows young Dreamers to go to school, work, get a driver’s license and breathe a sigh of relief in the only country many of them know.
“This is my home,” said Joel, who lives in Westminster. “This is all I know. My family brought me from Mexico when I was 2. I don’t remember anything from over there. This is my country even though it’s not written down on paper.”
Violeta Chapin, clinical law professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, said there is hope on the horizon for young people who have been unable to apply for the DACA program.
“There are thousands of young people in Colorado who have aged into DACA and meet all the requirements yet they have been prohibited from applying,” Chapin said.
However, as typically goes with the much-contested DACA program, a threat to its existence looms, Chapin said.
Attorneys general in several states are asking a federal judge in Texas to declare DACA unlawful because it was created by Obama via executive order and did not go through a traditional rule-making process, Chapin said.
“The argument has always been that DACA was a lawful exercise of the president’s priorities and discretion,” Chapin said. “It’s saying, ‘I see a difference between undocumented felons and undocumented students and, in my discretion, I’m allowed to use my resource I have to find those undocumented people we actually want to remove. The others — we aren’t going to remove them.'”
To be eligible for DACA, applicants must have arrived in the U.S. before their 16th birthday, lived in the U.S. continuously since June 2007, be free of any felony convictions or significant misdemeanor offenses, and pose no threat to national security or public safety, among other requirements.
If the Texas lawsuit goes forward and DACA is ruled illegal, Chapin said either the U.S. Supreme Court would have to take it up or Biden would need to go through more formal channels to recreate the program.
In the meantime, Joel and Ruth will cross their fingers as they once again await their fate.
Joel has his paperwork to apply for DACA ready to go when the time comes.
Joel’s dreams of joining the Marine Corps were dashed when the recruitment office told him his immigration status prevented him from serving the country he loved.
Hoping he could at least serve his community locally, Joel pursued a career as a police officer but was again turned away because he was undocumented. Now, Joel is studying to become a firefighter, banking on faith in obtaining DACA status to provide him work authorization.
“He’s working hard on his classes, doing everything he needs to do the way he needs to do it and he still has the thought in his mind that this might be for nothing,” Ruth said of her brother. “He worries he could graduate and his degree could mean nothing for him if he can’t get a work permit.”
Ruth is majoring in Spanish with a minor in human services. The 22-year-old hopes to use her language skills and mental health knowledge to provide translation services to Colorado’s Spanish-speaking community.
Ruth’s DACA status allows her to receive financial aid through MSU Denver, whereas Joel is ineligible and pays for school out of pocket.
MSU Denver educates more undocumented students than any college in the state, said Gregor Mieder, the university’s immigrant services program coordinator.
“Any time there is the potential for legislation that would introduce more stable pathways to an immigration status, there is oftentimes extremely cautious optimism from the students I talk to,” Mieder said. “Some express they’re monitoring what’s happening, listening to it but intentionally choosing not to feel or not to allow themselves to be too optimistic because this has just been an 8-year-long process and there have been promises of developments that have not led to anything substantial.”
Mieder said MSU Denver vows to work with its undocumented community and keep their students informed and connected to the services they need to succeed, no matter what happens.
“When I finally got DACA, it was great because it was like I was like everybody else,” Ruth said. “With DACA, I was able to find help to pay for college. DACA gave me more confidence in who I am because being undocumented really makes you feel invisible, and it makes you feel like you’re not worthy in a way. That is a very false idea, but it’s one that I carried with me and one I didn’t really notice or acknowledge until I had the DACA status when I could really see how it was affecting me to be undocumented.”


thedenverpost--2020-12-06--On Edge: Coloradans struggle with mental health in a state ill-prepared to help them

On Denver ’ s west side , an elderly man had been managing his solitude just fine until the pandemic hit , taking with it what social life he had and leaving a loneliness he had not felt for years .
Not far from his house , a young woman fights panic attacks after COVID-19 killed her grandfather and landed her in the hospital .
Now , she fears the virus will come for her again and this time she will die .
On the Eastern Plains is a third-generation farmer , and if the pandemic does not weigh on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record drought and the crop failure it caused do .
It sets off an irritability and dread that words do not capture .
In this year of body blows dealt by the pandemic — the shaky economy , fire and drought , civil rights reckoning and a polarizing election — Coloradans are on edge .
The state already had a greater demand for behavioral health services than it could provide .
And the safety net that even Colorado ’ s top mental health official says has “ too many holes ” might be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
These crises have led to a well-documented flood of calls to crisis and referral lines , and nearly half of Coloradans recently reported experiencing anxiety or depression .
“ I have heard people saying that we are all in the same boat , ” says Kristen Cochran-Ward , director of Connections , a mental health and substance abuse program at the Health District of Northern Larimer County .
We are not all in the same boat .
We are all in the same storm .
And some people might be in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tire raft.
” “ Too many holes in the net ” This year ’ s heightened mental health needs have run headlong into a complex constellation of decades-old challenges : the state ’ s higher-than-average prevalence of high-risk mental health conditions ; a backlog of demand caused by red tape among state agencies and private insurers ; a behavioral health workforce shortage compounded by not enough psychiatrists and psychologists who accept public or private insurance ; cultural stigma ; and slow public and political recognition that mental health is as important as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that have a history of trauma and lack of access to health care , the need has been especially acute .
The Colorado Health Institute has been surveying residents about behavioral health and access to care since 2009 and found the situation generally deteriorating ever since .
Based on its data , 870,000 Coloradans were in significant distress in 2019 .
Nationally , Colorado has the third-highest prevalence of mental illness among adults , according to the most recent annual report by Mental Health America .
That report , based on data from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has the nation ’ s highest percentage of adults with substance abuse disorder and the third-highest percentage of adults considering suicide .
Colorado ’ s suicide rate hit nearly 22 per 100,000 in 2018 compared to an average of 14 per 100,000 people nationally .
Our national rankings for young people are not much better .
Theories about what explains Colorado ’ s grim statistics run the gamut from altitude to higher rates of gun ownership to a culture of Western self-reliance that downplays emotions .
“ ‘ Pull yourself up by your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement ever , ” says Colorado Department of Human Services Office of Behavioral Health chief Robert Werthwein , noting the credo wrongly assumes mental health hinges solely on individual will rather than on genetics , brain chemistry , trauma and other factors .

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On Edge: First COVID took his friends, then it took his health Health | Aurora psychiatrist struggles to absorb her patients’ pain and her own fury amidst a pandemic On Denver’s west side, an elderly man had been managing his solitude just fine until the pandemic hit, taking with it what social life he had and leaving a loneliness he had not felt for years. Not far from his house, a young woman fights panic attacks after COVID-19 killed her grandfather and landed her in the hospital. Now, she fears the virus will come for her again and this time she will die.
On the Eastern Plains is a third-generation farmer, and if the pandemic does not weigh on him heavily, this year’s record drought and the crop failure it caused do. It sets off an irritability and dread that words do not capture.
In this year of body blows dealt by the pandemic — the shaky economy, fire and drought, civil rights reckoning and a polarizing election — Coloradans are on edge. The state already had a greater demand for behavioral health services than it could provide. And the safety net that even Colorado’s top mental health official says has “too many holes” might be further frayed by the tight state budget.
These crises have led to a well-documented flood of calls to crisis and referral lines, and nearly half of Coloradans recently reported experiencing anxiety or depression.
“I have heard people saying that we are all in the same boat,” says Kristen Cochran-Ward, director of Connections, a mental health and substance abuse program at the Health District of Northern Larimer County. We are not all in the same boat. We are all in the same storm. And some people might be in a cruise ship and some might be on a tire raft.”
“Too many holes in the net”
This year’s heightened mental health needs have run headlong into a complex constellation of decades-old challenges: the state’s higher-than-average prevalence of high-risk mental health conditions; a backlog of demand caused by red tape among state agencies and private insurers; a behavioral health workforce shortage compounded by not enough psychiatrists and psychologists who accept public or private insurance; cultural stigma; and slow public and political recognition that mental health is as important as physical health.
For communities of color that have a history of trauma and lack of access to health care, the need has been especially acute.
The Colorado Health Institute has been surveying residents about behavioral health and access to care since 2009 and found the situation generally deteriorating ever since. Based on its data, 870,000 Coloradans were in significant distress in 2019.
Nationally, Colorado has the third-highest prevalence of mental illness among adults, according to the most recent annual report by Mental Health America. That report, based on data from 2017 and 2018, also finds Colorado has the nation’s highest percentage of adults with substance abuse disorder and the third-highest percentage of adults considering suicide. Colorado’s suicide rate hit nearly 22 per 100,000 in 2018 compared to an average of 14 per 100,000 people nationally. Our national rankings for young people are not much better.
Theories about what explains Colorado’s grim statistics run the gamut from altitude to higher rates of gun ownership to a culture of Western self-reliance that downplays emotions.
“‘Pull yourself up by your bootstraps’ is probably the most misleading statement ever,” says Colorado Department of Human Services Office of Behavioral Health chief Robert Werthwein, noting the credo wrongly assumes mental health hinges solely on individual will rather than on genetics, brain chemistry, trauma and other factors.
Mental health resources Colorado Crisis Line : 1-844-493-8255, coloradocrisisservices.org. Chat online or text TALK to 38255. Mental Health First Aid : mhfaco.org. Get trained to recognize the signs and how to respond. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention : afsp.org. Join one of their upcoming walks for awareness in Colorado. Crisis Text Line : crisistextline.org. Text 741741 from anywhere in the nation to reach a counselor. Second Wind Fund : thesecondwindfund.org. Links students to mental health professionals and pays for up to 12 counseling sessions.
State government is partially responsible, Werthwein says. A recent study by the Colorado Department of Human Services finds fault with a bureaucracy in which 10 state agencies run 75 behavioral health programs, with hundreds of funding streams, thousands of billing rules, and no shared vision for care. Seventy-five programs “means there are 74 wrong doors,” Werthwein says.
“There are too many holes in the net.”
Some of the most gaping are sparsely populated communities, many of which have disproportionately high overdose and suicide cases and high rates of stigma around mental health challenges. The need for counseling or treatment doubled or tripled in many rural counties over the past six years.
In the state study of Colorado’s behavioral health system, lack of access to care was repeatedly cited as the greatest problem. Even as COVID began its spread, the state legislature cut hoped-for expansions of pilot programs and new money for mental health and substance abuse programs targeting people living in underserved communities and youth and adults in the criminal justice system.
The roar
The first recorded COVID death — an elderly woman in El Paso County — came on March 13. The state went under lockdown 12 days later.
People who could work from home did. Behavioral health care providers pivoted to telephone or video sessions. The number of people seeking help dipped across the state’s 17 regional behavioral health centers in what care providers describe as a calm before the storm.
By mid-April, unemployment claims had skyrocketed — a red flag among mental health experts who know job loss can lead to suicide, so-called “deaths of despair.” While the caseloads at some behavioral health centers remain below last year’s levels, the urgency of the need has deepened, providers say. Under the weight of uncertainty and isolation, “what was once acute has become very acute, and what was very acute has become a crisis,” says Carl Nassar, founder of Heart-Centered Counseling, the largest private outpatient behavioral health group in the state. Our cups were already full, he says, and now they are spilling over.
The smell of burning forests triggers an anxiety attack. A marital spat about the presidential election blows up into thoughts about divorce. A high school student descends into depression because he can’t hang out with friends. A young mom, cooped up with three little kids, crumbles.
At the pandemic’s beginning, families worried what might happen, what they might lose, says Janis Pottorff, the director of Weld County’s North Range Behavioral Health’s Family Connects program. “Now we have families who have lost things, lost livelihoods, lost relationships, maybe some have lost family — actual physical death — lost confidence that they can manage the day, they can manage the week.”
Pottorff notes that stress has spiked since the late-fall announcements of an early return to remote learning in some school districts. “We are hearing that roar in families’ emotions.”
Among those for whom the roar of mental illness predated this year’s crises, increased isolation and the sudden inability to see their trusted providers in person have made things even harder.
An August poll by the Colorado Health Foundation found one in two Coloradans reported increased psychological strain – “anxiety, loneliness, stress” – as a result of the pandemic. A more recent U.S. Census Bureau snapshot survey found that from Oct. 28 to Nov. 9, about 43% of Coloradans reported symptoms of anxiety or depression over the previous seven days. Meanwhile, the number of monthly calls and texts to Colorado’s crisis line has climbed from nearly 16,000 in January to nearly 25,000 in October, a more than 50% increase. Most people are calling about anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, some seeking immediate help, and others wanting information on providers or coping strategies.
“It’s called the Colorado Crisis hotline, but you define the crisis for yourself,” Werthwein says. “…I don’t want people not to call and say, ‘Well this doesn’t feel like a crisis,’ or ‘Other people are going through harder things …’ No, call. It helps all of us the sooner
that you call.”
But getting longer-term help can be tricky. It generally requires reams of paperwork and long waits for public providers or a string of calls to private providers who often don’t take insurance, are prohibitively expensive or not accepting new patients.
Pat Turner, a contractor in Meeker, sat on his porch twisting wires in his hands and drinking most of June and July as he sank into severe depression. He began disassociating from reality. His search for help drew him into a labyrinth of hold times, packed waiting rooms, 200-mile round trips to the regional behavioral health center in Grand Junction, and a doctor failing to follow up after writing an antipsychotic prescription. His family found a private psychiatrist 90 miles away in Steamboat Springs who is helping treat Turner’s newly diagnosed bipolar disorder.
“We have a real problem if the system doesn’t treat a cry for help as an emergency,” Turner says. “My mania got so intense that if my family hadn’t been there to help, I’d probably still be out there in the abyss, potentially committing suicide or homicide or something.”
For every person known to be in crisis, experts say there are more who are not known. Care providers are especially worried about people who have hunkered down, convinced they can just muscle through in silence.
Time to talk
A few months into the pandemic, the Mental Health Center of Denver began using the video game Minecraft to help some of the young people it serves. Two clinicians each lead eight children as they mine materials and build worlds. The game feeds their need to connect to other kids, to play and to create environments over which they have some power.
MHCD also expanded its telehealth appointments from about five a week to 4,000 a week, a remarkable pandemic-spurred shift among all behavioral health providers in the state. Lawmakers allocated about $13 million in federal CARES Act funding for COVID-related behavioral health needs for smart devices, telehealth needs and other resources, such as PPE for therapists to meet high-need clients in person safely. Another $2 million federal grant has been helping Coloradans who have tested positive for COVID receive behavioral health care.
Meanwhile, apps are allowing lonely singles to meet for coffee or cocktails online and for virtual meditation groups among strangers. Social media, often divisive, also has become a place for callouts to check on one another and for admissions that things aren’t going well.
And there are glimmers of light: The promises of widely distributed COVID vaccines next year and of behavioral health reform in Colorado.
To tackle fragmentation, the state has been developing an online behavioral health registry — the first phase of which is expected to go live this April — with daily updates on available mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment. The Polis administration also has created a blueprint for ensuring people who need help are treated like people and not boxes checked for reimbursement.
But at a time when state revenues are stretched, how much can be done and how quickly are open questions. The fractures in Colorado’s behavioral health systems have been decades in the making and will not be mended overnight.
“None of us know when we’re going to experience a mental health crisis, and when we do, many of us don’t know how few and poor the resources are to weather it, even in the best of times,” says Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado, the leading nonprofit pushing for state policy reform. “You can’t feel good about a community that fails to provide life-sustaining support for people with serious mental health needs.”
This moment, he and other advocates say, presents not a hypothetical test of Colorado’s mental health policies, but an active emergency. Now, they say, is the time to get comfortable with uncomfortable conversations — lots of them. Now is the time to speak more deeply with each other without shame and to listen without judgment, to ask for and offer help: Are you eating? Are you sleeping? What do you need? What can I do?
“Do we show who we are by finding each other’s humanity and finding solidarity or do we tear each other apart?” Atchity asks. Support networks are critical, he says. “Be sort of gardener-like about maintaining those relationships. Best to keep calling so-and-so when you’re not in crisis, so when you are, they’ll be there.”
________________________________________________________________
Tina Griego can be reached at tina@colabnews.co. and Susan Greene can be reached at susan@colabnews.co.
This story is part of a statewide reporting project from the Colorado News Collaborative called On Edge. The project is supported in part by the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Reporting and a grant honoring the memory of the late Benjamin von Sternenfels Rosenthal.
Join our Facebook group for the latest updates on coronavirus in Colorado.


thedenverpost--2020-12-07--WATCH: Broncos’ Drew Lock connects with Tim Patrick for a touchdown against the Chiefs

On second-and-goal in the second quarter Sunday , Broncos quarterback Drew Lock connected with Tim Patrick for a 6-yard touchdown @ @ @ @ @ to Melvin Gordon , Lock shifted left and connected with Patrick who strolled in for @ @ @

On second-and-goal in the second quarter Sunday, Broncos quarterback Drew Lock connected with Tim Patrick for a 6-yard touchdown.
After faking a handoff to Melvin Gordon, Lock shifted left and connected with Patrick who strolled in for the score.
The touchdown gave Denver a 10-3 lead.


thedenverpost--2020-12-07--WATCH: Broncos’ Melvin Gordon’s 65-yard run against Chiefs

Broncos running back Melvin Gordon burst through for a 65-yard run in the second quarter on Sunday against the Chiefs @ @ @ @ @ run of the season for Denver .
Denver was tied 3-3 at the time .

Run, Melvin, run.
Broncos running back Melvin Gordon burst through for a 65-yard run in the second quarter on Sunday against the Chiefs. It was the longest run of the season for Denver.
Denver was tied 3-3 at the time.


thedenverpost--2020-12-07--PHOTOS: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, Dec. 6, 2020

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill ( 10 ) tries to catch a pass as Denver Broncos cornerback A.J @ @ @ @ @ defends in the first half of an NFL football game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas @ @ @ @ @ Dec. 06 , 2020 .
The pass was called incomplete but replays showed the ball @ @ @ @ @

Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Denver Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (55) and Denver Broncos outside linebacker Malik Reed (59) talk with each other on the sidelines late in the fourth quarter during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 06, 2020.


thedenverpost--2020-12-07--WATCH: Broncos’ KJ Hamler jukes Chiefs defenders

The Broncos rookie receiver on Sunday juked a pair of Chiefs defenders en route to a first down in the @ @ @ @ @ end up scoring on the drive off of Brandon McManus ’ 53-yard field goal to @ @ @ @ @

KJ Hamler’s got some fancy footwork.
The Broncos rookie receiver on Sunday juked a pair of Chiefs defenders en route to a first down in the first quarter.
Denver would end up scoring on the drive off of Brandon McManus’ 53-yard field goal to have a 3-0 lead.


thedenverpost--2020-12-07--First gentleman Marlon Reis hospitalized due to COVID-19, according to Gov. Polis’ office

Eight days after being diagnosed with COVID-19 , first gentleman Marlon Reis has been hospitalized due to a “ slightly @ @ @ @ @ breath , ” according to a statement from Gov .
Jared Polis ’ office .
@ @ @ @ @ the first gentleman has been transported to the hospital for review and treatment , ” @ @ @ @ @ Governor Polis is not experiencing any additional symptoms at this time.
” Reis and Polis @ @ @ @ @ 28 .
They were “ asymptomatic ” and “ feeling well ” at that time @ @ @ @ @ Nov. 25 after learning he was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19 .

Eight days after being diagnosed with COVID-19, first gentleman Marlon Reis has been hospitalized due to a “slightly worsening cough and shortness of breath,” according to a statement from Gov. Jared Polis’ office.
“As a precaution, the first gentleman has been transported to the hospital for review and treatment,” the statement reads. “Governor Polis is not experiencing any additional symptoms at this time.”
Tonight First Gentleman Marlon Reis started experiencing slightly worsening cough and shortness of breath. I took him to the hospital for review and treatment. pic.twitter.com/EAH5Ew1AfO — Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) December 7, 2020
Reis and Polis both tested positive on Nov. 28. They were “asymptomatic” and “feeling well” at that time.
Polis began quarantining on Nov. 25 after learning he was exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.


thedenverpost--2020-12-07--Nuggets eager for NBA debut of Facundo Campazzo: “He has to be a top-five pick-and-roll player in th

Nuggets eager for NBA debut of Facundo Campazzo: “He has to be a top-five pick-and-roll player in the world”

Nuggets coach Michael Malone presented a short video before the team ’ s first offseason practice to introduce returning players to seven newcomers on the roster .
He saved the best clip for last .
Facundo Campazzo — a fiery playmaking point guard for Real Madrid since 2014 , now getting his first chance in the NBA with Denver this season — is must-see TV .
“ When I get depressed , I might just put on ( Campazzo ) highlights , because it brings a smile on my face , ” Malone told reporters Sunday during a virtual news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a flare and a passion that you don ’ t always see .
… He has to be a top-five pick-and-roll player in the world.
” Nuggets players and coaches gathered at their practice facility Sunday for the opening team workout of training camp to mark the first step toward building chemistry with Campazzo , nicknamed Facu ( Fah-Koo ) , in the shortest NBA offseason in league history .
“ I ’ m finally here , ” Campazzo said .
“ I ’ m so happy right now .
I feel like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s awesome.
” Campazzo ’ s international credentials check out .
The 5-foot-11 point guard , noted for his creative passing , averaged 9.6 points and 6.1 assists a year ago in the EuroLeague .
During the 2019 FIBA World Cup , Campazzo dropped 18 points and 12 assists for Argentina in a quarterfinal victory — ousting Nikola Jokic and the Serbia national team .
“ One of the plays on the highlight edit today , right when it came on , Nikola Jokic started cursing me out , ” Malone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Campazzo with ) one of the best passes I ’ ve ever seen against Serbia in the world championship .
He will be really fun to watch.
” How Campazzo will fit into Denver ’ s backcourt remains to be seen .
Jamal Murray is solidified as the starting point guard with Monte Morris a trusted backup .
Campazzo told reporters he can ’ t define his Nuggets role yet .
But he described the NBA as a “ quicker game ” and emphasized his need to “ get better at movement without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at him , you probably would want to underestimate him because he ’ s not the tallest guy in the gym and he ’ s not the strongest guy in the gym , ” Malone said .
“ But his heart is huge .
He plays with a tremendous amount of passion and pride .
He ’ s got great toughness and I think he ’ s a very , very good defensive player .
A disruptive defensive player.
” • Pressure Points : Five Broncos in spotlight for final five games @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jump ” in his Nuggets role : “ I want to guard the best players .
And I want the best players on the other team to guard me.
” • Broncos ’ ineptitude on third down killing offense ’ s chances as Denver ranks last in NFL • Denver Nuggets release schedule for first half of 2020-21 season • Nuggets ’ Will Barton eager to prove himself yet again in return from knee injury : “ It is clear cut who I am in this league ” The Nuggets have scouted Campazzo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waiting for a roster spot to open and Real Madrid contract issues to be resolved .
The stars finally aligned this winter to bring Campazzo to Denver .
“ The fans already sent me a lot of messages , ” Campazzo said .
“ I ’ m so happy to be here because this is a great team .
I ’ ve got a lot of great teammates .
I will try to do my best.
” Will Barton update .
Nuggets small forward Will Barton is still recovering from a knee injury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last season .
“ When we got to live ( game ) portions of practice , we held Will Barton out for a little bit , just to be precautious , ” Malone said .
“ I think we all have to remind each other that quite a few guys who practiced today of the 17 players in our roster , most of these guys have not played a five-on-five game since March or earlier .
Obviously , the returning players played late into September and this is really hard for them physically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort and I loved the energy .
”

Nuggets coach Michael Malone presented a short video before the team’s first offseason practice to introduce returning players to seven newcomers on the roster. He saved the best clip for last.
Facundo Campazzo — a fiery playmaking point guard for Real Madrid since 2014, now getting his first chance in the NBA with Denver this season — is must-see TV.
“When I get depressed, I might just put on (Campazzo) highlights, because it brings a smile on my face,” Malone told reporters Sunday during a virtual news conference. “The guy plays with a flare and a passion that you don’t always see. … He has to be a top-five pick-and-roll player in the world.”
Nuggets players and coaches gathered at their practice facility Sunday for the opening team workout of training camp to mark the first step toward building chemistry with Campazzo, nicknamed Facu (Fah-Koo), in the shortest NBA offseason in league history.
“I’m finally here,” Campazzo said. “I’m so happy right now. I feel like a little child in this moment. It’s awesome.”
Campazzo’s international credentials check out. The 5-foot-11 point guard, noted for his creative passing, averaged 9.6 points and 6.1 assists a year ago in the EuroLeague. During the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Campazzo dropped 18 points and 12 assists for Argentina in a quarterfinal victory — ousting Nikola Jokic and the Serbia national team.
“One of the plays on the highlight edit today, right when it came on, Nikola Jokic started cursing me out,” Malone said, “because it was (Campazzo with) one of the best passes I’ve ever seen against Serbia in the world championship. He will be really fun to watch.”
How Campazzo will fit into Denver’s backcourt remains to be seen. Jamal Murray is solidified as the starting point guard with Monte Morris a trusted backup. Campazzo told reporters he can’t define his Nuggets role yet. But he described the NBA as a “quicker game” and emphasized his need to “get better at movement without the ball.”
Malone lauded his defensive abilities despite Campazzo’s smaller stature.
“When you first look at him, you probably would want to underestimate him because he’s not the tallest guy in the gym and he’s not the strongest guy in the gym,” Malone said. “But his heart is huge. He plays with a tremendous amount of passion and pride. He’s got great toughness and I think he’s a very, very good defensive player. A disruptive defensive player.”
The Nuggets have scouted Campazzo for several years, Malone said, waiting for a roster spot to open and Real Madrid contract issues to be resolved. The stars finally aligned this winter to bring Campazzo to Denver.
“The fans already sent me a lot of messages,” Campazzo said. “I’m so happy to be here because this is a great team. I’ve got a lot of great teammates. I will try to do my best.”
Will Barton update. Nuggets small forward Will Barton is still recovering from a knee injury that held him out of the playoffs last season.
“When we got to live (game) portions of practice, we held Will Barton out for a little bit, just to be precautious,” Malone said. “I think we all have to remind each other that quite a few guys who practiced today of the 17 players in our roster, most of these guys have not played a five-on-five game since March or earlier. Obviously, the returning players played late into September and this is really hard for them physically and emotionally. But I loved the effort and I loved the energy.”


thedenverpost--2020-12-07--Biden picks Calif. AG Xavier Becerra to lead HHS, pandemic response

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary , putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration ’ s coronavirus response .
If confirmed by the Senate , Becerra , 62 , will be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services , a $ 1-trillion-plus agency with 80,000 employees and a portfolio that includes drugs and vaccines , leading-edge medical research and health insurance programs covering more than 130 million Americans .
As California ’ s attorney general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic states defending “ Obamacare ” from the Trump administration ’ s latest effort to overturn it , a legal case awaiting a Supreme Court decision next year .
A former senior House Democrat , Becerra played a role in steering the Obama health law through Congress in 2009 and 2010 .
At the time he would tell reporters that one of the primary motivations for him was having tens of thousands of uninsured people in his Southern California district .
Overseeing the coronavirus response will be the most complicated task Becerra has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. will be engaged in a mass vaccination campaign , the groundwork for which has been laid under the Trump administration .
Although the vaccines appear very promising , and no effort has been spared to plan for their distribution , it ’ s impossible to tell yet how well things will go when it ’ s time to get shots in the arms of millions of Americans .
The core components of HHS are the boots on the ground of the government ’ s coronavirus response .
The Food and Drug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much of the underlying scientific and medical research comes from NIH .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention takes the lead in detecting and containing the spread of diseases .
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides insurance coverage for more than 1 in 3 Americans , including vulnerable seniors , as well as many children and low-income people .
Under President Donald Trump , CDC was relegated to a lesser role after agency scientists issued a stark early warning that contradicted Trump ’ s assurances the virus was under control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the target of repeated attacks from a president who suspected its scientists were politically motivated and who also wanted them to rubber-stamp unproven treatments .
As California ’ s attorney general , Becerra jokingly became known in Democratic legal circles as the man who sued Trump more than anyone else .
Beyond health care , the lawsuits centered on issues from immigration to environmental policies .
Before he became California ’ s attorney general , Becerra had served for more than a decade in Congress , representing parts of Los Angeles County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California state assembly after attending law school at Stanford .
His mother was born in Jalisco , Mexico , and emigrated to the U.S. after marrying his father .

Michael Balsamo, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden has picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary, putting a defender of the Affordable Care Act in a leading role to oversee his administration’s coronavirus response.
If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra, 62, will be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services, a $1-trillion-plus agency with 80,000 employees and a portfolio that includes drugs and vaccines, leading-edge medical research and health insurance programs covering more than 130 million Americans.
As California’s attorney general, Becerra has led the coalition of Democratic states defending “Obamacare” from the Trump administration’s latest effort to overturn it, a legal case awaiting a Supreme Court decision next year.
A former senior House Democrat, Becerra played a role in steering the Obama health law through Congress in 2009 and 2010. At the time he would tell reporters that one of the primary motivations for him was having tens of thousands of uninsured people in his Southern California district.
Overseeing the coronavirus response will be the most complicated task Becerra has ever contemplated. By next year, the U.S. will be engaged in a mass vaccination campaign, the groundwork for which has been laid under the Trump administration. Although the vaccines appear very promising, and no effort has been spared to plan for their distribution, it’s impossible to tell yet how well things will go when it’s time to get shots in the arms of millions of Americans.
The core components of HHS are the boots on the ground of the government’s coronavirus response. The Food and Drug Administration oversees vaccines and treatments, while much of the underlying scientific and medical research comes from NIH. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention takes the lead in detecting and containing the spread of diseases. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides insurance coverage for more than 1 in 3 Americans, including vulnerable seniors, as well as many children and low-income people.
Under President Donald Trump, CDC was relegated to a lesser role after agency scientists issued a stark early warning that contradicted Trump’s assurances the virus was under control, rattling financial markets. The FDA was the target of repeated attacks from a president who suspected its scientists were politically motivated and who also wanted them to rubber-stamp unproven treatments.
As California’s attorney general, Becerra jokingly became known in Democratic legal circles as the man who sued Trump more than anyone else. Beyond health care, the lawsuits centered on issues from immigration to environmental policies.
Before he became California’s attorney general, Becerra had served for more than a decade in Congress, representing parts of Los Angeles County. He had also served in the California state assembly after attending law school at Stanford.
His mother was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and emigrated to the U.S. after marrying his father.


thedenverpost--2020-12-07--Broncos Briefs: Vic Fangio, Justin Simmons excited to have Will Parks back on roster

KANSAS CITY , Mo .
— When the Broncos return to practice Wednesday , they should have old/new safety Will Parks available .
Acquired via waivers from Philadelphia last week , Parks has to go through the NFL ’ s COVID-19 testing protocols before he can be eligible to play or practice .
Parks ’ role for the final four games is undetermined .
He was the Broncos ’ nickel defender ( fifth defensive back ) throughout last year .
“ Will ’ s a guy we liked , ” coach Vic Fangio said .
“ He ’ s versatile @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come back here and we ’ ll see exactly how he fits in .
One thing with losing ( cornerback ) Bryce ( Callahan to a foot injury ) , we ’ ve lost some versatility in our secondary because although Bryce was playing corner exclusively the last few weeks , he can also play the nickel .
“ We needed some versatility to replace Bryce and coincidentally , Will got cut and he ’ s a guy we like as a player and a person.
” Parks and safety Justin Simmons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ class .
Parks played 62 games ( 15 starts ) for the Broncos .
He was limited to six games with the Eagles this year .
“ It ’ s unfortunate what happened in Philly , but selfishly , I ’ m really happy he ’ s back here and having the opportunity to close out the season with us , ” Simmons said .
“ He ’ s a great player and an even better friend.
” Lindsay , Reed , Jeudy active .
Running back Phillip Lindsay ( knee ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside linebacker Malik Reed ( shin ) were all active Sunday night after being listed as questionable on the final injury report .
Safety Trey Marshall ( shin ) missed his second consecutive game and was the Broncos ’ only injured inactive .
The healthy scratches were fullback Jeremy Cox ( because Andrew Beck is off injured reserve ) , defensive lineman McTelvin Agim ( because Shelby Harris is back ) , cornerback Kevin Toliver , inside linebacker Mark Barron and guard Netane Muti .
Respect for Hinton .
Receiver-turned-emergency-quarterback Kendall Hinton was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week against New Orleans .
Although he completed only one of nine passes and threw two interceptions , Hinton earned locker room-wide respect .
“ That was just a crazy situation , ” Harris said Friday .
“ Kendall did a great job .
What more can you do ?
To have no practice and go out there and play a game at quarterback in the NFL after not playing quarterback for a couple of years — that still blows my mind .
• Broncos 10 , Chiefs 9 : Live blog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 13 games from Arrowhead Stadium • Pressure Points : Five Broncos in spotlight for final five games • Broncos Insider : Comparing Denver ’ s draft success against Kansas City ’ s over the past half-decade • Kickin ’ It with Kiz : Would you rather own the Broncos or be president of the United States ?
“ He had all of the heart and determination you could have and that ’ s all you could ask for.
” Fant of Kelce .
Entering Week 13 , Kansas City ’ s Travis Kelce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , tops among NFL tight ends .
“ The greatest thing about him is he identifies coverages very well , ” Broncos tight end Noah Fant said .
“ He can sit in a zone and find those little creases and is able to try and make a big play .
He ’ s one of the greatest to do it.
” Footnotes .
Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell missed his sixth consecutive game because of coronavirus .
… Beck was active for the first time since Week 6 at New England ( hamstring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is 4-8 Carolina , which had its bye this weekend .
Running back Christian McCaffrey , the Castle Rock native/Valor Christian alum , has been limited to three games because of ankle-and-shoulder injuries .

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When the Broncos return to practice Wednesday, they should have old/new safety Will Parks available.
Acquired via waivers from Philadelphia last week, Parks has to go through the NFL’s COVID-19 testing protocols before he can be eligible to play or practice.
Parks’ role for the final four games is undetermined. He was the Broncos’ nickel defender (fifth defensive back) throughout last year.
“Will’s a guy we liked,” coach Vic Fangio said. “He’s versatile. I think he’s excited to come back here and we’ll see exactly how he fits in. One thing with losing (cornerback) Bryce (Callahan to a foot injury), we’ve lost some versatility in our secondary because although Bryce was playing corner exclusively the last few weeks, he can also play the nickel.
“We needed some versatility to replace Bryce and coincidentally, Will got cut and he’s a guy we like as a player and a person.”
Parks and safety Justin Simmons were in the same 2016 Broncos draft class. Parks played 62 games (15 starts) for the Broncos. He was limited to six games with the Eagles this year.
“It’s unfortunate what happened in Philly, but selfishly, I’m really happy he’s back here and having the opportunity to close out the season with us,” Simmons said. “He’s a great player and an even better friend.”
Lindsay, Reed, Jeudy active. Running back Phillip Lindsay (knee), receiver Jerry Jeudy (ankle) and outside linebacker Malik Reed (shin) were all active Sunday night after being listed as questionable on the final injury report.
Safety Trey Marshall (shin) missed his second consecutive game and was the Broncos’ only injured inactive.
The healthy scratches were fullback Jeremy Cox (because Andrew Beck is off injured reserve), defensive lineman McTelvin Agim (because Shelby Harris is back), cornerback Kevin Toliver, inside linebacker Mark Barron and guard Netane Muti.
Respect for Hinton. Receiver-turned-emergency-quarterback Kendall Hinton was back on the practice squad after playing last week against New Orleans. Although he completed only one of nine passes and threw two interceptions, Hinton earned locker room-wide respect.
“That was just a crazy situation,” Harris said Friday. “Kendall did a great job. What more can you do? To have no practice and go out there and play a game at quarterback in the NFL after not playing quarterback for a couple of years — that still blows my mind.
“He had all of the heart and determination you could have and that’s all you could ask for.”
Fant of Kelce. Entering Week 13, Kansas City’s Travis Kelce had 74 catches and 978 receiving yards, tops among NFL tight ends.
“The greatest thing about him is he identifies coverages very well,” Broncos tight end Noah Fant said. “He can sit in a zone and find those little creases and is able to try and make a big play. He’s one of the greatest to do it.”
Footnotes. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell missed his sixth consecutive game because of coronavirus. … Beck was active for the first time since Week 6 at New England (hamstring). … Next for the Broncos is 4-8 Carolina, which had its bye this weekend. Running back Christian McCaffrey, the Castle Rock native/Valor Christian alum, has been limited to three games because of ankle-and-shoulder injuries.


thedenverpost--2020-12-07--CU Buffs’ linebacker duo dominates again

TUCSON , Ariz. — When Arizona ’ s offense took possession with 4 minutes , 51 seconds to play in the third quarter on Saturday night , Colorado ’ s Nate Landman wasn ’ t on the field .
Colorado held an eight-point lead and Arizona was threatening to slice into that deficit .
With Landman in the medical tent , Arizona hit plays for 12 , 19 , 16 and 33 yards to move to the CU 5-yard line .
Suddenly , during a stoppage in play , Landman emerged from the tent , near the South end of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end zone .
He got there just in time for the next play , when Arizona had first-and-goal from the 2-yard line .
Arizona handed off to running back Gary Brightwell and he was quickly hit by Landman and Carson Wells for a 1-yard loss .
On the next play , the Buffs ’ Nigel Bethel Jr. picked off an Arizona pass to end the threat , and CU went on to win the game , 24-13 .
While that stop wasn ’ t credited only to Landman , his presence made a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on his first play of the drive , he teamed with Wells for a big play .
It would be difficult to find a pair of defenders in the Pac-12 playing better than Landman and Wells .
“ He ’ s my roommate , ” Wells said .
“ We ’ ve been together for like two years .
Obviously when we went home ( during the COVID-19 quarantine period in the summer ) , I worked out with my dad , but once we got back , we would do the workouts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Drew ( Wilson ) and we had a field across from our house , so we would go and do extra work out there and I feel that ’ s really paying off.
” Landman and Wells combined for 27 tackles , 2.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss and Arizona .
Landman finished with 16 tackles , one sack and 3.5 tackles for loss .
Wells had a career-high 11 tackles , along with four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks .
The numbers are eye-popping , but not unusual .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ win against San Diego State , the duo combined for 16 tackles , eight tackles for loss and three sacks ( all by Landman ) .
Landman was named Walter Camp and Bronko Nagurski national defensive player of the week and Pac-12 defensive player of the week after the San Diego State win .
Wells was worthy , too .
While Landman continues his exceptional career , Wells , is emerging as a star .
He has 11 tackles for loss in the last three games .
To put that number in perspective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead the team for the entire season in nine of the previous 11 years .
Led by Landman and Wells , the Buffs have taken dramatic steps forward on defense .
In the first two games , CU gave up an average of 37.0 points and 437.5 yards per game .
The last two weeks , the defense has given up 8.0 points and 288.5 yards per game .
CU has given up just one touchdown and three field goals in the last two games .
On Saturday , Arizona didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We knew they were going to go to tempo , ” Wells said .
“ They gashed us a couple plays ( early ) .
I feel like we settled in after the first drive ; they got that touchdown and we held them to a couple field goals .
After that , they really didn ’ t get much .
They got a couple drives , but we just had that bend but don ’ t break attitude and that really paid off for us tonight .
”

TUCSON, Ariz. — When Arizona’s offense took possession with 4 minutes, 51 seconds to play in the third quarter on Saturday night, Colorado’s Nate Landman wasn’t on the field.
Colorado held an eight-point lead and Arizona was threatening to slice into that deficit. With Landman in the medical tent, Arizona hit plays for 12, 19, 16 and 33 yards to move to the CU 5-yard line.
Suddenly, during a stoppage in play, Landman emerged from the tent, near the South end of the field and sprinted toward the north end zone. He got there just in time for the next play, when Arizona had first-and-goal from the 2-yard line. Arizona handed off to running back Gary Brightwell and he was quickly hit by Landman and Carson Wells for a 1-yard loss.
On the next play, the Buffs’ Nigel Bethel Jr. picked off an Arizona pass to end the threat, and CU went on to win the game, 24-13.
While that stop wasn’t credited only to Landman, his presence made a difference – and it was fitting that on his first play of the drive, he teamed with Wells for a big play.
It would be difficult to find a pair of defenders in the Pac-12 playing better than Landman and Wells.
“He’s my roommate,” Wells said. “We’ve been together for like two years. Obviously when we went home (during the COVID-19 quarantine period in the summer), I worked out with my dad, but once we got back, we would do the workouts with (CU strength and conditioning coach) Drew (Wilson) and we had a field across from our house, so we would go and do extra work out there and I feel that’s really paying off.”
That’s an understatement.
Landman and Wells combined for 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss and Arizona. Landman finished with 16 tackles, one sack and 3.5 tackles for loss. Wells had a career-high 11 tackles, along with four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
The numbers are eye-popping, but not unusual. A week earlier, in a 20-10 win against San Diego State, the duo combined for 16 tackles, eight tackles for loss and three sacks (all by Landman).
Landman was named Walter Camp and Bronko Nagurski national defensive player of the week and Pac-12 defensive player of the week after the San Diego State win. Wells was worthy, too.
While Landman continues his exceptional career, Wells, is emerging as a star. He has 11 tackles for loss in the last three games. To put that number in perspective, it would have been enough to lead the team for the entire season in nine of the previous 11 years.
Led by Landman and Wells, the Buffs have taken dramatic steps forward on defense.
In the first two games, CU gave up an average of 37.0 points and 437.5 yards per game.
The last two weeks, the defense has given up 8.0 points and 288.5 yards per game. CU has given up just one touchdown and three field goals in the last two games.
On Saturday, Arizona didn’t score in the last 43 minutes.
“We knew they were going to go to tempo,” Wells said. “They gashed us a couple plays (early). I feel like we settled in after the first drive; they got that touchdown and we held them to a couple field goals. After that, they really didn’t get much. They got a couple drives, but we just had that bend but don’t break attitude and that really paid off for us tonight.”


thedenverpost--2020-12-07--Will the U.S. ever have a national COVID-19 testing strategy?

NEW YORK — As the coronavirus epidemic worsens , U.S. health experts hope Joe Biden ’ s administration will put in place something Donald Trump ’ s has not — a comprehensive national testing strategy .
Such a strategy , they say , could systematically check more people for infections and spot surges before they take off .
The health experts say it would be an improvement from the current practice , which has professional athletes and students at elite universities getting routine tests while many other Americans stand in line for hours — if they get tested at all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for this virus .
Our strategy has been no strategy , ” said Dr. Michael Mina , a Harvard University researcher focused on use of testing to track disease .
Some experts say the lack of such a system is one reason for the current national explosion in cases , hospitalizations and deaths .
“ If we ’ d had a more robust approach and testing was scaled up as one of the tools , I think much of this third surge would would have been avoidable , ” said Dr. Grant Colfax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Public Health .
There are differing opinions on what such a strategy should look like , but many experts say rapid and at-home tests should be used so Americans can check themselves and stay away from others if they test positive .
The president-elect has endorsed that strategy , called for making testing free for all Americans , and said government experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies should be empowered to coordinate the entire effort .
“ The reality is we ’ re not testing enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-chair of Biden ’ s coronavirus advisory board , told The Associated Press this week .
His transition team so far has not gone into further detail .
Testing was one of the first — and most enduring — stumbles in the federal government ’ s response to the coronavirus epidemic that hit the nation early this year .
In February , the CDC distributed test kits to public health laboratories that initially were faulty .
U.S. officials worked with companies to expand testing , but shortages of chemicals , materials and protective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what experts said was necessary .
Worse , some experts say , states and cities competed against each other to buy limited testing services and materials , and with little guidance or training on how to best use the tests .
In April , President Donald Trump declared governors were responsible for testing .
Amid complaints about shortages and delays , the federal government began sourcing and shipping key testing supplies to states , beginning with swabs .
In the latest phase , Trump officials are sending more than 100 million rapid , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the first shipments went out in early October .
Such tests are considered key to slowing spread , but states have distributed them differently .
For example , Alaska is sending tests to oil drilling sites , Colorado to local public health agencies for testing homeless populations , and Mississippi to veterans ’ homes .
There ’ s also no federal standard for reporting test data .
Some states report the number of tests administered , while others tally the number of people tested .
Some have counted types of tests that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skew results because some tests are better at diagnosing active infections than others .
Administration officials say they are proud of the current state of testing .
Last month , Vice President Mike Pence celebrated that 170 million tests have been completed , and that an expanding array of tests are available .
But the focus should be less on numbers and more on action , said Dr. Ali Khan , dean of the University of Nebraska College of Public Health .
“ It shouldn ’ t be anybody who needs a test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ It should be anybody who has a positive test immediately gets isolated ” and the people they were in contact with checked and placed in quarantine .
He was echoed by Nunez-Smith , the Biden coronavirus adviser .
“ Testing is only useful when we can act on the test , ” said Nunez-Smith , a Yale health equity researcher .
Trump himself has voiced a lack of enthusiasm for comprehensive testing .
In a June tweet , the president called testing a double-edged sword that is good to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And Dr. Scott Atlas — a top pandemic adviser to Trump before he resigned Monday — argued against testing people who aren ’ t experiencing symptoms .
But some regard such thinking as an attempt to spin a leadership failure into something else .
“ The executive branch has seen test results – case counts – as a report card on its performance , ” said Carl Bergstrom , a University of Washington evolutionary biologist who studies emerging infectious diseases .
The nation may be weeks away from coronavirus vaccines becoming available , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need for testing , said the Rockefeller Foundation ’ s Eileen O ’ Connor .
“ We ’ re not going to get everybody vaccinated right away .
And we still don ’ t know how long that immunity will last , ” she said .
So testing will still be needed to monitor where the infection is active and to see if infections are occurring in vaccinated people .
What should be done moving forward ?
In July , the Rockefeller Foundation called for making cheap tests widely available to better identify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know it .
That would involve developing and making cheap antigen tests , which provide quick results but are less reliable than genetic tests .
Foundation officials hoped the government would push companies to manufacture tests the same way it has pushed vaccine makers to mass produce experimental vaccines .
Some Harvard researchers believe that testing half the population each week would be possible by mailing those tests to millions of U.S. households .
Participation would be voluntary , and positive results would have to be confirmed with genetic tests — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as more established lab-based testing .
Even so , it could dramatically expand the amount of infection monitoring going on across the nation , its proponents say .
During an appearance on NBC ’ s “ Meet the Press , ” Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said Americans should have easy tests they can do in their own homes .
“ We don ’ t have that , ” he said .
“ We should have that.
” Versions of such an approach have been tried in some places @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some experts note there is little precedent for screening tens of millions of people with cheap , rapid tests–which would generate a significant portion of false results .
It ’ s also unclear whether people who test themselves at home will follow instructions to quarantine .
Nearly all experts agree that more data and coordination is needed .
“ Having every state do its own thing without guidance from the federal level — from CDC in particular — I think has really hampered us , ” said Scott Becker , the chief executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It is a federal response as much as it is a state response , but it ’ s a shared responsibility .
We need to work together.
” The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .
Subscribe to bi-weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox .

NEW YORK — As the coronavirus epidemic worsens, U.S. health experts hope Joe Biden’s administration will put in place something Donald Trump’s has not — a comprehensive national testing strategy.
Such a strategy, they say, could systematically check more people for infections and spot surges before they take off. The health experts say it would be an improvement from the current practice, which has professional athletes and students at elite universities getting routine tests while many other Americans stand in line for hours — if they get tested at all.
“We have had no strategy for this virus. Our strategy has been no strategy,” said Dr. Michael Mina, a Harvard University researcher focused on use of testing to track disease.
Some experts say the lack of such a system is one reason for the current national explosion in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
“If we’d had a more robust approach and testing was scaled up as one of the tools, I think much of this third surge would would have been avoidable,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
There are differing opinions on what such a strategy should look like, but many experts say rapid and at-home tests should be used so Americans can check themselves and stay away from others if they test positive.
The president-elect has endorsed that strategy, called for making testing free for all Americans, and said government experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies should be empowered to coordinate the entire effort.
“The reality is we’re not testing enough today,” Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, co-chair of Biden’s coronavirus advisory board, told The Associated Press this week.
His transition team so far has not gone into further detail.
Testing was one of the first — and most enduring — stumbles in the federal government’s response to the coronavirus epidemic that hit the nation early this year.
In February, the CDC distributed test kits to public health laboratories that initially were faulty. U.S. officials worked with companies to expand testing, but shortages of chemicals, materials and protective equipment meant fewer tests were available than what experts said was necessary.
Worse, some experts say, states and cities competed against each other to buy limited testing services and materials, and with little guidance or training on how to best use the tests.
In April, President Donald Trump declared governors were responsible for testing. Amid complaints about shortages and delays, the federal government began sourcing and shipping key testing supplies to states, beginning with swabs.
In the latest phase, Trump officials are sending more than 100 million rapid, point-of-care tests to states. The government said the first shipments went out in early October.
Such tests are considered key to slowing spread, but states have distributed them differently. For example, Alaska is sending tests to oil drilling sites, Colorado to local public health agencies for testing homeless populations, and Mississippi to veterans’ homes.
There’s also no federal standard for reporting test data. Some states report the number of tests administered, while others tally the number of people tested. Some have counted types of tests that others don’t, which can skew results because some tests are better at diagnosing active infections than others.
Administration officials say they are proud of the current state of testing. Last month, Vice President Mike Pence celebrated that 170 million tests have been completed, and that an expanding array of tests are available.
But the focus should be less on numbers and more on action, said Dr. Ali Khan, dean of the University of Nebraska College of Public Health.
“It shouldn’t be anybody who needs a test can get a test,” Khan said. “It should be anybody who has a positive test immediately gets isolated” and the people they were in contact with checked and placed in quarantine.
He was echoed by Nunez-Smith, the Biden coronavirus adviser.
“Testing is only useful when we can act on the test,” said Nunez-Smith, a Yale health equity researcher.
Trump himself has voiced a lack of enthusiasm for comprehensive testing. In a June tweet, the president called testing a double-edged sword that is good to have but “makes us look bad.” And Dr. Scott Atlas — a top pandemic adviser to Trump before he resigned Monday — argued against testing people who aren’t experiencing symptoms.
But some regard such thinking as an attempt to spin a leadership failure into something else.
“The executive branch has seen test results – case counts – as a report card on its performance,” said Carl Bergstrom, a University of Washington evolutionary biologist who studies emerging infectious diseases.
The nation may be weeks away from coronavirus vaccines becoming available, but that won’t erase the need for testing, said the Rockefeller Foundation’s Eileen O’Connor.
“We’re not going to get everybody vaccinated right away. And we still don’t know how long that immunity will last,” she said. So testing will still be needed to monitor where the infection is active and to see if infections are occurring in vaccinated people.
What should be done moving forward?
In July, the Rockefeller Foundation called for making cheap tests widely available to better identify people who are infected and don’t know it. That would involve developing and making cheap antigen tests, which provide quick results but are less reliable than genetic tests. Foundation officials hoped the government would push companies to manufacture tests the same way it has pushed vaccine makers to mass produce experimental vaccines.
Some Harvard researchers believe that testing half the population each week would be possible by mailing those tests to millions of U.S. households.
Participation would be voluntary, and positive results would have to be confirmed with genetic tests — the home tests are not considered as sensitive as more established lab-based testing. Even so, it could dramatically expand the amount of infection monitoring going on across the nation, its proponents say.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health said Americans should have easy tests they can do in their own homes.
“We don’t have that,” he said. “We should have that.”
Versions of such an approach have been tried in some places, including Slovakia and Minnesota. But some experts note there is little precedent for screening tens of millions of people with cheap, rapid tests–which would generate a significant portion of false results. It’s also unclear whether people who test themselves at home will follow instructions to quarantine.
Nearly all experts agree that more data and coordination is needed.
“Having every state do its own thing without guidance from the federal level — from CDC in particular — I think has really hampered us,” said Scott Becker, the chief executive of the Association of Public Health Laboratories. “It is a federal response as much as it is a state response, but it’s a shared responsibility. We need to work together.”
Perrone reported from Washington, D.C. AP medical writer Carla K. Johnson in Washington state contributed.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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thedenverpost--2020-12-07--Colorado looks to logging to help re-balance forests in an era of climate-triggered megafires

GOULD — Stunned by unprecedented megafires , Colorado is embracing logging — mowing holes up to 140 acres in beetle-infested lodgepole pines — in an effort to revive out-of-balance forests .
This for-profit mechanized tree-cutting , concentrated between the blackened Cameron Peak and East Troublesome burn scars , has been clearing 3,000 acres a year .
And state foresters propose to clear more .
At two cutting sites west of Fort Collins last week , hulking red and yellow tractors equipped with whirling hot saws sliced through 12-inch trunks of the towering pines , then as they thumped to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stripped off branches .
Hooked pinchers hoisted the logs into bus-sized loads for diesel-belching trucks .
Drivers hauled these along icy mountain roads to sawmills at Saratoga and Parshall , where workers convert logs to lumber as a surging national wood-products market pays record prices .
This large-scale cutting creates fire breaks “ to give firefighters a place to make a stand ” and “ take out the energy ” from inevitable future record wildfires , Colorado State Forest Service director Mike Lester said .
When lodgepoles grow back , the surrounding broader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different species such as aspens popping up amid pines on newly-sunlit slopes , Lester said .
“ In lodgepole forests , if you want to mimic what happens to lodgepole naturally , you do clear-cuts , ” he said .
“ Lodgepole pines naturally regenerate with forest-clearing fires.
” Colorado traditionally hasn ’ t had logging on the industrial scale seen in Oregon and other northwestern states , and forest ecologists warn against clear-cuts that accelerate erosion , degrade wildlife habitat and enable increased human incursions .
But state officials now are turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to inaction at an especially difficult moment .
Across western Colorado , insect attacks on old and drought-enfeebled trees over the past decade have ravaged 5 million acres .
Systematic suppression of wildfires , federal land managers ’ priority for a century , has led to unnatural thickening .
For years , ecologists and emergency planners have warned that dying , dry and overly-dense forests would lead to massive , ruinous fires .
Climate warming has emerged as the trigger , unleashing flames this year that burned across 700,000 acres , including the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : the Cameron Peak fire , at 208,913 acres ; the East Troublesome fire , at 193,812 acres ; and the Pine Gulch fire , at 139,007 acres .
“ If we keep doing things as we ’ ve been doing , this is going to be what we will see , ” Lester said .
Colorado ’ s population growth and development boom , particularly the construction of mountain homes by people compelled to escape cities , complicates the forest imbalance .
Houses in woods force progressively more aggressive fire-snuffing , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A recent state report estimated a $ 4.2 billion backlog in forest-thinning needed to selectively clear trees and create safety buffers around the most at-risk forest homes .
That ’ s tree removal that state agencies and property owners generally must pay for — in contrast to this industrial logging that brings in revenue when market conditions are right .
Last week , state foresters supervising the cutting of a 100-acre patch on Owl Mountain , within a 376-acre parcel controlled mostly by the federal Bureau of Land Management , pointed to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to state and federal agencies from loggers .
And even if logging wasn ’ t profitable , every dollar spent removing trees from fire-prone forests would save an estimated $ 7 in avoided firefighting costs , Steamboat Springs-based forester Carolina Manriquez said .
“ Now we have 200,000-acre fires rolling through .
What is 100 acres ?
Nothing at the landscape scale , ” Manriquez said .
“ We need to do more of this .
I mean , we ’ re spending millions to suppress fires.
” Colorado forests that increasingly burn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beetle-kill leaves trees unusable , might have helped sustain logging companies , said C.J .
Pittington , a Walden-based logger running a 40-ton red feller-buncher last week clearing a 140-acre chunk of state land .
He can mow through about 5 acres of lodgepole forest in a day and has built up a business his father began in 1973 , currently employing a dozen workers , and expressed hope the big fires will lead to greater social acceptance of large-scale logging .
Logging in forests near sprawling mountain municipalities also will help protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the East Troublesome fire ’ s destruction of 300 homes and other buildings .
“ If the U.S. Forest Service would have done something like this behind Grand Lake , many homes there would still be standing , ” Pittington said .
Future expansion of logging in northwestern Colorado will depend on industrial capacity , said John Twitchell , the supervisory state forester overseeing the work , who also serves on the state ’ s forest advisory commission .
“ Our logging industry has been small .
We haven ’ t had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our capacity to use wood will dictate how much work we can do on our landscapes , ” Twitchell said .
“ We want to re-generate a new , healthy forest .
As long as this dead timber is here , inevitably , it is going to fall… and in time it will burn , ” he said .
“ We ’ ve seen the consequences of inaction .
… If we can have more cuts like this , we can accomplish a lot of goals at once.
” But forest ecologists raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 40 acres or more widely have been seen as harmful .
Lodgepole forests like those in northwestern Colorado play key roles in nature — stabilizing mountainsides that otherwise erode into streams and eventually municipal reservoirs , helping form soil , giving habitat for raptors and other wild animals .
“ If it is just willy-nilly punching holes in forests , it may not do any good at all and may make things worse , ” said Greg Aplet , a Denver-based senior scientist for the Wilderness Society .
Forest tree-cutting must be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , connected to broad restoration around the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak burn scars , he said .
The risk is that Colorado forest officials , once beetle-killed lodgepole pines are removed from state land , will try to expand cutting on private and federal land by “ using social concern about fires to grab the social license to conduct more logging without the kind of review and careful ecological analysis that normally would attend large-scale logging , ” Aplet said .
“ The Wilderness Society isn ’ t opposed to logging .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ forest management.
’ What we are opposed to is bogus science , poorly-planned projects and squandering money that could be spent on treatments that actually improve forest health , ” he said .
“ There is reason to keep sawmills alive — so that we have a destination for the logs that come out of well-planned forest restoration projects.
” University of Colorado Denver forest ecologist Diana Tomback said much depends on how much forest thinning is done and where .
When westerners began snuffing wildfires a century ago , this obligated some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ processes , Tomback said .
But large clear-cuts cause erosion and even standing majority-dead forests can be preferable ecologically , she said .
“ A storm of threats ” — climate warming , megafires , insect outbreaks and drought — “ is converging now to greatly diminish our nation ’ s once-magnificent forests , ” Tomback said , suggesting Gov .
Jared Polis should convene a forest science brain trust to develop a strategy .
“ This convergence… is new , and we are learning .
And the answers may not all be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But we need a methodical approach .
We have to sit down and talk about a new forest management paradigm .
We don ’ t want to do things ad hoc.
” Federal forest managers at U.S. Forest Service headquarters weren ’ t available for comment .
A newly-appointed regional director has declined for a month to discuss the overall health of Colorado forests in the face of climate warming , insect infestations and wildfires .
Lester was looking to make that connection .
Most of the acres burned this year were in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better “ shared stewardship.
” Polis recently proposed spending $ 6 million for grants to improve forest health , but the scale of work to save dying forests requires far more , Lester said .
“ What do we need from the feds ?
Certainly we need financial resources .
And we need to sit down and coordinate what we are going to do .
How are we going to get this done ?
”

GOULD — Stunned by unprecedented megafires, Colorado is embracing logging — mowing holes up to 140 acres in beetle-infested lodgepole pines — in an effort to revive out-of-balance forests.
This for-profit mechanized tree-cutting, concentrated between the blackened Cameron Peak and East Troublesome burn scars, has been clearing 3,000 acres a year.
And state foresters propose to clear more.
At two cutting sites west of Fort Collins last week, hulking red and yellow tractors equipped with whirling hot saws sliced through 12-inch trunks of the towering pines, then as they thumped to the ground raked them into bunches. De-limbers stripped off branches. Hooked pinchers hoisted the logs into bus-sized loads for diesel-belching trucks. Drivers hauled these along icy mountain roads to sawmills at Saratoga and Parshall, where workers convert logs to lumber as a surging national wood-products market pays record prices.
This large-scale cutting creates fire breaks “to give firefighters a place to make a stand” and “take out the energy” from inevitable future record wildfires, Colorado State Forest Service director Mike Lester said.
When lodgepoles grow back, the surrounding broader forests will gain age diversity, with different species such as aspens popping up amid pines on newly-sunlit slopes, Lester said.
“In lodgepole forests, if you want to mimic what happens to lodgepole naturally, you do clear-cuts,” he said. “Lodgepole pines naturally regenerate with forest-clearing fires.”
Colorado traditionally hasn’t had logging on the industrial scale seen in Oregon and other northwestern states, and forest ecologists warn against clear-cuts that accelerate erosion, degrade wildlife habitat and enable increased human incursions.
But state officials now are turning to this large-scale cutting as an alternative to inaction at an especially difficult moment. Across western Colorado, insect attacks on old and drought-enfeebled trees over the past decade have ravaged 5 million acres. Systematic suppression of wildfires, federal land managers’ priority for a century, has led to unnatural thickening.
For years, ecologists and emergency planners have warned that dying, dry and overly-dense forests would lead to massive, ruinous fires. Climate warming has emerged as the trigger, unleashing flames this year that burned across 700,000 acres, including the three largest fires ever recorded in Colorado: the Cameron Peak fire, at 208,913 acres; the East Troublesome fire, at 193,812 acres; and the Pine Gulch fire, at 139,007 acres.
“If we keep doing things as we’ve been doing, this is going to be what we will see,” Lester said.
“The consequences of inaction”
Colorado’s population growth and development boom, particularly the construction of mountain homes by people compelled to escape cities, complicates the forest imbalance. Houses in woods force progressively more aggressive fire-snuffing, which allows more increased thickening of trees.
A recent state report estimated a $4.2 billion backlog in forest-thinning needed to selectively clear trees and create safety buffers around the most at-risk forest homes. That’s tree removal that state agencies and property owners generally must pay for — in contrast to this industrial logging that brings in revenue when market conditions are right.
Last week, state foresters supervising the cutting of a 100-acre patch on Owl Mountain, within a 376-acre parcel controlled mostly by the federal Bureau of Land Management, pointed to the economics — revenue of about $200,000 to state and federal agencies from loggers. And even if logging wasn’t profitable, every dollar spent removing trees from fire-prone forests would save an estimated $7 in avoided firefighting costs, Steamboat Springs-based forester Carolina Manriquez said.
“Now we have 200,000-acre fires rolling through. What is 100 acres? Nothing at the landscape scale,” Manriquez said. “We need to do more of this. I mean, we’re spending millions to suppress fires.”
Colorado forests that increasingly burn, along with millions of acres where beetle-kill leaves trees unusable, might have helped sustain logging companies, said C.J. Pittington, a Walden-based logger running a 40-ton red feller-buncher last week clearing a 140-acre chunk of state land. He can mow through about 5 acres of lodgepole forest in a day and has built up a business his father began in 1973, currently employing a dozen workers, and expressed hope the big fires will lead to greater social acceptance of large-scale logging.
Logging in forests near sprawling mountain municipalities also will help protect people, Pittington said, referring to the East Troublesome fire’s destruction of 300 homes and other buildings.
“If the U.S. Forest Service would have done something like this behind Grand Lake, many homes there would still be standing,” Pittington said.
Future expansion of logging in northwestern Colorado will depend on industrial capacity, said John Twitchell, the supervisory state forester overseeing the work, who also serves on the state’s forest advisory commission.
“Our logging industry has been small. We haven’t had a lot of users of the wood. Our capacity to use wood will dictate how much work we can do on our landscapes,” Twitchell said.
“We want to re-generate a new, healthy forest. As long as this dead timber is here, inevitably, it is going to fall… and in time it will burn,” he said. “We’ve seen the consequences of inaction. … If we can have more cuts like this, we can accomplish a lot of goals at once.”
“A storm of threats”
But forest ecologists raised concerns about the logging. Industrial clear-cuts of 40 acres or more widely have been seen as harmful. Lodgepole forests like those in northwestern Colorado play key roles in nature — stabilizing mountainsides that otherwise erode into streams and eventually municipal reservoirs, helping form soil, giving habitat for raptors and other wild animals.
“If it is just willy-nilly punching holes in forests, it may not do any good at all and may make things worse,” said Greg Aplet, a Denver-based senior scientist for the Wilderness Society.
Forest tree-cutting must be done based on large landscape-scale master plans, connected to broad restoration around the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak burn scars, he said. The risk is that Colorado forest officials, once beetle-killed lodgepole pines are removed from state land, will try to expand cutting on private and federal land by “using social concern about fires to grab the social license to conduct more logging without the kind of review and careful ecological analysis that normally would attend large-scale logging,” Aplet said.
“The Wilderness Society isn’t opposed to logging. We’re not opposed to ‘forest management.’ What we are opposed to is bogus science, poorly-planned projects and squandering money that could be spent on treatments that actually improve forest health,” he said. “There is reason to keep sawmills alive — so that we have a destination for the logs that come out of well-planned forest restoration projects.”
University of Colorado Denver forest ecologist Diana Tomback said much depends on how much forest thinning is done and where. When westerners began snuffing wildfires a century ago, this obligated some form of logging to replace disturbed natural processes, Tomback said. But large clear-cuts cause erosion and even standing majority-dead forests can be preferable ecologically, she said.
“A storm of threats” — climate warming, megafires, insect outbreaks and drought — “is converging now to greatly diminish our nation’s once-magnificent forests,” Tomback said, suggesting Gov. Jared Polis should convene a forest science brain trust to develop a strategy.
“This convergence… is new, and we are learning. And the answers may not all be there,” she said. “But we need a methodical approach. We have to sit down and talk about a new forest management paradigm. We don’t want to do things ad hoc.”
Federal forest managers at U.S. Forest Service headquarters weren’t available for comment. A newly-appointed regional director has declined for a month to discuss the overall health of Colorado forests in the face of climate warming, insect infestations and wildfires.
Lester was looking to make that connection. Most of the acres burned this year were in federally-managed forests, he said, urging better “shared stewardship.”
Polis recently proposed spending $6 million for grants to improve forest health, but the scale of work to save dying forests requires far more, Lester said.
“What do we need from the feds? Certainly we need financial resources. And we need to sit down and coordinate what we are going to do. How are we going to get this done?”