Tonight on studio 12, we've got a jam packed show for you from community Garden walks to casting a line for a great cause.

We're also taking you inside a popular pickleball hotspot in Parker, Colorado.

And then get ready to meet some incredible animals who found a second chance at life at the Wild Animal Sanctuary.

And to wrap up our show, we head to the high dive on South Broadway in Denver for the Latin urban pop sounds of the band.

Two acts to all of that and more right now on studio 12.

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

This is studio 12.

Hello, I'm Ryan here, and I'm Bazzi Kanani.

I've been off for a few weeks to do some international travel.

And during that time, you've seen Ryan here sharing our stories on studio 12.

Now that I'm back, it's great to be here with Ryan for this episode.

Can't wait to do this work with you, Bazzi.

By the way, you are a long ways from home in the last few weeks.

Tell us a little bit about your trip a long ways.

I went to Tanzania in East Africa with my dad.

That's where he's from, and we went to visit family in the rural village where he grew up.

Must have been a special moment for him.

It was special for us all.

And how about you?

Summer travel plans?

Oh no.

I have a seven month old son at home, so we're going nowhere.

Oh, I remember those days.

It's tough.

It really is staying here.

The good news is that maybe your garden stayed in better shape than mine during that time.

I don't know, summer gardening in Colorado does come with a fair share of challenges, from scorching heat to surprise hailstorms and pesky critters.

But to help gardeners recover, Denver Urban Gardens launched a brand new Second Chances program, the first of its kind.

Thanks to generous donations from local farmers, community gardeners were invited to pick up free seedlings and plants to replace what they lost, giving their gardens a fresh start.

We stopped by to see this new initiative for the first time in action.

Are you going to help?

You want to pick up some plates?

This is the very first day of a brand new program we're calling Second Chances.

The program is a waste diversion program.

It takes surplus seedlings from growers in the Front Range that otherwise wouldn't be used, or would have to get composted.

It takes those seedlings and connects them to food insecure households.

It's all basil, and it connects those seedlings with community gardens that have experienced some form of loss pests, hail, theft, vandalism, that sort of thing.

Yeah, we had a, an infestation of beetles, and they chewed up through a lot of things.

So this is great because then we can replace some of these things.

The heat is really difficult.

We live in Barnham, which is like there's not a lot of beautiful big trees.

And because of that, we have a lot of heat from all the concrete and the asphalt that's around.

And so our garden gets really hot.

We play the intermediate role of identifying where those plants are available, where they're going to get tossed out because they're not used, and then bringing them to places like this where garden leaders can come to a central location and pick up what they need, or the seedlings can go to a food pantry distribution and they can be passed out with food boxes.

We kind of got a, you know, somewhat of a late start this year.

And so we can use this to, you know, kind of supplement our garden.

The food access programs at Doe are really what we call sort of food sovereignty building programs.

It's about distributing supplies to help community members build food sovereignty.

And those distributions historically have happened sort of at the very beginning of the season.

And the organization, I think, has done a good job of setting folks up for success with what they need initially.

I think what this program is responding to is, that there are emergent needs throughout the season that historically we haven't been able to meet because some things do die.

Some things don't go according to plan, and you need to have a backup available to you.

Okay.

Let's grab some of these guys.

This is flat leaf parsley.

We were getting a lot of requests in late June and early July for seedlings.

We recognize that that need overlap really well with, a resource offering from some of the growers we work with.

We buy a lot of seedlings for our programs.

And around this time of the year, those farmers would also be reaching out to us saying, hey, I have 200 extra of this or a bunch of leftover that I have no where to put them.

Do you want them?

And so we're just really connecting and identified surplus in the Front Range with an identified need in the Front Range.

I see a tag.

What is it?

Oh it is.

Okay, cool.

We will take a flat of this.

So today we have really just a mix of what's available from from our farmer.

These seedlings today are from the Masa Seed Foundation in Boulder, Colorado.

They grow really beautiful.

High quality organic seedlings.

It's a mix of traditional hot weather crops, stuff that thrives in the heat.

Eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, that kind of thing.

With other crops that you could do this time of the year with a little bit of microclimate management.

So we also have some chard, we have some herbs and we have some onions.

We went in and got Brazilian rainbow peppers, peppers, peppers.

We got red and regular onions right now, but we got very much yellow onion.

I don't remember what these were.

Those are peppers as well.

Okay, these are peppers, but we didn't get the name of them.

We got eggplant.

Eggplant.

And what's this?

Parsley.

And because we're a high desert, you know.

Yes.

We have a shorter growing season, but it also gets so friggin hot in, you know, August and July.

So educating people about that and also getting people to come to the garden when it's hot is really hard.

So I'm like, come at night.

Like, I don't know, after you eat dinner or something or come really early in the morning before you go to work.

The Front Range, the Denver area is very prone to hail.

We get big temperature swings in May.

Two years ago, my garden was decimated by hail.

So every year we'll have a handful of gardens across the network that experience near total loss from hail storms and need a huge number of plants to get started again.

And this kind of program does that.

Yeah.

So I'm a community garden leader at the Lowell Street and Barnum Community Garden.

And I heard from Shea that these plants were available.

Let's grab these guys.

Look at those onions.

It's been really hot.

So we have some squashes and eggplants.

The tomatoes don't seem to die off that quickly, but, I just wanted to come and grab some extra for the community and try to give them to the new gardeners to fill some of those plots.

You know, my real aspiration for this program is that community garden leaders feel as though they're needs after the season starts, are still being heard, and that some effort is being made to still meet those later in the season, and that it's not set you up for success, and then you're on your own for the entirety that we can be with you throughout the entire season.

Denver Urban Gardens is hoping to do more of these Second Chances programs in the future, so do keep a lookout for him.

By the way, if you've ever strolled past a community garden with a Denver Urban Garden sign and wondered what's growing inside there and who's behind it?

Step inside.

Check it out.

They'd like to invite you in.

So, Denver Urban Gardens is offering free walking tours this summer through some of the city's most inspiring green spaces and sharing the stories behind them.

We tagged along for their tour in the Highlands neighborhood in Denver.

Take a look.

Well.

Welcome everybody.

Thank you so much for joining Denver Urban Gardens on our OG tour.

This is going to this is one of the best ones.

This is our original gardens.

This is a very sacred space.

It's been here since 1994.

People know that they are safe and welcome and included here in this space.

I can't even imagine, Denver without Doug and the Denver without these gardens.

It's just just in the fabric of this city that these spaces, are here for everyone to enjoy.

Beginning of the year, we were like, how can we get more people involved in, like, the gardens and just, you know, creating this bigger community?

Let's see.

Garden struggles.

So this is our second one.

So thanks for joining us.

We're at the George Chavez Memorial Peace Garden here at 38th and Cicerone in North Denver.

We're visiting the OGS, our original gardens.

So we'll be visiting this Troy Chavez Memorial Peace Garden, and we'll end at Pecos, where it all started.

This garden was built in 1994, designed, in memory of Troy Chavez, who was killed in gang violence and during the summer of violence here in Denver.

And so we worked with on a Chavez, Troy's mother, to really design this space as a sacred space, a safe place for anybody to be in here.

This is a place where, weapons are put down, and we're we're taking care of the earth here.

So it was designed, with Aztec art.

You can see behind me.

Mother Earth is holding its children.

Makes me cry.

So up front, we have a lot of different medicinal herbs, for the neighborhood and for anybody to to come in and pick and smell and touch and feel.

And in the back, we'll see a lot of different plots for neighborhoods, and residents around this, the space to grow food for themselves and their families as well.

All right.

Let's head to the next one.

Here we are at the Oasis Garden.

And so this was rebuilt, just a couple of years ago.

The community was a part of the design, the rebuild.

A lot of the residents that garden here are feeling much closer to their neighbors, which is, you know, a wonderful, benefit for creating a smaller space for the gardeners, but also just to start a new, with this space so you can see it's it's beautiful.

There are things growing.

It's really turned into a true oasis here in north Denver.

All right, are we ready to head to the next location?

I'm Jeremy Garcia.

This is the Shoshone community garden.

We're part of the Doug, Denver Urban Gardens program.

We're in lower Highlands, which is at the intersection of 33rd and Shoshone.

And, we've got about 30 gardeners here.

I get to be a part of this community and also share my expertise in managing the space.

Everybody lives in the neighborhood, and it's a great way to build the community and, get outdoors and kind of meet your neighbors.

My name is Taylor.

And welcome to my block.

I have growing here.

Corn, beans, squash, carrots.

Lots of different flowers, such as dahlias.

I have so much.

These are my plots.

I grow a lot of peppers and tomatoes.

I love to cook, so, by mid-August or late July or early August for harvesting.

And let's take everything home and, throwing in the pans and, you know, make dinner, so it's awesome.

Come on over.

So we're sitting here in the Pecos Community Garden, which is on the north side of Denver.

Some people know it as Highlands, but growing up here, we call it the North Side.

My mom is, Marty.

Robert.

Every time we water, we sell up to seven houses.

Marty is the one.

He was one of the first original people to start down via the Pecos Community Garden.

And this is one of the original.

They call it the OG Dove Garden.

It started out as a garden behind the nearby church, Saint Patrick's Church.

And then they found out, hey, there's actually space a block down that the archdiocese is willing to sell them that was sitting open.

And let's fly it and make a community garden out of it.

A bunch of people who had come from Laos called the Hmong people with their culture.

They had come over and were looking for space to grow their traditional foods.

They got that access to Seattle Infant Seattle.

They came together and then they found wheat.

And so they came and tracked down Marty and said, hey, we're you have a plot of land.

Can we join?

And she said, yes.

Witness Garden and Pecos Community Garden started there about 7 to 8 Hmong families and within the family multiple generations.

But the sad thing over time is as generational generations integrated into our society, a less they lost their desire to garden.

We still have 2 or 3 families left, but it's the older generation, but it's definitely not as popular with the younger generation, unfortunately.

So now it's trying to figure out how do we get younger people involved and get more younger people gardening.

Let's make gardening cool again.

Marty.

Starting this plot was really trying to develop a place for people in the neighborhood to grow their own food and have food access and have fresh food.

Do the right thing, spike Lee.

Do the right thing every day.

This as for every diet.

And then with me continuing her legacy, continuing to maintain green space in, ever urbanizing, crowding neighborhood and trying to maintain a space where people can be in touch with the Earth and grow their own food and be curious about nature and learn about the environment and develop, friendship with their neighbors and develop community and develop relationships.

Take care of Mother Earth.

Okay?

You go back today.

The next garden walking tour is in August.

And if you can't make that one there is one also scheduled for September.

And keep in mind, they are totally free to find the next one in a neighborhood near you.

Visit Denver Urban gardens.org/events.

Fly fishing may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about healing, but for some women in Colorado, it's become an unforgettable part of their breast cancer journey.

In tonight's viewfinders segment, PBS 12 photojournalist Rico Romero takes us inside casting for recovery, a program that combines nature, connection and fly fishing to support women in treatment or recovery from breast cancer.

Here's more.

I think we should start here.

Guys, let's meet your nature guide.

I think I need to find out what we're fishing with.

I am learning to fly fish.

All right, all the guides.

Come on over.

Hi.

My name is Maddie Brennaman, and I'm a fly fishing guide for casting for recovery.

This is my mother in law, Amy.

Hi.

This is Shannon Charnas.

If you do full time guiding here.

Yeah.

My name is Stacy Benham.

I am the volunteer program coordinator for casting for Recovery Colorado.

Front Range casting for recovery is a retreat put on for breast cancer survivors is a wonderful group.

Really able, capable, ready to, like, take this by the horns and get after that.

So, it's going to be a really great day right here.

We're on the Front Range of Colorado.

We have 14 women this weekend.

One, two, three, one that are all in different stages of breast cancer.

I really want to be out on the water.

We take them out and it's all about fly fishing.

And on the final day we take them on the river and they have a blast and catch fish.

Well, we're having a great time.

I got a bit, so jump in and then it's just we're going to try and not move it.

Why fly fishing?

You know, it's a really great story of how casting for recovery started.

30 years ago.

Doctor Benita Walton, who's a breast reconstructive surgeon, was invited by her friend Gwen Perkins Bogart, who was a fly fishing guide to go spend the day on the water and go fishing.

This happened 30 years ago in Vermont.

While casting Doctor Walt Walton thought, you know, this could be really amazing physical therapy for my patients who have undergone, radiation and reconstructive.

And so it's really great for the scar tissue, and to be in nature, you know, it's it's really paired together.

Is is amazing that medicine.

Great.

Perfect job.

Good job.

So from there, casting for recovery was born.

And 30 years later, here we are in Colorado.

See if I can get it out past that rock a little bit.

So when I got the news, I was one of the people who got to come.

I was just like, this is awesome.

I go, I'm helping out with the casting for recovery today.

I'm helping these wonderful women.

On this beautiful Sunday day, guide for some cool fish.

That is something you, when.

We got her.

We got her.

It's an opportunity for healing and community and connection.

It's big in the company of other, breast cancer survivors who, are all here to experience nature, learn something new, have a lot of fun.

And it's, for me, I'm, three and a half years out, from my what I call no evidence of disease.

My, that's my the day I count.

So two years since I finished chemo this month.

So I have here is I did not know.

No hair, no eyebrows, no eyelashes.

Yeah.

You know, I think this weekend away offers so much more than in a clinical setting and in a waiting room.

The isolation of cancer treatment is real.

The women come here and they're with a peer support group so they can finally share, you know what?

What they've really been feeling in a safe space and be vulnerable.

Then what was your dad's name?

He.

He he Stover.

Come on, give me some.

Give me something to do.

Diane's an incredible woman.

She is one of our participants this this weekend.

And he, is fishing with her dad's fly rod and her dad's fishing bass.

Her dad has passed away, and it was a promise she made to him that she would fly fish with his staff.

He was really my, role model for how to deal with cancer.

He was already gone when I was diagnosed.

I feel like this is a full circle connection with him and with, how to be a good human being.

He would have been really happy, to see me doing this.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, but my dad was also a, cancer, patient for many, many years.

He was, a great fly fisherman.

Just because it's too early for us to fall.

Yes.

Nobody wants to fall now.

So often, you know, they're taking care of families.

They're taking care of careers.

They're taking care of aging parents.

They're taking care of their kids.

And they have to show up for everybody else.

And this is a weekend that they can show up for themselves.

Just drag that worm right over that fish's face.

Marguerite, I found out, November of 2022.

I went through surgery two rounds of chemo and a month of radiation.

But when they told me what chemo they were going to be giving me.

I've been a pharmacist for 30 years.

They were giving me meds that I started when I first started out in the 90s was making them.

And I'm like, there's nothing new.

So and I knew how hard it was going to be because we're kind of clear right here.

So over the top like Sylvester Stallone.

Yeah.

Okay.

Let go of that line.

Yep.

Rod tip up on the yay super rainbow.

Yes.

At the bottom.

Thanks.

There we go.

We're on to yes.

Let's get a bigger getting out here and hit it.

Dealing that strike and being able to actually set the hook was like super.

Just the joy of that.

Being able to bring it in without losing it was just the best fun.

And I'm hoping for number two and three and four.

Yeah.

Do you have a new hobby now?

I am not sure.

Possibly if I can get the casting down every day.

Every day I've done this, I haven't left this ranch without having some tears.

Being on a river, whether you catch any fish or not, just remind you that you're part of this world.

And it's not about clinics and surgeries and all the things that go with cancer treatment.

Unless you've really been through it or walk with someone to go through it, it's hard to understand.

So to get out here on the water with these incredible women who all have had a different journey, that connection is super special.

And then to actually catch a fish on top of it is just like icing on the cake.

And now I got another support group, which is wonderful.

Maddie.

Maddie's the vest.

Not only has she been with us all weekend, but come over here.

She's taught us, like, so much.

We're.

And like, look at that smile, right?

That's like my dad's smile.

And, like, people who really love life, I don't miss a weekend.

So I plan my summers around casting for Recovery Weekend, for sure.

You're just getting so many, people who care and you know what they're talking about, and that is so special.

So I got the best guide I got, I did I got the very best guide.

Sorry, everybody else, but I got the best guy.

I'm just feel very blessed to be out in the nature and meeting all these amazing people.

Perfect.

These life changing experiences are offered at no cost to women living with breast cancer.

To learn more.

Go to casting for recovery Dawg.

If you haven't heard, pickleball is America's fastest growing sport.

It's estimated more than 36 million people have tried it just last year alone.

People of all ages are picking up a paddle and hitting the court.

A place called the Sporty Pickle has become a local hotspot.

Blending pickleball with food, drinks and a whole lot of fun.

PBS Twelve's Erika McLarty went to check it out, and she learned how to play pickleball for the very first time.

Woo!

Welcome to the sporty pickle, where the game is fast.

The food is hot and the drinks are well.

Pickle.

It's a hot spot in Parker, Colorado, and it was time to go test it out.

I'm here at the Sporty Pickle in Centennial because apparently all the cool kids are playing pickle ball, and I don't know how to play, but I hear it's like ping pong.

A little bit of tennis, a lot of chaos.

I'm good at all those things.

And also, to help me today, I have a pickle, captain.

But what exactly is a pickle, captain?

I, as a pickleball captain, teach people pickle ball 101.

So a lot of people come in, they don't even realize we have pickleball courts.

And a lot of people don't know how to play, but they're also very intimidated.

So we break it down and make it really easy for people to learn, getting warmed up and getting ready.

Where do we start?

We start with the serve.

Okay.

The serve.

It's underhand 500 and it's below the waist.

You could either drop it and hit it or hold it.

It has to bounce once on each side.

So serve bounce serve bounce and then anything goes.

Okay.

So the kitchen.

It's this area right here.

It's also known as the non volley zone.

Nothing in the kitchen.

No.

Got it.

Unless it bounces first I don't even need you.

Look at me.

So there are three numbers.

When you're scoring in pickleball.

You should say them every single time you serve.

So you're going to say your score.

The other team score.

And the position of the server.

Zero for two coming at you.

For owner Jared Gordon, the concept was born the old fashioned way over a friendly game of pickleball at his house.

Some buddies were over.

It was about 20 of us drinking beer and playing pickleball, and it just kind of organically came about that there needed to be a much cooler place to play pickleball, because what was available was just parks and racks or warehouses converted to pickleball, which are all a little depressing.

They smell like feet.

They're just you don't want to really hang out after you've played.

And I've been in construction for a long time, so some of my buddies were in construction.

I started running a quick budget.

Next thing you know, I pulled a permit.

We started building my personal views on pickleball.

It should be kept to be fun and enjoyable.

I think a lot of people take it maybe a little too seriously.

Oh.

Yes.

You only need four people, so I feel like it's very family oriented.

You could learn it in ten minutes and be playing in ten minutes.

If you're just trying to get in and learn how to play.

Sometimes it's intimidating.

So we try and create an environment where anybody can come and enjoy it.

Have fun.

We do cosmic pickleball at night, which is kind of like cosmic bowling.

The black lights come on, everything glows in the dark, and it's a little bit more.

It's not quite so serious.

So no.

Yes, it's more than just three indoor pickleball courts.

Players can refuel in the 6000 square foot bar and restaurant.

We've got pickle poppers, full court, nacho bites, pizza, pickleball on sliders, and yes, of course, pickle infused drinks.

So right now I'm making the dirty pickle.

It's just a pickle martini.

But we can do vodka of choice, too.

This is what we use for our specialty.

I'm also going to throw a little bit of cucumber vodka in there.

Just kind of cuts down how strong the drink is.

And we're going to add some pickle brine.

That's what makes it the dirty pickle.

We don't actually use any vermouth in this martini.

So we just tap that one of these cute little pickles, stuffed olives.

And that's the dirty pickle.

All right.

Now I'm going to be making our smoked old fashioned.

So you can really use any whiskey.

And we're going to be using two types of bitters.

We have our normal, Angostura bitters.

And then we have orange bitters as well.

Just gives it a nice little round flavor.

And then we have a brown demerara sirup that we're using instead of a normal sirup kind of match as well with the Applewood that we're going to be smoking it with.

Add a little bit of ice in there and just chill it.

We're going to get our ice cube.

Up there you know.

And like I said we're smoking this with Applewood.

Make sure you get all that smoke in there.

And you want to let it sit for just a little bit.

Don't be afraid of all the flying ash.

It's fine.

Now the trick.

If you have a smoker at home, you don't want to pull this up because it's going to pull all the smoke out.

You just slide it to the side and let all that smoke sit inside.

There.

That's our smoked Old-Fashioned.

You'll find nonalcoholic options, too, including mocktails.

That's going to be our new pickle baller.

And now beers on draft.

This is our one year anniversary, and I can tell you, you know, we're up 40%.

And, you know, then we were at this year, last year.

Just come word of mouth and and people are just figuring out there, you know, it's just a fun place to hang out.

What do you like to call or not?

Now I know what reality stars still like.

Whether you're here to get competitive, hang with the family, or you just came for the food, the sporty pickle really does serve up something for everyone.

I'm Erica McLarty with PBS 12 and consider me officially a pickle ball believer.

Bring it.

Yeah, I'm gonna set you up I.

For more information about the Sporty Pickle, go to their website, Sporty pickle.com.

Or just show up straight to the venue where I'm sure you'll see producer Erica ready to challenge you to a match.

on Colorado inside out.

Kyle Dyer and her dynamic lineup of panelists bring to the table real issues that impact Colorado and our lives.

Here's Kyle with more from this week's stories making headlines.

Hi there, Buzzy and Ryan, good to see you both together on studio 12.

You know, June 30th is a long way away, but there has been an uptick in activity lately.

All related to that day.

Do you know what the importance of June the 30th of next year is?

Well, it's on the radar for a lot of people are hoping to step up and take on some leadership positions in Colorado.

Here's our conversation from this week's Colorado Inside Out.

So while a lot of attention is on August 1st of next year, Colorado's birthday, June the 30th will also be an important day here in Colorado next summer that is going to be primary day for the midterms.

And this week we've seen some more people jump into races, including state senator Jesse Danielson, who's running for secretary of state.

And she says, for one thing, she wants to stand up for patriotic election workers.

And, Amber, there are currently election workers in Archuleta County who don't have an office currently because their office, the clerk's office in our county, was firebombed.

Yeah, that news came out.

And then another news story actually came out yesterday with more impacts, all tied to a lot of the misinformation and disinformation that we've talked about before on this program, but that are that are plaguing election officials.

There's there's so much, information and distrust in the election process that has occurred over the last five years, and that is having a negative impact on these incredible election officials that work across the state.

And I want to just make a point first, I hope, I hope the Archuleta office gets repaired quickly and they're back and they're back up and running.

But I want to make a note in particular about the strength of the Colorado Clerks Association.

They demonstrate and, you know, a lot of people, when a lot of these news stories come out, you see members of both parties from both sides of the clerks saying the same thing, which is that election administration needs to be nonpartisan or cross Partizan.

It needs to be free from disinformation and Partizan meddling.

You see this consistently.

And that really, I think, demonstrates the incredible leadership of the Colorado Clerks Association and all of the clerks statewide in their commitment to a healthy democracy.

And this idea of cross Partizan collaboration, which to me is another example of why Colorado leads.

Okay, Carla, your thoughts on this busy election related week?

You know, whenever we think about primaries, I can't help but think about how many of Colorado's primaries, especially in our legislative races, are truly the election that the estimate is about 83% of our seats are safe for one party or the other.

And that really the true election happens in that primary and really how critical those are.

So for me, every time it raises the question of is the system that we have resulting in a legislative body that does or does not reflect the population of Colorado?

We know that primaries, despite great work that folks have done, that Amber, is done around making sure that every coloradan who wants to participate in the primary is able to do so.

We still see really low numbers in those, and it skews who wins those in excuse our representation.

So I think it's just important that we keep thinking about if that is the system that we think best for and represents our Colorado electorate, it's going to be wild next June.

Let's remember the the people who don't trust the politicians.

I don't think it's necessarily their little county, their county commissioners or the people on the school border, individual representatives.

It's the parties in the state who are pretty much fix getting the fix in with the primary.

You don't have to wait till November.

You know who's going to win with that primary.

And all too often with the Republicans, it's been the worst candidate possible for giving the Democrats a run for their money in just in November.

Makes it so.

Let's remember, the clerks are doing an unbelievable job that our election system does work.

It is, I think, deserving of being called the gold standard.

The problem is sometimes who's on the ballot both for the primary and then in November because of the way the parties are running.

So that's all things we have to think about.

So far, though, I'm I'm enthusiastic over how many people are getting involved.

I think there are seven Democrats now going up against Gabe, Gabe Evans, Lauren Boebert, who just called for a special counsel on Jeffrey Epstein.

She might get some votes that way.

She's got competition, and it's going to be a wild election season.

And a lot of women running in this, in this, it's going to be great.

And your vote will count.

Yes it will.

Ten.

You know, we have a lot of issues but but one thing that we have to keep track of and remember is we're sort of the gold standard where democratically elected republic form of government and it has worked.

That being said, something that was created 250 years ago may not be the right formula and the right way to go about running elections 250 years later, the country has changed a lot.

The demographics, the patterns of where people live have changed significantly, and maybe it's time to rethink how we run and manage elections.

But, you know, to Carly's point, yeah, the parties are an issue here.

And you often see people get a nomination who, you know, have no chance of winning the general election.

And if they win the primary, the election is the primary.

Yeah.

So, Amber, I have to ask you, since you're a big proponent of ranked choice voting, the Denver City Council is toying with this idea to bringing that to Denver's municipal elections, given that Denver has a budget deficit, given that we also experienced things like voter fatigue, turnout in the municipal cycle is pretty low.

And then runoff that usually trails off.

You know, some of these proposals are really important.

And saving the city money every election, Denver runs about $3 million, sometimes more.

So given the budget crisis, I think these are the important policy discussions that Denver should certainly be looking at.

Hopefully Colorado Springs, you know, starts to look at these options, too.

The other thing, and Amber is the expert at this.

So I probably ought to ask her.

But it's my understanding that places like New York and other large metropolitan areas already have ranked choice voting.

But to Carly's point, the polarization in our country is an issue, and it seems to me ranked choice voting is a way to moderate the impact of that because you can vote for your favorite, your second, your third, whatever, and you get a different set of I think you get a different set of candidates running, but I certainly think you get a different set of people winning elections with renters.

But when you if it isn't necessarily winning, it's you're changing the politics.

So like you as a candidate, if you know that someone's putting someone else first, you're going to say, well, you know what?

I'd really like you to put me second and here's why.

And here's all the reasons from a policy perspective.

And so the conversation that politicians have with voters is different in that kind of election, because it's not 1 to 1 anymore.

You're actually you want people to put you second or third if they're if you're not the first choice.

And so it actually creates a more collaborative political environment.

And that's really the the biggest impact.

And it gives people more choice.

You can watch our full episode of Colorado Inside Out any time at PBS, 12.org, on the PBS passport app or on our YouTube channel.

And our show is also a podcast, which can be found on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

And you know, we're already working on this week's audio, so make sure to tune in this Friday night at 8:00.

Tucked away on Colorado's eastern Plains, is a place where rescue carnivores get a second chance at life.

From tigers to wolves to bears.

Really, right here in Colorado, the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keansburg gives animals from around the world a safe place to heal.

Erica McLarty took her kids out to experience this incredible sanctuary and its educational mission.

The entire goal of the wild animal sanctuary is to be the next best thing to the wild for the animals here, since the wild was completely taken from them, it was never an option for them.

So we're trying to basically restore what they've never had.

Oh, there's something walking over there.

I can't tell what though.

So we specialize in rescuing at this location.

Specializes in rescuing captive bred large carnivores.

There are about 450 at this location in Keansburg, Colorado.

The other big thing is that we have no breeding.

We don't want to add to the number of animals that cannot go back to the wild.

So the sanctuary was founded, by a gentleman named Pat Craig, who is still our executive director.

45 years later.

He basically went on to visit a zoo, where a friend of his was working, and he saw all these animals kind of tucked back behind the scenes.

This is where he learned of zoo's surplus animals.

It was a country wide issues, zoos having more animals, and they were able to take care of, really want to get a lot of babies out front.

And then they have these adults kind of back behind the scenes and and they're kind of dot, dot, dot.

That happened after that.

They weren't really traded out front or anything.

They just kind of stay in the back.

And again, this was over, you know, 45 years ago, we learned of this at a family farm in Boulder, Colorado, at 20 acres.

And he basically showed up a USDA.

And I'm paraphrasing here, but he said, what's the option for carnivores where what's what's the plan for them when they need rescuing?

And he was basically told that unless he does, it is again paraphrasing what happened.

So he got everything license.

He got everything fixed up the way he was supposed to, got, everything.

Proper working order and rescue the first animal.

That was a beautiful young jaguar named freckles in 1980 when he was just, 19 years old.

So then when he, was in Boulder, Colorado, and then Lyons, Colorado.

Now, just because the name was perfect, but then moved here to Keansburg, Colorado in 94.

Kind of like a big retirement home for all ages, if that makes sense.

We're huge about talking about empathy here at the Sanctuary Secondary to rescue the animals.

Our goal is, is education really?

So first and foremost, we're a home for them.

But we also want to talk about why we have to do these rescues and, and their world and what it look like.

Animals are coming from apartments, garages, backyards, basements, horse trailers, gas stations, shopping malls, roadside zoos, the Tiger King saga, that whole thing.

Imagine your bedroom right now.

You're born in that room.

You don't go anywhere.

That's where you use the restroom.

That's where you eat.

That's where you sleep.

That is your entire world.

You don't imagine grandma's house.

You don't imagine the library.

You imagine that room and that's it.

On one day, somebody opens that door.

Now, what do you do now?

You can go out there.

Now, you can go down hall, but it's going to be scary, right?

Your whole world was a box.

It was his room.

So that's what all of our animals are going through when they get here.

That that the door was opened.

So we just have to go gradually.

Some animals take to a habitat immediately and it's a beautiful thing.

We're so happy.

Some animals, it takes a minute.

It's just like people, we all kind of heal and go through things differently, you know, because we're animals are coming from.

I'd say the average sized space was maybe a garage, give or take, but there's often concrete under their feet for the most part, many of our animals have never really experienced grass before coming here being under open sky.

Some animals are meeting their own species for the first time.

So it's like you walked in today on the first human you met.

It's.

What do I do?

I have no sense of structure.

I've no sense of society how this is going to work.

So we have to go slow to big, if that makes sense.

It's not too dissimilar from rescuing a dog or cat at home that's been through some some trauma in their past life.

So we usually start off small, more of an apartment sized, enclosure for them and work their way out as they feel more comfortable giving them the time and opportunity, never forcing anybody.

But then eventually they graduate to a large acreage habitat.

They can go from one end to the other.

They can actually run for the first time in their life.

They can get tired, they can pant, and they can also have enrichment with their own species for the first time in their life, our animal care team, they're all amazing.

I, my my phrasing for them is champions of humanity because they're out there in the rain, sleet or shine.

Out here in Colorado.

The wind is a big thing as well.

The roads get muddy.

They figure out a way to drive through them or go on foot or whatever.

They have to do very, very long days.

And sometimes it's sunup to sundown.

Oh my goodness, look at that.

It's very hard sometimes having to, especially when you see when they first get here, seeing everything that they've been through.

It could be a little bit more difficult.

But I always remind myself that we're here to take care of them.

And even though it's hard, you know, you still have to be here just to provide them the best life that you possibly can.

Kind of helps keep you focused on the goal at hand, and it gives you some time to, not think so much about where they came from and focus more on how to take care of them.

From this point, my job is to kind of assess their well-being and kind of see how they're doing on a day to day basis.

We provide medications to the different animals.

So if we notice that one might be a little sore, we can coordinate with the med staff to get them everything that they need.

So one of the most powerful rescue stories that really affected me personally was the story of, Mary Jane was a tiger that was kept at a truck stop for many, many years.

And unfortunately, the truck stop tiger concept was not isolated to just her.

It did happen across the country, but she was living at this at the pump station and she was breathing the fumes all day.

She was also being bred to where her cubs, were being sold to motorists.

Even so, it's a picture that, again, in perspective, she's sitting in this truck, stops breathing the scent, the commotion, the sounds, and then watching her babies drive away.

When she was rescued, she had this beautiful habitat further down, huge habitat.

And, live with other tigers for the first time in her life.

Got to just be with other tigers I did some animal care shifts and was helping with feeding her over the fence.

And we're on the other side.

And she came up right between two tigers.

And here I am thinking, this is the animal I'm putting in my own thing.

I, I would want to be in a whole.

I would want to be in the corner.

I would be you'd want to be away from everything for the rest of your life.

She could not have been more sweet and pumped to see them.

She walked up and she nuzzled with them, went on our own and just was.

It was a normal day for she was pumped to eat.

She was pumped to be with those boys.

These guys are resilient to a way we can't even articulate what they've been through and the heartbreak they've been, the pain they've been through.

And here she's just thriving.

One of my favorite animals here is a little jaguar named Arcas.

He came to us a few years ago.

He was actually rescued from a bar.

Someone brought him into the bar, and then authorities were called afterwards.

He was brought to us at the Texas facility.

When he was.

We were estimating he was about 4 or 5 months old.

So it was a whole new place.

He was very adventurous for his young age and everything that's happened at that point.

So he was very playful.

He loved kind of seeing everybody.

And since he was so young, I got to work really closely with him.

And I've got to watch him grow over the years.

So I've got to see him go from a very curious, at times very confident, kind of timid baby to a very confident, very interested in his surroundings at all times, kind of jaguar.

So he he is my baby.

He's the Bax.

He's the back of my phone, my screensaver.

So I just I love getting to see where he started and where he's at now.

And I'm loving that.

I'm going to get the opportunity to see him continue to grow while I'm here.

You know, so many of our rescues in my mind are confusing human want for animal need, if that makes sense.

So they see the photo op thing.

They see the whole the tiger cub or pet the thing and it whether we it's on a conscious thought, but it's putting a human want ahead of it.

And what does the animal really need this.

Well it's fed well but does it need that or do we just want that?

So I think that's a common misconception is confusing is what's best for the animals.

Are they going to go again?

Oh, one's hiding under the bridge.

It's we're ensuring that folks understand this is not in the entertainment industry is a home first.

And we want people to come here to learn.

We're open for education.

And it's, it can be incredibly a beautiful thing to see them living with the way they are.

And that's kind of things we want to talk about it and hopefully work toward, toward a world where sanctuaries don't have to exist, to where there's, there's animals.

Not in these places anymore.

And I think the tide is turning very slowly.

I think one of the biggest challenges while Animal Sanctuary faces, I think any kind of nonprofit, especially in the animal world, will probably face, is just ensuring we're meeting our annual budget.

You know, we have a pretty high budget for operating three facilities.

It's all donation based land as well.

As the world grows and changes, you know, things around us get closer and closer.

So trying to make sure that the animals way of life doesn't feel interrupted or impacted by neighboring, construction or something like that.

So make sure they feel the quiet and they can see the stars at night and be like, doesn't we change that?

So those are probably the two big things.

Oh, look at the blackbird.

Dad, dad, look at the block.

There we are.

Just we're so blessed to have so many wonderful people that believe in us that, that we're able to just keep saving animals.

So the whole goal is that the animals just get to be alike, to be a bear, and they just get to enjoy the good, the the good stuff.

If you plan to visit the wild animal sanctuary, keep in mind that the elevated walkway is a three mile round trip.

So you do want to take your good walking shoes.

Also, it is Ada accessible.

The sanctuary is open seven days a week for hours and tickets.

Visit Wild Animal sanctuary.org We leave you tonight with sounds on 29th.

This performance at the high dive on South Broadway in Denver features two mics.

Two a bilingual band that combines Latin, urban and pop influences.

Thanks for joining us for studio 12.

Follow us on social media and on YouTube.

And join us again next Tuesday night at eight.

I'm bazi kanani and I'm Ryan here.

Have a great week.

See you soon.

Make a note of the words that the Lord is with us, for they told us so much that it seems like it goes into such this said that she said whatever she said, thoughts?

She said she said, but because of this, I said, she said for that she said.

When she said brothers unban the little eagle Loki Kero rebelled and said, Go Pietro by Olivia.

No, but by this was a language to talk to the like, to consciously bless all of the color we brought to the mass.

And I answered the father, one of these, and we don't want to give it to the rich man.

They know what they want.

They'll take it away.

He said.

The father's.

I'm going to kick back, tell him how to soften the options that you give yourself so you until the next, to the basket hop with the kids while saying profitability, profit big, say profit.

She said with information that this way that someone said as I said she said pray that she said whether she said whether it's a good it like she said when it comes to this, I said she said that she said prayer that she said that we got your watch.

I.

Said we make noise.

Gotta win the race.

Okay, so in a raised voice, if the teacher pays you when you know what you're supposed to race back, you just what I said.

You're not supposed to go to the person that was speaking.

Don't participate in the meeting together like you just don't care.

But when I said those things to show.

You should keep us busy.

We teach you to speak with me.

Go back.

Never me check in the news.

Oh, yeah.

Members.

She said pray.

They say.

Not that she said.

She said for that she said.

This is a prayer that.

I'm not saying that she said this.

I said she said what she said.

She said planning.

On.

Give me, give me, give me, give me.

I will take care.

What the stuff we breathe better.

Not I'm not gonna come up with.

Have enough to go to necessary.

So keep everybody.

Keep it.

This is very scary.

That's the kind of big boss is going to start with me.

My sister play said where they wanted her to sit with us.

She said with that, she said, go the bishop could not be put up with this.

She said, this is a place.

That you know.

What are your favorite venues?

What's your favorite place like?

What are your favorite place to go?

See a show?

What's your favorite place to perform?

To perform live?

It is always fun.

I just love the outdoors.

That's awesome to see a show.

Red rocks of course is in there.

I like Ophelia's just because of the vibe in there.

It's really nice.

Did you think of any.

Those are my two favorite.

Like.

Like, Red rocks is the favorite to see, but we haven't played there yet.

I'm assuming that that's going to be our favorite to play once we get there.

It's a dream on its way.

Dream come true soon.

And then Levitt Pavilion, they just they're it's so cool to see there.

And then they treat people.

They treat the artists performing that really good like you all have like a unique kind of a business model.

You do as many shows at venues as you do at schools, right?

One of our passions is to to inspire the youth that's in the schools and give them a show they've never seen.

And, you know, do it in a way that makes them feel like maybe they could do it too.

What's the difference between a show that you do at school and like a show that you'll be doing at the high dive?

I guess the choice of songs.

Yeah, yeah, and the choice of songs, and then we don't curse very much in our record.

So it's that's not difficult, but we definitely do more motivational songs at schools and we so we have separate set lists for both.

So like who are who are your peers in the scene?

Who are some of the folks that like you consider to be like that?

You're sharing stages with all the time who are once you have like a friendly rivalry with and then like last, like who were some people you just really want to shout out and give appreciation and their flowers to in the scene.

I say we do a lot of shows alongside Naomi, the minions.

We always do a lot of shows with the Molcajete.

This is my coach at this, flow, but it's been nice to perform with as well.

The reminders.

Yeah.

So that's usually kind of like our who we're writing alongside with friendly rivalry.

I would say look at this.

Yeah.

We're often being you know, they either call them local chat things or they call to a mix too.

So and they'll tell us, they'll tell us, hey, so we called them local chapters and they said to call you guys.

We're like, all right, and then we'll do the same, you know, if we're not available or like call them local chapters, they'll they'll be good.

Good.

Second choice shout out to the family.

Shout out to the ancestors for always being there with us and giving us all these gifts.

So appreciate live.

Thank you all so much.

The City of Denver loves you.

Yeah, we love Denver.

But thank you so much.

Yeah.

Thank you.

High dive.

Y'all been great.

We.

Shares that made the Android chip in Windows 7 on the Estonian eluga.

The dodos make no sense.

Yeah, we not the ghost.

They make you so sad and sad.

Oh, God.

No.

God, he would be full blown.

They got that?

One back to normal school in both feet.

You want it?

You got it.

I promise you, God love the way they look when they go within the women the way they don't.

Many know why the look with a little artistic skills.

Depending on the way.

They know where they go.

Women, the women, the women over the stomach.

That is the middle.

I think it might be this.

I think you think I might get this body and you buy me and you buy me, but I can't decide to get the best I got this.

If you buy this and you get this, I think this, I just buy you invite you to buy this, that you can.

I guess that was sick.

And don't they look on no set and throw this couch and they will bring you back if they know that people don't know when they can't go buy me swag.

Let's go.

I have to be simple.

They want to control me.

I'm low in their pants.

Cause is not your for sick people trying to play.

But I insist that they move to the future.

That's the sentiment button.

It's a gold.

Gold?

Why they don't want it.

Old women, the women, the way they look when they don't know what to do and stuff like that.

If up space, depending on what, maybe no money, no women or many.

No one to go to do something unfinished when they know.

I get this, I this, I did this.

And I didn't find it.

I didn't get that piece that got me.

If I did, you didn't buy me.

But I can't get it.

I might get this party.

But if I get it, invite me to pick this night in a coffee shop.

I was.

Left for this by the window.

It's way it with love the sound it up.

Love is what I don't want to know.

But so many people hate your day.

Don't stop by different people.

From the moment.

Come on and by different.

But I get this I think I might get.

This might be invited to get me.

Baby, I just got to keep getting up.

Yes, that means to be invited to get invited.

But I can't decide if it's my baby, if I need it, can't find me if I can't decide.

If you like coffee.

Denver makes some noise.

Thank you, thank you once again.

We are the group to Amex to.

But.

You.