Colorado marks its 150th birthday this Saturday, Aug. 1.

Experts at History Colorado have been thinking for a while of different ways to help commemorate the state’s anniversary. One idea was to track down the earliest known photograph of Colorado.

And what they uncovered is striking: It’s a daguerreotype from 1853, taken during an expedition across the West more than 20 years before Colorado became a state in 1876.

The image depicts a Cheyenne village with two people facing the camera, near what is now Lamar, Colo.

For the curators at History Colorado, the photo also revealed the fascinating story of the photographer – a man named Solomon Nunes Carvalho, who traveled the West with a bulky camera and captured some of the earliest photos of the region.

Erin O’Toole spoke last fall with Sam Bock, History Colorado’s director of Interpretations and Publications, to learn more about the search for the oldest photo and what it tells us about Colorado’s early history.

With Colorado's 150th just a few days away, this is the first of several conversations about the state's history we'll reshare in the days ahead.

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Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

It was one of the deadliest disasters in Colorado history: Fifty years ago, a flash flood swept through Big Thompson Canyon between Estes Park and Loveland. It killed at least 144 people on July 31, 1976.

A torrential rainstorm that formed suddenly unleashed more than a foot of rain on the area that evening. Emergency crews rushed to warn people. Many residents and tourists hurried to safety. But many others were caught off guard.

That disaster changed how emergency responders operate in Colorado. It helped underline the need for better emergency alert systems. And lessons from that event still come into play when a disaster strikes Colorado today.

To learn more about the impact of the Big Thompson flood, we spoke with Lori Hodges, director of Larimer County's Office of Emergency Management. She told Erin O'Toole that she thinks about the flood often, including during emergency planning drills held a few months ago.

Larimer County will hold a commemoration event this Friday afternoon at the Pulliam Community Building in Loveland. And the Loveland Museum is showing an exhibit marking the 50th anniversary of the disaster, with an opening reception Friday evening.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

When a wildfire breaks out in Colorado, scores of emergency responders help fight the blaze and protect residents: wildland firefighters, pilots for air tankers, and law enforcement to help evacuate people.

There's one job you don't hear about as much — but it plays an integral role in how crews respond to a fast-moving wildfire.

A team of incident meteorologists with the National Weather Service dispatches weather experts to disasters like wildfires, hurricanes and blizzards. They help emergency crews plan their response based on how weather conditions are likely to change.

Juan Hernandez is an incident meteorologist who’s currently stationed in Pueblo, near the Aspen Acres fire that has scorched more than 100,000 acres and more than 850 structures over the past month.

He spoke with Erin O'Toole on Thursday about the unusual work he's been doing there, and how he helps crews fight a wildland blaze.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

On a given night, there are more than 800 people experiencing homelessness in the city of Aurora.

That's according to the most recent survey from the Metro Denver Homelessness Initiative. Some of them find shelter and support at a regional center designed to house up to 600 people.

On Friday nights, one of those people is the city’s top elected official.

Since late February, Aurora mayor Mike Coffman has spent his Friday nights sleeping on a cot at the shelter. He says it gives him unique insight into the program and how to improve it.

Coffman joined Erin O'Toole to talk about why he wanted to do this, and what kind of impact it's had on city policies.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

If you're like most people, you've probably gotten at least one alert over the years saying that your mobile phone or favorite tablet is being put out to pasture.

It's that moment when the tech company behind the product is no longer supporting or updating the technology. That's often when you're forced to buy a newer (and more expensive) version.

A Colorado consumer group says this is unfair -- and they want consumers to have a say. The group, called CoPIRG, argues that consumers deserve ongoing support for a product they purchase. And the advocates say if tech companies won't listen, they'll ask lawmakers to enforce it through legislation.

The group recently held a mock funeral with headstones and eulogies for older devices and operating systems that are no longer being supported.

Reporter Michael Booth wrote about this issue recently for the Colorado Sun. He spoke with Erin O'Toole about what's behind the movement.

And check out Michael's reporting on a recent legal settlement with John Deere to give farmers and ranchers the right to repair their tractors and other farm equipment.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Some Colorado ski resort managers are trying a new strategy as they recover from an unusually warm and dry winter, in hopes of making next season better.

The concept is called snow storage. Basically, resorts gather piles of leftover snow from the end of ski season and shield them from the sun and heat. The hope is that most of that snow will make it through the summer – and translate into a solid base of snow when the next ski season begins later this year.

So, what makes snow storage possible? And does it actually work?

Reporter Betsy Welch recently saw examples of snow storage in action and wrote about it for the Colorado Sun. She joined Erin O'Toole to talk about whether it's a source for hope as resorts cope with a warmer climate and less snow.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Nearly one in five new moms experiences anxiety or depression during pregnancy or after giving birth. These conditions can lead to difficulty bonding with a newborn, or a higher risk of suicide, if left untreated.

But a new experimental treatment is giving some researchers hope. It's a psychoactive substance derived from mushrooms called luvesilocin.

In a recent set of FDA trials, a single dose of luvesilocin turned out to be highly effective – and worked more quickly – in improving patients' postpartum depression and anxiety.

Dr. Camille Hoffman is an OB-GYN and Professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz. She helped oversee an early clinical study of luvesilocin, and wrote about it for The Conversation.

Hoffman spoke with Erin O'Toole about what researchers found, and why luvesilocin may be a promising alternative to psychotherapy or prescription drugs that are often used to treat postpartum depression.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.

Summer is a great time to see Colorado by car.

And this summer in particular, with high fuel prices pushing up airfares, more Coloradans may decide to keep their summer vacation plans a little more local.

Many Colorado highways provide stunning alpine views, scenic forests, wildflowers and waterfalls, and a connection to the state’s historic communities and culture.

Today on In The NoCo, we present a few interesting drives for your summer to-do list. Lenore Bates, manager of the state’s Colorado Byways program, joined Erin O’Toole to share some recommendations for where to take a drive this summer.

This summer, Colorado Byways released free, downloadable audio tours for 10 of the state’s historic drives – including some we mentioned in the episode, like the Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway or the Top of the Rockies Byway.

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Sign up for the In The NoCo newsletter: Visit KUNC.org
Questions? Feedback? Story ideas? Email us: NOCO@KUNC.org
Like what you're hearing? Help more people discover In The NoCo by rating the show on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!

Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.