COOLER in March 2024

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COOLER UNCO
March 26, 2024

Can I start my garden yet?

Welcome to spring! While much of the Colorado Front Range was buried in heavy snow during the storm that arrived March 13-15, Greeley was a bit warm. A lot of precipitation melted on impact or fell as rain. Altogether over the three days, Greeley received nearly an inch of precipitation. While this was about half of that received in locations in and around the foothills, it was enough to begin to turn things green!

With warmer days and mild nights, there’s always an urge to get the garden planted. While some veggies will withstand cool, overnight temperatures in the upper 20’s, it’s usually best to wait until the average last frost date before getting a garden in the ground.

Despite warming overall, the average last frost date has only shifted by a couple of days over the past 50+ years. This is in part because spring can be highly variable, and it’s not unusual to have a bit of snow in May. Most people wait until after Mother’s Day, but if you really want to be safe, consider waiting until Memorial Day to plant your garden!

There has been a much larger shift in the growing season in the fall, with the average last frost date shifting by more than 10 days on average. Again, there is some large variability from year to year, but in general, you might be able to keep those tomatoes going another week into autumn!

Please keep us updated on your own challenges and successes to build resilience to climate change! Email us at [email protected].

Student Scene:

April is Earth Month! The students at UNC have many fun activities planned to bring awareness to how awesome the Earth is. As we celebrate our planet and the importance of environmental stewardship, we are excited to share with you a lineup of engaging and educational events at the university! From interactive workshops to outdoor excursions, join us in exploring and learning about sustainability, conservation, and our interconnected relationship with the Earth. Let's make this Earth Month a time of inspiration, action, and positive impact together!

List of events:

April 12th: Meteor shower viewing with Student Leaf and Astronomy Club around 9 PM

April 17th: Tie-dye event with Student Leaf 12:30- 2:30 PM

April 18th: Film with International Film Series (Don’t Look Up!)

April 19th: Colorado Arbor Day tree planting

April 22nd: Climate protest organized by Earth Guardians starting at 2 PM on the corner of 16th Street and 9th Avenue. Shred Fest is also an all-day event!

April 23rd: Gardening Day at the UNC garden next to Ross Hall

Check out Student Leaf and Earth Guardian’s Instagram posts for more details!

Student Leaf: @student_leaf
Earth Guardians: @earthguardians_unco

Activities

Advocating for Change: League of Women Voters’ Climate Discussion

On March 22, Dr. Cindy Shellito, UNC climate scientist and COOLER faculty, met with the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Greeley-Weld County to discuss climate change and local impacts.

A 104-year-old organization, the LWV is a non-partisan organization focused on influencing policy through advocacy and empowering voters. One area of interest for the Greeley-Weld County league is climate change and environmental stewardship. Dr. Shellito spoke about how to respond to the global climate challenge and how to apply practical knowledge to adapt and reduce negative impacts locally.

Check out the recording here! Dr. Shellito and the COOLER team are available to speak at your upcoming events or meetings! Whether you're looking for a full-length presentation or a short talk, we are here to share insights and engage with your group on the critical topic of climate change. Email us at [email protected]!

Upcoming Events this Spring

For Students, Faculty and Community:

Voices of the Land and COOLER host a community gathering in Greeley

Attend a COOLER talk at UNC’s School of Natural and Health Sciences:

For UNCO Faculty:

Teaching Conversations on Climate Change Across the Disciplines

As a follow-up to our workshop this fall, we are holding a series teaching conversations on climate change this spring. This gives educators an opportunity to share ideas and challenges about introducing climate change into their courses. Our first meeting was January 22nd, but we welcome any faculty or graduate students at UNCO to join us any time. Let us know at [email protected] if you are a faculty member or graduate student interested in participating. Our last meeting is at the UC Aspen Suite from 3:30-5pm on April 22.

Northern Colorado Activities hosted by Friends of COOLER

Bison Composting Event

Harvest of all First Nations, and AGES bring you an event focusing on land restoration at UNC

Celebrate and learn about indigenous wisdom and land restoration. Hear stories that bring to light the history of the land that hosts our community, and meet others interested in finding ways to generate food while respecting the needs of the land.

Climate-themed seminars from Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

All seminars are in 3240 Ross Hall at UNCO from 4-5pm, and are open to the public and most are broadcasted via Zoom. Please email Dr. Sharon Bywater-Reyes ([email protected]) for a Zoom link. Click here for the full list of seminars.

  • Mar 27: Dr. Jennifer Mahoney, Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, CO, will give us a glimpse of cutting edge research on weather and climate.

  • Apr 10: Peter Goble and Jon Meyer from the Colorado and Utah State Climatologist's offices will share the latest news on climate change in Colorado and the Mountain West.

  • Apr 17: Dr. Rusty Low from the NASA Globe Citizen Science Program will share how we can all help NASA predict outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses in a warmer world.

A Climate Conversation with Binka Le Breton

Helpful Resource:

Would you like a quick look at past climate? Do you wonder what the future holds? NOAA’s Climate Explorer provides a quick look at climate history and future climate projections for the continental US, Hawaii, Alaska, and US Territories.

About Us

Meet the COOLER Team:

COOLER Faculty at UNCO: Cindy Shellito (Climate Science), Sharon Bywater-Reyes (Environmental Science), Karen Barton (Geography, Climate Change), Chelsie Romulo (Sustainability)

COOLER Community Activator: Arika Virapongse (Middle Path EcoSolutions)

COOLER Evaluation Consultant: Rupu Gupta (Rupu Gupta Consulting)

COOLER Student Team: Kennedy Dechant (Community Manager), Sydnee Klug (Events Coordinator and Graphic Designer), Tyler Oravec (Climate Data Analyst)