Serving the community since 1926
WEEK OF APRIL 11, 2024
VOLUME 97 | ISSUE 19
$2
Earth Day and Arbor Day are in April. How can Denver residents get more trees into their neighborhoods?
Colorado Schools to receive $11.4 million for youth vaping prevention BY SUZIE GLASSMAN SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
While standards for quantifying high versus low tree canopy areas can vary, the city of Denver aims for a minimum 15% tree cover, said Mike Swanson, city forester. According to the most recent measurements from 2020, some central Denver neighborhoods have high canopy percentages, with Capitol Hill at about 20%, Cheesman Park at 30%, and Country Club with the highest of any Denver neighborhood at 37%.
Colorado schools are poised to receive $11.4 million to combat the youth vaping crisis. The funding comes from a settlement between the state attorney general’s office and e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs, Inc. “Colorado has a youth mental health crisis that has fueled a vaping epidemic,” said Attorney General Phil Wieser in a press release. “These funds will support solutions and preventive measures that will help our children to make informed and better decisions about their health and wellbeing.” The deal ends a lawsuit Weiser’s office filed against Juul in 2020 for targeting young people in its marketing and misleading them about the health dangers of using its products. Juul settled with Colorado, along with several other states that joined the effort, in 2023 for $462 million. Colorado’s share was $31.7 million. The Colorado Department of Law and the Colorado Department of Education will disburse $3.8 million annually to local K-12 education providers beginning next school year and ending in 2027. Weiser said his office is excited about the partnership and for the opportunity to ensure all Colorado schools can access and invest these funds. “The new Vaping Education Prevention Grant provides much-needed resources for our school districts and boards of cooperative educational services to support students in learning about making healthy and responsible choices,” said Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova.
SEE ARBOR DAY, P2
SEE PREVENTION, P4
The Park People plant a tree during a previous year. The nonprofit has resources to help Denver residents successfully plant and COURTESY OF THE PARK PEOPLE maintain trees on their property, including written guides and free tree planting and care workshops.
City focuses investments on low tree-canopy neighborhoods BY NATALIE KERR SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
When Denver resident Jenn Greiving moved from Platt Park to Overland in 2018, the difference in greenspace and foliage was immediately noticeable. Even now as she looks out the window of her home in southeast Overland, she doesn’t see many trees.
“I see older historic homes, but trees have been removed or trees have been relocated, and there’s just not a lot of tree canopy,” Grieving added. Denver’s urban tree canopy is inconsistent across the city, providing lots of tree cover and shade in some neighborhoods like Washington Park and City Park, but leaving adjacent neighborhoods like Overland and Five Points with low tree canopy and thus hotter daily temperatures. In areas with less tree cover, residents can also experience worse air quality, lower mental health, poorer health outcomes
VOICES: 8 | LIFE: 10 | CALENDAR: 13
and less community engagement. Low tree canopy areas
DENVERHERALD.NET • A PUBLICATION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
SPOTS FOR SLAINTE! Denver’s Irish pubs worth a shot
P10