🍃 Could weed fund your small business?

🦦 Operation: Find the Otters

50 years ago, Colorado Parks and Wildlife released over 100 river otters into multiple bodies of water around the state in an effort to repopulate the species after hunting, pollution, and habitat destruction all but took them out in the 1800-1900s. Now, CPW needs our help figuring out if it worked, and finding where the heck those little guys ended up. [CPR]

• How can you help? CPW is encouraging the public to download iNaturalist and check out the Otter Y.E.A.R. program, where you can log otter sightings with pictures, locations, and other details. (There’s even a leaderboard if you want to be crowned the First Place Otter Spotter 🤪)
• How do you know if a river has otters? Poop and prints, to start. Their footprints are around two inches by two inches, and they usually show the webbing of the feet. The droppings can show fish scales and crawfish parts and are often white.
• Beaver vs. otter? The two look alike, but there are some key differences. The otter is more of a long boi, while the beaver is a chonky boi (scientific definitions here). While swimming, the otter usually sticks just its head out, but the beaver’s whole body is usually visible. The otter tends to operate in a group, while the beaver is often by itself. The otter has a skinnier tail, and the beaver has the iconic flat bill tail (and you’ll see them with sticks in their mouths).
• Have you seen any otters? I want to see them too! Send me your pics ⬇️

🎧 City Park After the Bandstand Fire

After City Park’s iconic bandstand burned beyond repair back in late March, the outpouring of love and support for restoring the structure has got many Denverites asking new questions about the park’s history and future. On today’s episode, host Bree Davies takes a walk with two of the park’s biggest fans to talk about fundraising to support the reconstruction and the Living Land project that promises to revamp seven acres into something very new.

💸 New Small Biz Loans Coming Soon

Denver’s Economic Development and Opportunity office is teaming up with the nonprofit Colorado Enterprise Fund to offer low-interest small business loans in a new program announced this week. The funding for this program comes from a city fund that draws on 1% of retail cannabis sales tax revenues. The fund was created in honor of the late National Black Chamber of Commerce Chair Herman Malone. [Denver Gazette]

• Individual loans range from $10k to $350k, and will be offered at subsidized lending rates of 4.99%.
• Applications open on June 1, and interested applicants can check out the information sessions on Tuesday, June 9 at 10 a.m. and Thursday, June 25 at 3 p.m..
• Psst: DEDO sponsors our weekly newsletter “Keep it Local,” which you can subscribe to here.

🦹 Are Heists Back?

As oil prices continue to climb, Englewood Police have seen several instances of thieves stealing gas from parked cars. In an era of locking gas caps, thieves have gotten crafty, drilling directly into the tanks of cars to siphon the gas. [CBS Colorado]

• In other heist news: A $1M lawsuit filed by victims of a huge burglary at an Englewood storage facility suggests the theft was an inside job. The burglary took place over the course of three days, with thieves entering each time with their own access code, wearing masks, and covering their license plate. One person has been arrested but much of the stolen property has not been recovered. [Colorado Community Media]

🤺 Dem Candidates Face Off for Governor

Democratic Governor candidates U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser went head to head in the first televised debate ahead of this summer’s primary on Thursday night. During the broadcast, the two jockeyed to set themselves apart from one another. Weiser claimed that Bennet knows the Senate inside and out, and that’s where he can do the most good. Bennet criticized Weiser for not challenging President Trump enough during the first administration, calling his record “reprehensible.” [CPR]

• We’ve had both candidates on our show; you can catch up on our conversation with Bennet here and Weiser here! [City Cast Denver 🎧]