Crossing the Divide

Crossing the Divide is part of a grassroots, multimedia collaboration between Roaring Judy Pictures; Rocky Mountain PBS; Mesa County Libraries; and The Daily Sentinel highlighting issues impacting life on Colorado's Western Slope.

Last refreshed: July 27th, 2025 at 4:27 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

Development in Bloom/s/ PT 1

Sue and John Harris remember their mother, Elizabeth Harris, founder of Grand Junction's Western Colorado Botanical Gardens and a visionary in the movement to reclaim the Colorado Riverfront from decades of pollution and neglect. They detail her passion for promoting our unique history and riparian habitat by connecting access to the river with the heart of downtown. This interview was recorded at Elizabeth Harris' former residence, a location that presented some audio challenges. To download a ...

May 28, 2019•17 min

Safe House

A profile of Hilltop's Latimer House program, Safe House features Program Director Jackie Sievers detailing the critical services provided to victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault throughout a four county region. Jackie sheds light on the scope and spectrum of domestic violence in our community and on the difficulties associated with leaving an abusive situation. She'll take us through the step-by-step process of how to identify the various forms of abuse and how to safely get out of an a...

Feb 28, 2019•25 min

Old Spanish Trail PT 3

Our final, full-length podcast on the Old Spanish Trail has arrived. Put on your hiking shoes, saddle up your horse or hop on your bike to travel the arduous lengths of the Old Spanish Trail. Old Spanish Trail Association President and Grand Junction local Vicki Felmee details fascinating aspects of a historic trade route that wends its way westward from Santa Fe, New Mexico through portions of Mesa County shaping the lives of a diverse set of travellers from thousands of years in the past and o...

Feb 07, 2019•43 min

Old Spanish Trail PT 2 - Hot on the Trail of History

Long before it earned the name Old Spanish Trail, this 2700 mile trade route was one of numerous trails traversed by Native Americans moving across the western landscape. In this PopUp prelude to our full-length podcast on the history and preservation of the Old Spanish Trail, Carl Conner of the Dominguez Archaeological Research Group discusses how the study of Wickiup villages led to the Ute Trails Project, uncovering the layered history of ancient superhighways utilized by a diverse of array o...

Jan 30, 2019•11 min

Old Spanish Trail PT 1 - Mystery of the Talking Trees

A tie-in to our upcoming full-length podcast on the Old Spanish Trail, this PopUp is one of many figurative road trips for the taking along this historic 2,700 mile trade route. It features Old Spanish Trail Association President and Grand Valley resident Vicki Felmlee discussing the global phenomenon of Culturally Modified Trees. Click play now for a quick introduction to a fascinating form of communication utilized by indigenous populations worldwide as well as right here in Western Colorado!...

Jan 23, 2019•4 min

Ranching R[evolution]ary

Katherine Bedell, owner of Roan Creek Ranch, discusses mounting threats to modern day ranching and details her efforts to transform the cattle industry here on the Western Slope by utilizing sustainable practices that benefit the animal, the ecosystem and the consumer. Katherine's vision encompasses a cooperative farm-to-table effort on the part of 500 area ranchers that could rescue this iconic western tradition, create 100 new jobs, and provide enough locally produced and locally processed mea...

Dec 31, 2018•33 min

The Flu Fighters PT 2

While conventional rock stars are busy fighting Foo...the rock stars at Mesa County Public Health are hard at work fighting Flu. Epidemiology Program Manager Heidi Dragoo puts all that ails us under a conversational microscope in an effort to mitigate cold and flu season for Mesa County residents.

Dec 17, 2018•38 min

The Flu Fighters PT 1 - Just Say No(ro)

Introducing Crossing the Divide "PopUps," content quickies that quell the cravings of curious minds. These could include informal conversations with area notables; interviews with intriguing individuals; or portions of podcasts that don't make the final cut. Our first PopUp, "Just Say No(ro)" was lifted from our soon-to-be-released podcast with Mesa County Health on surviving cold and flu season. It focuses on the dreaded Norovirus, featuring everything you need to know, even though you might no...

Dec 12, 2018•9 min

Coates Creek School

Historical perspective on Coates Creek School, the last remaining example of a one-room, log cabin schoolhouse in the United States, and the center of life for ranching families on Colorado's Western Slope throughout much of the 20th century. Featuring Gateway Canyons' "Curator of Curiosity" Zebulon Miracle and members of the Roehm family, former Glade Park ranchers whose personal stories of life on Glade Park are documented here.

Nov 21, 2018•45 min

All the Write Moves

An interview with local author Heather Portenier sheds light on a writer's life in Western Colorado and the exciting opportunities - and daunting challenges - presented by emerging platforms for self-published works. Exploring the creative process through the eyes of a homegrown writer, this podcast edition contributes local flavor to the ongoing PBS series "The Great American Read," a nationwide search for America's most beloved novel.

Sep 19, 2018•41 min

The Foundation for Strong Public Schools

A sit-down with D51 Foundation Executive Director Angela Christensen, who updates us on progress made since the passage of last year's bond measure and mill levy; provides some perspective on the recent controversy over the school district reorganization; and educates us on the Foundation's mission to support teacher development and student success.

Sep 05, 2018•35 min

Much Too Sweet: Sugar in the American Diet

Inspired to explore the ill effects of excess sugar in the American diet after viewing Colorado Experience's "White Gold," (written and directed by CMU Producer in Residence Dan Garrison) I sit down with Community Hospital's VP of Business Development Tawny Espinoza to discuss improving health outcomes through simple dietary and lifestyle changes.

Jul 18, 2018•33 min

#MeToo and Social Media

Part 2 of our conversation with CMU Mass Communications Instructor Elaine Venter about #MeToo and the social media impact on the fight to end sexual harassment. Here we examine how to utilize social media technology to create social movements and what, if any, continued role online media will play in the ongoing evolution of the struggle for women's rights.

Jun 20, 2018•29 min

Social Media and Moral Outrage

CMU Instructor of Mass Communications Elaine Venter sits in for a discussion of how and why social media encourages expression of moral outrage and how this reality propelled the #MeToo movement into a legitimate force of change.

May 10, 2018•59 min

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