Grasslands once covered 40 percent of the United States, but much of that expanse has been lost to the plow. The tallgrass prairies of the central Midwest, in which some species grew 10 feet tall, have been reduced by 99 percent. The National Wildlife Federation is working to focus public attention on the nation's beleaguered grassland ecosystems. This year, the U.S. Forest Service will consider revisions to management of national grasslands under its jurisdiction. If you would like to keep abreast of this and similar actions affecting national grasslands, contact: National Wildlife Federation Rocky Mountain Natural Resources Center, 2260 Baseline Road, Suite 100, Boulder, Colorado 80302.

Photos taken May 17, 2007 - Centennial Airport, Denver, CO

One of nine remaining Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress - - - an American four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the US Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 planes, the Boeing entry outperformed both the other competitors and more than met the Air Corps' expectations. Although Boeing lost the contract due to the prototype's crash, the Air Corps was so impressed with Boeing's design that they ordered 13 B-17s. The B-17 Flying Fortress went on to enter full-scale production and was considered the first truly mass-produced large aircraft, eventually evolving through numerous design advancements, from B-17A to G.

The B-17 was primarily employed in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and civilian targets. The United States Eighth Air Force based in England and the Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy complemented the RAF Bomber Command's nighttime area bombing in Operation Pointblank, to help secure air superiority over the cities, factories and battlefields of Western Europe in preparation for Operation Overlord.  The B-17 also participated, to a lesser extent, in the War in the Pacific.

 

First flight: July 28, 1935 (prototype)	Cruising speed: 150 mph
Classification: Bomber	Range (max): 3,750 miles
Gross Weight: 65,000 pounds	Ceiling: 35,600
Top speed: 287 mph	Accommodation: 2 pilots, bombardier, radio-operator, 5 gunners

 

A visit to the New Belgium Brewery in Ft Collins, CO.  Their expanded, new $26M facility -- the third largest micro brewer in the US.

Walk around Kendrick Lake Park on July 1st.   Jefferson County Colorado

Little Joe McLerran in Memphis at the Blues Joint on Beale St. in 2006.   His new CD, Live At Last Vol. 1, will be released Oct. 2007.   Yours truly will be playing drums.  Also, I provided the art work for the cd.

Several photos have been added from my July 4th trip to Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Morrison, CO.  Additional photo added from a day of venturing into the Colorado Mtns. west of Denver.