September/October 2025 CL

• Gentle Giants Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary in rural Erie provides a forever home for former farmed animals, offering the public a unique chance to cuddle with cows, pigs, goats and more. by Ariella Nardizzi
• Elk-topia Every fall, visitors flock to Rocky Mountain National Park to watch bull elk bugle, clash and corral harems – an awe-filled, unpredictable mating season in Colorado’s high country. story by Peter Moore, photographs by Dawn Wilson
• A River That Remembers Fountain Creek, south of Colorado Springs, winds through Colorado’s heart, where floods reshaped towns, wildlife thrived and faded, and history resurfaced. story and photographs by Jim O’Donnell
• Ink Art and Legacy Mancos Common Press thrives as a creative hub in southwestern Colorado, uniting artists, history and community through the timeless craft of letterpress. by Eric Peterson

On the Cover A bull elk (Cervus elaphus) struts through downtown Estes Park after emerging from Lake Estes. Each fall, these ungulates mate, or rut, in this North America’s hotspot. photo by Dawn Wilson