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A mostly volunteer-run Douglas County orchard is helping residents figure out what can actually survive drought, wind and wild weather.

Why it matters: The county's Hidden Mesa Research & Demonstration Orchard near Franktown has tested hundreds of fruits, vegetables and other crops in real-world conditions — creating rare local data on what grows, what doesn't and how to save precious resources.

The lessons help gardeners avoid costly mistakes while also producing thousands of pounds of food annually for the Parker Task Force.

After testing more than 500 varieties, volunteers have identified crops that consistently handle the county's climate — and soil.

State of play: Douglas County's environmental resources coordinator, Andy Hough, set out 15 years ago to find agricultural opportunities beyond the county's hay-and-cattle economy.

The orchard is one of Colorado's few programs dedicated to evaluating fruits, nuts and specialty crops that can survive Front Range conditions.

It operates with help from Colorado State University's Extension Office in the county.

How it works: With Hough's oversight, up to 40 volunteers spend Tuesdays planting, harvesting and testing growing techniques.

Most are retirees and many are CSU master gardeners.

The four-acre site includes orchards, berry tunnels, greenhouses, vegetable plots and pollinator gardens.

Volunteers experiment with water saving systems, including vertical strawberry towers and Dutch buckets.

Roughly 60 chickens help control grasshoppers — and minders call themselves "chicken tenders." 

Mother cluckers at Douglas County's orchard.

What's up, mother cluckers? GIF: Robert Sanchez/Axios

By the numbers: The orchard has donated more than 37,000 pounds of produce — from raspberries to peppers and carrots — to the Parker Task Force, which operates a regional food bank.

This year, volunteers expect to produce roughly 3,000 pounds of produce.

After more than a decade, volunteers say some of the most reliable crops include:

Bush cherries, elderberries, serviceberries (also called Saskatoon berries), apples and pears.

Plus, currants, gooseberries and several raspberry varieties.

Caveat: The garden's mistakes allow growers to learn what fails before investing time, water and money.

Case in point: Kiwi varieties that thrive in parts of Canada and Siberia couldn't survive Douglas County's temperature swings.

The garden's also confirmed regional durability for tart cherries, which continue producing despite hard freezes.

What they're saying: "If you're a grower, you can't afford to fail," Hough says. "With a research program like this, we can fail and pass that information on."

The bottom line: Hidden Mesa and its volunteers are proving that some of the county's most valuable growth is happening behind a garden fence.

Hidden Mesa Research & Demonstration Orchard

Douglas County's crop lab

Volunteers test crops that handle drought and temperature swings.

Gardening at Douglas County's Hidden Mesa orchard.

A volunteer checks moisture levels on some of Hidden Mesa Research & Demonstration Orchard's vertically grown strawberries. Photo: Robert Sanchez/Axios

A mostly volunteer-run Douglas County orchard is helping residents figure out what can actually survive <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="drought" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/04/30/colorado-wildfire-risk-2026-drought" data-vars-content-id="159303f2-d622-49b4-8fe4-d69187d2d32d" data-vars-headline="Douglas County&#x27;s crop lab" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2026/04/30/colorado-wildfire-risk-2026-drought" target="_self">drought</a>, wind and wild weather.Why it matters: The county&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Hidden Mesa Research &amp; Demonstration Orchard" data-vars-click-url="https://www.douglasco.gov/open-space-natural-resources/projects/hidden-mesa-research-demo-orchard/" data-vars-content-id="159303f2-d622-49b4-8fe4-d69187d2d32d" data-vars-headline="Douglas County&#x27;s crop lab" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.douglasco.gov/open-space-natural-resources/projects/hidden-mesa-research-demo-orchard/" target="_blank">Hidden Mesa Research &amp; Demonstration Orchard</a> near Franktown has tested hundreds of fruits, vegetables and other crops in real-world conditions — creating rare local data on what grows, what doesn&#x27;t and how to save precious resources.

Environment

Health

News

What started as a fun way for kids to get around has become one of Douglas County's fastest-growing public safety headaches.

The latest: County commissioners on Tuesday will discuss potential regulations aimed at high-powered e-motos as complaints, crashes and enforcement challenges pile up.

The big picture: Electric two-wheeled vehicles are exploding in popularity  among Colorado children and teens — creating confusion for parents, riders and law enforcement.

State laws haven't kept pace with a new generation of vehicles that can reach speeds of 60 mph or more even though they look like bicycles.

But county leaders say the issue isn't traditional e-bikes — it's the speedier e-motos.

What they're saying: "You've got recreational e-bike use, and then there's the dirt bike look and feel of some of these other vehicles. ... And we need to catch up with the technology and make sure those are thoughtfully regulated," Commissioner Abe Laydon tells Axios.

Zoom in: Douglas County sheriff's officials say they've seen a surge of kid-operated high-powered electric bikes and e-motos on public roads and sidewalks.

Most riders stopped by deputies this past weekend were between 12 and 14 years old — and one was as young as 10.

"Frankly, we're super-concerned about the demographic of kids who are riding these," says Jason Kennedy, the county's undersheriff.

The sheriff's office regularly posts videos on social media showing crashes, near-misses and riders fleeing deputies.

Driving the news: Under the proposal, many e-motos would be treated more like off-road vehicles than bicycles, limiting where they can legally operate in unincorporated Douglas County.

Even if riders wanted to register them, many e-motos lack equipment — such as turn signals — that would make them street legal, Kennedy says.

He adds vehicles exceeding the state's 750-watt e-bike threshold are among the proposal's primary targets.

"When they disperse into traffic, they become incredibly dangerous," Kennedy says.

By the numbers: Research has linked the growing popularity of e-bikes and similar vehicles to rising injury rates among children.

Caveat: Many parents aren't intentionally breaking rules — they simply don't know better.

"We're not trying to be the fun police," Laydon says.

The sheriff's office launched an e-bike education campaign this year after receiving frequent questions from parents asking whether their bikes were legal.

Context: Colorado recently approved new labeling and disclosure requirements to help consumers distinguish legal e-bikes from more powerful electric vehicles.

Castle Pines adopted new rules targeting low-speed EVs and off-highway vehicles.

Lone Tree launched an education campaign explaining the differences among e-bikes, e-motos and e-scooters.

What's next: Commissioners will review the proposal Tuesday and gather public feedback.

A final vote could come later this month.

The bottom line: Douglas County officials say they aren't trying to regulate e-bikes out of existence — but they're trying to figure out what to do with vehicles that look like bikes, move like motorcycles and are being ridden by children.

Douglas County weighs e-moto crackdown

Crashes, complaints and near-misses are driving concerns.

Animated illustration of a lightning bolt on two wheels.

What started as a fun way for kids to get around has become one of Douglas County&#x27;s fastest-growing public safety headaches.The latest: County commissioners on Tuesday will discuss potential regulations aimed at high-powered e-motos as complaints, crashes and enforcement challenges pile up.

Neighborhoods

Transit

Castle Rock Police are already looking to expand drone coverage across town less than a year after launching their drones-as-first-responders (DFR) program.

The latest: The department is planning its next phase, pursuing upgrades that could significantly expand the reach of its drone network.

Police recently applied for FAA approval that would allow one pilot to fly multiple drones at once. 

It also eventually wants to add a fourth drone station to spread coverage into eastern Castle Rock.

Together, the changes could extend drones across town and help police manage major incidents more efficiently.

Why it matters: Castle Rock is moving faster than many larger cities to build one of Colorado's most advanced police drone networks.

Flashback: The department launched its DFR program last October.

Previously, trained officers launched drones from their vehicles — and operated them only if they maintained visual sight.

By the numbers: The department has nine pilots and 10 drones.

Three stations across Castle Rock support the DFR network. They cover about 75% of the town.

There's a drone station on the department's roof — and police say their drones can reach most scenes in about 85 seconds. Police won't say where two are located, other than that they're on public property.

What they're saying: Drones are used on missing child calls, stolen vehicle investigations and other incidents, local police say.

Last month, a drone helped assess an apartment fire.

Another tracked a lost dog through a park, helping its owners locate their pet.

Zoom in: The town signed a three-year, $600,000 contract with Flock Safety for its DFR program.

Friction point: Flock has drawn criticism from civil liberties groups that worry drone expansion normalizes police surveillance.

Yes, but: Seth Morrissey, a Castle Rock Police drone pilot, tells Axios the town's DFRs can't hear conversations, don't have facial-recognition capabilities and can't read license plates.

"That's not the purpose," Morrissey says.

How it works: A call comes into dispatch and information is relayed to the response center.

A drone operator launches an aircraft in less than a minute.

On busy days, police department pilots might launch a dozen flights.

And residents can track the routes on a transparency portal.

Castle Rock police drone on the way to Castle Rock.

One of Castle Rock's police drones high above the town. GIF: Robert Sanchez/Axios

The response center looks like something out of a Cold War movie — with multiple monitors on two desks.

Morrissey showed Axios how a drone works, launching it from the department's roof.

The drone reached Castle Rock's namesake rock — about a half-mile away — in roughly 20 seconds.

The intrigue: Castle Rock Police was Colorado's first agency to get an FAA waiver allowing DFR operations up to 400 feet without a visual observer.

What's next: There isn't a timeline for drone expansion closer to U.S. 83, but a decision on multiple drones controlled by one pilot could come soon.

Inside Castle Rock's cop drone network

Police want wider coverage and the ability to fly multiple drones.

Illustration of a drone wearing a police badge on a chain.

Castle Rock Police are already looking to expand drone coverage across town less than a year after launching their drones-as-first-responders (DFR) program.The latest: The department is planning its next phase, pursuing upgrades that could significantly expand the reach of its drone network.

Public Safety

A little trip outside can change your perspective.

Why it matters: Walking gives your brain a boost, makes you more productive and gets you to chill the heck out.

Need a sunrise sweat session, a lunchtime reset or a date-night stroll? Start here.

Rueter-Hess Incline Challenge and Coyote Loop

Fast, steep and efficient — proof that a little morning suffering makes the rest of the day feel easier.

Bonus: If there's extra time, tack on the 2.4-mile Coyote Loop and finish a full workout before your first Slack notification. 

Because another hour staring at a screen won't help.

Rolling grasslands and an agricultural landscape

Pro tip: Disconnect the AirPods, turn off the phone and experience the kind of quiet you thought disappeared long ago.

Instead of date night, why not a date hike?

Confuse your date and say you're actually in Denver.

The deets: Stick to the quarter(ish)-mile track or 3-mile jaunt. Both are mellow enough to hold a conversation without huffing and puffing.

The bottom line: The hardest part of getting out is ... getting out the door — and these treks prove you don't need an open weekend to get in those steps.

Douglas County weekday treks worth your time

Sunrise stairs and sunset views — walks for any schedule.

The Incline Challenge features 132 steps and a great view at the top.

The Incline Challenge at Rueter-Hess. Photo: Robert Sanchez/Axios

A little trip outside can change your perspective.Why it matters: Walking <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="gives your brain a boost" data-vars-click-url="https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2014/04/walking-vs-sitting-042414?utm_source=chatgpt.com" data-vars-content-id="d6ec4918-edde-4d5e-b461-f32910bd1262" data-vars-headline="Douglas County weekday treks worth your time" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2014/04/walking-vs-sitting-042414?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">gives your brain a boost</a>, makes you more productive and gets you to chill the heck out.

Newcomers Guide

Dog parks in unincorporated Douglas County have been unusually quiet this year.

Why it matters: Contrary to some assumptions, summertime isn't prime time for dog park problem around here — which is why our review of incidents is so encouraging.

By the numbers: A total of 73 reported incidents were reported at six major dog parks since 2023, according to Douglas County Sheriff's Office data obtained through an open-records request.

These include animal complaints, animal bites, animal cruelty and assaults.

Yes, but: Just three — all classified as disturbances — were logged through May 12 this year, down significantly from the average of 12 reported incidents per year during that same timeframe from 2023 to 2025.

In 2025, 22 incidents were reported in unincorporated Douglas County, according to the sheriff's data.

Nearly half of all reported incidents were listed as animal complaints — making that the most common issue.

The intrigue: Hound Hill at Highland Heritage Regional Park counted the most reported incidents since 2023. Digger's at Dad Clark Park has the fewest.

Glendale Farm Open Space, Trail and Dog Park: 13

And there's good news if you frequent dog parks.

Two-thirds of incidents from 2023-25 happened between January and April.

But just 10 — combined — were reported to the sheriff's office between June and August over the past three years.

Devon's, Diggers' and Glendale Farm each logged a disturbance this year — but no bites or animal complaints.

The bottom line: Even if it's a quiet year, pet owners should keep a close eye on their animals and others around them.

Douglas County's dwindling dog park drama

DougCo data show just three reported incidents this year.

Illustration of a dog with sunglasses sitting on a park bench.

Dog parks in unincorporated Douglas County have been unusually quiet this year.Why it matters: Contrary to some assumptions, summertime isn&#x27;t prime time for dog park problem around here — which is why our review of incidents is so encouraging.

Robert Sanchez

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