What nuclear war might mean for Colorado

[00:00:00] Think Colorado's mountains will keep you safe in the event of a nuclear war.

[00:00:12] Think again, Colorado is actually part of something called a nuclear sponge with this sponge

[00:00:18] designed to attract a nuclear warhead attack.

[00:00:22] On another note, did you know Colorado used to be home to a species that was very similar

[00:00:27] to the Cheetah?

[00:00:28] And while we're at it, I'll give you 15 tail tail signs that prove you're a true

[00:00:34] Colorado.

[00:00:36] Welcome to The Out There Colorado Podcast.

[00:00:38] I'm your host Spencer McKee.

[00:00:40] Let's start the show.

[00:00:57] This episode was written by me, Spencer McKee, and has been produced in house by Sam

[00:01:02] Shinneker.

[00:01:03] We're coming to you from the beautiful city of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

[00:01:06] This first portion of the podcast takes a look at the terrifying possibility of nuclear

[00:01:10] war, specifically what that might mean for Colorado.

[00:01:14] Years ago, a strategy was created that's commonly referred to as the nuclear sponge strategy

[00:01:20] and this strategy might mean that Colorado remains in the crosshairs of a nuclear attack

[00:01:25] today.

[00:01:30] As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, the possibility of nuclear war has weighed on

[00:01:43] the minds of many.

[00:01:45] Should a nuclear war take place, it may put Colorado in neighboring states in the crosshairs

[00:01:50] by design.

[00:01:51] This would be due to a nuclear sponge strategy first implemented during the Cold War, with

[00:01:57] sponge locations, including Colorado, designed to absorb an initial wave of a nuclear attack.

[00:02:03] In short, this nuclear sponge strategy sought to spread the United States nuclear arsenal

[00:02:09] across remote unpopulated regions.

[00:02:11] This way, an attacking country looking to prevent a counterattack would be forced to

[00:02:16] first focus on these many remote places over key population centers.

[00:02:21] Because of this strategy, many nuclear missiles are stored across the interior west, including

[00:02:27] Colorado, making this part of the country a sort of intentional target.

[00:02:31] The missile silos spread across the Great Plains are no secret, with American writer Infrazier

[00:02:37] once calling them one of the quintessential Great Plains objects.

[00:02:41] To the eye, it is almost nothing.

[00:02:43] Just one or two acres of ground with a concrete slab in the middle and some posts and poles

[00:02:48] sticking out behind an eight foot high cyclone fence.

[00:02:51] But to the imagination, it is the end of the world.

[00:02:55] According to an article published by the National Park Service, there are three reasons why

[00:03:00] missile silos were installed in the interior west – distance, protection, and proximity

[00:03:06] to cities.

[00:03:08] In terms of distance, the missile silos in the Great Plains are close to Russia, which

[00:03:13] would have been a key concern during the Cold War.

[00:03:16] The Delta-09 launch facility in South Dakota, for example, is just 5,100 miles from Moscow.

[00:03:23] According to the National Park Service, the first missiles housed in these facilities had

[00:03:28] a striking distance of more than 6,000 miles, with a top speed of over 15,000 miles per

[00:03:33] hour.

[00:03:34] In other words, it could strike at full distance in less than half an hour.

[00:03:38] In terms of protection, the distance of these silos from American coasts means protection

[00:03:44] from sea-based attacks and from invasion.

[00:03:47] When it comes to proximity to major cities, installing a potential target in the Great

[00:03:51] Plains meant fewer lives were at risk opposed to installing a missile delivery system close

[00:03:57] to somewhere like New York City or Los Angeles.

[00:03:59] Obviously, if one of these facilities becomes a target, having more people around would

[00:04:05] mean having more deaths should that target be attacked.

[00:04:08] The first intercontinental ballistic missile silos were installed in the Great Plains region

[00:04:13] in 1959 in the form of Atlas sites in Wyoming.

[00:04:18] Hundreds of additional Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, and Peacekeeper sites have been installed

[00:04:23] since.

[00:04:24] The most common site is the Minuteman site, which is built for missiles that utilize solid

[00:04:29] fuel technology, allowing for mass production as well as a remote launch.

[00:04:34] While many Minuteman missile fields have since been deactivated, that's not the case with

[00:04:38] all of them, particularly with sites in Montana, North Dakota and one that spans the corner

[00:04:44] of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska.

[00:04:46] It's also worth noting that Colorado is home to a number of nuclear sites that are now

[00:04:51] abandoned, several of which are in the Denver area.

[00:04:54] Where he has also been expressed that Colorado may become a target during a nuclear attack based

[00:04:59] on criteria outside of just the nuclear sponge strategy.

[00:05:03] Colorado is home to a number of important military bases, defense contractors, and Denver International

[00:05:08] Airport as a major transportation hub.

[00:05:11] Colorado Springs was also listed as one of four targets during a hypothetical nuclear

[00:05:16] attack published in a North Korean propaganda video with that map going viral for how it

[00:05:21] misplaced Colorado Springs on the map of the country, putting it somewhere near Arkansas

[00:05:25] and Louisiana.

[00:05:26] There's no denying it.

[00:05:28] The possibility of nuclear war is terrifying.

[00:05:31] While Colorado may have been a target in the past, it's impossible to predict what could

[00:05:35] happen in a more modern era.

[00:05:37] In a world where an estimated 13,000 nuclear warheads exist, it's hard to imagine any sort

[00:05:41] of nuclear sponge strategy that would have much of a lasting impact.

[00:05:45] Well, that topic was a bit heavy.

[00:06:00] For this next portion of the podcast, I'm going to lighten it up a bit, talking about

[00:06:03] how Colorado used to be home to a cheetah-like animal, which is likely why the state remains

[00:06:09] home to the world's second fastest land mammal today.

[00:06:13] Enjoy!

[00:06:26] Ever wonder how Colorado ended up being home to the second fastest land mammal in the

[00:06:31] world?

[00:06:32] It probably has something to do with how a false relative of the world's fastest land

[00:06:37] animal once called the region home.

[00:06:40] But or not, those pronghorn's regularly spotted roadside can reach a top speed of 60

[00:06:45] miles per hour, making them the second fastest land mammal on the planet.

[00:06:49] In fact, the only land mammal that's faster than the pronghorn is the cheetah.

[00:06:55] Capul of reaching speeds recorded at up to 61 miles per hour according to the University

[00:07:00] of Wyoming.

[00:07:02] Many scientists now believe that the reason the pronghorn is so fast is because the species

[00:07:06] went through many years of vading a now extinct American cheetah species.

[00:07:12] Though this big cat wasn't actually a cheetah at all.

[00:07:17] Before diving into this topic, it's important to note that the American cheetah is actually

[00:07:21] something that's considered a false cheetah.

[00:07:24] In other words, it's not actually directly related to the cheetah, but a specialized cat

[00:07:29] that's genus involved in North America about 3 million years ago, according to National

[00:07:34] Geographic.

[00:07:36] The two species just so happen to be extremely similar in build and behavior, and thus there's

[00:07:41] a bit of a naming confusion at play whenever we refer to this big American cat as a cheetah.

[00:07:48] That being said, during this podcast episode I will be referring to this large American

[00:07:52] cat species as the American cheetah, even though that's a bit misleading.

[00:07:57] While the American cheetah developed its traits specific to North America, it happened

[00:08:01] to have many similarities to cheetahs found in the wild today.

[00:08:05] This is despite the American cheetah actually being more closely related to the puma,

[00:08:10] and likely due to either parallel or convergent evolution.

[00:08:13] In other words, a similar existence likely led to similar cats in two different parts

[00:08:18] of the world.

[00:08:20] The American cheetah had a build that was very similar to that of the modern cheetah, with

[00:08:25] long limbs, a short snout, and semi-retractable claws.

[00:08:30] While it's not possible for someone to record the American cheetah's top speed given that

[00:08:34] the species is extinct, it's believed that this animal's speed may be a reason pronghorns

[00:08:39] are so quick today.

[00:08:40] It's likely the American cheetah had a speed in the same ballpark as the modern cheetah

[00:08:45] given other physical similarities.

[00:08:48] The American cheetah is thought to have weighed about 150 pounds with a head-to-tailed length

[00:08:53] of about 103 inches, about 8.5 feet.

[00:08:57] This would be a little bit larger than the modern cheetah in terms of weight and length,

[00:09:01] but the difference in size wouldn't be noticeable to most.

[00:09:05] While evidence about the behavior of this species can be difficult to piece together given

[00:09:10] that it's extinct, near full skeletal remains have been found in North American caves,

[00:09:15] with fossils found in parts of Colorado, as well as Florida, Texas, Georgia, Maryland,

[00:09:20] California, and many other states.

[00:09:22] In other words, it had a very wide range.

[00:09:25] It's believed that the American cheetah was around until about 12,000 years ago during

[00:09:29] the place to see an epoch.

[00:09:32] Next time you spot a pronghorn sprinting across Colorado's plains, know there's a good

[00:09:36] chance that it probably has something to do with an extinct American cheetah species that's

[00:09:41] given them all of that speed.

[00:09:49] For this last portion of the podcast, we're going to switch it up by throwing a little

[00:09:53] bit of humor into the mix.

[00:09:55] Here are 15 tell-tale signs you're a true Colorado.

[00:10:11] Sign number one – use the mountains for your sense of direction.

[00:10:16] Number two – your day off typically means some sort of extremely strenuous mountain activity

[00:10:21] that will somehow leave you feeling relaxed, even though you might be putting your life

[00:10:25] at risk.

[00:10:27] Number three – you measure trip distance in time, not miles.

[00:10:32] After all, 10 miles in the mountains might take 30 minutes while 10 miles on a 70 might

[00:10:37] take you only 7.

[00:10:40] Number four – you've developed such a tolerance for the cold that you're able to wear shorts

[00:10:44] and chakos year-round.

[00:10:47] Number five – you know the name of the strong arm lawyer, even if you've never had

[00:10:51] to give him a call.

[00:10:54] Number six – you've got to disdain for tourists and newcomers despite probably being

[00:10:59] a transplant yourself.

[00:11:02] Number seven – driving alongside deadly drop-offs with no guardrail doesn't even make

[00:11:06] your palm sweat.

[00:11:07] A sign warning about rockfall potential?

[00:11:10] The chances can't be that high, right?

[00:11:15] You've got so much gear for outdoor recreation that it takes up an entire room of your house.

[00:11:20] Is some of it broken beyond repair?

[00:11:22] Sure, but you keep it anyway.

[00:11:25] Number nine – you can tell the difference between a pica and a marmot and a deer in an elk

[00:11:31] and you get extremely disappointed in tourists that can't.

[00:11:36] Number ten – you have no idea what roads look like without potholes and construction zones.

[00:11:44] Number eleven – you've got a Subaru, a Jeep or a 4Runner.

[00:11:49] And if you don't, part of you kind of wishes you did.

[00:11:53] Number twelve – you have a strong opinion about whether or not wolves should be roaming

[00:11:58] the state.

[00:11:59] Thirteen – you're typically aware of what elevation you're at, often down to the single

[00:12:05] foot.

[00:12:07] Number fourteen – you anticipate fire season altering your late summer plans while

[00:12:12] wild weather warnings on a regular basis hardly alter your day-to-day life.

[00:12:18] And number fifteen – you've considered living somewhere else, but everywhere else just

[00:12:22] seems too boring.

[00:12:26] Thanks so much for tuning into this episode of The Out There Colorado Podcast.

[00:12:30] This episode was written by me, Spencer McKean and has been produced in-house by Sam Shinneker.

[00:12:35] We're coming to you from the beautiful city of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

[00:12:39] Look forward to more episodes of The Out There Colorado Podcast coming out on a weekly

[00:12:43] basis.

[00:12:44] If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a rating or a review on whatever

[00:12:48] platform you're using to tune in.

[00:12:50] For now I'm signing off.

[00:12:52] Until next time, keep getting out there, Colorado.