Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On an early June morning, beating the heat, Nikki McComsey, co-owner of Gather Mountain Blooms, and her all-woman team of farmers are weeding and cleaning up two acres of flowers on the 15 acres of land they lease from Venetucci Farms.
The bright orange, red and pink hues of more than 20 varieties of flowers make it hard to tell this farming land was almost rendered unusable just a decade ago.
“There are a lot of moments of hopelessness because, you know, the news on PFAS never gets better,” said Samuel Clark, executive director of the Pikes Peak Real Estate Foundation, which now owns the farmland.
The farm's previous owner, Nick Venetucci, played for the New York Yankees Class A team until the Great Depression hit and he returned to Colorado to help out with his family farm. Venetucci married Bambina “Bambi” Marcantonio in 1984, and they ran the farm together. Across El Paso County, many families visited Venetucci Farms for their yearly pumpkin distribution and for opportunities to learn about their farming practices.
Read the complete story here: rmpbs.org/news/science-environment/pfas-venetucci-farms-flowers
Produced by Chelsea Casabona
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On an early June morning, beating the heat, Nikki McComsey, co-owner of Gather Mountain Blooms, and her all-woman team of farmers are weeding and cleaning up two acres of flowers on the 15 acres of land they lease from Venetucci Farms.
The bright orange, red and pink hues of more than 20 varieties of flowers make it hard to tell this farming land was almost rendered unusable just a decade ago.
“There are a lot of moments of hopelessness because, you know, the news on PFAS never gets better,” said Samuel Clark, executive director of the Pikes Peak Real Estate Foundation, which now owns the farmland.
The farm's previous owner, Nick Venetucci, played for the New York Yankees Class A team until the Great Depression hit and he returned to Colorado to help out with his family farm. Venetucci married Bambina “Bambi” Marcantonio in 1984, and they ran the farm together. Across El Paso County, many families visited Venetucci Farms for their yearly pumpkin distribution and for opportunities to learn about their farming practices.
Read the complete story here: rmpbs.org/news/science-environment/pfas-venetucci-farms-flowers
Produced by Chelsea Casabona
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: bit.ly/3zeF6Ch
------------------------------------------------------
Follow Rocky Mountain PBS on our other platforms, too.
• Newsletter: rmpbs.org/newsletters
• Facebook: facebook.com/rmpbs
• Instagram: instagram.com/rmpbs
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/rocky-mountain-pbs
