Caroline Llanes, Rocky Mountain Community Radio

Republican Jeff Hurd and Democrats Alex Kelloff and Dwayne Romero weigh in on some of the big environmental issues in Western and Southern Colorado.

The White River National Forest would like Pitkin County to take over the management of the Maroon Bells Scenic Area. That's due to a budget gap and staffing woes.

The Wilderness Society says that threats to landscapes in Colorado and the West come from Congress and the Trump administration, and are only increasing as the administration rolls back protections for public lands.

Record-low snowpack across the Upper Colorado River Basin will likely translate to poor conditions for spring runoff, and could mean emergency action to supplement low water levels in Lake Powell.

A lack of snow, compounded by warm temperatures, has plagued Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. That will impact how much water is available come spring runoff.

Scott Fitzwilliams took early retirement in 2025 after more than three decades with the U.S. Forest Service. He says the Trump administration's public lands policies amount to a deliberate dismantling of the system.

The Trump administration spent much of the year rolling back environmental regulations, stripping protections for public lands, and working to limit the development of green energy while bolstering fossil fuels.

Water forecasters, researchers, and politicians are all watching with bated breath as closed-door negotiations continue over allocating water in the Colorado River after 2026. Many are getting frustrated with what they see as a lack of action in the face of a mounting crisis.

Keystone Resort in Colorado was the first resort in the country to open in 2025, in part due to their emphasis on early-season snowmaking. As climate change amplifies drought in the Mountain West, ski areas across the region are considering how best to use increasingly scarce water resources.

A 2023 Supreme Court ruling, along with new interpretations from the Trump administration, have limited protections for rivers and wetlands. Colorado is looking to fill in that gap with its own regulatory program.