In The NoCo

Wildlife, and human lives, along the Colorado River are the focus of a striking new documentary

By In The NoCo,

Published September 5, 2025 at 5:35 AM MDT

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The Colorado River meanders through a deep canyon and reflects the sky above. — "The American Southwest" will be showing in theaters around Colorado starting today. The film explores the plant and animal life that rely on the river and incorporates Indigenous perspectives about the river.

When the Colorado River makes headlines these days, it's usually in reference to drought. And what lower water levels mean for the 40 million people in the Southwest U.S. who depend on the river.

A new documentary screening in theaters around Colorado looks at those issues from a different perspective. It's a portrait of the plants and animals that rely on the river’s water as it winds its way across the region.

Ben Masters directed the documentary ,“The American Southwest,” which opens today at several theaters around Colorado. Ben collaborated on the film with several tribal groups in the region.

He joined Erin O’Toole to talk about the images he captured and why he wanted to make the film.

Learn more about the Sept. 29 conversation in Fort Collins between KUNC reporter Alex Hager and Natives Outdoors founder and scholar Len Necefer, who was a producer on the film.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s news program and podcast In The NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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