Rocky Mountain Community Radio

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.

Reintroduced in 2023, gray wolves have spread out across western Colorado, exploring wild landscapes and preying on elk, deer, and occasionally — livestock. To address the problem, Colorado is piloting a program that sends "range riders" to patrol lands where wolves are preying on livestock.

Warmer temperatures in November meant that less snowpack accumulated. But storms did increase soil moisture in the Upper Colorado River Basin, making future precipitation more likely to run off slopesides and boost rivers and streams.

To limit damage Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been increasing its efforts to detect the bivalve since it was first discovered in the state in 2022.

The One Big Beautiful Bill changed the leasing process for the BLM. Now, land in Colorado will be cheaper for operators to lease, and the agency will have less discretion over the terms of the agreements.

The Public Lands Rule allowed conservation to be managed as part of BLM's multiple-use mandate, along with other uses like mining and grazing. The Trump administration now says that rule doesn't pass muster.

From September 9 through 16, 2013, catastrophic floods swept across Colorado's Front Range, forcing thousands from their homes and leaving entire neighborhoods underwater. In Longmont, the St. Vrain Creek burst its banks, causing nearly $150 million in infrastructure damage. The city rebuilt with resilience in mind, and its efforts have earned recognition from the United Nations.

Yale's Climate Opinion Maps now include questions asking Americans about specific extreme weather events like wildfires and floods and how they relate to climate change. More than other Mountain West states, Colorado residents link climate change to these severe weather events.

Public lands advocates are hoping to draw attention to proposed cuts to the National Parks Service and other land management agencies by visiting gateway towns in the West. One stop was in Grand Junction, Colorado, which has its own national park.

A new report from the Bureau of Reclamation shows water levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the Colorado River's two largest reservoirs, remain low. It predicts those conditions could continue or worsen over the next two years. CU Boulder's Chris Winter says this should spur the seven states in the basin to come to an agreement on new operating guidelines for the future.