climate change

The first year of President Trump’s second term saw sweeping changes to energy policy, environmental regulations, and public lands management across the West.

Gov. Jared Polis signs an executive order to address a spreading mountain pine beetle outbreak threatening ponderosa pine forests along Colorado’s Front Range.

Invasive zebra mussels have now infested at least 135 miles of the Colorado River, from the Utah border to Dotsero in western Colorado. And if these tiny pests flow into narrow irrigation pipes and tubes, they threaten to spoil the harvest of Colorado's sweetest crops.

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 new report warns that shrinking national monuments could endanger drinking water for 13 million Americans by exposing protected rivers and streams to mining and drilling.

The invasive annual grass is rapidly expanding across Wyoming, according to a new study, fueling wildfires and erasing native sagebrush habitat critical for wildlife.

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.

The federal government set a deadline of November 11 for states to have a framework for allocating Colorado River water post-2026. The states missed that deadline, and have failed to produce an agreement.

Researchers in western Colorado are studying tree rings along the Crystal River to understand its natural flow — and build a case for keeping it wild and free.

The Colorado River Indian Tribes grant personhood to the Colorado River, affirming its rights and cultural importance in a growing global movement.