Western United States

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.

The Colorado River District has cleared an important hurdle in securing the Shoshone water right, which is an in-stream flow agreement with the state. The deal is designed in part to protect Colorado River water levels, and it was approved despite objections from utility companies on the Front Range.

The American Farm Bureau says the cost of a Thanksgiving meal for 10 is down 5% from last year, as turkey prices fall and weather-driven crop issues push some vegetable costs higher.

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.

The seven states that use the Colorado River have until November 11th to present a basic plan to the federal government for how to allocate water in the river. But negotiations have been contentious, and spectators aren't sure whether there will be consensus.

In this episode, Stephen sits down with Laine Johnson, founder of Horsefly History Tours in Durango, Colorado. A former wildlife biologist and park ranger turned storyteller, Laine shares how she swapped tracking mountain lions for uncovering Durango’s untamed past. From ghost walks and Wild West tales to her spirited BOOze & Bites tours, Laine brings humor, heart, and a true sense of place to her work. Discover Durango’s wild side and learn how history, haunts, and local flavor come together in Horsefly History Tours.

The Trump administration has named Scott Cameron acting commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation and Andrea Travnicek assistant Interior secretary for water and science—two key roles overseeing the Colorado River amid tense negotiations between Basin states.

This past water year was dry, with not all of the snowpack making it into the basin's rivers and streams. Forecasters will be looking out for conditions driven by climate change and prolonged drought as they consider what Water Year 2026 will bring.

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.

A University of Utah study used data from wildfires in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California to look at how private forests for industrial timber harvest were impacted by severe fire weather, brought about by climate change.