Water, Not Land, Limits Growth in Colorado and the West
A decades-long boom has permanently reshaped Colorado. Along the Front Range, cities from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs have merged into a nearly unbroken wall of development. Yet as the
Dung beetles dig it, create value for ranchers and rangelands
Plop! Big mammals poop. They poop a lot. Cattle poop up to a dozen times a day. Horses? Up to 15 times per day. Bison produce three gallons of poop per
A beetle biological control success story
The tamarisk is a gritty survivor, a tenacious shrub that evolved in the steppes of central Asia in dry conditions much like those of the American West. Introduced to the
Fire on the Horizon, Wolves at the Gate
Amid wildfire smoke and rising tensions, a lone, uncollared wolf in northwest Colorado tested every mitigation tool—and my resolve—until CPW confirmed chronic depredation and lethal control was clearly the most
Irrigation efficiency is something all producers should strive for, right? Or wrong?
Agriculture uses a lot of water. And with water getting scarcer in many parts of the West, it seems logical that agricultural producers should try to seek efficiency in their
Neighboring through drought: Water sharing solutions for the West
In the third installment of our 2025 Water Webinar series we focused on the successes and challenges of utilizing community-scale water sharing agreements to provide flexibility to producers and communities as they
Beneath Our Feet: Are Groundwater Easements a Solution for the West?
The second of the 2025 Water Webinar series focused on a timely and crucial discussion about groundwater conservation and its role in addressing the West’s growing water scarcity challenges. The
Southwest Colorado water district awarded $25.6M in federal funds to fight drought with river restoration
Southwestern Water Conservation District (SWCD) has been awarded $25.6M from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Upper Colorado River Basin Environmental Drought Mitigation Program (B2E). The grant application was developed in
Heated Negotiations and the Future of Western Water
Things were heated at the Colorado River Water Users Association (CRWUA) Annual Conference this year, the largest meeting of water managers in the Colorado River Basin. This year’s meeting was
Forage to Faucets – Denver Water’s sustainable watershed journey
GRAZING TOWARD MORE SUSTAINABLE WATERSHEDS “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.” – Aldo Leopold Like many in the arid West, Denver Water customers turn on their faucets each
Collaboration-Powered Conservation: The Story of Badger Creek
In the heart of south-central Colorado, Badger Creek Ranch serves as a shining example of effective land management and ecological restoration. Owned and operated by Chrissy McFarren and her husband
Biochar in the Grand Valley: a drought resilience tool?
When Michael Lobato and his wife Sara embarked on their agricultural journey, they didn’t anticipate pioneering new drought resilience techniques. But, situated just outside Fruita, Colorado, Lobato’s farm faces distinct