It’s tough to find a river in the West that still behaves - like a western river. One that rises and falls with the rush of melting snow. Most of the region’s major streams are controlled by dams.
That makes the relatively free-flowing Yampa River in northwestern Colorado unique. Luke Runyon took a trip on the Yampa and found the people who depend on it are wondering how best to protect the river as the West’s water grows more scarce.