Across the Mountain West, groundwater is the unseen force keeping springs flowing, wetlands green, and desert plants alive. Now, a new interactive tool is making that hidden water easier to see.

The Wildfire Collaborative Roaring Fork Valley has been collecting data in several communities that will help predict how a fire would spread from home to home. That analysis will identify high risk areas, and the most effective mitigation work to slow a wildfire.

The idea of a linear fuel break, or LFB, is pretty straightforward: by clearing grass or other fuel along fire-prone roads, or planting fire-resistant vegetation, you can slow the spread of wildfire. New research suggests they may save more money than they cost to install and maintain.

Pressure to reach a deal is building. Forecasts for the water supply from the Colorado River continue to grow worse as snowpack lags far behind normal across the West. And negotiators from the basins have said there are "sticking points" that remain in the negotiations in recent weeks that even marathon talks have failed to resolve.

The Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-tribal Coalition provided extensive feedback for the resource management plan finalized one year ago. That plan is now in jeopardy since federal auditors ruled that Congress could use an obscure law to revoke it.

As much of the Mountain West faces another dry winter, researchers are turning their attention underground to the water many communities rely on but rarely see.

Advocates worry this delay could signal a future attempt from the Trump administration to take grizzlies off the endangered species list.

As Basin state governors met in Washington D.C., to try and break the impasse, Colorado’s Attorney General said the state has a deep bench of lawyers to contend with multiple water disputes.

On the eve of the high-stakes summit, negotiators from both the upper and lower river basins are not sounding confident they can reach an agreement with less than three weeks to go before a Feb. 14 deadline.

The voluntary energy self-assessments will help identify homes with the best opportunities to reduce carbon pollution. It’s part of the town’s plan to bring all buildings to net-zero by 2050.