Caroline Llanes
Rural Climate ReporterCaroline Llanes is the rural climate reporter for Rocky Mountain Community Radio. She covers climate change in the rural Mountain West, energy development, outdoor recreation, public lands, and so much more. Her work has been featured on NPR and APM's Marketplace.
She was previously a general assignment reporter at Aspen Public Radio, covering everything from local governments to public lands, and before that, she worked on WBUR's Morning Edition in Boston. She got her start in public radio at Michigan Public in Ann Arbor, where she also got a B.A. in history from the University of Michigan.
When she's not working, she's probably watching football, women's basketball, or a British murder mystery. She lives in Glenwood Springs with her partner and their little dog (Poppy) and cat (Pepper), where they spend a lot of time hiking and skiing of both the downhill and cross-country varieties.
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National parks and other popular destinations on public lands are still open with little to no staff. Advocates don’t want the public to forget that it’s the federal government’s responsibility to protect and maintain these areas. -
Lee’s bill amends the Wilderness Act of 1964 to make exceptions for the Department of Homeland Security to conduct immigration enforcement actions. Public lands advocates say it’s an excuse to roll back environmental protections. -
Hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean caused floods in southwestern Colorado. Is climate change behind it?Heavy rainfall over a two-day period in the Four Corners region saw severe floods in the Animas and San Juan rivers, causing damages to homes and businesses. Climate researchers are examining historical trends and the impacts of climate change to better understand the massive rain event. -
Rural electric co-ops on the Western Slope and the Four Corners region are partnering with bigger utilities on renewable energy, even as the Trump administration signals its preference for fossil fuels. -
Denver Water’s ‘From Forests to Faucets’ program partners with state and federal partners to manage forests in fire-vulnerable parts of the utility’s watershed. -
Zebra mussels cause damage to both native aquatic habitats and human infrastructure. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been increasing its efforts to defect the bivalve ever since it was first discovered in the state in 2022. -
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. -
Wilderness Workshop has identified ten landscapes that are vulnerable to increased development and recreation, but the nonprofit says grassroots support makes protecting them possible. -
The federal government could shut down on October 1. Here’s what that means for federal public landsA potential government shutdown could impact services at national parks and other public lands—and more layoffs could be coming to land management agencies. -
Increased immigration enforcement across the country has caused local celebrations of Latino Conservation Week to become smaller and more intimate. In Glenwood Springs, the community gathered to plant trees.
