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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Proponents say the costs of drought and wildfires are only increasing, but critics of the measure worry that the TABOR exemption could draw funds away from other important priorities. -
Proponents say that natural gas is the most reliable source of baseload energy for rural Coloradans, while opponents say this would hamper the state’s ability to regulate the oil and gas industry. -
Fossil fuel giant Suncor want the case to be heard in federal court, despite the Colorado Supreme Court having already ruled that the case can be heard in state court. -
Michael Childers of CSU says last year’s poor snow season could have ripple effects on the ski industry, as skiers evaluate where they want to spend their money. Resorts will also have to contend with ongoing drought as they prepare for the 2026-27 season. -
Trees rely on water to perform their most basic functions, and by shutting down for winter earlier, they can conserve water… but that means fall colors arriving earlier. -
Utah’s Cultural Site Stewardship program gives volunteers the opportunity to protect Utah’s most special places, like historic sites and cultural resources, by monitoring them for damage. -
Chad Reznicek from CSU’s AgrAbility program discusses some of the mental health impacts he’s seen across Colorado’s agricultural industry in the wake of record-breaking drought. -
The seven states that use the Colorado River have not reached a deal on how to cut back water usage after this year, but the federal government is moving forward with a plan anyway, after a year of severe drought. -
One of Colorado’s most productive peach farmers is preparing for the possibility that irrigation water may be turned off before the harvest is finished. -
Trump first reduced the two Utah monuments in 2017, but this most recent action goes even further, slashing their acreage to under 10% of their original sizes.
