Environment

Protestors called on lawmakers to defend scientific research, as the Trump administration moves to cut workforce and funding.

As the impacts of climate change worsen, some are pushing for more renewable energy, but this can be a challenge in communities like Garfield County that have historically relied on the oil and gas industry to provide jobs and critical funding for public services. To ensure the transition to clean energy is an equitable one, advocates are working to diversify regional economies and create new jobs.

Colorado’s new testing program under the Mobile Home Park Water Quality Act kicked off this past summer, but extensive testing and an enforcement process that is still getting set up means it could be awhile until communities such as Apple Tree Park in New Castle see major fixes.

Glenwood Springs’ recent open house was the latest in a series of presentations by municipal fire departments and cities around the region. After a busy wildfire season this summer, officials want residents to be prepared in case of an emergency.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the second biggest threat to biodiversity is invasive species preceded only by habitat loss. Invasive plants are spread by natural forces, like wind and wildfire, and largely in part, by unknowing humans. Reporter Lily Jones has more to the story.

“El Camino Latino,” from advocacy group Defiende Nuestra Tierra, is a map of public lands in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys. It has information on recreation in both English and Spanish, with the hopes of making the outdoors more accessible for everyone.

As of the latest update on Monday morning, the brush fire burning south of Parachute and Battlement Mesa had burned around 2,900 acres and was about 37% contained.

In their keynote, intersectional environmentalist and drag queen Pattie Gonia (she/they) shares their unlikely journey to becoming Pattie. They define intersectional environmentalism and explain how to create a personalized action compass to advocate for people and the planet. Pattie also speaks on the ways we can be guided by nature in order to move through the work of advocacy and activism.

Explore hosted Doug Peacock, author, filmmaker, and wildlife activist. In his new book, Was It Worth It?: A Wilderness Warrior's Long Trail Home, Peacock reflects on a life lived in the wild and sojourns with his generation’s environmental leaders: Author Peter Matthiessen, Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia, Doug Tompkins of North Face.

La Oficina de Gestión de Tierras afirma que los caballos no están sanos y que provocan el mal estado de los pastizales. Los protectores de los caballos salvajes que visitaron la zona dicen que los animales están sanos y no son los culpables de la degradación de la tierra.