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Thirty days of dry weather have dashed scientists' hopes of above-average runoff in the Colorado River Basin. According to the most recent forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, reported on by the Colorado Sun, spring runoff into Lake Powell is expected to be just 78% of average—down from a projection of 98% just a month ago.
“Early in the season you can’t get too deflated or hopeful; I’m increasingly pessimistic now. We’ve got more than half the snow season behind us and we’re sitting on sort of average-ish snowpack," said Jeff Lukas, an independent water and climate researcher based in Colorado. "If I had to put money down, I’d put it on us ending up statewide with below-normal runoff.”
Spring runoff in the Colorado River Basin is critical for agriculture, the recreation industry, and water supplies for the nearly 40 million people in the West who depend on the river. With another week of dry weather ahead for the region, scientists remain wary. “Could we recover? Sure," said Lukas. "Are we likely to? Probably not.”
PODCAST: We're still here. The how and why of land acknowledgements
You’ve probably heard Indigenous land acknowledgements at the beginning of events or conferences. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland even delivered one at the Boston Marathon last year. But is there a right way and a wrong way to acknowledge Indigenous land? And how can we make sure they’re not just window dressing?
Listen to the newest episode of CWP's podcast, The Landscape, with Rosie Thunderchief, an Indigenous woman based in Albuquerque, New Mexico who is descended from multiple tribes. She works for the Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps as an administrative manager and has served as an unofficial land acknowledgements advisor to the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge.
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My Pueblo ancestors taught me to live with courage, respect our ecosystems and protect our families – the very same virtues that wolves embody.”
