Recently at Aspen Journalism, we continued our water and urban landscapes series in collaboration with Big Pivots, with part four providing a look at what it takes for a homeowner to kill their traditional turf in favor of something more water wise.
Writing for our environment desk, Elizabeth Stweart-Severy checked in on Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s plans for sustaining elk herds and broke some news relevant to a controversy playing out on the opinion pages about how many out-of-state hunters Colorado allows. CPW is considering limiting how many over-the-counter tags nonresident hunters can pull, Severy reports, however, that may have little bearing on elk populations, where a long-term decline in the number of calves being born and making it into adulthood is the biggest issue.
Back on the water desk, Heather Sackett reported on a likely proposal that will come before state legislators next year to protect wetlands left vulnerable following a U.S. Supreme Court decision in May. That decision, in the case Sackett (no relation) vs. EPA, removed Clean Water Act protections from wetlands that do not share a direct surface-water connection with a stream or river, following decades of back and forth on what falls under the definition of “Waters of the United States” protected by the act. The state is looking to step in and require permitting for any dredge and fill activities in these waters, previously protected by the federal legislation, which experts estimate make up at least half the wetlands in Colorado.
And we hope you can join us on Wednesday evening at Marble Distilling Co. in Carbondale for our live event, featuring a panel discussion on housing and community. RSVP here for the Dec. 6th event.
Through Dec. 31, local, regional, and national donors and funders are supporting our reporting with a collective $76,000 matching gift pool to match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift. In anticipation of Colorado Gives Day tomorrow, thank you for supporting Aspen Journalism and doubling your impact.
– Curtis Wackerle
Editor and Executive Director
Colorado wildlife officials aim to reduce hunter crowding, sustain elk herds
CPW exploring limiting over-the-counter tags for nonresidents
By Elizabeth Stewart-Severy | Dec. 4, 2023
Although elk population numbers in northwest Colorado currently meet objectives set by the state, those numbers are probably not sustainable. Meanwhile, the state’s hunters have expressed concerns that they see more humans than animals during hunting seasons.
Colorado lawmakers expected to consider state permit program protecting wetlands
Goal is to fill regulatory gap left by Supreme Court decision
By Heather Sackett | Dec. 1, 2023
While it is not always clear whether a wetland has a direct surface connection to a qualifying stream, experts say the decision removed federal protections from at least half of Colorado’s wetlands.
PART V | The outliers in urban residential landscaping: Why these homeowners tore out their turf
A growing number of Colorado homeowners want to kill something, namely their grass. ‘Living in a semiarid environment,’ says one, ‘we shouldn’t just be throwing water on the ground.’
By Allen Best | November 30, 2023
“If you make it easy to conserve water, they will do it,” he said. “If you make it really difficult, then they will come back to it when they have time. That is the reason that so many people continue with their current landscaping year after year. It takes time to make changes.”
Data dashboard: Roaring Fork Basin snowpack is close to normal
While snowpack in the Roaring Fork basin is reaching 108% of median, snowpack at Indy Pass is only at 69% of median.
By Laurine Lassalle
December 4, 2023
• Snowpack at Indy Pass reached 68.9% of median on Dec. 3 and 88% of median at McClure Pass.
• The Fork ran at 102.5% of average at Emma on Dec. 3, up from 87.2% of average last week.
• On Nov. 26, minimum air temperatures at ASE dropped as low as -2°F.
Now through Dec. 31 your gift will be matched. NewsMatch, Colorado Media Project, and local philanthropic donors are supporting this work with a collective $76,000 matching gift pool to match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift. That is big news for us!
