Southwest Life


Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Hermosa Watershed Protection

December marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act and the Hermosa Creek Wilderness. Congress passed legislation at the end of 2014 that p...

Elections and climate policy

Elections have consequences. Many are wondering what the just completed presidential election might hold for climate policy and action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our region has ma...

Conservation bills stuck in congressional backlog

This fall marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act. The legislation, enacted in December, 2014, ensured lasting protection of the conservation ...

Crossing structures help migrating wildlife

With fall upon us, big game animals are on the move from summer ranges in the high country back down to lower elevation winter ranges. That inevitably means elk and deer are crossing highway...

Advocates urge Dolores River review

Before the completion of McPhee Dam in 1984, the Dolores River was prized for its whitewater recreation. River advocates called the Dolores “a national treasure that ought to be preserved,” ...

Village at Wolf Creek Staggers Onward

The long-dormant Village at Wolf Creek development staggered back to life recently, with a favorable court ruling obtained by the Forest Service to approve a road access permit across the Ri...

Colorado Legislature considers wetlands protection

Colorado's wetlands and streams could gain needed protections through legislation currently under discussion in the Colorado House of Representatives. Previously, development of wetlands req...

Wolverines on deck for Reintroduction

Colorado recently unveiled plans to move forward with the restoration of another species eliminated from the state in the 1900s, the wolverine. The effort is spearheaded by Colorado Parks an...

Solar planning and development underway

Rapid deployment of utility-scale solar projects is a critical piece to addressing climate change impacts associated with electricity generation. Utilities throughout the West are particular...

BLM assessing big game corridor protections

Winter is a good time to think about the stresses facing deer and elk herds. For big game already struggling with deep snows, public land managers can mitigate development that unnecessarily...

LPEA Challenges Tri-State Contract

In its latest effort to gain control over the cost and generation sources of our local electric supplies, La Plata Electric Association recently sued its wholesale electric supplier for bad...

Grazing deal offers promise for bighorns

It might surprise many that bighorn sheep were perhaps the most abundant big game species in Colorado before European settlement. Or maybe not so surprising, given the preponderance of bigho...