Why it matters:

The water landscape in the west is changing: it’s drying as a result of increased temperatures caused by climate change. In Colorado, we have long relied on our snowpack to supply water, but as snowpack decreases, spring melt shifts earlier, dryer ground uptakes more water and evaporative loss increases, our relationship with water in the west also changes. The goal of this program is to link education with action to support the community in scaling up water conservation across key sectors and increase adaptive capacity and resilience to a warmer and drier Yampa Valley. The program also seeks to increase access to and application of relevant data and research through collaborative partnerships with research institutions and organizations to provide data for land and water decision-makers and foster conservation actions across all stakeholder and user groups. Investing in land management and water conservation actions that reduce emissions and increase resilience is essential to climate action.