While the West has transformed and evolved greatly since the pioneer days, mining laws remain largely unchanged. Hardrock mining and extraction is, to this day, governed by President Ulysses S. Grant’s General Mining Law of 1872. Five U.S. Senators, including Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, have introduced the Hardrock Mining…

An assumption could be made that Coloradans are more attuned to their weather surroundings than most other people in the country. That’s why the words “El Nino” inspire such a sense of hope and anticipation when uttered to the wishful ears of ski-hungry Colorado residents. Instead of visions of sugarplums,…

Colorado fish biologists have been embroiled in a mystery surrounding Colorado’s native cutthroat trout. For decades, biologists accepted that Colorado’s native cutthroat could be distinguished by their location: Greenbacks were east of the Continental Divide while Colorado River and Rio Grande cutthroat were in their namesake watersheds. This was important…

Q&A with Pete Wadden May 8, 2020 Pete Wadden is Town of Vail’s Watershed Education Coordinator. We at Eagle River Watershed Council work with him on a regular basis: we collaborate on everything from educational programming (check out the Sustainable Landscaping Series taking place every Wednesday through May 27; the series is…