All Entries in the "Environment" Category
Colorado is having one of its worst grasshopper invasions in recent history
It was as if Doug Bay’s wish had come true, the day the doves landed. Bay, who grows alfalfa and a bit of corn and sorghum in Otero County, had been eyeing the 3 acres of fresh green shoots for days, worrying they were about to be destroyed by the swarms of crop-munching grasshoppers that […]
When are Colorado’s last coal-fired power plants closing?
Xcel Energy’s coal-fired Comanche Generating Station, located in Pueblo, is the largest power plant in the state of Colorado. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun) About a third of Colorado’s electricity is still generated by 10 coal-fired power plants. That should drop to zero by the end of 2031. Coal may be on […]
Keep Colorado Wild passes have generated $39.7 million to support parks
DENVER—More than 1.5 million Coloradans opted to buy a Keep Colorado Wild Pass during its first full year of being on sale, which generated $39.7 million to support Colorado state parks and outdoor first responders. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) set a goal to raise at least $36 million annually from pass sales. The first $32.5 million […]
Tarantula migration coming soon
Be warned. Thousands of tarantulas will be making their way across Colorado very soon. No, it’s not the plot from the 1990 film “Arachnophobia,” but a perfectly normal, and very real (albeit creepy to some) annual migration that occurs in the state each year. This event, often informally called a migration, is more accurately […]
Greenhouse gas emissions from irrigation being studied
Pivot irrigation, like this operation near La Junta, Colo., helps farmers put a precise amount of water on a given crop. Area farmers draw water from the Arkansas River via a system of canal and ditches to irrigate their crops. (Mike Sweeney, Special to The Colorado Sun) Colorado State University researchers are counting greenhouse gases […]
Colorado’s first Firehawk helicopter is finally ready to fight fires
Three years after the state purchased its first Firehawk, four pilots have been trained how to operate the one-of-a-kind aircraft that can quickly slurp up and drop 1,000 gallons of water on flames Three years after lawmakers allocated $30 million to purchase its first “Firehawk,” the modified military helicopter that is capable of quickly crisscrossing […]
Drought Outlook Forecasts New Drought Development This Summer
Drought coverage in the U.S. is around 5-year low, but the latest summer outlook shows a big change in trend is coming. The latest Seasonal Drought Outlook predicts expansion of drought through September in several regions of the U.S., according to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center. Drought is favored to develop and persist […]
Much of Colorado could be pushed into drought by late summer thanks to hot, dry conditions
Engineer Pass Road weaves through the alpine tundra in the San Juan Mountains near Ouray. Photo by Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun Colorado has seen an average water year so far, but looking ahead, climate experts say much of the state could fall into drought conditions and struggle to find relief. Colorado’s very average […]
National Corn Growers, others file lawsuit challenging EPA’s electrical vehicle mandate
The National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation and six auto dealers representing 16 brands and collectively operating dozens of dealerships in major markets across the country joined the American Petroleum Institute today in filing a lawsuit in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s light-duty and medium-duty vehicle emissions standards […]
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to meet June 12-13, 2024
Winter Park, Colo. – At a hybrid meeting in Winter Park, the Parks and Wildlife Commission will open for final consideration of any changes to the 5-year big game season structure for 2025-2029, and discuss solutions to over-the-counter elk licensing. The Commission will also open for final consideration of regulations to allow the use […]
Colorado has the third-most lightning deaths in the country – Here’s how to stay safe.
A thunderstorm that turned roads into rivers and basements into swimming pools lit up the sky over Greeley on Tuesday night with flashes of light as bright as daytime. Three days earlier, a single lightning strike killed a Jackson County rancher and more than 30 of his cattle. Last week, a storm that raged over Yuma, rumbling […]
Hungry goats are latest phenom-nom-nom in Colorado wildfire prevention
Donny Benz, left, and his fiancé Kaiti Singley, right, with Goat Green LLC, monitor their Cashmere goats as they graze in fields in Dutch Creek Open Space in Louisville, Colorado, on May 22, 2024. As the goats eat, they create natural firebreaks that help to prevent and slow down wildfires. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The […]
Lake Pueblo opens ‘Kestrel Pond’ as a place to enjoy quiet water sports
PUEBLO, Colo. – Visitors to Lake Pueblo State Park this summer will find a new area they might want to explore: Kestrel Pond located along the Arkansas River off of Rock Canyon Road just below the dam. Kestrel Pond is envisioned as a quiet place for water recreation in contrast to the 5,400 surface acres […]
Boating, state park, and wildlife safety tips for Memorial Day weekend
Life jackets save lives. The majority of water-related fatalities happen when people are swimming in cold water and paddle boarding or kayaking without a life jacket. DENVER—Coloradans and out-of-state visitors play an integral role in keeping Colorado state parks clean, respecting local wildlife, and making the outdoors safer to explore. Ahead of the holiday […]
Governor Polis signs SB24-171, reintroducing wolverines to Colorado
SUMMIT COUNTY – Governor Jared Polis joined staff from Colorado Parks and Wildlife at Loveland Pass today to sign SB24-171, which gives CPW the authority to reintroduce the North American wolverine to Colorado. Thanks to bill sponsors Senator Perry Will, Senator Dylan Roberts, Representative Barbara McLachlan, and Representative Tisha Mauro, SB24-171 contains key assurances for Colorado industries by […]
