Western Water Policy Program

The 1922 Compact is Now the Obvious Elephant in the Negotiating Room

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 18:02:46 +0000

The 1922 Compact is Now the Obvious Elephant in the Negotiating Room Annie Carlozzi Tue, 10/07/2025 - 12:02

Eric Kuhn , Anne Castle , John Fleck , Kathryn Sorensen , Jack Schmidt , Katherine Tara

The Colorado River system is inching closer and closer to the “tripwire” in the 1922 Compact. This is the requirement that a specified volume of water pass Lee Ferry, the dividing point between the Upper and Lower Basins, every ten years. Declining flows and depletion of reservoir storage reserves, as well as the need to protect the Infrastructure of Glen Canyon Dam, are challenging our ability to operate the river system in a way that both preserves critical levels in Lakes Powell and Mead and avoids triggering the tripwire. This new paper by Eric Kuhn, Anne Castle, John Fleck, Jack Schmidt, Kathryn Sorensen, and Katherine Tara explains the issues, runs the numbers, and explains the conclusions. The only solution to this unavoidable conflict is a negotiated agreement among the seven Colorado River Basin states.

Read the full paper here.

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State Legislators Focused on Trends and Emerging Concerns in Western Water

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:23:02 +0000

State Legislators Focused on Trends and Emerging Concerns in Western Water Annie Carlozzi Wed, 10/01/2025 - 13:23

Doug Kenney

The Council of State Governments (Western chapter), comprised of state legislators and legislative staff, recently convened in Jackson Wyoming to review a variety of challenging issues facing the western states, including water. The Getches-Wilkinson Center was asked to participate in the lively review of trends and emerging concerns in western water, with a focus on those issues most likely to demand action from state legislatures.

Three interrelated issues dominated the discussion. First, the increasing impact of climate change in the West, especially in the arid and semi-arid regions, is rapidly intensifying water scarcity challenges. This is best shown by the unfolding interstate crisis on the Colorado River, which is quite likely to require the individual basin states to implement new (and often painful) coping strategies. Second, this increased competition for water, when combined with other trends (in subjects as diverse as foreign trade and immigration) continue to strain the viability of ranches and farms throughout the West. Agriculture, especially small-scale family farms, are in decline in many (if not most) pockets of the West. And third, the “federal apparatus” of agencies, expertise, programs, and other resources to deal with these challenges is being aggressively culled, shifting the burden of problem-solving increasingly to the states and state legislators. It is, unfortunately, a perfect storm of bad news.

State decision-makers are finding these challenges particularly burdensome as they offer few opportunities for win-win solutions, and are of a scale (and cost) that is beyond the resources of many states. Nonetheless, dispute the troubling nature of the trends and emerging concerns, most participants remain hopeful that discussing experiences with each other through the CSG-West network will help identify viable paths forward.

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Analysis of Colorado River Basin Storage Suggests Need For Immediate Action

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 16:21:03 +0000

Analysis of Colorado River Basin Storage Suggests Need For Immediate Action Annie Carlozzi Thu, 09/11/2025 - 10:21

Jack Schmidt , Anne Castle , John Fleck , Eric Kuhn , Kathryn Sorensen , Katherine Tara

Water consumption in the Colorado River Basin continues to outstrip natural supply, causing steep declines in reservoir storage. This paper looks at the realistically accessible amount of storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead and what happens if next year is the same as this year in terms of inflow and uses. The resulting picture is grim. In order to avoid extremely low reservoir reserves at the outset of the next set of operating guidelines, and the corresponding constraints on water use going forward, the prudent course of action is to reduce use immediately.

Read the full paper here.

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Colorado River Remains a Key Focus of the GWC

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 19:33:07 +0000

Colorado River Remains a Key Focus of the GWC Annie Carlozzi Wed, 08/13/2025 - 13:33

Doug Kenney

As the economic, ecological and cultural centerpiece of the American Southwest, the increasingly dire condition of the Colorado River remains a central focus of GWC activities. Continuing a recent tradition, the GWC joined with the Water & Tribes Initiative in June to bring basin officials, Tribal leaders, water users, and river advocates to discuss the situation in: Turning Hindsight into Foresight: The Colorado River at a Crossroads. With roughly 350 in-person (and 115 Zoom) attendees, participants were tasked with identifying past experiences and lessons that can inform current challenges, beginning with the experiences of the Ancient Puebloans displaced by drought in the 13^th century, to efforts in the early 21^st century to craft the soon expiring 2007 Interim Guidelines, to ongoing efforts to craft new rules guiding river operations after 2026. Not surprisingly, the conversation was a lively union of technical analyses of law, policy and hydrology nested within a spiritually rich foundation acknowledging the deeply personal impact that the declining river has on the people and creatures that call the region home.

Efforts to craft new (post-2026) reservoir operating rules on the river dominate most Colorado River discourse at the moment, with the ongoing Environment Impact Statement (EIS) process expected to result in a Draft EIS by December and a Final EIS (and Record of Decision) by next summer. Those efforts have largely stalled over the last year as the Basin States have, unsuccessfully, attempted to craft a joint Alternative to be included in the analysis, a difficult proposition given that every road forward is likely to result in declining water availability for every state, a painful but mathematically inevitable result of life in a basin where snowmelt-driven natural flows have dropped nearly 20% since 2000. This reality was the backdrop of a public forum in late June where I was paired with Rebecca Mitchell, the Colorado official tasked with representing the state in these negotiations. Speaking before the crowd in Crested Butte, neither of us found much reason for optimism in current trends in climate and hydrology, a situation only magnified by the shockingly low runoff of local streams resulting from what seemed like a relatively healthy winter snowpack. No amount of interstate negotiation—or threats of interstate litigation—can overcome the increasingly consequential impact of warming in the basin.

This tension between the river we thought we had and the river that now exists runs through much of the work of the Colorado River Research Group (CRRG), hosted by the GWC but comprised of over a dozen prominent Colorado River scholars spread across the basin (and beyond). CRRG members are currently drafting a detailed summary of key issues and, in some cases, prescriptions for the river system, focusing on issues affecting nearly all sectors and sub-regions of the basin. It is an increasingly alarming review of trends that, collectively, illustrate the erosion of all the safety nets in the basin: reservoir storage, groundwater reserves, federal drought response funding, and technical support from agencies and universities engaged in Colorado River problem-solving.

It is a challenging time in the Colorado River Basin. More than ever, the GWC is focused on developing new leaders to bring ideas and energy to a basin in need of answers.

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GWC Well Represented at Crested Butte Public Policy Forum

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 13:27:54 +0000

GWC Well Represented at Crested Butte Public Policy Forum Annie Carlozzi Wed, 07/02/2025 - 07:27

Douglas Kenney

On the evening of June 24, the GWC’s Doug Kenney joined Becky Mitchell, Colorado’s lead negotiator on Colorado River matters, at the Crested Butte Public Policy Forum for a conversation about current and future Colorado River issues. Well over 100 people packed the Center for the Arts for the public event that in previous years has featured speakers as varied as Ted Turner, Sandra Day O’Connor, and the GWC’s Senior Fellow Anne Castle.

The primary focus of discussion was how “big river” issues—that is, the changing rules determining how Colorado River supplies are shared amongst the seven states—impact the availability of water on Colorado’s West Slope. This required a review of the three numbers in the basin that increasingly are out of step: the amount of water entering the system each year through snowmelt and rain; the amount of water consumed by water users throughout the basin; and the amount of consumptive use that has been promised to water users in the Colorado River Compact and other laws. This mismatch of supplies, demands and allocations is not a new problem, but is of particular urgency now as Lakes Powell and Mead are two-thirds empty, the EIS process for new determining new reservoir operations is well underway, and the current year runoff is shaping up as one of the worst in decades.

The conversation was led by Julie Nania, an icon in Crested Butte for her work with High Country Conservation Advocates in protecting Mt. Emmons—the so-called “Red Lady”—from development into a molybdenum mine, as well as her service on the Board of Directors of the Upper Gunnison Water Conservancy District and as Executive Director and Faculty Chair of the Coldharbour Institute based at Western Colorado University. Julie began her career at Colorado Law (class of 2011), which included a post-graduate fellowship with the GWC from 2013-2014 working on tribal water rights. Julie stands as a great example of the GWC’s ongoing influence in protecting the resources and places that we all value.

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2025 Conference on the Colorado River

Anonymous — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 17:46:05 +0000

2025 Conference on the Colorado River Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 06/07/2025 - 11:46

The Getches-Wilkinson Center and Water & Tribes Initiative will be co-convening the 2025 Conference on the Colorado River on Thurs, June 5th and Fri, June 6th at the Wolf Law Building in Boulder, CO.

Turning Hindsight into Foresight: The Colorado River at a Crossroads

Once again, the Colorado River is at a crossroads, as the efforts to finalize the post-2026 rules push up squarely against longstanding conflicts, legal interpretations, and notions of equity and inclusivity. Complicating progress is the narrow focus on reservoir operating rules, and the tradition of pushing the thorniest issues to future discussions in largely undetermined forums and unknown schedules. In this event, we assess the current state of progress, focusing specifically on the degree to which emerging steps forward incorporate the lessons learned through past experiences.

We hope you join us for what will be sure to be an engaging 2-day conference bringing together thought leaders from across the Colorado Basin.

Thursday, June 5th and Friday, June 6th

8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom

Breakfast, Snack and Lunch provided daily
Attendee reception provided on Thurs, June 5th

15 Colorado CLE general credits have been approved for the conference.

Conference Recording

Conference Agenda

THURSDAY, JUNE 5

Session 1: Modern Challenges Through a Historical Lens. The Colorado River community is now laser focused on the need to adopt new operating rules by the summer of 2026. At this important inflection point in the basin, it is useful to look back, reflect on lessons learned, and turn hindsight into foresight to ensure that the actions we take now are appropriate for the ever-evolving challenges we face in the basin. The session will start by focusing on lessons learned by some of the basin’s first inhabitants: the Ancient Puebloans. It will then review the history of subsequent human settlement in the basin, exploring the legal and institutional principles that shape current opportunities and constraints to achieving a more sustainable future relationship between the people and the river. The discussion concludes with a review of the agreements expiring at the end of 2026: the Interim Guidelines, Minute 319 and the DCPs (drought contingency plans). Each of these frameworks have had successful elements, but each have had shortcomings. This interactive panel will highlight lessons learned, procedurally and substantively, identified by a number of people involved in those decision-making processes.

Session 2: The Aridification of Agriculture. The contributions of agriculture to the socioeconomic fabric of the basin are significant, but the mathematic reality is that it’s likely impossible to balance the regional water budget without major reductions in agricultural water consumption. This session frames the current role of agriculture in shaping the region’s water budget, highlights the practical challenge of funding the inevitable transition, and identifies some on-the-ground pathways for moving forward to a more sustainable future.

FRIDAY, JUNE 6

Session 3: Updates from the Tribes. Thirty tribes in the basin have strong interests (and legal rights) in how Colorado River management evolves. What are some of the most pressing concerns and demands?

Session 4: Rethinking Infrastructure: Glen Canyon Dam/Lake Powell. “What the River Knows” is a new film exploring how declining Lake Powell levels have resurfaced many environmental and cultural resources in and around Glen Canyon, and what opportunities and imperatives that might suggest for the future of Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. This is the first “pre-screening” of the film, followed by a panel discussion.

Session 5: Insights from the Basin States. In the spirit of moving from "hindsight to foresight" and respecting that delicate ongoing negotiations preclude the states from publicly discussing positions in any detail, the panel will provide only a brief "status update" on interstate negotiations and then transition into the primary focus on lessons/insights for moving the basin forward in coming years where water scarcity and climate uncertainty are likely to escalate further. This discussion, reliant heavily on audience questions, will be informed by discussions earlier in the event.

Session 6: Looking Beyond the Rule-Making. While the crafting of new reservoir operational rules is the current focus of most attention and debate, thinking longer-term, the basin has several, more fundamental, issues that will demand thoughtful discussion and resolution, a longer-term challenge that will necessitate cultivating new ideas and leadership. In the spirit of turning hindsight into foresight, how do we move past the latest exercise in incremental, crisis management to achieve a healthy, just, and sustainable Colorado River?

Confirmed speakers' bios and head shots can be found HERE.

Anne Castle, Getches-Wilkinson Center
Bidtah Becker, Navajo Nation
Bill Hasencamp, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Brad Udall, Colorado State University
Brian Richter, Sustainable Waters
President Carlene Yellowhair, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe
Celene Hawkins, The Nature Conservancy
Chris Winter, Getches-Wilkinson Center
Chuck Cullom, Upper Colorado River Commission
Colby Pellegrino, Southern Nevada Water Authority
Craig Childs, Author
Daniel Mooney, Colorado State University
Elizabeth Koebele, University of Nevada
Eric Balken, Glen Canyon Institute
Eric Kuhn, Author
Jason Hauter, Attorney for Gila River Indian Community
Jason Robison, University of Wyoming College of Law
Jay Weiner, Attorney for the Quechan Tribe
Jennifer Pitt, Audubon
Jim Lochhead, Consultant
John Fleck, University of New Mexico
John Weisheit, Living Rivers
Joseph "Brophy" Toledo, Flower Hill Institute
Kathryn Sorenson, Kyl Center for Water Policy
Lorelei Cloud, Southern Ute Indian Tribe
Michael Connor, Consultant
Patty Limerick, University of Colorado
Peter Culp, Culp & Kelly, LLP
Peter Ortego, Acadian Desert Consulting
Roger Fragua, Flower Hill Institute
Scott Cameron, U.S. Department of the Interior
Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Gila River Indian Community
Tahlia Bear, Western Resource Advocates
Terri Bissonette, Tribal Leadership Programs, NWF/WTI

Thank you to our 2025 Conference Partners:
Walton Family Foundation
Conscience Bay Company
Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti, LLP

Water & Tribes Initiative 2025 Partners

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Essential Pillars for the Post-2026 Colorado River Guidelines

Annie Carlozzi — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:31:14 +0000

Essential Pillars for the Post-2026 Colorado River Guidelines Annie Carlozzi Fri, 04/25/2025 - 09:31

Anne Castle , John Fleck , Eric Kuhn , Jack Schmidt , Kathryn Sorensen , Katherine Tara

The process for determining the operating rules for the Colorado River system that will take effect in 2027 is in full swing. While various alternative operating regimes have been proposed, no preferred or consensus alternative has yet emerged. As a group of experienced Colorado River colleagues without affiliation to any Basin State, Tribe, or interested stakeholder, we submit that there are fundamental principles that should form the basis of the ultimate Record of Decision defining management of the Colorado River for the future. We propose the following essential pillars for inclusion in the Post-2026 Guidelines.

Read the full paper here.

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CRWUA Through the Eyes of Young Professionals

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 05:29:14 +0000

CRWUA Through the Eyes of Young Professionals Annie Carlozzi Tue, 12/17/2024 - 22:29

Oliver Skelly , Aidan Stearns and Andrew Teegarden

Andrew Teegarden, current GWC Water Law Fellow:

The Annual Colorado River Water Users Association (CRUWA) Conference in Las Vegas was one of the busiest in recent years. Part of the increased participation stems from the current impasse in negotiations for the Post-2026 Operating Guidelines for Lakes Powell and Mead. Tensions could be felt in the hallways and discussions by nearly 1,500 attendees.

Pressures came to a head during the Upper and Lower Basin Panels. Colorado’s lead negotiator, Becky Mitchell, noted it was disappointing that all seven of the basin states were in Las Vegas and were unable to set a meeting where potential compromises could be discussed. Another Upper Basin Negotiator, Brandon Gebhart, spoke out against the posturing and inability to compromise.

Others on the Lower Basin Panel, such as JB Hamby, struck a different chord; the Lower Basin has been taking steps to lower water use despite the massive population, agricultural economy, and climate change. These realities are extremely troubling because it seems to be further entrenching the states in their own positions and is reducing their ability to compromise. In fact, Arizona’s Governor Katie Hobbs has begun setting aside money within the state budget for potential litigation efforts on the Colorado River. However, litigation did not seem to be the preferred alternative to solve the current breakdown in negotiations. A separate panel talked about the realities of litigation which could take decades, cost millions of dollars, and put the power to decide the outcome in the hands of judges which cannot fully capture the complexity and needs of each community partner along the river.

Outside of the programming, the entire Getches-Wilkinson Center Staff was honored to attend the Water & Tribes Initiative Luncheon which kicked off the start of the conference. During the lunch, attendees discussed potential alternatives for the Bureau of Reclamation to consider which would provide operational flexibility and account for tribal water usage.

Another highlight was the ability to talk with other colleagues and peers in the water space. Networking at large conferences has been one of the best parts of these events because they allow for more understanding within the water community. Despite the tensions, the water community was able to come together and discuss how we can solve the problems on the Colorado River equitably.

Unfortunately, CRUWA did not result in any big break through or give the states more clarity on how the Colorado will be managed. Although, leaders painted a clear picture of how difficult litigation will become if we are unable to agree. Complex scenarios require complex solutions and until someone can capture and account for all of them, compromise may be difficult to obtain. Allowing compromise and the goal of a stable river basin to drive the creation of alternatives will bring us to a place where all who utilize the river feel heard. Negotiators can get there, but it will take more time and dedicated effort to do so.

Aidan Stearns current 3L at Colorado Law and GWC Research Assistant:

From December 4-6, a variety of Colorado River advocates including lawyers, engineers, legislators, scientists, and tribal representatives gathered at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada for the Colorado River Water Users Association (CRWUA) Conference. This year, which was my first time attending the conference, CRWUA was focused on post-2026 operations of the Colorado River. Negotiations over post-2026 operations have been contentious, to say the least. CRWUA served as an opportunity to share all the various points of view with the Colorado River community.

Since it was my first time attending CRWUA, I had one simple goal heading into the conference: listen. CRWUA further affirmed a belief I held when I started law school almost three years ago: that a degree in environmental engineering would be a beneficial foundation for legal practice. One of the first sessions I attended was about the risks of litigation, where attorneys representing various upper and lower basin interests discussed what the path of litigation may look like based on past precedent. Those panelists are often tasked with the challenge of applying modern engineering and scientific concepts to legal doctrine dating back to the 1800s, something I hope to pursue in my own legal career.

Outside of the conference sessions, my most impactful interactions came from meeting conference attendees and listening to their unique perspective on Colorado River water issues. I spoke to a range of individuals including attorneys who worked solely with upper basin agricultural water users to lower basin tribal councilmembers.

Despite the difficult conversations that were had at CRWUA regarding post-2026 operations, a thread of hope seemed to weave through every session. Julie Vano, the Research Director for Aspen Global Change Institute, emphasized in a panel on extreme weather events the importance of not becoming paralyzed by uncertainty when using models. Panelists also expressed that they felt hope because of the resilience of people. Panelists expressed that there is no one to blame but us, but in that, there is hope in the innovation and partnership that people are capable of. No one person is going to have the magic solution to managing water issues in the Colorado River Basin. The solution is going to come from collaboration along with being able to listen to and respect the perspectives that people bring to the table.

Oliver Skelly, current 3L at Colorado Law and GWC Conscience Bay Company Western Water Policy Fellow:

When the GWC invited me to spend the week before final exams with them in Las Vegas I could hardly contain my excitement: My first CRWUA! And what a time for it, with the ongoing negotiations over the post-2026 guidelines atop the agenda. Studying could wait.

As the conference unfolded, most of what I'd heard about CRWUA's substance proved true: If you wanted platitudes, pay attention to the panels; if you wanted juicy hot takes, plug yourself into the hallway conversations. "The Upper Basin can't just keep saying no to everything!" "Lots of snarky remarks from the Lower Basin today." One attendee told me the words "climate change" were not even allowed in the agenda 10 years ago - a shocking and rather unnerving remark given where things stand now. (Fortunately for all involved, it's allowed now.)

That said, the official events were not without their fireworks. The threat of litigation has entered the discourse as negotiations appear to be breaking down, and both basin panels made that abundantly clear. And the conference had many other panels discussing interesting ideas, including recent developments with tribal water rights, regenerative agriculture, urban water efficiency measures, and Kevin Fedarko discussing his new book about his walk through the Big Ditch. Still, the large, seemingly immovable rift between Upper and Lower Basin proposals remained center stage.

The ultimate takeaway is nothing new: The future of the Colorado River remains uncertain. But CRWUA lives on, and it has found itself a new repeat customer. Many thanks to the GWC and its sponsors for making this trip possible for me.

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CRRG (Colorado River Research Group) Resumes Activity

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 19:34:28 +0000

CRRG (Colorado River Research Group) Resumes Activity Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/15/2024 - 13:34

Doug Kenney

The Colorado River Research Group (CRRG), founded and again chaired by the GWC’s Doug Kenney, resumed activities this Spring, headlined by the publication in May of its latest policy brief entitled: Imagining the River We Deserve: How the Post-2026 Rulemaking is Only One Step Towards Sustainability. In a nutshell, the report acknowledges that the current EIS developing new management rules is essential to stopping further declines in the reservoirs, but is too specialized a process to get us all the way to the healthy, sustainable river that so many Colorado River stakeholders are asking for. Once the current EIS is completed, where (and how) is all the additional work going to be done? The CRRG believes that is a critically important question that shouldn’t be overlooked by the current spotlight on the EIS and its stated focus on “coordinated reservoir management.”

The publication of the report dovetailed nicely with two other activities undertaken by CRRG members. First, in April, three CRRG members--Jack Schmidt, Eric Kuhn and John Fleck--submitted an “alternative” to the post-2026 EIS process: “Managing the Powell/Grand Canyon/Mead ecosystem after 2026.” That proposal suggests that the Secretary of Interior be empowered to employ an adaptive management approach allowing releases from Powell to Mead to “be optimized to meet environmental, recreational, and cultural goals while retaining an interstate accounting system that still meets water-supply objectives.” Second, five CRRG members (John Fleck, Jason Robison, Eric Kuhn, Jonathan Overpeck and Doug Kenney) all participated as speakers/moderators in the June conference, which reinforced the philosophy that the post-2026 rulemaking was necessary but insufficient to achieve a desirable long-term future for the river.

Collectively, all these efforts aim to achieve the CRRG objective of bringing “An independent, scientific voice for the future of the Colorado River.” Topics of future CRRG writings are currently under discussion.

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Flying with LightHawk: A Welcome New Perspective on the Colorado River

Anonymous — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 16:32:44 +0000

Flying with LightHawk: A Welcome New Perspective on the Colorado River Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 06/28/2024 - 10:32

Oliver Skelly

Water, it is safe to say, is of the moment. Safer yet, the drought-stricken Colorado River is center stage. Seemingly overnight, the water beat has transcended from dusty backroads and Southwestern capitols to the front page of mainstream media outlets. Giving rise to that newfound coverage are the conferences and events that produce the soundbites and backroom deals that make the latest scoop in Western water such a juicy one.

Yet like many stories about natural resource issues, what can often feel missing is a sense of place; after all, slide shows and headlines can only spur so much. For water in particular, geography is everything—a factoid we know very well here in Colorado.

Enter LightHawk, an organization whose mission is “dedicated to accelerating conservation success through the powerful perspective of flight.” LightHawk does so by seeking out conservation projects and partners that could benefit from aviation, then leveraging their team of 300 volunteer pilots to provide zero cost flights. The organization’s focus areas include climate resilience, rivers and wetlands, and wildlife conservation.

On June 5^th, the day before the Getches-Wilkinson Center’s 2024 Conference on the Colorado River, LightHawk and the GWC teamed up to find that elusive sense of place. That morning a group of 15 participants boarded three separate planes to take an aerial tour of Front Range water projects, including the Gross Reservoir expansion and Chimney Hollow Reservoir construction, as well as a look at the Colorado River headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park and the infrastructure that makes up the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.

The passenger list comprised professionals from many different backgrounds, all sharing a focus on water and, more specifically, the Colorado River. There were tribal leaders, water lawyers, ranch managers, reporters, policy analysts, river advocates, foundation directors, GWC staff, and one very luck law student in myself. And that diversity of backgrounds was precisely the point: Come gather ‘round a birds-eye view of this imperiled river’s headwaters and let us see where the conversation goes.

As a student eager to find his way in the world of western water, this was a dream experience. The more casual setting (if you can call being a mile above the Earth in a little piston jet casual) allowed for plenty of quips, insights, and hard-hitting questions on all that construction going on down there. For me, the conversation highlighted how inherently political and value-based decisions on the River are, and how that is nothing to shy away from. Moreover, I gained a new appreciation for the number of different stakeholders and the good ideas they each bring—the flight itself atop that list.

Diverse and impressive of backgrounds as they were, nobody’s professional resume quite prepared them for how bumpy a ride Cessnas can deliver. The thermals coming off the foothills made for a turbulent ascent into the alpine. And the calamity of red lights and alarm noises coming from the cockpit certainly didn’t help settle the group’s collective stomach. But fortunately for your correspondent’s plane, all one had to do for a sigh of relief was look to pilot Mike Schroeder, cool as a cucumber at the helm.

Then, touchdown on the tarmac (coolest part of the day, IMHO) and back to business casual, powerpoints and panel presentations. Alas. However, with a subject matter like the Colorado River, two things are granted. First, a vast majority of folks working in this world also play in this world, and their sense of place is long-established. Second, a gathering of the minds to discuss the future of the River will be informative and provocative regardless of whether an airplane is involved. And sure enough, the conference was a smashing success.

But for me and surely the fourteen other flight members, the LightHawk flight was nonetheless a remarkable experience. The opportunity to fly across the part of the Continental Divide that not only separates the Front Range from the Western Slope but also boasts a colorful history of transbasin projects and state politics, all while chatting with a group of thought leaders in the water space, was truly invaluable. Hats off to LightHawk and all the volunteer pilots that made it possible.

*All photos shared are thanks to aerial support provided by LightHawk.

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