Climate change strengthening drought, even when it rains
Plus: Where wolves could be headed next, urban-rural agreement on hunting, Denver rejects sales tax to fund affordable housing and more
admin
Morning, Colorado.
One week has passed since Election Day, though it feels like eternity (or is it just me?). I’m headed to the Western Slope to join a Friendsgiving potluck this weekend, go hiking and soak in some (new to me) hot springs, which I’m hoping is the perfect recipe to relax and unplug. In the meantime, we’ve got some fascinating stories in today’s newsletter about our thirsty atmosphere, Colorado’s urban-rural divide and more.
Let’s dive in.
Reporter
THE NEWS
ENVIRONMENT
High heat driving Colorado droughts even when it rains and snows, study finds
A searing drought in Colorado and Western states from 2020 to 2022 was caused more by hot air robbing water from the landscape through evaporation than by the lack of rain or snow, a new study by UCLA and NOAA scientists says. As average summer temperatures climb higher, that means the West will suffer even when we see record precipitation levels. Michael Booth has the details on our “thirsty” atmosphere.
OUTDOORS
Colorado announces possible release areas for next wave of introduced wolves
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are doing things a bit differently ahead of a second round of wolf releases and this time around, they’re meeting with counties ahead of a release rather than doing it in secret. Garfield, Pitkin, Rio Blanco and Eagle counties are in the running as drop-off points for 10-15 wolves that CPW will source from British Columbia during the 2024-25 capture-and-release season starting in December. Tracy Ross has more.
OUTDOORS
Does the rejection of a ban on mountain lion hunting signal a step toward bridging Colorado’s urban-rural divide?
Speaking of wolves, remember when urban voters overwhelmingly approved wolf reintroduction in 2020? This year, they did not show up for Proposition 127, which would have banned mountain lion hunting. It’s the first of four wildlife ballot questions since 1992 that voters turned town. It raises the question, after the troubled rollout of wolf reintroduction in Colorado, with ranchers struggling to deal with wolves, could urban voters finally be listening to their rural neighbors? Jason Blevins dives in.
ELECTION 2024
Denver Ballot Issue 2R: Voters reject sales tax for affordable housing
In a very close race, Denver voters narrowly rejected Mayor Mike Johnston’s plan to raise the local sales tax by 5 cents for every $10 spent in an effort to boost the city’s affordable housing stock. And when I say close, I’m not joking: As of Friday evening, voters opposed the measure by a 50.74% to 49.26% margin. Johnston conceded defeat over the weekend, Brian Eason reports.
Section by Olivia Prentzel | Reporter
THE COLORADO REPORT
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Section by Eric Lubbers | CTO & Newsletter Wrangler
SunLit
REVIEW
A search dog’s skills guide deputy Mattie Wray to a familiar victim in “Standing Dead”
Like many authors, Margaret Mizushima pays particular attention to setting. In “Standing Dead,” another installment in her Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series, she chooses the pine beetle-ravaged Colorado forest, where the deputy Mattie Wray and her K-9 tracker Robo make a horrific discovery.
Section by Kevin Simpson | Writer
Thanks for joining us this Tuesday morning!
— Olivia & the whole staff of The Sun
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