Catastrophic wildfires have been one of the main headlines of the summer.

Every year millions of dollars are spent fighting wildfires in the West. Across our region, from Colorado to Utah, fires have burned through communities and watersheds. Social media is littered with videos of the tragic impacts on landscapes and homes. After a fire is contained, communities face another challenge: rebuilding post fire.

While rebuilding structures and roads is an obvious challenge, there are less obvious issues that must also be addressed – like the impacts on our water.

The rivers of the West are facing a constellation of threats in 2026. Drought, pollution and overuse all come to mind. Fire, not always as much.  For fish, water managers, and municipalities however, it is high on the list of concerns, and it should be for you, too. Uncontrolled wildfire is one of many modern threats that not only damages ecosystems in the West but also creates expensive water quality problems for our communities.

Today we're looking at how we can keep rivers in the West healthy, how we can solve for the threats of catastrophic wildfire before they become crises, and how to make sure that this work is getting done on the scale needed to protect Colorado and the West.

Welcome back to our series of conservation funding. We're looking at all the way that we can use dedicated sources of money to protect our home in the West. 

On today’s episode: Watershed health.

2 Degrees Out West is a podcast from Western Resource Advocates, an environmental conservation organization that's focused on the Interior West. WRA works across seven states to protect our climate, land, air, and water. WRA protects and advocates for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming.

2 Degrees out West is a podcast for advocates and decision makers who want to fight climate change and its impacts across the West.

On 2 Degrees Out West we talk with climate experts and advocates to bring you stories, experiences, and insights from their work in the places we call home.

It is Hosted by Dave Papineau

Want to be part of 2 Degrees Out West?

• Email us with thoughts, suggestions, and interviewees at dave.papineau@westernresources.org.
• Follow us @westernresourceadvocates on Instagram.
• Create a clip sharing "our Bright Climate Future for the West" and send it to us at dave.papineau@westernresources.org. to be included in one of our next episodes.
• Join our email list to stay updated on when new episodes are released and calls to action on how you can help the West.
• ...

It’s hard not to be aware of the drought in the west this summer. 

If you've been following along, you probably know that the Colorado River is in a lot of trouble. 

The river is bankrupt. It already does not have enough water to meet demands. And we’re about to overdraw our account– with devastating consequences.

Without decisive action to save water, the river system could collapse after just one more dry year.

A system collapse means that the West has drained its accessible savings in Lake Powell and Lake Mead. The only water left would be what is flowing in the river, and that is nowhere near enough to meet current demands. Farmers, ranchers, businesses, and communities would not be able to count on the river’s reservoirs.

....

The Colorado River’s management guidelinesexpire in October, yet the seven states that rely on its waters have been unable to reach an agreement on what happens next – leaving these decisions in the hands of the federal government.

In the absence of a state deal, The Bureau of Reclamation published their plan for managing the Colorado River when the current guidelines expire. WRA’s experts are digging in to these documents and breaking down exactly what the plan means for our future.

On this WRA Bonus episode: What is the Plan for the Colorado River?

2 Degrees Out West is a podcast from Western Resource Advocates, an environmental conservation organization that's focused on the Interior West. WRA works across seven states to protect our climate, land, air, and water. WRA protects and advocates for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming.

2 Degrees out West is a podcast for advocates and decision makers who want to fight climate change and its impacts across the West.

On 2 Degrees Out West we talk with climate experts and advocates to bring you stories, experiences, and insights from their work in the places we call home.

It is Hosted by Dave Papineau

Want to be part of 2 Degrees Out West?

• Email us with thoughts, suggestions, and interviewees at dave.papineau@westernresources.org.
• Follow us @westernresourceadvocates on Instagram.
• Create a clip sharing "our Bright Climate Future for the West" and send it to us at dave.papineau@westernresources.org. to be included in one of our next episodes.
• Join our email list to stay updated on when new episodes are released and calls to action on how you can help the West.
• ...

This podcast is available in a video format. Find that here:

Cars have gotten safer in the last 50 years. Auto manufacturers and government regulators have spent a lot of time working on making it safer to drive.

But the best way to be safe in a car is to not crash in the first place.

In Colorado, there are thousands of vehicle collisions with wildlife every year. Roads fragment habitat and migration patterns, forcing wildlife to try to get across busy highways — often resulting in tragic outcomes for people and wildlife. Even mild collisions are very expensive for the state and nearby communities. The average cost of hitting a mule deer is over $23,000.

Fortunately, there is a commonsense solution that protects both drivers and animals: wildlife crossings.

In 2026, WRA helped pass bipartisan legislation that will reduce the number of collisions in Colorado by building more crossings.

The benefits of preventing wildlife-vehicle collisions go far beyond safety. Wildlife crossings also connect critical habitat and safeguard ecological resilience, helping the West's unique species thrive even in a changing climate. With more funding, Colorado and states in the West can do even more to protect our communities and wildlife populations.

We talked to an expert to learn all about it.

Welcome back to our series about conservation funding in the West. In these episodes, we're exploring how the West can protect our wildlife, support our ecosystems, and make outdoor recreation accessible to everyone.

2 Degrees Out West is a podcast from Western Resource Advocates, an environmental conservation organization that's focused on the Interior West. WRA works across seven states to protect our climate, land, air, and water. WRA protects and advocates for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming.

2 Degrees out West is a podcast for advocates and decision makers who want to fight climate change and its impacts across the West.

On 2 Degrees Out West we talk with climate experts and advocates to bring you stories, experiences, and insights from their work in the places we call home.

It is Hosted by Dave Papineau

Want to be part of 2 Degrees Out West?

• Email us with thoughts, suggestions, and interviewees at dave.papineau@westernresources.org.
• Follow us @westernresourceadvocates on Instagram.
• Create a clip sharing "our Bright Climate Future for the West" and send it to us at dave.papineau@westernresources.org. to be included in one of our next episodes.
• Join our email list to stay updated on when new episodes are released and calls to action on how you can help the West.
• ...