Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water & Air Hosts Colorado River Collaborative Training

Utah State University’s Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air recently hosted a two-day field tour and training event for journalists participating in the Colorado River Collaborative, a statewide partnership of news organizations and the Institute working together to expand and deepen Utah’s coverage of the Colorado River.

“We were excited to reconvene this group in person to share successes of the collaborative and provide more learning and reporting opportunities for broader Colorado River-related issues,” said Anna McEntire, managing director for the institute. “In the past 18 months, collaborative members have doubled their newsrooms’ coverage of these important stories, and they’re receiving national attention as well.”

Reporters and editors from across Utah toured the Price watershed on Oct. 29-30 to learn about the Colorado River from multiple perspectives, including state agencies, conservation organizations, agricultural producers and community partners, to gain a clearer understanding of the challenges and opportunities shaping the Colorado River’s future.

“We co-hosted this year’s tour with partners from Colorado River Authority of Utah, The Nature Conservancy, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Trout Unlimited,” said Stephanie Frohman, associate director for the institute. “Multidisciplinary challenges like Colorado River resilience require strong partnerships, and we were glad to create the opportunity to deepen relationships between regional colleagues while sharing updates on river projects with Utah journalists.”

Collaborative members spent the first day visiting sites near Price and Helper where up-stream habitat and restoration efforts have impacted water savings for the Price River, an important tributary in the Colorado River basin.

Reporters traveled to Olsen Reservoir to understand how agricultural water savings could help create water storage, consistent river flows and wetland habitats. They also met with Helper Mayor Lenise Peterman and walked through the historic town to see Price River restoration projects along the riverwalk and understand the river’s role in the entire town’s revitalization efforts.

Two projects were toured near Scofield, including beaver dam alternatives constructed to redirect Mud Creek and a culvert installed to provide better flows and greater safety along Clear Creek.

“All of these waterways — Clear Creek, Mud Creek, Price River — are part of the Colorado River system,” said Thomas DeHart, Southeast Utah project manager for Trout Unlimited. “So even though we are visiting these small streams, their health is important to the health of the entire Colorado River.”

On the second day of training, journalists met at the Utah State University Eastern campus in Price to hear from Sasha Reed, the incoming director of the USU Center for Colorado River Studies, about how the center will help provide positive impact for the river and people who depend on it.

Participants also heard from Michael Drake, deputy state engineer at the Utah Division of Water Rights, on how Utah is preparing to meet its allocation for the Colorado River Compact. Alix Pfennigwerth, Utah riparian restoration project manager for The Nature Conservancy, shared their work on collaborative and low-cost river restoration.

Since the event, the Colorado River Collaborative has published stories in media outlets such as Fox 13 News, KUER and Utah News Dispatch. More articles will be produced in coming weeks and months.

“This workshop reflects our shared commitment to strengthening public understanding of the Colorado River through high-quality reporting,” Frohman said. “We’re grateful to all our partners and presenters for helping create an experience that empowers journalists with the context and expertise they need.”

The Colorado River Collaborative was launched in April 2024 to address the growing need for in-depth, locally relevant coverage of the Colorado River system, which faces prolonged drought, declining snowpack, increasing demand and ecosystem pressures.

Studies show river flows have declined roughly 20 percent compared to early 20th-century levels, which threatens water supplies, hydropower, recreation and agriculture across the region.

Modeled after the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, which has increased local Great Salt Lake news coverage by twenty-fold, the CRC unites Utah newsrooms in covering the river’s challenges and solutions through shared reporting, multimedia storytelling and public education.

While Utahns have become increasingly aware of the issues facing the Great Salt Lake, the Colorado River’s significance, particularly for southwestern Utah, has often received less public attention. The CRC aims to raise awareness of Utah’s dependence on the river while exploring adaptation and conservation strategies.

“The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the West, and its future affects every Utahn,” McEntire said. “By equipping journalists with tools and expertise, we’re helping ensure the public conversation around water management is informed, accurate and solutions focused.”

About the Institute for Land, Water and Air

The Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air at Utah State University connects academic expertise with policymakers, journalists and communities to promote science-based understanding of Utah’s natural resources. Through partnerships like the Colorado River Collaborative, the institute supports informed public dialogue and data-driven decision-making across the state.