After 20 years of drought, Western Slope ranchers face a choice — keep adapting, or move along
On the side of a dirt road in Gunnison County, a herd of cattle is cooling off in the water of an irrigation ditch. Doug Washburn, range manager for Spann Ranches in southwestern Colorado, points at the hills surrounding the operation’s northern headquarters. … Colorado’s Western Slope is considered a climate hot spot where temperatures are increasing faster than the global average. This warming has contributed to more than 20 years of dryness, which scientists are calling a megadrought.
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