Opinion: Tribal Nations must be at the table to find water solutions
In southwestern Colorado, multiple years of hot and dry conditions have drained many of our reservoirs. This year we expect that a section of the Pine River, which runs through the heart of the Southern Ute Reservation, will run completely dry due to dry conditions and irrigation diversions by Tribal and non-Tribal irrigators. Unfortunately, what’s happening with the Pine River is becoming all too common across the Colorado River Basin and the West. Scientists have concluded that the ongoing severe drought conditions we’re facing are primarily due to climate change.
-Written by Celene Hawkins, the Colorado and Colorado River Tribal Engagement Program director for The Nature Conservancy; and Lorelei Cloud, of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation and Council Member for the Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council.