What is Prop 137?

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Visit yesonprop137.com

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Colorado just experienced its worst snowpack on record. 

The impacts of record-breaking drought are straining our water supplies and worsening our Wildfire risk. 

On top of that, approximately 80% of the state's land lacks permanent protection and could be lost to development. Forest and Wildfire scientists estimate that Colorado needs up to 200 million more every year to limit the risks of catastrophic Wildfire, conserve Clean Water supplies and protect the state's most important lands and Waters from development. 

Over the summer we've been talking about all of the different ways that we use conservation funding to advance protections for land and water.


This year Colorado has a chance to permanently commit dollars for the work that's urgently needed to protect the state from dangerous severe wildfires and the impacts of drought. WRA and our partners worked to get Proposition 137 on the November ballot.  Prop 137 provides Coloradoans with the chance to act now and protect what we love most about our state.

On this podcast, we explore what Prop 137 does, why we put it forward, and most importantly - how you can get involved.

On today's episode: How Colorado can protect its most valuable resource – nature – via Prop 137.

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.
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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.
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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.

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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.
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