Creating a more diverse outdoors; Colorado River cuts; state of evictions

On this week’s Colorado Edition, we learn about grants aimed at helping people of color feel more comfortable in Colorado’s outdoors. Also, the Colorado River has hit an important deadline and cuts are impending. We hear more about the future of water in the states affected. Finally, we learn more about evictions in Colorado and what some are doing to protect people from them.

Featured Segments

Colorado’s trails, campgrounds and parks are getting more crowded, but surveys show the droves of visitors are overwhelmingly white and wealthy. A new initiative launching this summer hopes to change that. As KUNC’s Scott Franz reports, the state’s new outdoor equity grants are helping people of color feel comfortable in nature.

Water cuts are coming to some users along the Colorado River next year. They’re not enough to keep the river’s largest reservoirs from declining though. The federal government promises to take action to keep water flowing to 40 million people in the southwest, but as KUNC’s Alex Hager reports, without firm agreements to conserve among the states that rely on it, what comes next for the river remains unclear.

Earlier this month, the White House gathered stakeholders from around the country to discuss evictions in the U.S. The goal of the summit was to build on resources created during the pandemic to protect people from eviction. An organization from Colorado was invited to contribute to the conversation. Zach Neumann is the co-founder and executive director of the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project. KUNC's Beau Baker spoke with Neumann this week about the project and the state of evictions in Colorado.

Credits

Colorado Edition is hosted by Yoselin Meza Miranda and produced by the KUNC newsroom, led by news director Sean Corcoran. Web was edited by digital operations manager Ashley Jefcoat. 

The mission of Colorado Edition is to deepen understanding of life in Northern Colorado through authentic conversation and storytelling. Colorado Edition is made possible with support from our KUNC members. Thank you!

Our theme music was composed by Colorado musicians Briana Harris and Johnny Burroughs. Other music in the show by Blue Dot Sessions.