An initiative of the Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder

Aerial videos and images: Yampa River flight, May 2021

See download info This page features aerial video footage and still images of the Yampa River and its watershed. DateMay 6, 2021LocationYampa River, Colorado (map)PilotDavid ColeEditorMitch TobinOrganizationsLightHawk and The Water Desk...

Tour the San Joaquin River

An interactive map visualizes restoration efforts on the San Joaquin River.

Photos and videos: Colorado River near Parshall, Colorado, September 2020

This page features drone-captured photos and videos of the Colorado River near Parshall, Colorado. Located in the river's headwaters region, this stretch between Hot Sulphur Springs and Kremmling is...

Unclear waters: How pollution, diversions and drought are squeezing the life out of the...

The Arkansas Valley Conduit promises to bring clean drinking water to more residents of southeast Colorado.

Photos and videos: Blue Mesa Reservoir, December 2020

This page features ground-based photos of Blue Mesa Reservoir, along the Gunnison River in Curecanti National Recreation Area. Created by 390-foot Blue Mesa Dam, the reservoir has a capacity of...

Photos and videos: Navajo Lake and San Juan River, April 2021

This page features drone-captured videos and images of Navajo Lake, a reservoir that impounds the San Juan River in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Completed in 1962, Navajo...

Corporate support for the river

For decades, water managers and environmentalists have worked to keep a critical stretch of the drought-stressed Colorado River healthy enough to support endangered fish. This year, they’re getting a...

Wildfires and wetlands

Residents in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, see first-hand how wildfires can damage wetlands and watersheds vitally important to their water supply. Jerd Smith reports for The Water Desk. https://player.vimeo.com/video/553127855 Length: 2:03 Download script Download...

Photos and videos: Hanging Flume and Dolores River

This page features photos and drone videos of the Hanging Flume above the Dolores River in southwest Colorado. Built from around 1888 to 1891 (sources vary), the flume transported...

The megadrought hits Lake Powell

In the 1960s, Glen Canyon Dam created Lake Powell, the 186-mile-long reservoir intended to store Colorado River flows from the Rocky Mountains. With the flows reduced by drought and...