Colorado drought strains communities, tourism and fisheries

Colorado declared a statewide drought emergency on June 4 after historic low snowpack and record‑hot winter conditions left 100% of the state in some level of drought. The Western Slope’s rural towns are grappling with rising mental‑health needs, increased food‑relief requests and agricultural stress, said Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg: “Drought is stressful.”

Tourism losses are evident as skier visits at Winter Park fell 29% and Colorado’s ski industry saw a drop of 3.3 million visits statewide, the lowest since 1991‑92. Winter Park’s sales‑tax revenue is about 10% down year‑to‑date, and seasonal employees at resorts have faced reduced hours or job cuts.

In north‑western Colorado, low river flows and early melt‑off have altered fish behavior. Aquatic biologist Jon Ewert noted an “incredibly good spring for fishing” but warned that “the river flows are going to be extremely low in the summer.” Early spawning of trout and earlier hatching of insects, along with delayed invasive‑pike control, could boost northern pike numbers. State climatologist Russ Schumacher said an active monsoon could bring some relief, but water levels are expected to remain low throughout the summer.