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Today we take a mindful look into our possessions and how they may actually be possessing us.

The Colorado Howl is focused on gray wolf restoration in Colorado following voter approval of Proposition 114 in 2020. The producer is Raymond Toney of Bayfield, a lawyer by trade. Jon Lynch, the Program Director at our Rocky Mountain Community Radio partner station KDUR, based at Fort Lewis College serves as liaison to the project. Plus, for nearly a century, scientists from around the world have studied water and climate in the north end of the Gunnison Valley. And in 2021, the high mountain watershed entered a new chapter: a first-of-its-kind project where scientists will trace snow from where it arrives in the atmosphere, to where it melts into the ground. The research aims to understand water and snow in mountain systems for the first time. This story is the first in a five-episode series, Headwaters, reported by Stephanie Maltarich.

Access to labor and employment standards can be inconsistent for guest workers coming to the U.S. to do farm and ranch work. A local advocacy organization is making great strides to remedy that. Kate Redmond has more. Then the pandemic wreaked havoc in many nursing homes and prisons. State psychiatric hospitals say they controlled COVID-19 a lot better, though there are some notable exceptions. The Mountain West News Bureau’s Madelyn Beck reports.

Dinosaur fossils usually get the limelight in southeastern Utah. But the area also has a treasure trove of Jurassic-era mammals. KZMU’s Justin Higginbottom visited a quarry to speak with archeologists excavating human’s earliest ancestors. Plus, in March, Bluecorn Cafe and Mercantile opened for the first time at the new Bluecorn beeswax candle factory in Montrose. The space features over 25,000 square feet for candle production, distribution, and retail, along with a cafe now open, and a music venue coming soon. Owner Jon Kornbluh walked me around on opening day.

When the University of Colorado’s Spring semester ended, many students left town and also left behind tons of trash. Sam Fuqua from our Rocky Mountain Community Radio partner station KGNU in Boulder looks at what happens to all the stuff.

Today we hear another edition of The Colorado Howl, by Raymond Toney and KDUR. Plus, the streams, creeks and rivers that run from jagged mountains into Crested Butte’s watersheds are iconic. At a glance, water in creeks and streams around the area is clear and pristine. But the legacy of mining tells a different story. For the Headwaters series, Stephanie Maltarich reports on the continued progress being made by the area’s most upstream stewards.

Today we hear another installment of The Colorado Howl by Raymond Toney, distributed by KDUR Durango. Then, Blue Mesa Reservoir once resembled a deep and healthy lake. But a 22-year drought, coupled with obligations to release water to downstream users, has left the reservoir far below the normal high watermark. Experts say it will take a lot more than one snowy winter to refill the reservoir. Reporter Stephanie Maltarich visited both ends of the reservoir to understand its purpose and its future.

El Javi joins Taya Jae to discuss how music allows him to connect with the divine, the beauty of imperfection and his ability to communicate emotions and feelings through his entirely instrumental music.

Raymond Toney shares another edition of The Colorado Howl, about gray wolf reintroduction, from KDUR Durango. Then, in the Upper Gunnison River Basin, a majority of water that melts from mountains is used for agriculture. Fields are irrigated for pasture and hay to feed cattle on nearly 100 ranches in the region. A centuries-old system determines who gets water first and who gets it last. Stephanie Maltarich reports for Headwaters.

Raymond Toney shares one more episode The Colorado Howl, from KDUR in Durango. Then, residents of a mobile home park in Gunnison were recently without water for most of the day. The three wells that supply their water are unreliable. They’ve been speaking up for years without result. Now a few Gunnison residents are working on an initiative to address equity in water issues. Stephanie Maltarich reports for the Headwaters series.