2 Degrees Out West

Are you ready to refresh your understanding of water use and make strides in conservation as we unveil the innovative Growing Water Smart program in Utah? Our conversation delves into the intricate connection between land and water use, revealing the crucial role that reducing water use plays in our environment and key ecosystems, such as the Colorado River and the Great Salt Lake. We're join...

What if you could uncover the often-overlooked environmental challenges faced by Latino communities? Today, we're excited to bring you a crucial conversation with Juan Roberto Madrid from Green Latinos, an organization tirelessly working towards addressing climate justice. This compelling episode invites you to join us on Juan Roberto's extraordinary journey from his 33-year healthcare c...

Are you prepared for wildfire season? Today, we're joined by Brendan Witt, former host of Two Degrees Out West and current Western Lands Policy Fellow at WRA, to help us better understand the increasing risk of wildfires in the western US. Brendan shares his unique journey from the world of craft beer to working on land use planning, prescribed fire, and wildfire mitigation. Discover how his...

How can we reduce our water use and support local ecosystems? Easy, turf replacement, water wise landscaping and planting native gardens. It can seem like an overwhelming task for homeowners and businesses but there are many resources, tools and financial support. The end result are beautiful spaces that support the surrounding plants and animals and make people happier too.  On this episode of 2...

Austin Campbell is a Denver-based fly fishing guide that works with Trouts Fly Fishing and runs the non-profit Community Fly Fishing , to introduce inner-city kids and underserved Denver residents to the joys of fishing and the serenity of the outdoors. In this episode of 2 Degrees Out West, we chat about the joys of fly fishing, how climate change is affecting the sport and the work Austin is doi...

Crystal Tulley-Cordova, PhD, MWR is the principal hydrologist in the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources Water Management Branch. She's an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and she received a doctoral degree in geology and an interdisciplinary graduate certificate in sustainability from the University of Utah. In this episode, we speak with Crystal about water in the Navajo Nation...

Public Utility Commissions play a major role in the clean energy future, utility rates and more but what do we really know about these regulating bodies? Listen in as we take a look behind the curtain at PUCs with transportation electrification policy analyst Deb Kapiloff. Further Reading Learn more about electricity regulation in the U.S. Take a deeper dive into the different types of utilities (...

Tahlia Bear is the Indigenous Peoples Engagement Manager at WRA. Her work focuses on building relationships with Tribes, identifying ways we can support one another and making sure that Indigenous voices are always heard. In this episode, we discuss some of the challenges facing Tribes in the context of climate change and beyond. We chat about Tribal sovereignty, regional energy markets, Tribal ut...

We asked the WRA community to submit Little Love Letters to the West to celebrate the West and our new brand launch. In this episode, we talk with WRA president, Jon Goldin-Dubois about the new brand, the future of WRA, and his favorite part of the West. We've also included nine of the Love Letters we've received from various staff members, board members, and supporters of WRA. Further R...

Western Lands Manager, Brittany Fallon, has channeled her love for New Mexico and the environment into a career championing climate solutions in the Land of Enchantment. She loves river rafting on the Chama and snowshoeing with her dog Cooper whenever she's not fighting for our Western Lands. In this episode, we learn about The Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, a bill Brittany has worked on fo...

Who is affected every day by traffic smog and trucks?  On this episode, we chat with proud Las Vegas native, Jermareon Williams, WRA's newest government affairs manager for the state of Nevada. Find out more about Vegas, Medium and Heavy Duty Vehicles, pollution, and how we can stop it in this storytelling-style podcast from Western Resource Advocates. Further Reading Read more about Medium a...

Join us for a journey to the Black Rock Desert with Stacey Wittek the executive director of The Friends of Black Rock High Rock . This Northern Nevada national conservation area is best known for land speed records, emigrant trails, rocket launches and Burning Man. Find out what else the Black Rock Desert holds in this storytelling-style podcast from Western Resource Advocates. Further Reading Lea...

The Colorado River is the hardest working river in the West, providing water for over 40 million people, 5.5 million acres of agriculture, 20 federally recognized tribes, and vibrant wildlife across seven states and two countries. It is essential for the lives and livelihoods of communities across our region – and it is in crisis. In this latest episode, we dove into the threats facing the Colorad...

From ongoing megadrought, dangerous ground-level ozone pollution and heat waves, and increasing frequent catastrophic wildfires to erratic, devastating floods, communities across the West are experiencing the impacts of climate change right now, in real time. The impacts of the climate crisis are no longer a looming threat in the distant or even near future, they are now a present reality, and are...

Clean air is essential for a healthy quality of life for our region. Breathing in fresh air and enjoying our region’s abundant outdoor natural beauty is what some of us love most about calling the West home. But contrary to the idyllic image that might conjure up, many of the states across the Interior West are home to some of the nation’s worst air quality.  Although we might often think of carbo...

At WRA, we are working to drive on-the-ground solutions to climate change to advance clean energy, protect air, land, water, and wildlife—and sustain the lives and livelihoods of the West. And across the West, we know that almost every aspect of our lives is being impacted by the effects of climate change. From water scarcity and ongoing drought, to catastrophic wildfire and dangerous air quality...

Protecting our clean air, healthy rivers and lakes, and natural landscapes to ensure a healthy, livable future are goals that we can seemingly all agree on. However, for decades, the work to achieve those goals and the professions that pursue them have traditionally been seen as male dominated spaces. At Western Resource Advocates, we want to celebrate some of the incredible women on our staff, an...

For this latest installment of our podcast in recognition of Black History Month, WRA's Kandice Cleveland takes over for Brendan as guest host. Kandice spoke with WRA Western Lands Policy Analyst and Rising Routes founder Jason Swann, and Portia Prescott, founder of Black Girls Hike and a new member of our board of directors. The conversation focused on learning more about how our staff and b...

At Western Resource Advocates, we work where decisions are made to drive on-the-ground solutions to climate change, advance clean energy, protect air, land, water, and wildlife — and sustain the lives and livelihoods of the West. That means engaging with policymakers at state legislatures each year to ensure that important issues are addressed. To find out what issues are priorities for our missio...

With so much intense news about climate change constantly in front of us, it can be easy to lose sight of the real potential we have to address this challenge if we work together. To wrap up this extraordinary and strange year, WRA President Jon Goldin-Dubois joins the podcast to reflect on what his summer trip hiking the Colorado Trail can tell us about how we can work together to address climate...

We are all feeling the impacts of climate change, and experiencing them in a real and emotional sense. While the evidence of the impacts of climate change are all around us, are we really allowing ourselves to feel these impacts personally? How can we both process this existential issue, and turn those emotions into action? How do we avoid feeling panic over the future, and stay motivated to act b...

At WRA, we work where decisions are being made – including at state legislative sessions across the West. As legislatures across the West convene for 2021, we sat down with our Government Affairs team for a preview of the issues ahead, in our latest episode of our podcast, 2° Out West: 2 Degrees Out West is a podcast from Western Resource Advocates , an environmental conservation organization that...

As 2020 draws to a close, we spoke with WRA President Jon Goldin Dubois about how our organization is stepping up to the challenges ahead. 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 Ari...

We don’t have to tell you that this year has been a tough one. From the global pandemic, worsening drought conditions, and yet another season of catastrophic wildfires that have impacted so many, this year has unquestionably stood apart from the rest. But through all the struggles of 2020, there has also been some important progress made in our work to protect the West’s land air and water. That w...

As climate change experts warn that our climate will only continue to get hotter if we don’t take decisive action on climate soon, we spoke with some of WRA’s water experts, as well as with ranchers and Navajo tribal water official to understand whatthis drought means for people across the West, and what we can do to protect our rivers in the face of a mega drought. 2 Degrees Out West is a podcast...