The week opens with a taste of spring-like 60-degree weather, then turns to possible snow and stays frigid cold into the weekend. February is averaging 54.1 degrees, or more than 10 degrees warmer than usual. Snowpack remains historically low across the Upper Rio Grande and Colorado River basins. More below:
1. Colorado River standoff
With no agreement on how to deal with the troubling levels of the Colorado River Basin, the U.S. Department of Interior says it is moving forward with finalizing operating guidelines for the Colorado River reservoirs by Oct. 1. “While the seven Basin States have not reached full consensus on an operating framework, the Department cannot delay action,” the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said in its announcement. The Bureau of Reclamation released a February 24-month study showing inflow to Lake Powell declining by 1.5 million acre-feet since January as the federal agency highlights the worsening hydrologic conditions across the Colorado River Basin. The lack of agreement among the seven compact states and the idea of federal intervention raises the prospect of litigation that would be drawn out and ultimately end with the U.S. Supreme Court.
2. Congressman Hurd’s ‘no tariff’ vote
Third Congressional District Rep. Jeff Hurd called it one of his “most consequential votes” in Congress. He was among six Republicans who joined Democratic House colleagues voting to revoke tariffs that President Trump imposed on Canada last year. “In Western and Southern Colorado, trade policy has real consequences. Our farmers operate on tight margins, and retaliatory tariffs strain exports. The largest steel rail mill in the country is in my district, and it depends on stable markets and predictable costs. When policy becomes unpredictable, jobs and investment are affected,” said Hurd, who is completing his first term representing the district that includes the San Luis Valley and Pueblo. Hurd is up for re-election in 2026 and has drawn a challenger for the Republican nomination in Hope Scheppelman. Alex Kelloff, with roots in the Valley, is seeking the Democratic nomination. Hurd called his vote on Canadian tariffs, “a vote about who controls tariff and trade policy in the United States, and how those decisions affect families, farmers, and manufacturers here at home.”
3. Preserving La Morada
In San Luis sits a decaying La Morada. Constructed in the 1860s, La Morada served as the gathering place and spiritual center for La Fraternidad Piadosa de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno (The Pious Fraternity of Our Father Jesus the Nazarene), colloquially known as Penitentes. Within the walls of La Morada, the community prayed, sang, mourned and celebrated. With San Luis’ La Morada in decaying condition, Colorado Preservation Inc. has placed the site on Colorado’s Most Endangered Places List to help give the property’s owner, Sandy Ortega, the technical support to restore it.
4. Valley Pod: Levi Gallas
Adams State signed 21 high school football recruits from Colorado as head coach Levi Gallas works to turn around the program. The coach goes through the recruiting class in this episode of The Valley Pod. The Grizzlies will hold a spring game on May 1 and the season opener will be held on Thursday, Aug. 27, against Western New Mexico.
5. State high school wrestling qualifiers
Alamosa dominated the Class 3A region 3 state qualifying wrestling tournament over the weekend. The Moose crowned six individual champions and qualified 13 wrestlers for the state tournament in winning region 3. Jeremiah Delacerda (106 pounds); Anthony Meder (120 pounds); Uriah Martinez (138 pounds); Daniel Martinez (144 pounds); and Tony Griego (150 pounds) all won individual regional titles. On the girls’ side, Alamosa qualified five wrestlers, with Gizelle Meraz (115 pounds) and Samantha Maestas (120 pounds) each winning regional titles. In all, 36 boys and 11 girls from high school schools around the San Luis Valley qualified for the state tournament, which will be held Feb. 19-21 at Ball Arena in Denver.