Welcome to winter. Alamosa received 5 inches of snow over the weekend and saw back-to-back overnight readings of -14 degrees to put us in the winter groove. Lots of bright sunshine in the forecast for the week, with highs reaching back into the 40s. Here’s more as we head deeper into January.
1. Wolves in the Valley
Collared Colorado gray wolf 2516 has been traveling thousands of miles through the state and spent the first couple of days of 2026 on the San Luis Valley floor. Now she’s “significantly north of the Valley,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife Area Manager Rick Basagoita told us over the weekend after The Citizen received reports of wolf sightings in Rio Grande County. Basagoita confirmed that the traveling female was in the San Luis Valley on Jan. 2 and 3. She moved through the area, didn’t spend any significant time in any particular place and then moved on. Basagoita says CPW also has been receiving calls of wolf sightings in the Valley that are actually dogs.
2. High school graduation rates
The Colorado Department of Education will release 2024-25 graduation and drop-out rates as well as 2025-26 student enrollment reports this week. The data will show the percentage of seniors graduating in the class of 2025. The class of 2024 had a 84.2 percent graduation rate across Colorado, the highest in more than a decade. Most Valley school districts matched or exceeded the state’s 2023-24 rate, with Alamosa an exception with a 79 percent graduation. What will the 2024-25 date show? We’ll report back.
3. Valley Pod: Student FOMO
Luis Murillo, assistant superintendent for Alamosa Schools, is on The Valley Pod talking about the school district’s process to develop a student cell phone policy. All school districts in Colorado are required to adopt a policy by July 2026 and in time for the 2026-2027 school year. Feedback from students: not having a phone brings “Fear Of Missing Out” or FOMO – a phenomenon you’ve no doubt heard phrased in the age of social media and smart phones. Listen to this episode of The Valley Pod and subscribe to future episodes wherever you get your podcasts.
4. To meet at night, or not
The Alamosa County Commissioners held a work session last week. Among the topics was whether the Board of County Commission should meet in the evenings to attract more audience or keep the meetings during the daytime. The work session was held at night to test the idea and about 20 people showed up, which included Alamosa County staff, members of its planning commission and some residents. Alamosa County commissioners, like every other board of county commission in Colorado, currently meets during the day beginning at 8:30 a.m. every other Wednesday. The Alamosa City Council, meanwhile, meets regularly at night, as most city councils do in Colorado. The guidance from the commissioners seems to be that maybe a routine night work session is good for all, but the meetings that typically run six hours in length should probably stay in the daytime. No decisions were made.
5. Alamosa’s ICE protest
A few dozen souls showed up on Main Street in Alamosa on Saturday for an “ICE Out For Good” protest, one of 1,000 protests that occurred across America in memory of Renee Good, who was killed last week by an ICE agent in Minnesota. One question the killing has surfaced is whether Americans have a right to videotape an ICE encounter? The simple answer is “Yes.” Federal courts have held that the First Amendment protects the right to record police activity or anyone for that matter in public spaces, whether through videotaping or photographing.
6. Saving the Colorado River
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has released its draft plan to manage the Colorado River after 2026, when current operating agreements expire between the seven states that rely on the river. Public comment on the post-2026 alternatives runs from Jan. 16 to March 2, and BLM is planning two virtual public meetings for additional feedback. The Colorado River has lost about 20 percent of its flow during this century. “Prolonged drought conditions over the past 25 years, combined with forecasts for continued dry conditions, have made development of future operating guidelines for the Colorado River particularly challenging,” BLM states in its draft plan. BLM warns of potentially “large and unprecedented” mandatory reductions in water use. It says the Colorado River Basin is “experiencing increased aridity due to climate variability” and that “long-term drought” is expected in the future. Sounds like the Rio Grande, although some climate scientists warn the Rio Grande is in worse shape.
7. Welcome to 150 Years in the Valley
It will be a monthly column by Barbara Kruse, who pitched the idea of a history column documenting 150 years of Colorado statehood in context to 150 years of the San Luis Valley. Barb’s a member of Alamosa Citizen. We like working with our members and providing an opportunity to showcase their talent. Here’s the debut column, Welcome to 150 Years in the Valley. Watch for it the first Friday of each month.
8. Impressive Yetis
Everything about the San Luis Valley Youth Hockey Association and its Yetis youth teams is impressive. The skill and level of play; the hundreds of family members, friends and out of towners who frequent the games; and the sheer pleasure of watching competitive youth hockey at the Alamosa Ice Rink. Over the weekend, the Yetis’ 18-under team held its first home games of the 2026 season as well as recognized their high school seniors. In addition to the 18-under team, which defeated El Paso, TX, 10-2 in a Sunday afternoon game, the Yetis’ field two developmental teams – 12-under and 14-under.