A March heat wave will move through the San Luis Valley this week. Temperatures are forecasted to hit into the high 70s, which would shatter daily high records for the month. The first day of spring is March 20, not that Mother Nature is following along. Here’s more:
1. Early start to irrigation season
Irrigators are pumping water from the Upper Rio Grande Basin two weeks ahead of the normal April 1 start after a greenlight from the Colorado Division of Water Resources. “We are already seeing an increase in streamflows due to the warmer weather, and it is beneficial for water rights holders to be able to use this water while it is available,” said Craig Cotten, the Division 3 engineer for Colorado Division of Water Resources. After a dry winter and what looks like a dry spring, the Valley is pinning its hopes on a wet summer.
2. Opening of Alamosa’s downtown high school
It’s spring break across the Valley. When students enrolled in the Alamosa Alternative and Online school return in a week, they’ll report to their new school located at Main Street and San Juan Avenue in Downtown Alamosa. “The new facility provides expanded classroom space, allowing us to grow the student population at the Alamosa Alternative School,” Superintendent Diana Jones said in a message to families. The city of Alamosa capped the school district’s enrollment to its downtown school at 100 students. There is room to negotiate if the alternative school enrollment grows as the school district anticipates.
3. ‘More than a transportation hub’
Sirah Masters has a whole new way of seeing San Luis Valley Regional Airport. As the airport manager, Masters is initiating a series of community events that she hopes will help residents feel a connection to the Valley’s airport beyond its daily flights. “We are prioritizing bringing people from the community to the airport,” says Masters. She took over as airport manager in September 2025 and has focused on community outreach to help build awareness. The first of the events is a collaboration with the Adams State Visual Arts Department that will have students displaying works of art around the airport terminal. The exhibition “Art at Altitude” will open with a public reception on Tuesday, March 24.
4. The Valley Pod: ‘Fatal Beauty’
An upcoming series of events titled “Fatal Beauty: The Border, Nations & People” is the latest effort by Adams State and its office of community and global impact to get across a deeper understanding of the issues and topics in a global world. Florencio Aranda III, Ph.D., vice president for community and global impact at Adams State, along with Nielsen Library’s Candice Taylor and Greg Wilson, join us in this episode of The Valley Pod to preview the event series, which kicks off March 25.
5. Alamosa mayor gains state appointment
Alamosa Mayor Ty Coleman has been appointed as a member of the State Board of Equalization, which sets the residential assessment rate used to calculate property taxes on Colorado homeowners.
6. Traffic cones: US Highway 285
CDOT will perform week-long culvert replacement operations on US Highway 285, approximately one mile north of La Jara (mile point 21). Beginning Monday, March 16, motorists should plan for full stops and up to 15-minute delays through Friday, March 20.
- Working hours will be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday
- 24/7 one-way alternating traffic guided by a portable traffic signal
- Full stops in both directions and up to 15-minute delays during daytime working hours
- Traffic fines will be doubled in the work zone. Motorists should slow down as they approach the work zones, drive with caution, allow extra space between vehicles, and give themselves extra travel time
7. Adams at championships
Adams State returned home with a pair of women’s indoor track national champions and a third-place women’s team trophy from the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships held over the weekend of March 13-14 at the Virginia Beach Sports Center, VA. Ava O’Connor added to her collection of NCAA Division II medals by winning the mile run in 4 minutes, 44.04 seconds. Teammate Lieke Hoogsteen won gold in the 800 meters at 2 minutes, 04.23 seconds. Adams State thought it also claimed the men’s indoor mile title after Housem Hrabi won the men’s mile, only to be disqualified following a review of an interference with Dylan Sprecker on the final lap.
At the NCAA DII wrestling championships, Aaden Valdez finished third for the second year in a row. Valdez lost a tough semifinal match, 4-3, to Joel Jesuroga of St. Cloud, MN. He fought back with an 8-4 decision over Easton Worachek of Wisconsin-Parkside for third place. Valdez was the Grizzlies top finisher out of six qualifiers.