Land & Water
Building resilience through restoration.
Our Goal
At Western Resilience Center, we know that warmer temperatures and aridification are affecting the natural systems we depend on. Through on-the-ground restoration projects, research, and partnerships, we work to improve conditions on our forests, grasslands, rivers, wetlands, and riparian zones. By implementing natural climate solutions and helping our communities adapt their relationship with water, we reduce emissions, strengthen local ecosystems, and help the Yampa Valley adapt to a warmer, drier future.
Why It Matters
Climate change in the West shows up as changes to land and water. As temperatures rise and snowpack declines, landscapes are drying, fire risk is increasing, and water availability is shifting.
Our Work in Land and Water
Visit our Landscapes and Gardens page for local water saving tips & tricks
Water Resilience
Water connects the West.
Water is critical to every aspect of Western resilience. Climate change is already reshaping the timing and availability of water across the Yampa Basin. We support efforts to monitor, plan, and adapt to changing conditions in both natural and built environments.
Initiatives
- Monitoring Water Change
We partner with the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) and Colorado Mountain College to implement the Yampa Basin Atmosphere and Soil Moisture Integrated Network (YBASIN), a growing network of climate monitoring stations tracking snowpack, soil moisture, and atmospheric conditions and correlating them to water availability.
Learn about YBASIN - Urban Water Conservation
We work with residents and utilities to reduce water use through conservation actions like irrigation upgrades, reduction of grass lawns, and native landscaping. We also helped to bring Resource Central’s Garden In A Box program to Routt County, in partnership with the City of Steamboat Springs and Mount Werner Water, in 2025.
View a Guide to Yampascaping
Natural Climate Solutions
Using nature to fight climate change.
Natural climate solutions refer to land and water management practices that increase carbon storage and improve ecosystem health. Globally, these practices can provide up to one-third of the emissions reductions needed to meet climate goals. Locally, they support everything from wetlands and groundwater recharge to river health and biodiversity.
Projects
- Yampa River Forest Restoration Project (YRFRP)
Restoring riparian forests to improve water quality, habitat, and carbon storage
View the YRFRP StoryMap - Annual ReTree Events
Volunteer tree planting events along the Yampa River
View upcoming events - Wetland Restoration
Rewetting and restoring high-elevation meadows and lowland wetlands
More info coming soon - Beaver Co-Existence
Supporting ecological function through beaver activity and human-wildlife collaboration
More info coming soon - Annual Reports
View our Natural Climate Solutions reports
Forest Resilience
Forests are water infrastructure. They’re also carbon banks.
Upland forests support watershed function, slow runoff, anchor soils, and sequester carbon. In a warming climate, we focus on proactive management, wildfire preparedness, and post-fire recovery.
Areas
- Wildfire Mitigation & Education
In partnership with Routt County Wildfire Mitigation Council
Visit routtwildfire.org - Post-Wildfire Regeneration
Working with the U.S. Forest Service to replant, monitor, and restore forest health
See the Forest Resilience StoryMap - Wildfire Ready Watersheds
Supporting basin-wide resilience through coordinated planning and restoration
Learn more about the Headwaters of the Colorado Initiative
