• Environmental Flows and the Endangered Species Act

    Engage

    This lecture by Dr. Mark Squillace of the University of Colorado Law School covers water, public rights, and the Endangered Species Act. This video is part of the Water in the Western US lecture series.

  • Interstate Water Conflicts and Agreements

    Engage

    Interstate Streams Division Administrator for the Wyoming State Engineer's Office, Sue Lowry, gives a lecture on important things to know about how interstate water conflicts can be resolved in the United States. This video is part of the Water in the Western US lecture series.

  • Prior Appropriation

    Engage

    In this video, Assistant Attorney General Kate Ryan from the Colorado Supreme Court gives an overview of water rights across the Western US and the Prior Appropriation Doctrine. Learn why this doctrine is important for learning about water in the west. This video is part of the Water in the Western US project.

  • Water Storage and Delivery Infrastructure

    Engage

    In this video, Dr. Anne Gold from CU Boulder explains the importance of infrastructure for the storage and delivery of water in the dry Western United States. Learn all about the history of this infrastructure and how it has helped societies in the Western United States. This video is part of the Water in the Western US lecture series.

  • Native American Tribes and Water

    Engage

    In this video, Julie Nania from the High Country Conservation Advocates discusses tribal water uses in the Western United States. Learn more about the historical cultural relationship between Native American tribes and natural water. This video is part of the Water in the Western US lecture series.

  • History and Development of Water in the West

    Engage

    Dr. Paul Lander from the University of Colorado Boulder gives a lecture on the history of water resources in the Western United States, from the pre-colonial time period onward. This video is part of the Water in the Western US lecture series.

  • Review of the Water Cycle (with a focus on the Western US)

    Engage

    In this video Dr. Anne Gold and Eric Gordon give a brief review on the different processes involved in the water cycle, specifically in the Western United States.

  • Geography of the West

    Engage

    Eric Gordon and Dr. Anne Gold give an overview on the geographic features that define the Western United States, both physical and political.

  • Important Things to Know About the Course

    Engage

    Eric Gordon and Dr. Anne Gold give an overview on the basics of the various subjects covered in the Water in the Western US lecture series.

  • Why Study Water in the West?

    Engage

    This video serves as an introduction to the Water in the Western US lecture series. The instructors Dr. Anne Gold and Eric Gordon explain the importance of learning about water in the Western United States.

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy.png

    Sharing a River - The Colorado River Story

    Engage

    In Lab 4, students take a journey to the Colorado River Basin near Lees Ferry. They explore aspects of the Colorado River Basin using a variety of resources, interactive maps, and tools such as Google Maps. This journey give them perspective on the scope of the watershed and how various stakeholders have siphoned the water from the river to serve…

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy%202.png

    Arizona and the Colorado River

    Engage

    In this activity, students will learn about the dams and major cities on the Colorado River. They will research why the dams were built and discuss how hydrology plays such a great part in the geography of Arizona. This lesson has strategies for diverse learners (ELLs).

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy%203.png

    The Colorado River Water Story

    Engage

    The Colorado River watershed has always been a subject of great interest and concern. It provides agricultural irrigation and drinking water to farms and cities in seven southwestern states. The intention of this exercise is to be a southwestern regional perspective of a changing climate. You’ll be graphing snowpack in the Colorado Rocky Mountains…

  • Baking the Bread Basket: Drought in the Heartland

    Engage

    From scorching July heat to well-below-average summer rainfall, NOAA’s Deke Arndt, Chief of the Climate Monitoring Branch at the National Climatic Data Center, recaps summer climate conditions across the United States. Running time: 3:02

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy%206.png

    The Hardest Working River in the West

    Engage

    This is a StoryMap on the Colorado River. The story map details the history of the Colorado River, water resources, river management, and tools for managing in the future.

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy%207.png

    Drought Data and Projections

    Engage

    This resource includes 3 videos that are animations of drought data. The first is an animation of the US Drought Monitor drought index snapshots from 2010-2018. The second is an animation of global drought data from satellites from 2013-2018. The third is an animation of drought projections for the US from 1950-2095.

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy%208.png

    U.S. Drought Monitor

    Engage

    This is a real-time map of current drought conditions in the US, which can be zoomed to the state level, with access to many more resources at that level. Some of these include the National Drought Regional Summaries and animations of historical data.

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy%209.png

    Drought Basics

    Engage

    This PBS Learning Media activity addresses drought basics, including its causes and impacts and ways to assess it, by using media from NOAA and NASA. It defines the types of drought, the impacts, monitoring, and responses to drought. Use this resource to stimulate thinking and questions on the complexity of drought and to identify some variables…

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy%2010.png

    SciJinks: Precipitation Simulator

    Engage

    A computer simulator that allows students to adjust the air temperature and dew point to see what type of precipitation would fall to the ground.

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy%2012.png

    National Integrated Drought Information System: Data, Maps and Tools

    Engage

    This is a extensive collection of maps, data, and tools that students can use to research drought and its impacts on agriculture, wildfires, water supply, vegetation, soil moisture, temperature and precipitation.

  • Too Much, Too Little

    Engage

    This video describes the joint NASA-JAXA GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) satellite mission and why it is necessary for monitoring precipitation around the Earth. It also discusses the science around issues of having too much or too little precipitation such as landslides and drought. It emphasizes the need for data to fill in gaps, and why…

  • Assessing Drought in the United States

    Engage

    This easy-to-understand video animation describes drought and explains the different categories of drought used by the drought monitor. It discusses the effects of and contributions to drought, what the implications of the different drought levels are, and puts the drought maps into context to understand how the impacts vary geographically (e.g.…

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy%2014.png

    Changing Planet: Withering Crops

    Engage

    This video examines what will happen to crops as Earth's temperature rises and soils dry out because of changing climate. Video length: 5:50 min.

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy%2017.png

    Tracking Water Using NASA Satellite Data

    Engage

    Using real data from NASA's GRACE satellites, students will track water mass changes in the U.S., data that measures changes in ice, surface and especially groundwater. The background information includes an animated video about where water exists and how it moves around Earth, as well as short video clips to introduce the GRACE mission and…

  • /sites/default/files/2020-10/Abstract%20Art%20Square%20Pillow%20copy%2019.png

    Earth's Water Cycle

    Engage

    This NASA video provides a nice overview of Earth's water cycle from the perspective of looking at Earth from space. Video length is 5:52 min.

  • What does water mean to you and your community?

    Share your stories and perspectives about water in your community. 
    You can upload photos, videos, or text here.

    Share