Wyoming
Flaming Gorge Could Be Tapped To Make Up For ‘Horrible’ Colorado River Levels
This could be the year that a brewing crisis along the Colorado River comes to a head. Roughly a third of Flaming Gorge Reservoir could be drained to make up for increasingly desperate downriver water shortages.
“Things are bad in the Upper Green (river drainage). They’re horrible everywhere else,” said Wyoming Senior Assistant Attorney General Chris Brown.
The pressing problem is keeping Lake Powell, on the Utah-Arizona state line, from getting catastrophically low, he said during a meeting of the Wyoming Colorado River Advisory Committee on Friday.
Toward that end, drawdowns from Flaming Gorge might total roughly 1.5 million acre-feet of water, from the reservoir’s total capacity of 3.5 million acre-feet.
An acre-foot is the amount of water it would take to flood an acre of land to the depth of 1 foot.
The drawdowns might begin later this month, running through October.
Lake Powell and Lake Mead in Nevada are the primary water sources for the Colorado River Lower Basin states: Arizona, Nevada and California.
In the face of persistent drought, the Lower Basin states have increasingly turned to the Upper Basin states: Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.
“How many times can you do this? How many times can you go back to the well until the well is dry?” said Brown.
‘An Economic Disaster’
Tony Valdez, owner of Buckboard Marina at Flaming Gorge, said that up until this week, he had expected a typical drawdown to the reservoir, which would be roughly 500,000 acre-feet.
Then word came down from federal officials that the drawdown could soar to 800,000 acre-feet, and possibly more.
That could be terrible for the reservoir’s population of prized kokanee salmon, Valdez told Cowboy State Daily.
A massive drawdown could destroy the kokanee’s spawning areas, he said. And that could come just as Flaming Gorge was starting to establish a reproducing population of the fish without having to depend on stocking.
“Their spawning areas will be completely gone by October. So, again, there will be no spawning kokanees here,” he said.
Because they’re such a huge draw for anglers from all over the region, kokanee are economically valuable, Valdez stated in a letter to Brown and other state officials.
“Kokanee salmon were valued at approximately $75.98 per fish in 2003, with stocking costs of roughly $0.02 per fish (2003 dollars),” he wrote. “A 2003 study estimated approximately 4.1 million repeat-spawning kokanee in Flaming Gorge Reservoir across both Wyoming and Utah waters.
“Assuming an even distribution, this equates to roughly 2.05 million fish per state, representing an estimated economic value of $189.95 million at that time. When adjusted for inflation, the present-day value exceeds $225 per fish (2025 dollars),” Valdez added.
The potential loss of kokanee, loss of access to public boat ramps and the other effects of a huge drawdown would hit small businesses and the regional economy hard, Valdez said.
“This is an economic disaster. It’s crazy,” he said.
“They’re going to take the water, there’s not stopping that,” he added. “But how is that going to affect us as small business owners?”
‘An Incredibly Bad Year’
The last time Flaming Gorge was hit hard with drawdowns was in 2022, Valdez said. However, the winter of 2022-2023 saw massive snowfall across much of Wyoming, which softened the blow.
There might not be such relief coming from Mother Nature this time around, he added.
During the advisory committee meeting, Brown said the water level at Lake Powell is only slightly better than it was in 2002, one of the worst years on record.
“It’s an incredibly bad year. Lake Powell is starting the year at an incredibly low level,” he said.
Lake Powell might need as much as an additional 2.1 million acre-feet from the Upper Basin to meet Lower Basin water demands, and it’s not certain whether the Upper Basin can supply that, he said.
Although the immediate outlook seems dire, things could change and much remains uncertain, Wyoming State Engineer Brandon Gebhart told the committee.
“Things are still dynamic, and still could change,” he said.
Governors Weigh In
In a joint statement released Thursday, Gov. Mark Gordon and the other Upper Basin governors warned of possible water cuts.
“This is an unprecedented year on the Colorado River, and likely will be one of the worst on record,” the governors stated. “A dry year like this reminds us of why it is critical that all who rely on this resource learn to live within its means and adapt our uses accordingly.
“The Upper Division States of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming are actively and strictly regulating water uses. Because of such diminished runoff, existing state laws in the Upper Division States require water users to face cuts to water rights dating back to the 1800s — these cuts are mandatory, uncompensated, and will have significant impacts on water users, including Upper Basin Tribes, and local economies.”
The Upper Basin governors also cautioned against hitting Flaming Gorge and other reservoirs in their states too hard.
“We must have a clear understanding of how these proposed releases will effectively protect elevations at Lake Powell,” they said. “Once the releases conclude, we expect that all water released from Flaming Gorge and other upstream reservoirs will be fully recovered.”
In a separate statement emailed to Cowboy State Daily, Gordon acknowledged that Wyoming could be facing tough times.
“Wyoming understands drought, but that does not make potential actions any less consequential,” Gordon said. “Flaming Gorge is an important economic and water supply resource for Southwestern Wyoming and the Upper Basin States.
“Many of Wyoming’s water users are dealing with potential water restrictions. Any drawdowns of the water level in Flaming Gorge cannot be done without knowing important impacts.”
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
Summer is Wyoming’s season for turning over rocks, poking into holes and walking with a perpetual hunch looking for snakes.
Herpalogists, the zoologists who study amphibians and reptiles, are out scouring the landscape and herping, the term used when they are actively flipping rocks and searching stream beds to find Wyoming’s elusive snakes in their native habitats.
Sometimes those finds can be unexpected. The fork-tongued reptiles appear on a trail when least expected.
Recently, a foot-long “nightcrawler” suddenly moved like a snake and slithered into the rocks, its tail disappearing into the shadows. Rather than a shapeshifter, this was an elusive rubber boa, Wyoming’s tiny constrictor snake that can look like a giant worm at first glance.
These rarely seen creatures are more common in the Cowboy State than most people realize.
“I personally don’t feel that any of our snakes in Wyoming are terribly rare,” said Matt Rasmussen, vice president of the Wyoming Herpetological Society. “However, a lot of them are very rarely encountered because they spend most of their lives either underground or under rocks.”
Rasmussen said most of the secretive snakes in Wyoming only come out at night or when conditions are right — typically warmer, humid times. The rubber boa, for instance, showed up on a day when it had rained and then the temperatures spiked hot.
Rasmussen helped found the new Herpetological Society two years ago to teach others to herp. He said it’s possible to learn more about our state by flipping rocks and seeing what is beneath.
“That’s the great thing with Wyoming,” Rasmussen said. “There is so little known about the herpetofauna — the frogs, lizards, snakes, turtles, etcetera — that live here, and so little known about their distribution.”
He said Wyoming is known for “large charismatic megafauna” such as bison, elk, moose and deer rather than the harder to find animals. As a result, no widespread surveying has been done on smaller non-game species. Wyoming Game and Fish has even asked for community members to help by reporting rarely seen reptiles and amphibians.
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The Great Basin gopher snake is a non-venomous snake found primarily in the western United States and parts of southwestern Canada. You can find these snakes in a wide range of habitats; grasslands, woodlands, and deserts. -
The plains hognose snake can be mistaken for a rattlesnake but is harmless to humans. -
The Eastern yellow-bellied racer is incredibly fast, alert, and primarily hunts during the day using their sharp eyesight. Harmless to humans but feisty and will bite and musky-spray if cornered or handled. -
The smooth green snake is completely non-venomous, quite secretive and rarely seen. The Wyoming Natural Diversity Database said they are mostly found in localized pockets within southeast and south-central Wyoming and the Black Hills area. Their habitat are moist meadows, marshes, stream edges, open woods since they can camouflage in lush vegetation. This snake feeds almost exclusively on insects and spiders such as crickets, grasshoppers and caterpillars.
Elusive, Not Rare
While most people think of the more common bullsnake or venomous rattlesnake when discussing reptiles, Rasmussen said Wyoming is home to many harmless snakes.
According to Rasmussen, a few snakes, such as the colorful pale milk snake and rubber boa, could be considered rare in Wyoming. However, he believes they are just harder to find and most people are not aware of them unless they stumble across them.
“There’s the plains black-headed snake, which we really don’t know much about their distribution in Wyoming,” Rasmussen said. “They’re just not studied and have a limited habitat.”
This tan snake with a black head is small and feeds primarily on centipedes and ant eggs. Rasmussen cautions that when found, rather than kill the strange looking snakes that are harmless, report finding them to Wyoming Game and Fish and leave them in their habitat.
In this way, Rasmussen said, herping can be fun. He encourages people to get into the action.
“There are some other really small fossorial snakes like smooth green snakes, which live along creeks in the mountains and eat caterpillars and spiders,” Rasmussen said. “Then there’s the Black Hills red-bellied snake, which is a very small snake that eats slugs, worms and snails primarily.”
People are often surprised that Wyoming is home to such a large variety of snakes. He especially likes to show off a milk snake, which is harmless and eats lizards and even baby rattlesnakes.
“It is a beautiful, almost tropical-looking animal that lives right here,” Rasmussen said. “They are just rarely encountered.”
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The northern rubber boa is found in the northwest corner of state such as Star Valley and east into the Bighorn Mountains. They are a small, docile, non-venomous constrictors that are rarely seen since they are excellent burrowers and climbers. The Wyoming Game and Fish consider them vulnerable/secretive and track sightings to help build their statewide database. -
The pale milk snake is not a venomous coral snake and is found in the Bighorn Basin, eastern plans and southeastern corner of Wyoming. They are rare to see because they spend their life hiding under rocks, within rocky outcrops, badland scarps, ponderosa pines, and shortgrass prairies according to the University of Wyoming. Since they are so secretive, spotting one in the wild is a rare treat and Wyoming Game and Fish is asking the public to report any sightings for their database. -
The plains black-headed snake is completely harmless because it’s mouth is too small to pierce human skin and its mild venom is for small invertebrates. Due to its secretive nature, it is rare to see one but they are known to be in southeastern Wyoming in the Platte and Carbon Counties. They are very small, secretive, burrowing snakes that spend almost all of their lives underground or hidden beneath rocks and logs, typically only surfacing at night. -
The bull snake or gopher snake is completely non-venomous but does not want you to know that. When threatened, they put on a dramatic show according to the National Park Service. The bullsnake will puff up their bodies, hiss loudly, flatten their head into a triangle and vibrate their tails in dry bush to mimic a rattlesnake. (Matt Rasmussen)
A New Snake & Frog Society
Rasmussen said the new society is trying to educate the community about these fascinating creatures in the Cowboy State that don’t get much attention, such as the skink, a short-legged lizard.
“We’re a group of herpetological enthusiasts who would like to spread the word, educate and do outreach about these animals,” he said.
This outreach includes presentations with live animals, field trips and a conference in November. Wyoming’s reptiles and amphibians remain a mystery, Rasmussen encourages reporting sightings on the app iNaturalist.
“Even if you don’t know what it is, post a picture because there are tens of thousands of experts who will identify that animal,” Rasmussen said. “That’s really important, especially for our herpetofauna in the state.”
He also pointed out that some Wyoming snakes are on the protected list, including the midget faded rattlesnake. They made the list, according to Rasmussen, because people were capturing them and they became popular in among owners who like to keep small venomous snakes as pets.
Rasmussen said awareness is the best protection for Wyoming’s elusive reptiles and he is excited to prove to residents that we don’t have rare snakes, only secretive ones.
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
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