Jicarilla Apache Nation’s lease agreement with New Mexico is a first for the state and will help endangered fish in the San Juan River
Shannon Mullane
Shannon Mullane writes about the Colorado River Basin and Western water issues for The Colorado Sun. She frequently covers water news related to Western tribes, Western Slope and Colorado with an eye on issues related to resource management, the environment and equity. Her work is funded by a grant from the Catena Foundation.
Born in East Tennessee, Shannon has been in Colorado for about a decade and is based in Durango in southwest Colorado. Before joining the Sun's team, she contributed award-winning reporting on government, environment, health and more as a staff writer for The Durango Herald and as an intern for the Colorado Independent. She has also contributed reporting and photography to High Country News, The Salt Lake Tribune, ProPublica and Collective Colorado.
During her master's program at the University of Colorado Boulder, she focused her studies on environmental issues in Colorado and the West. Shannon attained a conversational fluency in French while working as an English language teacher in southern France.
Topic Expertise: Colorado River Basin, Colorado water, tribal water, water management, environment
Location: Durango
Language(s) in addition to English: French
Education: University of Tennessee, Knoxville (BA global studies, minor: french, grad: 2014); University of Colorado Boulder (MA in journalism, focus on environmental journalism, grad: 2019)
Honors & Awards: Shannon has received 18 awards in news contests. The Society of Professional Journalists, Colorado chapter, awarded Shannon with seven first-place awards; three, second place; and three, third place between 2019 and 2022 in the multi-state Top of the Rockies contest. The Colorado Press Association awarded Shannon three first-place awards and two second place awards between 2019 and 2022 in the Better News Contest.
Professional membership(s): Society of Environmental Journalists; Indigenous Journalists Association
Contact:
X (Formerly Twitter): @shannonmullane
Posted inWater
Charles Wilkinson, CU professor who advocated for key land and water rights for Native American tribes, has died
The “enthusiastically present” scholar immersed himself and his students in the life and the law of the West.
Posted inWater
Colorado River officials weigh how to cut water, include tribes ahead of looming negotiations
Tribal, state and federal officials converged on Boulder to discuss key concerns and make wish lists to address the river basin’s uncertain water future.
Posted inWater
Southwest states struck a deal on Colorado River water cuts. So how does, and doesn’t, it affect Coloradans?
The landmark deal is a stopgap measure to address the basin’s ongoing megadrought.
Posted inWater
All that rain in May let Coloradans keep their sprinklers “off.” Here’s how much it helped.
Steady, consistent rain in the pivotal spring month has plumped reservoirs and slowed the taps for Front Range users
Posted inWater
Three national forests in Colorado receive nearly $47 million for wildfire barriers
When a 2022 fire threatened Archuleta County, one fire mitigation project helped protect a neighborhood and a city’s water supply.
Posted inWater
A wet year promises a boost to both Colorado River Basin reservoirs and ecosystems
The basin’s largest reservoirs might see slight recovery, but they’re far from being full.
Posted inWater
Snowmelt is swelling Colorado’s rivers, but much more snow is still waiting in the high country
High spring runoff is contributing to road closures, flooding and even gaping sinkholes.
Posted inWater
Colorado’s legislative action on water this year was mostly about what lawmakers didn’t do
Water issues fell by the wayside at the Colorado Capitol as topics like gun control, housing and abortion took center stage.
Posted inWater
Scientists are using lasers to uncover the secrets of Colorado’s snowpack. So what does it mean for your water supply?
The technique offers highly accurate data, but creating a statewide, sustained program could be a challenge.