High in the San Juan Mountains and rising from the porous geology of Grand Mesa, the headwaters to the Gunnison River — the second largest tributary in the Colorado River system — are among the nation’s areas most threatened from climate change. The Gunnison Basin and its tributaries drain lands that stretch from the northern slopes of the San Juans at its southern edge, from the Sawatch and Elk mountains just west of the Continental Divide, from the West Elks and Grand Mesa, to the eastern flanks of the Uncompahgre Plateau. It starts at some of the highest elevations in the U.S. and joins the Colorado River in the desert in Grand Junction — the confluence being that city’s namesake. To view the full article visit the Post Independent.
