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Claire Barker joins WKRP Montrose to talk fly fishing, conservation, water rights, and why the future of the Western Slope depends on what happens next.
There are few topics more important to life on Colorado’s Western Slope than water.
In this week’s episode of WKRP Montrose, Dennis and Rob sit down with Claire Barker — fly fisher, conservation advocate, and self-described “professional trout bum” — for a conversation that dives into the realities of water conservation, the Colorado River system, and what it all means for communities across the region.
But as always with WKRP, the conversation doesn’t stay serious for too long.
From snowboarding debates and fishing stories to Colorado lifestyle culture and the challenge of balancing growth with conservation, this episode blends humor with an honest look at one of the biggest issues facing the West today.
Claire shares how she went from working in accounting and banking to building a life around fly fishing, nonprofit work, and protecting Western Colorado waterways. Along the way, she explains how low snowpack years, reservoir management, and water rights agreements affect everything from agriculture and recreation to electricity production and local communities.
The discussion also touches on:
The Colorado River Basin and downstream water use
Why reservoirs like Blue Mesa matter
The impact of drought and changing snowpack levels
Water rights, irrigation, and agriculture on the Western Slope
Fly fishing culture in Colorado
Why conservation conversations matter now more than ever
Of course, it wouldn’t be WKRP Montrose without plenty of side quests along the way — including sponsorship banter, “Bok Bok Fries,” and Rob discovering that fly fishing may not be his calling after all.
At its core, though, this episode is about something every Western Slope resident depends on: water, and the difficult conversations surrounding how we use it, protect it, and plan for the future.
If you live in Montrose, Ridgway, Ouray, Delta, Gunnison, or anywhere connected to the Colorado River system, this is a conversation worth hearing.
Listen to the Full Episode
Listen to the latest episode of WKRP Montrose now on YouTube, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Huge Thank You to Our Underwriters
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