By Katie Sheahan | September 21, 2026 If you’re living here in Colorado, or much of the western United States, you’ve probably heard by now that we are in a severe drought. This past winter, it snowed 4–5 times in the Springs. We had a scorching summer, with many days making me feel like I was back living in Arizona. I would go to my favorite rivers and lakes for my beloved summer activities of swimming, kayaking, fishing, and camping, and consistently found them a fraction o

By Katie Sheahan | May 29, 2026 When most people think about ocean conservation, they picture beaches, coral reefs, or fishing boats. Dinner doesn't usually make the list. Yet one of the most direct ways we influence ocean health happens far from the coast, often right from our own kitchens. The connection is obvious when seafood is on the menu. Even here in Colorado, our seafood is part of a global market. Fish caught in one part of the world are often shipped thousands of m

By Katie Sheahan | May 26, 2026 My first encounter with sharks was as a young child visiting my parents’ previous home of San Diego. As soon as we would arrive, we’d race to La Jolla Cove and throw on our snorkels. Here, we drifted above hundreds of harmless leopard sharks, where they gather annually in masses in the shallow, warm waters from June through December. My sister and I weren’t fearful watching these bottom-feeders coast along the sand, but we also didn’t know they

By Katie Sheahan | April 17, 2026 It’s been an unseasonably warm winter in Colorado, so I’m pretty happy to be writing this while watching the snow drifting in big, fluffy clusters through my windows. We haven’t had any precipitation lately; in fact, it’s been the warmest winter on record in Colorado with nearly the lowest recorded snowpack (except for 1976-77 and 1980-81), according to National Weather Service and Colorado Climate Center data. Getting this much-needed moist

By Katie Sheahan | April 8, 2026 Plastic and other waste from a beach cleanup in Miami, 2022. Image by Katie Sheahan When I was growing up, no one talked about microplastics. We didn’t hear about it in the news or on the radio or in documentaries on TV. In fact, for the first 6 years of my life, there wasn’t a single published paper on microplastics. The earliest study to officially coin and publish the term "microplastics" was published in 2004 by professor Richard Thompson

By Katie Sheahan | April 8, 2026 In the year 2026, there are no living oceans in Colorado. This is unfortunate for ocean lovers, like me, that can’t live away from the mountains. I’ve tried it before, and I always come back to Colorado. While we’ll need to vacation for beach and scuba trips, the ocean isn’t actually as far away as we might think. Colorado’s ancient seas still tell hidden stories of marine life long ago. Zoomed-in details of an ammonite fossil The Sea Where Mo

By Katie Sheahan | April 1, 2026 The ocean covers more than 70% of our planet's surface and its marine life, like abundant phytoplankton, produce over 50% of Earth's oxygen (Katiyar & Sarangdhar 2025, Falkowski et al., Jahan & Singh 2023). Like myself in Colorado, many landlocked communities feel disconnected from the ocean’s vastness and the pressing issues it faces. “Out of sight, out of mind” often really applies here, and it’s understandable when we can’t bring the ocean

By Katie Sheahan | April 1, 2026 Even far from the coast, the ocean touches our lives. From the rivers we swim in to the air we breathe, marine ecosystems shape our planet in ways we sometimes overlook. For landlocked communities, understanding marine life can feel distant. These stories show how we can connect to the ocean, even from 8,000 feet above sea level. Vessel sitting atop the ocean with vibrant coral reef under the surface Why Marine Ecosystems Matter The ocean migh

By Katie Sheahan | April 1, 2026 Rivers are the lifeblood of our ecosystems, providing essential resources for wildlife and communities alike. However, pollution and waste have turned many of these vital waterways into dumping grounds. This is where we come in. By participating in river cleanups, we can help restore these natural treasures and make a significant impact on our local environment. I always have so much fun at cleanups, whether along Miami Beach or the Portland R