Luke Runyon
As KUNC’s reporter covering the Colorado River Basin, I dig into stories that show how water issues can both unite and divide communities throughout the Western U.S. I produce feature stories for KUNC and a network of public media stations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada.
I love public radio because I know the power of hearing someone’s story in their own words, using their own voice. You can get a much better sense of who someone is and what their motivations are just by listening to how they speak, and that’s a big part of why I love public radio reporting.
Before covering water at KUNC I covered the agriculture and food beat for five years as the station’s Harvest Public Media reporter. I’ve also reported for Aspen Public Radio in Aspen, Colo. and Illinois Public Radio in Springfield, Ill. My reports have been featured on NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Here & Now and APM's Marketplace. I’m a proud graduate of the University of Illinois’ Public Affairs Reporting program.
My work has been recognized by the Society of Environmental Journalists, Radio Television Digital News Association, the Colorado Broadcasters Association and the Public Media Journalists Association.
When I’m not at the station you can usually find me out exploring the Rocky Mountains with either a pack on my back or skis on my feet (sometimes both at the same time).
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Sheriff's Deputy Dave Huhn's job has become more important after a series of hot, dry summers have made farmers more desperate for water, and more willing to steal it or go to battle over it. -
Despite the growth of population in the western U.S., water use in cities such as Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego and Phoenix is going down. The reason? High-tech, low-flow toilets. -
Hundreds of millions of beavers used to populate the West but were hunted to near extinction. Turns out, beavers are critical to healthy water ecosystems, so now there are efforts to bring them back. -
Dust in the Rocky Mountain snow can cause elevated water runoff, and greater opportunities for forest fires. -
The recent drought in the West forced people to take a hard look at how they use water. In Colorado, some farmers tried an experiment: make their water more expensive without hurting business. -
The livelihoods of farmers and ranchers are intimately tied to weather and the environment. But they may no longer be able to depend on government research to help them adapt to climate change. -
Many immigrants come to Morgan County, Colo., for its plentiful, if grueling, jobs in agriculture. Now, fears about changes to immigration policy under Trump are prompting many to act. -
Nearly a century ago, Dearfield, Colo., was a thriving African-American farm community, admired by many of its white neighbors. There were even early signs of integration. Then came the Dust Bowl. -
Opioid abuse is rising fast among those who live in rural areas. Research suggests the drugs' illicit use there spreads rapidly via social networks, which could be part of the solution, too. -
Instead of letting food rot, some entrepreneurs want to use it to feed insects, which can then nourish livestock. But federal regulations have been slow to catch up to the growth of insect farms.
