We spoke with Katie Weeman for the Fall 2025 issue of Headwaters magazine focused on Water 101. Katie is the Marketing and Communications Director for the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and a current member of the Water Education Colorado Board of Trustees.
Can you share with us a little background on your work and career and how it’s led to your involvement in the water conversation?
My name is Katie Weeman and I’m currently the Marketing and Communications Director for the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB). I always loved science and learning about the environment and natural resources, so I got my degree in ecology thinking I’d be a researcher. But I quickly realized that I loved talking about science and writing about science, and working alongside experts who were doing amazing work. The more I pursued science communication, the more it felt right. I’ve been lucky enough to work as a science writer and communicator for so many branches of environmental science and natural resources. I write for Scientific American, and I get to interview and write about a wide range of topics, from entomology to psychology to climate science. I get to talk to scientists from all around the world and pick their brains about what makes their work interesting. Before my current job with CWCB, I was a writer with the Cooperative Institute for Research and Environmental Sciences or CIRES, an institute at CU Boulder. There, I worked with all kinds of experts, most of which did larger scale climate research on Earth’s poles. It was so valuable to get to do that work and write about such complex issues.
After many years of working with CIRES on more international and global projects, I felt this big pull to get involved with critical local and state level issues, especially the ones that Colorado faces. And that’s what brought me to my current role. I have enjoyed getting to work in science communication on an international level, then bringing it all the way down to a local, state level. It’s interesting because people are just as passionate on both of those levels and everywhere in between I work with water experts who are really dedicated to finding solutions to Colorado’s biggest water challenges. It’s really inspiring to see how passionate people are about these issues and why it matters to so many people: every single person and animal and environment all across the state. I’m blessed to work alongside so many amazing water experts and different partners.
What does your role look like with the Colorado Water Conservation Board?
In terms of my day-to-day, I manage all the internal and external communications such as the newsletters, social media, and press releases in addition to working with media and creating the strategic communications plan for the agency. But on the bigger level, it’s about the storytelling of it all. I think it’s critical to tell all the stories of every single water user, water stakeholder, and every community because water is obviously such a huge challenge in Colorado. I try to focus on the storytelling aspect and the human aspect, too. I think that the human aspect, for better or worse, tends to get lost sometimes when we have these big discussions about water, drought, and huge issues across the state. What tends to get lost is the fact that these are real people, real communities that are being impacted by all of these issues.
What do you see as the biggest challenges to water in Colorado? What is your role in bridging the gap between science and policy and the public? How does public information, communication and the work you do help with those big water challenges?
Big picture, there’s the obvious one: there’s just not enough water. We’re working with a limited supply. I think almost everyone can agree on that. If you take an even bigger step back, we all want the same thing too. We all want to make sure there’s enough water for every person that lives in Colorado. We want all our communities to be okay. We want the environment to be okay. So even though water can be very polarizing, it’s helpful to take a step back and realize that on a big level, we hopefully all want the same thing. But there are so many opinions on how to fix the problem. There are so many sides to the argument. There are so many different perspectives, many that clash. So in some ways, that is just as important of a challenge to tackle; giving credit to all those different opinions and figuring out a way to find common ground. I try to find ways to incorporate ideas and make sure that all voices have a seat at the table, and the CWCB does a lot of work on that front. We have the basin roundtables, and we have diverse representatives from all over the state and from different communities. I think all that needs to come together to find innovative solutions that keep all these different perspectives in mind.
Personally, I try to highlight the successes of these collaborations and the community impact in all the communications that I manage, whether that’s newsletters or press releases or social media. I try to distill the complex information that surrounds all these water issues into simpler terms that everybody can understand. I try to spotlight what really matters, and pull out those big picture ideas. It is easy to get lost in a lot of those details, but it is important to take a step back, look at the big picture, try to find the common ground on getting clear and concise information to everyone that needs it.
What is something that you think people don’t know or understand about water in Colorado? And what is something that people don’t know about the Colorado Water Conservation Board?
Before my current role, I had a good basic understanding of water issues in the state, but I had no idea how intricate and complex it all was. It’s not just that we have water shortages. It’s not just that the climate is changing. It’s not just the big picture things. It’s that every community, large and small, across Colorado has their own super unique set of challenges. It’s incredible just how involved the process for water policy can be, from Colorado River negotiations to dealing with water rights or managing complex construction projects. There are so many niches, so many tricky scenarios, and so many voices and different opinions. It’s like an intricate spider web of information. And I had no idea how deep the “water” runs in the state until I started this job. I’m so thankful that there’s many different types of experts all over the state, and within CWCB working on all this. When it comes to the CWCB, I don’t think everyone realizes the sheer diversity of areas of expertise within the agency. We don’t just do water policy on a big level. We do projects from stream restoration to dealing with water rights, to weather modification to urban land use, and the list goes on and on. I’m always super blown away by our staff and how different they all are, and how much knowledge they have about all these unique parts that all add up to create that complex web of water information in the state.
How can the public interact with the CWCB, the water plan, the basin roundtables, and/or with water in Colorado? What resources are available, and why does public involvement matter?
I think it’s really valuable for people to sign up for our outgoing communications. We have newsletters that go out regularly. You can follow us on social media. Also, it is important to know that all of our meetings are typically public or recorded and then posted online so you can tune in live for our board meetings. The discussions from all of our groups and our board meetings are transparent. Anyone can show up at the roundtables, forums, and town halls, and they include public comment. There are a lot of ways to get involved, and we try to keep everyone on top of things, with our newsletters and being aware of everything that our agency is doing. Our board meetings are every other month. We have 15 board board members and directors across the state that are governor-appointed, along with all of our staff. The board meetings are usually a higher level agenda (approving grants and talking about big level decisions). The roundtable meetings consist of representatives from each water basin across the state–a grassroots effort to include every community that is impacted by water issues.
In your opinion, what do you think people should be aware of when thinking about making water conscious decisions?
Without the public, without the entire state of Colorado, and every single person that lives here, it can feel like we are just talking in our own bubbles. I’ve seen this happen in all areas of science and natural resource management. We tend to get in our own lane. Being able to better share these messages and involve everyone around the state, including the public, is so important. Being transparent with everything and truthful is really important. In the end, the big picture is that all the people, communities and environments across the state depend on water. They are all impacted by the challenges that we face. It’s not just the water experts, it’s about all of us. We have so many projects that stem from collaboration and looking for those innovative solutions, and that can’t happen without everyone. The public is absolutely part of that equation.
I think what’s important to remember is we all want to do the right thing, but there’s no one right thing to do. There’s no one right answer when it comes to fixing water, it takes a cumulative effort from everybody, experts and the public. As a communicator working with water experts, I’ve seen the amazing diversity of the people involved in the water space from engineers to policymakers and climate experts to farmers. There are so many angles to this prism. It is important to find the place where you fit best and where you care the most. Know where to find resources to educate yourself. Keep learning and be willing to pivot if experts come out with new information. I think that, by definition, science,resource management, and today’s water crisis are always changing. We’re always learning more. There’s no one single solution to water conscious decisions or water management or water conservation. It’s about tuning into where you fit the best.
What led you to be on the board for Water Education Colorado and do you have anything to say about your time on the board or our work?
I’ve been in my current role at the CWCB for a year and a half, and that’s also how long I’ve been on the WEco board. Typically there are two CWCB spots held on the WEco board, and I fill one of those two spots. I’ve had a wonderful time working with everyone so far. I’ve been really impressed by all the work I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of so far. I love helping the publications committee brainstorm topics for Headwaters Magazine, and working with everybody here. I think that the publications and the programs that WEco produces are wonderful tools to educate and inform all types of people. I think for all these questions, it’s so critical that we listen to all voices and that we include everyone. And I think having resources that inform all levels of water experts from a second grade student to a PhD level scientist, it’s all really important. It’s really critical to have these types of tools and resources for people. I also attended the Water Fluency program as an auditor. I took the course, I absorbed it, and then gave feedback as I went along. I learned an incredible amount.
Stay tuned for the “Water 101” Headwaters magazine issue coming this fall!
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