This monthly roundup keeps our community informed by highlighting the top Warner College news stories and social media posts.

Ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in northern Italy, officials had large lakes built near major venues to provide enough water for snowmaking. But snowmaking can go only so far in a warming climate. As global temperatures rise, what will the Winter Games look like in another century? Will they be possible, even with innovations? Sunshine Swetnam, assistant professor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, and Steven Fassnacht, professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, share their research in The Conversation. 

Today's new moon marks the start of the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated in many Southeast and East Asian countries. According to the Chinese zodiac, it’s also the start of the Year of the Horse. In honor of these celebrations, Scientific American interviewed Sarah King, research scientist with the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, to highlight some of the most interesting science about horses and their animal relatives. 

Every year, an estimated 200 people die in U.S. vehicle collisions with wildlife. Over the past decade, there has been a nationwide effort to build structures that allow animals to get across roads safely. KUNC's Stephanie Daniel interviews Rick Knight, professor emeritus in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. 

WeatherNation has a whole flock of questions about the seeming increase in the number of geese in places we don't normally see geese in the winter months. David Koons, professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, explains. 

Although women have always been part of the mapping landscape, their contributions to cartography have long been overlooked. But Melinda Laituri, professor emeritus in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, talks about how opportunities for women as mapmakers have changed over the past five decades in The Conversation. 

Cutting down swathes of boreal forest and sinking the trees into the depths of the Arctic Ocean could remove up to 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. But some U.S. rivers still suffer from reduced biodiversity a century after timber floating, warns Ellen Wohl, professor in the Department of Geosciences. “You run a giant mass of logs through, and it’s like you’re ramming a scouring brush down the river," she says.

Everyone knows you don’t eat yellow snow, for obvious reasons. But even freshly fallen white snow in a pristine high-alpine environment often contains elements that would be harmful to you if ingested in large quantities, warns Steven Fassnacht, professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability. 

President Amy Parsons sits down with Michael Smith, founder, chairman, and CEO of Freeport LNG. Michael shares the pivotal moments that shaped his path – from studying chemistry and math at CSU in the 1970s to founding Basin Exploration in Fort Collins to launching and leading Freeport LNG.

Squirrels are a big deal at Colorado State University, as you likely know walking around campus, visiting the CSU Mountain Campus or participating in Fat Squirrel Week. 

Caitlin Wells, assistant professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, and Cory Williams, associate professor in the College of Natural Sciences' Department of Biology examine group dynamics and human impacts on the golden-mantled ground squirrel in the West.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the climate change studies major open forum on Monday, Feb. 9. If you were not able to attend the forum or you would like to watch it again, the recording is now available to view. 

Recognize and celebrate a Warner College colleague by nominating them for a college-level award. There is an award category for every kind of colleague in the college. To view the awards and for information on submitting the awards, click below. All nominations are due by Wednesday, March 25 at 5 p.m. MST.

Get all of the information regarding the Warner College recognition ceremonies. All departments will be celebrated on Saturday, May 16.