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Living in the Rocky Mountain West: Water in 2025 by Lyn Kathlene Director, Colorado Institute of Public Policy, Colorado State University The Rocky Mountain West continually faces complicated and rapidly changing water policy challenges. The Colorado Institute of Public Policy (CIPP) at Colorado State University released, in January 2006, a water paper that pro- vides a new starting point for considering water issues as they impact basins, regions, and the state of Colorado. In an environment of resource scarcity, many in the water community have already placed them- selves in positions that advocate for particular solutions. There are ongoing debates about the challenges, strategies, and their associated issues, but rarely are the underlying values and beliefs examined. Instead of embracing common inter- ests, we have tended to harden against the various positions that others hold. Ultimately, issues of water policy in the West are about people and the diverse beliefs and values that they hold. The relationship among these interests and society's ability to find policy solu- tions is strong, but not always evident. Yet, most conversations about water do not start with beliefs. Conversations tend to start with either a definition of the problem or with favored solutions. The first narrows the consideration of acceptable solutions (Stone, 2002), while the second has the effect of constructing the prob- lem to fit the solution (Rockefort & Cobb, 1994). Both approaches limit our understanding of the underlying interests that tend to drive policy choices. Values are left unexamined by stakehold- ers, despite their dominant role in determining a group's favored definition of the problems (Guess & Farnham, 1989; Rockefort & Cobb, 1994). Open discussion of how different groups frame underlying causes is needed to foster constructive dialogue, cooperative problem solving, and inno- vative solutions (Giandomenico, 1989). Recognizing the full range of beliefs and values is not just a useful starting point for tackling today's challenges; it is a pragmatic starting point. Searching for commonalities, understand- ing personal assumptions, and knowing how oth- ers understand situations can foster innovative strategies. To illustrate how beliefs and values are connect- ed to water challenges, the paper highlights the results of two surveys given to 84 water stake- holders in Colorado (For more information about the survey see the August issue of Colorado Wa- ter.) The first survey gathered information about the varied interests — beliefs and values —held by stakeholders in the water community. The second survey addressed their perceptions of the water challenges faced by Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West today and in the future. The stakeholders included people representing environmental, agriculture, recreation, and urban interests as well as water providers, elected of- ficials, and researchers. Understanding our commonalities In the survey of beliefs among Colorado stake- holders, three areas of overwhelming agreement emerged: • Water is fundamental to the economy. No matter where you live in the state, what type of work you do, or what your vision is for a secure water future, everyone agrees about interdependency between water and a healthy economy. • An appropriated right does not mean water will be available for use. Whether one is a senior or junior water rights holder, there is no misunderstanding about what a water right means. Droughts, interstate compacts, other upstream or downstream water rights all affect the physical and legal availability of water. 4