Alex Hager

Radio Journalist

Phoenix, AXZ

I report on water and the Colorado River for KJZZ in Arizona. Before that, I covered the environment for KUNC in Colorado, Aspen Public Radio in Colorado, and KDLG in Alaska.

Alex Hager

Radio Journalist

Phoenix, AXZ

I report on water and the Colorado River for KJZZ in Arizona. Before that, I covered the environment for KUNC in Colorado, Aspen Public Radio in Colorado, and KDLG in Alaska.

The 'power of aridity' is bringing a Colorado River dam to its knees
Throughout the history of the American West, water issues have shown their ability to both unite and divide communities. As an imbalance between water supplies and demands grows in the region, KUNC is committed to covering the stories that emerge. Deep in
KUNC
Feature Photos Audio
In the Dry Colorado River Delta, the Future of These Green Oases Hangs in the Balance
In northwestern Mexico, just south of the U.S. border, there’s a massive, dusty expanse of beige. But it wasn’t always this way. It’s the Colorado River Delta, where the river once met the Pacific Ocean and created a sprawling network of forests and wetla
Inside Climate News
Feature Photos Audio
As the nation’s second-largest reservoir recedes, a once-drowned ecosystem emerges
At the nation’s second-largest reservoir, water levels recently dipped to the lowest they’ve been since 1968. As the water recedes, a breathtaking landscape of deep red-rock canyons that cradle lush ecosystems and otherworldly arches, caverns and waterfal
Grist
Feature Photos
After disasters, mobile home owners often struggle to recover
Mobile homes are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters — they’re structurally weaker than traditional homes. One in seven mobile homes nationwide is built in a flood-prone area, compared to 1 in 10 traditional homes. And mobile home residents tend
Marketplace
Feature Photos Audio
From 'mashed potatoes' to 'white suede,' this ski instructor speaks the language of snow
Russ Scholl is the kind of guy who clearly loves his job. The avuncular ski instructor has been teaching at Breckenridge for ten years and skiing for far longer. “I've spent hours and hours and days and months and, geez, I started skiing in 1959, so you d
KUNC
Profile Photos Audio
Podcast Episode: The reality stopping water pipelines to the parched western US
With so much water in the eastern U.S., why can't the region pipe some of it to its drought-prone neighbors in the West? This perennial question nags climate journalists and western water managers alike. We break down why building a pipeline is unrealisti
The Indicator (NPR)
Podcast Two-Way
The Colorado River is this tribe’s ‘lifeblood,’ now they want to give it the same legal rights as a person
In far western Arizona, the dusty beige expanse of desert stretches as far as the eye can see. Under the baking summer sun, which regularly pushes temperatures above 110 degrees in the summer, even scrubby desert bushes can struggle to survive.
KUNC
Feature Photos Audio
As a deadline approaches, Colorado River states are still far apart on water sharing
Ahead of a deadline next week, the seven states that share the Colorado River have revealed competing plans for how the river should be managed in the future. They're split into two factions, with the Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and
NPR
Breaking Two-Way
The Colorado River Misses Its Snow
This segment is part of The State of Science, a series featuring science stories from public radio stations across the United States. This story, by Alex Hager, originally appeared on KUNC, an NPR station in Northern Colorado. High in the Rocky Mountains,
Science Friday
Podcast Two-Way
Rocky Mountain Why?: Is Aspen Mountain Full Of Old Mining Tunnels?
Imagine you’re at the top of Aspen Mountain. The powder is deep, the sky is blue, and there are are snowy peaks as far as the eye can see. But under your feet, there’s over a century of mining history. It’s been decades since people pulled silver out of Ajax on an industrial scale, but the mountain still holds plenty of reminders from Aspen’s mining heyday. To find them, you don’t have to look too far.
Aspen Public Radio
Feature Audio
Chignik Bay 'hanging by a thread' in second year of scant fishing
While some parts of Bristol Bay have had record-breaking years, one South Peninsula village hasn't been as lucky. After a year and a half of bad runs, Chignik Bay is worried about the survival of the community. In the village of Chignik Bay, it’s all about salmon. It’s a tiny South Peninsula outpost with a population of about 200 during the summer and about 70 during the winter, and the economy has been built on fishing for over a century.
KDLG
Feature Photos Audio
En Español: La tradición se jubila
El acogedor interior de Casa Eme es un hervidero de energía tan potente como el olor a ajo que flota en el aire. Los clientes se arremolinan alrededor de la barra, charlando y riendo mientras la cerveza Cruzcampo fluye del tirador. El clamor solo queda roto cuando una voz profunda canta que un pedido está preparado.
Mas+Menos
Spanish Photos Feature

About

Alex Hager

Alex is KJZZ's reporter covering the Colorado River. He has reported from each of the basin’s seven states and Mexico while covering the cities, tribes, farms and ecosystems that rely on its water. His work has been featured on national programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Up First, Marketplace, The Indicator and Science Friday.

Alex came to KJZZ from KUNC in Colorado, where he spent four years covering the Colorado River and water in the West. Previously, he reported for Aspen Public Radio, where he covered the resort economy, the environment and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, he reported on the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery for KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska. Alex has a journalism degree from Elon University, where he worked for the student newspaper and TV station.