Rocky Ford and Walsh COOP Awards

On December 5th, 2024, representatives from NWS Pueblo, Colorado State University and US Senator Michael Bennet's office went to Rocky Ford, Colorado to honor and award the COOP observers from both Rocky Ford and Walsh, Colorado.

The Rocky Ford COOP was awarded the prestigious World Meteorological Organization Award and the 125 Year Honored Institute Award. Scientist for the CSU Agricultural Research Center in Rocky Ford began taking observations on October 1st, 1888, and have one of the longest continuous records of observations in the United States. As such, they were one of only 4 locations in the United States to recently receive recognition from the World Meteorological Organization for their exemplary service to southeast Colorado and the United States. The award also recognized the Rocky Ford COOP for having one of the longest continuous observations from virtually the same location during the past 136 years! Since the first observation was taken in 1888, nearly 50,000 weather observations have recorded by the Rocky Ford COOP!

The CSU Plainsman Agricultural Research Center in Walsh, Colorado was honored with the 50 Year Honored Institute Award. The weather observers in Walsh began taking weather observations in September of 1967. Since that time, they have taken daily weather observations of temperature, precipitation, snowfall and evaporation through a variety of weather extremes, from extreme heat to arctic cold temperatures, blizzards, floods and severe thunderstorms.

We want to thank the observers, and all the people involved with the Rocky Ford and Walsh COOPs, for their dedicated service and contributions in preserving the climate record across southeast Colorado and our country! The National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) is truly the Nation's weather and climate observing network of, by and for the people. More than 8,700 volunteers take observations on farms, in urban and suburban areas, National Parks, seashores, and mountaintops. The data are truly representative of where people live, work and play.