The Colorado Climate Center began publishing a climate-monitoring newsletter in 1977. For many years this was a brief 2-8 page black/white photocopy report mailed out for free to a distribution list of 800 to 1000. Beginning in 2000, as some organizations began decreasing hard-copy publications and increasing web-based distributions, we made the decision to upgraded our publication to include color photos, high quality paper, and an attractive magazine format. Distribution was shifted from complimentary copies to paying subscribers except in the case of National Weather Service cooperative observers who still receive free copies. Feature articles in each quarterly issue address subject areas such as climate monitoring and current conditions, drought, climate information for teachers, climate information on the Web, example of business applications for climate information, time series, folklore, history and more.

Is this magazine a success? That's a good question. We are currently evaluating the time, effort, costs and overall effectiveness of this report. To be sustainable, we have found that we need at least 2000 paying subscribers. We have a long way to go to reach that goal. The early reviews of the magazine are very positive, however, so it may be a question of marketing. This is a non-profit educational effort. Advertising is not a part of the equation and it is difficult to justify much time marketing the product. Getting people to know about and subscribe to the magazine are non-trivial hurdles to overcome. We will discuss our plans for continuing and improving this magazine, and describe the content of upcoming issues.