U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper encouraged Ouray County nonprofits and public officials to persevere, find ways to do more with less money and look for opportunities to change systems during moments of turmoil during a visit Friday morning.

Gathered in a discussion circle at the Wright Opera House in Ouray, Hickenlooper listened to local stakeholders describe how federal funding cuts have made it harder to do everything from wildfire mitigation to affordable housing development, and has forced local ...