Thanks to Patagonia for granting the MCWC $5000 to help restore native trout habitat in Western Colorado. We also completed projects with the help of the Western Native Trout Initiative and Grand Valley Anglers.
River Clean Up - In Pictures
Thanks to our volunteers for coming out to help pick up at the River Clean Up! Here is the link to the coverage by the Post Independent's Alex Zorn.
We look forward to seeing you all next year!
Volunteers help clean Rifle Creek on Oct 7th!
Your Watershed: A Colorado River Report Card
Colorado River has been all over the news this past month from the Colorado River Report Card, to the local river clean-up in Glenwood Springs. We are living in an exciting time for water.
I'll start local. ... READ MORE
Look for us once a month in the Post Independent!
Link to the Colorado Report Card by Conservation Colorado
Your Watershed: How do you enjoy the river?
Once a month, the Post Independent publishes a piece by Annie, our Community Outreach Coordinator. Look for our next article!
I moved to Garfield County two years ago, and this is the first summer I floated on one of our rivers. After participating in river clean-ups, revegetation efforts, monitoring quality and appreciating the water from afar, I finally experienced what "go with the flow" means. Since my maiden voyage I have been out at least once a week. I am hooked. ... READ MORE at the Post Indpenedent
Your Watershed: Spending A Day in the Creek
Your Watershed: Middle CO River: Small part of a bigger Picture
If the State of the River reminded me of one thing, it is that we, as Eric Kuhn, general manager of the Colorado River District mentioned during his talk on the Colorado River, "are all in this together."
While I like to think the Middle Colorado River is its own river system, and at times it feels like it is, the river we protect is actually just one piece of a much larger river system that spans most of the American southwest. <READ MORE>
From the Your Watershed Column in the Post Independent. Check it out once a month in the Sunday paper!
MCWC in the Post Independent
The State of the River generated a lot of good conversations, and press around the Middle Colorado River, here is an expert from Alex Zorn at the Post Independent in Glenwood Springs, from his article "Meeting Focuses on Future of Colorado River":
Participants raised many issues during the Rifle State of the River meeting Thursday. But one generated more conversation than any other: What would happen to local water users if the Colorado River experienced drought conditions?
While reports showed that the snowpack peaked a little early this year and Colorado saw warmer temperatures statewide, there was no indication that a drought was near. Even so, presentations on a Grand Valley water banking experiment and Silt irrigation project show having these conversations now is the best way to prepare for the future.
Rifle State of the River Press Release
Press Release
4/28/2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Annie Whetzel, MCWC Community Outreach Coordinator, 412-952-3649, annie@midcowatershed.org
Jim Pokrandt, CRWCD Directory of Community Affairs, 970-945-8522, ext. 236, jpokrandt@crwcd.org
Rifle State of the River
6-8pm Thursday, May 11, 2017 at the Ute Theater in Rifle, CO
The Colorado River District and the Middle Colorado Watershed Council are pleased to host the Rifle State of the River on May 11th at the Ute Theater. The State of the River is an opportunity for the community to come together and learn more about the Colorado River and provide information for those dependent on the water.
Presentations will include a snowpack and climate report for our region and information about current and expected operations for the regional reservoirs, which greatly affect flows in the Colorado River.
A key presentation will be by Scot Dodero, president of the Silt Water Conservancy District, who will talk about the Silt irrigation project and its challenges. Eric Kuhn, general manager of the Colorado River District, will address basin-wide challenges facing the Colorado River and Lake Powell.
An emerging topic of interest to the agricultural community will be the water banking-fallowing experiment being undertaken by the Grand Valley Water Users Association in Mesa County. Water Users president Mark Harris will talk about this experiment to pay producers to not irrigate.
"This annual spring event has become a favorite for water managers and members of the public to talk about the state of the Colorado River and what kind of water year we can expect," explained Laurie Rink, Executive Director of the Middle Colorado Watershed Council.
The Middle Colorado Watershed Council’s mission is:
“To evaluate, protect, and enhance the health of the middle Colorado River watershed through the cooperative effort of watershed stakeholders.”
Our stretch of the River extends from Glenwood Canyon to De Beque and includes all the streams that flow into the River.
The Colorado River District’s mission is:
“To lead in the protection, conservation, use, and development of the water resources of the Colorado River basin for the welfare of the District, and to safeguard for Colorado all waters of the Colorado River to which the state is entitled.”
For more information please visit www.midcowatershed.org or www.crwdc.org.
Your Watershed: Ways to Help Protect Our Rivers
Image From: https://www.codot.gov/programs/adopt-a-highway
At the end of March, I was driving from Parachute to Rifle and noticed people in orange vests picking up trash along the side of the road. I looked for a logo on the van but wasn't able to spot one; I looked for the "Adopt a Highway" sign and didn't see one.
Without more information, this is an open thank-you to the crew out cleaning up the highway in March. They were protecting our river.
How does cleaning a highway protect the river?
Hopefully if you have driven this stretch you have seen the mighty Colorado River from the car. The highway and river parallel one another. Collecting litter and trash from the roadway and surrounding banks might seem like something to merely make the drive more aesthetically pleasing, but it is a huge step in protecting river health.
The Greenway Foundation, a water protection group based out of Denver, completed a survey to assess water knowledge and river health in the area. They surveyed residents, asking them about their relationship with the closest river. The report found that 20 percent of the respondents could not identify where the closest river to them was, and 30 percent of the respondents couldn't name that river, even if they did know where it was. <READ MORE>
From the "Your Watershed" column in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent
Your Watershed: Increasing Snowpack, Rising Temps, Decreasing River Flow
Photo: Carlye Calvin, NCAR OpenSky
If you've been reading the news about the Colorado River and the Roaring Fork watersheds, I'm sure you have noticed that many articles highlight the increased snowpack, and unusually heavy, water-laden snow. But recently, a few articles cover climate change and explore how rising temperatures and early snowmelt-season can result in decreased flow in the Colorado River.
There is good news and bad news in the latest information, so let's navigate these waters together.
First, the good news: There is increased water in the snowpack for this year in our area. That means, not only do we have an increase in snowpack — 55 percent more than normal, according to the latest report from the Roaring Fork Conservancy — it also means more water in the snow than usually found. The light fluffy powder that Colorado is known for hasn't been as common this year.
Because of the increased water in the snowpack, we should anticipate a good year for water. New reports show, however, that might not be the case. <READ MORE>
From Your Watershed Column in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent