REGISTRATION CLOSED MONDAY, MAY 1st - 12:00 NOON
Join this conversation about the long-term future of the watershed.
The 2013 floods gave birth to a number of groups in the Thompson watershed who applied for and received federal and state funding to address the damage. Much restoration work has been accomplished but much is yet to be done.
- Would it be advantageous to work together?
- What are the major watershed challenges and opportunities we anticipate over the next twenty years?
- What kinds of solutions, activities, projects, or infrastructure developments need to be undertaken to meet these challenges?
The purpose of this event is to explore major watershed challenges and opportunities over the next 20 years, as seen by the various sectors who benefit from a healthy watershed, and assess whether there is interest in investing in a collaborative watershed management plan or effort for the Thompson River drainage area.
- Challenges include everything from water supply and water quality to recreation opportunities, habitat impacts, fire/flood resilience, climate change, and population growth.
- By “watershed,” we include not only water flowing in major streams, but the surrounding landscapes, both in upper forested areas and lower agriculture lands, that affect and benefit from watershed health.
- Beneficiaries are both urban and rural, upstream and downstream, and include agriculture and ditch/reservoir companies, municipal drinking and wastewater treatment providers, tourism and outdoor recreation enthusiasts, industry and business organizations, and property owners who border our waterways.
Chris Sturm of the Colorado Water Conservation Board will discuss the recently adopted Colorado Water Plan and its vision for “stream management/watershed management” plans to be carried out by coalitions of watershed stakeholders.
We will also hear about collaborative efforts of basins and three panels of speakers to discuss the future of the watershed from three perspectives: Agricultural; Municipal water providers/Business and Industry; and Tourism/Outdoor Recreation/Nature and the Environment.
Panelists will focus on the Thompson watershed (the Big Thompson, Little Thompson, North Fork and Buckhorn rivers.).
