“Episode 32: The River Is Who We Are - The Waccamaw Indian People and the Waccamaw River” | American Rivers | Podcast. Through displacement, genocide and enslavement, the Waccamaw Indian People sustain their river heritage. Join us today to learn more about the Waccamaw Indian People and their history with the Waccamaw River in coastal South Carolina. For the Waccamaw Indian People, layers of oppression eroded the relationship between people and the river they relied on and that coursed through their history, culture, and being. But the impacts of that displacement don’t just live in the past, and it is essential that the connection the Waccamaw Indian People have with the river is strengthened and reestablished for the future of their communities, and for the future of the Waccamaw River. Listen to the full podcast on Soundcloud HERE.
View RMFI’s 2020 Community Impact Report here!
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the state's budget. As a result, several grant programs managed by the Colorado Water Conservation Board have been impacted. View Budget Updates.
Please find an important notice about the Watershed Fire Recovery Efforts HERE.
Each year in January, Colorado Water Trust and the Colorado Water Conservation Board launch the annual Request for Water Process. This process offers a streamlined approach to water transactions to benefit rivers throughout the state. We invite water rights owners to explore options to use their water rights for streamflow restoration purposes. Click HERE to learn more.
USDA is seeking members for a new advisory committee on urban agriculture, part of a broader effort to focus on the needs of urban farmers. The 12-person committee will advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the development of policies and outreach relating to urban, indoor and other emerging agricultural production practices as well as identify any barriers to urban agriculture. Interested individuals or organizations may nominate themselves or others by March 5, 2021. Read the full press release HERE.
Get to know the US's landmark water policy, the Clean Water Act! This video, produced in collaboration with Resource Media, provides an overview of the history and contents of the Act including designated uses, water quality criteria, and antidegradation (as well as what all that means!). It's a great primer for your community scientists, monitoring program staff, or anyone else interested in Clean Water Act policy and advocacy.
SWEAP is gaining momentum thanks to individuals and organizations like you! Get involved in bringing water education to every community in Colorado by: Visiting the new SWEAP website | Downloading the SWEAP Executive Summary | Filling out a short form to share how you will bring SWEAP to your community and what resources would be most helpful | Signing up for email updates on SWEAP
Despite pandemic, Denver Water’s lead reduction program shows promising early results. Click HERE to read the full article.
Mountain Area Land Trust (MALT) is pleased to announce the completion of a Conservation Easement on the 71-acre Sacramento Creek Ranch located near Fairplay within MALT’s Red Hill to Hoosier Pass Priority Area! The Conservation Easement on Sacramento Creek Ranch will prevent the future subdivision of the property and protect critical open space and wildlife habitat for Elk, Moose, Black bear, Beaver and numerous other species that call this area home. The Colorado Natural Heritage Program has identified this region as having “Very High Biodiversity Significance." In addition to critical biodiversity protection, the Conservation Easement specifically ensures use of the property for public recreation, education and research purposes. If you are interested in visiting Sacramento Creek Ranch or learning more about the public uses, please send an email to malt@savetheland.org or call the MALT office at (303) 679-0950.
The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) has just recently released the 2020 Forest Action Plan (FAP), which is a road map to improving forest health across Colorado in the next decade. The 2020 FAP was created by forestry experts at the Colorado State Forest Service. This in-depth analysis of forest trends offers solutions and guidance for improving forest health and ensuring our forests — and the resources they provide — persevere for future generations. This plan will also help assist decision-makers in investing in our forests where these investments will make the most difference. If you would like to take a look at the plan please click HERE and HERE. Additionally, there is a Forest Action Plan app on the CSFS Forest Atlas page HERE. This is an easy, interactive tool that drills down into the themes of the Forest Action Plan and is an important tool to understand and know how to use. For CSFS and federal grants, partners will need to show where their project fits in relations to the FAP and will need to convey how the projects that they are proposing ties into this plan.
The Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, a center of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, proudly co-funded Swimming Upstream, a new StoryMap that highlights collaborative conservation efforts to protect endangered, native fish populations in the Upper Colorado River Basin and enhance critical streamflow management for recreation and agricultural needs in and around Grand Junction, Colorado, along a stretch of the Colorado River commonly known as the 15-Mile Reach. The StoryMap was developed by the Conservation Innovation Center for the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, in collaboration with the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Click HERE to access the map.