JANUARY 19th, 2022, 5-6pm | Avalanches on the Rio Grande | San Juan Mountain Association. Join the Rio Grande National Forest (RGNF) and SJMA for the first Forest Specialist Series of 2022. This month Matt Huber, CAIC forecaster will be talking about snow, avalanches, and more on the RGNF. Matt Huber has been working with CAIC since 2018 and currently focuses on highway avalanche safety on the southeast side of the San Juan Mountains. Click here for more information.
JANUARY 19th, 2022 | Regulatory Compliance for Wastewater Systems | EUCI. The Regulatory Compliance for Drinking Water & Wastewater course covers US Federal, State, regional and local standards for regulatory compliance associated with drinking water and wastewater systems. The course will include overviews of regulations and standards, including not only those directly related to drinking water and wastewater quality, but also related areas such as treatment, chemical storage, land use, risk mitigation and infrastructure construction. To learn more and register click HERE.
JANUARY 20th & 27th, 2022 | Get Government Grants- Virtual | Community Resource Center. Looking to build your professional capacity to find and write competitive government grants? Join CRC for a comprehensive workshop to learn more about the unique differences and distinctions associated with government grants. Participants will understand the essential elements included in finding and writing government grant applications, and determining your eligibility and your capacity to administer these types of grants. Part 1: Thursday, January 20th 9AM – 12PM Part 2: Thursday, January 27th 9AM – 12PM. Click here to read more and register.
FEBRUARY 1st, 2022, 1-2:15pm | Up Your Wildfire Resilience | Water Education Colorado. Learn about new funding and frameworks to build more wildfire-ready watersheds and communities. We'll also hear about locally-generated funding and initiatives at work and dive into some big-picture thinking around shared stewardship. You will hear about the Colorado Department of Natural Resource's new Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program (COSWAP) and funding opportunities that it's launching early this year; the Wildfire Ready Watersheds Program led by the Colorado Water Conservation Board; and Chaffee County's Envision Forest Health Council and self-imposed sales tax to fund wildfire risk reduction work. Come prepared to learn and to ask questions! Learn more here.
FEBRUARY 9th & 10th, 2022, 12:30-3:00 | Ready, Set, Go! (RSG) Program | Fire Safe Colorado. The Ready, Set, Go! (RSG) Program seeks to empower fire departments to engage the residents they serve in wildland fire community risk reduction. The RSG! Program provides tools and resources for fire departments to use as they help residents gain an understanding of their wildland fire risk and actions individuals can take to reduce that risk. Erik Litzenberg, IAFC’s Senior Wildland Fire Advisor, will present this 2-hour Training. It is open to everyone who has a need to understand what the Ready, Set-Go! Program is, what resources it offers, and how fire departments and Wildfire councils can work together for Community Risk Reduction. Read the full flyer here.
The Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership presents 14 videos to help community members learn about how water is managed, restored and monitored in the upper Uncompahgre River watershed. Take advantage of this new education resource to learn about your watershed including mine reclamation, water monitoring, recreational use, water conservation, drinking water and waste water treatment and distribution, aquatic life, water scarcity, agricultural use, management, infrastructure, and more. Watch the video series here.
Master Irrigator Program- San Luis Valley. Over four sessions, this 32-hour program reviews water law and administration, history of water development, and gives participants the tools and strategies to improve water and energy use efficiency and conservation, soil health, and profitability on their operations. Those who complete the course will also receive a $2,000 stipend. To be eligible for this course you must farm in either Rio Grande, Alamosa, Costilla, Conejos, Saguache or Mineral County. Details will be available soon here.
The American Stormwater Institute, LLC now offers courses in a live setting and online that deal with developing the knowledge and skills required to conduct stormwater inspections. Our courses are based on a “Real World” attitude of finding implementable solutions to the challenges that stormwater inspectors face every day. The state and federal regulations require that “QUALIFIED PERSONS” conduct inspections related to stormwater permits. The overarching goal of the ASI classes is to ensure that our students are well qualified to conduct these inspections. For a list of all classes offered click HERE.
Non-standard MS4 Permit PDD Template and Program Strategy Templates. SPLASH members and SEMSWA worked with CP Compliance to create resources to educate permittees. It may also assist permittees with implementation of the new Non-standard MS4 Permit. Please click HERE to access the material.
San Juan Expedition Avy Course based at Thelma Hut. The AIARE Avy 1 Hut Course is designed to give you a full introduction to backcountry travel. Based out of the Thelma hut on Red Mountain Pass, you will spend day and night with your peers and instructors learning the foundation of avalanche education. In a hut format, you spend more time skiing, more time learning from and observing your instructors, and more time in the mountains—all with lodging and food included. When you take your level one with San Juan Expeditions you will get hands-on experience analyzing the avalanche hazard and using your observations to make decisions in the field. Click HERE for more information.
MSU Denver developed the noncredit Water Studies courses for people interested in safeguarding this precious resource. Students will learn history, law, management, and water trends in Colorado and the American West. The courses have recently been improved, offering the same high quality, but shortened to meet your busy schedules. The course structure has been redesigned for each class to be one month long to improve the learning experience and accommodate the schedules of busy professional students. Click HERE for more information.
Colorado Master Irrigator offers farmers and farm managers advanced training on conservation- and efficiency-oriented irrigation management practices and tools. This program is the product of efforts led by several local producers, district management representatives, and others. Colorado Master Irrigator is modeled on the award-winning Master Irrigator program created and run since 2016 by the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District in the Texas panhandle. Topic experts from Colorado and adjacent Ogallala states, serve as instructors over the 32 hours of the program. Colorado Master Irrigator's interactive class format is designed to encourage peer-to-peer exchange among participants and instructors, helping forge useful contacts that graduates can reach out to after their participation in the program. Click HERE for more information.
The Clean Water Certificate (CWC) training program for workforce development provides high quality training opportunities that promotes job growth in the stormwater industry and delivers industry-specific, job-readiness skills and knowledge. Click HERE to learn more about this training program offered by the Center for Watershed Protection.
Silt Removal - Positive Impact on Crop Yields, Water Use Efficiency, & Irrigation Systems. Presentation from the 2021 World Ag Expo on sources of silt, its impacts, and current and new methods of removal. Watch the presentation here!
“Returning Rapids Project: A discussion with Peter Lefebvre and Mike DeHoff” | Colorado River Studies. The Returning Rapids Project seeks to document the recovery of river resources once inundated by a full Lake Powell, and now being exposed as reservoir storage declines. Peter Lefebvre and Mike DeHoff, principal investigators of the Returning Rapids project and professional river guides in Moab, Utah, are working to record these changes. They will share their preliminary findings and matched photographs in the talk. Watch the full video HERE.
