Listen to Colorado Outdoors Podcast: Episode 19 - Spanish Peaks Habitat Work and Forest Restoration. Besides managing wildlife, overseeing hunting and fishing and providing recreational opportunities in 42 state parks and 350 state wildlife areas, Colorado Parks and Wildlife also provides habitat for animals. Click HERE to listen.
Although fire restrictions have been lifted across many parts of the state, severe drought conditions still exist in some Colorado counties, especially on the Western Slope. Conditions can change quickly, so Colorado Parks and Wildlife is encouraging the public to follow and check Colorado’s Emergency Management Twitter account, as well as CPW’s statewide and regional accounts (Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, Southeast) before heading out to recreate.
The Colorado Wastewater Utility Council (CWWUC) is seeking proposals from qualified consultants for a Coordinator to provide management and administrative services to the CWWUC. The attached Request For Proposal provides prospective proposers with information regarding preparation and submittal of proposals for consideration by the Colorado Wastewater Utility Council. Click HERE to view.
Check out WEco’s 2020 Annual Report HERE.
The Bureau of Land Management will begin a habitat improvement project along approximately 0.7 miles of the Yampa River through Pleasant Valley beginning Aug. 23 and lasting about a month. During construction, portions of Routt County Road 18 will be closed on weekdays but will remain open on weekends starting at 5 p.m. on Fridays, including Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6. The road will close again on Monday mornings at 7 a.m. Click HERE to read more.
San Juan Watershed is accepting volunteers for their 2021 San Juan Bacteria Sampling and Investigation Study! Sampling will be occurring twice a month from July to October by both raft and vehicle travel, making for many fun days learning river ecology, water quality monitoring techniques, and more! Spots will fill up quickly. Click HERE to learn more and to register.
Colorado's State Engineer is planning a rulemaking process on measurement devices for Colorado water users. Details are in this Aspen Journalism report.
Learn more about Colorado Water Trust’s Poudre Flows project and how the instream flow augmentation plan works to restore flows to the Poudre River from our staff attorney Alyson Meyer Gould! Watch the full video HERE.
WEco has recently produced several fact sheets focused on the Colorado Water Plan, Environmental Flows, and Fire and Watershed Health. The fact sheet series includes easy to understand background information, infographics and data on water topics. Be sure to download, print, repost and share them. And stay tuned for the next package coming soon! Click HERE to view.
Barr Lake State Park partnered with the acclaimed virtual reality experience design house TimeLooper to produce a new augmented reality app. This 360 degree virtual adventure includes points of interest around Barr Lake to educate and inspire visitors about nature, history, outdoor recreation, stewardship and Leave No Trace principles. Read HERE for more information.
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
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.