Trainings for Early July

Kayaker

JULY 19th -20th, 2016: Project WET Facilitator Workshop at the Third Street Center, Carbondale, CO. Offer water education workshops for teachers in your community. Would you like the tools to offer Project WET educator workshops for water educators in your community? The Project WET curriculum is the most widely used K-12 water education tools in the country. This two day workshop will give you the tools and training to host and facilitate your own Project WET workshops in your home communities for local teachers, environmental educators, watershed educators, water festival volunteers, youth organizations, and more. Register by July 12! Find more details and register at www.yourwatercolorado.org/WET.

Stormwater Workshop Series with The Water Educator Network partnering with Earth Force and Denver Public Works. This full-day professional development workshop combines training in Earth Force’s award-winning, six-step Community Action and Problem Solving Process, with water quality monitoring protocols. The day will also include a storm drain hunt, hands-on use of enviroscape model, individual unit lesson-planning time, in-stream data collection, and visits from expert engineers and scientists. Each participant will go home with a Colorado-specific activity guide and access to ongoing assistance and resources to use with middle and high school students and adult community audiences. Click on each location below for more information and registration.

July 26th -29th 2016: River Watch Training 2016, CSU Mountain Park Campus (formerly Pingree Park), Colorado. River Watch trainings provide an opportunity for your organization to become volunteer water quality monitors in Colorado. Our training registration is based on a first come, first served basis. The cost of the training will cover food and lodging at CSU Mountain Campus (Pingree Park). Lodging is dorm style with shared facilities, meals are cafeteria style. Detailed information on the training will be provided with your training confirmation packet. Registration for training is being received at the Colorado Watershed Assembly River Watch Training page. If you have any questions, please contact Michaela Taylor atmichaela@coloradowatershed.org or(303) 291-7322. Registration deadline is July 8th.

AUGUST 23rd & 24th, 2016: Pollinator Short Courses hosted by Natural Resources Conservation Service, Xerces Society, and Partners. Over 30% of our food relies on insect pollination!  Honey bees support approximately $15 billion in crop production, while wild native bees supply an estimate $3 billion in pollination!  These invertebrates are amazingly important! Space is limited, so hurry and sign up now! 

 

Conferences & Events for Late June

JUNE 20th, 2016: Environmental Learning for Kids invites you to  Dine Out for ELK! At 50|4U at Next Door Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop Street, Suite 100, Denver, CO 80202. 50|4U will donate 50% of sales from participating tables for environmental learning from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm. Be sure to mention to you're server that you are there for Environmental Learning for Kids!

JUNE 21st - 22nd, 2016:  Colorado Foundation for Water Education Gunnison River Basin Tour hosted in conjunction with the Colorado Water Workshop. Gain an appreciation for this beautiful part of the state as they travel off the beaten path with VIP access to exclusive sites to develop a better understanding of the many values of water. For tour information go to www.yourwatercolorado.org.

JUNE 22nd – 24th, 2016: 41st Annual Colorado Water Workshop: Where the Water Meets the Land. Sessions include; Measuring Water in the Ground: Resiliency through Droughts, Getting water back into the ground: role of wetlands and wet areas, Land Use Planning and Water Conservation, and Urban Water Source Protection. COME FOR THE WORKSHOP, STAY FOR THE FESTIVAL! THE GUNNISON RIVER FESTIVAL BEGINS ON FRIDAY, JUNE 24. Contact Workshop director Jeff Sellen at jsellen@western.edu for more information about sponsorships and scholarships.

JUNE 24th & 25th, 2016: 14th Annual Gunnison River Festival. An annual river event that embraces river and stream activities, education and the celebration of the Gunnison River Basin. For festival information visit their website, www.gunnisonriverfestival.com.

JUNE 23rd, 2016: The Consortium for Research and Education on Emerging Contaminants (CREEC) meeting will be held at 1:30 PM at the Boulder Reservoir Treatment Facility, 5605 North 63rd St, Boulder. Presentations will be given by: Xin Xiao, CSM, " Biochar or activated carbon for the removal of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in AFFF-impacted groundwater"; Garrett Mckay, CU, “Common water treatment techniques enhance the production of reactive intermediates from EfOM photolysis: Potential for enhanced contaminant removal”; and Jeramy Jasmann, "Advanced electrochemical oxidation (AEO) treatments for aqueous pollutants employing synergistic benefits from inter-electrode TiO2 catalysts or microbial stimulation". Please RSVP to wbattagl@usgs.gov or clarkke@bouldercolorado.gov, if you plan on attending.

JUNE 25th & 26th, 2016: 4th ANNUAL COORS LIGHT SOUTH PLATTE RIVERFEST  at
Confluence Park and Little Raven Street, Denver . This two day festival is Denver's premier urban RiverFest.  Activities will include free stand up paddle board  demos, a variety of riverside recreational activities, a kids zone, live music, beer, food vendors, and more. The Coors Light South Platte RiverFest benefits The Greenway Foundation.  For the past 40 years, The Greenway Foundation has worked to reclaim, restore, and revitalize the South Platte River and its tributaries in Denver.  These efforts have led to the construction of over 100 acres of riverside parks, over 100 miles of interconnected greenway trails, and the elimination of over 250 sources of direct pollution into our urban waterways. For more information visit the Greenway Foundation website.

JUNE 25th, 2016: The 9th annual Ridgway RiverFest “Celebrating our Watershed” offers a full day of fun for all ages on the banks of the Uncompahgre River. With activities from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm in Rollans Park, Ridgway, Colorado, this popular outdoor festival is organized by the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership to shine a light on local water resources while bringing together the community and visitors to enjoy a full line-up of riverside and in-stream activities and entertainment. Festival highlights include an all-age river races including the “Junk of the Unc” race on hand-made crafts plus stand up paddleboard, hard shell boat and inflatable boat categories, a whitewater rodeo and a special river rescue demonstration, live music by blues guitarist and vocalist Kipori “Baby Wolf” Woods and local beers from Colorado Boy and 2 Rascals breweries. The RiverFest schedule, race registration and other details are at ridgwayriverfest.org.

JUNE 28th, 2016: BMW Watershed Tour.  The tour will be meeting at Barr Lake State Park at 9:30 am, getting a tour of the East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District facilities reverse osmosis water treatment plant and enjoying a delicious BBQ at Pelican Lake Ranch facilities at Milton Reservoir. Tour ends at 1:30 pm. Interested participants are encouraged to RSVP to Amy Conklin at amy.conklin@comcast.net.

AUGUST 3rd – 5th, 2016: The Annual San Juan Mining and Reclamation Conference. This conference is designed to educate the public and other stakeholders on the science and policy of mining, mine lands remediation, and water quality as it relates to non-point source pollution, improving mining practices, and addressing water quality impairments through workshops, field tours, and presentations. This year’s conference is scheduled to be held in Durango and Silverton, Colorado.  For more information click HERE.

AUGUST 24th - 26th, 2016: The Colorado Water Congress Summer Conference and Membership Meeting. The 2016 conference will be held at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort. A don't miss event for those who wish to stay informed about water issues in Colorado while engaging in numerous professional development activities. Registration is now open.

SEPTEMBER 16th - 18th, 2016: The 5th Annual Pedal The Plains Bicycle Tour features the open range and star-filled nights of Southeast Colorado; a region steeped in history and bound together by its hometown values! Join them this fall and roam vast beautiful grasslands and pedal along the Santa Fe Trail Scenic Byway; visit Bent’s Old Fort; befriend local farmers and ranchers; and have a boot-stomp’n good ol’ time! For more information click HERE.

3-Day Tour, 151 miles
September 16-18
Ordway • Fowler • La Junta
Registration Includes: Jersey, Water Bottle, Finisher's Medal, Locally Sourced Lunches, Beer Gardens, Live Entertainment, Educational Offerings and Route Support.

Century Ride, 100 miles
September 17
Fowler to La Junta
Registration Includes: Jersey, Finisher’s Medal, Pancake Breakfast, Locally Sourced Lunch, Beer Garden, Live Entertainment, Educational Offerings, Route Support and Shuttle Service.

Family Fun Ride, 5 miles
September 17
La Junta
Registration Includes: T-shirt, Lapel Pin, Pancake Breakfast, Aid Station, Games, Best Bike Decorating Contest and Best Costume Contest.
 

SEPTEMBER 16th, 2016: The Greenway Foundation Blue Moon After Party on the Bridge will be held on the Historic 19th Street Bridge, one night after The Greenway Foundation's annual, Noble Energy Gala on the Bridge. The 2016 event featuring eats, cocktails, and amazing live music - all included in the ticket price! Proceeds from the Blue Moon After Party on the Bridge support The Greenway Foundation's longstanding efforts to protect and enhance the South Platte River and its tributaries, and to engage the Metro Denver community with their river through educational programming and free cultural events. For information and tickets click HERE.

SEPTEMBER 22nd, 2016: Careers in Natural Resources Summit. Your organization will learn how to develop training modules tailored for your participants to build pathways to careers in natural resources. Attending organizations will receive a toolkit including hard copies of the career manual, “A How-To Guide for Pursuing a Career in Natural Resources” and digital resources including training activities, presentations, and more! This event is FREE and lunch will be provided due to support from Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, and US Forest Service. Registration will open this summer. For more information go to the Colorado Youth Corps Association.

SEPTEMBER 23rd - 25th, 2016: Colorado Annual Student Water Field Conference hosted by Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, Colo. Itinerary includes dinner at Fruita State Park, a tour of river restoration and diversions along Colorado River’s Riverfront Trail in Grand Junction, followed by a farm tour and a farm dinner in the lower Grand Valley. Students work in groups to develop plans for sharing what they have learned when they return home. For additional information, contact Gigi Richard at: 970.248.1689, grichard@coloradomesa.edu.

SEPTEMBER 25th – 28th, 2016: Geological Society of America (GSA) 2016 meeting to be held in Denver. GSA’s mission includes: Scientific Research, Scientific Communication, Geologic Time, Technological Innovation, Geologic Hazards, Sustainability, and Natural Resources. Registration, technical programs, poster sessions, and exhibits will be held at the Colorado Convention Center. GSA Field Trips will also depart from the Colorado Convention Center. The Hyatt Regency Denver at CCC is the headquarter hotel where the majority of non-technical events will be held. Meeting abstracts are due July 12. For more information click HERE.

OCTOBER 7th, 2016: 2016 West Slope EE Conference - Bringing Colorado's EE Plan to Life. This conference will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Ridgway State Park Group Event Facility, located in Pa-Co-Chu-Puk area of the park. Join environmental education (EE) providers and supporters from agencies, nonprofits, schools, and environmental, nature, conservation fields for an engaging summit. Learn more about the Colorado Environmental Education Plan, network and share ideas, and find inspiration from innovative EE leaders. For more information and registration go to www.caee.org.

OCTOBER 11th - 13th, 2016: Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference: A River Runs Out of It: Building Strong Upstream Communities. The Colorado Watershed Assembly in partnership with the Colorado Foundation for Water Education and the Colorado Riparian Association hosts this conference focused on cooperation and collaboration throughout Colorado in natural resource conservation, protection, and enhancement. Registration Opens July 2016! Visit our Conference Page for more information.

NOVEMBER 2nd & 3rd, 2016: The Sixth Annual Upper Colorado River Basin Forum will be held at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. The theme is"Complex Systems in Flux: Changing Relationships between Water, People and the Environment." They have a CALL FOR ABSTRACTS on presentation proposals from water managers, policy makers, scholars and other stakeholders. The call for abstracts is available here.

 

Job Announcements for Late June

Middle Colorado Watershed Council's (MCWC) is hiring a Watershed Specialist. MCWCs mission is to evaluate, protect and enhance the health of the middle Colorado River watershed through the cooperative effort of watershed stakeholders. The Watershed Specialist position is an exciting opportunity for a motivated individual to help implement elements of the 2016 Watershed Plan. This includes performing technical studies, participating in restoration activities, and implementing the Public Outreach and Communication Plan. Deadline for Applications is July 6, 2016. For more information go to www.midcowatershed.org.

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies is hiring a Stewardship Director. Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (formerly Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory) is a Colorado-based non-profit conservation organization established in 1988. The Stewardship Director provides
strategic vision, guidance, and leadership to the Stewardship Program of Bird Conservancy. The director is responsible for supervising the Program Manager, Grant Accountant, Grassland Wildlife Coordinator, and two Senior level partner biologists while providing direction to all Stewardship staff regarding partner relations and achieving strategic goals and grant
deliverables. Applications must be received on or by July 18, 2016. For more information visit their website at www.birdconservancy.org.

The Big Thompson Watershed Forum, a Colorado 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1997, is seeking a motivated individual to fill the part-time position of Monitoring Program Manager of the Forum. The mission of the Forum is to protect and improve water quality in the Big Thompson River Watershed through collaborative monitoring, assessment and educational projects. The Monitoring Program Manager provides leadership, technical support, and overall management of the Big Thompson Watershed Forum’s water quality monitoring and assessment activities. Applications will be accepted until July 29, 2016 with an expected start date is September 26, 2016. For more information on this position visit their website at btwatershed.org.

The Big Thompson Watershed Forum is seeking a motivated individual to fill the part-time position of Watershed Program Administrator. The Forum is a collaborative group representing private citizens, corporations, nongovernmental organizations and government agencies. The mission of the Forum is to protect and improve water quality in the Big Thompson River Watershed through collaborative monitoring, assessment and educational projects. The Watershed Program Administrator provides leadership and overall management of the Big Thompson Watershed Forum in areas of weekly operations, planning, administration and financial management. Applications will be accepted until July 29, 2016 with an expected start date is September 19, 2016. For more information on this position visit their website at btwatershed.org.

The US Forest Service is seeking applicants for the position of Hydrologist, based in Gunnison, CO. Open to current federal employees. Duties include developing recommendations of treatment for rehabilitation or restoration. Maintain inventory of proposed rehabilitation and restoration projects by priority. Manage watershed restoration and improvement programs, consulting with other resource specialists. For more information click HERE. 

The Town of Breckenridge is seeking qualified applicants to be considered for the position of Open Space and Trails Manager. This is a manager-level open space position in an historic mountain community, please visit the link for more information and an application, www.townofbreckenridge.com.

Groundwork Denver’s employment based youth development programs are gearing up for the summer; the Blue Team, Green Teams, and the Green Corps will all be starting work in June. We’re delighted to be running four teams this summer working on projects like water quality testing in the Lower Bear Creek watershed, habitat restoration at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, mountain bike trail building in Buffalo Creek and growing healthy food at our greenhouse and urban farms. In addition, Groundwork Denver has also been running a Great Outdoors Colorado Inspire Initiative ‘GO WILD’ Youth Council with participants from the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood. This youth council is one of four councils in Northeast Metro Denver helping our coalition understand how to better connect young people and their families to the great outdoors of Colorado. If you or someone you know is interested in a job opportunity with one of their employment based youth development programs please reach out to our Director of Youth Programs Shane Wright, shane@groundworkcolorado.org.

 

Funding Opportunities for Late June

The National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program extends and expands the benefits of the National Park Service to communities throughout the nation. To be considered for technical assistance in 2017 for your community-led conservation and outdoor recreation projects submit your project idea. Project ideas can include a bike path, a water trail, or a park. Apply by June 30th, 2016. See the NPS website for the application and additional information.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources announced funding for wildfire risk reduction projects, through their Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Program (WRRG). Two types of projects will be considered through this grant program: 1) Fuels treatment projects located in Colorado that reduce the risk of damage to property, infrastructure, water supplies, and other high-valued assets as a result of wildfire and/or limit the likelihood of wildfires spreading into populated areas; 2) Projects that address unmet needs for capacity at the local level. These grants are designed to provide communities with equipment that will enable them to treat hazardous fuels on state and private lands going forward. Application deadline is August 8th, 2016. For more information go to CDNR.US.

The National Forest Foundation (NFF) is pleased to announce the 2016 Barrett Foundation Business Concept Challenge to foster innovation in natural resource management. Founded by Craig Barrett, former Chairman and CEO of Intel Corporation and long-time Board Member of the NFF, the Challenge encourages and rewards innovative market-based solutions to natural resource issues affecting National Forests and Grasslands and hopes to cultivate a new generation of entrepreneurial natural resource and business leaders. The Barrett Foundation Business Concept Challenge offers a $75,000 cash award to the winning submission and a $25,000 cash award to the first runner-up. Submission Deadline is Monday, August 15, 2016 at 11:59 pm MDT. Application instructions and more information can be found at www.nationalforests.org.

Conservation Alliance Invites Nominations for Conservation Projects. The Conservation Alliance is a group of outdoor businesses that seeks to protect threatened wild places throughout North America for their habitat and recreational values. As a group of outdoor industry companies, alliance recognizes its responsibility to help protect the wild lands and waterways on which our customers recreate and wildlife thrives. Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded for projects that seek to secure permanent and quantifiable protection of a specific wild land or waterway. Priority will be given to landscape-scale projects that have a clear benefit for habitat. In addition, campaigns should engage grassroots citizen action in support of the conservation effort and must have a clear recreational benefit. Nominations must be received no later than November 1, 2016. Upon review, selected nominees will be invited to submit full proposals by December 1, 2016. Visit the Conservation Alliance website for program guidelines, information about how to be nominated by an alliance member, and application procedures.

Grant opportunity from the National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Program. The Challenge Cost Share Program supports local projects that promote conservation and recreation, environmental stewardship, education, and engaging youth in the outdoors. Projects must benefit one or more NPS-administered park, National Trail, and/or Wild and Scenic River. For this year's funding, they are seeking to support projects that serve parks and promote bold innovation in one or more of three thematic categories: Urban Outreach: Projects to promote active healthy living, restore or conserve community natural and cultural assets, or promote close-to-home access to recreation within an urban setting. Youth Engagement: Projects to engage youth participants to play, learn, serve, and work associated with NPS sites. Connecting People to the Outdoors: Projects to enhance access to outdoor recreation opportunities. Eligible applicants are NPS-administered parks, including National Parks, National Trails, and Wild and Scenic Rivers. Applications are submitted by NPS staff in collaboration with project partners. Applications are due on July 1, 2016. For more information click HERE.

Announcements for Late June

 

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) Water Quality Control Division 2017 Drinking Water and Wastewater Eligibility Surveys are now available.  This survey is conducted on an annual basis by the CDPHE Water Quality Control Division for the purpose of identifying water and sewer infrastructure improvement projects eligible for funding through the State Revolving Fund grant and loan programs. All municipalities, counties, water and sanitation districts, not-for-profit water systems and other special districts that own or operate public water systems, sewer/sanitation systems, or stormwater systems in the State of Colorado are encouraged to participate. The survey will remain open from June 15, 2016 through July 30, 2016. The July 30th deadline is the last day CDPHE will be able to accept surveys identifying your water and wastewater improvement needs and for inclusion on the 2017 Project Eligibility Lists. The survey format and processes tend to change from year to year and they ask that you review the instructions provided on the first page of the survey and familiarize yourself with the process. Due to past complications with completing the PDF forms online utilizing an internet browser, this year they ask that you simply download the necessary survey and complete it directly from your PC.  A blank version of this
survey is available for download from the following website: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wq-eligibility-survey. Complete survey instruction are provided on the first page of the survey. 

The next Water Availability Task Force meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 22, 2016 from 1:00 pm - 3:00pm at the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Headquarters, 6060 Broadway, Denver in the Red Fox Room. An agenda will be posted at the CWCB website. 

Cotter Corporation NSL (Cotter) has agreed to pay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency $957,604 in past costs for overseeing an investigation of contamination from the company’s uranium mill at the Lincoln Park Superfund site near Cañon City, Colorado. The administrative settlement agreement will be subject to a 30-day public comment period. For more on the Lincoln Park site visit:  www.epa.gov/superfund/lincoln-park.

Water Alternatives, an interdiciplinary journal on water, politics and development has announced a Call for Papers: The (Re)turn to Infrastructure for Water Management. With a few obvious exceptions, including the construction of the world’s largest dam in China, water management around the world in the 1990s and 2000s seemed largely focused on the demand-side. More recently, however, we have begun to see a significant number of large inter-basin water transfer projects, massive dams, desalination plants, sea walls, tidal barriers and other constructions under development in Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America. Taken together, the resurgence of these types of concrete-heavy forms of water management suggest a turn back to the high-modernist reliance on big infrastructure as a strategy for addressing a range of water-related issues, including regional scarcity, sea-level rise, and flooding. The papers in this special issue will explore the questions of whether and why we are seeing a return to a 20th century water management paradigm centered on big infrastructure and, often, supply-side management principles, and what this (re)turn to big infrastructure tells us about the political-economic forces driving water management today. Deadline for submission of abstracts is July 20th, 2016. For more information go to www.water-alternatives.org.

Abstracts are being accepted for two sessions in the upcoming Geological Society of America Meeting, held September 25-28 in Denver. Abstracts are due on July 12th, 2016. Authors can submit up to 2 abstracts as first author, provided one presentation is a poster. The goal for the first session (T28) is to integrate different approaches to evaluating potential mining impacts using tools that can include remote sensing, human health, hydrology, ecological assessments, microbial assays, sedimentation, or geochemistry. The second session (T70) has a focus on the Animas River area, including the Gold King Mine incident of 2015.  This session will include both science and policy perspectives on abandoned mine lands.  For further information go to www.geosociety.org.