Mountain Lake, Colorado Division of Wildlife, 10/20/2003
The Forest Plan Revision open houses are here. Join them for your respective county’s open house. The Grand Junction open house will be Thursday, August 3 at Lincoln Park Barn, 910 N. 12 St., Grand Junction. The public open house will be meeting from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Kindly RSVP so the Planning Team can plan accordingly. If you're really interested in a particular topic, consider taking a peek at some of their POSTERS before coming to the open house. There’s a lot of draft information to digest, and some might want a chance to review it ahead of time. If you cannot go to any of their open houses, you would have an opportunity to join their webinars. The Webinars Schedule:
- Monday August 21 at 2:00 p.m. to 4:00p.m. https://usfs.adobeconnect.com/gmug-500/
- Wednesday August 23 from 4:00p.m. to 6:00p.m. https://usfs.adobeconnect.com/gmug-500/
The open house materials are also available on their website, tab “Get Involved.” fs.usda.gov/goto/ForestPlan
Conservation Colorado assessed the eight major river basins in the state of Colorado, and only the Yampa, which runs through the Northwest corner of the state, received top marks. The largest basin in the state, the Arkansas, earned a C. Click HERE for more information.
Participate in a Postdoc Research Interview on the South Platte Urban Waters Partnership(SPRUWP), through August, 2017. Pranietha Mudliar, a postdoctoral researcher in Environmental Justice and Sustainability at the University of Denver, studies collaborative watershed partnerships and collaborative watershed management in the context of environmental justice. One of her case studies is the SPRUWP, around which she is studying how different government and non-profit agencies in a watershed partnership learn from and work with each other to develop and implement solutions in low-income communities. She is seeking participants for a 30 to 45 minute, confidential interview regarding partnership meetings and how the meetings enable the partnership to develop and implement solutions for achieving environmental justice goals. You can reach her at pranietha.mudliar@du.edu or 614-377-3608.
Colorado Water Congress (CWC) Summer Conference is just about a month away and registrations are continuing at a very strong rate. They will begin publishing the confirmed speaker list soon. This is a time of great transition for Colorado’s water community. The Summer Conference will be our chance to say farewell to Nolan Doesken (Colorado State Climatologist), Eric Kuhn (Colorado River Water Conservation District) and Marc Waage (Denver Water). Their presentations over the years have been informative and enjoyable. We are very excited to get their perspectives as they move on to their next phase in life. For more information about the CWC Summer Conference that will be held Tuesday, August 22 through Thursday, August 24 at the Steamboat Grand, please go to : CWC Summer Conference Information
Clean Water Rule: Over the past several weeks, numerous statements have appeared about development of the new Clean Water Rule. Even though the new rule has yet to be written, some rather wild statements are being made such as drinking water for 117 million Americans will suffer and wetlands will be damaged or destroyed. In response, a Guest Commentary was published in the Denver Post last week by the Colorado Water Congress has submitted a commentary. The CWC Denver Post Commentary can be found at Clean Water Rule
The Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) and Colorado Water Conservation Board have just released a report providing scientific information about the benefits and challenges of managing Colorado’s forests to secure water supplies. The report, entitled Forest Management to Protect Colorado’s Water Resources, was produced in compliance with a 2016 legislative mandate to supplement the Colorado Water Plan. The report addresses the following factors affecting the Colorado’s forests and water supply wildland fire, insect and disease outbreaks, changing climate, and roads and human disturbances. While describing the challenges and potential benefits of forest management treatments for water supply and water quality, the report also summarizes the costs to watersheds, communities, water users and infrastructure if forest management does not occur.The health and proper management of headwaters forests, concludes CSFS, is closely linked to the sustained delivery of clean water. While more scientific research is needed to document the combined impact of wildfires, insects and climate, on-the-ground partnerships between stakeholders will be vital to manage forested watersheds to meet Colorado’s water needs..
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has released a suite of materials states and communities can use to protect public health during harmful algal bloom (HAB) outbreaks caused by cyanobacteria. Some blooms are capable of producing toxins, called cyanotoxins, which can harm humans and animals, affect drinking water sources and impact local economies. Public health officials and outdoor water recreational managers can use EPA’s online resources to develop a cyanotoxin monitoring program, communicate potential health risks to the public, and address HAB outbreaks. Go to the EPA website for more information.
Youth and Urban Waters Work: Groundwork’s Approach to Fostering Environmental Careers among Disadvantaged Youth - Youth have been central to Groundwork’s urban waters reclamation efforts. This report details the ways Groundwork youth have engaged with urban waters and reiterates why diversity is essential to future environmental and urban waters work. The report identifies potential environmental/urban waters-related occupations for youth, and provides steps to fill systematic gaps that will allow minority youth to fill green positions. Download a copy of the report here.
US Water Alliance Releases New National Paper on Equitable Water Management - Water challenges are often considered in the context of failing infrastructure or environmental pollution. An Equitable Water Future offers a robust analysis of the often-overlooked human dimension of water management, with a focus on how water can expand opportunity for our nation's most vulnerable people. The report demonstrates how water challenges affect affordability, environmental and social justice, economic development, health, safety, and more. Click here to read the report.
EPA Releases Green Infrastructure in Parks: A Guide to Collaboration, Funding, and Community Engagement. EPA has produced a guide to encourage partnerships between park agencies and stormwater agencies to promote the use of green infrastructure on park lands. The guide is designed to provide a stepwise approach for building relationships with potential partners, and includes information on how to identify and engage partners, build relationships, involve the community, leverage funding opportunities, and identify green infrastructure opportunities. It includes recommendations on the types of projects that are most likely to attract positive attention and funding, and which provide a wide range of benefits. Case studies illustrate the approaches presented in the guide. These real-life examples portray how partnerships between municipal stormwater agencies and parks departments have improved recreational resources in the community, enhanced environmental protection, and reduced risks and burdens. View the guide HERE.
