Job Announcements Early October

The Big Thompson Watershed Coalition is hiring a Project Manager. Under the general direction of the Director, the Project Manager leads all tasks related to BTWC’s river restoration, stewardship, forest restoration, and outreach/educational projects. The Project Manager is responsible for carrying out tasks related to the management of the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition’s flood recovery river projects, ongoing monitoring and adaptive management river projects, and other project management tasks as assigned by the Director. Application deadline is October 4, 2018. For more information and how to apply click HERE.

City of Fort Collins is hiring a Forestry Technician II, who maintains the health, safety, and aesthetics of public trees within the City of Fort Collins. Operates a variety of power tools and specialized equipment in the performance of these duties. Strong focus on pruning trees of all sizes using rope and saddle techniques, structure pruning of small trees, large tree removal, and tree planting following industry and division standards. Deadline to apply is 3:00 PM. MST on October 8th, 2018. For more information, click HERE.

Larimer County is hiring a Natural Resources Director, who leads and directs the programs and activities in the Natural Resources Department including Parks, Open Lands, and Lands Stewardship (Weeds and Forestry). Oversight areas include management, recreation, and development of US Bureau of Reclamation Reservoirs, management and use of allocated Colorado Lottery Funds, acquisition, development, and management of County open spaces and trails, County Weed Control District and Enterprise Fund, and County Forestry. Significant interaction with municipalities, the County Parks Advisory Board, the County Opens Lands Advisory Board, Land Stewardship Advisory Board, and other agencies to further the Board of County Commissioners' (BOCC) Natural Resources agenda and projects. Receives general direction from the Director of Community Planning Infrastructure and Resources. Deadline to apply is October 14th, 2018. For more information, click HERE.

Colorado Department of Natural Resources is hiring a Statewide Education Coordinator. This position serves as the agency's expert in formal education, specifically focused on professional development of educators; wildlife and natural resources education activities for a variety of formal groups and audiences; and serves as the agency expert on designing state education standards-based activities and programs. This position is responsible for planning, directing and overseeing the overall function and operation of standards based education programs within CPW including the Schools and Outdoor Learning Environments Program, Colorado Project WILD, and the Colorado Archery in the Schools Program and the training/curriculum materials associated with each program. Deadline to apply is October 28th, 2018. For more information, click HERE.

Colorado Springs Utilities is hiring a Water Resources Planning Engineer. The Water Resource Planning Section of Colorado Springs Utilities’ Water Services Division is seeking to fill multiple project engineer positions to support water resources planning, protection and project management.  These positions will be dedicated to pursuing a wide range of efforts, initiatives, and projects to support the current operations and future development of Colorado Springs’ water system with an emphasis on the implementation of Integrated Water Resource Plan goals and priorities of the Water Services Division. For more information, including how to apply, click HERE.

Northern Water is currently looking for a Water Quality Department Manager. Duties include planning and directing personnel and all aspects of Northern Water’s activities concerning water quality. Identifying water quality issues that may affect the organization and its allottees and developing and implementing plans to maintain compliance with pertinent local, state and federal regulations and to protect system water quality and water supply. For full job description, click HERE. Position is open until filled. 

Department of Parks and Recreation for the City of Denver is hiring a Fishing Program Coordinator. The Fishing Program Coordinator will be responsible for ensuring that the Denver's Fishing is Fun program is properly organized and successfully implemented. This is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience working for one of the largest park programs in the region and truly making a positive impact in the community. They are looking for an individual to work part-time through the remainder of the season (through approximately November of 2018). For more information, visit their website HERE.

Eagle River Watershed Council is seeking a Community Outreach VISTA to become a part of their team. The VISTA will help to expand their community outreach efforts particularly in the Latino and underserved communities, build organizational capacity, and help develop a new water quality education program county-wide. All applications must be submitted through the AmeriCorps website. To create a login visit https://my.americorps.gov/mp/recruit/registration.do. More information about the AmeriCorps VISTA application process is HERE. 

Continental Divide Trail Coalition is looking for a Project Leader (to be filled immediately). This full-time, seasonal position (July - October) requires leadership experience in constructing and managing non-motorized trails through collaborative partnerships, proven success in program coordination and a background in volunteer management. Requires a minimum of two years of experience in sustainable trail construction techniques and crew leadership/volunteer management. For more information, click HERE. To apply: Please email a Cover Letter and Resume to Morgan Anderson at manderson@continentaldividetrail.org with Subject: CDT Project Leader Application. 

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Environmental Programs Department is hiring a Water Quality Specialist to conduct field, lab. and office work to restore, maintain and protect the chemical, biological and physical integrity of the Tribes surface and groundwater resources. Contact Colin Larrick, Water Quality Program Manager, clarrick@utemountain.org for additional information and how to apply.

Friends of the Lower Blue River is hiring an Executive Director who will oversee the logistics, serve as point person, represent the FOLBR in the community, and manage membership functions so that the FOLBR maintains a high and positive profile in the community, the FOLBR BOD functions efficiently and effectively, and the FOLBR Mission is consistently honored and met. For more information, visit the description page HERE. 

The City of Boulder is seeking a Natural Lands Technician. Under limited supervision, maintains the health, safety and aesthetics of natural areas throughout the Parks and Recreation system.  Performs natural resource related maintenance and operations on City of Boulder Parks and Recreation natural lands including staff collaboration, project completion and program assistance.  Performs a variety of skilled and semi-skilled tasks in the areas of natural lands maintenance, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), wildlife management and equipment operation, and performs related duties as required. To see the entire job description, click HERE and look for the Maintenance Person III Natural Lands job title.

PublicHealth.org, is a site dedicated to meeting the growing need for public health professionals by connecting students with opportunities to begin and advance their careers. With a predicted growth rate well above the national average and an established workforce, public health is an excellent industry for a new student to begin a career. To meet this demand, they have expanded their site’s career and state resources. For students seeking information about public health in their state, they have created state-specific guides that answer important questions. The page for Colorado can be found at: https://www.publichealth.org/online-degrees/Colorado/.

Conferences & Events Early October

SEPTEMBER 27th-OCTOBER 7th, 2018: 5th Annual Creek Week Cleanup - Seeking Creek Crews. Be a part of the largest cleanup in the state of Colorado! Creek Week volunteers clean up litter along the creeks, trails, parks and open spaces from Palmer Lake to Pueblo during this 9-day event happening 9/27-10/7 this year. Individuals and groups (families, clubs, schools, churches, neighborhoods, etc.) are invited to form a Creek Crew. Get outdoors, get active, and create some good for your community and those living downstream! Last year, over the course of nine days, 2,592 citizens formed 81 groups and collected nearly three THOUSAND bags of litter and debris, weighing in at over 30 TONS.

OCTOBER 6TH, 2018: The CWC POND Committee has organized a South Platte River Clean Up. They will meet at 9am to pick up trash along the river banks and trail system in Littleton. The group will walk to Breckenridge Brewery where volunteers can grab a beer, have lunch, and network around the noon hour. The event is open to all, so please feel free to bring your friends. For more information and to register, please see the Colorado Water Congress website HERE.

OCTOBER 6TH, 2018: The Purgatoire Watershed is putting on the Purgatoire River Cleanup. Come learn about your river, walk the River Walk trail, and help clean up your river! All ages welcome! Meet at Noah’s Ark Parking Lot. Registration & Snacks & Goodies & Get Cleanup Gear: 9:30 am. Educational Speakers Begin: 10 am. River Clean-Up: 10:30-12:30. Free Lunch for All Volunteers: 12:30 pm. Safety First! Bring gloves if you have ‘em – if not we’ll have a few extra pairs of gloves. We will only be picking up easily accessible trash along the trail. We will be avoiding any trash that is unsafe or in unsafe areas! For more details contact Julie Knudson, Purgatoire Watershed Partnership (PWP). 970-420-1915. purgatoirewatershedpartnership@gmail.com.

OCTOBER 9th - 11th, 2018: 13th Annual Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference. The Color of Water: Exploring the Spectrum, Westin Riverfront Resort, Avon, CO. Don't miss the premier watershed conference in Colorado. Expanding cooperation and collaboration throughout Colorado in natural resource conservation, protection and enhancement by informing participants about new issues and innovative projects and through invaluable networking. For information and registration go to SCW Conference 2018.

OCTOBER 11th, 2018: Bits & Brews for Biodiversity, presented by Rocky Mountain Wild. Help our wildlife biologists identify animals from our camera traps. Use technology to “fly” over Wolf Creek pass to see how development will destroy the wildlife movement corridor. Visit Gunnison sage-grouse habitat threatened by oil and gas development. Gear up to become a citizen scientist and get your photo taken by a wildlife camera. And more! Join our staff for a fun-filled evening of activities, all while watching the sunset over Denver and the Rocky Mountains from the 32nd floor of a downtown skyscraper. Dine on wildlife-friendly vegetarian and vegan tapas. Enjoy a complimentary drink in your commemorative Keep the Eeep! pint glass. And don’t forget to bid on items in “The Most Awesome Environmental Silent Auction in the Front Range.” All proceeds go toward our work to protect biodiversity in the Rockies. For full event details, click HERE.

OCTOBER 24th-25th, 2018: 29th Annual South Platte Forum at the Embassy Suites in Loveland, CO. The conference will feature an exciting lineup of speakers and topics, and a great opportunity to network. Find the list of speakers and their bios HERE, and all general and pertinent information and links HERE. 

OCTOBER 30th, 2018: 10th Annual Water Conservation Symposium at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Join them for the 10th Annual Colorado WaterWise Water Conservation Symposium in Denver, Colorado! They have a great program that will appeal to many audiences. Register now as space is limited. To register, visit their website HERE.

NOVEMBER 7th, 2018: Colorado Healthy Rivers Fund Hoorah! Join the Colorado Watershed Assembly for this end of year celebration and fundraiser for the Colorado Healthy Rivers Fund (CHRF) from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm at the Skylark Lounge, 140 S. Broadway, Denver, CO. The CHRF grants money to on-the-ground projects that contribute to cleaner water, healthier wildlife habitat, improved recreation and vibrant local economies throughout our state. Tickets are on sale at Colorado Healthy Rivers Fund.

NOVEMBER 7th-8th, 2018: 8th Annual Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum will be held at CMU University Center in Grand Junction, CO. For more, click HERE. CALL FOR ABSTRACTS will expire June 30th. Click HERE for details for abstracts.

FEBRUARY 4th - 6th, 2019: ESRI Water Conference: Discover How GIS Helps Us Better Manage Our Most Precious Resource. Some of the topics that you can look forward to learning more about include; Big Data and Analytics, Watershed and Floodplain Delineation, Asset Management, Field Workflows and Mobile Applications. Post-Conference training will cover using ArcGIS for water utility workflows. Learn new best practices and solutions to strengthen your operations with the power of the ArcGIS platform. REGISTER HERE.

FEBRUARY 11th – 14th, 2019: Colorado Rural Water Association Annual Conference and Exhibition. SAVE THE DATE! This event will be held at the Crowne Plaza DIA Convention Center, 1550 East 40th Avenue, Denver, CO. For more information click HERE.

Trainings & Workshops Early October

Colorado Watershed Assembly is offering a free “Promoting Data Literacy through Data Visualization Storyboards” workshop on Tuesday, October 9th from 8:00 am - 11:30 am at the Westin in Avon, CO. Bring out your data! Come with your laptop and questions and be prepared to dig into your community data. What are the concerns relating to water in your community? How are you using data collection and visualization tools to communicate water issues? We will work through a community issue from data collection and analysis to a mapped visualization and look at stream storytelling in a holistic way. This workshop will discuss the use of graphics to illustrate and communicate data stories that are both engaging and informative. Individuals with a background in local community organization, government, academia and private business are encouraged to attend. For more information and registration click HERE.

Water Education Colorado presents Rethinking the Big Picture: Building Relationships into Program Design and Evaluation - October 9th, 2018.  This workshop will benefit anyone who delivers projects or programs. The lessons learned can be applied at various scales - from short-term projects to organizational program management. Additionally, these skills are useful for various sectors, including municipalities, nonprofits, watershed coalitions, consultants and businesses. For all the details, including registration, click HERE. 

The Center for Watershed Protection presents Watershed and Stormwater Webcast Series:

  • Innovations in Stream Restoration Design and Construction- October 10, 2018, 1-2:30 PM ES

  • It Ain’t Easy Getting Green: Incentivizing Watershed Programs- November 14, 2018, 1-2:30 PM EST

Find pricing information and registration HERE. 

Northern Water is expanding its training and certification opportunities to better serve the green industry. In conjunction with G3 Green Gardens Group, we are excited to provide a new opportunity for landscape and irrigation professionals, and invite you to join them at Northern Water’s Berthoud headquarters for a Watershed Wise Landscape Professional Training Oct. 18-19, with an exam taking place either Oct. 23 or Nov. 2. For more information, including registration, click HERE.

American Stormwater Institute is putting on the Denver Qualified Stormwater Inspector Training - October 29th-30th, 2018. In this two-day course they will cover all the topics to ensure that you meet the regulatory requirement to conduct Stormwater Inspections. They will review the requirements of your state MS4, Construction, and Industrial General Permits; they will discuss what it takes for you to be in compliance with the permits; they will discuss inspection techniques that will help you better evaluate whether or not other permittees are in compliance with their permits – and how that influences your permit compliance. All the details and registration can be found HERE. 

Funding Opportunities Early October

Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program. This program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas. Full details, including requirements and registration, can be found HERE. 

Conservation Alliance Public Lands Defense Fund - Grants will be awarded in support of projects that seek to secure quantifiable and permanent protection of a specific wildland 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 effort and must have a clear recreational benefit. Before applying for funding, an organization must first be nominated by one of the alliance's member companies. Nominations must be received no later than November 1, 2018. Information can be found HERE.

Great Outdoors Colorado has posted the application for Local Parks and Outdoor Recreation grant, along with other mini grants. For all the information regarding applications and submissions, click HERE. Deadline to apply is November 2nd.

EPA Wetland Program Development Grants—Application Close Date Varies by Region –Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDGs) provide eligible applicants an opportunity to conduct projects that promote the protection, management, and restoration of wetlands. States, tribes, local governments, inter-state associations, and inter-tribal consortia are eligible to apply for the Regional WPDG Request for Proposals. More information available HERE.

WaterSMART Cooperative Watershed Management Program - Watershed Group Development and Watershed Restoration Planning. In 2012, Reclamation began providing funding for watershed group development, watershed restoration planning, and watershed management project design (Phase I). A watershed group is a self-sustaining, non-regulatory, consensus-based group that is composed of a diverse array of stakeholders, which may include, but is not limited to, private property owners, non-profit organizations, Federal, state, or local agencies, and tribes. As part of Phase I activities, applicants may use funding to develop bylaws, a mission statement, complete stakeholder outreach, develop a watershed restoration plan, and watershed management project design. For more information, click HERE. 

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Water Quality Planning Design and Engineering Grants. These grants provide money to small communities to help cover costs associated with the State Revolving Fund pre-application requirements. Grants require a 20 percent match from the applicant. Planning grant applicants must complete the prequalification form and attend a pre-application meeting. Design and engineering grant applicants will be considered by project needs assessment submissions by approved disadvantaged communities. For more information CLICK HERE.

Colorado's Water Plan Grant Opportunities: The purpose of the Water Plan Grant funding is to make progress on the critical actions identified in the Colorado’s Water Plan (CWP) and its Measurable Objectives. All applications will be assessed based on funds available for a particular CWP Measurable Objective category. The Board will select projects, programs and activities to fund from applications that have the best opportunity to make progress on the CWP’s Measurable Objectives or critical actions. The CWCB staff reserves the right to negotiate with successful applicants to modify the scope and budget of their project to better meet the CWP objectives in light of fund availability. CWCB staff will evaluate applications and recommend projects to the CWCB Board for final approval at its regularly scheduled Board meetings. Learn more HERE.

The National Water Quality Initiative will work in priority watersheds to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners improve water quality and aquatic habitats in impaired streams. Natural Resource Conservation Service will help producers implement conservation and management practices through a systems approach to control and trap nutrient and manure runoff. Qualified producers will receive assistance for installing conservation practices such as cover crops, filter strips and terraces. More Details HERE.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), provided through the Natural Resource Conservation Service, is a voluntary conservation program that helps agricultural producers in a manner that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible goals. Through EQIP, agricultural producers receive financial and technical assistance to implement structural and management conservation practices that optimize environmental benefits on working agricultural land. EQIP applications are accepted on a continuous basis, however, NRCS establishes application "cut-off" or submission deadline dates for evaluation, ranking and approval of eligible applications. EQIP is open to all eligible agricultural producers and submitted applications may be considered or evaluated in multiple funding pool opportunities. To learn more CLICK HERE.

The Colorado Water Conservation Board Water Supply Reserve Account (WSRA) Program provides grants and loans to assist Colorado water users in addressing their critical water supply issues and interests. The funds help eligible entities complete water activities, which may include competitive grants for: Technical assistance regarding permitting, feasibility studies and environmental compliance; Studies or analysis of structural, nonstructural consumptive and nonconsumptive water needs, projects or activities; and structural and nonstructural water projects or activities. For more information click HERE.

Colorado Water Conservation Board Water Efficiency Grant Program. The Water Efficiency Grant Program provides financial assistance to communities, water providers, and eligible agencies for water conservation-related activities and projects. Eligible entities, as well as state and local governments and agencies, can receive funding to develop water conservation and drought plans, implement water conservation goals outlined in a water conservation plan and educate the public about water conservation.
Types of Water Efficiency Grants available - Click on programs below for more information about each and how to apply:

RiversEdge West has a list of riparian restoration funding opportunities maintained by the Tamarisk Coalition.  For list click  restoration funding opportunities.

Announcements Early October

Colorado Water Quality Control Division is launching the 2019 Nonpoint Source Funding Cycle. This process begins with the development of a concept or idea focused on water quality problems or protection opportunities associated with nonpoint sources of pollution. This concept will be developed into a full proposal later in the process. For those project sponsors interested in receiving feedback on a NPS project idea, the NPS Program requests submittal of a concept paper. The concept paper submittal deadline is October 22, 2018 by 5:00 pm and feedback on the ideas shared through concept papers will be provided on October 25, 2018 during a telephone conference (more details to follow). For guidance in developing your concept paper, please go to https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/nonpoint-source-funding-opportunities and look for the “2019 Nonpoint Source Project Concept Consultation” information.

The South Platte Basin Roundtable (SPBRT) was established through the Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act to facilitate discussions on water management issues and encourage locally driven collaborative solutions. To this end, the SPBRT is seeking passionate, professional, and committed individuals to serve as representatives on the roundtable. The SPBRT consists of up to 56 voting members who collectively represent the rich diversity of the watershed. If you are interested in applying for on the vacancies, please submit the following information to Garrett Varra, SPBRT Chair at gvarra@varracompanies.com .  All information is due by October 15, 2018.

Colorado Watershed Flood Recovery 2013-2018. Colorado took a holistic approach to stream system recovery following the 2013 floods by focusing on watershed scale recovery and incorporating long-term resiliency into every project. Download the program description handout to learn more about the State’s approach and the successful outcomes. Handouts and Project Success Stories can be found HERE.

PublicHealth.org is a site dedicated to meeting the growing need for public health professionals by connecting students with opportunities to begin and advance their careers. With a predicted growth rate well above the national average and an established workforce, public health is an excellent industry for a new student to begin a career. To meet this demand, they have expanded their site’s career and state resources. For students seeking information about public health in their state, they have created state-specific guides that answer important questions. The page for Colorado can be found at: https://www.publichealth.org/online-degrees/Colorado/.

MEETING NOTICE: Colorado Water Quality Forum 10-year water quality roadmap Workgroup involvement opportunity. The mission of the workgroup is to achieve solutions to Colorado water quality issues through communication and understanding, balancing use, and protection of the resource. Water Quality Members and Participants: The 10-year water quality roadmap is their plan to develop or revise water quality standards from 2017 to 2027. They'll hold quarterly workgroup meetings to discuss progress and encourage participation. Learn more about all the topics involved on the roadmap webpage, ROAD WEBPAGE.

  • Meeting 1: Completed

  • Meeting two: Completed

  • Meeting three: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018 (1-4 p.m.)

  • Meeting four: Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019 (1-4 p.m.)

Anyone can participate! If you would like to receive future emails about the workgroup, use this online sign-up form to join the mailing list so they can stay in touch.