Trappers Lake. Trappers Lake in Garfield County taken June 2003. Division of Wildlife. Loyse Hinkle, Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
OCTOBER 3rd-5th, 2017: EPA Region 8 is hosting a Wetlands Conference to convene federal, state, tribal, and local representatives and NGOs to share information and best practices related to wetlands management. This 2017 conference will be held in Boulder, Colorado and will include sessions on stream and wetland restoration; mitigation; monitoring and assessment/mapping; and federal, state, and local level aquatic resource protection. The conference will allow stakeholders to discuss opportunities, hurdles, strategies, and potential solutions associated with protecting aquatic resources in Region 8. The event will facilitate networking, peer-to-peer learning, and collective problem-solving on specific issues, and allow regulators to share updates and learn from stakeholders View the conference webpage here and register here.
OCTOBER 4th, 2017: Colorado Play and Protect, created by TAP-IN, is a pitch event featuring entrepreneurs and innovators from the outdoor industries and watershed health fields presenting real-world water challenges in search of community-driven solutions. TAP-IN is calling all entrepreneurs, business professionals, problem-solvers, leaders, change-makers, and citizens passionate about water to join the community for an evening of meaningful dialogue, plus a sampling of our finest water resources (beer)! Register HERE. For more information about Tap-In, click HERE.
OCTOBER 7th, 2017: BEULAH CHALLENGE. The Subaru of Pueblo Beulah Challenge is the best running event in southern Colorado! With free camping, amazing race courses, and great energy, this is an event for everyone. Events: 5k walk/run, 10k run, half marathon run. The Beulah Challenge directly supports scholarships to the Mountain Park Environmental Center's environmental education programs. With your race entry, you'll get an awesome Next Level hoodie shirt this year. They're amazing. Trust us! Full event pricing and registration HERE!
OCTOBER 7th, 2017: 4th Annual Alpine Bank Middle Colorado River CleanUp. The Colorado River needs our help, so lets come together as a community and clean-up this essential resource. They will meet at Centennial Park and head out to the river from there. Please register early to be assigned a section. You are encouraged to form your own River Team. Contact Middle Colorado Watershed Council for more details!
OCTOBER 7th, 2017: Join Colorado Mesa University for The Economics of our Water: A Colorado River Business Tour to learn about how the Grand Valley’s economy depends on our rivers for its growth and vitality. Tour Includes: Talbott Farms; Orchard Mesa Pump & Power Plant site; Lunch at a farm; Las Colonias Park/Watson Island; Happy Hour at Edgewater! Click HERE to register.
OCTOBER 8, 2017: TOUR DE POUDRE BIKE RIDE from 7:00 am – 1:00 pm. Fee includes commemorative event t-shirt for the first 50 participants, as well as snacks, lunch and drinks. You’ll finish the afternoon by visiting Odell Brewing Company, start/finish at 1805 E Lincoln Ave., Fort Collins, CO. REGISTER ONLINE AT: COLORADOTREES.ORG.
OCTOBER 10th-12th, 2017: 2017 Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference at the Westin Riverfront Resort, Avon, CO. This highly popular event expands cooperation and collaboration throughout our state for natural resource conservation, protection, and enhancement by informing citizen groups, agencies, consultants, and legislators about current issues and through networking opportunities. REGISTER for 2017, the conference which will focus on “Coming Together – the Confluence of Science and Society.”
OCTOBER 11th, 2017: This is Your River will be an inspiring event featuring films, art, and conversation about the Colorado River. Showcasing stories about the legacy, adventure, and conservation surrounding the Colorado River, we'll highlight how and why we must work together to care for this precious resource which is vital to all facets of life in the West. From 5:30pm-8:30pm, this free event is open to the public and donations to support American Rivers’ and Colorado Trout Unlimited's headwaters restoration work will be gladly and gratefully accepted! For more information email invitation@americanrivers.org. For full details and to register click HERE.
OCTOBER 12th, 2017: Bites & Brews for Biodiversity. This October, Rocky Mountain Wild will be hosting Bites & Brews for Biodiversity this event will be held between 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm at the Silver Vines Winery, 7509 Grandview Ave, Arvada, CO 80002. Admission tickets are $50 in advance, $40 in advance for members at the Supporting Level and above, and $60 at the door. And new this year, they are offering $30 advance tickets for students or young professionals (under age 35)! Tickets are now available.
OCTOBER 13th, 2017: 8th Annual ELK 'n Eggs! Join Environmental Learning for Kids from 7:30 am - 9:00 am at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. This event sells out every year - get your FREE tickets early! Keynote Speaker is Juan Martinez, Director, Leadership Development and Natural Leaders Network at Children & Nature Network. Register Here.
OCTOBER 14th, 2017: Friends of Barr Lake Annual Harvest Festival from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, 13401 Picadilly Rd, Brighton, CO. This event raises funding for educational programming at Barr Lake State Park. Learn more HERE.
OCTOBER 17th, 2017: Join Trout Unlimited and Mountain Studies Institute for Climate change in the Upper Dolores: drought or trout? From 6:30 - 8:00 pm there will be presentation and conversation about potential climate change impacts on trout habitat and populations in the Dolores River. Partners from both organizations will present findings from a recent coldwater-fisheries adaptive management framework and answer questions from stakeholders. This will take place in Room 130 in Noble Hall, Fort Lewis College, Durango CO. Contact page@mountainstudies.org with questions.
OCTOBER 19th, 2017: From 6pm-8pm there will be an Uncompahgre River Stakeholder Meeting. Holly Brown of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) will be presenting an introduction to the agency’s update to the Total Maximum Daily Load calculation for our watershed. The TMDL is the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards. Developing a TMDL is one way for a waterbody to be removed from the 303(d) list, a designation indicating cleanup work is required to meet standards. The meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19 at the San Juan Room of the Ouray Community Center, 320 6th Ave, will provide information about the EPA and CDPHE process for updating the TMDL and give stakeholders a chance to ask questions. This is just the beginning of the process and when calculations are available in early 2018, you will be invited back to provide comments on the data and findings. If you have questions, feel free to contact UWP Communications Director Tanya Ishikawa at uwpcommunications@gmail.com
OCTOBER 24th, 2017: Registration is now open for Colorado WaterWise 9th Annual Water Conservation Symposium at 8:15 am-4:00 pm at the Lowry Conference Center, 1061 Akron Way, Building 697, Denver, CO 80230. Keynote Speaker: Zachary Johnson of Colorado State University's College of Horticultural Sciences - Horticulture & Landscape Architecture will talk about Connecting the Relationship Between Landscapes and Health. Click HERE to register.
OCTOBER 25th - 26th, 2017: South Platte Forum. The South Platte Forum was initiated in 1989 to provide an avenue for a timely, multi-disciplinary exchange of information and ideas important to resource management in the South Platte River Basin. For conference information go to www.southplatteforum.org.
OCTOBER 26th-28th, 2017: Join the Land Trust Alliance Rally this year in Denver, Colorado, for a gathering packed with diverse topics to explore and great colleagues and friends to learn and share with. Rally has all of the resources you want to take your conservation skills further. Rally is the Land Trust Alliance's annual gathering of nearly 2,000 inspired and passionate land conservation practitioners from the US, Canada, South America and beyond, who are dedicated to conserving cherished places in local communities. Registration now open. Learn more.
SPREE Holiday Camps 2017-2018
SPREE will be hosting several day camps during the 2017- 2018 academic calendar on days that Denver Public Schools are closed.These unique and educational programs are for children who are in kindergarten (must be at least 6 years old) through 5th grade. All holiday camps will be held at Johnson Habitat Park, 610 S. Jason St. Denver CO, 80223; from 8:00 am - 6:00 pm. Cost for this program is $50/child/day.
Oct. 26-27, 2017: Fur, Feathers, and Scales
Find out why animals have different body coverings and help Chompers the Beaver solve a mystery along the way.
November 3, 2017: Geology Rocks!
What is the rock cycle? What types of rocks are found in Colorado? Become a geologist with SPREE and find out!
November 20-21, 2017: Time Travelers
Hop into your time machine and join SPREE to learn all about the Native Americans and Pioneers who lived along the South Platte River.
January 15, 2018: Something Fishy!
oin SPREE as we learn about the fish in the South Platte River and the many amazing adaptations they have.
February 2, 2018: Raptors of the River
Investigate the birds of prey that live along the South Platte River.
To view specific dates/themes and to register, please visit the SPREE website!
NOVEMBER 1st, 2017: Save the Date - Cherry Creek Watershed Annual Conference presented by the Cherry Creek Stewardship Partners, the Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority (CCBWQA), & the Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority (SEMSWA). Join them as they celebrate active stewardship in the Cherry Creek watershed! The focus for the conference is providing an update on ‘what’s happening’ in the basin. This year they are going to highlight watershed monitoring to illustrate how dynamic technical advances, successful regional planning, and stewardship engagement can benefit from raising awareness through data collection & analysis. Monitoring takes various forms and can be instrumental in supporting the positive environmental actions we see in our watershed today. For more information visit http://www.cherry-creek.org/events/.
NOVEMBER 1st, 2017: Join the Big Thompson Watershed Forum for its 15th Biennial Watershed Conference. They will welcome 14 speakers who will present on topics ranging from abandoned mines in the Big Thompson Watershed, to status updates on Highway 34 construction. The deadline to register is October 17th. This year's conference will feature the following five sessions: From Source to Treatment: Public Perception of Water Quality, Abandoned Mines: A Watershed at Risk?, Highway 34: Protecting a River Ecosystem, Ripple Effects of the 2016 Fish Kill Event and Wildfires and Watersheds: Lessons Learned. Go to their website to register for this conference.
NOVEMBER 1st-2nd, 2017: The 2017 Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum in Grand Junction, CO will showcase stories that illuminate the challenges and complexities involved in trying to understand Upper Colorado River Basin water issues and manage water in new ways. Topics include: Snow Science, Bridging Science & Decision Making, Vulnerabilities to Climate Change, Vegetation Interactions with Water Supply, Multi-benefit Infrastructure Upgrades, Community Connections to Riverfront, State of the Colorado River (interstate panel), Drought Contingency Planning across the Basin, Innovations in Agricultural Water Use, Recreation & Water Policy, Meeting Diverse Needs on Shared Streams Registration is free for CMU faculty, staff and students, as well as K-12 teachers. Note: Rates increase by $50 after October 15! Find the draft of the program HERE. For more information and to register, click HERE.
NOVEMBER 6th-9th, 2017: Join North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) for NALMS 2017: Finding Balance in Colorado to hear fascinating lake talks, see the mountains, and network. Enjoy workshops, exhibits, and first hand experience of our Colorado water resources. Finding Balance is the key to managing our lakes, watersheds, and even day-to-day relationships with people. For information go to their WEBSITE. To register click HERE.
NOVEMBER 6th, 2017: The Colorado Foundation for Water Education is having a workshop about 2017 Considerations in Implementing Regional Water Solutions. Regional water planning and management is becoming a popular topic in Colorado as a means to help secure water for our future. This informative, day-long workshop will provide a forum for information and discussion around the tradeoffs in regional water planning for achieving economies of scale as well as a close examination of the opportunities, the hurdles, and the best approaches for success. Register HERE to reserve your place and join them in Colorado Springs.
NOVEMBER 6th-9th, 2017: After 26 years, Colorado welcomes North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) back to the headwaters state. Colorado is home to thousands of both natural alpine lakes and reservoirs. We are proud of our mountains and appreciate the importance of our lakes and reservoirs. In Colorado, water is used for fishing, drinking, farming, rafting, camping, mining, ranching, boating, brewing, and much more. These uses are supported with a statewide annual average rainfall of just 17 inches. The lakes and reservoirs throughout the West and the Rockies provide the resources to meet these diverse needs. Finding balance in how we manage them is important. Finding Balance is the key to managing our lakes, watersheds, and even day-to-day relationships with people. Come to NALMS 2017 in Colorado to hear fascinating lake talks, see the mountains, and network. Click HERE to register.
NOVEMBER 26th - DECEMBER 8th, 2017: Join Pueblo County Extension Director Michael Fisher and Horticulture Coordinator Sherie Caffey as they explore both the agriculture and the history of Spain’s Andalusian region. They have planned a diverse tour with stops ranging from seed and grafting propagation to green-house vegetable production. You’ll learn about olive oil production and marketing, avocado exports, and fruit production in Spain. Their group will have the opportunity to look at how a cotton cooperative has spread their risk by diversifying into tomato concentrate production and the cut flower business, marketing over 70 million carnations annually. Some of Spain’s famous equine and cattle operations are going to open their gates & barns for their group to learn about livestock production in the region. To apply and learn more about this event, click HERE.
November 29th- 30th, 2017: Attend the Southern Rockies Seed Network 2017 Conference, Ecotypes: Science, Practice, & Policy at The Fort Collins Innosphere, 320 East Vine Drive, Fort Collins CO. More information to come. More information is found HERE.
MARCH 2nd - 3rd, 2017: 2018 Advancing Environmental Education Conference, "emPowered by Nature", Auraria Campus,Denver, CO. Colorado’s Advancing Environmental Education Conference is annually hosted by the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE), a statewide leader in environmental education since 1989. CAEE facilitates communication, coordination, resource sharing and professional development to advance environmental education among over 850 members across the state among various sectors. Information about the Conference Event.
APRIL 18, 2018: The Center for Watershed Protection is hosting the 2018 National Watershed and Stormwater Conference, which is designed for water management from all sectors, practitioners, regulators, and water and sewer authorities, and will present case studies and best practices as well as address cross cutting issues and emerging trends. This will take place online and at remote hub locations. Registration begins soon. Questions can be answered by emailing: center@cwp.org, or calling 410-461-8323. For more on the Center for Watershed Protection, click HERE.