Announcements for Late August

Looking at pond toward road in the new Riverfront Park in Basalt, Division of Wildlife, 10/28/2005

Looking at pond toward road in the new Riverfront Park in Basalt, Division of Wildlife, 10/28/2005

Ephemeral and intermittent streams account for 60% of stream miles nationwide and more than 70% here in Colorado.  The Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed to start a repeal-and-replace rulemaking process to rescind the 2015 "Clean Water Rule". The Denver Post recently described the issue and what it means here in Colorado. You can help protect Clean Water by submitting your comments with the EPA, and sharing your concerns with your elected officials, using their online action center.  Comment Period is OPEN, will close on August 27.

Public Meeting Reminder: Proposed Changes to Regulation 84 to Consider the Use of Recycled/Reclaimed Water for Toilet and Urinal Flushing located at Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment 4300 Cherry Creek Dr. South Denver, CO 80246, Room C1A on August 17, 2017 from 12:30 - 3:30 pm. Denver Water offsets approximately 6,500 acre feet of potable water per year by providing recycled water for non-potable uses, including irrigation, cooling towers, and commercial uses. One way to increase the utilization of recycled water throughout the state and meet the goals of Colorado’s first State Water Plan is to expand the number of approved uses outlined in Regulation 84. Click HERE for more information and to register.

The Forest Plan Revision open houses are here. The open house materials are available on their website, tab “Get Involved”. fs.usda.gov/goto/ForestPlan. If you're really interested in a particular topic, consider taking a peek at some of their POSTERS before attending an 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:

In a 5 1/2 minute video, Kirk Klancke, Anna Drexler-Dreis and other leaders with the Colorado River. Headwaters Chapter share the story of how collaboration among TU, Grand County, Denver Water, and other stakeholders is creating opportunities to restore healthier habitat for the Fraser River and its riparian corridor. Learn More.

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.

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..