Looking for more opportunities to drink beer and save rivers? Look no further than Ale House Denver! For the month of February, they're teaming up with River North Brewery to donate $2 to Colorado Water Trust per every RN Barrel Aged Nightmare Fuel Stout sold, so go get your stout on!
FEBRUARY 19th & 22nd, 2019: Is Your River Wild & Scenic? On February 19th, the GMUG Forest Plan Revision Team will release its Draft Wild & Scenic Eligibility Report, and is requesting that public comment be received by March 22. Eligibility is the first of the three-step Wild and Scenic River process, each step of which includes opportunities for public engagement. You can learn more by joining one of the two webinars the GMUG is hosting to walk through this process (February 19 from 3:30 – 5:00 and February 22nd from 9:00 – 10:30).
FEBRUARY 19th, 2019: Colorado Water Conservation Board Water Availability Task Force meeting will be 9:30 a.m. -11:15 a.m. at the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Headquarters, 6060 Broadway, Denver in the Red Fox Room. For the agenda or to call in remotely, click HERE.
FEBRUARY 21st, 2019: Reg. 84 Stakeholder meeting on Non-commercial Crops. The Colorado Water Quality Control Division is in the middle of hosting a stakeholder process regarding the use of reclaimed water to irrigate edible crops and hemp. Your participation and input is encouraged.
(9-11 a.m.) Lab - Rosalind Franklin Room, 8100 Lowry Blvd, Denver, CO 80203
FEBRUARY 25th, 2019: Reg. 84 Stakeholder meeting on Hemp. The Colorado Water Quality Control Division is in the middle of hosting a stakeholder process regarding the use of reclaimed water to irrigate edible crops and hemp. Your participation and input is encouraged.
(1-3 p.m.) CDPHE Main Campus, Room B2E, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80246
MARCH 6th, 2019: Reg. 84 Stakeholder meeting on Commercially Processed Crops. The Colorado Water Quality Control Division is in the middle of hosting a stakeholder process regarding the use of reclaimed water to irrigate edible crops and hemp. Your participation and input is encouraged.
(1-3 p.m.) CDPHE Main Campus, Room B2B, 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South, Denver, CO 80246
Applications Now Being Accepted for K-12 Student and Teacher Awards. Applications are now being accepted for the President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) and the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators Award (PIAEE). Applications are due March 8, 2019. The application and eligibility information are available HERE.
EPA proposes to delete residential areas in north Denver from Superfund list. Historically, the affected north-Denver neighborhoods were a major smelting center. As a result, heavy metals were deposited in area soils, and groundwater was impacted at the former smelter locations. The EPA and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have determined that all required cleanup activities are complete in the area proposed for deletion. EPA is accepting public comments on the proposed action through March 8, 2019. For more information and to comment on the proposed deletion, visit HERE.
Submit your Lottery-funded projects for a 2019 Starburst Award. Starburst Awards recognize excellence in the use of Lottery funds for community and conservation projects. Winners are chosen based on the creativity of the project, economic and social impact on the community, and whether the project achieved its goal. To be eligible for the award, projects must have been completed in the last five years and include funding through Lottery proceeds (GOCO, CTF, CPW, BEST). The deadline to submit your nominations is March 15, 2019. Find the application HERE.
Calling all college students! 21-Day Earth Corps 2019 Field Studies Course. Earth Corps is run by the Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI) in partnership with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to provide motivated, environmentally conscious students the opportunity to live and learn in the incredible natural classroom of the Colorado wilderness. The application deadline is April 12, 2019. Find the full course description and register HERE.
The Water Quality Control Division (division) is requesting surface water quality data for the triennial review of water quality classifications and standards for the South Platte River basin. This effort requires the compilation of recent water quality parameters including biological, physical, chemical, and other related data. These data will be assessed by the division to develop recommendations to the Water Quality Control Commission for maintaining or modifying water quality classifications and standards for the South Platte basin. These data will also be used in the development of the 2020 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. Please submit data to the division by April 15, 2019. Additional information is available at the division website HERE.
Speak Out for Clean Water and Responsible Mining: The Colorado Senate will soon be taking up legislation to ensure that new mining activities in Colorado operate so as to protect our state's water quality. HB-1113, which passed the House earlier this month, is now on its way to the Senate for action and you can help by asking your Senator to vote "yes". For more information, visit Colorado Trout Unlimited’s website HERE.
Colorado Water Conservation Board Member Heather Dutton goes into detail about Stream Management Plans (SMPs) and how they are utilized in the Rio Grande Basin under the Colorado Water Plan in her article HERE.
The Platte River Recovery Implementation Program is an innovative and successful approach to endangered species recovery and water development in Colorado. For almost 13 years, this program has been running smoothly in the background allowing for economic growth in the North and South Platte Basins, as well as species conservation in the Central Platte. Now, Colorado and other partners are taking steps to extend the program for another 13 years. Program partners are confident that the success of the program will speak for itself during the process of seeking congressional re-authorization. Learn more about what the CWCB and program partners are doing to reauthorize the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program in this article.
Check out U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Colorado Water Supply Outlook Report HERE.
The River Network 2018 Annual Report is here. They are extremely proud of this year’s impacts—and the progress made throughout their network. Read River Network’s 2018 highlights.
In 2015, countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Check out Goal #6 on The United Nations website.
Western Resource Advocates teamed up with Pace University’s Land Use Law Center to develop a comprehensive Guidebook that provides land use planners with the resources necessary to fully integrate water efficiency into their land use planning efforts.
A bill to make clean water in Colorado a priority passed the Rural Affairs and Agricultural committee and is headed to the House floor. The bill would end self-bonding for hardrock mines in Colorado and would explicitly include water quality protection. It would also require mining license applications to set an end date for the cleanup of their operation. Read more HERE.
A community engagement research project from River Network has the goal to compile resources helpful to community-based organizations around the country who are advocating for solutions to local urban flooding problems. They are looking for examples, tools, methods, and stories of community members with experience in community-based research. If you have used approaches such as community mapping, community walks, door-to-door surveys, or other means to collect information from community members about specific local threats or assets, Mia Colloredo-Mansfeld would love to connect with you: miacm@live.unc.edu.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Food & Water Watch today filed a notice of intent to sue JBS USA and the Swift Beef Company for illegally dumping slaughterhouse pollution into Colorado waterways, putting people and wildlife in danger and violating the Clean Water Act. Read the Press Release HERE.
Call for Abstracts: The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists will partner with the Colorado Riparian Association for their annual meeting on April 10, 2019. They are now accepting abstracts for 15 to 20-minute oral presentations on any wetland or riparian related projects, research, management, education, or other similar work. Presentations related to topics that affect wetlands and riparian habitat within the Rocky Mountain Chapter are preferred. Please go the WEBSITE and submit your abstract by February 22, 2019.
The January 2019 Drought Update, a summary of the drought information presented at the January 22, 2019 Water Availability Task Force Meeting, will be posted on the CWCB website. All of the presentations from the meeting can also be found on the CWCB website. If you have questions regarding the Drought Update, please contact Taryn Finnessey at taryn.finnessey@state.co.us.
U.S. Drought Monitor released a snapshot MAP of broad-scale conditions.