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November Stakeholder Meeting - Save the Date
Curious about the future outlook for water in the Colorado River? On Friday, November 22nd, from 10:00 to noon (location TBD), staff from the Colorado River District will be presenting results of the recent Colorado River Water Availability Study. We will also hear about the prospects of creating more water as Maria Pastore of Grand River Consulting talks about the results of cloud seeding efforts in Colorado. Watch for more details coming your way.
Incorporating the Council
Thanks to pro bono legal assistance provided by Garfield and Hecht PC, the Council will be incorporated as a Colorado nonprofit by the end of year. Once the documents have been filed, the Council will be filling out the paperwork necessary to obtain tax exempt status with the IRS. This is an important developmental step towards long-term sustainability for the organization.
The Leadership Committee, our current governing body, is actively soliciting for persons to serve on the new Board of Directors. Ideally, the composition of the Board will reflect the geographic and sector diversity of the watershed, including residents, landowners, agricultural users, recreational users, industrial users, governments/agencies (federal, state, and local), water treatment/suppliers, etc. Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering for a term.
Strategic Planning Underway
With an eye to the future, the Leadership Committee has undertaken the task of reviewing the original organizational statement, purpose, and goals of the Council that were developed through a collaborative stakeholder process in 2010. Clark Anderson and Jennifer Hill from the Sonoran Institute are donating their time and expertise in facilitating discussions that will refresh and build upon the original strategic planning. Results of this exercise will provide a useful foundation for additional watershed planning activities scheduled for 2014.
Report on September Stakeholder Workshop
With the statewide Colorado Water Plan on tap for completion in December of 2014, there are a number of efforts underway to inventory and document water needs in the Colorado River basin, including agricultural, municipal, industrial, environmental and recreational needs. Hannah Holm, Jim Pokrandt, Louis Meyer, and Ken Neubecker each spoke at our workshop on September 30 th about how the Colorado Basin Roundtable is compiling this information and submitting it to the State for inclusion in the Plan. What we learned is that there has not yet been a strong, collective voice for water needs in the “middle” section of the river so, consequently, not as much is known about this section of the basin compared to up and downstream reaches. The presenters made a strong case for our stakeholders to participate in the Roundtable’s public process for information gathering related to this important work.
Upper Colorado River Basin Conference
The 3rd annual Upper Colorado River Basin Water Conference, titled “Sharing Experiences Across Borders”, will be held at the Water Center at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction on November 6 and 7. Click here for more information.
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