The Western Slope Conservation Center Highlight - from the Inflow Newsletter: May 29, 2013
The Western Slope Conservation Center works to ensure healthy lands, healthy rivers and healthy lives for the many communities and ecosystems in the diverse North Fork and Lower Gunnison Watersheds. Our region is characterized by extremes in habitat, from wind-swept alpine slopes to yawning canyon depths, and also in cultural and economic drivers, with highly productive coal mines next to prime agricultural lands, renewable energy centers, and artistic endeavors. The Conservation Center is celebrating its 35th year of protecting and preserving our watersheds by moving forward with an action-packed 2013 calendar.
The spring season has been exceptionally active. Building off our successful winter restoration of the Paonia River Park, in May we hosted a Conservation Days field trip for 150 students from the North Fork Valley. Partnering with local conservation experts, government agencies, artists, businesses, and environmental educators, we engaged and educated local youth on conservation issues in wildly productive experiential learning stations.
We followed this with our 14th annual float trip and inaugural river festival, with proceeds going toward future river restoration projects. This was our biggest event yet, with over 200 participants rafting the rapids, we highlighted a section of the Gunnison River recently rehabilitated and made safe for fish, fishermen, and floating families.
We have big plans for the Paonia River Park – the only public access to the North Fork River for 30 miles – and are excited to expand our outreach and education efforts here with summer events. This spotlight will be brighter yet as we move further in our trail building, tree planting, invasive species removal and landscaping exertions, coordinating a community-wide volunteer day on June 22, tied to the arrival of a talented and boisterous National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) work crew. Future events are in the works and will be announced soon.
These actions build into our broader application, such as expanding our volunteer monitoring networks to partner with schools in the region. Our River Watch team of volunteers has collected water quality data now for over 12 years and provides the people of Delta County with reliable information about the state of our watershed – and we’re looking to grow even more with baseline gas water monitoring and air quality studies.
In addition, we will soon be releasing the results of our selenium monitoring study, which evaluates 150 water samples for irrigation impacts on water quality and subsequently optimizes a predictive model of selenium loading for our watersheds.
We are continually looking for n
ew partners and supporters who also want to give back to the region’s lands, rivers, and lives. The Conservation Center is entirely powered and supported by local citizens who love their home and quality of life, and our programming reflects this outpouring in any number of areas. We’re recruiting volunteers to join not only our air, water, and watershed monitoring networks, but also, for example, our recycling team who last year quadrupled Delta County’s recyclable output, our public lands partners who stage educational hikes showcasing our lands and values, and our board of directors who provide strategic vision and developmental guidance. And that’s to say nothing of the community’s broad engagement in collectively organizing and developing a community-based proposal to ensure responsible oil and gas development in our home area.
The Conservation Center is looking forward to another 35 years of healthy lands, healthy rivers and healthy lives in our North Fork Valley watersheds. If you haven't had a chance to visit the area, we suggest you take a trip down and visit with the Conservation Center in Paonia. While there, you should take the time to sample the locally grown fruits, take a hike in the West Elk Wilderness, and enjoy the many festivals and events this small town full of friendly people has to offer. Check out the North Fork Vally Chamber website for more information.
We want you to be part of this community. Please join in by visiting our website, subscribing to our mailing list, liking us on Facebook, or stopping into our Paonia offices.
