Presenting renowned photographer and documentary filmmaker Don Briggs!

The North Fork River Improvement Association presents renowned photographer and documentary filmmaker Don Briggs.

"An Evening with Don Briggs" will be held Friday, July 2, 2010 at the Blue Sage Center for the Arts in Paonia from 7 to 9 pm. Don will be giving a slide show featuring his extraordinary photography. Also scheduled is a possible sneak preview of his new documentary about the struggle to keep the Grand Canyon a free-flowing stretch of river. Details TBA.

Don Briggs is one of the early Grand Canyon river runners and a member of ARTA, beginning in the late 1960s as the first commercial rafting outfit on the Grand Canyon. For years, Don has been involved in river activism, documenting the fight in the 1970's to save California's Stanislaus River. Watch the trailer for "Last River Lost" here.

This event will be a benefit for NFRIA with a suggested donation of $8. Don't miss this opportunity to share an evening with one of the original river activists!

Cocker Kids Foundation funds new NFRIA program, the "Youth River Awareness Initiative"

NFRIA was recently awarded full funding by the Cocker Kids Foundation for the initial phase of our "Youth River Awareness Initiative" (YRAI).

The YRAI is an opportunity for the North Fork Valley community to instill a sense of river and resource responsibility into local youth. In an agricultural community, proper stewardship of water and other natural resources is especially vital. By partnering with local school teachers, as well as the local libraries, NFRIA hopes to reach the maximum number of children.

"The greatest gift we can give to our children is knowledge that allows them to be stewards of their natural environment," said Rhonda Duclo, Delta County Libraries Assistant District Director. "Our Make a Splash and Make a Wave youth summer reading programs are meant to provide quality, fun, natural resource education to children in the area. NFRIA's program is a perfect fit because it provides the educational materials - including about twenty-five children's books that deal with resource awareness - and the local professionals necessary to teach effective water stewardship."

NFRIA recently added "education and outreach" to our organization goals. We believe community awareness is the only way to ensure that our vibrant natural resources will be available to future generations. The YRAI is our first major effort to have a long-term positive influence on local youth.

One of the highlights of this program is the newly purchased Enviroscape. This reusable model of a watershed is a hands-on, interactive learning experience that uses colored drink mixes and cocoa to illustrate how residential areas, storm water, transportation, recreation, agriculture, and construction all can contribute significantly to water pollution.

On June 24th, representatives of NFRIA will be presenting at Crawford and Paonia libraries. Be on the lookout for a date at Hotchkiss Library.

WSERC Board Approves Merger

To our valued members:

This past Wednesday, the 9th, the Western Slope Environmental Resource Council (WSERC) Board of Directors approved the Agreement and Plan of Merger between WSERC and NFRIA and voted to present the Agreement and Plan of Merger to the membership for a final vote. This vote is tentatively scheduled for June 29th.

Whatever the WSERC membership decides, their vote will end a process that began early this year with unofficial talks and picked up pace when the merger was unanimously approved both by an unofficial WSERC membership straw poll vote and subsequent official NFRIA membership vote at our respective annual meetings.

Throughout all of this, our membership has shown tremendous support and enthusiasm. The NFRIA Board of Directors and I appreciate this support and will use it as inspiration as we begin an exciting new chapter.

At NFRIA, we are optimistic that by the end of July the merger will officially take place, and as the NFRIA-WSERC Conservation Center we can begin to move forward with renewed vigor and focus. The bottom line is this: we have much work left to do in this valley. We have done a great deal to preserve and restore the North Fork River; however, within the next year we will release our new and updated Watershed Plan, take on another major river restoration project, likely initiate two new water quality monitoring programs (one for selenium and the other for natural gas production), administer a brand new youth river awareness education program, make over $70,000 worth of improvements to the Paonia River Park, and begin to write the grants that keep our work alive and our mission strong.

Thank you for sticking with us during this process. We will be in touch again when the merger is final.

Regards,


Dave Stiller
Executive Director

Important note to NFRIA supporters

To our supporters:

The potential merger between NFRIA and WSERC (Western Slope Environmental Resource Council) has been largely publicized in the North Fork Valley community. Though our membership unanimously approved the merger at the recent annual meeting, and the expectation is that the merger will take place over the coming months, we believe it is important to note that the merger is not finalized, and, as with any pending agreement, should not yet be considered a certainty.

We have work to do today that we cannot do without the same member support we have been privileged to count on for over a decade.

Over the past month alone, NFRIA was notified of nearly $200,000 worth of grants and other funds to complete major river restoration projects, Paonia River Park enhancements, and a water quality monitoring expansion. The management of these projects requires substantial organizational resources, regardless of whether a merger occurs or not.

In short, if your membership dues have lapsed, or are about to lapse, please renew. Or, if you are feeling inspired by the recently vigorous river, think about the work NFRIA does to protect and provide access to it, and make a donation. We have noticed a reluctance of our members to donate until the merger is finalized -- please remember, regardless of the pending merger, the sustainability of our programs and the fate of the river rests in the hands of our supporters.

There is work to do. We need your help to do it.

As we have said many times, our programs are vital to the health of the North Fork River. Your contribution, with or without a merger with WSERC, will directly benefit the programs that have restored, protected, and provided access to the North Fork River since 1996.

Sincerely,

The North Fork River Improvement Association

Delta Conservation District Public Service Announcement

The Delta Conservation District, which includes Delta County and parts of Montrose and Gunnison Counties, is holding a special election on May 4th for six Board of Supervisor positions. The district provides funds from federal tax dollars for conservation and agricultural projects to help sustain agriculture in the North Fork Valley and surrounding area.

The designated polling place is in the District Office at 690 Industrial Blvd. in Delta. Applications for mail-in ballots are also available and need to be received at the District Office by April 27th to receive the ballot by mail or by April 30th if picked up at the District Office. Application forms for mail-in ballots are available in Hotchkiss at Bohlinger & Queen and at the Mail and Copy Center, in Paonia at Paonia Farm and Home Supply, and in Crawford at Needle Rock Mountain Realty, or may be downloaded on line at http://www.dola.state.co.us/. by going to the special elections and then the formsdocs pull down menus.

APPLICATION TO VOTE BY MAIL-IN BALLOT

• FOR WHAT?: DELTA CONSERVATION DISTRICT 6 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS POSITIONS
• WHEN?: MAY 4TH
• HOW?: MAIL-IN BALLOT OR IN PERSON IN DELTA AT 690 INDUSTRIAL BLVD
• WHO?: ALL RESIDENTS OR LANDOWNERS OR SPOUSES OF LANDOWNERS IN THE DISTRICT
• WHAT DOES THE DISTRICT DO?: SIMPLY PUT, IT DECIDES HOW AND WHERE TO SPEND YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO HELP SUSTAIN AGRICULTURE IN THE NORTH FORK VALLEY AND SURROUNDING AREA OR, MORE FORMALLY...

The Mission of the Delta Conservation District is to provide for the conservation and preservation of our natural resources and agricultural heritage in order to ensure the health prosperity and welfare of the citizens of the District and the State of Colorado. The District combines available technical, financial, and educational resources and coordinates efforts that meet the needs of the local land user. The Natural Resource Conservation Service attached to the Delta Conservation District office provides assistance to land owners in the areas of:

• salinity control programs
• soils information for sound resource planning
• conservation plans including grazing and cropping systems
• irrigation water management
• rangeland improvements
• conservation plantings

NFRIA Awarded Two Grants from Colorado Water Quaility Control Division

Since our last e-letter, we received notice from the state WQCD that we've been awarded two 319 grants. These grants are federal monies administered by the states to deal with nonpoint source water pollution. In NFRIA's case, our grants are for two very different purposes. The first is a return to our historic strength to restore a portion of the North Fork in the Midway area between Paonia and Hotchkiss. The second is to assist the U.S. Geological Survey and Colorado River District in collecting data on irrigation practices in the valley to identify how they may contribute to selenium loading in the Upper Gunnison Basin.

Together, these grants are for more than $66,000. Following a protracted contracting process, we expect to begin work on these projects in October.

Board approves merger with WSERC, sends proposal to membership for vote at annual meeting

This past week, the North Fork River Improvement Association (NFRIA) Board of Directors met twice to review and consider an Agreement and Plan of Merger between NFRIA and the Western Slope Environmental Resource Council (WSERC). The Board held two votes at its second special meeting on March 26, 2010, where they voted unanimously to approve the Agreement and Plan of Merger, and subsequently voted unanimously to adopt a resolution to present for a vote the Agreement and Plan of Merger to the membership at the annual meeting.

Basically, NFRIA-WSERC Conservation Center, the temporary name of the merged organization, would be a single entity with two distinct divisions: NFRIA, run by NFRIA Executive Director David Stiller, serving as an Associate Director, and WSERC, run by their current executive director, Rob Peters. All of NFRIA's programs would be maintained as they are.

Above all else, the NFRIA Board of Directors wants to ensure the continuation of our programs, specifically river restoration, water quality monitoring, and recreational access, even if NFRIA can no longer exist independently. NFRIA has always been a project-driven organization, surviving off of major government grants to do costly river restoration work. These grants are not nearly as attainable as they once were because of increased competition for fewer grants, a natural scenario with a suffering economy. Without the regular arrival of these grants, our day to day operation has become unsustainable.

We propose a merger not to abandon our ideals, but to guarantee them.

From the beginning, all talks have been premised on an absolute commitment to maintain NFRIA's historic mission of preserving and protecting the North Fork River. The merger would result in a streamlined, capable organization, where operating overhead would be shared.

At the annual meeting, following presentations by Dave Stiller, outlining reasons for the Board's recommendation, and Rob Peters, who will discuss WSERC's role and future plans, members in good standing (having paid dues since April 11,2009) will have the opportunity to vote on the merger. Members unable to attend the annual meeting may appoint a proxy, for which a form must be filled out and returned prior to or at the meeting. Members wishing to appoint a proxy are encouraged to use an NFRIA board member, but any member in good standing will suffice.

We hope to see you there!