NFRIA Updates

Presenting renowned photographer and documentary filmmaker Don Briggs!

2010-06-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

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"

2010-06-17T14:55:00.001-07:00

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

2010-06-17T14:54:00.001-07:00

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

2010-04-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-05T12:42:00.003-07:00

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

2010-04-05T12:42:00.001-07:00

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!

December Update

2009-12-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

From the Executive Director:
The past few months have been fairly busy at the NFRIA office. I can't explain why I seem to open every update with this description, other than to assert that it's true. But it's the time of year when major grant proposals are due, so we've been working steadily and earnestly on them with an eye to NFRIA's future. One major grant request, due in January, will seek funding to pretty much complete the Phase I of the Paonia River Park. Phase I is what we have dubbed that portion of the park west of and including Minnesota Creek. Even without additional funding, however, we will use the balance of our GOCO grant with the Town of Paonia to install benches, picnic tables, and some educational signage, although most of this won't show up until next spring. Phase II, upriver from Minnesota Creek, requires substantially more planning, because we can't do much until the river's course through the former in-stream gravel mine is stabilized. We hope to attract funding for that engineering work in the year ahead and follow that with more infrastructure improvements.

Other grant proposals going out the door address more river restoration work in the Midway reach between Paonia and Hotchkiss. The Midway area saw considerable restoration about five or six years ago, but the job isn't finished. When it is, we hope and expect the river to stabilize, for the intermediate future at least, as a single-thread meandering channel. This will allow river bank stabilization, floodplain revegetation, and a substantially improved aquatic and fishery habitat.

Another proposal we hope to fund, beginning in late 2010, is to assist the Colorado River Water Conservation District, U.S. Geological Survey, and Gunnison Basin Selenium Task Force in a major data acquisition project in and around the North Fork. The project will entail collecting geospatial and water quality data on tributaries and irrigation ditch and turnout locations and flows. Key to this endeavor will be recruiting NFRIA members to volunteer for light field work, much as our vaunted water quality monitoring crew has done for the past nine years. NFRIA's board of directors decided in late 2008 to include water quality improvement as a worthy goal. Since then, we've been focusing more sharply on factors and sources that may affect water quality in the North Fork watershed. Certainly, selenium and salinity match this objective. Gaining funding for this proposal will go a long way toward keeping North Fork water as clean as it is currently.

Lastly, I hope members will respond favorably and generously this month when they receive our year-end fund-raising request in the mail. Economic times are tough everywhere, but especially for small non-profits like NFRIA. Your memberships are especially valued and welcome, but I hope everyone can reach a little bit deeper for NFRIA so we can achieve our year-end goal.

As always, if anyone has questions or suggestions, feel free to call, email or drop by the office. Many thanks.

Dave

Volunteer of the month Bill Crank:
Bill Crank has been on the board of directors for a year now. He helped organize last year’s river awareness float and has been very involved with the current improvements at the Paonia River Park as a member of the River Park Committee. Much thanks to Mr. Crank and all of his efforts with NFRIA.

2009-12-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

Drilling impacts, private property issues, and the health of the North Fork River ecosystem are among topics to be discussed at a public meeting hosted by the North Fork River Improvement Association.

The North Fork River Improvement Association (NFRIA) is continuing the process to update the original 2000 Watershed Action Plan for the North Fork of the Gunnison. This is another chance for you to take action in addressing the foremost issues concerning your river. A public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 9, 2009, at the Paonia Public Library in Paonia, CO from 4:00 to 6:00pm.

NFRIA wants to assess how the public perception of the watershed has changed during the last nine years. Participation in this meeting will prove valuable in pursuing the goals of all stakeholders in the watershed. We hope to come away with an inclusive list of public concerns allowing us to optimize our efforts. NFRIA has completed many projects since the original Watershed Plan was released, including the Short and Sheppard-Wilmot Ditch diversions and the Chipeta Dam removal. In order to better serve all stakeholders, NFRIA welcomes critique of how well we have executed the initial action plan and suggested elements to focus on in the coming years.

This meeting is the second of two public meetings that constitute the first task in updating the watershed plan. The update process will review the science, the state of the watershed, sources of water quality impairment, and public concerns, and will set goals for the next 10 years. The Colorado Water Conservation Board is funding this project.

The original 2000 Watershed Action Plan can be found at www.nfria.org. Please feel free to contact the NFRIA office with any questions at 970.872.4614.

Update from the Colorado Watershed Assembly’s annual conference

2009-11-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

This is the second fall I have attended the Colorado Watershed Assembly’s Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference. “Thriving in Challenging Times” was this year’s theme, and state water quality agencies announced budget and grant funding challenges. Richard Fox, executive director of the non-profit Trees, Water, People, told folks that we needed ingenuity to get through these hard times. NFRIA is one of the oldest watershed organizations in the state, and is one of the first non-profit organizations that has successfully utilized volunteers and collaboration to achieve positive watershed-wide results. Please send comments, ideas and volunteer to help us stay afloat and maintain our leadership role in the watershed community. Many projects throughout the state were highlighted during the conference. I took a field trip to the kayak park in the town of Vail, which is automated with large rubber tubes to create the optimal wave at different water flow levels throughout the year. Assembly board member Bill McKee explained how the Recreational In-Stream Diversion junior rights came to be, originating in Golden, Colorado. Presentations also focused on education and outreach of watershed issues, as organizations such as the Roaring Fork Watershed Conservancy give tours of their watershed. Thanks again to our members and I’ll try to keep up the good work.

What are you reading?

2009-10-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

NFRIA has posted a list of books related to water issues, rivers, and environmental and farming subjects that can be found in the Delta County Public Library system. The list is complete with book title, author, and call number at the library. Click HERE to access the list on NFRIA's website. A Microsoft Excel format is also available.

At NFRIA, we believe community and environmental awareness is extraordinarily important. Some of these books are a great start, but we would love to hear from you. Send me an email at sean@nfria.org, and let me know what you think belongs on this list. We are particularly interested in books relating to watershed issues.

Also, be on the lookout for additional educational resources. We will be posting additional book lists, river fact sheets, and educational presentations soon.

Thanks! Check back soon!

Watershed Plan Update - Public Meeting

2009-10-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who attended the public meeting last Wednesday. Topics that came up included private property rights, excessive sedimentation and natural gas exploration. One landowner expressed their enthusiasm for past projects NFRIA has completed. A second meeting will be scheduled soon and we'll let you know as soon as it is. Any comments, issues, or concerns, are always welcome. Thanks for stopping by.

Public Meeting for Watershed Plan Update

2009-09-09T09:42:00.001-07:00

NFRIA is hosting a public meeting on Wednesday, October the 14th, 2009 from 4-6pm at the Memorial Hall in Hotchkiss. This will be the first of two public meetings to gather input from the North Fork watershed community. Public concerns and critiques will be included in the update of NFRIA's original Watershed Action Plan published in 2000. For more information, contact the NFRIA office at 970-872-4614 or email grady@nfria.org.

Welcome to our new blog!

2009-08-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hello NFRIA family!

We are excited to launch the new NFRIA blog. This will be the new place to keep up on NFRIA's activities. We will be posting pictures, event information, and more right here on this blog.

Also, our brand new website will be launched soon. We will make an announcement shortly.

Become an official "Follower" of our blog, and be sure to check back often!

Regards,

The NFRIA Team