Annual Poudre River Forum 

RELATIONSHIPS WITH WATER

All presentations for the day can be found HERE

Presenter & Panelist bios can be found HERE

Photos from the forum can be found HERE

Reconnecting and Reconvening, Perspectives from the Poudre River.

Keynote Address by Becky Mitchell, director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board.

Who is the Poudre Runs Through It Work/Study Action Group? Video by Eric Brown of Northern Water.

Water and Affordable Housing Panel

Moderator – Zach Thode,

Panelists- Erik Dial, KC McFerson, Meagan Smith, Patrick McMeekin

– Setting the Foundation: Land Use, Housing, Water – KC McFerson

Poudre Pioneer Award, presented by PRTI and the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area, awarded to Marylou Smith and Reagan Waskom for their collective contributions in founding not only the Poudre Runs Through it, but also Water Literate Leaders of Northern Colorado.

Water and Agriculture Panel

Moderator – Brian Foss

– Colorado Water Market – Adam Jokerst

– 129 years of Dairy Farming in the Poudre Valley – Robert Graves

– Presentation Rob Johnson

– Vertical Farming: The Basics, Water Savings, and Energy Tradeoffs – Reid Maynard

Watershed and River Recovery Presentation following the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire. Presenters Hally Strevey, Kyle Battige, Sarah Beck, Jared Heath.

– Cameron Peak Fire – Sarah Beck

– Watershed Post-Fire Mitigation & Restoration Updates – Hally Strevey

– Poudre River Fishery Update – Kyle Battige

– Post-Wildfire Impacts on Cache la Poudre River Water Quality – Jared Heath

Closing Reception with beer and wine provided by Odell Brewing, and Live bluegrass trip Ansel and The Brain Tattoos.

HEALTHY WORKING RIVER: PUZZLES ON THE POUDRE—AN OVERVIEW OF TODAY’S PROGRAM

What are some of those puzzles? How do different interests work together on those puzzles to get water down from the mountains out onto the plains for agriculture and urban use, and how do we keep the river healthy along the way?

WATER RIGHTS PUZZLE ON THE POUDRE – Video

• A Day in the Life of the Poudre River Commissioner—Mark Simpson, Poudre River Commissioner, Division 1, State Engineer’s Office. Where water in the Poudre comes from, who has rights to use it, and how the river commissioner makes sure it goes to the right place at the right time.
• From Farms to a City: Thornton’s Change Case—Emily Hunt, Water Resources Division Manager, City of Thornton. How a ten year water court had to be surmounted before water purchased from Poudre farmers in the 1980s could be transported south for a growing municipality.
• Can Carrots, Cattails, and Kayaks Co-Exist under Water Law?—Mike Shimmin, Vranesh and Raisch Law Firm (retired). A Northern Colorado water attorney tells the behind-the-scenes story of the history of legislation that makes it possible for the environment and recreation to have water rights.
• Bolstering Summer and Winter Flows as Mitigation for Storage—Jerry Gibbens, Northern Water Director of Operations. How seeking federal, state, and local permits to use their water rights on the Poudre to build the Northern Integrated Supply Project led Northern Water to a unique summer and winter flows mitigation approach.
• Who is Responsible for Poudre Water Quality?—Jerrae Swanson, City of Greeley, Environmental and Water Resources Attorney. With much of the Poudre’s water ending up back in the river after we use it for agriculture and urban needs, who is responsible for overseeing its quality?

• WHAT IS A HEALTHY WORKING RIVER? – Presentation – Video

  We will take a look at a video produced by Poudre River Forum committee members Corey Odell and Eric Brown featuring a diversity of perspectives on that puzzling question—drawn from interviews they conducted with folks the length of the river.

  Audience Perspectives on “What is a Healthy Working River.” A chance to share our own perspectives with those at our tables on “What is a healthy working river” and then hear from one another about anything that surprised us or broadened our thinking.

  POUDRE PIONEER AWARD – Video

  On behalf of The Poudre Runs Through It, Robert Ward presented the annual Poudre Pioneer Award to recognize achievements toward the goal of making the Poudre River a premier example of a healthy working river. The 2019 recipients were Loren Maxey and Tom Shoemaker.

• APPLYING CREATIVITY AND COLLABORATION TO ADDRESS THE PUZZLE OF THE LOSS OF WATER FOR AGRICULTURE – Video

  • Regional Storage on the South Platte to Stave off Buy and Dry?—Sean Cronin, South Platte Basin Roundtable. What is the South Platte Basin Roundtable and how is the Poudre involved in it? How a study the roundtable is conducting addresses the loss of irrigated agriculture by investigating a regional Ag/Urban/Environmental approach to storing water in times of high flows before it flows out of the state to Nebraska.
  • New Cache Water Marketing Strategy: A Pilot Project—Greg Kernohan, Ducks Unlimited, and Brett Bovee, WestWater Research. How New Cache la Poudre Irrigating Company is working with Ducks Unlimited and others to pilot a unique water sharing strategy, with funding from the Beueau of Reclamation.
  • Larimer County Ag Advisory Board’s Take on the Need for Ag/Urban Water Dialogue—Zach Thode, Manager, Roberts Ranch. The need for cities, towns, and ditch companies to work together to ensure reliable deliveries in both wet and dry years for both urban and Ag needs.

  WHAT’S THE [EVOLVING] PICTURE ON THE PUZZLE BOX LID? – Video

  What are the looming challenges we face on the Poudre, and are there ways we might begin to look at them differently than in the past? A panel of experts will address the following questions and then participate in a facilitated dialogue between themselves and then the audience:

  • How will the Poudre be affected by climate change and by the water supply crisis on the Colorado River?—Jennifer Gimbel, Senior Water Policy Scholar, Colorado Water Center, Colorado State University
  • What is the nexus between affordable housing and the price of water from the Poudre?—Patrick McMeekin, Partner, VP of Land Development, Hartford Homes
  • How the Town of Windsor’s “dual system” water requirement is helping them face their water challenges in light of tremendous growth—Kristie Melendez, Mayor of Windsor
  • Is it time to face up to the ecological damage our pioneering spirit has caused to the Poudre River? How might we prevent additional damage and achieve significant gains on the healthy river front?—LeRoy Poff, Professor, Department of Biology, Colorado State University
  • How might we move beyond our geographical and sector boundaries to think regionally about our economic future and the role water plays in that?—Roy Otto, City Manager, City of Greeley

WHO’S HERE TODAY – CLICKER RESULTS – Presentation THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS – Presentation CAN “LISTENING TO UNDERSTAND” MAKE OUR WATER TALK MORE PRODUCTIVE? – Presentation

Martín Carcasson, CSU Professor, and Director, Center for Public Deliberation- Video

CAN WE GROW WATER SMART? – Video

• Greg Johnson, Chief, Water Supply Planning Section, Colorado Water Conservation Board – Presentation
• Mike Schied, General Manager, East Larimer County Water District | Carol Webb, City of Fort Collins Water Resources and Treatment Operations Manager – Presentation
• Kerri Rollins, Larimer County Open Lands Program Manager – Presentation

POUDRE SPLASHES: SNAPSHOTS FROM 2017 – Video

Corey Odell, Sustainability Coordinator, Odell Brewing Company

WHAT ARE POUDRE AG PRODUCERS DOING TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY?

• Jon Slutsky, owner of a La Luna Dairy in Wellington and a member of the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission – Presentation
• Colorado Ag Water Quality – Best Management Practices for Colorado Ag – Video
• Mark Sponsler, Executive Director of Colorado Corn Growers – Video

IF A TREE FALLS IN THE (POUDRE) FOREST WILL WE HEAR IT ON THE (POUDRE) PLAINS? – Video – Presentation

Joe Duda, Deputy State Forester, Colorado State Forest Jill Oropeza, Watershed Program Manager, City of Fort Collins Utilities Laurie Huckaby, Ecologist, U.S. Forest Service Facilitator: Brad Piehl, Forest Hydrologist, JW Associates

MY HOW THE POUDRE HAS CHANGED! – Video AS THE POUDRE FLOWS THROUGH GREELEY – MARKETING THE STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE – Video

Harold Evans, Chairman of Water and Sewer Board, City of Greeley

AS THE POUDRE FLOWS THROUGH FORT COLLINS – AN ECOLOGICAL REPORT CARD – Presentation

Jen Shanahan, Environmental Planner, City of Fort Collins Natural Areas

POUDRE SPLASHES: SNAPSHOTS FROM 2016 – Video – Presentation

Produced by Corey Odell, Sustainability Coordinator, Odell Brewing Co.

KEYNOTE: FINDING THE BALANCE: MANAGING WATER FOR PEOPLE AND NATURE – Video – Presentation

Brian Richter, Chief Scientist, Global Water Program, The Nature Conservancy, DC Introduction/Facilitator: John Stokes, Director, City of Fort Collins Natural Areas

ADAPTING THROUGH AND FOR CHANGE ON THE POUDRE RIVER – Video

Dale Trowbridge General Manager, New Cache La Poudre Irrigating Company – Presentation Eric Reckentine, Deputy Director, Water Resources, City of Greeley Water and Sewer – Presentation John Sanderson, Director of Science, Nature Conservancy of Colorado – Presentation Facilitator: John Bartholow, Retired U.S. Geological Survey’s Biological Division-Fort Collins

LET’S HEAR FROM THE POUDRE’S PEOPLE – Video ABOUT CONFLICT AND BRAIN SCIENCE – Presentation

Martin Carcasson, Professor, CSU Communication Studies

LET’S HEAR FROM THE POUDRE’S PEOPLE – CLICKER RESULTS – Presentation CLOSING INPUT AND FEEDBACK – CLICKER RESULTS – Presentation

NEXUS OF AGRICULTURE & THE POUDRE RIVER: CURRENT REALITIES & PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE – Video

• Rod Weimer, Farm Manager, Fagerberg Produce
• Luke Lind, President and CEO, J&F Oklahoma Holdings Inc.
• Casey DeHaan, Owner, Great Western Dairy
• Amy Kafka, Creator, Garden Sweet
• Tom Trout, Agricultural Engineer & Collaborator, USDA-ARS
• Moderator: Luke Runyon, Reporter, Harvest Public Media based at KUNC in Northern Colorado

YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A DITCH COMPANY – Video

Video by Eric Brown, Communications Director, Colorado Corn

KEYNOTE – A STORY OF AGRICULTURAL/ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION ON WYOMING’S LITTLE SNAKE RIVER – Video

Patrick O’Toole, President, Family Farm Alliance

CHALLENGES OF PURSUING WATER PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES: KEY INGREDIENTS AND LESSONS FOR SUCCESS – Video

• Dan Luecke, Hydrologist and Environmental Scientist, Consultant to the U.S. Dept of Justice, Western Resources Advocates and Trout Unlimited
• Amelia (Mely) Whiting, Legal Counsel, Trout Unlimited
• Dave Little, Former Director of Planning, Denver Water
• Pete Taylor, Professor, Department of Sociology, Colorado State University
• Moderator: Kevin Duggan, Senior Reporter, Fort Collins Coloradoan

CLOSING THOUGHTS – Video

Reagan Waskom, Director, Colorado Water Institute, Colorado State University

IF WE’RE GOING TO GROW, HOW CAN WE GROW IN A WATER-SMART WAY? – Video

Donnie Dustin, Water Resources Manager, City of Fort Collins Utilities | Fort Collins Utilities Water Supplies and Demand Management – Presentation Eric Reckentine, Deputy Director of Water Resources, City of Greeley Water & Sewer | City of Greeley Water Conservation Plan – Presentation Becky Fedak, Engineer and Water Practice Lead, The Brendle Group | An Overview of a Net Zero Water Planning Toolkit – Presentation Paul Lander, Principal: The Dakota Ridge Partnership, Alliance for Water Efficiency | Water Budgets for Colorado Landscapes – Presentation

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: STORIES OF RIVER COOPERATION – CAN WE WRITE ONE FOR THE POUDRE? – Presentation – Video

Amy Beatie, Director, Colorado Water Trust Colorado Water Trust Short Video

PROSPECTIVE POUDRE PROJECTS: PURSUING PERMITS – Presentation – Video

Deb Freeman, Colorado Water Attorney, Trout, Raley, Montano, Witwer & Freeman, P.C.

THE URBAN RIVER: WHAT ARE WE DOING TO EMBRACE THE POUDRE AS IT FLOWS THROUGH OUR COMMUNITIES? – Presentation – Video

Jeffery Boring, Resource Specialist, Larimer County Natural Resources Department

HERE TODAY BUT GONE TOMORROW? BUYING AND SELLING WATER IN THE POUDRE BASIN – Video

James Pritchett, Agricultural Economist and Assistant Vice President, CSU Office of Engagement

AUDIENCE DIALOGUE Q&A – Video

James Pritchett, Agricultural Economist and Assistant Vice President, CSU Office of Engagement

CLOSING REMARKS

Reagan Waskom, Director, Colorado Water Institute MaryLou Smith, Policy & Collaboration Specialist, Colorado Water Institute

PRTI WORKING RIVER/HEALTHY RIVER FACILITATED DIALOGUE

• Dan Brown, Attorney, Fischer, Brown, Bartlett & Gunn, P.C. for Cache La Poudre Water Users
• John Stokes, Natural Areas Department & Poudre River Sustainability Director, City of Fort Collins
• John Bartholow, Ecologist, Retired USGS
• Dale Trowbridge, General Manager, New Cache La Poudre Irrigation Co. & Cache La Poudre Reservoir Co.
• Doug Robotham, Colorado Water Project Director, The Nature Conservancy
• Facilitated by Reagan Waskom, Director, Colorado Water Institute
• Facilitated by MaryLou Smith, Policy and Collaboration Specialist, Colorado Water Institute

WORKING RIVER – SERIES OF SPRING RUNOFFS: QUICK BUT CRITICAL INSIGHTS INTO THE POUDRE RIVER – Video

• Where Does Water in the Poudre Come From/Where Does it Go? – Mark Simpson, Poudre River Commissioner, Division 1, State Engineer’s Office
• The Importance of Agriculture in the Poudre River Basin – Bill Brown, Attorney, Fischer, Brown, Bartlett & Gunn, P.C.
• Water for Cities and Towns – Lee Rozaklis, Hydrologist and Water Resources Consultant, Earth and Environmental Inc.
• Water for Industry – Matt Bailey, Sustainability Coordinator and Maintenance/Engineering Manager, Odell Brewing Company
• Water for Recreation and Tourism – Jim Clark, President and CEO, Visit Fort Collins, Fort Collins Convention and Visitor’s Bureau

KEYNOTE – THE POUDRE’S CRUX & FLUX – Presentation – Video

Greg Hobbs, Colorado Supreme Court Justice

HEALTHY RIVER – SERIES OF SPRING RUNOFFS: QUICK BUT CRITICAL INSIGHTS INTO THE POUDRE RIVER – Video

• Flow: The Master Variable that Shapes, Maintains, and Supports River Zones – Sara Rathburn, Associate Professor, Department of Geosciences, Colorado State University
• Riparian Vegetation along the Cache La Poudre River – Dave Merritt, Riparian Vegetation Ecologist, U.S Forest Service
• Fish in the Poudre’s Transition Zone – Boyd Wright, Native Aquatic Species Biologist, Colorado Parks & Wildlife
• The Poudre’s Water Quality Challenges and Responses – Joe Kunovic, Industrial Pretreatment Supervisor, City of Greeley Water and Sewer
• River Health: Themes Across a Landscape – Jen Shanahan, Environmental Planner, City of Fort Collins Natural Areas

FLOODS & FIRES: EXTRAORDINARY CHALLENGES FOR THE POUDRE RIVER – Video

• Eric Reckentine, Deputy Director of Water Resources, City of Greeley Water and Sewer, and Coalition for the Poudre River
• Todd Boldt, District Conservationist USDA-NRCS, Fort Collins Field Office
• Nolan Doesken, State Climatologist, Colorado Climate Center, Colorado State University
• George Wallace, Ag Producer and Irrigator, North Poudre Irrigation Company, and Larimer County Ag Advisory Board
• Facilitated by Ken Kehmeier, Sr. Aquatic Biologist, Colorado Parks and Wildlife

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

Reagan Waskom, Director, Colorado Water Institute

CELEBRATION OF THE POUDRE

Poudre River Irregulars Jazz Band