ANNUAL REPORT 2021
WORKING TOWARDS RESILIENCE LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Friends and Supporters, 2021 was a year of great transition for the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed. CPRW’s first Executive Director, Jen Kovecses, departed the organization in May 2021. At the same time, and during a raging global pandemic, we were in the midst of mobilizing resources to implement high priority post-fire restoration work following the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire. In June, I took over as Interim Director of CPRW and was officially hired as Executive Director in September. I have been with the organization since 2015, and I look forward to continuing to carry out our mission in the watershed for years to come. We are so inspired by how our community has come together over the past several years to help us address the recovery needs of Colorado’s largest wildfire. We will continue this important post-fire work for the next several years, as we look to treat even more acres to reduce high severity wildfire risk to property, life and water quality.
We also look forward to expanding our work in the lower watershed to increase the resiliency of the river and to bring the community together with an exciting project we hope to reveal next spring. It is hard to believe but next year CPRW will celebrate 10 years as a 501(c)3 nonprofit! Please keep in touch as we will be planning a gathering next spring to celebrate you - our donors & partners - and the Poudre watershed and all it provides for us. I hope to see you out on a trail, on the river, at a volunteer event or virtually (yes, Zoom is still a daily occurrence!). In the meantime, thank you for your continued support of our mission and our watershed.
- Hally Strevey, Executive Director
THE POUDRE WATERSHED
The Poudre River drains 1,915 square miles.
The Poudre Watershed supports water supply for more than 330,000 residents and approx. 185,000 acres of irrigated agricultural land.
The Poudre River supports a $1-3M/year whitewater industry and a $3-4M/year recreational fishing industry.
OUR VISION
A healthy and resilient Cache la Poudre River Watershed.
OUR MISSION To improve and maintain the ecological health of the Poudre River Watershed through community collaboration.
STAFF & BOARD 2021 Staff Members Jen Kovecses - Executive Director (2014-May 2021) Hally Strevey - Watershed Project Manager/Executive Director Daniel Bowker - Forest & Fire Project Manager Megan Maiolo-Heath - Communications, Outreach & Marketing Manager Shayna Jones - Post-Fire Program Manager
2021 Board of Directors
Richard Thorp, Board Chair & Reserved Seat Board Member, Watershed Program Manager, City of Fort Collins Utilities Jennifer Dial, Board Treasurer & Reserved Seat Board Member, Water Rights Manager, City of Greeley Water & Sewer Dept. Shayle Sabo, Board Member, Emergency Management Coordinator, Larimer County Evan Stafford, Board Secretary, American Whitewater Shannon Allstott, Unaffiliated Jordana Barrack, Unaffiliated Jeff Carlson, Unaffiliated Colin Glover, Rocky Mountain Flycasters David Cawrse, U.S. Forest Service (retired) John Dinges, Carestream Health
POST-FIRE RESTORATION In the wake of the historic Cameron Peak Fire, CPRW's Post-Fire Restoration Program was created to mitigate the negative impacts of the fire to high priority watershed values, including water quality and supply, river ecosystem function and health, and community protection and resilience. CPRW and our partners implement a mosaic of post-fire treatments at a landscape scale to mitigate wildfire impacts. Program Goals: Protect water quality, river health, water supply and downstream infrastructure, with a primary focus on achieving landscape-scale mitigation in high-priority drainages in the watershed. Engage and empower private landowners, leveraging conservation corps and volunteer labor, to implement post-fire restoration work on public and private lands. Monitor post-fire impacts, working with research partners, to protect water supplies and water quality.
Post-Fire Partners
Post-Fire Funders Cameron Peak Fire Watershed Priority Map & 2021 Treatments (Source: JW Associates)
5,050 acres
of aerial mulching completed in the Poudre & Big Thompson Watersheds
Largest aerial wood mulch operation in the U.S.
$11M
raised by CPRW and partners for post-fire restoration
258
point-based Best Management Practices (BMPs) installed for erosion control
"I want to thank you for all you've done in restoring our property after the Cameron Peak Fire and the subsequent flooding. As you know, we were completely overwhelmed by the enormity of the task before us, but you provided wise counsel and we immediately knew we were in good hands. As the healing process continues, we are thankful we have such able partners guiding us towards improving the landscape and protecting the Poudre River Watershed." - Sue Abbott Schneider, Abbott Family Trust of Pinehurst
44 acres
post-fire restoration completed in 2021
Shayna Jones & Sue Schneider
Volunteers install wattles
REFORESTATION CPRW’s reforestation projects are part of a collaborative effort among multiple Larimer County nonprofits and agencies to help regenerate forests in the Poudre River watershed that have been impacted by wildfire. Tree planting efforts are focused primarily on ponderosa pine forests that burned at high severity in the High Park and Cameron Peak Fires.
Why ponderosa pine? “Scientists and land managers observing after-effects of wildfires like the Cameron Peak Fire fear that iconic ponderosa pine forests, which are adapted to relatively frequent, low- to mixed-severity burning, may not regenerate in the extensive, treeless patches often left by high-severity fire.” (Rocky Mountain Research Station, 2021) Climate-Smart Planting With a focus on speeding up forest recovery, The Nature Conservancy is helping our group target suitable areas where trees are expected to survive under different climate models. In the process, we hope to remove barriers to reforestation and support the adoption of climatesmart planting practices.
4,000 trees
planted by CPRW and reforestation group partners
Capacity funding for reforestation provided by Community Foundation of Northern Colorado - NoCo Fires Fund
WATERSHED PLANNING CPRW works with partners and stakeholders to analyze conditions in the upper and lower Poudre Watershed with the intent of improving long-term resilience. These analyses are used to identify target areas and determine restoration actions that will increase watershed resilience.
The State of the Upper Poudre report adapted the River Health Assessment Framework (RHAF) for the upper basin. The RHAF has now been completed across the entire watershed - from the headwaters through the Lower Poudre from I-25 to the confluence with the South Platte.
Funded by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) stream management plan grant.
First of its kind! Poudre Site Conservation Team (SCT) The US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) is taking a new approach to species conservation through locally formed Site Conservation Teams (SCT). CPRW is an active member in the first team created - targeting Preble’s Meadow Jumping Mouse (PMJM) in the basin of the North Fork of the Cache la Poudre River. The Poudre SCT aims to work with the local community to achieve the best solutions for people and PMJM. Learn more: www.poudrewatershed.org/siteconservation-team
Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei)
VOICES FROM THE POUDRE "The Cameron Peak fire burned through every parcel of land that we lease for our grass-fed beef business. As a resident in the burn scar and a land steward I can say, without a doubt, that I never imagined we’d be this far along one year into post-fire recovery. Hands down, working with CPRW has been the most impactful way to move us forward so quickly." - Amy Williams Owner, Amy’s Grass Fed Beef
"The hard work CPRW does on the ground and also in informing us all clearly benefits our community both in the short term and for generations to come.” - Carol & Tim Cochran, Owners, Horse & Dragon Brewing Company & Lazy D Ranch Owners Association
"The best impulses of human nature work in concert with the land, and caring for it. I cannot express all the love and thanks I owe to the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed. Their efforts - from placing wattles on steep slopes, building retention basins to catch ash, to cutting down burned trees - have provided a great first step in the restoration and recovery of the land." - Bert Belew Landowner, Monument Gulch
LOWER POUDRE WATERSHED CPRW and the Lower Poudre Steering Committee have prioritized reaches for restoration along the river corridor east of I-25 to the confluence with the South Platte. Those can be found in our Lower Poudre Resiliency Plan at www.poudrewatershed.org/plan. This master plan, published in 2017, seeks to identify and prioritize the following objectives: Remaining unmet recovery/restoration needs Hazards to the ecosystem, community, recreation, and transportation infrastructure Opportunities to create resilience to future floods Opportunities to improve river health (increase habitat connectivity, improve wildlife habitat, provide more floodplain access, etc.)
WHITNEY & B.H. EATON DITCH RESTORATION PROJECT Engage local stakeholders in the design process for the reach 50% design for fish passage and diversion replacement completed in 2021
"Reach 13" Phase 2 Design Project
Lower Poudre Steering Committee
Build successful and effective community, landowner and stakeholder relationships 30% design completed in 2021
EDUCATION & COMMUNITY OUTREACH Education and community outreach are critical to creating a resilient watershed. When community members understand the issues facing our local river, and they can become directly involved though volunteering and outreach events, they are more inclined to want to help improve and maintain the health of the river.
6 webinars hosted
Co-hosted annual Poudre RiverFest
4,000+
community members reached through 2021 outreach and education events
Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative field trip
Poudre River Cleanup with Odell Brewing Co.
Volunteers reseed areas of the Cameron Peak burn
CITIZEN SCIENCE WATER QUALITY MONITORING The 2012 wildfires in the watershed highlighted the critical link between forest health and clean water delivery. To reduce the risk of severe wildfire, protect communities and water quality, forest managers in the Poudre and across the West are increasingly relying on prescribed fire as a management tool. However, researchers and managers recognized a lack of data regarding how prescribed fire may impact water quality. To address these data gaps in 2018, CPRW partnered with the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) and Colorado State University to launch our citizen science water quality monitoring program to monitor water quality and stream conditions in tributaries affected by past and future prescribed burns and to establish a monitoring network to identify emerging water quality threats in the watershed. With the help of dedicated volunteers, CPRW's Citizen Science program entered its 3rd year in 2021. In 2021, we added new water quality sampling sites that were associated with our Cameron Peak post-fire mitigation and restoration projects. We will continue to collect data at these sites for several years.
200 hours donated for Citizen Science Water Quality Monitoring in 2021
Collecting water samples in the Upper Poudre Canyon
Samples analyzed by USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station water quality lab
FOREST RESTORATION & WILDFIRE MITIGATION Using the Upper Poudre Resiliency Plan as a guide, we focus our forest restoration work in high priority sub-drainages that are most in need of resiliency work to prevent the negative impacts to our communities, water supplies, and ecosystems from catastrophic wildfire, such as the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire. This important work could not be accomplished without collaboration and partnerships, which is why we work closely with many different government agencies and nonprofits to increase resiliency and reduce wildfire risk across our forests.
$75,600
grant received from Great Outdoors Colorado for 2022 mitigation work
700 Piles Burned
by The Ember Alliance on CPRW-led projects
21 Acres
cut and piled in partnership with Larimer County Conservation Corps & Dept. of Natural Resources
2 Workshops
co-hosted w/ The Ember Alliance - Pile Building and Pile Burning for Landowners
COLLABORATIVE FOREST RESTORATION: NOCO FIRESHED Fire is a natural and important part of the landscape of Colorado’s Front Range. However, the threat of large, severe fires, like the wildfires of 2020, are putting our forests at risk of long-term damage or loss. The pace and scale of hand thinning, mechanical and prescribed fire treatments are not keeping up with these threats, despite forest and fire managers working to reduce flammable fuel loads and restore forest conditions for the past two decades. The Northern Colorado Fireshed Collaborative (NCFC) - a network of individuals and organizations representing a broad range of perspectives, expertise, experiences, and capacities - is collaborating to increase not only frequency and area of Rx fire, but also of manual and mechanical forest treatments, to make our forests resilient, protect communities and keep our water supplies reliable. CPRW is a proud member of the NCFC and active member on multiple committees within the Fireshed.
What does success look like in our Fireshed?
Conduct analysis, planning and outreach to facilitate managing wildfires for ecological benefit when conditions allow.
Increase local capacity for prescribed fire, including staffing, agreements & funding, that results in more acreage treated.
Treat 20% of the strategic, priority areas using a combination of mechanical, manual, and prescribed fire methods.
What is a Fireshed? A "fireshed" is an area where social and ecological concerns regarding wildfire overlap and intertwine. Wildfire moves across the land based on fuels, wind, and terrain and often moves in and out of drainages and watersheds. @nocofireshed Map by: Daniel Bowker, Forester, Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed
Healthy forests and watersheds are the foundation for our local economies. The health of the Poudre Watershed ensures we have clean, abundant water for drinking, playing and doing business. From brewing beer, to recreation, to thriving health and tech sectors, our communities here in Northern Colorado depend on the Poudre River for their livelihoods. Much like the most critical tributaries to the Poudre River, these partners create a sustainable flow of resources to our organization.
PARTNERS FOR THE POUDRE
Thank you 2021 Partners for the Poudre!
Stillwater Sciences
LRE Water Inc.
Holiday Twin Drive-In Theater
St. Peter's Fly Shop
Martin & Wood Water Consultants
Are you ready to become a Partner for the Poudre? Contact Megan Maiolo-Heath at megan@poudrewatershed.org or visit www.poudrewatershed.org/partners-for-the-poudre
FINANCIALS PPP Loan Forgiveness $38,656 Contributions & Grants $689,895
$3,177,108 Revenue
Government Grants $2,448,557
In 2020, 98% of CPRW’s operating budget went towards program operations.
Management & General $61,091
Fundraising $9,388
$3,065,396 Expenses For every dollar invested in CPRW by our local government, we have brought $6 back to the watershed in planning, capacity, and implementation funding. Program $2,994,917
To view the 2021 Audited Financial Report please visit: www.poudrewatershed.org/financials
THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTORS! This list represents gifts given from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021 and includes in-kind and memorial gifts. Every attempt was made to ensure the accuracy of this list. We sincerely regret any errors or omissions.
Donors:
Amy Williams Shelley & Keven Cornish Anonymous Anne Severn Susan Miller Suzanna Steinbach James Simpson Nila Hobbs Resource Design, Inc. Tim & Carol Cochran William Paschal Bruce Waldo Dan Schaufele Martin & Wood Water Consultants Susan Cooper Carl Chambers Kylie Hibshman Axson & Brian Morgan Michael Scholz Doug Finnman LRE Water Douglas Brandmier Kim Alire Karina Branson Daniel & Kimberly Smeak Diane Campbell Michael Combs Aimee Hunt Linda Curtis Peter Nelson Betsy Rickel Kate Inman John Murtha George Wallace Jerod Carroll Alexandria Glover Debra Hoover Kim Lennberg Kelsey Martin Allen Lamb Ferne Barnett Maelly Oropeza Joseph M Hoefler James Thornburg Kellie Gorman Carla Klein
Robert Addington Leland Evans Zack Liesenfeld Sarah Dentoni David Rardin William Bowker Cynthia Berg Elizabeth Woolner John Dinges Ginny Maiolo Amber Strevey Jeff Carlson Martha Hyder Tony Joern Jeff Stegeman Donna Meyers Joseph Johnson SCHEELS All Sports Eleen Bauman Bob Sturtevant Tracy Wendt Ted Eary Jen Kovecses Karen Artell Barb & Kurt Knierim Shayna Jones Becky Jensen Peyton Mason David Cawrse Ursula Miller Aaron Alexander James Rubin Karen Scopel Brendle Group Cathryn Martino Amy Volckens Evan Stafford Jennifer Petrzelka Shayle Sabo Jordana Barrack Jeremy Sueltenfuss Alana Scott Barbara King Carolyn M Meehan Nelson Chenkin Terri Schulz Shannon Allstott John Kolanz
Laurel Nelson Carla Lopez Carestream Health, Inc. Robert Clark Eggleston Family Fund of the Community Foundation Chair 4 Foundation CLA 1974 Trust Jim & Rhonda Cooper Michael Ondris Mary Hagen Ed Stimac Douglas Reynolds Mindy & David Hill Stillwater Sciences Alt E Wind & Solar, Ltd Susan Wood St. Peter's Fly Shop River Collective Embers Foundation HP Inc. Bighorn Cabins Michael Carrillo Laurie Sankey Troy Dennis Mark Rosenhagen Josh Barber Diane Vella Ian Collicott Christie Wolf Jeff Kless Andrea Schneer John Fetter Chris Cisar Masey Michael Jackie Gedney Holiday Twin Drive-In Mike Pavlak Landon Camp Bronwyn Meldrum Kevin Kenly Trey Haney Doug Goss Catherine Adams Jennifer McCarty Pippin Saunders Richard Thorp Amanda Sutton
Tony Cheng Diane Sherry & Co Real Estate Services Wendi Flynn Larry Rogstad John Bartholow David G. Anderson Kerri Rodriguez Suzanne Akin Dona Leonard Allkind Hard Kombucha Horse & Dragon Brewing Company Mary Roberts Brenda Isherwood Jake Gross Joanne Spano Shelly Carpenter Thain Struhsaker Patrick Kline Sarah Rilling Jason Isherwood Kevin Hoffman Jacob Sanchez Dan Racz Jennifer Farmer Patricia Rettig ONOCO Fund of the Community Foundation Jorie Kramer William Vieth
Citizen Scientists: Ted Eary Emily Becker Ted Sammond Rob Orner Steve Davis Kat Davis
www.poudrewatershed.org