26th annual Fryingpan and Beyond River Cleanup - April 22-27, 2024
(Basalt, CO) - It’s time for spring cleaning and the rivers of the Roaring Fork Valley need your help!
Roaring Fork Conservancy and local partners launch drought resiliency project
Farmers and ranchers in the Roaring Fork Valley are coping with the effects of prolonged drought. Roaring Fork Conservancy (RFC) recognizes the value and complexities of local agriculture. To this end, RFC is partnering with several producers, Lotic Hydrological consulting, and Pitkin County Open Space to explore opportunities of enhancing the resilience of ranching operations in the Roaring Fork Valley in times of water shortage. The project team is interested in identifying means for mitigating against the impacts of drought on productivity in mid- to high-elevation grass pastures and hay fields—the dominant agricultural land use in the Roaring Fork Valley. The study will work to identify field-scale treatments that can be used to minimize (or eliminate) reductions in crop yields and forage quality that are expected in times of limited water supply.
Roaring Fork Conservancy honored with a 2023 Award for Excellence in Environmental Education
The Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) awarded Roaring Fork Conservancy’s Watershed PenPal Program with a 2023 Innovative Environmental Education Program Award. Recipients of the 2023 Awards for Excellence in Environmental Education were recognized on Friday, September 29, 2023 at CSU Spur in Denver as part of CAEE’s Annual Advancing Environmental Education Conference.
Weekly Snowpack and River Report
May 2, 2024 -
Summary:
Snowpack in the Roaring Fork Watershed is 90% of normal for this time of year. Multiple days of cooler temperatures and precipitation over the past week have slowed the recently accelerating snowmelt for the time being. With less snowmelt entering local rivers, stream flows in the watershed have decreased and are currently below average (53-97% of normal). The one exception is the Lower Fryingpan River, where flows have increased from 156 cfs to 201 cfs. This follows an increase in Ruedi Reservoir releases at the end of last week, which was carried out to maintain space in the reservoir for upcoming spring runoff.
