June 10, 2010
Roaring Fork River, Carbondale to Glenwood Springs

Event Goal: The Floating Summit will gather decision-makers from a diverse group of entities to support the writing and implementation of the Roaring Fork Watershed Plan and to collectively give one voice to the Roaring Fork Watershed. A resolution in support of the Roaring Fork Watershed Plan will be forwarded from the RWAPA Board to each jurisdiction for consideration prior to the event.

Background: Dozens of governments, local agencies, citizens and non-profits have come together to create a Roaring Fork Watershed Plan. The group has finished Phase I of the Plan: gathering stakeholder involvement and writing the State of the Roaring Fork Watershed Report, and the first part of Phase II: conducting public input meetings on objectives and recommended actions. The next step involves finalizing objectives and recommended actions, and then writing the Plan.

The rivers of the Roaring Fork Watershed, 76% of which is public land, cross jurisdictional boundaries of four counties and six municipalities before reaching the confluence with the Colorado River. Bringing these diverse entities together across jurisdictional lines has been the success of the watershed planning effort to-date. For the next steps, having all of the entities involved in implementation and on-board is crucial. In order or this plan not to sit on the shelf, each county, municipality, and agency has an important role in seeing the plan come to fruition. With one unified voice, the Watershed Plan will become a proactive tool in protecting our water resources in the Roaring Fork Watershed.

Hosted by: Roaring Fork Conservancy & Ruedi Water and Power Authority