On Friday, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) announced their decision to grant a $1.72 million Inspire Initiative grant to The Nature Connection. In the coming years, this grant will allow The Nature Connection and its many partners to formalize outdoor education programming across Cedaredge, [...]
13. Dark Canyon. Who know’s what’s lurking around the next corner….. 12. Lost Lake. How many poor souls have wandered endlessly, trapped forever in their endless search for the elusive Lost Lake? 11. Deadman’s Gulch. What’s the story behind the name of this [...]
On October 4th, 2017, the BLM published its record of decision on the Bull Mountain Master Development Plan, approving the drilling of 146 natural gas wells and 4 wastewater injection wells in the Muddy Creek drainage above Paonia Reservoir. The Western Slope Conservation Center strongly opposes [...]
The Forest Service Youth Engagement Program is celebrating National Public Lands Day on September 22nd! To help every 4th grader in the North Fork find their love for public lands, we’re taking them to Lost Lake. The Paonia Ranger District will teach students about timber science and [...]
Last Wednesday, members of the Watershed Committee got the chance to visit the Paonia Reservoir Dam and portions of Fire Mountain Canal. Steve Fletcher of Fire Mountain Canal and Mark Smith of the North Fork Water Conservancy District took the group on an extensive tour of the dam [...]
Ah, the crisp fall air is rolling in. We can’t wait for the scent of mulled hot cider, watching the aspens change, and feeling grapes between our toes. Wait, what? Yep, the Mountain Harvest Festival is upon us, and it’s time to get those competitive–and grape–juices flowing [...]
The aspen and spruce mortality rate across Colorado has grown alarming in the past decade. In the 2016 Report on the Health of Colorado’s Forests, the Colorado Forest Service estimated that the state has 834 million standing dead trees–1 in 14 trees. A byproduct of droughts and extremely [...]
Changes are coming to the Paonia Reservoir. The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), Fire Mountain Canal Company, and North Fork Water Conservancy District (NFWCD) will host a meeting at Memorial Hall in Hotchkiss on August 15 at 7pm, to explain the work that needs to be accomplished at the Paonia [...]
It’s obvious in rural regions like the Western Slope that non-profits, businesses, and governing bodies work together to get things done. The understanding of the network of partnerships, however, is often anecdotal. In order to get a more accurate understanding of partnership networks here [...]
Conservation Colorado released its first ever “rivers report card” this month, an assessment of the health of eight rivers across the state based on several factors including water quality, in-stream flows, and major dams. The North Fork of the Gunnison is riding in the middle of the pack [...]