North Fork DC Fly-In 2025

Thank you to our community for helping support the North Fork Delegation’s Annual Trip to Washington DC. We appreciate you trusting us to bring your voice directly to policymakers in our Nation’s Capitol. The North Fork Valley is a special place and by bringing together conservation, agriculture, and local business we are able to provide a full picture of our shared regional priorities and local concerns. 

For this fly-in WSCC partners with the CO Farm & Food Alliance (COFFA) and Valley Organic Growers Association (VOGA). On behalf of WSCC, Chris Rackens and Mike Burkley spoke to our local conservation and watershed priorities. Representing COFFA and VOGA, other members of our delegation included Pete Kolbenschlag and Elizabeth Agee from COFFA; Candice Orlando, Owner of Rock n’ Roots Farm (VOGA); and Sarah Peterson, Founder of the Paonia Local Food Movement. 

Our delegation met directly with Congressman Hurd, Senator Hickenlooper, and Senator Bennet. While meeting with Sen. Bennet, we were lucky to be joined by Steve Ela of Ela Family Farms who was advocating for National Organic priorities and North Fork producers. 

We also met with staff from Rep. DeGette’s office, House Natural Resources, The Wilderness Society, National Sustainable Ag Coalition, American Rivers, American Whitewater, and Conservation Lands Foundation. Our top issues included federal funding/staffing (Farmer’s Ditch), protection of North Fork public lands and watershed (GORP Act), and agriculture, climate change, and energy programs (Farm Bill).  

Our main takeaway would be from our meeting with Rep. Hurd. We shared information about delays in federal funding for our Farmer’s Ditch project, concerns about cuts to the federal workforce locally, and the broad community support for protecting the North Fork Valley from oil and gas development. Rep. Hurd  expressed concern about local funding cuts and staff firings, and was interested to learn more about the GORP Act and the North Fork Valley Watershed withdrawal. Our delegation was clear in stating that fracking is not compatible with the existing economy in the North Fork Valley. We also discussed local clean energy and agricultural initiatives.

Both Senators kindly took time for their very busy schedules to meet with us and talk about our shared concerns related to how this Administration’s policies are impacting Western Slope communities. We thanked them for their leadership on public lands, clean energy, and local food programs, and encouraged them to rise to the challenge of being an effective check and balance against the chaotic policies coming out of the White House. 

We hope that Congressman Hurd and both Senators will accept our invitation to visit the public lands, farms, and federally supported projects in our area, and meet directly with those being impacted by policies supported by this Administration and Congress. 

WSCC encourages you to reach out to our federal representatives to share your own concerns about how federal policies are impacting our area. You can even call to thank them when taking important votes or actions that support our communities. (Contact information below!)

Before departing we got a chance to visit some of the National Park Service DC Parks & Memorials, including one of our group’s favorites, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.  Although these can feel like unprecedented times, we found some of FDR’s quotes, etched in the stone of the memorial, to be an inspiring reminder of how we’ve overcome past challenges as a country. Photos of some of FDR’s quotes and our meetings are on WSCC’s flickr page.

Congressman Jeff Hurd (CO-03)

Senator Michael Bennet

Senator John Hickenlooper