READ OUR 10+ ANNIVERSARY REPORT
Celebrating 10+ years of protecting, defending and enhancing |
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
MEETINGSMeetings are held the third Thursday of every month at 4:00pm. Click here for upcoming meetings, locations, and agendas.
GOVERNANCEThis site is a tool for communicating the Healthy Rivers Board's ongoing work. Additional information about our board's governance is available at Pitkin County's primary website. |
AUTHORIZATIONThe Healthy Rivers and Streams Fund Program was authorized by Pitkin County voters in November 2008. The program is funded by a 0.1 sales tax (that equals 10 cents of every $100 purchase made within Pitkin County). View the voter approved tax measure here.
ASPIRATIONPitkin County Healthy Rivers aspires to be a leader in protecting, defending and enhancing rivers and streams, through collaboration on watershed wide opportunities, solutions and education on water issues.
OBJECTIVESThe tax measure outlined the following objectives for the Healthy Rivers board:
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IN THE BEGINNING...
By the early 2000s, the Roaring Fork Watershed was facing considerable threats: increasing demands for water from Front Range communities, the looming threat of new dams and diversions, and diminishing flows from a changing climate. These, and a host of other conditions were intensifying the pressures on our valley’s relationship with water.
Court-appointed public defenders for water didn’t exist, and we were dependent on the good graces of outside entities and other communities to look out for our watershed’s best interests. Our approach needed to change, we needed to take greater control of our water future. Yet, getting to that place, to being truly proactive would take time, strategy, and money.
In 2008, Pitkin County Commissioner Rachel Richards spear-headed a ballot issue asking voters to create the Pitkin County Healthy Rivers and Streams Fund, a program aimed at protecting, preserving - and where possible - expanding local water quality and quantities within the Roaring Fork Watershed. Voters agreed, supporting a one-tenth of one percent sales tax - deemed a “very small tip for Mother Nature.” The first Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Board convened in 2009, and by 2010 was active on several fronts.
Court-appointed public defenders for water didn’t exist, and we were dependent on the good graces of outside entities and other communities to look out for our watershed’s best interests. Our approach needed to change, we needed to take greater control of our water future. Yet, getting to that place, to being truly proactive would take time, strategy, and money.
In 2008, Pitkin County Commissioner Rachel Richards spear-headed a ballot issue asking voters to create the Pitkin County Healthy Rivers and Streams Fund, a program aimed at protecting, preserving - and where possible - expanding local water quality and quantities within the Roaring Fork Watershed. Voters agreed, supporting a one-tenth of one percent sales tax - deemed a “very small tip for Mother Nature.” The first Pitkin County Healthy Rivers Board convened in 2009, and by 2010 was active on several fronts.
Pitkin County voters reaffirmed their commitment to protecting the natural environment and our water resources by overwhelmingly passing the Healthy Rivers and Streams tax, even as the stock market was crashing. — Rachel E. Richards
The program’s enacting legislation requires the funding be used to benefit local rivers. In practice, that means legal and technical support — lots of it — to defend existing water rights, gain new flow protections, construct capital projects, and pursue advocacy and education campaigns. The work is sometimes contentious, often complicated, and always expensive. It has also proven worthwhile.
This 10+ year labor of love has borne much fruit. In that short time, the program has secured several innovative in-stream flow protections. It has funded critical research and planning efforts, improved in-stream and riparian habitat, and enhanced recreational experiences throughout the watershed. The program has also facilitated critical youth water education programs and provided foundational leadership for several successful river advocacy efforts.
Read our full 10th Plus Anniversary Report published in late 2021...
This 10+ year labor of love has borne much fruit. In that short time, the program has secured several innovative in-stream flow protections. It has funded critical research and planning efforts, improved in-stream and riparian habitat, and enhanced recreational experiences throughout the watershed. The program has also facilitated critical youth water education programs and provided foundational leadership for several successful river advocacy efforts.
Read our full 10th Plus Anniversary Report published in late 2021...
10+ YEARS OF HEALTHY RIVERS MILESTONES
