April 13, 2024 · 9-11am · Odell Brewing Co.

Help us keep the Poudre River clean and beautiful! Spend your Saturday morning with CPRW and Odell Brewing Co. for a river cleanup in Old Town, Fort Collins.

Advance registration is required and space is limited. The event will begin and end at Odell Brewing Co. in Fort Collins. Parking is available at Odell Brewing or, even better, ride your bike!

After the river cleanup, stick around at Odell Brewing for a River Appreciation Celebration.

The Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed’s Upper Poudre Watershed Stakeholder Committee meets several times a year to discuss and guide our goals, objectives, and implementation actions in the Upper Poudre River Watershed. The committee provided valuable insight and guidance for the Upper Poudre Watershed Resilience Plan. 

The committee is open to the public. Please contact Daniel Bowker at daniel@poudrewatershed.org to RSVP to this meeting.

This speaker series and workshop, co-hosted by Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) and the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) brings together experts, enthusiasts, and community members passionate about the pivotal role beavers play in creating resilient ecosystems.

About this day's workshop
How do two ecosystem engineers coexist on the same real estate? For most, the answer is "we can't," leading to beaver dam removal and trapping or killing of the beaver colony. In this one-day workshop, participants will learn about devices that can be used to manage beaver behavior and protect property and infrastructure while still leaving enough for the beaver to thrive, all at a fraction of the long-term cost of the lethal alternative.

Support CPRW at Pour Bros’ Community Night! All tips from 5-7pm will be donated to CPRW plus everyone who stops by will be entered into our opportunity drawing for some cool prizes. See you there!

About Community Night

At Pour Brothers we believe in giving back to the community and doing our part in making the community stronger. Each week’s event is from 5-7pm, all tips go to the featured nonprofit during this time. These nonprofits always plan fun events for their evenings, so come check them out! Each one is unique and supports a different nonprofit organization! Check out social media for more details.

Join us for this annual fundraising event for Rocky Mountain Flycasters - Trout Unlimited (RMFTU) programs to conserve, protect and restore coldwater streams and rivers, including Big Thompson, Cache la Poudre and North Platte rivers in Colorado. This event will kick-off Northern Colorado’s 2024 fly fishing season.

About this evening's talk
This evening will feature speaker Dr. Ellen Wohl, Professor of Fluvial Geomorphology at Colorado State University. Rivers throughout the contiguous United States have been simplified and homogenized by channel engineering, flow regulation, and removal of beavers and large wood. This has led to loss of resilience to disturbances including floods, droughts, and wildfires. This talk explores how beaver dams, ponds, and canals modify rivers and increase resilience, using examples from the Colorado Front Range.

Sometimes beaver need a helping hand to be able to return to their historic habitat, such as when riparian vegetation has been substantially reduced. Restoration case studies indicate restoring the stream via low-tech, process-based restoration (LTPBR) can often lead to beaver being able to return to take over the restoration work. This session will cover how certain types of LTPBR restoration projects can fit within the 2023 stream restoration bill SB270 that provided exemptions for having to obtain a water right for certain types of stream restoration work. You'll learn about what types of restoration projects fit within the exemptions, which may not, options on how to proceed in either case, other key legal language in the bill, and guidelines to reduce risk of potential conflicts for restoration projects.

This speaker series and workshop, co-hosted by Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) and the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW), brings together experts, enthusiasts, and community members passionate about the pivotal role beavers play in creating resilient ecosystems.

In session #1 of the series, Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb reveals that our modern conception of a healthy ecosystem is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that once eliminated millions of beavers from North America’s waterways. The consequences of losing beavers were profound: ponds drained, wetlands dried up, and species from salmon to swans lost vital habitat. Today, a growing coalition of “Beaver Believers”—including scientists, farmers, and passionate citizens—recognizes that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier than those without them. From the Nevada deserts to the Scottish highlands, Believers are hard at work restoring these industrious rodents to their former haunts. In his talk, Ben will discuss the history and biology of this world-changing species; how beavers can help us fight drought, flooding, wildfire, and climate change; and how we can coexist with this challenging but vital rodent. 

From a regional to a household perspective, we will explore the cost of water and potential solutions.

The Poudre River Forum, an annual initiative of the Poudre Runs Through It, is a platform for industry professionals and community members who farm, deliver clean potable water, drink beer, recreate, and advocate for river health to learn from one another and explore how to move from conflict to collaboration. The annual event attracts hundreds of river enthusiasts from Northern Colorado communities and beyond.

Support the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) while you taste local wine and cheese!

Join the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) at OBC Wine Project to taste delicious wine and cheese while learning more about CPRW's projects in the Poudre Watershed. All proceeds will support CPRW's projects and programs that help improve and maintain the ecological health of the Poudre River Watershed.

Tickets include four wine and cheese pairings with tasting guidance from experts from OBC Wine Project and Get Plattered.

Thank you to our friends at OBC Wine Project for generously donating event space and wine!

Speakers: Hally Strevey with Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed and Marin Chambers with the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute

Poudre Pub Talks are an annual educational series hosted by the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage area that brings experts to your favorite breweries to hold informal community conversations on the important natural resources of Northern Colorado. We’re proud to partner with our local breweries such as Horse & Dragon Brewing Company, Mighty River Brewing Company, High Hops Brewery, and Timnath Beerwerks as well as other breweries and distilleries to open this educational series to the public.

Did you know beer is 95% water? And 40% of the world's usable water comes from forests?

Join The Nature Conservancy in Colorado's 13ers Young Professionals to celebrate the connections between healthy forests and great beer. Together, we'll enjoy an evening of drinks and tree trivia at local breweries across Colorado.

Join us for the third of four monthly sessions on relevant water-related issues and initiatives in Larimer County! The third session, "Watershed Health & Instream Flows," will take place on Oct. 18th from 6-8pm in the Big Thompson River Room of the Larimer County Loveland Campus, located at 200 Peridot Ave, Loveland, CO.

This session will cover topics like Colorado instream flows, restoration efforts along the Poudre River, and Big Thompson watershed health.

The full list of session information and speakers can be found online here: https://www.larimer.gov/public-affairs/presentations/larimer-county-water-education-series

Join the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) for a day of tree planting. In the wake of the High Park Fire of 2012 and the historic Cameron Peak Fire of 2020, which burned over 208,000 acres, CPRW is working with private landowners to restore land by planting native ponderosa pine seedlings. Connect with the land, get your hands dirty, and help heal the watershed!

Date: October 14, 2023

Time: 9:00am-4:00pm 

Meeting Location: Ted's Place - 6511 US-287, Laporte, CO 80535 (carpooling is highly encouraged for this event!)

What you need to bring: Sunscreen, layers, hat, sturdy shoes/boots, drinking water container (bottle/glass/jug) and a lunch

CPRW will provide: Gloves, tools, other safety equipment, tree seedlings, water, and light snacks

Tree planting is hard work! It requires bending over, squatting, digging and other physical activity, all of which will occur outside and within a burned area. Please be prepared for this type of work.

Learn more about our reforestation program visit: www.poudrewatershed.org/reforestation

Registration is required, spots are limited, and these volunteer events fill up fast. Click the button below to get signed up!

Join the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) for a day of tree planting. In the wake of the historic Cameron Peak Fire of 2020, which burned over 208,000 acres, CPRW is working with private landowners to restore land by planting native ponderosa pine seedlings. Connect with the land, get your hands dirty, and help heal the watershed!

Date: September 23, 2023

Time: 9:00am-5:00pm (may end sooner depending on how fast trees get planted and how many people participate)

Meeting Location: Ted's Place - 6511 US-287, Laporte, CO 80535 (carpooling is highly encouraged for this event!)

What you need to bring: Sunscreen, layers, hat, sturdy shoes/boots, drinking water container (bottle/glass/jug) and a lunch

CPRW will provide: Gloves, tools, other safety equipment, tree seedlings, water, and light snacks

Tree planting requires bending over, squatting, digging and other physical activity, all of which will occur outside and within a burned area. Please be prepared for this type of work. Children 14+ are welcome with a parent/guardian.

Learn more about our reforestation program visit: www.poudrewatershed.org/reforestation

Please join us for the North Fork of the Poudre Healthy Watershed Tour - Sept. 16, 9am-1pm. Anyone on the watershed is welcome!

Goals of the Watershed Tour:

• Celebrate a culture of good stewardship of the river that benefits both people and nature.

• Learn about the Preble’s mouse by looking at a variety of habitat conditions in the watershed and see how scientists study the mouse in the field.

• See examples of management practices and show what landowners can do to improve habitat on their own land.

• Meet organizations that can provide funding and technical expertise to assist landowners with conservation projects.

Agenda:

• 9:00am - Meet at the Livermore Community Hall - parking & restrooms available

• 9:30am-11:45am - Watershed Tour - carpool to 3 locations on private and public lands within the N. fork of the Cache la Poudre River Watershed

• 11:45am-1:00pm - Open house at Livermore Community Hall - refreshments, free lunch from The Forks (sponsored by The State Land Board), bathrooms, funder and partner info booths, Q&A

We hear a lot about the benefits of beavers in stream restoration, but Colorado's riparian systems are complex and there are many different tools in the restoration toolbox.

Join this FREE webinar on September 12 at noon to learn more about process-based restoration (PBR) and to explore on-the-ground projects that represent opposite ends of the PBR spectrum, from "low tech" to "high tech," and why these different approaches are appropriate in different scenarios. 

Water Education Colorado (WEco) is joining Coalitions & Collaboratives (COCO) & Colorado Riparian Association (CRA) to co-host this webinar, which is the second Colorado Stream Restoration Network (CSRN) Riparian Book Club meeting.

This webinar will build from the first Riparian Book Club on pivotal scientific papers on PBR to present the process-based restoration umbrella graphic included in the Summer 2023 issue of WEco’s Headwaters magazine and share case studies representing both ends of the PBR spectrum.

With speakers:

• Julie Ash, Stillwater Sciences, will walk us through the idea of process-based restoration and introduce the PBR "umbrella

• Hally Strevey, Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) & Colin Barry, Ayres Associates, will overview the customized Low-Tech PBR (LTPBR) program they developed for post-Cameron Peak fire restoration in the Poudre River Watershed

• Eric Richer, Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) & Johannes Beeby, Stillwater Sciences, will overview the Kemp Breeze restoration project on the Colorado River, which required High-Tech PBR (HTPBR) to address profoundly broken hydrologic and sediment transport processes and deliver on project goals

Book Club/Webinar reading materials (always optional!): read WEco’s summer issue of Headwaters magazine "The Healthy Headwaters Issue - Restoring and relying on Colorado's source streams" and check out the PBR Umbrella graphic on page 29 (and below).

From Burn to Bloom is a public art+science event hosted by The Geospatial Centroid and the Radical Open Science Syndicate at Colorado State University.

In 2020, our community experienced the largest wildfires in Colorado history. Since then, researchers at CSU have been working hard to understand how these high-elevation fires have impacted our ecosystems. To share this research with the public, we are inviting artists across disciplines to co-create hands-on stations for learning and making.

While wildfire is inherently destructive, post-fire ecology holds valuable lessons about hope, resilience, and recovery. From Burn to Bloom will combine the emotional power of art and artmaking with the educational power of scientific research to explore these themes.

From Burn to Bloom will be a fun and interactive community event with playful art and science activities, hopeful community reflection, and all-ages education. Get inspired by the ways nature repairs after fire and reflect on building more resilient landscapes–and mindsets–in the face of an ever-changing climate. 

• Paint algae bloom watercolors + learn how fire affects our water quality!

• Construct clay pots + learn how fire changes soil overtime!

• Make floral block prints of post-fire flowers + learn how they restore the forest!

• Play in a (simulated) beaver pond + learn how beavers strengthen post-fire landscape!

• Write a love letter to the forest on seed paper + learn what plants grow after fire!

• Take a selfie with Smokey Bear + learn about how you can mitigate wildfire! 

The Poudre RiverFest is a free, family-friendly festival that celebrates the Poudre River, promotes restoration, and educates people about our river corridor, an important natural resource in our community.

The festival features activities for children and adults to explore the role of the river as an important habitat for wildlife, a lively recreation area, and a source for clean drinking water.

Visit www.poudreriverfest.com to find out more!

State and area leaders will share the stories of recent & historic wildfires and post-fire flooding, sharing lessons learned and strategies in preparing for the ever-changing conditions in our environment. We are at a crossroads with Federal and State funding and focused attention due to recent disasters – this is our chance to have transformational change in our county, state and Nation to futureproof against the next disaster – protecting the safety, health and welfare of our communities. 

Date/Time: August 2, 530pm – 730pm

Educational Booths Open 430pm – ~6pm 

Location: 200 W Oak St, Fort Collins, CO 80524, 1st Floor Hearing Room

Join The Ember Alliance, Mill Creek Association, and the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed for a free pile build workshop!

This workshop is an educational event for landowners in the Cherokee Park CWPP area who are interested in learning about building and burning slash piles as a way to reduce wildfire risk to their homes and community. This workshop aims to provide landowners with the knowledge to build slash piles on their own property. Information on pile burning will be presented, including the permitting process and what to expect when you burn your piles. However, we will not be burning piles during the workshop. Representatives from The Ember Alliance and the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed will lead educational discussions in the morning, followed by hands-on pile building in the afternoon. Registration will be capped at 25 participants, so reserve your spot now!

Date/Time: Friday, June 23, 9:30am-2:30pm

Location: The workshop will be held at a private property in Poudre River Ranch Association. The address will be provided to those who register for the event.

What to Bring: water, lunch, personal protective equipment- leather gloves, leather boots, sunglasses or eye protection, long sleeves and pants that are comfortable for yard work, hard hat. The Ember Alliance can provide hard hats and leather gloves for those who don't have their own.

IMPORTANT! All participants must fill out the liability waiver prior to the event.

Schedule:

9:30 - Meet at workshop site

9:45 - Introductions, Liability Waiver Check & Emergency Procedures

10:00 - Forest Health talk

10:30 - Home Ignition Zone & Wildfire Preparedness

11:00 - Information on pile burning

11:30 - Group discussion

12:00 - Lunch (bring a packed lunch!)

12:30 - Pile building demo

1:00 - Hands-on pile building

2:15 - Wrap up & closing

Questions? Email kristin@emberalliance.org

Watch this short video to learn about pile building and burning prior to the workshop!

Every June, Colorado celebrates Bike Month and here in Fort Collins, we love anything that highlights and promotes people who ride bicycles.

The 35th annual Summer Bike to Work (or Wherever) Day will be held Wednesday, June 28, 2023 from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. or 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for afternoon stations.

Closing ceremonies for Summer BT(W)D will be at Foothills Mall on the lawn from 9:45 a.m.-10:15 a.m.

Visit the CPRW station at Old Town Square to enjoy coffee, donuts and fresh fruit!

What is Bike to Work (or Wherever) Day?

Some have described it as "Fort Collins' best holiday". Others love the celebration of people who ride bicycles. Some hosts want to contribute to our Platinum-designated bicycle culture and community. During BT(W)D, community members are encouraged to travel by bike wherever they're headed, be it work, errands, to drop kids to daycare, or just for fun. Participants who ditch the car in favor of a bicycle can find free breakfast located all around Fort Collins. Some participants try to hit as many stations as possible. Others are happy to find a scenic spot to comingle with a few other folks. The point is to get on your bike wherever you're headed that morning!

Check back periodically for the most up to date information, including our Call for Station Hosts and Station Host Resources, public health guidance, and more. 

Join staff from the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) to learn about their work to improve and maintain the ecological health of the Poudre River Watershed and taste the new PineVu Pilser, a hoppy American lager with spruce tips and brewed with Fort Collins-grown and malted barley from Troubadour Maltings.

Mythmaker Brewing and Rocky Mountain Adventures are each donating $1 for every pint sold to CPRW. This event is free & open to the public. Cheers!

Join us on June 1st at The Lyric Cinema for Take Me to the River, a celebratory fundraiser for CPRW's 10 year anniversary.

Guests will enjoy a farm to table dinner featuring locally grown food, craft beer and wine from local brewers, live music from the Sugar Britches, and educational programming. Through this event, we will celebrate CPRW's accomplishments over the past 10 years, educate the public about many of the challenges the watershed faces, and unveil our new five-year strategic plan.

Join the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) for a day of tree planting. In the wake of the historic Cameron Peak Fire of 2020, which burned over 208,000 acres, CPRW is working with private landowners to restore land by planting native ponderosa pine seedlings. Connect with the land, get your hands dirty, and help heal the watershed!

Date: May 7, 2023

Time: 9:00am-5:00pm (may end sooner depending on how fast trees get planted and how many people participate)

Meeting Location: Ted's Place - 6511 US-287, Laporte, CO 80535 (carpooling is highly encouraged for this event!)

What you need to bring: Sunscreen, layers, hat, sturdy shoes/boots, drinking water container (bottle/glass/jug) and a lunch

CPRW will provide: Gloves, tools, other safety equipment, tree seedlings, water, and light snacks

Tree planting requires bending over, squatting, digging and other physical activity, all of which will occur outside and within a burned area. Please be prepared for this type of work. Children 14+ are welcome with a parent/guardian.

Learn more about our reforestation program visit: www.poudrewatershed.org/reforestation

Earth Day Fort Collins inspires community members to honor the Earth EVERY DAY and features a combination of activities and events for the entire family, including informational booths and displays, kids activities, arts & crafts, live music, speakers, food trucks, farmers market and a beer garden.

Earth Day 2023 will be a historic moment when citizens of the world rise up in a united call for the creativity, innovation, ambition, and bravery that we need to meet our climate crisis and seize the enormous opportunities of a zero-carbon future.

This event is Free! Please bring a non-perishable item for the Food Bank for Larimer County.

Join us for this day of global action!

Join us for a Climate and Volunteer Action Fair on April 19th from 5-7pm on the outstanding Odell Brewing Co patio in Fort Collins.

Celebrate Earth Week by learning how you can take personal action to reduce your impact on our environment, fight climate change and volunteer to restore our natural landscapes.

Live Music, food trucks and drinks from Odell make this the Earth Day event you wont want to miss. This is a family and dog friendly event. RSVP is not required, so swing by the patio to take action for a positive change for our world.