Please volunteer and/or race at Ridgway RiverFest. Give us your ideas for our Watershed Guide. Plus learn about other news and opportunities.💦

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Cold temperatures delaying runoff!

Runoff is going to be high this year but... we have to wait for the snow to stop at high elevations and for those areas to get warmer. It's ironic that all this precipitation means river flows in Ouray County are still lower than usual. When it does come, be prepared for the high-water mark to be further up banks than usual.

We're expecting a wet and wild Ridgway RiverFest on June 29, and the staff and board of the Uncomphagre Watershed Partnership have been busy preparing for the annual festival. Read in this newsletter more about festival planning as well as see photos of our water quality study and education activities. I kept the info short so you can skim through quickly, and click through if you want more details.

Thanks for your continued support!
Tanya Ishikawa
UWP Communications Director

Inside this newsletter...

Volunteers, racers and nets needed for Ridgway RiverFest
Basic Outdoor First Aid offered
Your input requested for the Ouray County watershed guide
See more photos from your Ouray Hydrodam water study
Check out photos from our River Watch volunteer water monitors
Young scientists invited to submit to the student mining and reclamation challenge
Plus, enjoy photos of our watershed education activities
UWP's Donors & How to Donate

Special thanks to Alyssa Austin for letting UWP borrow her inspiring photo (above) of Blaine Basin.

Special request: UWP needs a printer/ copier. If you can donate a printer to our office, please contact Tanya at uwpcommunications@gmail.com

Plan to Volunteer and/or Race at the RiverFest 6/29

Get ready to party with a few hundred of your closest friends on the banks of the Uncompahgre River. The 12th annual Ridgway RiverFest is Sat., June 29, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Enjoy time at the river with food, drink, shopping at the silent auction, and learning and playing games at the many booths. River races start in the morning and live music by Sugar & The Mint in the afternoon. To learn about participating in the races on a kayak, canoe, raft, SUP or homemade watercraft, go to our River Race web page.

Find your perfect volunteer shift: https://signup.com/go/eXAAHxi. Giving your time will help us to raise more funds for watershed management, restoration and education projects.

Learn Basic Outdoor First Aid: Festival volunteers and anyone who interacts with visitors will benefit from this 2-hour class. Learn more - sign up!

Have a really long net or other device to catch rubber duckies? Can we borrow it? Please leave a message for Tanya at 970-325-3010. I'll call back.

Suggest Content for Ouray County Watershed Guide

The Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership is asking our friends and interested people to advise us on what information would be valuable in a guide about our watershed. Our nonprofit received a grant from the Ouray County Community Fund to produce a watershed guide to Ouray County, to provide access to accurate, useful information to all water users in our area including those who drink it, recreate in it, and water their fields and livestock with it.

This guide, which will be compact with few pages, will be published this fall and available online through UWP as well as in a printed version distributed around the community where the public can find it. To ensure the guide contains the most wanted and helpful information about the watershed, we are asking for input on its content. We would like to know what you are most interested in knowing about the watershed, and what questions you are most often asked about the watershed and struggle to answer.

Please email your ideas to Tanya at uwpcommunications@gmail.com, or fill out the Online Questionnaire. Thanks!

Results coming on 2019 Sediment Release Study

On March 22 and 23, UWP's Hydrodam Sediment Release Study Team spent long hours in the trenches. From about three in the afternoon on Friday through seven in the morning on Saturday, UWP Technical Coordinator Ashley Bembenek led a team of nearly 10 volunteers, who braved snow and late night to early morning temperatures to sample the Ouray Hydrodam's 2019 sediment release to better understand its impact on the Uncompahgre River. We plan to report on our findings at the July meetings of Ouray County Commissioners, Ridgway Town Council and Ouray City Council. Look for us on local agendas!

Five new River Watch volunteers monitor local water

UWP asked for the community's help and you responded in a big way! We needed new River Watch volunteers after the departure of longtime volunteers Dudley and Sharon Case. It took a few months to find new volunteers and get them trained but we are happy to report that five new River Watch monitors are now on the job. After training in Durango with River Watch founder Barb Horn and Mountain Studies Institute, Ronna Edgett-Underwood, Arlen Huggins, John Hulburd, Amy Relnick, and Diane Spooner began their monthly samplings of our local streams in May. A big thank you to these dedicated volunteers, as well as UWP Board Member Amanda Clements who is their board liaison.

Submit Posters to the Mining & Reclamation Student Challenge

Introducing the first annual Student Challenge at the San Juan Mining and Reclamation Conference & Innovation Expo. September 24-26 in Silverton: This year, conference organizers are offering a scholarship fund awarded to the top three student poster presentations.

Click HERE for conference details, suggested themes to guide your presentation, and instructions on how to apply. Please submit all materials by July 1.

Conference/Expo details are at mountainstudies.org/expo.

Watershed Education Volunteers
have busy May

UWP certainly does appreciate our education volunteers, and all the time they spend with children around our community. Check out these fun photos from their May activities.

The Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership receives financial and in-kind support from many generous donors and sponsors.

Special thanks to:
Telluride Foundation; Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment; Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining & Safety; Town of Ridgway; Double RL Ranch; Ouray County Community Fund; Helen S. and John J. Jr. McKetta Charitable Foundation; BeP Earthwise Foundation; Gary Roberts; County of Ouray; Massard Fund

Read about private well testing funding (that will end in 2020).

For UWP event information:
http://www.uncompahgrewatershed.org/events/

To donate to UWP:
uncompahgrewatershed.org/
membership