26th annual Fryingpan and Beyond River Cleanup - April 22-27, 2024
(Basalt, CO) - It’s time for spring cleaning and the rivers of the Roaring Fork Valley need your help!
Roaring Fork Conservancy and local partners launch drought resiliency project
Farmers and ranchers in the Roaring Fork Valley are coping with the effects of prolonged drought. Roaring Fork Conservancy (RFC) recognizes the value and complexities of local agriculture. To this end, RFC is partnering with several producers, Lotic Hydrological consulting, and Pitkin County Open Space to explore opportunities of enhancing the resilience of ranching operations in the Roaring Fork Valley in times of water shortage. The project team is interested in identifying means for mitigating against the impacts of drought on productivity in mid- to high-elevation grass pastures and hay fields—the dominant agricultural land use in the Roaring Fork Valley. The study will work to identify field-scale treatments that can be used to minimize (or eliminate) reductions in crop yields and forage quality that are expected in times of limited water supply.
Roaring Fork Conservancy honored with a 2023 Award for Excellence in Environmental Education
The Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE) awarded Roaring Fork Conservancy’s Watershed PenPal Program with a 2023 Innovative Environmental Education Program Award. Recipients of the 2023 Awards for Excellence in Environmental Education were recognized on Friday, September 29, 2023 at CSU Spur in Denver as part of CAEE’s Annual Advancing Environmental Education Conference.
Weekly Snowpack and River Report
May 16, 2024 -
Summary:
As a result of delayed snowmelt at the Schofield Pass, Independence Pass, and Ivanhoe SNOTEL sites, snowpack in the Roaring Fork Watershed is 143% of normal for this time of year. While the lower elevation snowpack has all but melted due to an unseasonably warm April, high elevation snowpack has been bolstered by the wetter and cooler start to May. That brief reprieve may be over as summer-like weather has returned to the watershed recently, causing stream flows to rise over the past couple days. However, local rivers are still flowing below average for this time of year (44-67% of normal). Ruedi Reservoir releases increased 35 cfs earlier this week to maximize City of Aspen power generation, bringing flows on the Lower Fryingpan to 239 cfs.
