UWP Board Meetings

Open to Public: Monthly* on 2nd Thursday 4-6 p.m. Meetings on Zoom until further notice,

* Please contact UWP Board Secretary Mary Menz at uwpcoordinator@gmail.com to confirm meeting date and time if you plan to attend. Some meetings may be rescheduled or cancelled based on necessity.

10th Anniversary Community Engagement*

Watershed Restoration in the Upper Unc

Fri., Sept. 29, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. A free guided field trip to view and learn about watershed conditions along Camp Bird Road in Ouray County. More information and registration.

Water Quality Monitoring in the Upper Unc

Sat., Sept. 30, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A free guided field trip to view and learn about water quality monitoring around Ouray County. More information and registration.

Watershed Restoration in the Ironton Park Area

Sat., Oct. 7, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A free guided field trip to view and learn about watershed conditions along Highway 550 above Ouray. More information and registration.

The Next 10 Years of the Upper Uncompahgre River Watershed

Tue., Oct. 17, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Ouray Community Center

The whole community is invited to this event to learn about UWP’s history, goals and plans while giving input about future projects and activities. Funded by Telluride Foundation and CDPHE Non-Point Source Program. More information.

UWP 10th Anniversary Celebration

Thursday, Nov. 16, 5:30-8pm. Ouray Community Center.

Potluck dinner, music, slide show, and a special speaker! Stay tuned for more information.

*Please take our community survey about UWP and the watershed’s future. Draft strategic plan survey will be available in October.

OTHER 2023 EVENTS

Ridgway Reservoir Cleanup at Ridgway State Park

NEW DATE: Fri., Oct. 6, 9 a.m. to noon, A volunteer event to improve riparian areas of the park. Hosted by Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Information & registration

Love Your Gorge

Saturday, October 14, 2023, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Uncompahgre River Gorge, Ouray Ice Park

Sponsored by City of Ouray and Alpine Bank. Information & registration

Cheatgrass Treatment Workshop

Tue., Nov. 7, 5 to 8:30 p.m. Ouray County Event Center

A free event including dinner and helpful information for property owners with large landscapes. Sponsored by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. Hosted by Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership and Shavano Conservation District. Information & registration

PAST EVENTS

Taking Care of the Uncompahgre River Valley

Wednesday, August 16, 2023, The Forum at Colorado Mesa University Montrose, Community Room

Mine Site Remediation in the Uncompahgre River’s Headwaters

Tuesday, July 18, 2023, Evenings of History at the Wright Opera House

Ridgway RiverFest

Saturday, June 24, 2023, Rollans Park, Ridgway

Taking Care of the Uncompahgre River Valley

Thursday, June 15, Presentation at Montrose Library

Rollans Park Adopt-A-Park Riparian Restoration

Saturday, June 17, Rollans Park, Ridgway

World’s Largest Swimming Lesson at Ridgway State Park

Thursday, June 22, Ridgway State Park Swim Beach at Dutch Charlie- CANCELLED

Uncompahgre River Classic

Peak flow contest and river flow awareness campaign

March 1-May 1, 2023

A Benefit for the Uncompahgre River

Int’l Fly Fishing Film Festival, Ouray County 4H Event Center, Ridgway, March 18, 2023

Snow Research Meets Water Resources Operations in the San Juans

Current and Future Collaborations with CSU, Silverton, February 7, 2023

Colorado Gives Day Fundraiser

December 6, 2022

Reconnect & Reboot

A meetup in Ouray organized by the San Juan Mining & Reclamation Conference Committee

Sept. 29 & 30, 2022, Wright Opera House, Ouray Hydroelectric Plant, The Western, Red Mountain Pass, Camp Bird Road, Colorado Boy Southwest Pub, Sauvage Spectrum

Guided Snowshoe Exploration of Winter Wildlife

Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022

Guided Snowshoe Tour to Red Mountain Mining District

Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022

2022 Annual Report

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The Uncompahgre River and its Tributaries

The name of the Uncompahgre River comes from the Ute word that means red water, muddy water or a water that is slow moving. The Utes lived along the river since early times because of the water, plants and wildlife.

Flowing from the headwaters in the San Juan Mountains, the river is the artery of a large watershed and one reason many people choose to live here in Ouray County. Whether enjoying recreation on and around the river and the Ridgway Reservoir or using the valuable natural resource for irrigating agricultural fields, we rely on the watershed to support our lifestyles.

The Uncompahgre River drains 1,115 square miles of the Gunnison Basin in southwestern Colorado. This drainage area includes parts of Delta, Montrose, Ouray, Gunnison, Hinsdale, San Juan and San Miguel Counties in southwest Colorado.

The elevation ranges from 14,158 feet at the peak of Mt. Sneffels to 4,915 feet at the mouth in Delta. The Uncompahgre River originates in Lake Como at 12,215 feet in the Uncompahgre National Forest. It flows approximately 75 miles northwest past the City of Ouray, Town of Ridgway, City of Montrose, and Town of Olathe and joins the Gunnison River at Confluence Park in the City of Delta.

Download and print the basics about The Uncompahgre Watershed in Ouray County

Download the facts and figures about the watershed in the UWP Brochure.

Major tributaries to the Uncompahgre River in Ouray County:

Canyon Creek, Cow Creek, Dallas Creek, Red Mountain Creek, Corbett Creek, Portland Creek, Dexter Creek, Bear Creek, Oak Creek, Cascade Creek, Cutler Creek

Learn about the lower Uncompahgre River watershed:

Many other organizations also keep track of and share information about the Uncompahgre River and surrounding watershed, and you can find those descriptions and details at the websites below:

Colorado River Outfitters Association

Colorado Fishing Network

Orvis

American Whitewater Association

You can also find data about water flows at the following links:

Plus, find information about walking along the river below:

Uncompahgre River Walking Loop from Ouray

Uncompahgre River Trail Plants from Ridgway (Thank you Peggy Lyon and the Northern San Juans BroadBand)

Uncompahgre Riverway Trail

How to contribute to UWP

2022 Year-End Membership & Fundraising Letter

The Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership (UWP) offers a few easy ways to make your tax-deductible financial contribution to our nonprofit.

Colorado taxpayers, who make monetary or in-kind contributions of $250 and above to the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership, may also receive a Colorado income tax credit of 12.5 or 25 percent of their donations. See more information about the Enterprise Zone tax credits.

Membership: a convenient way to show your annual support of UWP, which gives you member discounts at our events and puts you on our mailing list to receive news and updates on our activities and projects. Pick your membership level below and click on the “Donate” button below it to open the PayPal website and pay through the online service or with your credit card.

Individual Member ($36)*

Family Member ($55)*

Business Member ($100)*

*Please be sure to include your mailing address when you complete your donation payment in PayPal, so we can send your donation receipt and record for tax purposes.

One-time online donation: a simple way to choose any monetary level from $5 to $10,000 to help fund our activities. Please click on the water droplet on the right side of this page to open the PayPal website, where you can type in your donation amount and pay through the online service or with your credit card.
Recurring online donations: a method of spreading your donations out over the year so they can have lasting impact. Please click on the water droplet on the right side of this page to open the PayPal website, where you can type in your donation amount, check the “Make this Recurring” (to make it monthly), and pay through the online service or with your credit card.
Donations and membership payments by mail: another method of getting your payment to us through the postal service. Please open, fill out and print our Membership Form (pdf) and send it with a check made payable to UWP to UWP, P.O. Box 392, Ridgway, CO 81432.
Donate as you shop (at no cost to you!) through igive.com and City Market/Kroger. Find out more: https://www.uncompahgrewatershed.org/trigger-donations-while-you-shop/

If you have any questions about giving to UWP, please contact Executive Director Tanya Ishikawa at tanya@uncompahgrewatershed.org or 970-325-3010. Thank you for considering a financial contribution to support the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership and our work restoring and protecting the Upper Uncompahgre River Watershed.

Water Quality Assessment for the Upper Uncompahgre Watershed

September 19, 2023September 19, 2023 Leave a comment

River Watch Data Summary (2019-2021) and Review of WQCC 2022 Regulation 93 – 303(d) List of Impaired Waters UWP has participated in the Colorado Parks and Wildlife River Watch Program since 2013. Previous UWP reports…

Appreciating the complexity that is the Upper Uncompahgre River Watershed

August 31, 2023August 31, 2023

Hello, my name is Rock Gibbs. I am a Ouray High School graduate, and currently studying biology at Endicott College in Massachusetts. This summer I interned at the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership, and I was given…

Survey Kicks Off Community Input Effort on UWP’s Strategic Plan

August 3, 2023September 1, 2023

The Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership invites community members in the Upper Uncompahgre River Watershed (Ouray County residents, employees, business owners, and visitors) to answer a 10-question survey to help us understand your relationship with the watershed…

New Mine Site Remediation Presentation on UWP’s Youtube channel

July 31, 2023July 31, 2023

On July 18, UWP Technical Coordinator Ashley Bembenek spoke about “Mine Site Remediation in the Uncompahgre River’s Headwaters” at the Evenings of History series at the Wright Opera House. The Ouray County Historical Society, which…