UPCOMING EVENTS
UWP Board Meetings
Open to Public: Every other month* on 2nd Thursday 4-6 p.m.
(Jan. 11, March 14, May 9, July 11, Sept. 12, and Nov. 14)
Working Group Meetings will be held during the other months. UWP’s new Working Groups are: Watershed Work, Financials/Fundraising, Operations, and Education/Outreach. If you are interested in volunteering on a working group, please contact Tanya at tanya@uncompahgrewatershed.org.
* Please contact UWP Board Secretary Taylor Poyner 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.
2024 Events
Uncompahgre River Classic
Entries open on March 1 and close on May 1, 2024
Learn more about our annual peak flow prediction contest
Rocky Mountain Mining & Reclamation Conference
Wed.-Fri., May 22-24, 2024
Learn more, sponsor, and submit an abstract. Registration open.
Rollans Park volunteer morning
May or June 2024
Ridgway RiverFest
Saturday, June 29, 2024
More information coming in Jan. 2024
Ridgway Reservoir Cleanup
Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024
Ridgway State Park, in collaboration with Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Love Your Gorge
October 12, 2024
Join us at Ouray Ice Park and the Uncompahgre River Gorge in Ouray.
PAST EVENTS
A Benefit for the Uncompahgre River – Fly Fishing Film Tour
Sat., March 16, Doors open at 5pm. Ouray County 4H Event Center
UWP 10th Anniversary Celebration
Thursday, Nov. 16, 5:30-8pm. Ouray Community Center. Potluck dinner, slide show, and a special speaker!
Cheatgrass Treatment Workshop
Tue., Nov. 7, 5 to 8:30 p.m. Ouray County Event Center. Sponsored by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. Hosted by Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership and Shavano Conservation District.
The Next 10 Years of the Upper Uncompahgre River Watershed
Tue., Oct. 17, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Ouray Community Center. Funded by Telluride Foundation and CDPHE Non-Point Source Program.
Love Your Gorge
Saturday, October 14, 2023, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Uncompahgre River Gorge, Ouray Ice Park
Watershed Restoration in the Ironton Park Area
Sat., Oct. 7, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A free guided field trip
Ridgway Reservoir Cleanup at Ridgway State Park
Fri., Oct. 6, 9 a.m. to noon. Hosted by Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
Water Quality Monitoring in the Upper Unc
Sat., Sept. 30, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A free guided field trip
Watershed Restoration in the Upper Unc
Fri., Sept. 29, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. A free guided field trip
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
Dec
15
Thu
Show your love for UWP on Telluride Gives Day
On December 15, 2016, the Telluride Foundation has once again provided a fabulous way for every single citizen to conveniently donate to the Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership (UWP) and other local nonprofits. Through www.telluridegives.org, you can contribute to our organization, make a difference in your community, and celebrate the magic of the San Juan Mountain region. This fundraising event is a timely, important way for UWP to bring in the dollars we need to continue our work into 2017, which will include:
- new abandoned mine remediation projects in partnership with local, state and federal public agencies, mine owners, contractors, and other nonprofits;
- water quality sampling each month at four locations for Colorado’s River Watch Program, including hands-on field activities with Ridgway third graders;
- public outreach and school watershed education programs;
- the San Juan Mining Conference, to be held in Ouray this year, to highlight research and mine remediation approaches for improving water quality;
- clean up activities at Ridgway’s Rollans Park along the Uncompahgre River as part of the town’s “Adopt-a-Park program;
- the 10th annual Ridgway River Festival, a family-friendly celebration of the River and our community; and
- NEW this year: an objective, science-based study of whether the periodic releases from the Ouray Hydropower facility to remove sediment have any significant impact on water quality and aquatic life.
Please take this opportunity to support these essential projects by giving through Telluride Gives Day, next Thursday, Dec. 15. Please go online to UWP’s Telluride Gives page (https://telluridegives.org/npo/uncompahgre-watershed-partnership) and make a financial contribution.
Dec
12
Wed
On December 12, 2018, the Telluride Foundation and UWP hope that every single citizen will log-on to the telluridegives.org site and contribute. Through this annual online event, donors give directly to something that will make a difference and celebrate the magic of the Telluride region. This is an opportunity for everyone who cares about our San Juan Mountain community to give collectively to nonprofits engaged in protecting and improving our area. We hope to raise the most money yet in 2018! (UWP raised $1,700 last year.)
The Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership’s goal is to raise $3,820 to go towards our 2019 project of publishing a Watershed Guide to Ouray County, which will provide water quality and supply information sought by residents as well as visitors of our watershed. The estimated cost of publishing the guide is $6,400. We have already raised $2,580 of that amount.
UWP has spent more than five years collecting reports and gathering data about the water quality and environmental conditions in the Uncompahgre River and other water sources throughout Ouray County. Though we have a brief brochure with basic information about the watershed and a comprehensive 100-plus-page watershed plan, we have not had the resources to publish a simple and useful guide to help the public understand where the water sources are for various uses, how different conditions impact water quality, and what that means to users. With this guide, we plan to provide this valuable information with graphics, photos, tables/charts and concise text.
Mar
24
Sun
The Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership will join other local nonprofits and give a presentation about our green activities in the community (many sponsored by Alpine Bank). Doors open at 6 p.m. Presentations begin at 6, and the evening ends around 8:30 p.m.
Oct
14
Sat
Join UWP and the Ouray Ice Park in beautifying and maintaining the watershed around the Uncompahgre River Gorge. This volunteer event, recognized by American Rivers and the International Coastal Cleanup, starts with three hours of work around the park and gorge, and ends with lunch, beer, giveaways, and a tour of the park.
For 2023, we will again be removing litter, debris, and invasive plant species from the park. We will also be refurbishing a picnic table and making improvements at the kid’s climbing wall.
Thank you to the City of Ouray and Alpine Bank for sponsorship of this year’s event, as well as to the Ouray Grocery and the Ouray Brewery for food and beer!
Information: info@uncompahgrewatershed.org
Registration is closed.
Oct
17
Tue
A free community event to share UWP’s history, goals, and plans including types of watershed restoration and projects being considered, while gathering input about future projects and activities. Location: Ouray Community Center Massard Room.
Thank you to the Telluride Foundation for funding assistance for UWP’s strategic planning and stakeholder engagement activities in 2023.
Questions? Contact Tanya at info@uncompahgrewatershed.org
