Friends of the Poudre Winter/Spring 2001 Newsletter
Another new effort was towards the formation of a basin wide stakeholders group. Over the past year we have been working with other partners to identify basin stakeholders and to form a watershed group. The partners include the cities of Fort Collins and Greeley, Larimer and Weld Counties, the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, North Front Range Water Quality Planning Association, the Colorado Water Quality Control Division, and Friends of the Poudre. The partners have agreed that a broad based organization representing all of the interest groups in the basin should be assembled. We have also agreed that the stakeholders and the interests they represent would be identified by an independent survey of the basin. This same method has been used in the upper basin stakeholder identification. Friends initiated this effort and has acted as convener in conjunction with the South Platte Watershed Coordinator from the state. This is a group that includes people that we often disagree with and that we need to talk to on a regular basis. Our agreement to form a stakeholder group and the commitment of both cash and in-kind services by all of the partners is a big step for the watershed. Our $3,000 contribution has been matched by commitments of $20, 000 in cash and $40, 000 of in-kind services from the entities involved. We took a lead role in writing an EPA grant to pay for the stakeholder survey and facilitation of a watershed group. If this grant comes through a 24-month effort to achieve these objectives will be funded. If the grant is not funded the partners are still committed to contributing to the project.