River Protection Workgroup

Being a riverkeeper involves attending meetings. I went to an interesting meeting on Tuesday for the River Protection Workgroup (RPW). This is a group of diverse interests currently talking about the Hermosa Creek, a tributary to the Animas, and its watershed. The idea is that the group will discuss ways to protect Hermosa Creek and propose them to the decision makers. This includes the possibility of Wild & Scenic designation. In the state of Colorado only 1 river has been designated as Wild & Scenic. Compare that to 48 in Oregon. There are a couple of sticking points for such a designation in Colorado, the biggest being water rights laws. Wild & Scenic designations impose a certain in-stream flow. The reason for involving such a diverse group at the table is that it takes an act of congress to make the designation. Our state representatives like to confirm that the community is behind the designation before they put they take a proposed river to congress. This is a chance for interested folks to present their ideas, concerns, and vision of river health and protection. You can get more information here http://www.waterinfo.org/taxonomy/term/1030.