Give today to support our work throughout the Poudre River Watershed! Your donation will fund projects such as post-fire restoration in the Cameron Peak burn area, river restoration, forest health, watershed planning and citizen science water quality monitoring that create a more resilient Cache la Poudre River watershed.
The Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) partners with land owners, government agencies, water utilities, and non-profits to collaboratively address some of the most challenging issues facing our watershed. Together, we identify the biggest problems, use science and expert input to prioritize where our projects will have the most impact and then together, we implement actions on the ground that will protect our rivers, communities, and water supply.
“The Poudre Watershed is widely known for having diverse stakeholders that regularly collaborate to achieve a range of watershed benefits. The Coalition for the Poudre Watershed has been a science-based, objective and trusted organization for more than a decade and has been key to many of the collaborative efforts to improve the Poudre’s resiliency. Fort Collins Utilities is excited to continue partnering with CPRW into the future to protect the City’s Poudre drinking water supplies and the overall health of the watershed.” – Richard Thorp, Watershed Program Manager, City of Fort Collins Utilities
"We couldn't do this without working through our local non-governmental organizations that really coordinate a lot this funding - Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW) and Big Thompson“I sincerely believe that now is the time when local environmental organizations that have spent years developing a broad-based coalition of committed and dedicated supporters are our most important assets. CPRW is an outstanding example of such an organization, and I am proud to continue to support you in your highly impactful, science based, and data driven successes.” - Mick Ondris, CPRW Donor & Volunteer
“If you care about the health of the Poudre River watershed, CPRW is the organization to work with. The staff, board and their volunteers are deeply committed to finding innovative solutions that work for both nature and people. Working with CPRW in the North Fork of the Poudre watershed has confirmed that they naturally combine their high-level technical expertise equally with their collaboration skills, thereby successfully engaging diverse stakeholders in open dialogue to design and implement lasting habitat restoration projects. Partnership is their middle name. Patience and perseverance is their mantra as they work on nearly large scale restoration projects. When tackling a project of importance, they are the first to sign on and the last to leave!” – Heather Knight, Rancher/Landowner
"I was introduced to CPRW during the creation of the Crystal Lakes Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) shortly after the Cameron Peak Fire. During this process we partnered with many different agencies and professionals, and it soon became apparent CPRW was the conduit through which our implementation efforts would flow. I’ve never worked with a group who so thoroughly covers all the bases. Each member of the team has extensive expertise and incredible passion for their work. Their connections in the field are deep and varied and nothing seems insurmountable to them. They have been there to educate, facilitate and advocate for our group and have helped find solutions to any issue we’ve brought to them. They are always available to visit Crystal Lakes, and the resulting discussions inform and motivate the community. They’ve helped our CWPP team apply for grants, create mitigation strategies and are always available to offer guidance on general planning or specific issues. Daniel Bowker visited my family property and explained forest health and treatment plans, addressing current needs as well as offering long-term suggestions. I believe this is one of their greatest strengths - they understand the necessity of blending present actions with future goals. How to best get from point A to point B while acknowledging the larger landscape. CPRW is a model of stewardship, optimism and knowledge and they are an incredibly valuable asset to the Poudre River Watershed." –Kellie Sponberg, Landowner
CPRW's mission is to improve and maintain the ecological health of the Poudre River watershed through community collaboration.
In the summer of 2012, the Hewlett Gulch and High Park fires burned 95,172 acres of the Cache La Poudre Watershed. At the time, the High Park Fire was Larimer County's most destructive wildfire. In addition to the loss of homes and trees, the charred watershed also saw enormous increases in runoff, flooding, sediment erosion, and debris flows. With every rain after the fires, sediment and ash flowed into the Poudre River, affecting not just the aesthetics of the river but its ecology and its ability to reliably deliver clean drinking water. The increased runoff also led to road closures as roads flooded during each rain event, compromising the safety of our roadways.
The High Park Fire was a call to action for many organizations in Larimer County. Shortly after the fires were contained, a group of natural resource agencies, non-profits, representatives from the cities of Greeley, Fort Collins, and Larimer County, local businesses, and individuals, gathered to discuss how they could work together to rehabilitate the lands affected by the burn. Initially formed as an informal network known as the High Park Restoration Coalition, the group was successful at identifying the top priorities for restoration efforts, finding funding to implement the plans, and training volunteers to help with implementation.
Based on the success of these early efforts, in May 2013, we evolved into a formal non-profit coalition - the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed - with the goal of providing leadership and coordination for the stewardship of the Cache La Poudre River Watershed.
CPRW has worked hard to build strong relationships with our stakeholders and communities. We continuously strive to bring value add to our watershed and stakeholders.
Since the High Park and Hewlett Gulch Fires in 2012, and the most recent Cameron Peak Fire of 2020, we continue to implement post-fire restoration projects in the upper watershed. These projects are focused on both reducing erosion and preventing excess sediment from entering the river, stabilizing stream banks, protecting important infrastructure, and reestablishing native vegetation.
Organization name
Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed
other names
CPRW, High Park Restoration Coalition
2013
Tax id (EIN)
46-2850042
Category
Environment
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
420 North College Ave Suite 430Larimer County, CO, US