Give to Protect Your River

You might know this already, but I'm the president of the Eagle River Coalition's board of directors. When people ask me what we're all about, I tell them that we are a forward-thinking organization of water experts, community leaders and river lovers who are local river advocates. We use education, water quality monitoring, and restoration projects to protect the Eagle River Watershed.

    

   

Rivers are important to me because the Eagle River Valley is important to me and life here isn't possible without these waterways. Not only does our $1.4 trillion recreational economy require water, but we're in a headwaters region, and local waterways are a source of water for more than 40 million users downstream. 

Being on the board is important to me. I get to use my skills, connect with other people who care about rivers, and participate in the governance of this organization. 

As your voice for local rivers and streams, the Eagle River Coalition is stepping boldly into 2026 to protect the resources that define our valley’s landscapes and communities. Donor support is crucial to bolstering critical water quality monitoring efforts, innovative restoration projects, and inclusive education programming that safeguard our waterways.

  

    

In 2025, donors like you made it possible for us to:

• coordinate a highway cleanup that brought 1100 community volunteers out to remove 17+ tons of trash along roadways, keeping it from entering our sensitive river ecosystems.
• host a community float for Spanish-speakers to experience the Upper Colorado River with Spanish-speaking guides. Thanks to you, we helped to inspire 70+ first-time rafters to take action to protect the river. 
• use the 5,000+ water quality data points collected and analyzed annually to guide our work.
• celebrate the 31st Annual Eagle River Cleanup, which recognized the work of many thousands of volunteers over 3 decades to remove hundreds of tons of trash from sensitive riparian ecosystems in the watershed.

     

There's a lot of work ahead - 

You don’t have to look far to see that our water challenges are becoming more urgent. Diminishing snowpack, rising stream temperatures, threats of intense wildfire, invasive aquatic species, and urban runoff threaten our ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. These changes are real, and they affect everything from our fisheries and wildlife to recreation, economic vitality, and community well-being.

Your gift strengthens our ability to restore, protect, monitor, and advocate for our rivers and streams year-round. By donating through Colorado Gives Day platform, you can make your contribution go even further - either as a one-time gift or as a recurring monthly donation that sustains our work all year long. The need is great, and we are committed to coming together to create and implement solutions.

Will you join us to protect local rivers and streams by making a gift right now?  

 

Your gift strengthens our ability to restore, protect, monitor, and advocate for our rivers and streams year-round. The Eagle River Coalition strives to protect and enhance the natural, scenic and economic values that our rivers and tributaries provide to the residents, visitors and wildlife of the Eagle River and Colorado River watersheds located in Eagle County.

Your donation will assist us in working toward these goals.

Thank you.