About the Poudre Runs Through It Study/Action Work Group

The Poudre Runs Through It Study/Action Work Group is made up of about 25 citizen experts representing a diversity of interests who were selected to study the Poudre River and formulate cooperative actions based on what they learn. This invitation-only group has been meeting since October 2012, continuing to build relationships and to put in action the initiatives they have identified, “to make the Poudre River the world’s best example of a working river that’s also healthy.”

Participants are chosen for their expertise related to the Poudre River, including those from the agricultural, environmental, municipal, industrial, recreational, business, development, and other sectors. The group also intentionally seeks to include individuals associated with a wide diversity of organizations and interests. Those chosen must embrace the value of collaboration.


Work Group Participants

Title Affiliation Community
Dan Brown * Attorney Fischer, Brown, Bartlett, Larsen & Irby, P.C. Fort Collins
Carol Cochran Owner Horse and Dragon Brewing Company Fort Collins
Jennifer Dial * Water Resources Operation Manager City of Greeley Water and Sewer Department Fort Collins
Donnie Dustin Water Resources Manager City of Fort Collins Utilities Fort Collins
Meegan Flenniken* Land Conservation Planning and Resource Program Manager Larimer County Department of Natural Resources Fort Collins
Don Frick General Manager/General Counsel Water Supply and Storage Company Fort Collins
Rob Graves Owner Morning Fresh Dairy Farm Bellvue
Emily Hunt Deputy Infrastructure Director City of Thornton Thornton
Rob Johnson Broker and Farmer A. Bruce Johnson & Associates, Land Resource Specialists Greeley
Ken Kehmeier * Aquatic Biologist, Retired Colorado Parks & Wildlife Fort Collins
Greg Kernohan* Director of Ecosystem Services Ducks Unlimited Great Plains Region Fort Collins
Steve Malers Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Technology Officer Open Water Foundation Fort Collins
Chris Matkins Owner Ally Utility Consulting Fort Collins
Patrick McMeekin Vice President of Land Development, Partner Hartford Homes Timnath
Brad Modesitt Owner Mountain Whitewater Fort Collins
Andy Pineda Agricultural Engineer Larimer & Weld Irrigation Company Eaton
Richard Raines Water Resources Manager Tri-Districts Water Resources Fort Collins
Jen Shanahan Watershed Planner City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Fort Collins
Mark Simpson Poudre River Commissioner Colorado Division of Water Resources Loveland
Jeff Spohn Senior Aquatic Biologist Colorado Parks and Wildlife Denver
Doug Swartz Retired City of Fort Collins Utilities Fort Collins
Zach Thode Manager Roberts Ranch Livermore
Dale Trowbridge * General Manager New Cache La Poudre Irrigating Co. & Cache La Poudre Reservoir Co. Eaton
Wade Willis Open Space and Trails Manager Town of Windsor Fort Collins
Brad Wind General Manager Northern Water Berthoud
* PRTI Steering Committee


PRTI Conveners/Facilitators

Title Affiliation
Julie Kallenberger

  • June 5, 2014
    • Agenda
    • Summary
    • Seaworth Farms and Munroe Canal/Pleasant Valley Pipeline Diversion Field Trip Photos:

Previous Work Group Participants

Position and Affiliation while serving on PRTI
Diana Aungst Flood Plain Manager, Weld County Planning Department
John Bartholow Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey
Brian Bledsoe Hydrologist, Colorado State University
Jeffrey Boring Resource Specialist, Larimer County Natural Resources Department
Tim Brown Farmer, Brown Farms
John Bustos Jr. U.S. Forest Service
Ray Caraway President, Community Foundation of Northern Colorado
Pete Conovitz Water Resource Specialist, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Sean Cronin Executive Director, St. Vrain & Left Hand Water Conservancy District
April Getchius Town of Timnath
Dennis Harmon General Manager, Water Supply and Storage Company
Scott Hummer Manager, North Poudre Irrigation Company
Heather Knight Associate Director of Practice, Center for Collaborative Conservation at CSU
Mark Koleber Thornton Water Project Director, City of Thornton
Jennifer Kovecses Executive Director, Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed
Wynne Odell Partner, Odell Brewing Company
Eric Reckentine District Manager, North Weld County Water District
Jim Reidhead Larimer County Rural Land Use Center and UniverCity Connections
Matt Robenalt Urban Redevelopment & Public Finance Project Manager, Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority
Doug Robotham Colorado Water Project Director, The Nature Conservancy
John Sanderson Director of Conservation Science, The Nature Conservancy
Bill Sears President, American International Investment & Trading Co.
Troy Seaworth Farmer, Seaworth Ag Enterprises
Rich Shannon Vice President, Pinnacle Consulting Group – Real Estate Development
MaryLou Smith Policy & Collaboration Specialist, Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University
Steve Smith Manager, North Poudre Irrigation Company
Susan Smolnik Water Resources Engineer, City of Fort Collins Utilities
John Stokes Director, City of Fort Collins Natural Areas Department
Bob Streeter U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Colorado Parks & Wildlife
George Varra Poudre River Commissioner, Colorado State Engineer’s Office and Farmer, George Varra Farms
Robert Ward Director, Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University
Reagan Waskom Director, Colorado Water Center, Colorado State University


Organizations with which PRTI Work Group Members are Affiliated

American Canoe Assoc. | American River Assoc. | American Water Resources Assoc. | Big Thompson Watershed Forum | BreWater | Cache La Poudre Reservoir Company
Cache La Poudre Water Users Assoc. | Center for Collaborative Conservation | City of Ft. Collins Natural Areas Dept. | City of Ft. Collins Natural Resources Advisory Board
City of Ft. Collins Utilities | City of Greeley Water and Sewer Dept. | City of Thornton | Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed | Colorado Ag Water Alliance | Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts | Colorado Cattlemen’s Assoc. | Colorado Conservation Exchange | Colorado Division of Water Resources | Colorado Dry Bean Assoc. | Colorado Open Lands | Colorado Open Space Alliance | Colorado Parks & Wildlife | Colorado State University | Colorado Water Center | Colorado Water Congress | Community Foundation of Northern Colorado | Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance | Ducks Unlimited | East Larimer County Water District Embrace Northern Colorado | Family Farm Alliance | Ft. Collins Conservation District | Ft. Collins Downtown Development Authority | Ft. Collins Housing Authority | Ft. Collins-Loveland Water District | Ft. Collins Water Board | Four States Irrigation Council | Larimer County Agricultural Advisory Board | Larimer County Farm Services Admin. | Larimer County Natural Resources Dept. | Larimer County Stock Growers Assoc. | Lower Poudre Augmentation Co. | Metro Roundtable | Morning Fresh Dairy, Noosa Yoghurt | Mountain Whitewater | National Audubon Society | The Nature Conservancy | The New Cache La Poudre Irrigating Co. | North Poudre Irrigation Co. | North Front Range MPO | Northern Water | North Weld County Water District | Open Water Foundation | Participants in Halligan/Seaman Water Mgt. Project | Pheasants Forever | Poudre Heritage Alliance | Poudre River Trail Corridor Inc. | Poudre River Trust | Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory | Rocky Mountain Flycasters | Save the Poudre | South Platte Basin Roundtable | St. Vrain & Left Hand Water Conservancy District | Town of Windsor | Town of Timnath | Trout Unlimited | UniverCity Connections-Poudre Group | U.S. Forest Service | U.S. Geological Survey | Water Education Colorado | Water Supply & Storage Co. | Weld County | Weld County Underground Water Users Assoc.