HEALTHY WORKING RIVER: PUZZLES ON THE POUDRE—AN OVERVIEW OF TODAY’S PROGRAM

What are some of those puzzles? How do different interests work together on those puzzles to get water down from the mountains out onto the plains for agriculture and urban use, and how do we keep the river healthy along the way?

• A Day in the Life of the Poudre River Commissioner—Mark Simpson, Poudre River Commissioner, Division 1, State Engineer’s Office. Where water in the Poudre comes from, who has rights to use it, and how the river commissioner makes sure it goes to the right place at the right time.
• From Farms to a City: Thornton’s Change Case—Emily Hunt, Water Resources Division Manager, City of Thornton. How a ten year water court had to be surmounted before water purchased from Poudre farmers in the 1980s could be transported south for a growing municipality.
• Can Carrots, Cattails, and Kayaks Co-Exist under Water Law?—Mike Shimmin, Vranesh and Raisch Law Firm (retired). A Northern Colorado water attorney tells the behind-the-scenes story of the history of legislation that makes it possible for the environment and recreation to have water rights.
• Bolstering Summer and Winter Flows as Mitigation for Storage—Jerry Gibbens, Northern Water Director of Operations. How seeking federal, state, and local permits to use their water rights on the Poudre to build the Northern Integrated Supply Project led Northern Water to a unique summer and winter flows mitigation approach.
• Who is Responsible for Poudre Water Quality?—Jerrae Swanson, City of Greeley, Environmental and Water Resources Attorney. With much of the Poudre’s water ending up back in the river after we use it for agriculture and urban needs, who is responsible for overseeing its quality?

WHAT IS A HEALTHY WORKING RIVER? – Presentation – Video

We will take a look at a video produced by Poudre River Forum committee members Corey Odell and Eric Brown featuring a diversity of perspectives on that puzzling question—drawn from interviews they conducted with folks the length of the river.

Audience Perspectives on “What is a Healthy Working River.” A chance to share our own perspectives with those at our tables on “What is a healthy working river” and then hear from one another about anything that surprised us or broadened our thinking.

POUDRE PIONEER AWARD – Video

On behalf of The Poudre Runs Through It, Robert Ward presented the annual Poudre Pioneer Award to recognize achievements toward the goal of making the Poudre River a premier example of a healthy working river. The 2019 recipients were Loren Maxey and Tom Shoemaker.

LOREN MAXEY Loren Maxey has lived and contributed to the Poudre River Basin for over 60 years. He has dedicated his life to agriculture, business, and service. Here are the highlights of Loren’s long career of service in the Poudre Basin.

• • Loren grew up on a farm in Illinois and graduated from high school in 1950. He enlisted in the US Navy and served in the Korean War.
  • Loren moved to Colorado in 1958 and purchased a farm east of Greeley. This began his long-term relationship with irrigated agriculture with water from the Poudre River.
  • Loren later moved to a farm north of Fort Collins and began his relationship with irrigation under the North Poudre Irrigation Company system that continues today.
  • Loren started the Maxey Trailer Company in Fort Collins in 1969. This business continues to thrive and serves the agricultural and construction sectors.
  • Loren served on the Fort Collins City Council from 1987 to 1993. The City acquired a significant number of water rights during this period which provides great security for the community today.
  • Loren served on the Larimer County Fair Board from 1990 to 2012.
  • Loren is the president of the Board of Directors for the East Larimer County Water District (ELCO) and has served on the Board since 2000.
  • Loren is the president of the Board of Directors for the North Poudre Irrigation Company.

Even at the age of 86, Loren continues to stay active in both the municipal and agricultural sectors. His leadership has helped ELCO become a thriving water district serving approxiamtely 20,000 people. The North Poudre Irrigation Company has a shareholder base of both municipal and agricultural users. Loren’s experience in both sectors has led to a successful balance and an increase in the yields to all shareholders.

Loren has dedicated his life to service and has created tangible results in both the agricultural and municipal water sectors in the Poudre Basin. It is in view of Loren’s long record of service and involvement in the Poudre Basin, that the Poudre Runs Though It Study/Action Work Group (PRTI) presents him with the 2019 Poudre Pioneer Award.

TOM SHOEMAKER Tom Shoemaker served as Natural Areas Director for the City of Fort Collins from 1992-2001. He was the visionary and the heavy lifter who got the natural areas program approved, funded, and up and running. His successor writes that “it was only in going through his vast files after he left that I began to comprehend the incredible amount of heavy lifting that was required.”

Tom was instrumental in acquiring 22 parcels consisting of 861 acres along the Poudre over a ten year period, laying the ground work and establishing relationships which lead to the acquisition of many more parcels along the Poudre, and setting the stage for restoration and stewardship of these parcels.

Those who worked with Tom can recount numerous stories he told about the actual work of acquiring those parcels. It took a tremendous amount of partnership forging, and it took a real vision of what the enhancements could do for the Poudre and our enjoyment of it. He shared that vision with others such that the work he started continues today.

Most, if not all, of these acquisitions presented considerable challenges to be overcome. “it is so easy to forget the people that did so much heavy lifting and contributed so much to our success today.” Here is a list of Poudre properties that Tom Shoemaker acquired during his tenure.

• • 1994—River Edge, Udall
  • 1995—Arapaho Bend, Cottonwood Hollow, Magpie Meander
  • 1996—Butterfly Woods, Cottonwood Hollow, Kingfisher Point
  • 1997—Cattail Chorus, Cottonwood Hollow
  • 1998—Cottonwood Hollow, Kingfisher Point, McMurry
  • 1999—Kingfisher Point, Riverbend Ponds
  • 2000—Arapaho Bend, Kingfisher Point, Running Deer
  • 2001—River’s Edge

For his leadership in pursuing these acquisitions, and then overseeing the stewardship, planning, and ultimate public access to many of these lands, the PRTI presents the 2019 Poudre Pioneer Award to Tom Shoemaker.

OTHER 2019 POUDRE PIONEER AWARD NOMINEES

• • John Coppom—Chair, InSTEM Station Projet at the Poudre Learning Cente
  • Daylan Figgs—Program Manager for Planning and Special Projects, City of Fort Collins
  • Ben Gannon—Research Associate, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at CSU, PhD student, CSU’s Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship
  • North Forty News—2018 series on the Poudre River by Gary Raham
  • Colorado Forest Restoration Institute—A science-based outreach and engagement organization hosted by the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship and the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University

PREVIOUS POUDRE PIONEER AWARD RECIPIENTS

• • 2018: Colorado Senator Peggy Reeves and U.S. Senator Hank Brown

We annually recognize those who have contributed substantially to furthering our goal, contributions both tangible and inspirational. The PRTI will be soliciting nominations of the 2020 awards in the fall. Please consider nominating those you know who are making a contribution to the work-health balance we seek for the Poudre River.