The Southwestern Water Conservation District’s annual seminar March 27 will focus on the scarcity of water, with discussions about the renegotiation of the operational guidelines for Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the changing climate and emerging technologies.
The seminar, titled “Fluid Horizons: Navigating the Waters of Innovation,” will be held at the Sky Ute Casino Resort in Ignacio from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
“In its four-decade history, the seminar has evolved alongside our water challenges. This year's seminar is primed to address pressing issues in water management and how innovation may be the key to solving our most pressing challenges,“ organizers said in a news release.
Agenda topics include panel conversations centering around interstate and tribal matters regarding water, innovative solutions to agriculture and community-level initiatives.
The event will provide “a unique opportunity” for networking and collaborating among water stakeholders, which will include members of local water districts, tribal representatives, government officials, environmental advocates, recreation enthusiasts and concerned citizens.
“Don't miss this chance to engage with expert presenters and contribute to the conversation on water resource management in Southwestern Colorado. Everyone with an interest in water is welcome to attend,” organizers said in a news release.
The Southwestern Water Conservation District was established by the Colorado legislature in 1941 to aid in the protection, conservation, usage and development of water in the San Juan and Dolores River basins. They also work to safeguard all waters in Colorado.
The seminar, which was started in 1981, was created to help bring together a diverse group of water users and policymakers to discuss topics of water management. Recently, attendance has grown exponentially, which the organization attributes to the growing interest in water and water resources in the state and specifically in Southwest Colorado.
Some of the featured speakers and panelists will be Steve Wolff, general manager of the Southwestern Water Conservation District; Jenny Russell, board president of the Southwestern Water Conservation District; Lorelei Cloud, vice chair of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and CWCB SW director; Becky Mitchell, Upper Colorado River commissioner in Colorado; Estevan López, Upper Colorado River commissioner in New Mexico; Kate Greenberg, commissioner of the Colorado Department of Agriculture; Dr. Perry Cabot, research and extension leader at Colorado State University and Greg Vlaming, Rocking V Soil & Water Conservation.
Other speakers and panelists include Eric Whyte, hay manager at the Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch Enterprise; Greg Peterson, executive director at the Colorado Agriculture Water Alliance; Robert Sakata, water policy adviser at the Colorado Department of Agriculture; Andy Mueller, general manager at the Colorado River Water Conservation District, Lauren Ris, director and Colorado Water Conservation board director; Cole Bedford, CWCB chief operating officer; Laura Spann, CWCB Regional Grant coordinator; Gretchen Rank, executive director of the Mancos Conservation District; Bill Smith, forest program director at the Mountain Studies Institute, Sara Burch, rivers program manager at San Juan Citizens Alliance; Al Pfister, WEP project manager at the Upper San Juan Watershed Enhancement Partnership and Mo Rock, programs coordinator of the Southwestern Water Conservation District.
Registration ends March 25. Registering online costs $50, and registration at the door will be $60. If registration fills up by March 25, tickets won’t be available for purchase at the door.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided to attendees, and networking breaks will be scattered throughout the event.
To register, visit https://bit.ly/SWWCD.
More information about SWCD can be found by visiting www.swwcd.org/about-us.
