Peer Calls

4/05/2023

River Network and Strategic by Nature shared considerations for stakeholder and community engagement processes focused on watershed planning. Through a guided presentation, small group discussions, and examples shared by SMP lead James Dilzell, Executive Director of Eagle River Watershed Council, participants explored and defined what equity, diversity, and inclusion mean for stakeholder and community engagement within the context of stream management planning.

Presentations included:

1/19/2023

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Saint Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District (SVLHWCD), and the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) presented information about current federal funding opportunities that can support implementation of Stream Management Plans and Integrated Watershed Management Plans. Trout Unlimited and SVLHWCD shared their experiences navigating NRCS grant funding programs and CWCB will provide information on their new capacity building grants.

Presentations included:

4/14/2022

Participants joined River Network, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Mountain Studies Institute, and the Boulder Watershed Collective in a conversation about integrating forest health into Stream Management Plans. Together we thought through why it’s important for SMPs to include an element of forest health, how to incorporate forest health into SMPs, and the benefits of doing so.
Presentations were heard from:

2/3/2022

Participants learned about Colorado Water Plan updates and new SMP support tool development from CWCB, and about the accomplishments of SMPs over the past five years from River Network. Participants also heard from Seth Mason, Lotic Hydrological, about how to use the R2Cross methodology to help set flow targets. You can watch Seth’s presentation from our fall workshop about flow targets here.

Presentations were heard from:

6/17/21

Pilot and demonstration projects are often implemented to test or showcase an idea’s potential for success. In SMPs, they can be used to try out a new or innovative project idea to garner enthusiasm or community support for the SMPs. Participants discussed approaches to pilot and demonstration projects resulting from the Rio Grande, Conejos, Saguache Creek SMPs, and how their leadership has used that momentum to build additional projects.

Presentations were heard from:

4/15/21

Participants discussed the approaches that the Yampa and Big Thompson teams took to engage their community in their SMP/IWMPs, including the use of data visualization software like Tableau and Maptionnaire and how these tools were used to gather and display community input.

Presentations were heard from:

12/10/20

Participants discussed approaches to identifying and prioritizing potential actions to support the objectives stated in their SMP. Topics included effectively designing the discussion process, evaluating potential project impact, and tips for ensuring success. Presentations were heard from:

6/18/20

Participants learned about modified approaches for stakeholder engagement and monitoring/assessment work in light of COVID-19 restrictions, and best practices for online meetings. Presentations were heard from:

4/1/20

Participants learned about approaches for selecting objectives and measurable results, from both technical and stakeholder perspectives. Presentations were heard from:

12/13/19

Participants gained an understanding of approaches for prioritizing/collecting data.