Eagle River Watershed Council Inc

Eagle river community water plan: this is an eagle river watershed council-led effort to create a path forward in order to protect our watershed against undesirable future conditions. Many other planning efforts have focused on a snapshot in time and water quality; however, this plan has a large focus on water quantity and how it will be impacted by population growth, climate change, and potential water rights development. From this, our community will have a path forward to implement projects, programs and policies that uphold our community values and protect our rivers. In 2024, we distributed 40 rain barrels to community members, helping to conserve water in the eagle river valley.

Education: it's been said that people conserve what they love; they love what they understand; they understand what they learn. This perspective informs us and has helped us implement a vibrant education program that connects our community to the rivers, creating lifelong river lovers and advocates. Through programs like the eagle river water festival that brings together more than 450 5th graders, and our watershed immersions that provide hands-on experiences, we are able to showcase our watershed and inspire action to protect it. During 2024, we educated more than 950 community members on protecting watershed health, and we hosted a free water education day for 350 local 5th graders in the eagle river valley.

Water quality monitoring and assessment program: this is a coordinated effort led by the watershed council to collect, analyze and report on water quality data at 75 sites on the eagle river with 12 other entities within the eagle valley. Through this effort, we are able to make guided decisions on restoration efforts, education focuses and provide context to community decision-makers regarding water quality within the watershed. 2024 expense 153,240 eagle river fund: as our community completes the eagle river community water plan, there will be a strong list of projects, policies, and programs that will need to be implemented in order to mitigate undesirable future conditions. To help achieve that, the watershed council is working to establish an endowment fund - the eagle river fund - that would help to leverage state and federal dollars and enable more local work within our organization and beyond. 2024 expense 92,007 cleanups: the community pride highway cleanup and eagle river cleanup are two longstanding, community-wide events that mobilize hundreds of volunteers and remove literal tons of trash from our watershed. This helps to protect the natural resource that our rivers and streams provide as a drinking water source, recreation opportunities, and habitat for numerous flora and fauna, while also providing beautification to our watershed for passersby, visitors, and locals alike. During 2024, we removed over 20 tons of trash during our cleanups. 2024 expense 35,415