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December 2018

Dec 20
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Poudre Pub Talk™ Series for 2019 Announced

By News

EXPERTS DISCUSS WATER ISSUES AT LOCAL CRAFT BREWERIES

FORT COLLINS (December 21, 2018) – What do craft brewers and the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area have in common? Good water! The Poudre Heritage Alliance has teamed up with leading water experts, cultural historians, and local craft brewers to raise awareness about water issues through a free, informative, and entertaining series of Poudre Pub Talks™ hosted January through March 2019. The pub talks will again lead up the second annual Poudre Pour on Saturday March 30, 2019.

Water makes life possible and is essential for economies to function. But, freshwater resources such as the Cache la Poudre River are in jeopardy due to growing demand, pollution, climate change and other factors. These pressures create profound risks for businesses and communities. We can’t possibly navigate a topic as large as this without some sense of perspective, and some help from the experts.

The 2019 Poudre Pub Talk™ series kicks off on Saturday January 5, 2019 from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm at Snowbank Brewing. Jennifer Kovecses from the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed and Nate Boschmann from Wildlands Restoration Volunteers will discuss the importance of watershed health and current initiatives taking place in the Poudre River corridor.

On the following Saturday January 12, from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm at Soul Squared Brewing, ‎Zach Thode, a cattle rancher from Livermore, will discuss how irrigation technology benefits local communities and economies. Zach spent his career as an agricultural engineer, constructing municipal water treatment facilities across Colorado and Wyoming, and designing large scale, gravity-fed irrigation water systems.

The complete Poudre Pub Talk™ series features guest speakers talking about a range of subjects related to local water, its use, and its history which can be found here: https://poudreheritage.org/pub-talks/

The Poudre Pub Talk™ series again culminates in the second annual, family-friendly Poudre Pour™ event on Saturday March 30, 2019. The Poudre Pour is an educational celebration of water from the Poudre River! The event features a variety of craft beverage tastings, entertainment, educational discussions, hands-on activities, an art exhibition and silent auction, and more. https://poudreheritage.org/event/poudre-pour-2019/

Highlights from the 2018 Pub Talk series include a book reading and signing by Tershia d’Elgin, author of the “Man Who Thought He Owned Water” and descendant of former Colorado Governor Benjamin Eaton. During her Intersect Brewery Pub Talk in January 2018, d’Elgin also donated a family painting of Benjamin Eaton’s original homestead along the Poudre River to the Colorado State University Water Resources Archive. The online link to this special collection can be found here: https://mountainscholar.org/handle/10217/186458.

The Poudre Heritage Alliance and our craft beverage partners invite you to join us in celebrating the wonders of water and protecting our water heritage for this and future generations!

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*Picture above: Executive Director Jennifer Kovecses from the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed discussing wildfire restoration at a 2018 Pub Talk hosted by Maxline Brewing and the Poudre Heritage Alliance.

Dec 12
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Play It Safe on the Poudre Initiative Receives $10,000 donation from Blue Federal Credit Union

By News

FORT COLLINS (December 11, 2018) – During a special event at Blue Federal Credit Union’s (Blue) downtown Fort Collins Branch, the Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA) and Larimer County Dive Rescue Team (LCDRT) received a $10,000 donation towards the Play It Safe on the Poudre Initiative. The generous financial support from Blue will allow LCDRT to purchase a new boat and rescue equipment.

Matt Jackson, President of the nonprofit, volunteer-led LCDRT  shared, “On behalf of the citizens of Larimer County and the Larimer County Dive Rescue Team, I would like to personally thank the Poudre Heritage Alliance and Blue for their hard work and continuing effort to keep the Poudre River a safe environment for recreators and for helping keep LCDRT prepared to respond to water-related incidents.”

The seed was planted for this Initiative when the National Park Foundation awarded the PHA a grant to educate the community about the diversion structures within the river and how they affect recreational use. After a river fatality occurred in the summer of 2017, multiple agencies came together to launch the “Play it Safe on the Poudre” Initiative. The program partners included the Poudre Fire Authority, the City of Fort Collins, Larimer County, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, LCDRT, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, National Park Foundation, and Poudre Heritage Alliance for the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area.

The Initiative’s first goals were to install hazard and safety signage upstream from the diversion structures; install put-in and take-out signage that shared safety information; and create maps of the recreational routes. Once signage was installed, efforts focused on community education given that knowledge is a key to safety awareness. Moving forward the Initiative will continue education and outreach activities in Larimer County, and expand partnerships “downstream” in Windsor and Weld County.

The Blue Federal Credit Union believes in supporting their community and those who serve to help protect and keep us safe. With that in mind, Blue partnered with PHA in support of the Play it Safe Initiative by creating the first-ever “Splash-In” event.  The event was held on August 24 at Horsetooth Reservoir as a fundraiser for the initiative and Blue generously matched donations up to $10,000.  The Poudre Heritage Alliance and the “Play it Safe” Initiative thank Blue and the community for their support!

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ABOUT THE CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA AND THE POUDRE HERITAGE ALLIANCE

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA) tells the story of the river where Western Water Law began and still informs the use of water throughout the arid West today.  CALA shares the long struggle to sustain a viable agricultural economy and meet the growing needs of a diverse and expanding population, while celebrating the Poudre River.

CALA’s 501(c)3 nonprofit managing entity – the Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA) – PROMOTES a variety of historical and cultural opportunities; ENGAGES people in their river corridor; and INSPIRES learning, preservation, and stewardship. Find out more at:  https://poudreheritage.org/

ABOUT BLUE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

Blue Federal Credit Union is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial institution serving nearly 80,000 members in Colorado and Wyoming communities. Blue FCU focuses to return company profits to their members and communities, rather than outside investors.  As a credit union with a mission to Doing Good, they are honored to help people succeed financially and strengthen the communities which we serve.

The Blue Foundation is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization founded to help Blue Federal Credit Union and our members fulfill our Do Good mission. We champion, fund and celebrate local nonprofit causes that keep our community and people strong, financially stable and healthy. For more information about Blue FCU and the Blue Foundation, please visit https://www.bluefcu.com/

Featured Photo: Matt Jackson from LCDRT, Kathleen Benedict from PHA, and Michele Bolkovatz from Blue

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