April 2024

Apr 09

The Need to Know on the Capture the Cache Photo Contest

By Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area Events

Photograph: A word whose Greek roots mean “written in light.” A photograph captures a moment in time, a memory, even a feeling. These moments create a visual story of the people, places, or objects in the photo.

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area’s annual photo contest provides a platform for individuals to tell the story of our heritage area through the visual representation of photography. The Capture the Cache photo contest celebrates the natural beauty, culture, and heritage of the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. The contest is an opportunity for amateur or professional photographers to express their creativity while exploring the heritage area.

”Eternal glory! That’s what awaits the student who wins the Triwizard Tournament.
Professor DumbledoreThe Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter Series

Unfortunately, there will be no eternal glory, but you will obtain bragging rights as a winner of the Capture the Cache photo contest! There will be a chance to win cash and non-cash prizes too. Competitors must be 16 years of age and older to enter.

The contest ends on May 10, 2024, so get your cameras snapping!

The heritage area extends for 45 miles and includes the lands within the 100-year flood plain of the Cache la Poudre River. It begins in Larimer County at the eastern edge of the Roosevelt National Forest and ends east of Greeley, a quarter mile west of the confluence with the South Platte. Photos must be taken within the confines of the heritage area. Full list of rules and regulations.

2024 Categories

Outdoor Community Culture

Outdoor Community Culture photos are meant to capture the community of the Cache la Poudre River and surrounding river corridor. This could include anything from dogs, music festival, brewery patio life, photos of the scenery along the many hiking and biking trails, and/or attendance of community events. These photos are meant to capture the essence of what it is like to live in the heritage area. This is YOUR community, so show us the community through your eyes!

History Along the River Corridor

The Poudre River is as rich in history as it is in natural wonders. History Along the River Corridor hopes to showcase the plethora of historical sites and stories along the corridor.

These could include spots such as 1979 Avery House, 1883 Water Works, B.H. Eaton Ditch, Bingham Hill Cemetery, Cache la Poudre Marker, City of Natural Area and Trails Division at Signature Bluffs, Council Tree, Great Western Sugar Beet Flume and Bridge, Greeley Ditch #3, Greeley History Museum, Kaplan-Hoover Bison Bone Bed, Lake Canal Museum of Art Fort Collins, Pleasant Valley School House, Strauss Cabin, Von Trotha-Firestien Farm at Bracewell, Windsor History Museum and more. This is a list to get you started.

In Motion

The river corridor is always in constant motion, whether it’s water flowing, a cyclist biking along the trail, or a train crossing the bridge over the river. These photos are meant to capture the movement of the river and the surrounding river corridor. This could include but is not limited to people cycling, hiking, or rafting, and/or running water, and moving trains.

Submit Photos

Q&A with the 2023 Winners

Full gallery of 2023 winners.

Water Works | Credit: Dave Cho | History & Culture | 1st place

Terry Walsh

3rd place Recreation & Lifestyle

What did you enjoy most about the contest?

When I heard about the contest, I thought it would be fun to enter and hopefully get my photos seen by others.  But honestly, the most enjoyable part of entering was going back through my photos and choosing which ones to submit.  That gave me the chance to relive some great memories and enjoy the Poudre all over again.

Why did you decide to enter the contest?

I was hoping to get recognition for some of my photos if they won, but just as important was the idea of sharing my photos with others.  The river has so much to offer that it is good to see the organization getting more people to see what the river and surrounding area has to offer.

John Bartholow

2nd place River Reflections

What did you enjoy most about the contest?

Of course, I enjoyed “winning”.  But frankly, I think our whole community “wins” when we — as a community — appreciate the Cache la Poudre River’s many assets.  For too many years, the Poudre was essentially a dumping ground.  Downtowns turned their backs on the river.  All we could think about was pulling as much water out as the law would allow.  Finally, those old ethics are changing.  More and more people recognize the value of an ecologically resilient river for recreation, flood control, and other non-extractive uses.  We have a lot more to do in terms of protection and restoration, but at least we are making progress.  So, I do what I can to show the river’s beauty and how the community values water *In the River*, not just out of it.

Why did you decide to enter the contest?

Building on the first question, I enjoy photography and the Poudre has been one focus for years and years. I enjoy sharing my work for almost any non-profit that has a use for it — again, hoping to appeal to the ‘better angels’ of restoration and protection.  The river itself has no voice; we must be that voice that welcomes a cadre of supporters.

Dave Cho

1st place History & Culture

What did you enjoy most about the contest?

I most enjoyed getting to know the river much more than I had previously known. Looking for and finding interesting spots and features forced me to get more familiar with the areas in and around the river and the surrounding areas. I found a new appreciation for beauty and recreational opportunities as well as the people and organizations that work on conservation efforts.

Why did you decide to enter the contest?

I’m a photographer hobbyist and some friends encouraged me to enter the contest. I thought it would be fun and challenging and a great excuse to go out and photograph. The different categories within the contest provided a nice incentive to see the river in different ways and forced me to expand my vision on what is possible around the river.

Greg Boiarsky

2nd place History & Culture

What did you enjoy most about the contest?

I got a chance to look at the Poudre River in a different light. It made me walk (and bike!) along the trail just looking for historic sites and photographing different aspects of the trail than I had photographed before.

Why did you decide to enter the contest?

Honestly, it was fun to try my hand at winning a contest with my photos. I like sharing my photographic perspective with friends and the wider community. You can’t swing a cat without hitting a fabulous photographer in Fort Collins, so it was an honor being chosen.

Apr 08

Love0

Mexican American History Project Greeley

By Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area News

Did you know a book has never been written about the history of Mexican Americans in Greeley using their voices, stories, and perspectives? Now, a group is working to change that.

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area recently sat down with the Mexican American History Project Greeley (MAHPG) to learn more about their work to tell their stories and address this gap in Greeley’s recorded history.

”“Our organization’s goal is to provide a resource book that highlights the history and contributions Mexican Americans have made to Greeley’s success since there is a gap regarding this information in Greeley’s general history. This book will help to give a voice and perspective of Greeley Mexican Americans that is seldom heard and validate our history and contributions in a place we call home.”
Emma Pena-McCleaveProject Coordinator for MAHPG

The book will delve into personal stories of Mexican Americans from Northern Colorado and their long-standing history in Greeley. While Mexican Americans have a longer history in the region, the book will focus on stories from 1920 and later. The goal of this work is to provide young Mexican Americans a strong cultural self-identity while helping to educate the community at large on the contributions and impact Mexican Americans have made on Greeley’s culture, community, and major industries such as the farming, packing plants, construction, and more recently, oil and gas.

The first section of the book will provide a collection of intensive research into historical documents from Greeley about the history and contributions of Mexican Americans in the community. The second half will hold thirty-nine stories from first-hand interviews with Greeley Mexican American residents. Gathered as part of the group’s oral history project, the stories showcase the residents’ perspectives of Greeley’s past, present, and future.

The group hopes to complete the book by April 30, 2025. Once published, MAHPG will distribute sets, English and Spanish, to Weld County schools, libraries, museums, and community centers, providing updated resources about local Mexican American history for school-age students and the community. The book will also be one of the few resources available in Spanish that provides an insight into the past and present of Greeley’s Mexican American community.

Dr. Dierdra Pilch, Weld District 6 Superintendent, was very receptive to the concept of the book stating, “It’s about time.”

While the Mexican American History Project Greeley has come a long way from inception, the group is still in the process of raising money for the publishing and distribution phase of the book.

To learn more about this incredible project, visit Mexican American History Project Greeley – Home (mahpg.org).

Apr 04

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Press Release: Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area Receives National Endowment for Humanities Grant

By Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area Press Releases

FORT COLLINS, Colorado, April 9, 2024 — The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (Cache NHA) has been awarded a $24,000 grant by the National Endowment for the Humanities’ (NEH) Public Impact Projects at Smaller Organizations Program for a two-year inclusive stories project to build interpretive capacity and conduct research to identify under told stories in historic collections and archives in the heritage area.

“We embrace the importance of culture to the people and places along the Cache la Poudre River and the inclusive nature of telling the stories of all people,” said Sabrina Stoker, executive director of the Cache NHA.

Part of this project provides funding for Cache NHA staff and partners to participate in a series of interpretation certificate programs with the National Association for Interpretation (NAI). The program will result in the NHA having two certified interpretive trainers to sustainably train volunteers and staff across heritage area and its partners in heritage interpretation. The National Association for Interpretation is an international professional organization based out of Fort Collins, Colorado, dedicated to advancing the profession of interpretation.

“We are beyond excited to continue the necessary work to ensure that the stories we tell of our heritage area fully reflect the diversity of experiences of its people, past and present, in all their complexity,” said Heidi Fuhrman, project director and heritage interpreter on staff. “There is much work to be done, but this is an important step towards making sure all individuals in our heritage area see their stories reflected in how we choose to talk about our past.”

The research phase of the project will focus on collections from regional repositories that document the legacy, history, and experiences of Hispanic and Latinx families, individuals, and communities within the heritage area. While seeking to better understand the diverse stories of Hispanic and Latinx heritage found within regional archives, the research will also result in creation of a regional research guide to Hispanic/Latinx collections that will support ongoing research and interpretation beyond the project lifespan.

Dr. Jared Orsi, Professor at Colorado State University and Director of the CSU Public and Environmental History Center, and Katie Ross, Curator of Collections at the City of Greeley Museums, will provide research support, background knowledge, and serve as scholars and historians on this project.

The NEH Public Impact Project at Smaller Organizations Grants Program supports America’s small and mid-sized cultural organizations, especially those from underserved communities, in enhancing their interpretive strategies and strengthening their public humanities programming. Cache NHA was one of twenty-eight organizations across the nation to receive this funding.

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ABOUT THE CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA: The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area, managed by the Poudre Heritage Alliance, a regional non-profit, works to promote a variety of historical and cultural opportunities, engage people in the river corridor and inspire learning, preservation, and stewardship through collaborative partnerships and providing funding to community benefiting projects within the heritage area.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR HUMANITIES: Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this web resource, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.