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Do you know what is happening in the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area? Find event summaries, press releases, community partnerships and more news updates about the heritage area.

Intern Highlight: Kelli Lane

By News, Uncategorized

This fall the Cache NHA hosted Kelli Lane, a current undergraduate student at Colorado State University in an internship funded by the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH).

Kelli’s work is part of a larger project funded by NEH to support our region’s historians, researchers, and interpreters in better understanding and telling historically under-told stories of the Cache NHA.

During her internship, Kelli has been combing through archives within the Cache NHA to understand what historic records have already been preserved on the stories of our regions Hispanic, Latino, and Mexican American families, individuals, and businesses.

This work will be compiled into a “Regional Guide on Hispanic & Latino Collections in the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area.” Once complete, the document will help researchers and interpreters understand what primary source material exists in our region’s archives and where to find it. It will also help archivists understand what gaps exist in collections to ensure the valuable stories of all the Poudre’s people are preserved. The research will also help inform future interpretive projects and partnerships through the Cache NHA as we work to amplify these historically under-told stories.

Q&A with Kelli Lane

Q: What is your favorite story you’ve uncovered?
A: So far, my favorite stories have been about beet farmers forming their own baseball league. They would carve out a spot in the already harvested fields, nail down rubber for home plate, the bases, and the pitcher’s mound. Their families would then come watch them play on Sundays with food and music and they would make a day of it.

Q: What are you studying at CSU? And what are your plans after graduation?
A: I am studying International Studies and History, both with a concentration in Latin America. I have no set plans after graduation, but I would love to do work with migrants in some fashion.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about Colorado?
A: My favorite thing about Colorado is that there is always something to do. I have lived here my whole life, and I haven’t even made a dent in all the things I could do in Colorado.

Cache & Cocktails Event Summary

By Events

On Thursday, June 20, the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area hosted Cache & Cocktails, an evening dedicated to art, culture, and community. The event was held from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Windsong Estate Event Center in Severance, CO.

Capture the Cache photo contest winners and participants were recognized during a celebratory evening of signature cocktails, hors d’oeuvers, and camaraderie. Cache NHA emeritus inductees were also honored for their service to the heritage area. A gallery of images were on display in a silent auction, available for purchase. There were gift baskets correlated to our photo contest categories (History Along the River Corridor, Outdoor Community Culture, and In Motion) auctioned off too. Thank you to the local businesses who supported the silent auction: Visit Fort Collins, Poudre Pet & Feed, Silver Grill, Old Firehouse Books, and Blue Credit Union.

Plein air artists, Kim Stenson and Laura Young, from the Thompson Valley Art League took to the outdoor patio for their incredible watercolor painting demonstration. They were joined by photo contest participant, Nicholas Fischer. All three paintings were auctioned off at the end of the night.

“It was lovely to meet other creative, nature-minded folks,” said Young. “What a cool event.”

Capture the Cache Winners

The annual Capture the Cache photo contest celebrates the natural beauty, culture, and heritage of the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. Winning images offer a snapshot of what makes the heritage area unique and important. View the full 2024 participant gallery here.

Grand Prize Winner | By John Bartholow

History Along the River Corridor

Outdoor Community Culture

In Motion

Emeritus Honorees

During the event, emeriti were recognized and honored for their services to heritage area. Emeriti are individuals who have served the Poudre Heritage Alliance, the nonprofit managing entity of the Cache NHA, and the heritage area with distinction, excellence, and outstanding service. The unveiling of the new perpetual plaque marks the legacy of the outstanding service of each emeritus member. Two of the individuals named on the plaque were in attendance: Dick Maxfield and Brian Werner.

“The plaque will be on permanent display in our office,” said Executive Director, Sabrina Stoker. “On behalf of the Poudre Heritage Alliance, we express our most sincere gratitude to your service and continued support.”

The evening’s honoree, Brian Werner, testified before Congress in 1995 in support of the S. 342 the Cache la Poudre River National Water Heritage Area. His testimony was a crucial step in securing designation for the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. Werner was an original appointee to the Poudre Heritage Alliance Board from 2001 to 2016.

"As a founding member of what became the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area, I have a true soft spot for everything Cache NHA is about and am truly honored to be receiving the Emeritus Award. The Poudre River is such a wonderful natural resource and a real lifeline for the region. We should celebrate all this river is about."

Brian Werner

Cache la Poudre River NHA symbolically receives historic landmark plaque for Windsor Eaton House

By Events, News

On Friday, May 17, the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area and three other individuals and organizations were recognized by the Town of Windsor’s Historic Preservation Commission for their contributions to historic preservation in Windsor. Historic landmark plaques, physical markers to commemorate historical and architectural significance, were presented for each of the four newly designated buildings in the area.

The historic landmark plaque for Eaton House, currently undergoing preservation work, was presented to the Cache NHA as the organization is partially funding the restoration project.

The Windsor Eaton House was constructed in 1903 by Benjamin Eaton as a dormitory for ditch riders on the Greeley #2 Ditch. Benjamin Eaton settled along the Poudre near Windsor in the 1860s, making him one of the earliest settlers in the area. Eaton dug some of the earliest irrigation ditches of the Poudre, including the B.H. Eaton Ditch in 1864, and was instrumental in shaping the Windsor community. An early irrigation pioneer, Eaton went on to work on many of the canals in Northern Colorado, including the High Line and Larimer and Weld Canals, and helped construct the Windsor Reservoir. In 1885 he became Colorado’s fourth Governor and is one of the sixteen individuals whose portraits line the dome on the Colorado Capital.

While Benjamin Eaton never lived at the “Eaton House,” he constructed it to house vital irrigation employees. The house has been vacant for most of the last twenty years, but the Town of Windsor has long held a vision for the Eaton House to become a hub for community education surrounding Windsor’s agriculture history and connection to water. In 2016, the first steps toward rehabilitation of the building were taken when a Historic Structure Assessment and Landscape Master Plan were completed with the help of the Cache NHA. In 2021, the Cache NHA again helped push the project forward by helping to fund the completion of full design and construction documents for the rehabilitation of the Eaton House into a nature and history center. The construction process will begin soon and when finished, the B.H. Eaton Nature Center will house a classroom, community gathering space, and a visitor center where community members can learn more about the history of Windsor and its open spaces, trails, and farmland.

The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area has been involved with preservation efforts at this property since 2013, and more specifically at the Eaton House since 2015, so it has been really fulfilling to see these projects come to fruition. This partnership with the Town of Windsor has been incredibly meaningful to our organization, and we sincerely appreciate this recognition.”

Dan BiwerChair of the Cache NHA Board of Directors

The other historic sites that received historic landmark plaques were the Cheese Factory and Creamery, the Windsor Railroad Depot, and the Halfway Homestead.

The Historic Preservation Commission hosted this open house in celebration of Historic Preservation Month. There were about 55 community members in attendance, who heard stories about the four highlighted historic properties, virtually toured the historic Halfway Homestead Park program (via drone footage), and walked the remaining three properties for a brief historical discussion at each location.

Windsor’s Historic Preservation Commission is composed of seven members and works with property owners to protect the historic environment through a designation program. There are 12 locally designated historic properties in Windsor, according to the town’s website.

Press Release: Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area Highlights Local Artists at First Annual Cache & Cocktails

By Press Releases
[Severance, CO] – The countdown is on for Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area’s inaugural community event recognizing the artistic beauty and cultural importance of the Cache la Poudre River: Cache & Cocktails.
Art and the great outdoors come together June 20, 2024, for an evening of honor and recognition, including the culmination of the Capture the Cache” photo contest and the organization’s Emeritus Award ceremony, recognizing individuals who have greatly impacted efforts to preserve the Cache NHA.

The summer solstice offers the perfect setting to celebrate those who capture the essence of life on the Poudre River in a moment of time and those who’ve worked to protect and preserve it for future generations. We look forward to sharing an evening of art and culture with our community.

Sabrina StokerExecutive Director
Guests will enjoy food and signature cocktails and a silent auction featuring canvas prints of this year’s winning photographs, plus a plein-air painting demonstration in collaboration with Thompson Valley Art League. Proceeds support Cache NHA’s arts and culture-focused community events and mission to preserve the heritage of the Cache la Poudre River for generations to come.
When:  Thursday, June 20, 2024 | 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Location: Windsong Estate Event Center | 2901 Saddler Boulevard, Severance, CO 80524
Impact/Statistics
  • In 2023, Cache NHA distributed $21,080 in grant funds to local initiatives and allocated an additional $68,197 for future historic preservation projects, including $35,000 in Weld County.
  • An economic impact study completed by Tripp Umbach in 2017 found that the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area generates an annual economic impact of $81.6 million while supporting over 1,000 jobs and generating $6.9 million in tax revenue. 
  • In the past decade, Cache NHA invested over half a million in community grants and leveraged nearly $14 million of public-private funding.
About 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) promotes a variety of historic and cultural opportunities, engages people in the river corridor, and inspires learning, preservation, and stewardship through collaborative partnerships and by providing funding to community-beneficial projects within the heritage area. The 45 miles of the Cache la Poudre River, designated by Congress in 2009 as a National Heritage Area, is one of three heritage areas in Colorado and one of 62 in the nation. The heritage area was nationally designated due to conflicts over water use, leading to Western water law, innovative irrigation techniques, and water measurement devices.
Sunrise on the river

The Need to Know on the Capture the Cache Photo Contest

By 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. 

Q&A with the 2023 Winners

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. 

Mexican American History Project Greeley

By 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).

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

By 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.

The Cost of Water Poudre River Forum 2024

By Events

On Friday, March 1 the Poudre River Forum, “The Cost of Water,” wrapped up at Aims Community College Welcome Center in Greeley. There was over 220 people in attendance.

“I found the varying views most impactful,” said one attendee. “It was obvious that not everyone in the room could agree on everything, but the common goal was the Cache la Poudre River’s best interests, and I loved that.”

The morning was dedicated to laying out the costs of water while the afternoon provided insights into the current solutions being explored and implemented in Northern Colorado.

The morning panel: Laying Out the Costs

Panelists: Adam Jokerst, Westwater Research; Dr. Chris Goemans, Colorado State University; Donnie Dustin, City of Fort Collins; Calar Chaussee, Town of Wellington Mayor; Moderator: Zach Thode, Roberts Ranch

The afternoon panel: Working toward Solutions

Panelists: Dena Egenhoff, City of Greeley; Karen Schlatter, Colorado Water Center; Christ Matkins, Ally Utility Consulting; Kate Ryan, Colorado Water Trust

The presentation slides are available here.

The videos are available on the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area’s YouTube channel.

“It was my first time attending, and I will absolutely be back. Great information the entire day and I really walked away with so much more knowledge than walking in.”

Attendee

The 2024 Poudre Pioneer Award was presented to Randy Gustafson during a lunchtime speech from Katie Donahue, Director of Natural Areas with City of Fort Collins, and Kellen Dowdy, Water Resource Planning and Watershed Program Manager with City of Greeley.

The day wrapped up with hearty laughter and engaging conversation between Alex Hager, KUNC reporter, and keynote speaker, Robert Sakata.

“Without the farmer, you would be hungry, naked and sober,” said Sakata with a laugh as he pointed to his shirt with the saying.

A casual reception capped the day allowing attendees to connect over beverages crafted from Poudre River water.

Thank you to our local, state and US legislators in attendance for caring about water issues in Colorado and being a part of the solution.

Thank you to Horse & Dragon Brewing Company and Odell Brewing Company for providing refreshments. Our sincere gratitude to attendees, volunteers and sponsors who made the event possible, including the City of Greeley, Northern Water and Fort Collins Utilites. A huge thank you to the Aims Community College event staff.

We hope you join us for forum next year on March 7, 2024!