PHA Staff and volunteers got together at the Bellvue Lab for a clean- up day! We have been working hard on the restoration of Ralph Parshall’s Irrigation Lab in Bellevue. This project is currently in progress, and we hope to have more to share with you all soon!
Poudre Heritage Alliance is excited to support the following projects and activities that celebrate the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area through our community grants program:
The Five States of Colorado
For release in 2023, Colorado Humanities and Denver-based HaveyPro Cinema are producing a 90-minute documentary film, The Five States of Colorado. Designed for a wide range of audiences from elementary school-age to adults, the film will address the history and issues within five regions, or “states,” of Colorado to inform, educate, and serve as a basis for community and classroom discussion. Footage will include Learning in Our Watershed programming of the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. Post-production, it will be made available as a free, streaming video or download to every public school and academic library in Colorado.
Poudre River Trail Interpretive Signage
This project includes the design, fabrication, and installation of a new interpretive sign at the recently constructed trailhead at Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley, Colorado. This wayfinding node incorporates shade for visitor comfort. The sign includes information on the history of Island Grove Park and the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area in English and Spanish. The sign also incorporates historic images, illustrations of local plants and wildlife as well as a regional map of the Poudre Trail.
The Year of the River 2022
Wolverine Farm Publick House is hosting a 6-month celebration of the Cache la Poudre River. This project invites the community to explore the Poudre River through the lens of creative interpretations from a dozen local artists outside and around the Publick House. Throughout the summer the Year of the River celebration will include pub talks, storytelling events, readings, performances and more.
Poudre River Trail-athon
If it’s an adventure you’re looking for this summer, then check out the 2022 Poudre River Trail-athlon. From June 1-August 1, pick up a free Trail-athlon Adventure Kit available at area libraries. In the kit, you will find ten adventure activities to choose from including a trail journal, take-and-make project, a scavenger hunt, biking, hiking, crafting, and more. The more activities you complete, the more points you earn toward prizes. It’s fun for the whole family!
Life Jacket Loaner Station at Horsetooth Reservoir
This program aims to increase life jacket wear during water-based activities by educating the public about the importance of using a life jacket and how to properly wear and use a life jacket. The Drennon’s Dreams Foundation Life Jacket Loaner Stations will provide the public with free use of life jackets on a first-come, first-served basis, while recreating at Horsetooth Reservoir in alignment with Poudre Heritage Alliance’s Play it Safe program.
If you have questions about these projects, grants, or the Poudre Heritage Alliance, contact bbullard@poudreheritage.org.
Celebrate Historic Preservation Month! See the list below of things you can do this month to connect with history in the NoCo area.
Traces of the Past History Tours
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Website: Traces of the Past History Tours – Home
Explore the history of Fort Collins and the surrounding region with Traces of the Past History Tours. We offer guided tours and formal programs that are fun and educational for all ages. Choose from two tour options of Fort Collins and special tours of sites around the CO/WY/NE region. Our Saturday evening talks give you an opportunity to learn about interesting historical topics in great detail. To add to the enjoyment, our tour guide and program presenter is dressed in historic period clothing and displays original and reproduction period objects to enhance the experience. We look forward to seeing you!
Majestic Mountains Scenic Rides
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Website: Sightseeing tour, Ft Collins Tours, Majestic Mtns Scenic Rides (majesticmountainsscenicrides.com)
Scenic sightseeing and history tours to the Northern Colorado Mountains leaving from Fort Collins. The driver will guide you along the way with points of interest and interesting facts. Each tour is filled with beautiful scenery and your guide gives the history of the settlers and pioneers of the areas we visit. There are multiple stops to allow for photographs along the way.
Greeley History Museum
Location: Greeley,CO
Website: Greeley History Museum | Greeley Museums
The Greeley History Museum provides 34,000 square feet to explore and learn about the history of Greeley and notable community members such as Nathan Meeker, Rattlesnake Kate, Dr. Ella Mead, and P.T. Barnum, as well as bison hunters, cowboys, stoop laborers and prisoners of war from World War II. They maintain the permanent display “Utopia: Adaptation on the Great American Desert,” which teaches about the earliest human inhabitants of the Union Colony, the contributions of water buffaloes, mavericks, and mentors. The museum schedules traveling and temporary exhibits which feature artifacts from the museum’s archives.
Centennial Village Museum
Location: Greeley, CO
Website: Centennial Village Museum | Greeley Museums
This living history museum, situated on eight acres, features over 30 original homes and structures, lush gardens and paved walking paths providing a look at local life from the 1870s through early 1930s. Costumed interpreters guide visitors through the early history of our region in these buildings and period landscaped grounds. Throughout the summer, families can take part in interactive experiences from one-room school to military demonstrations on horseback. During a visit to Centennial Village, you will learn about how our early pioneers lived on the high-plains region of Colorado, especially focused on our agricultural heritage.
Windsor Art & Heritage Center
Stop by the Art and Heritage Center in Windor to celebrate History Preservation Month!
Location: 116 5th St, Windsor, CO
Website: Historic Preservation | Windsor, CO – Official Website (windsorgov.com)
Friday, May 13th, 2022: 5:30-7:30
Saturday, May 14th, 2022: 10am- noon
Enjoy a fun history activity and light refreshments while you learn about Windsor’s historic buildings!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Contact: Grace Martinez
Neguse Chairs Hearing on Legislation to Preserve Colorado National Heritage Areas
View his opening remarks HERE.
Washington, D.C.— Today, Congressman Joe Neguse, Chair of the U.S. Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a hearing on legislation that expands protections to National Parks, including his bill to preserve the Cache La Poudre, Sangre de Cristo and South Park National Heritage Areas in Colorado. Neguse introduced the Colorado National Heritage Areas Reauthorization Act last month – to ensure Colorado’s three heritage areas continue to receive National Park Service (NPS) funding through 2036.
“The heritage areas in our state, including the Cache La Poudre Heritage Area in my district offer a wide array of outdoor activities for visitors from across the country. From hiking, biking, whitewater rafting, fishing and birdwatching to soaking in the rich history of our state at museums and historical places these areas offer so much to the spirit of our state,” said Congressman Neguse. “As we recognize the needs and challenges to the long-term management of public lands across our country, we must continue to work to ensure our parks tell the whole American story.”
“Colorado has the honor of having three designated National Heritage Areas: Cache la Poudre, Sangre de Cristo, and South Park. Each of these landscapes is historically and culturally significant and has strong grassroots, regional support. At the Cache la Poudre National Heritage Area, our programs include opportunities for student learning, river safety initiatives, storytelling, visitor wayfinding, historic preservation, oral history documentation, and a variety of family friendly events and activities along the river and its trail system.” said Sabrina Stoker, Executive Director of the Poudre Heritage Alliance. “H.R. 7218 [Colorado National Heritage Areas Reauthorization Act] will provide the Colorado National Heritage Areas with crucial funding stability and the opportunity to continue telling the stories that celebrate the culture and heritage of the great State of Colorado.”
The hearing also covered the National Discovery Trails Act, the Historic Preservation Enhancement Act, the African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Act, the Gateway Solidarity Act, and the Ukrainian Independence Park Act.
Witnesses included: Joy Beasley, Associate Director of the Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science National Park Service, Eric Seaborg, President of the American Discovery Trail Society, Reno Keoni Franklin, Chairman of the Kashia Pomo Tribe, Nick Loris, Vice President of Public Policy of C3 Solutions, Angela M. Thorpe, Director of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, Michael Sawkiw, Vice President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, and Sabrina Stoker, Executive Director of the Poudre Heritage Alliance
View the entire hearing HERE.
Background:
Congressman Neguse and Congressman Lamborn unveiled the bipartisan, bicameral Colorado National Heritage Areas Reauthorization Act on March 25, 2022. The bill is carried in the Senate by Colorado Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper.
Colorado’s three National Heritage Areas were first authorized in 2009 following years of grassroots organizing from stakeholders in their respective regions. NHAs leverage federal NPS funds for historic and cultural preservation projects with the support of counties, tourism, and historic preservation organizations. Colorado’s three National Heritage Areas have all completed notable projects since they were authorized in 2009. At the South Park NHA, NPS funds have helped to restore the endangered Paris Mill near Alma. Within the Sangre de Cristo NHA, funds have helped to share the story of the first desegregation case in the nation, Mestas v. Shone. At the Cache la Poudre NHA, they leveraged NPS funds to develop a water education curriculum at the Poudre River that can be accessed across the West.
###
The Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA) and the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA) has awarded several local projects with funds from the 2021 large grants cycle. The newest projects include “The Hand That Feeds” Sculpture Monument, a Poudre Basin Information Website, Watering the West. Other projects that will be continued from last year’s grant cycle but were put on hold due to COVD-19 will continue work this year. This includes the Eaton House and the Jacoby Halfway House Site. The total of awards being distributed is more than $35,000 out of PHA’s budget, which largely comes from federal funding sources. See below for descriptions of the newest projects:
Watering the West
Watering the West enlightens audiences about water issues in the American West: past, present, and future: where the water comes from, where it goes and how it gets there; the unique nature of western water law and its origins, and how growing populations and a changing climate will impact a diverse group of water users that rely on the rivers that deliver the mountain snow that makes the American West habitable. Through personal stories from city planners, farmers and ranchers, recreators and ecologists, brewers and water resource managers with the Poudre River as our backdrop, we explore transmountain and local diversions; storage projects and farms; water court and water auctions, water measurement and delivery, a backcountry river journey; and the listening sessions, council meetings and forums where opinions divide neighbors, towns, and industry leaders. The films introduce us to the people and programs that aim for listening, connection, and cooperation, to those who seek to replace divisiveness with collaboration as the American West moves into a future of increasingly scarce water supplies. From past to present and with an animation of the 1874 dispute between Union Colony and Fort Collins farmers that nearly turned violent to the 1986 re- enactment of a water broker purchasing a farm with water rights to secure water for the City of Thornton to an animated song which teaches the Doctrine of Prior Appropriation, WATERING the WEST educates, entertains and presents a case for cooperation around one of the most pressing issues of our time.
“The Hand That Feeds” Sculptural Monument
A Sculptural Monument designed to preserve and honor the rich family history and significant contributions of the Mexican and Hispanic people who worked the beet fields of northern Colorado. Located in Fort Collins Sugar Beet Park on a city-designed plaza, an interpretive storyboard and educational programs will enable visitors and students to understand their impact on our community. Mujeres de Colores is fundraising to underwrite the project with support from community partners and committed individuals with a goal to complete the monument by October 2021 with unveiling during Hispanic Heritage Month.
Poudre Basic Information Website
The Poudre Basin Information website project is a cross-jurisdictional information website for the Poudre Basin, focusing on topics that have a nexus with water issues. The funds from this large grant will focus on integrating data and information related to Poudre Heritage Alliance themes, including historical data about water infrastructure and use, connections to water law and administration, issues related to water demand and supply, and providing data and information to reduce conflict and increase cooperation. An initial implementation of the website can be found at http://poudre.openwaterfoundation.org/. This website is an open source community resource that can be used by organizations, decision makers, and the public to better understand water issues in the basin. Many organizations provide useful datasets and informational content. However, it can be difficult to find and use information. The Poudre Basin Information website serves as a regional resource to support education and decision making. The website provides information about entities in the basin, including municipalities and water providers, ditch companies, environmental organizations, education organizations, and many other datasets. The information is organized spatially and temporally to provide context for basin entities, current conditions, historical data, seasonal outlook, and future planning, involving over 70 maps and associated data visualizations when fully implemented.
If you have a project that needs funding, we still have small grants available on a rolling basis. Check out our grants page for more information. If you have questions about these projects, grants, or the Poudre Heritage Alliance, contact communications@poudreheritage.org.
Give a warm welcome to our newest intern Brit! They’ll be working with us through UNC to assess and improve existing trails in the Heritage Area. As for a little bit about them, Brit got their Associate’s as a Veterinary Technician and earned their certification in 2018. They recently decided to go back to school UNC to pursue a degree in Biology and later discovered a passion for, and decided to minor in, Geographic Information Science.
Brit has a passion of learning and sharing education related to Biology, GIS, animals, and the LGBTQA+ community. They live in Loveland with their husband, their dog, two cats, two snakes, and axolotl. In their spare time they enjoy archery, hiking, and rollerblading.
We’re so excited to have you Brit!
NEWS RELEASE
March 6th, 2021
For immediate release; for more information, contact:
Kathleen Benedict, Executive Director
Poudre Heritage Alliance
(970)-222-5795
National Heritage Area Program Bill Passes in House of Representatives, Supports Program Longevity
Washington, DC – Colorado, USA (March 6) – The passage of the National Heritage Areas Act of 2021, H.R. 1316, as part of H.R. 803, the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, on February 26, 2021, standardizes the criteria in which future National Heritage Areas (NHAs) will be designated under and defines structures that will allow more consistent federal support. This will affect all 55 National Heritage Areas, including the three existing ones in Colorado. NHAs are places designated by Congress for their cultural, natural, historic resources that combined tell a nationally significant story about our nation’s diverse heritage.
The three Colorado Heritage Areas, Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (designated in 1996), South Park National Heritage Area (designated in 2009), and Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area (designated 2009), are currently authorized to only receive appropriated funding for three more years until the year 2024. While not considered National Park Units, NHAs receive technical and financial assistance from the National Park Service who administers the program. Among championing historic preservation, educational programming, and heritage tourism, NHAs generate economic value for their communities, on average $5.50 per $1 of federal funds spent. An Economic Impact Study completed in 2017 by the Poudre Heritage Alliance (the managing entity of the Cache la Poudre River NHA) showed an annual $81.6 million impact on their region and $6.9 million generated in tax revenues.
The National Heritage Areas Act of 2020, H.R. 1049, would have initially passed in the House of Representatives on December 4th, 2020, but stalled in the Senate. H.R. 1049 would have allowed NHAs to receive an additional ten years of federal funding and had more than 220 cosponsors. The National Heritage Area Act of 2021 has bipartisan support, being sponsored by Representatives Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and David McKinley (R-WV), and is currently being reviewed in the Senate.
ABOUT THE CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA AND THE POUDRE HERITAGE ALLIANCE
The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA), a 45-mile stretch of the Lower Poudre River, tells the story of the river where Western Water Law took shape and how the river still informs the use of water throughout the arid West today. CALA’s 501(c)3 nonprofit managing entity, the Poudre Heritage Alliance – 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/
###
Poudre Heritage Alliance and Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area Announce Large Grant Cycle for 2021
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS APRIL 15TH
FEBRUARY 22, 2021 – The Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA) is now accepting proposals for the 2021 large grant cycle. Every year, the PHA makes a portion of its federal funding available to its regional partners as grants. These grants support projects, programs, and events that benefit local communities and reflect the mission of the Poudre Heritage Alliance to PROMOTE, ENGAGE, and INSPIRE.
Those interested in a large grant for their project will need to read the guidelines and submit an application that can be found online: https://poudreheritage.org/grant-information/
A list of previous grant recipients is also available online if you are curious about the kinds of projects that have received funding in the past. The minimum amount awarded for large grants is $3,001. PHA also offers small grants, in amounts up to $3,000, on a rolling basis. The deadline for large grant proposals is April 15 and the grant recipients will be notified on June 11.
ABOUT THE POUDRE HERITAGE ALLIANCE
The Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA), a 45-mile stretch of the Lower Poudre River, tells the story of the river where Western Water Law took shape and how the river still informs the use of water throughout the arid West today. CALA’s 501(c)3 nonprofit managing entity, the Poudre Heritage Alliance – 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/
Photo from the Town of Windsor Parks, Recreation & Culture
Looking to make an impact in our local historic watershed? A Heritage Culturalist Volunteer for the Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA) does just that. Volunteers are trained on our significant local resources, western water law, and interpretive sites in the area – then help support the PHA in celebrating and preserving the heritage of the Poudre River. Volunteers can participate in sponsored events, work on historic documentation projects, be involved in PHAs programming, lead workshops and guided bike tours of the area, and so much more! Join us at our annual volunteer rendezvous for more information on volunteering with PHA and a virtual tour of the Windsor History Museum!
Our annual rendezvous is a FREE and FUN event the Poudre Heritage Alliance hosts each year to say THANK YOU to our volunteers! This is also an opportunity to further your own knowledge of local history, water heritage, and the rivers enduring legacy. This year, our rendezvous will be a private virtual tour of the Windsor History Museum. This year we are opening up the event to anyone who is interested in what it means to become a Heritage Culturalist Volunteer as well!
We hope you will join us from 1pm-2pm on February 7th!
Please RSVP using this form: https://forms.gle/kVnFANFJRb5MnPT48
The zoom call information can be found below:
https://us02web.zoom.
Meeting ID: 884 9453 3718
Passcode: PHA
We are excited to welcome Molly Wade as our new Communications and Graphic Design Intern! Molly comes to our organization through the Conservation Legacy Stewards Program and will be assisting with our social media and various communications outlets.
She graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a degree in Arts and Technology in 2018 and a minor in Art History. She has a long history of working with nonprofits, along with a deep love for good design and the outdoors. Outside of work, she’s usually baking gluten-free treats or dog-watching at her local dog park.
