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<br />,J- <br /> <br />Participants in the Collaborative include Garfield County, Eagle County, Pitkin County, City of <br />Glenwood Springs, Town of Basalt, US Forest Service, Town of Carbondale, Healthy Mountain <br />Communities, Roaring Fork Conservancy, Colorado River Water Conservation District, Division <br />of Water Resources, and others.. The project outcome will provide a tool that can be used as a <br />basis for addressing water quantity issues and attainment of stream flow needs. It will also help <br />guide watershed management within an ecologically sustainable framework <br /> <br />Project Partners and Roles: <br />Roaring Fork Conservancy - coor~nates the project, including facilitation of contractors, <br />partners, funding, data providers, and hosting of data; and distribution of project information at <br />the local level (e.g. through Watershed Collaborative). The Conservancy has written several <br />grant applications to help fund the project, and has begun compiling existing data that would be <br />incorporated into the mapping tool.. A pilot project for improving stream flows on the lower <br />Crystal River has been initiated by the Conservancy, in partnership with the Colorado Water <br />Trost, Colorado Rocky Mountain School, the Town of Carbondale, Pitkin County Open Space <br />and Trails, The Nature Conservancy, and Sustainable Settings" This pilot will provide an <br />example of how local water rights holders can work together to enhance stream flows - a model <br />for other stream reaches within the watershed that are identified through the mapping tool as <br />biologically important and having flow limited conditions. <br /> <br />t- <br /> <br />The Nature Conservancy - compiles information on key aquatic and riparian species and <br />communities, identifies critical stream reaches, and develops a common understanding of the <br />relationship between these critical stream reaches and local stream flow patterns; assists partners <br />in identifying and executing protections for stream reaches that are negatively affected by altered <br />flows. The Nature Conservancy has worked on the mainstem Colorado for over a decade, <br />through the Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program, and has recently launched its <br />Colorado River Project to identify and protect critical water-dependent plants and animals in the <br />headwaters of the Colorado River system, including the Roaring Fork River and its tributaries~ <br /> <br />Colorado Water Trust - develops specific instream flow "pinch point" information for the <br />Roaring Fork Watershed. The Colorado Water Trust is providing legal expertise and strategy in <br />addressing the low flow issues on the lower Crystal River. <br /> <br />Colorado Big Country R, C & D - is coordinating a two-year study assessing physical habitat on <br />the Roaring Fork River and its major tributaries. The information from this effort will represent a <br />data layer within the broader basin-wide map. The compilation of existing GIS information on <br />wildlife habitat and species is a part of this project. <br /> <br />Colorado River Water Conservation Distrkt - assists with compilation of water quantity data <br />and coordination of web hosting of the GIS database. <br /> <br />United States Geologieal Survey - undertakes water quality retrospective for the Roaring Fork <br />Watershed, providing additional data within a compatible GIS-framework~ <br /> <br />Financial PartMTS secured to-date - Colorado Conservation Trust, Garfield County J Eagle <br />County, Pitkin County, Colorado Watershed Protection Fund, and Aspen Skiing Company <br />Environmental Foundation~ <br /> <br />( <br /> <br />..... <br /> <br />2 <br />