by Bill Goosmann and Jay Thompson
The annual Colorado Riparian Association conference will take place in Durango on October 5-7, 2005. The theme for this year’s conference is “Riparian Response to Altered Flow Regimes” with presentations and field trips highlighting the impacts that dams and trans-mountain diversions have had on riparian communities and aquatic ecosystems. Speakers and field trips are still being arranged, but tamarisk and Russian olive invasions, water rights, instream flows, the Animas La-Plata project, and endangered species recovery in the Colorado and San Juan Rivers will be part of this year’s conference. We are also hoping to have a restoration workshop on Wednesday afternoon instead of our traditional field trip, so be prepared for a “hands-on” project.
The first week in October should be an ideal time to be in Durango with aspen leaves changing, a chill in the air, and snow on the high peaks. A full agenda and registration materials will be sent to all members in late July. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us in Durango.
This issue features a report on the first of what we hope will be many cooperative restoration projects between the Colorado Riparian Association and Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV). For the James Creek project, WRV enlisted several CRA members and numerous other volunteers to plant willows and choke cherries and construct waterbars along the creek. After the initial project date (April 30) coincided with a late Spring snowstorm, the second time proved to be a charm with ideal weather and manageable stream flows. We hope the partnership between CRA and WRV will continue to grow in the future.