I would like to express our thanks and gratitude on behalf of the Rio Grande Watershed Conservation & Education Initiative for the amazing partnerships and support that created the Water Fest on the Rio 2018. Our organization could not have pulled it off without the enthusiasm and helping hands of our many volunteers and our host site, the Rio Grande Farm Park.

Special thanks to those who hosted a station at the event: the Colorado Division of Water Resources, the SLV Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Adams State Adventure Leadership Program, Adams State EARTH Group, Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project, Headwaters Alliance, Rio Grande Farm Park, and Valley Educational Gardens Initiative (VEGI). To all our community volunteers and our summer interns, thank you!

Funding was generously provided by the Monarch Community Fund and helped secure food and supplies for the event. The Water Fest was also hosted in celebration with SLV GO, the RIO Inspire project, and GOCO’s Generation Wild initiative, who are working collaboratively to get SLV youth outside.

Personally, I am so proud to live in an area that values youth education, particularly with natural resources such as water. We are honored to work with so many organizations, farmers, ranchers, and community members who care about how we use those resources. Let‘s keep thinking of ways to get our kids outside, learning, and engaging with the San Luis Valley’s amazing resources!

Sincerely,

Bethany Howell, Executive Director

Rio Grande Watershed Conservation & Education Initiative