Wild and Scenic Collaborative Public Events

A concerted effort to protect one of Colorado's last free-flowing rivers is entering a new phase, with stakeholder groups hiring outside expertise to chart a course for the future of the Crystal River. Two subcommittees of the Crystal River Wild and Scenic and Other Alternatives Feasibility Steering Committee are bringing on consultants to develop detailed reports on potential protection measures.

The move marks a significant step in a multi-year process aimed at safeguarding the ecological integrity of the Crystal River, a vital waterway that has so far avoided the dams and out-of-basin diversions that have altered so many other rivers in the American West. The Steering Committee, formed in 2023, is a broad coalition that includes representatives from Gunnison and Pitkin Counties, the Town of Marble, and the Colorado River Water Conservation District, as well as landowners, recreationists, residents, ranchers, and river advocates.

This diverse group shares a common goal: To secure durable protections for the Crystal River that would prevent the construction of dams or projects that would pipe its water to other river basins. Early on, the committee established a set of shared values and criteria to guide their work, emphasizing a collaborative and community-driven approach to river preservation.

To delve deeper into the complex issues at hand, the Steering Committee formed three subcommittee workgroups in early last year. These groups are each focused on a specific potential protection measure: Federal Wild and Scenic designation, expanded instream flow water rights, and an intergovernmental agreement. After months of regular meetings that began in March 2024, the subcommittees are now poised to take their work to the next level.

The Wild and Scenic Feasibility Subcommittee, tasked with exploring the possibility of adding the Crystal River to the national Wild and Scenic Rivers System, has hired a third-party facilitator team from the Keystone Policy Center. Based in Keystone, Colo., the center is known for its fair and inclusive approach to natural resource planning and its ability to help diverse groups find common ground. The Keystone team will assist the subcommittee in summarizing its research and findings, incorporating community input and insights from agency officials and legislative experts. The ultimate goal is to produce a comprehensive report that evaluates a Wild and Scenic designation against the steering committee's shared values.

"Protection of the free-flowing Crystal River is clearly important to the community, as evidenced by the hundreds of hours that people have volunteered for this stakeholder process," said Michael Gorman, chair of the Wild and Scenic Subcommittee. "We've taken a deep dive into Wild and Scenic policy and legislation and learned a lot from stakeholders along the river. We've got more work to do, and we're excited to have the skilled facilitators at Keystone to help us compile what we've learned about how Wild and Scenic legislation ties into our specific priorities on the Crystal River. We look forward to having a report that we can share with our community and inform future discussions.”

A Wild and Scenic designation is a federal protection that would preserve the free-flowing character of the river and its outstandingly remarkable values. However, the process for achieving such a designation can be lengthy and complex, requiring an act of Congress.

Simultaneously, the Instream Flow (ISF) Subcommittee is commissioning a pair of studies to identify and document the ecological values that could be protected by an instream flow water right. Colorado's Instream Flow Program, established in 1973, allows the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to appropriate water rights for instream flows to preserve or improve the natural environment. This was a groundbreaking concept at the time, as it recognized the value of keeping water in rivers, rather than diverting it for other uses.

The Crystal River already has some instream flows to protect minimum flows during low water periods. However, the stakeholder group is now exploring whether higher flow rates are needed to protect the unique ecological values of the river. The two studies will examine how different flow rates support the river's natural fluvial regimes, riparian vegetative communities, and ecosystem functions.

The first study, focused on sediment impacts, will involve developing a comprehensive study plan and installing a suspended sediment monitoring station. Ecological Resource Consultants, Inc. (ERC), a firm specializing in stream restoration and water resource projects, has been hired to lead this effort. The second study will analyze woody riparian vegetation and identify the flows and sediment behaviors that create suitable habitat for the Crystal's plant communities. A team from Colorado State University, led by Dr. David Cooper, a Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, will conduct this research. Both studies are set to begin this fall during periods of lower flows, with subsequent phases of the research to be developed next year.

Mark Beckler, an ISF subcommittee member and a resident of Marble, emphasized the unique character of the Crystal River. "We know the Crystal River is unique in that it gets unrestrained high flows in the springtime," he said. "These studies we are undertaking will give us a better understanding of how the river's unique sediment functions and riparian communities are tied to the natural flow regime of the Crystal.”

The work of both the Wild and Scenic and Instream Flow subcommittees is being supported by a joint funding request that was awarded just last month. The funding comes from the Colorado Water Conservation Board's Wild and Scenic Rivers Fund, the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation, and Pitkin County's Healthy Rivers Board. The Wild and Scenic Rivers Fund was created by the Colorado General Assembly in 2009 to foster collaborative processes aimed at developing protections for rivers as an alternative to federal designation.

The third subcommittee is focused on drafting an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) between local and county governments in the Crystal River Valley. This agreement, which is nearing finalization, would memorialize the shared values and commitments to protect the Crystal River across governmental jurisdictions. The IGA is seen as a way to formalize the unanimous support from the Steering Committee to prevent new reservoirs or impoundments on the mainstream of the Crystal River and to oppose any water rights applications or trans-basin diversion projects that would remove water from the Crystal River Basin.

The collaborative and multi-pronged approach being taken by the Crystal River stakeholders reflects a growing understanding of the importance of protecting the West's remaining free-flowing rivers. As climate change and drought continue to put pressure on water resources, the value of rivers like the Crystal, which have so far been spared from major development, is only increasing.

The efforts on the Crystal River are not happening in a vacuum. Across Colorado and the West, there is a growing movement to protect and restore rivers. The work on the Crystal River is a testament to the power of community-based conservation. By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, the Steering Committee has been able to build consensus around the need to protect the river and to explore a range of potential protection measures.

The hiring of consultants and the commissioning of scientific studies represent a critical turning point in the effort to protect the Crystal River. The detailed reports that will be produced by these experts will provide the Steering Committee with the information necessary to make informed decisions about the best path forward for the river. The outcome of this process could have implications not just for the Crystal River but for other rivers across the West, as communities grapple with how to balance the competing demands of a growing population and a changing climate with the need to protect the natural environment. The work on the Crystal River is a hopeful example of how a collaborative and science-based approach can lead to a more sustainable future for our rivers.