A Press Release from Hattie Johnson with American Whitewater

The Wild & Scenic Feasibility Collaborative hosts a community summit to hear from all interested stakeholders on what they value about the Crystal River and what they envision for the future. The meeting will be open to the public and hosted by the Town of Marble in the Marble Fire Station at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 27th.

Gunnison County Commissioner Laura Puck- ett Daniels said, “The incredible natural environment of Gunnison County makes this place so special. I am excited to engage with other folks who love the Crystal River to talk about how we can protect its unique values for generations to come.”

Ron Leach, administrator for the Town of Mar- ble encouraged stakeholders to participate in the process by stating, “We have a great opportunity to come together and learn about ways to protect this resource that is central to our community.”

Earlier this year, the Collaborative announced the selection of Wellstone Collaborative Strat- egies and P2 Solutions to facilitate and lead a stakeholder process intended to engage local communities and water users in a public dialogue process to evaluate community interest in pursuing lasting protections for the Crystal River. The stakeholder process will be chaired by representatives from the Town of Marble, Gunnison County, Pitkin County, and the Col- orado River District. American Whitewater is supporting the facilitators and co-chairs in an administrative role.

“The Collaborative has worked carefully to de- velop a stakeholder process to identify shared values amongst a wide variety of user groups in the Crystal River Valley,” said Zane Kessler, Director of Government Relations for the Colorado River District.

The stakeholder process will include two com- munity summits, one this month and another during September. In addition to these public meetings, a dedicated steering committee will meet monthly over the course of this calendar year. We are seeking to assemble a diverse group representing a variety of users and affected communities on the Crystal River. The facilitators and group chairs ask all interested participants to fill out an interest form to indicate their commitment to joining the steering committee in addition to the community summits.

If you are interested in participating, please visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/PQMZKGX.

The April 27th Summit is intended to identify shared community values as they relate to the future management of the Crystal River. The co-chairs encourage the participation of a diverse group of community members. The steering committee will meet to discuss what they hear from the broader community and prepare presentations on management options for the second community summit in September with a goal of further public input.

The steering committee strives to identify shared values and goals of the community and present a range of opportunities to provide lasting protections for the Crystal River while helping to provide education and a forum for all perspectives to be heard by the public.

Pitkin County Commissioner, Kelly McNicholas Kury said, “I am appreciative of all of the effort, by many people, that brought about this opportunity for everyone in the community to weigh in on the future of the Crystal River. These discussions are a vital step in the path to protecting this river we all love and rely on.”

This initial community summit is the beginning of a stakeholder process that will bring together a robust and representative cross-section of interested individuals to provide informed input; examine, explore, and investigate river protection; access and rely on experts in the river and riparian health; engage experts to provide factual information relevant to protective designations; agree upon rules of engagement; be a process grounded in the highest integrity and inclusiveness; and result in the identification of shared principles for protection of the Crystal River.

“The Collaborative has worked carefully over the past months to set the table for a robust discussion amongst diverse perspec- tives on the Crystal River,” said Kessler. “The River District is looking forward to this process kicking off with a community forum and encourages the participation of all water users on the river.”