From the Vail Daily via the Cortez Journal (Sarah Mausolf):
The Eagle River Watershed Council and Trout Unlimited invited stakeholders on a rafting trip to tour the length of river where the $4 million restoration project is taking place. About two-thirds of the river restoration project is complete, said Melissa Macdonald, executive director of the watershed council. In 2008, workers added stones along the banks that pinch the water into a narrower, deeper channel. That helps keep fish healthy when the river is low. This stretch of the river gets wide and hot during low flow times, which is bad for fish, Macdonald said…
Last year, workers also added 14,000 trees and shrubs along the banks. This coming fall, the project will focus on adding more stones, called “cobble bars,” along the rivers’ edge and possibly plant 600 willows. A third phase of the project will add portable toilets near the boat launch, trash bins in areas with litter, trails and fishing docks near the Lake Creek apartments. The Eagle River Watershed council is still trying to raise the remaining $500,000 for the restoration. The rest of the money came from a $1.5 million grant from the Natural Resource Damage Fund and donations from the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District and various metropolitan districts. Vail Valley contractor B&B Excavating has been doing the work.
More Eagle River watershed coverage here.