In Colorado the water teaching heavy lifting falls to the Colorado Foundation for Water Education staff and board. Their work touches many in Colorado. Young and older, software experts, engineers, attorneys, water suppliers along with non-profit and public servants mirrored the Foundation’s diversity of outreach at yesterday’s President’s Award Reception.
Conversation ranged from travel plans for southern Africa to Open Source software for the water business to the monster wet April that we just saw in the northern part of the state.
Amy Beatie was honored as this year’s Emerging Leader.
She spoke about standing on the shoulders of many who had affected Colorado water in the past and how that allowed her the opportunity to do her work at the Colorado Water Trust. In particular she thanked former State Senator Fred Anderson for his foresight in marshalling Colorado’s instream flow law through the legislature.
Ms. Beatie told us that she believes that emerging means, “There are still things left to be done and goals to be set,” as she held her young son who decided to join her at the podium during her remarks.
She also mentioned that after listening to the arguments in Tarrant v. Herrmann she was struck by the difficulty the justices were having in understanding the concepts behind water law. Amy suggested that we should dispatch the Colorado Foundation for Water Education to D.C. to help them out a bit. The justices do not speak fluent water it seems.
The President’s Award for 2013 went to Jim Isgar, rancher from the dry-side of La Plata County.
During her introduction Joan Fitzgerald talked about their days in the legislature and said, “Jim never lied to anyone and if he told you he was with you he was with you to the end.”
Isgar got at the heart of the Foundation’s mission during his remarks saying, “When people buy a house they think it’s a guarantee that when they turn on the tap they have water.”
As Foundation Director Nicole Seltzer says in their short film introduction it is their job to help everyone speak fluent water so that they can make good decisions about it in the future.
Justice Greg Hobbs gave a special award to Jayla Poppleton the editor of the Foundation’s one of a kind water-centered publication Headwaters. Hobbs said that there is no publication like Headwaters, “anywhere else in the world.”
Click here to check out the CFWE website, join up or drop some cash in the tip jar. They’re also booking folks for their summer watershed tours right now.
More Colorado Foundation for Water Education coverage here and here.