RBC | The White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts office announced last Friday that the County USGS Algae Study Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meeting they had scheduled for Jan. 8 had been postponed due to the federal government shutdown and multiple TAG members not being able to attend the meeting.
Notice of the meeting was made= over the holidays, so many received it belatedly. No rescheduled date was announced, with the districts advising to, “Please stay tuned for further updates.“
The district office emailed notes from the Dec. 14 TAG meeting (http://bit.ly/2QyTVsP). The email indicated they misreported the 2019 total budget for the second year of the USGS Algae Study last month at $139,000. It’s actually projected at $163,807 plus the districts’ $10,000 administration fee.
At this point, according to the email, current commitments from various sources toward this total are $20,778 short. Meeting dates can be tracked and the full notes from the Dec. 14 TAG meeting found at the Conservation Districts’ Website: http://www.whiterivercd.com/whiteriver-algae-working-group.html.
Meanwhile, the Yampa-White-Green Basin Roundtable, which is supplying some $41,000 toward the 2019 Algae Study budget, met in one of its bi-monthly meetings last night in Craig.
Rio Blanco County is represented on the 30-plus member YWG Roundtable by the following eight individuals: Si Woodruff, RBC; Alden Vanden Brink, RBC municipalities; Shawn Welder, Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy District; Tim Winkler, Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District; at-large representatives Chuck Whiteman, Deirdre Macnab and Travis Day of Meeker, and Vince Wilczek of Rangely.
In addition, designated at-large representatives for environmental and recreation issues are Brian Hodge, Trout Unlimited, and Kent Vertrees, Friends of the Yampa, both of Steamboat Springs, and for agricultural issues, Will Myers of Craig. Members of the public are encouraged to register for the Thursday, Jan. 17 Water Expo and White River annual meeting, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Fairfield Center.
Lunch is to be provided with an RSVP to [email protected]. Special presentations on Colorado River Compact and Demand Management in light of continuing drought; keeping and utilizing water rights; and integrated water management planning are scheduled.
More info available at 970-878-9838 or www.whiterivercd.com.
By REED KELLEY | [email protected]
