FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
This summer kicks off the Rising Rivers Stewards program and book launch for our regions’ rivers!
Rising River Stewards is a name that invokes our area youth are rising to the challenge of being true stewards of our rivers, just as our rivers rise with the spring run-off each year. Our youth will learn to be stewards of our rivers, as they face increasing water demand, drought, and other challenges.
DURANGO, CO – June 20, 2022 – The Rising River Stewards activity book and program is a collaboration between non-profit organizations that wanted to help our area youth, as well as youth visiting here for the summer, to become stewards of our rivers and watersheds. The groups involved include 4 Corners River Sports, Dolores River Boating Advocates, Mountain Studies Institute, Powerhouse Science Center, San Juan Mountains Association, and the Water Information Program. Funding was graciously provided by the Southwestern Water Conservation District and the City of Durango.
As a first step, these groups worked together to create a fun and colorful activity book for children to use as a guide to our area’s rivers. Each organization provided information on various topics. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe contributed information about rivers in their culture. The Rising River Stewards book is filled with interactive activities for children to do with their families, to engage with our area rivers, including the Animas River, the Dolores River, and wherever they find their own river. The book will provide directions to seek other area resources, such as field trips offered by the organizations that partnered together to bring this book to life. The goal is for children to use this book to help them learn more about how to be a good steward of rivers, to take care of them as they take care of us, providing clean, life-giving water!
This book is available for free at area raft shops, the Powerhouse Science Center, the Public Lands Center, the Southern Ute Museum, the Southwestern Water Conservation District office, and from all the organizations that helped to create it. The book will also be distributed to local area schools. When children finish the activities in the guide, they can stop by the Powerhouse Science Center to pick up a custom key chain of our Rising Rivers mascot, Maggie the Mayfly!
The next step the Rising Rivers Stewards group took was to host a River Guide Party, which was also a learning experience for river guides to be river stewards and to help their clients become river stewards. This awesome event was held on May 26th at the Powerhouse Science Center. Over 70 local river guides attended. They learned about the history of the Animas River and Powerhouse, they learned about aquatic life in the form of benthic macroinvertebrates, the impacts of the Gold King Mine release and the 416 fire and how the resilient Animas has rebounded from those impacts. They were also introduced to the Rising Rivers Stewards book so that they can encourage clients with children to explore it.
Finally, the Rising River Stewards activity book made its first public appearances at the Animas River Days Festival and the Dolores River Festival, both on June 4th. We are looking forward to the Rising Rivers Stewards book reaching far and wide to help children enjoy our area rivers, while taking care of them.
If you are interested in receiving or distributing the Rising Rivers Stewards book, or for more information please contact Elaine Chick, Water Information Program at [email protected].
Rising River Stewards Activity Book is published by Southwestern Water Conservation District. Designed and formatted by Gina Laiso, Integrita Productions.
