 Youth Water Leaders Team exploring how irrigation works on a local ranch with the Mt. Sopris Conservation District. photo by Sarah R. Johnson  Youth Water Leaders Team engages with participants at the 2019 Healthy Rivers Youth Water Summit. photo by Andrea Holland by Isla Bright Brumby Nelson, Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork student
If you look up the definition of water, this is what will come up: Water - A colorless, transparent, odorless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers and rain, it is the basis of the fluids of living organisms. That is a terribly complicated definition for something that is so common in our society. Our water however, is not something to take for granted just because it so easily comes out of our faucets. We need to protect our watershed because it’s not infinite. I used to be worried a lot about our water supply and our world’s future, but participating in the 2019 Healthy Rivers Youth Water Summit, I realized that our future is in good hands – our hands. This does not mean that you dear reader can sit back and watch others solve the world’s problem. You, me and the random person down the street, we all need to work to do our share.
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 By Travis Wilson, Colorado Mountain College BA Sustainability 2019 Graduate
A problem I have seen in the field of sustainability is that though sustainability is indeed making strides in our society and is becoming more prevalent in the minds of people, I feel that it is not being addressed in enough education and teaching in a creative ways. For sustainable practices to be implemented within our society, our people must have a stronger understanding of its importance; and our youth could be the answer to the long-term preservation of our world. What is difficult about implementation is not just finding a way to relate this information to young people so that they understand how important this work is, but also relaying it in a format that is more relatable. Performing arts could be the solution!  August 1, 2018: Smoky Crystal River, Photo by Wild Rose Education By Katia Meyer, 2018 Youth Water Leadership Program Intern
I spent last summer working at a summer camp in Connecticut, where I experienced weekly thunderstorms that filled the nearby river so high that it often overflowed as it made its way towards the lake. This could not have been more different from what many people experienced this past summer with the Lake Christine Fire and drought induced water restrictions. When I returned to Colorado and heard these stories from my friends and neighbors, I was reminded of what a precious resource water is. I became curious as to whether or not water restrictions were an effective tool for mitigating the impact of drought on residents and the surrounding ecosystems, and this became the focus of my research project for the 2018 Healthy Rivers Youth Water Summit. My main focus was identifying the differences in how each local town or city handles water restrictions. I was also curious about how residents view water restrictions and whether they adhere to them, and well as their general level of understanding of our watershed, the Colorado River Compact, and the effects of drought. To do this, I interviewed at least one water manager or similar person from Aspen, Snowmass Village, Basalt, Carbondale, and Glenwood Springs. I learned a lot about water restrictions, and I hope this information can help both water leaders and residents gain some new insight. |
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