NFRIA-WSERC Conservation Center
_How is your organization strengthening our community?
The NFRIA-WSERC Conservation Center is the leading conservation organization in Delta County.
We work to protect our pure air and water, the beauty of our mountains and mesas, our rural
lifestyle, and native plants and wildlife for future generations.
Pristine natural environments like Delta County do not happen by accident. For more than 34 years,
WSERC and NFRIA have worked with landowners, ranchers, community members, environmental
groups, industry, and government to address the most pressing conservation threats in Delta County.
Some of the activities that we do to strengthen our community include:
• Building and maintaining the Paonia River Park for swimming, boating, hiking, fishing,
picnicking, and wildlife habitat
• Helping landowners protect over 9,000 acres of land in conservation easements through
our Conservation Assistance Program
• Collecting monthly water quality samples from our rivers and streams to help set water
quality standards for Colorado
• Collecting baseline samples of drinking water sources threatened by gas development
and fracking in Delta County
• Leading field trips, hikes and educational forums for over 200 students and residents in
Delta County to showcase natural resource issues
• Initiating habitat improvement projects including willow planting and removal of
invasive tamarisk and Russian olive trees
• Working with Delta County to promote recycling at the North Fork Transfer Station
• Hosting the annual River Awareness Float Trip and the Wild and Scenic Film Festival
to bring our community together and learn about conservation issues
In what ways does your organization work to empower individuals to serve their community?
The Conservation Center is member-driven and member-led. Each year, hundreds of volunteers
work on program issues and special events. Our organization serves as a hub for conservation
activity in Delta County – concerned citizens bring their ideas to our organization and we give them
the space, tools, and help they need to start their project.
We help individuals understand government and agency proposals that could affect Delta County
and assist people in writing letters to elected officials about their concerns. Our volunteers review all
industry proposals and federal agency actions in our area, and, despite the odds, we have stopped or
mitigated many inappropriate oil and gas lease sales, timber sales, and mining projects. Right now,
we are spearheading a major letter-writing campaign to the BLM so that all people in the North Fork
Valley have the opportunity to send in comments about the lease of 30,000 acres of nearby land for
oil and gas development.
Through our Conservation Assistance Program, we educate landowners about how to place their
land into conservation easements. Since 2005, we have helped interested landowners place over
9,000 acres of land into easements which will preserve the rural character of Delta County forever.
As a part of our Master Hikers program, we organize hikes that showcase the beauty of our area and
areas that may be threatened by new development, including the ‘dobes, Pioneer Point, Smith Fork
of the Gunnison River, West Elk Wilderness, and the Bear Ranch Land Exchange area. These hikes
introduce people to our local land treasures and also teach them to be good stewards of the land.
We provide volunteer opportunities for anyone to engage in conservation programs in Delta County.
In 2011 our volunteer water quality monitoring team celebrated a monumental accomplishment: they
have collected ten years of water quality data on the quality of rivers in our watersheds. With support
from community members, we expanded our program to include a baseline study of drinking water
supplies threatened by gas development. This empowers local water companies and families with
wells to test the quality of their water in case it is contaminated in the future.
This year over 50 volunteers participated in our invasive species removal project on the North Fork
River near Hotchkiss. The volunteers are removing tamarisk and Russian olive so that native plant
species can reestablish and create habitat for wildlife. We also hosted an educational workshop to
teach landowners the skills they need to be able to control invasive plants on their own property.
We also keep people informed about conservation issues in our area through local newspapers,
regular newsletters, our website and Facebook page, and public events. Knowledge is power, and
keeping people informed empowers them to become involved in issues that are important to them
and that will forever change the characteristics of our county.
How does your organization serve to build bridges between different people and groups in the
community?
The Conservation Center’s 450 members are ranchers, academics, retired coal miners, farmers, small
business owners, artists and more. We provide a place for people to come together and share their
common interest – preserving the pristine natural resources and lifestyle of Delta County.
We partner with over 20 local and regional organizations to bring more people and perspectives into
our projects. Our list of partners includes government agencies, non-profits, industry, churches,
service groups, local businesses, and schools and other educational institutions.
We host public meetings and forums for people to learn about issues and meet other people who
share their interests. For example, we brought together local conservation groups to host three public
meetings in Paonia, Hotchkiss and Delta to educate people about the BLM proposal to lease North
Fork Valley lands for oil and gas development.
Our organization participates in the North Fork Coal Working Group and the Gas Collaborative,
where local industry, agencies, environmental groups, and government come together to brainstorm
strategies for protecting our rural character by balancing the natural environment and responsible
energy development.
We provide recreational opportunities for people from Delta County to come together and enjoy
each others’ company. We manage and operate the Paonia River Park, where hundreds of
individuals and families come each year to swim, boat, fish, walk, picnic, and view wildlife. We also
host our annual River Awareness Float Trip and Wild and Scenic Film Festival, which bring together
over 200 people from the region to meet and learn about local conservation issues
The NFRIA-WSERC Conservation Center is the leading conservation organization in Delta County.
We work to protect our pure air and water, the beauty of our mountains and mesas, our rural
lifestyle, and native plants and wildlife for future generations.
Pristine natural environments like Delta County do not happen by accident. For more than 34 years,
WSERC and NFRIA have worked with landowners, ranchers, community members, environmental
groups, industry, and government to address the most pressing conservation threats in Delta County.
Some of the activities that we do to strengthen our community include:
• Building and maintaining the Paonia River Park for swimming, boating, hiking, fishing,
picnicking, and wildlife habitat
• Helping landowners protect over 9,000 acres of land in conservation easements through
our Conservation Assistance Program
• Collecting monthly water quality samples from our rivers and streams to help set water
quality standards for Colorado
• Collecting baseline samples of drinking water sources threatened by gas development
and fracking in Delta County
• Leading field trips, hikes and educational forums for over 200 students and residents in
Delta County to showcase natural resource issues
• Initiating habitat improvement projects including willow planting and removal of
invasive tamarisk and Russian olive trees
• Working with Delta County to promote recycling at the North Fork Transfer Station
• Hosting the annual River Awareness Float Trip and the Wild and Scenic Film Festival
to bring our community together and learn about conservation issues
In what ways does your organization work to empower individuals to serve their community?
The Conservation Center is member-driven and member-led. Each year, hundreds of volunteers
work on program issues and special events. Our organization serves as a hub for conservation
activity in Delta County – concerned citizens bring their ideas to our organization and we give them
the space, tools, and help they need to start their project.
We help individuals understand government and agency proposals that could affect Delta County
and assist people in writing letters to elected officials about their concerns. Our volunteers review all
industry proposals and federal agency actions in our area, and, despite the odds, we have stopped or
mitigated many inappropriate oil and gas lease sales, timber sales, and mining projects. Right now,
we are spearheading a major letter-writing campaign to the BLM so that all people in the North Fork
Valley have the opportunity to send in comments about the lease of 30,000 acres of nearby land for
oil and gas development.
Through our Conservation Assistance Program, we educate landowners about how to place their
land into conservation easements. Since 2005, we have helped interested landowners place over
9,000 acres of land into easements which will preserve the rural character of Delta County forever.
As a part of our Master Hikers program, we organize hikes that showcase the beauty of our area and
areas that may be threatened by new development, including the ‘dobes, Pioneer Point, Smith Fork
of the Gunnison River, West Elk Wilderness, and the Bear Ranch Land Exchange area. These hikes
introduce people to our local land treasures and also teach them to be good stewards of the land.
We provide volunteer opportunities for anyone to engage in conservation programs in Delta County.
In 2011 our volunteer water quality monitoring team celebrated a monumental accomplishment: they
have collected ten years of water quality data on the quality of rivers in our watersheds. With support
from community members, we expanded our program to include a baseline study of drinking water
supplies threatened by gas development. This empowers local water companies and families with
wells to test the quality of their water in case it is contaminated in the future.
This year over 50 volunteers participated in our invasive species removal project on the North Fork
River near Hotchkiss. The volunteers are removing tamarisk and Russian olive so that native plant
species can reestablish and create habitat for wildlife. We also hosted an educational workshop to
teach landowners the skills they need to be able to control invasive plants on their own property.
We also keep people informed about conservation issues in our area through local newspapers,
regular newsletters, our website and Facebook page, and public events. Knowledge is power, and
keeping people informed empowers them to become involved in issues that are important to them
and that will forever change the characteristics of our county.
How does your organization serve to build bridges between different people and groups in the
community?
The Conservation Center’s 450 members are ranchers, academics, retired coal miners, farmers, small
business owners, artists and more. We provide a place for people to come together and share their
common interest – preserving the pristine natural resources and lifestyle of Delta County.
We partner with over 20 local and regional organizations to bring more people and perspectives into
our projects. Our list of partners includes government agencies, non-profits, industry, churches,
service groups, local businesses, and schools and other educational institutions.
We host public meetings and forums for people to learn about issues and meet other people who
share their interests. For example, we brought together local conservation groups to host three public
meetings in Paonia, Hotchkiss and Delta to educate people about the BLM proposal to lease North
Fork Valley lands for oil and gas development.
Our organization participates in the North Fork Coal Working Group and the Gas Collaborative,
where local industry, agencies, environmental groups, and government come together to brainstorm
strategies for protecting our rural character by balancing the natural environment and responsible
energy development.
We provide recreational opportunities for people from Delta County to come together and enjoy
each others’ company. We manage and operate the Paonia River Park, where hundreds of
individuals and families come each year to swim, boat, fish, walk, picnic, and view wildlife. We also
host our annual River Awareness Float Trip and Wild and Scenic Film Festival, which bring together
over 200 people from the region to meet and learn about local conservation issues
