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What's New for December ...

   North Fork Community Preservation Project

Paonia, CO North Fork Community Preservation Project is a partnership between the North Fork Vision Home and Community Program (The Learning Cooperative), the Paonia Historic Preservation Society, and NFRIA.  H. Cedar Keshet is the OSM/VISTA working on the project. She is currently undertaking a funding campaign to raise money for the utilities at the Museum so it can be open to the public several days a week. (Brochure)

North Fork Community Preservation Project (NFCPP) strives to teach students, teachers, and community members how to document local histories using digital storytelling methods. These stories that are collected will be archived in the Museum and available for community use.(More Info)  Students will benefit by acquiring literary skills, computer technology skills, interview skills, as well as a knowledge for the history of our community. NFCPP also plans to turn a collection of the stories into a theater production to be put on in our open air amphitheater that is planned for our River Front park, on the banks of the North Fork of the Gunnison River in Paonia, CO.

Our Museum is also at this site. Among the other plans of this project are for the OSM/VISTA to create a curriculum to attract teachers from a variety of grades to bring their classes to the museum on field trips. Aligning the field trips to Colorado academic standards will make it very attractive to teachers. Creating a docent training program is also slated. Cedar can be contacted at cedar@selfdesign.org or 527-8766 Wed and Fri.      

From the Executive Director

The holidays are upon us, but those of us at NFRIA remain busy and undaunted by the demands of the season. Actually, I think we accomplished a fair amount in the past month.

Our greatest recent effort was completion of a major grant proposal to the state’s Water Quality Control Division, which we submitted right after Thanksgiving. If we are at least partially successful, we’ll know something in March or April, although the work would not begin until next fall. One component of our proposal is expansion of NFRIA’s river interests to include water quality beyond just sediment. If our proposal is successful, we will be funded to complete a major investigation on the sources of selenium in the North Fork and to help devise management practices to alleviate the problem. Federal and state agencies involved in the Colorado River watershed have begun taking serious interest in selenium because of its impact on fisheries, aquatic life, and waterfowl.

We have also been busy wrapping up several other grant proposals that will allow NFRIA to undertake new river channel stabilization actions next year. If and when any of these grant proposals are approved, we will keep the NFRIA family informed.

And we have begun to plan our annual membership meeting, which, for a variety of reasons, will probably occur in March and in Paonia. Stay tuned.

Thanks to Mike and Barb Galloway, who noticed last month’s plea for a working fax machine. Mike had one that he planned to retire, but after reading our request he delivered it to the office, complete with a frayed and yellowing instruction manual. We look forward to firing up the new fax machine and relegating our aged and unreliable three-in-one device to just what it does, which is make copies – very slowly.

Enjoy your year-end holidays, whether you’re on the road visiting family and friends, or if, like us, you choose to hunker into a snow bank here in the North Fork.

Dave

Just the Fax

 Thank you to Micheal Galloway for donating his old fax machine.

December Volunteer of the Month: Dave Pipkin

         Dave has been an active water quality volunteer for NFRIA for over three years.  Dave regularly collects sample water from Tongue Creek and Surface Creek and does analysis at the lab.  NFRIA would like to recognize the commitment Dave has shown.   

   Thanks to the many dedicated members, supporters, and volunteers for supporting NFRIA's efforts to restore the North Fork River. If you'd like to make a gift to join the effort, just click here!

Happy Holidays ,

Grady Harper

OSM/VISTA

North Fork River Improvement Association (NFRIA)