We Will Never Again Turn Our Backs to Rivers

July 26, 2010 | Clean Water, Protecting Rivers

Matt Rice
Director, Colorado Conservation

• U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar: “We will never again turn our backs to rivers.”

Last week I had the opportunity to go back to my home state of Colorado to participate in several listening sessions for the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. It was a busy few days.  On Thursday I made a round trip drive to Grand Junction to meet with Jason Wedemeyer from the Colorado Environmental Coalition and the editorial board of the Grand Junction Sentinel. We had a productive discussion about how Grand Junction’s efforts to restore and protect the Colorado River have led to improved quality of life, sustainable economic development, and clean water. Grand Junction and the Colorado River is a great national example of what healthy rivers mean to communities.

On Friday, I headed over to Golden, CO for another listening session.  It was very well attended with more than 500 people participating.  The conservation community was out in force and even had a pre-session get together hosted by Defenders of Wildlife.

Secretary Salazar gave the opening remarks and facilitated the panel discussion.  The importance of rivers and clean water was the central theme.  Secretary Salazar highlighted the river revitalization efforts of Grand Junction and Denver and said to the crowd, “Never again will we turn out backs on rivers.” I could not have written a better script for the Secretary.

After the session, it was clear that rivers are at the forefront of the Department of the Interior’s goals for America’s Great Outdoors.  We need to support them.  If you have not done so already, please attend one of the upcoming listening sessions or submit comments to the administration and tell them that rivers and clean water need to be a center piece of this great national initiative.

To submit comments, tell your river story, or find out about upcoming listening sessions please visit the Department of Interior's America's Great Outdoors site.

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