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About the Yampa River Fund

The Yampa River Fund is a collaborative community-based organization dedicated to identifying and funding activities that protect the water supply, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities provided to us by the Yampa River.  

The Yampa River Fund will invest in conservation and restoration activities that positively impact Yampa River flows to support the livelihoods of recreation outfitters and ranchers throughout the valley, and to ensure that a healthy, flowing Yampa River remains the thriving center of our communities for generations to come.

The Yampa River Fund is currently managed by Friends of the Yampa.

 
 

WHAT IS A WATER FUND?

Water funds are a tool for bringing together water users, providers and communities to plan for a secure and healthy water future and then to fund and implement the activities that will make that future a reality.  

Water funds provide funding for conservation and restoration activities that will protect their water supply, water quality and recreational opportunities, creating a steady funding stream for a healthy water future. Water funds are voluntary and can be tailored to address the unique needs and priorities of different communities and partners. 

Coloradans face diverse water challenges and water funds can be scientifically tailored to respond to these various needs.

Photo Credit: Colleen Miniuk

 
 
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Origin of the Yampa River Fund

It all started when…

For much of the past decade, the Yampa River has been challenged by low flows and high temperatures impacting fish survival in the upper reaches. These conditions have led to river closures in the Steamboat Springs area for nine of the last twelve years. In 2022, the river was closed to any use in portions of July and August. Before the Yampa River Fund was created, the Colorado Water Trust (CWT) raised funds to purchase additional water out of Stagecoach Reservoir from the Upper Yampa Conservancy District to alleviate some of the flow and temperature issues that happen so frequently in this stretch of the Yampa River. However, with the increasing frequency of these water purchases, it was evident that a more sustainable funding source needed to be found. Working with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the City of Steamboat Springs, the concept of a water fund became a potential workable solution for the Yampa River basin. TNC was able to pull from its experience in developing water funds all over the world and with its local partners, began to build a coalition in support of the water fund concept.

In 2018 and 2019, this effort was formalized into an agreement signed by twenty-one entities and the Yampa River Fund formally launched in September 2019. These entities include local government, non-profit organizations, business, water providers and ditch companies. To build this coalition, the Fund’s mission was broadened to include restoration activities and infrastructure improvements. The Yampa River Fund is currently managed by Friends of the Yampa. The YRF endowment is held and managed by the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. Earnings from this endowment are granted out by YRF to eligible organizations for projects that meet the goals of the Fund.

Yampa River Fund Partners

The Yampa River Fund is a collaboration of over 20 community partners. Outdoor recreation businesses, the City of Steamboat Springs, the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, Routt and Moffat Counties, local NGOs, and many others have created a way for the residents of the Yampa Valley to give back to the Yampa River.

Photo Credit: Amy Martin

 
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Our Partners

Board Members

  • Diana Lane — The Nature Conservancy

  • Tony Bohrer — Moffat County

  • Scott Cowman — Routt County

  • Dakotah McGinlay — City of Steamboat Springs

  • Nicole Seltzer — Town of Oak Creek

  • Melanie Kilpatrick — City of Craig

  • Mathew Mendisco — Town of Hayden

  • Rob Perlman — Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation

  • Krista Boatman — NW Chapter of the Parrotheads

  • Hunter Causey — Colorado River District

  • Michele Meyer — Community Agriculture Alliance

  • Jackie Brown (Chair) — Tri-State Generation and Transmission

  • Ben Beall — Friends of the Yampa

  • Tim Sullivan — Yampa Valley Sustainability Council

  • Kristen Jespersen — Yampatika

  • Drew Peternell — Trout Unlimited

  • Ken Bekkedahl — Colorado First Conservation District

  • Kate Ryan — Colorado Water Trust

  • Mike Camblin — Juniper Conservation District

  • Chad Green — Moffat County Cattlemens

  • Frank Alfone — Mount Werner Water and Sanitation

Steering Committee Members

  • Andy Baur — The Nature Conservancy

  • Melanie Kilpatrick — City of Craig

  • Julie Baxter — City of Steamboat Springs

  • Ken Bekkedahl — Colorado First Conservation District

  • Michele Meyer — Community Agriculture Alliance

  • Ben Beall — Friends of the Yampa

  • Tom Gray — Moffat County

  • Scott Cowman — Routt County

  • Nicole Seltzer — Town of Oak Creek

  • Dave Hunter — Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation

  • Frank Alfone — Mount Werner Water and Sanitation

  • Jackie Brown (Chair) — Tri-State Generation and Transmission

  • Will Myers — Yampa White Green Basin Roundtable

  • Scott Connor — At-Large Environmental Rep

  • Peter Van De Carr — At-Large Recreational Rep

  • Scott Yeates — At-Large Business Rep

  • Laine O'Neal — At-Large Agriculture Rep

Who We Are

Mike robertson, FUND MANAGER, FRIENDS OF THE YAMPA

Mike Robertson has a background in fisheries biology and hydrology including nearly 10 years working as the instream flow biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish and more recently in river basin planning for the state. Mike also served as the Wyoming representative on the Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program that brings together stakeholders from several states and divergent interests to work on the common goal of recovering the four listed fish species while continuing to develop water use for communities throughout the basin. He has a bachelor’s degree in ecology from Baylor University and a master’s in fish and wildlife sciences from Texas A&M and has worked in and around rivers for over 20 years. With all his experience, Mike can attest that what we have here in the Yampa Valley is truly special. He and his family love spending virtually all their spare time exploring the natural world by kayaking, hiking, fishing, camping, skiing and using just about any excuse to be outside. He is excited to settle down in the Yampa Valley with its amazing recreational opportunities and strong emphasis on community.

Katie Berning, Logistics support

As outreach and office coordinator for Friends of the Yampa (FOTY), a Steamboat Springs based nonprofit, Katie provides support to the River Fund. Katie moved to the Yampa Valley from North Dakota in 2015 after visiting close friends in Steamboat Springs. Her work over the years with the Steamboat Pilot & Today helped strengthen her growing interest in the complex history and issues of this area, as well as steer her to volunteer at many nonprofits. It was on a staff trip with the Pilot & Today that Katie first stepped foot on a raft after only experiencing kayaks, canoes and tubing behind a boat in the Midwest. Floating on the Colorado River that day sparked a her passion with water: how to read it, where it comes from, who has the rights to it and where it ends up. When not in a PFD, Katie can be found skiing, ski touring, mountain biking, backpacking, hiking and hanging in a hammock. She has two cats and more houseplants than most to make her home in Hayden the perfect place to settle down and grow her own roots in the Yampa Valley. Katie studied graphic design with a minor in women’s studies at Minnesota State University Moorhead.