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

credit Colleen Miniuk Colorado_Dinosaur National Monument_00001.jpg

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 ten of the last thirteen 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 Yampa River Fund Endowment Fund is a Designated Endowment Fund of the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. Donations to the Yampa River Endowment Fund are irrevocable assets of the Foundation to be used for the charitable purpose stated above.

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

Our Partners

Board Members

Diana Lane — The Nature Conservancy
Tony Bohrer — Moffat County
Scott Cowman — Routt County
Amy Dickson — 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
Amber Pougiales — Community Agriculture Alliance

Jackie Brown (Chair) — Tri-State Generation and Transmission
Lindsey Marlow — Friends of the Yampa
Jayla Poppleton — Western Resiliency Center
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
Amber Pougiales — Community Agriculture Alliance
Lindsey Marlow — Friends of the Yampa
Tom Gray — Moffat County
Scott Cowman — Routt County
Nicole Seltzer — Town of Oak Creek

Vacant — 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
Don Campbell — At-Large Environmental Rep
Colleen King — At-Large Recreational Rep
Katie Hughes — At-Large Business Rep
Laine O'Neal — At-Large Agriculture Rep

Who We Are

Reyna Schedler, FUND MANAGER, FRIENDS OF THE YAMPA

Reyna grew up on the banks of the Yakima River in Washington State, learning from an early age how we are shaped by, and in turn shape, the fates of rivers. She went on to study Environmental Science and Anthropology at Wesleyan University, where her passion for river conservation, science communication, community science and stewardship grew. She has worked on river research and restoration projects from Washington State to Costa Rica. Reyna has spent the last five years in Colorado. Most recently, Reyna was the Community Engagement and Grants Director for Blue River Watershed Group in Summit County, where she helped preserve and protect the Blue River watershed through grant fundraising, community education and participation. She is thrilled to be working to protect the Wild Yampa as the Environmental Program Manager. When she is not working, you can find Reyna skiing, rafting, running with her supermutt, Otter, or on some ridiculously long-distance backpacking trip.

Katie Berning, Logistics support

As Outreach Program Manager 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.