Why is the Eagle River Coalition necessary?

The Eagle River Coalition is a forward-thinking organization of water experts, community leaders and river lovers who serve as local river advocates. Supported by devoted staff and board members, visionary donors and other water resource stewards, we stand side by side for the sake of our rivers. This organization provides the organizational framework that’s necessary for a diverse group of people to systematically impact policy and enact positive change. By protecting and preserving water resources, we bring to life the vision of thriving river ecosystems and a robust local economy.

About the Watershed

What's the difference between the Eagle River Coalition and Eagle River Watershed Council?

Great question! In early 2024, we made an exciting announcement. We changed from Eagle River Watershed Council to a new name – Eagle River Coalition – and unveiled new branding! This change came about for a few reasons. Read on for details.

With our new name, the Eagle River Coalition team is scaling up our local impact, implementing visionary restoration solutions, unveiling new education programs and investing more deeply in the future of this river-dependent region. We are even more deeply committed to our mission of advocating for the health of local rivers and streams through education, research and projects.

What is a watershed?

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A watershed is a basin of land that drains to a common point like a lake, a wetland or another river. It is defined by high elevation points, and in the case of our watershed – mountains! We are in a unique and lucky position, as the Eagle River begins and ends in our county. The Eagle River watershed covers 970 square miles and drains into the Colorado River in Dotsero.

 

Who benefits from healthy rivers?

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  • Locals
  • Visitors 
  • Wildlife 
  • Aquatic life
  • Lifestyle/community identity 
  • Landscapes/viewscapes
  • Economy
  • Downstream neighbors

What are the river flows and conditions like right now?

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The amount of water, or flow, of our rivers is dynamic. It depends on everything from the season and weather patterns to local elevation changes and snowmelt. See a listing of the current flows of our area’s streams by visiting this website.

 

You can sign up to receive our seasonal weekly river reports in your inbox. Learn more and sign up.

What is the link between streamflows and water temperatures?

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There’s a very strong link between streamflows and water temperatures. But first, why is water temperature important?

The species of fish found in our high mountain rivers and streams are specialized to live and thrive in certain environments that have the habitat (food sources, shelter, water chemistry, water temperature, etc.) that each species needs to survive.

The United States Geological Survey explains, “Warm water holds less dissolved oxygen than cool water, and may not contain enough dissolved oxygen for the survival of different species of aquatic life.”

Just like how a pot containing a small amount of water takes less time to boil than a pot containing a larger amount of water, rising air temperatures and sunshine can more quickly warm shallower rivers and streams than deeper waterways. Other factors also contribute to rising stream temperatures, such as urban runoff and the loss of trees and shrubs along riverbanks that provide shade to the stream.

Higher water temperatures cause fish that are adapted for this environment to become stressed. Stressed fish are much more susceptible to disease. Angling uses energy that fish need to manage environmental stress and can lead to increased fish mortality when stream temperatures are high.

Following Colorado Parks & Wildlife’s voluntary fishing restrictions, which typically include fishing only in the early morning or in our higher elevation streams (where temperatures are lower) can protect the incredible fishery found in our local rivers and streams.

 

See a listing of the current flows of our area’s streams by visiting this website.

You can sign up to receive our seasonal weekly river reports in your inbox. Learn more and sign up.

What is a headwaters community?

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The beginning of a river is called the headwaters. The Eagle River, which begins and “ends” in Eagle County, on Tennessee Pass above Camp Hale, is a tributary to the Colorado River, with its confluence in Dotsero. A headwaters community is the development and population in the headwaters area, making all of Eagle County’s towns and neighborhoods a headwaters community to the Colorado River. Given that the Colorado River flows for another 1,000+ miles beyond our county and supplies water to 40 million+ people, it is our responsibility to make sure the water we send downstream is clean and plentiful

What is the water cycle?

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The water cycle is responsible for moving water around and providing precipitation, including snow and rain. Rivers in the West rely heavily on snowpack to fuel the flow throughout the spring and summer in the form of runoff. However, systems over the ocean, like El Niño and La Niña, can play a role in determining how much precipitation we see.

Is the river public? Can I access it anywhere?

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While the water flowing through the river is a public resource, the land surrounding the river and underneath the water may be private land. It is important to use official access points to the river, both to respect private property rights and also to reduce the impact on the river. Some areas of the river are not accessible for recreational use at all, so be sure to pay attention to signage where you plan to recreate.

Do you drive the big red trucks?

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Nope. The red trucks belong to Eagle River Water & Sanitation District, the water provider for up-valley communities from Edwards to Vail. While we work with them in many ways, we do not provide wastewater treatment services, nor do we receive direct tax funding. We are a community-supported nonprofit that is focused on the health and protection of our watershed and its rivers, not the water utility provider.

What happens to the water that goes down the storm drain?

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That water doesn’t get treated. Storm drains lead directly to the river and do not undergo any form of treatment. That means that whatever gets washed away with the rain or snowmelt, such as motor vehicle residue, paint, fertilizers and other pollutants, will flow into the river and potentially harm aquatic life and vegetation. Please be sure to dispose of products properly, and do not let anything besides rain go down the storm drain.

Why do we care about fish so much?

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Fish are important to our ecosystems. They provide food for wildlife and maintain the balance of life in the streams. They also provide a tremendous amount of economic benefit to our community with the sport of fly fishing.

What makes a good habitat for fish and other creatures that live in our streams?

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A good habitat in our mountain streams for fish and other species is one that is cold, well-shaded, clean, and diverse. Fish, locally including trout, mountain whitefish, sculpin and more, need pools to rest in, with places to hide from predators, along with gravel stream beds, in which to lay their eggs. Fish also need to be able to travel up and down streams and access small tributaries at different life stages. Macroinvertebrates (bugs) need larger rocks to attach to and hide.

Where can I learn more about the rules for fishing and camping?

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For more information about fishing, visit the Colorado Parks & Wildlife website. Camping regulations are in place to protect habitat, specific to streams these rules reduce erosion, sedimentation and pollution impacts. For camping information, visit the United States Forest Service website or the Bureau of Land Management website. Please be sure to follow all rules and regulations for fishing and camping.

Why do we need to protect water bugs?

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Water bugs, also known as macroinvertebrates, are important to protect, because they serve as critical food sources for fish, birds and other wildlife. Many of the important species of macroinvertebrates, like mayflies and stoneflies, are sensitive to pollutants and are impacted by development around our rivers.

They often act as the canary in the coal mine for our rivers, alerting us to pollution concerns within a stream. In streams with degraded macroinvertebrate populations there are typically many bugs can still be found there, however the diversity is lacking as only the more pollution-tolerant species are present.

What's a native species?

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A native species is one that is naturally-occurring and self-sustaining. We have many native species in our area, but some notable native fish species include the cutthroat trout, whitefish and sculpin.

Do native species matter more than non-native species?

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Not necessarily, but while there are non-native species that are economically beneficial, as people enjoy fishing for them. Our native fish are adapted to live here and play an important role in the natural system. Due to competition from non-native fish, cutthroats only have access to 1% of their native range. Many groups, including the Eagle River Coalition, work hard to ensure no more is lost.

Invasive non-native species, such as northern pike and smallmouth bass, are considered a threat to native fisheries and are closely managed. Non-native trout species, such as brook, rainbow and brown trout, are stocked in many of our streams. Some high-alpine streams have barriers in place to keep these non-natives out so that our native trout can thrive, while sportfishing can be enjoyed in the lower streams with the stocked species.

Who cares if my dogs run around and splash in the water? I got yelled at this fall.

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Dogs love water and rivers almost as much as we do, but it’s important to pay attention to what is happening in the river when you want to let them run and enjoy it. There are times of year when trout are spawning in the riffles and pools dogs (and people) play in, so be sure to look for spawning behavior and signs of spawning areas, called redds.

Trout redds are often in slower-moving water, where the riverbed is made up of small rocks or gravel. The rocks and gravel inside the redd will appear cleaner and lighter in color than the rest of the area. Thousands of trout eggs can be wiped out with just a few misplaced steps. While fishing during the spawning season, we need to be more careful than usual not to step on these fragile areas, and to keep dogs from damaging them as well.