The fight to keep negative impacts of gas drilling out of the North Fork Valley got a boost as community members got a glimpse of the area from a higher plane. On Monday The Western Slope Conservation Center and Eco-Flight offered two tours of the North Fork Valley to graphically show the importance of the North Fork Valley Alternative Plan – a proposal created to provide a rallying point for residents concerned about oil and gas extraction on public lands. The Conservation Center’s director Sarah Sauter explains the purpose of the flights.
Chris Sturm, Ralph D’Alessandro, Mike Zeman, Craig Ullman, Willy Kistler, Sarah Sauter, Jeff Crane and Joanna Calabrese
Looking across the wetlands area toward Mount Lamborn and Lands End. Volunteers planted hundreds of willows to create habitat for critters and help keep soil in place.
Designed and built by Ira Houseweart and Jim Hardin, the gate features sculptural creatures and offers a wide welcome to the Paonia River Park.
The bike rack made by Ryan Sylvester looks cool and is functional as well.
A dedicated troupe showed up to tramp around the Paonia River Park yesterday and mark another step in its transformation from an in-stream gravel operation into a thriving fish and wildlife habitat, wetlands, swimming and boating area, and riverside park.
The Conservation Center held an annual meeting yesterday, and chose a new name: Western Slope Conservation Center. The nonprofit was created by the marriage of two deep-rooted local organizations, the North Fork River Improvement Association, known as NFRIA, and the Western Slope Environmental Resource Council, known as WSERC.
