A volunteer group promoting quality of life, and the
environment of the Lower Blue River Valley.
The Friends of the Lower Blue River are dedicated to sustaining and protecting the traditional agricultural character, promoting the safety of the residents, livestock and wildlife, and maintaining the environmental integrity of the Lower Blue River Valley through education, collaboration and community involvement.
To sustain and protect the traditional agricultural character, promote the safety of the residents, livestock and wildlife, and maintain the environmental integrity of the Lower Blue River Valley through education, collaboration and community involvement.
Friends of the Lower Blue River is committed to preserving the rich history of the Blue River Valley. Through grant support from the Summit Foundation, we have created this interactive tool that documents and takes you to key points of interest in the Valley. You will see photographs and read about those who came before us. Those who settled this pristine area of Summit and Grand Counties in the 1800’s and the relevance those sites have today. FOLBR invites you to take this journey on our website and discover the treasure, that truly is the Lower Blue River Valley.
Click Here to see History Story Map
A beaver surveying a calm pond
Friends of the Lower Blue River is currently studying the benefits of beaver in the Valley. We are undertaking a stream assessment initiative this summer. Director of Climate Action, Tom Koehler is currently surveying areas of the Lower Blue for potential ecological wetland uplift. He is using a mosaic of mapping tools to indicate where beaver have been, where they might currently exist and where uplifts have the potential to increase species diversity, including beaver in the future. The benefits include, drought resiliency as well as vegetative health for wildlife, stream bank stability and environmental health, such as clean water.
Example of a Beaver Dam Analog
Last month, our Wetlands for Wildlife project, funded and sponsored by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, took real steps forward. We began ground operations along with Ecometrics, uplifting previously modest wetlands, implementing beaver dam analogs as a natural climate solutions tool within our Climate Resilience Initiative. This process allows the stream to expand following historical flows, enhancing biodiversity, mitigating drought impacts and promoting healthy wildlife habitat.
The next phase of this project is already underway creating Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping designs. We are also working to develop field verification teams this autumn to examine the natural intricacies of streams. Next spring, we will continue this work throughout more of the Lower Blue River Valley.
Our current Executive Director, Jonathan Knopf is retiring April 1, 2025! Jonathan is the keystone to the daily functions of FOLBR. For almost 8 years, he has been the backbone of our organization and brought FOLBR to where it is today - an active participant in issues facing the Lower Blue River Valley.
We need to find a great candidate to replace Jonathan. The Board of Directors of FOLBR NEEDS YOUR HELP! If you know any candidates for the Executive Director position or if YOU have an interest in this part time paid position, please contact FOLBR Vice President Kurt Dallow at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Job Description in the Read More Section
This is our final Water in the West Social of the summer! This is a social series in collaboration with FDRD, HC3, BRWG, and FOLBR. This month, Friends of the Lower Blue River will be leading the social.
In the face of climate change, we are all concerned about the scarcity of water. This is especially true for the Blue River Valley. The Blue River is a source of water for 40 million people in the Colorado River System. We invite you to join Friends of the Lower Blue River for an evening exploring the history and development of Colorado's most precious natural resource: our water. How can we preserve this important resource for future generations? How do we deal with the challenges facing us in a changing climate?
Nancy Lippe
Nancy has dedicated her career to learning, teaching, leading, and innovating in the education and community sectors. As a philanthropy advisor with PhilanthropyConnect, she understands the challenges and opportunities not only of being a grant seeker, but also a grant maker. Nancy has run numerous community based programs and initiatives, and taught philanthropy to youth, teens, families, college students, and adults.
She has served on numerous nonprofit boards, and has been a site evaluator for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Nancy has been a member of the Summit Foundation's Executive Volunteers Corps and the Summit County Arts Forum. She and her family own Columbine Ranch on Harrigan Creek in Silverthorne, growing mountain horse hay for local horse owners.
By Jennifer Yachnin
Water rights to the Colorado River are a notoriously valuable commodity: The flows support verdant agricultural lands in Southern California and Arizona, as well as major cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
So when the federal government needs to curb use on the 1,450-mile waterway, it has long opted to open up its checkbook and pay up — such as with a recent emergency effort to protect hydropower operations on the river, which cost the Biden administration $1.2 billion for a three-year deal.
But when Mother Nature cuts back on the supply at its source, it's a much different story. No water. No payments. No IOUs for next year.
That’s the argument of officials in the Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, who say they are uniquely affected when lackluster winter snows create summers of hardship. And they argue that this reality should figure into the next long-term operating plan for the drought-stricken river. The seven states that share the Colorado River — which serves 40 million individuals and supports 5.5 million acres of farmland — are currently negotiating that agreement.
President Lyndon Johnson signs the Wilderness Act into Law
On September 3, we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Wilderness Act! Our congressionally designated Wilderness Areas are the most protected public lands in the United States, with wild land ecosystems providing for wildlife and spectacular native plants. We are so fortunate to have the Eagles Nest Wilderness on the west side of the Lower Blue River Valley and Ptarmigan Wilderness on the east side. Wilderness Areas are protected by law preventing any “permanent installation,” or building roads or using any mechanized, wheeled and motorized equipment.
Wilderness Areas are unique. Only a tiny 2.7% of the United States is designated Wilderness. These areas are preserved “in their natural condition… where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” Eagles Nest Wilderness was established by Congress in 1978. The Ptarmigan was established in 1993.
By: Wyatt Myskow
Inside Climate News
Lithium needed for batteries that power electric vehicles and store electricity from renewable energy projects is likely to deplete—and in some cases, contaminate—local water supplies, according to a new paper recently published.
From mining the mineral to processing it for battery use, water is essential for producing the soft, silvery metal with superior ability to hold a charge. With lithium demand rising as the world pivots away from the fossil fuels, researchers are increasingly scrutinizing the environmental impacts of extracting and using the mineral critical to the energy transition.
The new paper, titled Lithium and Water: Hydrosocial Impacts Across the Life Cycle of Energy Storage, is designed as a primer for community members, activists and other researchers about lithium’s impact on water supplies. It makes the situation clear—lithium products, across their entire life cycle, will have “impacts on both the quantity and quality of water resources” that will primarily affect communities already on the front lines of climate change.
