The District's work, through a collaborative effort between many organizations, focuses on protecting, preserving and enhancing our waterways for the benefit of citizens and our natural habitat throughout the region for today and future generations. We care about clean and safe waterways, water quality, and enhancing the ability to fish and recreate in our waterways for improved quality of life for all.
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Fountain Creek Chronicles
September 2020
You are receiving this enewsletter because you expressed an interest in the Fountain Creek Watershed or Creek Week cleanup.
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Where there is healthy water,
there is healthy life
Walk into Fountain Creek Nature Center, and you’ll see a prominent sign proclaiming:
“Where there is water, there is life.” The center’s supervisor, Nancy Bernard, prefers a slightly adjusted slogan: “Where there is HEALTHY water, there is HEALTHY life – for both humans and wildlife.”
Nancy is emphatic about the need for clean water throughout our watershed. Her dream of clean water aligns with the Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District’s goals. The District works to protect, preserve and enhance our waterways to benefit the natural habitat as well as ensuring clean water for our use and recreation. “Clean water is absolutely essential for humans and for wildlife,” Nancy says.
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She points out that Fountain Creek tumbles down Pikes Peak through Woodland Park, Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs before traversing Fountain Creek Regional Park. Our creek is a vital riparian corridor for a wealth of fish, amphibians, mammals and birds. Yet on its trip downhill through urban environments, Fountain Creek picks up an alarming amount of human refuse.
“When we look in the creek – and see what we see – it breaks our hearts,” Nancy says. What has she found (and removed) from the creek? A chair, carpet, mattress, pipes and tubing, multiple shopping carts, tires and construction materials. And plastic – lots of plastic. “Once we found an empty suitcase on the creekbank, and we filled it with trash,” she says. “Plastic bottles, single-use plastic bags, coffee cups, straws and candy wrappers are common.”
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Most disturbing is the fishing line. “After people fish at our ponds, they tend to leave a lot of litter behind: hooks, worm containers and lunch trash,” she says, adding that many adults are modeling this poor behavior for their children. “Anglers often leave behind fishing line, which can wrap around the legs and wings of great blue herons, geese and other birds,” she explains. “It can be a death sentence.” When birds are seen struggling, the center’s staff will ask rehabilitators to trap the birds, if they can, and gingerly remove the fishing line.
A good behavior to model: Carry a litterbag, everywhere you go.
In their nature-related activities for adults and kids, Nancy and her team continually reinforce the importance of picking up litter. They tell how trash on the ground eventually ends up in the creek. And they ensure every field trip group carries a trash bag.
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The good news: The next generation is picking up trash – and picking up a great new habit! Here’s what some young nature campers wrote:
- “We need to keep the park nice and clean for animals.”
- “I learned to take all of my trash with me.”
- “You should pick up trash, even if it’s not yours.”
- “Stop littering because it ruins things like the green fields and the clear rivers.”
“We need to be kind to each other and to the planet,” Nancy says. “When we work to achieve clean water in our watershed, we are contributing to cleaner drinking water for us, ensuring safe water for wildlife and helping to make our ‘home’ beautiful.”
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Participate in Creek Week – and bring the kids!
You and your kids can help make our waterways healthy by participating in Creek Week! Get details and sign up at www.FountainCreekWeek.com. To register for the Fountain Creek Nature Center cleanup on September 26, email Nancy directly.
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7th Annual Creek Week Cleanup - Register Now |
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It is cleanup time in the Fountain Creek Watershed, and you are invited to join your friends and neighbors to be a Watershed Warrior.
The 7th annual Creek Week Cleanup, September 26 - October 4 has grown to be Colorado’s largest watershed-wide litter cleanup event from Palmer Lake to Trinidad and beyond.
Cleanups can take place at any public park, trail, open space, or private lands with permission (churches, businesses, etc.) in the Fountain Creek Watershed. Your site does not have to be near a waterway, as pollution easily makes its way from the land to the water.
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Litter can clog storm sewer systems, release pollutants into our water, harm wildlife, negatively impact our local economies, and be a safety hazard.
We have a responsibility to ourselves and our downstream neighbors to do our part and protect the health of our shared watershed. Plus it’s fun, easy, a great way to give back to your community, and you can make a huge impact in a short amount of time.
Anyone and everyone can participate in a Creek Week Cleanup! From preschoolers to seniors, churches to businesses, neighborhoods to sports teams. We will be encouraging smaller group efforts (25 and under) and social distancing this year, but cleanups can still be done, and are much needed.
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Thanks to generous sponsors we will provide bags, gloves, bucket, grabbers, and more for our Crews for free. Masks and social distancing will be enforced. Registration and more information can be found on our website.
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First Virtual 5K Extended
COVID has made us all a little more creative, and we are no different. We are offering a Virtual 5K this year to raise awareness and funds for the Creek Week Cleanup. Pick up your packet and you decide the day, time, route, and pace from now until October 4!
Share your pictures on our Facebook, Instagram or Twitter accounts for a chance at a bonus $25 gift card to a brewery. Register today – space is limited! A huge thank you to our sponsors: Black Forest, Brues Alehouse, Goat Patch, and Red Leg breweries, CO Creative, Techwares for filling up the race packets with great swag!
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Even kids help pick up trash. |
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Arlene K. did her 5K during the snowstorm! |
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Hey kids, let's find a frog! |
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Get your kids outdoors and into "Nature's Classroom"
Here in the Fountain Creek watershed, we can’t quite match Dorothy’s lions and tigers and bears. (“Oh my!”) But we CAN find muskrats and beavers, prairie dogs and coyotes, and fish and frogs. “Right now, we have a female bobcat raising a litter of several kittens,” says Nancy Bernard, Fountain Creek Nature Center Supervisor.
Nancy firmly believes it’s important to get children into nature. Why? “Nature is our home; it supports us. It provides food, shelter and (ideally) clean water. Our home provides for our relaxation and enjoyment. Kids need to learn how to take care of our home – it’s everything to us.”
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What’s more, the great outdoors provides freedom to explore. “When kids discover something in our ponds or in Fountain Creek, they light up – and they want to explore more,” Nancy says. “People are healthier when they have daily doses of nature. Simply put, we are healthier and happier when we are outside.”
Getting kids outside is especially important right now, given the COVID-19 challenges of school and extracurricular activities. What’s a parent or teacher to do? This September, October and November, you can enroll kids in a series of outdoor programs called “Nature’s Classroom.” Held at Fountain Creek and Bear Creek Nature Centers, each field trip activity focuses on a different topic such as Walk the Wetlands, Awesome Arthropods, Fountain Creek History, Map and Compass, and more.
Ready to find that frog?
Contact the Fountain Creek Nature Center at 719-520-6765 or CLICK HERE.
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Creek Week Champion Sponsor
Matrix Design
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This month we are featuring one of our Creek Champion Sponsors: Matrix Design Group. Want to become a Creek Week sponsor? Find out more here.
Could you describe your company's relationship to the Fountain Creek Watershed District?
Matrix has supported the District since the beginning, and has had the privilege of providing it with various technical services. As a local firm with employees that live and work in the Fountain Creek watershed, there is a great sense of pride in working to improve flood control and water quality in our own community. Matrix also continues to be not only a donor, but an active participant in Creek Week. Our employees have embraced the opportunity to volunteer their time in supporting Fountain Creek health by picking up litter and debris within its watershed. Over the years, scores of Matrix employees and their friends and family have volunteered with Creek Week.
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Why does Matrix sponsor Creek Week each year?
Matrix is a local firm, and our employees are passionate about doing their part to help improve our watershed health. We recognize that by living and working in a headwater state, it’s important to maintain a healthy watershed, not only for our community, but for others downstream as well. As the largest event of its kind in Colorado, we’re honored to support an event that’s grown so much right here in our own backyard. We have a tremendous amount of respect for the staff and volunteers that have made Creek Week such a huge success and an example other entities can use to implement similar efforts in other parts of the state and region.
You have participated in cleanups with your staff, tell us a little bit about that.
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Creek Week has provided an opportunity for our staff to take some time outside of work and come together as a group with a common interest in playing a role to improve our watershed. We love the camaraderie that’s inherent in volunteering our time together as a team, especially for such a great cause right here in our community. Often, we’re working quite literally in at least one of our staff’s neighborhood.
Why should someone consider supporting Creek Week?
Creek Week is a great opportunity to learn about the FCWFCGD and to support an event that’s grown and continues to grow as an example of strong land ethics and community responsibility. It’s a way to meet and interact with people with similar values and willingness to take time to give back within our watershed.
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Conversations with Brewers on Water,
the Environment and Beer
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The Fountain Creek Brewshed® Alliance is a program of the Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District. The Alliance’s goal is to engage citizens in conversations and actions that will lead to water protection and enhancement. The group consists of water resource and craft brewing industry professionals connecting our communities to the shared values of healthy watersheds and locally made beer through education and events.
We recently talked with Tony Garcia, Brewmaster for Brues Alehouse in Pueblo.
How and why did you get involved in the Fountain Creek Brewshed Alliance?
Once the important work of the Fountain Creek Brewshed Alliance was brought to our attention, we thought it would be great to be part of this wonderful organization.
What's your brewing history or background? Why did you become a brewer, and why did you select Pueblo?
I attended brewing schools in both Chicago and Munich, Germany, and I’ve been brewing at Brues Alehouse since its opening in 2015. We are a family owned business from Pueblo, so it’s been great to bring forth a concept that increases the quality of life of our community.
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Are there any “best practices” in terms of conservation, water quality, or other “green” initiatives you have learned from other brewers or that you would like to share?
Water quality is extremely important in the brewing process. We mimic the water of the regions in which our beer styles originate. We start with de-mineralized water and add back minerals in very specific quantities to obtain a desired water profile.
What are the biggest challenges brewmasters face in regards to creating a quality product from quality ingredients?
The biggest challenge is understanding the interaction of variables within the brewing process. This starts with understanding raw materials and their impact on the final product. Then, understanding the process related variables. The difference between a great beer and a world class beer is attention to detail on every level.
You and your brewery have joined the Brewshed Alliance. Is it safe to assume you prioritize water conservation and water quality efforts? If so,what would you like your patrons to understand about these efforts?
Being located on the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk, we have a tremendous respect for natural waterways and always promote safe practices within the brewery.
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What do you wish residents and visitors to the Fountain Creek Watershed knew about your challenges, successes or processes, especially in terms of the environment and water quality?
Southern Colorado has great water for brewers and brewing related processes. Many brewers can get away with minimal treatment, which is a different story for other cities such as Chicago, where water quality is sub-optimal.
Can you share any thoughts about Creek Week – past, present, or future?
We are proud to represent The Fountain Creek Brewshed Alliance and look forward to a positive future partnership!
Do you know of a Colorado craft brewery or taphouse that wants to be a part of the Brewshed® Alliance? Interested in volunteering at events? Email us at: creekweeksoco@gmail.com
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Coming Up: Virtual Liquid Lectures: Pollinators
Monday October 19, 5pm on Zoom
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RSVP on the Watershed District’s Facebook page and you'll receive a coupon code for $2 off to-go crowlers of beer from Brewshed Alliance sponsor Manitou Brewing Company to enjoy during the presentation!
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Virtual Wild and Scenic Film Festival
with Water Focus coming December 3
The District is looking forward to hosting its first virtual film festival, all about water! Prepare to be inspired and wowed at the films from the comfort of your own home. Details to come, event kicks off Thursday December 3.
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Please continue to maintain social distancing and use common sense when engaging in outdoor recreation. Take advantage of the healing power of nature—in your own backyard or on a walk. Just remember to follow local public health guidance and keep six feet or more from others outside your family. Wash your hands with soap and water once you return from your adventure. Getting outdoors, being in nature, and moving our bodies is good for everyone!
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UPCOMING MEETINGS
There will be opportunities to meet virtually with Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District Committees. CLICK HERE for more information.
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