Eagle River Fund Featured at Statewide Industry Conference

The Eagle River Fund was the topic of a presentation in Avon this week at the Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference at the Westin Riverfront Resort in Avon, CO.

Melanie Smith, the Eagle River Fund Manager, submitted the presentation proposal this spring, under the name, "How to create secure funding for the Eagle River: Lessons in Leveraging Opportunities."

The abstract read,"Existing organizations lead projects in the Eagle River Valley, but lack sufficient resources to and scale efforts. Pursuing solutions to this challenge introduces questions and options of all kinds, and it can be unclear how to proceed, especially because particulars of place and limited capacity contribute even more complexity. During the process of launching the Eagle River Fund, the Eagle River Coalition is learning from other organizations’ efforts, exploring non-traditional methods, and taking (calculated) risks to create secure funding for its river.

This presentation directly highlights themes of Adapting in Uncertain Times, What’s Working and What’s Next, and Unlikely Partnerships. It also touches on themes of Community, Collaboration & Self-Care and Forward-Thinking Approaches to Watershed Management."

This year’s conference theme, Community & Hope, honors the powerful network of people and partnerships that have grown over the past 20 years - and invited attendees to reflect on where we’ve been, while envisioning a future of thriving watersheds and resilient communities.

With an estimated conference attendance of 100+ people, the event is a much-anticipated annual gathering of watershed scientists, engineers, policy leaders, with representation from Colorado watershed groups, private firms, municipalities, and agencies.

The presentation was well-received, fielding questions from the audience and follow-up conversations.

Melanie Smith (right) catches up with Vicki Flynn, the Eagle River Coalition executive director, following a presentation at the 2025 Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference in Avon, CO, on October 8.