One Last Look Back

The 25th Arkansas River Basin Water Forum’s 2019 program: “A River of Dreams & Realties, Then and Now” featured three days of total immersion in the world of water at the newly remodeled Pueblo Convention Center. Events started with the VIP dinner on April 23, and featured workshops, dinners, and social networking on April 24 and 25. 

All of the events were keyed to the idea of progress made through collaboration in the past 25 years. At the VIP Dinner, recovering journalist Chris Woodka interviewed modern-day counterparts of a few of the original Forum speakers. Workshops over the next two days followed the same format looking at municipal, agricultural, recreation and environmental issues.

About 180 people attended the VIP dinner, and about 225 signed up for the two-day Forum.

The highlight of the Forum was the keynote speech by U.S. Senator Cory Gardner, who took the opportunity to voice his support for the Arkansas Valley Conduit. Gardner said it’s hjgh time for the federal government to keep its promise to the Lower Arkansas Valley and build the conduit.

John Stulp, former Colorado Water Policy Adviser, and Russ George, director of the Interbasin Compact Committee also delivered keynote addresses at the Forum. Both stressed the need for cooperative efforts to move water programs and projects forward.

Spanning the generational changes that provided the framework of the conference were Jim Valliant, a member of the planning committee for the 1995 Forum, and Silas Malers, a budding engineer at age 12. Mr. Valliant spoke of the vastly changed landscape of water at Wednesday’s luncheon, while young Silas demonstrated complex interrelationships within a watershed with a model constructed of Legos. 

Along the same theme, the Not So Silent Auction raised more than $3,100 for scholarships. Two scholarship winners Evan Olivier and Brian Craig, attended the closing luncheon. A third scholarship went to Sierra Heimel.

Jean Van Pelt was the first woman to be awarded the Bob Appel Friend of the Arkansas River Award. Jean was the Forum organizer for many years and currently serves on the board of directors.

​And at the conclusion of the Forum, Paul Fanning provided a wonderful summation of the week’s activities. At the end of the talk, he revealed that Kip Peterson's (Donala Water and Sanitation District) ugly tie simply will not go away. Paul won the tie at auction at the 2017 Forum, and gratefully surrendered it in 2018 to Rena Brand of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. John Stulp, former water policy advisor for Gov. Hickenlooper, purchased it at auction in 2019, with the condition that Paul wear it in 2020. Paul made some sort of vague, muffled threat about its fate in 2020, but no one heard it among the din from plates, glasses, and cutlery being removed from tables by the wait staff.

Stay tuned.

​Chris Woodka
ARBWF Planning Committee
Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District

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