BRUCE HOAGLAND AWARD FOR LEADERSHIP IN CONSERVATION
Melinda Kassen - Executive Director, TU Western Water Project
For
the past 10 years, Melinda Kassen, the recipient
of CTU’s 2009 Bruce Hoagland Award
for Leadership in Conservation, has been
a driving force behind TU’s efforts to use legal,
legislative and educational strategies to restore
and protect stream flows in Colorado.
The
pioneering director of the Colorado Water Project
in 1998, Melinda now oversees the Western
Water Project, which encompasses Utah,
Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Colorado. But
Melinda’s advocacy on behalf of rivers and streams
goes back more than 2 decades to the fight
to block the proposed Two Forks Dam.
At
first, the idea of affecting changes in water law—and
a mind set-rooted in the 19th Century - seemed
naive. But that’s exactly what the WWP
has done. Working
with CTU, local chapters and other conservation
groups, WWP successfully championed legislation
allowing water rights holders to
donate or lease portions of their right to the
state for instream flows. It also took the federal
government to court to save the Black Canyon
of the Gunnison from disastrous water depletions,
and has created publications such as
Dry Legacy and Facing
Our Future to help educate
the public—and decision makers—on the
benefits and need for “smart” water storage and
practices that keep more water in streams
for fish, wildlife and water quality.
CTU TROUT CONSERVATION AWARD
Ed Rapp - Clear Creen Watershed Foundation
Ed Rapp, president of the Clear Creek Watershed Foundation (CCWF) and a founder of both the CCWF and the Clear Creek Watershed Forum, was honored with the 2009 CTU Trout Conservation Award at the Spring Rendezvous at Redstone.
For nearly 30 years the West Denver chapter member and former director of resources for the Army Corps of Engineers has been a dedicated steward of Clear Creek, a notable victim of mine pollution that dates back more than 150 years.
Ed was instrumental in getting the federal government to make the Clear Creek/Central City Superfund area a top priority, and has created what the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Forest Service have cited as an “exemplary” program for watershed restoration. He has also played a key role as a stream advocate in the public planning process for the I-70 corridor.
Largely because of Ed’s efforts, the West Denver Chapter has made Clear Creek the focus of several major stream restoration projects, including the “Golden Mile.”