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Lee-Ann Hill: Watershed issues

It troubles me that Steamboat’s discussions and solutions about growth do not include real discussions about watershed sustainability. This is an era where municipalities and counties across the country are making important decisions based on the sustainability of their watersheds.

Mountain towns are not exempt from these concerns and realities, and watershed “thinking” is not a novel idea. Understanding the dynamics of the developing West and the resultant politics, John Wesley Powell advocated for watershed management when he surveyed the West in the late 1800s. For the Yampa Valley, growth is the quintessential issue that will impact the sustainability of our watershed. We need to conduct studies on how much water is available for growth; how many people can the water in our watershed support?

We have a responsibility to do these assessments and find ways to work, live and grow together in light of the results that does not jeopardize anyone’s livelihoods or the landscapes that keep us here. These are tricky times and tricky questions, but beating the same dead horse with the same old stick isn’t offering solutions that are compatible with contemporary realities, and the divisiveness is not healthy for the community. Let’s be creative, honest and collective in our discussions and realize that we are all in this together.  



Lee-Ann Hill

Steamboat Springs




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