During this week’s Town Council meeting, four students from Basalt Middle School shared valuable lessons they’ve learned about the importance of waterways through the Roaring Fork Conservancy’s semester-long Watershed Pen Pals program.
From across the continental divide, students from Basalt Middle School connected with students from Vista Peak Exploratory in Aurora to talk about the headwaters these two communities share.
Students from the two schools exchanged letters and learned what their communities had in common. Students from Aurora were then invited to the Western Slope to meet their pen pals and see the local watershed firsthand by way of hikes and rafting trips down the Roaring Fork River.
“The program really came from a desire to connect people across the state that utilize the same headwaters,” explained Megan Dean, director of education for Roaring Fork Conservancy. “We send about 40% of our headwater to the Aurora and Front Range area [through a transbasin diversion] and a lot of people on the Front Range aren’t really aware of where their drinking water comes from.”
The program was designed to teach students the importance of conservation and sustainability, and to build relationships based on shared water sources. It was supported by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Pitkin County Healthy Waters and rafting outfitter Blazing Adventures.
Basalt Middle School students Alex Chmura, Gibson Livingston, Kurt Wiltgen and Reggie Lewin stood at the podium to present what they learned. A short video detailed the curriculum, complete with hands-on experiments regarding water usage, fishing for aquatic macroinvertebrates and fun outdoor recreation.
“I like our rivers and reservoirs to be deep enough to do activities like rafting, swimming and backflips off paddleboards,” said Lewin. “We need to conserve water so it stays in the river.”
Dean commented on the contention surrounding water rights and usage between the Western Slope and the Front Range, saying, “These students are pioneers in creating positive relationships to create sustainable conversations and ways that we can come together to move forward.”
This year marks the second of Watershed Pen Pals program and Roaring Fork Conservancy’s 29th year in action.
Rick Lafaro, executive director of Roaring Fork Conservancy, praised the program’s success, declaring it indicative of how significant water sustainability has become across the community.
“This [program] is one of the greatest examples of what this town and this community and especially this organization can do to raise awareness, not just here in the Valley but across the state,” he said.
ADU Incentive Program
To encourage alternative housing solutions, the council unanimously approved a framework for an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) incentive program.
Basalt’s 2024 Housing Needs Assessment recommended the development of such a program, and shortly thereafter Town staff contracted Design Workshop and Economic & Planning Systems (EPS) to perform outreach and draft a potential policy. The draft was presented on Sept. 23.
Design Workshop and EPS found that, due to Basalt’s zoning laws, development of ADUs required a lengthy legal process that was considered likely to discourage interested residents. Part of the new ordinance will streamline the ADU approval process to reduce political barriers to development.
In order for interested residents to be eligible to receive funding through the incentive program, tenants for the potential ADUs must either work within three miles of Basalt, be retired or disabled with previous employment in Basalt or telecommute while living full time within three miles of Basalt.
Initially, tenants were required to sign a minimum one-year lease. However, councilors agreed that the minimum lease should be shortened to six months due to the seasonal nature of employment in Basalt.
Although the ordinance does not specify how much funding will be set aside for the program, nor how much funding will be granted to eligible residents, the new program and code amendments should pave the way to new, accessible housing.