Records of Friends of the Poudre

Friends of the Poudre, like its predecessor Preserve Our Poudre, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Cache la Poudre River and prevention of large dam projects in Poudre Canyon. Preserve Our Poudre (1980-1986) generated local support for designating the upper portion of the Poudre a Wild and Scenic River. Friends of the Poudre formed in 1986 to oppose the Grey Mountain Reservoir project and enhance the Poudre River's recreational, historic, and educational values.

Preserve Our Poudre (POP) began in the 1970s--a local example of a national grassroots movement that embraced environmental preservation and outdoor recreation. The group wanted to prevent the development of large dams and reservoirs on the Cache la Poudre River and to promote the river's health and recreational assets. POP incorporated as a non-profit in 1980 and made its primary objective gathering support to designate the upper reaches of the Poudre River a Wild and Scenic River. POP argued that damming the Poudre's main stem was environmentally unsound and would destroy many of the recreational opportunities that drew people to the area, such as trout fishing and whitewater rafting; a free-flowing river protected by Wild and Scenic status was economically important to Fort Collins and Northern Colorado.

POP's members, led by presidents Karen Waddell, Tom McKenna, and Charles (Chuck) Wanner, focused their energies on lobbying state and national lawmakers through letter-writing campaigns, hosting local educational and fundraising events such as Poudre Week and Poudre Freedom Ride, and testifying at public meetings and congressional hearings. POP coordinated with other environmental organizations, such as the Sierra Club and Colorado Open Space Council and negotiated with the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District while drafting Wild and Scenic legislation. On October 30, 1986, the U.S. Congress passed H.R. 4350, amending the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to include 75 miles of the Poudre River flowing through Poudre Canyon. Its main goal accomplished, POP dissolved soon after.

The same year, Gary Kimsey and other residents of Poudre Canyon formed Friends of the Poudre (FOP). FOP drew some membership from the defunct POP and made its primary objective preventing the construction of Grey Mountain Reservoir in the lower Poudre Canyon. The group decided that they would push for a park at the proposed reservoir site, knowing that citizens would be less inclined to support a reservoir that would destroy a popular recreation area. Under Kimsey's initial leadership as president and Chuck Wanner's later work as executive director, FOP realized both objectives. In 2004, Gateway Mountain Park (Gateway Natural Area) opened at the confluence of the North Fork and main stem of the Poudre River after an 18-year fundraising campaign spearheaded by FOP.

FOP coordinated with other interest groups to gain community support and add further legal protections for the Poudre River. They initiated a basin-wide stakeholder group. Beginning in 1987, the group organized an annual Poudre River Festival at popular locations in Poudre Canyon. In 2001, they took over sponsorship for the annual RiverFest from the Poudre River Trust. FOP supported designation of the Cache la Poudre-North Park Scenic and Historic Byway. In the 1990s, FOP advocated congressional approval of the Cache la Poudre National Heritage Area, a 45-mile section of the lower Poudre. FOP also joined the Save the Poudre coalition, which opposes the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) and Glade Reservoir.

Today, FOP continues to protest large water projects on the Cache la Poudre River while promoting recreational opportunities and riparian health. FOP members assist with monitoring the river's instream flows and water quality levels through programs like River Watch of Colorado, and FOP hosts educational events and funds projects focused on the Poudre's history.