Water Connections
The 2025 Water Connections Event
Join us for an evening of discussion about water, fire, and climate resilience in our community, presented by the Four Corners Water Center, SGM Engineering, and Southwestern Water Conservation District in partnership with the FLC Political Engagement Project.
Registration Now Open! Click here to Register.
Event Summary:
This year, we are partnering with FLC SkyPEP (Political Engagement Project) on a “Community by Conversation” event around water, fire, and climate resilience in our region. We will have four guest speakers present their perspectives on these topics at the beginning of the event. The idea is to get different perspectives on these topics, including perspectives from Tribal and Indigenous communities, state and local government agencies, agricultural producers, and forest health experts.
What makes this year’s event special is that the speakers will be followed by a group conversation involving all event attendees. We will recruit 10 students to facilitate this portion of the event, who will be trained on skills for facilitating transformative and productive dialogue around difficult and complex topics.
We want you to bring your unique perspective on water, fire, and climate resilience to our program!
Event Details:
Event Date:
Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, at 5:30 PM
Event Location:
Student Union Ballroom, Fort Lewis College
Event schedule:
5:00 PM: Social hour with food
6:00 PM: Presentations from local government, tribal and indigenous communities, agricultural producers, and forestry experts.
6:30 PM: Facilitated conversations at tables with FLC students and community members
Please share this event with your networks!
Water Connections Flyer 2025.pdfThe 2024 Water Connections Event - The Ute Water Legacy Film Screening and Panel.
Date: 10-23-2024
Time: 5-6 pm Reception, 6-8 pm Program
Location: Fort Lewis College, Student Union Building, Ballroom
Details:
The 2024 Water Connections Event included a reception and special film screening of “The Ute Water Legacy,” a Rocky Mountain PBS Colorado Experience episode from local filmmaker Christi Bode.
Panel discussion to follow:
- Vice Chairman Lorelei Cloud - Southern Ute Indian Tribe & CWCB Director
- Chairman Manuel Heart - Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
- Christine Arbogast - President, Colorado Water Congress
- Trent Taylor - Owner, Blue Horizon Farms, Hesperus, CO
- Moderator: Celene Hawkins - Director of the CO River Tribal Partnerships Program, The Nature Conservancy
Ute Water Legacy - Trailer
The 4th Annual “Water Connections: Animas River Happenings,” occurred in October of 2023. The educational event was hosted by the Southwestern Water Conservation District (SWCD), Four Corners Water Center at Fort Lewis College (FLC), and SGM– with five-minute flash talks, conversation, networking, beverages, and more! Hors d’oeuvres were provided by Farm to Fingers Grazing.
Theme:
Have you accessed the Animas River through one of the designated local access points, watched Water Days from the banks of the water park, or floated through the rapids yourself? Are you curious about what happened to the Animas after the Gold King Mine Spill, the 416 fire, or the health of fish in the river? Have you thought about the cultural values, recreational opportunities, and history of this river that flows by us every day? If you answer yes to any of these, this event is for you! Our diverse set of presenters, from private land owners to leaders of the ongoing Animas River Plan, will give 5-minute flash talks on current and past issues, updates, and their work on the Animas River.
Watch the 3rd Annual Water Connections: The Value of Water
More than 70 people attended the third annual Water Connections explored the value of water with a panel discussion prompted by Christi Bode Skeie’s recent PBS documentary, “Farm to Faucet.” Missed it? You can catch up with the videos below.
2022 Water Connections was hosted by Southwestern Water Conservation District, Four Corners Water Center at Fort Lewis College, and SGM.
Did you miss “Water Connections,” hosted by the Southwestern Water Conservation District and Four Corners Water Center at Fort Lewis College?
Not to worry! Click here to watch the recording of the event which focused on forest health management and other water management adaptation strategies. More details about the event are available here.
More than 100 people signed on for “Water Connections: SW’s Virtual Water Cooler,” a virtual event hosted by the Southwestern Water Conservation District and Four Corners Water Center at Fort Lewis College. This opportunity for engagement and learning focused on COVID-19 impacts to the state budget and agricultural industry, water year 2020 hydrology and drought experiences, and the future of the Colorado River basin.
Throughout the event, useful links, contact information, and speaker bios were shared in the chat. Those resources have been organized in the following document:
Water Connections Chat Links, Contact Info, Bios.If you missed the event, please see the full recording provided below.
Annually, Southwestern Water Conservation District (SWCD), Four Corners Water Center at Fort Lewis College (FLC), and SGM host a Water Connections Event at Fort Lewis College. Events have ranged from video showings, forums, and flash talks.
