About

Grove of aspen trees in autumn all gold and lush

Resilient Landscapes Through Collaboration

Headwaters of the Colorado (HOC) Initiative is a dedicated effort to ensure the health and resilience of the forested and rangeland watersheds within the Upper Colorado River Basin. By focusing on science-based planning, collaboration, and restoration, HOC addresses critical challenges such as water scarcity, forest health, and biodiversity conservation. Our work spans state boundaries to create sustainable solutions that benefit local communities, ecosystems, and downstream economies.

Remembering Pat O'Toole

"Headwaters of the Colorado partners, supporters, and community members across the West mourn the loss of Pat O'Toole who passed away on February 25th, 2024.

Pat's larger than life optimism had a tangible effect on all who met or worked with him and his enthusiasm for agriculture, healthy ecosystems, rivers, and conservation has left all of us a better world to live in. As a self-described "maniac with a mission," Pat never met a challenge that was not waiting to be overcome. His optimism, perseverance, and passionate engagement will not be forgotten.

The Headwaters of the Colorado Initiative is the culmination of a long-held dream of Pat's and without his work it would not be where it is today. We will continue to mourn Pat's passing but will take the lessons he taught us and continue to work for a better world so another six generations and more can continue to live and work in natural places within the lands of the Little Snake and Yampa Rivers." - Jonathan Bowler, former Headwaters of the Colorado Coordinator

Steering committee

Counties, private landowners, conservation districts, research institutions, NGOs representing land, water, and agricultural issues, Tribes, businesses, and state and federal land and water managers in both Colorado and Wyoming.

  • Chair - Ken Brenner + Excom Members

  • Meghan Lally - Wyoming Landowner

  • Matt Marshall - Wyoming Deputy State Forester

  • Tim Redmond - Routt County Commisioner

  • CJ Mucklow - Colorado Landowner

  • Dawn Arnell - Little Snake River Conservation District

  • Jack Cobb - Agriculture, Little Snake River Conservation District

  • Carolina Manriquez - Colorado State Forest Service

  • Jeremy Dedic - Wyoming State Forestry Division, Partnership coordinator

  • Jayla Poppleton - Western Resilience Center

  • Tim Sullivan - Western Resilience Center

  • Alison Lerch - Colorado Department of Natural Resources

  • Luke Coffey - National Forest Foundation

  • Shayna Jones - National Forest Foundation

  • Kevin McAleese - Sand County Foundation

  • John Barkowski - Colorado Parks and Wildlife

  • USFS Routt-Medicine Bow and Thunder Basin National Grassland Forest (Ex-officio, non-voting)

Autumn forest with trees and ground cover of many colors

Executive Committee

Oversees day-to-day operations, including staffing, fiscal sponsorship, and other administrative needs, to ensure the functioning of HOC. Decisions of consequence are brought back to the full Steering Committee for a vote.

  • Ken Brenner - Steering Committee Chair

  • Tim Redmond - Routt County Commissioner

  • Meghan Lally - Ladder Ranch, Wyoming Landowner

  • Jayla Poppleton - Western Resilience Center

  • Shayna Jones - National Forest Foundation

  • Matt Marshall - WY Deputy State Forester

A unique group of private landowners, public lands managers, local governments, resource experts, businesses, conservation districts, research institutions, and non-profit organizations have come together to address issues and scale up restoration and management of the HOC. The conservation and protection of this unique resource involves multiple public and private entities, private and public land use decisions, and agency and agricultural practices and policies in two states. 

 The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest is a multiple-use, shared national treasure and as such presents challenges and opportunities to manage resources across jurisdictional boundaries. The HOC will provide structure and context to further engage in joint, landscape scale planning to align future activities across boundaries with multiple partners. 

Stakeholders

  • Western Landowner’s Alliance*

  • National Forest Foundation*

  • Walton Family Foundation

  • United States Forest Service*

  • United States Bureau of Land Management

  • United States Natural Resource Conservation Service

  • United States Bureau of Reclamation

  • Colorado State Forest Service*

  • Wyoming Department of Forestry*

  • Colorado Department of Natural Resources

  • Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife

  • Carbon County Wyoming Commissioners

  • Routt County Colorado Commissioners*

  • Moffat County Colorado Commissioners

  • Colorado River District

  • University of Wyoming

  • Colorado State University

  • Little Snake River Conservation District

  • Little Snake River Conservancy District

  • Pothook Conservancy District

  • Gov. Mark Gordon

  • US Sen. Hickenlooper

  • US Sen. Bennet

  • US Rep. Neguse

  • US Sen. Barrasso

  • US Sen. Lummis

  • WY Sen. Larry Hicks

  • Mountain Pine Management

  • Saratoga Forest Management

  • Colorado Timber Industry

  • Yampa-White-Green Roundtable

  • Yampa Valley Sustainability Council

  • The Nature Conservancy

  • Community Ag Alliance

  • Family Farm Alliance

  • Intermountain West Joint Venture

  • Partnerscapes

  • Ladder Livestock

  • Cobb Cattle Company

  • Trout Unlimited

  • Wild Turkey Foundation

  • Mule Deer Foundation

  • American Rivers

  • Ducks Unlimited

*Executive Committee Membership

Want to become a Stakeholder? Contact us to get started.

Contact

Matt Smith - headwatersofthecolorado@gmail.com

Headwaters of the Colorado Initiative Watershed Coordinator

Matt Smith is a fifth-generation Wyomingite who grew up in small communities that deeply value their connection to the landscapes of the West. With an undergraduate degree in geology from the University of Wyoming and a master’s in environmental management from Western Colorado University, Matt brings a strong scientific foundation to land and water stewardship. Passionate about well-functioning natural systems and the ways humans interact with them, he is particularly focused on water management and conservation.

As the Watershed Coordinator for the Headwaters of Colorado Initiative, Matt will work to enhance watershed resilience through collaborative, science-based management. His background includes extensive experience in water quality and scientific research, spanning topics such as carbon sequestration to landscape evolution and soil quality enhancements. With a strong commitment to ecological resilience, he will focus on holistic water management strategies that support both working lands and natural ecosystems.