Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
Upper Rio Grande Strategic Program Development
Alexander Funk
Executive Summary
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership’s (TRCP) mission is to guarantee all
Americans quality places to hunt and fish. TRCP advances public policy to protect wildlife
habitat and healthy waterways and promote investment in a resilient outdoor recreation
economy.
TRCP is working to expand its Water Resources Program into new geographies, with a
focus on the western United States. TRCP is developing several grant proposals to create a
new initiative focusing on the Upper Rio Grande Basin in Colorado and New Mexico, with a
near-term focus on the San Luis Valley (SLV). TRCP will be conducting several convenings
in the SLV with partners to develop a federal water policy and programming strategic plan
for the Upper Rio Grande Basin, which will include a systems and power mapping exercise
to identify opportunities to align the program with other TRCP priorities such as wildlife
management and the critical decision-makers to promote TRCP objectives. Students will
work with the TRCP’s Directors of Water Resources and Strategic Partnerships to develop
the plan.
Students will work on other ongoing priorities, including coordinating outdoor recreation
community responses around the upcoming Colorado Water Plan Update. The
update provides an opportunity to inform state decision-making and funding priorities for
the next five years. TRCP is working to ensure the update includes the outdoor recreation
community’s priorities concerning measurable objectives and actions. Students will assist
TRCP staff in monitoring update developments, researching supportive outdoor recreation
policies, reviewing the public draft of the update, and writing comments to inform the
update.