Fishing, Safety & Stewardship on the Upper Rio Grande RIO READY
RIO READY IS A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE RIO GRANDE HEADWATERS LAND TRUST
AND MANAGED BY SECANA CO.
about the
project
River SchoolRIVER SCHOOL IS A SERIES OF TEN PUBLIC COURSES TAUGHT BY LOCAL OUTFITTERS JACKALOPE ANGLERS AND CREEDE GUIDE & OUTFITTERS, WHO PASS ON WHAT THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS RIVER TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF RIVER USERS. THE COURSES BUILD SKILLS IN BOATING AND FISHING AND A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE UPPER RIO GRANDE’S ECOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY AND PEOPLE. THE AIM IS A COMMUNITY OF ANGLERS AND BOATERS WHO ARE SKILLED, SAFE, INVESTED IN THE RIVER’S FUTURE AND MINDFUL OF ITS MANY USES.
River MapTHE RIVER MAP, DEVELOPED BY CONFLUENCE MAPPING, MAKES THE UPPER RIO GRANDE EASIER TO READ, ACCESS AND CARE FOR. CONFLUENCE MAPPING IS CREATING THE RIVER’S FIRST COMPLETE MAP, SHOWING ACCESS POINTS, HAZARDS, DIVERSIONS AND LAND OWNERSHIP, WITH QR CODES FOR REAL-TIME FLOWS. THE FREE MAP LAUNCHES IN SPRING 2028 IN PRINT, AT PUT-INS AND TAKE-OUTS, AND ONLINE.
THIS PROJECT FOLLOWS HISTORIC, CATASTROPHIC FLOODING IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS.
why it matters
CLIMATE CHANGE IS RESHAPING THE RIO GRANDE. DROUGHT HAS CUT FLOWS ACROSS THE BASIN, LEAVING THE RIVER LOW AND UNPREDICTABLE IN PEAK SEASON AND HARDER TO GET ON AND OFF SAFELY. OFF-SEASON HIGH WATER BRINGS HAZARDS OF ITS OWN. AGRICULTURAL WATER USERS AND RIVER USERS HAVE LONG BEEN IN TENSION, AND NO PUBLIC MAP SHOWS ACCESS POINTS, HAZARDS, DIVERSIONS OR PORTAGE ZONES ON THE UPPER RIO GRANDE. RIVER RECREATION IS ALSO ONE OF THE VALLEY’S MOST VALUABLE NON-CONSUMPTIVE USES OF WATER. AN AMERICAN RIVERS / ONE WATER ECON STUDY FOUND $213.7 MILLION A YEAR IN WATER-RECREATION BENEFITS IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY, WITH EVERY $1 SPENT RETURNING $1.91 TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
RIO READY IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE NATIONAL OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM. WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR THEIR INVESTMENT IN THE UPPER RIO GRANDE AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO SAFE, ACCESSIBLE FISHING FOR EVERYONE. THIS SUPPORT LETS LOCAL OUTFITTERS, LANDOWNERS AND CONSERVATION PARTNERS COME TOGETHER AROUND A SHARED FUTURE FOR OUR BELOVED RIO GRANDE.