Who We Are...
The Four Corners Water Center at Fort Lewis College is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to contributing to solutions to our water challenges. The combined effects of climate change and growing human population strain our limited water supply in the arid southwest.
Our continued resilient use and stewardship of water relies on informed citizens, decision-makers and future leaders who support effective management of our water. We are dedicated to the development of creative collaborative solutions to overcome our existing and future water challenges.
What We Do...
Cultivate the next generation of water leaders
We are developing pathways for FLC’s diverse student body into water-focused graduate school and career trajectories. Leveraging existing courses and faculty expertise we will develop water-focused academic programs and co-curricular activities to propel students into leadership roles in their home communities and regions. Working across disciplines, our goal is to create a pipeline of students who will become lifelong stewards and future managers of our watersheds.
Ongoing efforts:
- Support new FLC student water club, H2Org, with 30+ members that are dedicated to educating themselves and others about water and to enhancing their abilities to attain a career in water. Host guest speakers, tours, and career and networking events and create opportunities for students to share what they’re learning with others
- Connect students to internships, projects, and careers related to water
- Assist students in attending regional, statewide and national water conferences, meetings and workshops
- Build a water-focused curriculum to provide students with valuable knowledge and skills related to snow, rivers and water
Inform and engage students and the public in regional water issues and solutions
We strive to provide sound science-based information to the general public, the water professional community, and the FLC community via a variety of pathways to facilitate decision-making that supports solutions to our water challenges.
Ongoing efforts:
- Share important water events, studies, and opportunities via website, newsletter and social media
- Create online resource guides that transform data into useful information for the watersheds and rivers of the Four Corners region
- Host educational events on campus, e.g., Fall Water Forum Sept 2019, Water Law in a Nutshell Oct 2019, RMPBS Water in the West Screening Feb 2020, water seminar series speakers
Collaborate with regional water and education organizations
Collaboration is key to development of successful solutions to our water challenges. Despite competing uses for water in the west, we share many values when it comes to our need for a safe, resilient water system. We strive to build on common values to encourage dialogue and conversations to move us toward solutions.
Ongoing efforts:
- Host monthly happy hours for water professionals in the Durango area promoting informal discussion
- Participate in regional, statewide and national water meetings, workshops and conferences to keep FLC engaged in solutions to water challenges in the southwest and Colorado
- Play an active role in the healthy forest collaboratives in southwest Colorado
- Host events to promote dialogue to move toward solutions to our water challenges
- Build partnerships with regional organizations to extend the reach and impact of our activities