On Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) took one of the crucial consequential actions within the 50-year historical past of Colorado’s Instream Circulate Program, approving the acquisition of the historic Shoshone Hydroelectric Plant water rights for everlasting instream move safety. This resolution will echo for generations. It represents years of robust conversations, negotiation, and actually distinctive collaboration amongst individuals who typically disagree however finally united round a shared reality: now could be the second to do one thing vital for the ecological well being of the Colorado River.
Why the Shoshone Water Rights Matter
The Shoshone water rights, courting to 1902 and 1929, have lengthy anchored regular, year-round flows via Glenwood Canyon, the Grand Valley, and much downstream. Although used for hydropower, the suitable is completely non-consumptive—each drop returns to the river. These reliable flows maintain cottonwood and willow forests, wetlands, sandbars, and dynamic aspect channels that gas the meals internet and help nesting, foraging, and migratory birds from Yellow Warblers to Black-crowned Night time Herons, Bald Eagles, and numerous waterfowl.
But the century-old Shoshone Energy Plant created actual uncertainty about whether or not these return flows would endure. With out motion, a foundational piece of the river’s hydrology—and the ecosystems and economies it helps—may have been misplaced. The CWCB’s resolution secures these flows for the longer term.
Speaker of the Home Consultant Julie McCluskie captured the importance of this second: this chance arose solely via distinctive collaboration—the Colorado River District, Xcel Power and Public Service Firm of Colorado, and CWCB employees working collectively to craft an settlement that pairs ecological advantages with long-term certainty for water customers and communities on either side of the Continental Divide.
A Main Step for Colorado’s Instream Circulate Program
The acquisition of the Shoshone water rights will turn out to be one of many largest instream move protections in Colorado historical past, safeguarding tons of of miles of river habitat, together with stretches that help endangered fish species. It expands the promise of Colorado’s Instream Circulate Program, established in 1973 to maintain water in rivers for the preservation of the setting.
Speaker McCluskie additionally highlighted one thing extraordinary about this effort: it introduced collectively “essentially the most unlikely of coalitions”—ranchers and kayakers, conservation teams and chambers of commerce, anglers and municipal water suppliers. Teams that usually stand on reverse sides of water debates discovered widespread objective as a result of they acknowledged the generational significance of this second.
The Colorado Common Meeting acknowledged this as effectively. Following a unanimous suggestion from the CWCB, legislators accredited a bipartisan—and practically unanimous— $20 million appropriation to the Colorado River District to assist safe the Shoshone rights. That vote mirrored a shared understanding throughout areas, divides, and political events that it is a once-in-a-lifetime alternative for Colorado.
Audubon’s Function—and a Name to Motion for Our Chapters
Audubon Rockies joined with conservation companions as a celebration to the acquisition course of—a sign of how vital this safety is for birds and river well being. Whereas being a celebration restricted our capability to remark throughout the public course of, ten impartial Colorado Audubon chapters stepped into that function with energy and unity, urging the CWCB to approve the acquisition.
Collectively, our neighborhood chapters characterize greater than 34,000 members who perceive that defending water means defending the birds, communities, and economies woven into the material of Colorado’s rivers. The Shoshone instream move acquisition exhibits what is feasible when statewide voices come along with a shared objective.
A River, a Legacy, a Future
The Shoshone instream move acquisition honors greater than a century of stewardship whereas strengthening our resilience in an period of accelerating water change. It protects ecological operate, helps farms, ranches, recreation economies, and communities throughout the basin, and helps make sure that the Colorado River will proceed to maintain birds, fish, wildlife, and folks lengthy into the longer term.
Speaker McCluskie reminded the CWCB that right this moment’s vote “carries generational weight”—and she or he urged the Board to grab this historic second. They did.
Colorado selected a future the place the Colorado River retains flowing—not only for us, however for all of the life it sustains. Audubon Rockies applauds the Colorado River District, the CWCB, and the water neighborhood for its collaboration, management, foresight, and dedication to wholesome rivers.
It is a win for birds. A win for communities. A win for the Colorado River.
