About
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, Headwaters of the Colorado Coordinaton
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
CJ Mucklow - Colorado Landowner
Jack Cobb - Little Snake River Conservation District
John Twitchell - Colorado State Forest Service
Travis Pardue - Wyoming State Forestry Division, Partnership coordinator
Tim Sullivan - Yampa Valley Sustainability Council
Alison Lerch - Colorado Department of Natural Resources
Russ Bacon - USFS Routt-Medicine Bow and Thunder Basin National Grassland Forest Supervisor (Ex-officio, non-voting)
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.
Tim Redmond - Routt County Commissioner
Linda Poole - Western Landowners Alliance
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.
Siobhan Lally
Interim Headwaters of the Colorado Initiative Project Coordinator
Growing up on the Ladder Ranch in Southern Wyoming helped shape Siobhan's love for landscapes across the west, multi-practice conservation, and the Colorado River system. She graduated from the University of Wyoming (Uwyo) with her bachelor's degrees in Agricultural Business and Political Science. She is now completing a master's certificate in GIS at Uwyo while additionally working as Research Assistant for the MacMillian Private Lands Stewardship Program. Her research revolves around Natural Capital Investments in the US. Siobhan serves on the Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV) government relations committee with whom she travels to Washington DC each year for hill visits. In the summer of 2022, Siobhan was an intern for the Department of Interior’s Department of Water and Science with Under Secretary Tanya Trujillo. This position allowed her to work at the federal level with Colorado River users. In her free time, Siobhan enjoys camping, hiking, and skiing across the West.