About Us

The mission of the Left Hand Watershed Center is to assess, protect, and restore Left Hand Creek Watershed, and to serve as a resource for other watersheds using a collaborative and science-based approach.

Goals 

In pursuit of our mission the Left Hand Watershed Center endeavors to carry out the following goals:

Adaptively Manage
Watersheds

Assess watershed health using science-based adaptive management.

Find Balanced Solutions for Working Rivers

Bring together diverse community members with competing values to develop on-the-ground solutions through open communication and cooperation.

Engage
Community

Build community-wide stewardship ethic rooted in watershed science and place-based, participatory learning.

Restore
Rivers & Forests

Plan and implement on-the-ground projects that advance watershed restoration practices.

Who We Are

Established in 2005, we have strong roots in our community and we are led by a diverse board of enthusiastic stakeholders. We value science and community, and embrace these values to implement on-the-ground projects. While we maintain our roots in Left Hand Creek Watershed, we strive to apply our locally-developed tools regionally for the benefit of all Front Range watersheds and communities.
Map

History of Left Hand Watershed Center

Timeline

Watershed Insights

A collection of articles about Left Hand Watershed Center in history

First in Time, First in Right

Colorado’s First Inter-basin Water Transfer and the Coffin versus Left Hand Ditch Water Case

How did an 1879 water conflict in the Left Hand Creek headwaters come to influence water law in nine western states?

Captain Jack White Raven Mine

Captain Jack Superfund Site

and Left Hand Creek’s Legacy of Mining

Following the discovery of gold in Denver in 1859, it did not take long for miners to work their way up the creeks into the mountains, panning for gold and searching for the veins from which the nuggets came.

Haystack Mountain

Haystack

Is it a volcano?

Standing rather proudly in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains along the front range of Northern Colorado is a very unique little mountain affectionately known as Haystack Mountain, earning its name by the early dairy farmers who settled on its flanks.

Meet Our Staff

Staff Bios
Watershed Center Staff

Meet Our Board Members

Board Bios