The RIO grande headwaters restoration project, in collaboration with ducks unlimited, will work with private landowners and other partners to design agricultural infrastructure upgrades and associated…

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded $300,000 under its Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CFDA 15.554) to Ducks Unlimited Inc., Great Plains Regional Office, to support the Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project. The award, obligated on October 31, 2025, with completion targeted for March 31, 2028, funds the design and planning of agricultural infrastructure upgrades and associated river and wetland restoration initiatives in the Saguache Creek watershed of south-central Colorado. Working collaboratively with private landowners and a diverse stakeholder watershed group, Ducks Unlimited will design updates to headgate diversions, ditch systems, streambank stabilization measures, habitat enhancements, and wetland restoration projects that improve water delivery efficiency for agricultural use while protecting riparian ecosystems, wildlife habitat, and endangered species resources. These efforts address the watershed's vulnerability to declining ecological resilience, water supply shortages, drought impacts, and aquatic ecosystem degradation, as identified in the Saguache Creek Stream Management Plan.

The project reflects the Cooperative Watershed Management Program's core mission to support grassroots watershed groups composed of diverse stakeholders—including landowners, agricultural irrigators, community organizations, and environmental interests—in developing collaborative solutions to regional water management challenges. Ducks Unlimited's substantial track record in wetlands conservation, habitat restoration, and federal partnership implementation positions the organization to deliver high-quality restoration planning and design work that balances agricultural, environmental, and recreational needs across this critical watershed region.

The RIO grande headwaters restoration project, in collaboration with ducks unlimited, will work with private landowners and other partners to design agricultural infrastructure upgrades and associated river and wetland restoration projects identified in the saguache creek stream management plan. The plan focuses on a portion of the lower saguache creek and its floodplain in south-central colorado. The saguache creek watershed is vulnerable to several critical threats and issues including declining ecological resiliency, water supply shortages, endangered species concerns, drought impacts, aquatic and riparian ecosystem degradation, and conflicts over water supply. The watershed group design updates to headgate diversions, ditch systems, streambank stabilization, habitat enhancement and wetland restoration to deliver water more effectively and efficiently for agricultural purposes, while protecting important resources for wildlife and endangered species. The watershed group includes landowners, agricultural irrigators, community organizations, recreational, industrial, and environmental interests.