Steamboat Springs nonprofit Friends of the Yampa is asking for help from river users on the middle Yampa River to submit information through the Boating and Fishing Intercept Survey.

Anyone who has already or intends to float or fish on the Yampa River between Hayden Pump Station and South Beach in Craig this summer season can fill out the boating and fishing survey to assist the Yampa River Scorecard Project.

The five-minute survey will help the nonprofit better understand the way the Yampa Valley community is experiencing the river and bring any issues or special topics to light. The survey can be found on the Friends of the Yampa website via the “Volunteer” tab or Friendsoftheyampa.com/volunteer-opportunities.

---

---

“The success of the scorecard project and the success of gauging the health of the Yampa River is reliant on the help and interest of the community,” said Lindsey Marlow, Friends of the Yampa executive director.

Organizers say the Yampa River Scorecard Project is needed due to several challenging issues including: simultaneous project planning efforts, data gaps related to river health and function, lack of accessibility to river data by all community members, and a lack of comprehensive understanding of the ecological health and community benefits of the river.

---

---

Marlow said the Scorecard Project began in December 2020 and has included assistance from a variety of educational and nonprofit partners and stakeholders including current river monitoring work by Colorado Mountain College students. The scorecard will be released by early 2023 to gauge the river health and function to help advise river managers and landowners. The goal is to help build a more engaged and informed community and provide direction for river management to improve the long-term health of the Yampa River.

For questions contact, Jenny Frithsen, Friends of the Yampa environmental program manager, at jenny@friendsoftheyampa.com.