Catch the Drift’s goal is: Fostering stewardship locally and statewide by cultivating education within the community and greater users of the Yampa River resulting in a well-respected and protected Yampa River.

Why do we need to Catch the Drift? We recognize a need for education at the local and state level to illuminate the importance of the Yampa River as a precious recreational and water resource for Colorado. The impact that the Yampa River has on our community and the organizations that are working to protect it require more public awareness and greater support to renew interest in stewardship around the Yampa River.

Catch the Drift Description: Catch the Drift has one mission; however we plan to implement four main components of the project to achieve this goal.

Knowledge Sharing/Education: Leadership Steamboat combined with our local partners will create and install permanent educational signs along the core trail and Yampa River at highly trafficked areas. These signs will detail how to protect our rivers through safe recreational practices, preservation and understanding the Yampa’s inherent value. Areas of focus are water quality, water quantity and sustainability. The permanent educational signs will be designed in partnership with local youth, fostering community involvement.

Steamboat Stewardship Kit: We will create a Stewardship Kit containing a campaign branded Mesh River Bag and branded reusable canteens to encourage healthy and sustainable practices for recreating on the Yampa River and in the Yampa Valley. The Stewardship Kits will be available for nonprofits to use for fundraising at the closure of the 2015 Leadership Steamboat project.

Community Education/Communication: We will launch a marketing and communication campaign around the project titled Catch the Drift, including branding, logo, information brochures, and an informational video. We will also host an evening event (6:30 to 9 pm) on Thursday May 28th at the Chief Theatre that kicks off the Friends of the Yampa River Fest Weekend. At this event we will have a Catch the Drift themed discussion where speakers from our local and regional partners will lead seminars about topics relevant to this project; examples include Water Rights and Fish Habitat along the Yampa.

Community Collaboration for Success: Leadership Steamboat approaches this project as an outsider with the intention to bring all local and regional partners together to accomplish the mission of the project.