Stewarding our Water Future Conference:

Burlington Community Center

Burlington, CO

March 26, 2026 - March 27, 2026

Ogallala Commons invites you to register for our upcoming regional education event, a "Stewarding Our Water Future" Conference on March 26-27, 2026, at the Burlington Community Center in Burlington, CO!

Thursday, March 26th features a full day of conference presentations and exhibitions from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm, followed by a couple of Field Tours on Friday morning, March 27th (finishing with lunch then adjournment at 1pm Mountain Time.

The conference is presented by Ogallala Commons, with generous grant funding from the Gates Family Foundation.

Purpose of the Conference:

With irrigation prospects and domestic well levels dwindling, along with greatly reduced surface water in our rivers and tributaries, it’s easy to get discouraged about future water resources in the eastern Plains of Colorado.

For more than a century, human communities made a living by extracting large amounts of water from local landscapes. But going forward, our well-being and survival will depend on how well we keep water circulating in the landscapes, finding ways to rehydrate our soils, our streambeds and grasslands.

The purpose of this conference is: 1) to shift the public conversation about water depletion toward a more hopeful narrative built on a wide range of innovative solutions, and 2) to expand the stakeholder coalition focused on improving the water realities we leave for future generations.

In addition to more than seven sessions featuring 11 speakers on March 26th, the second day will offer three Field Tours on Friday morning, March 27th, conducted in the Burlington area (make sure you choose a tour when registering). There is also an option for attending only one day of the conference or only the Field Tours.

Click on the Registration button below, and before February 25th, you can get the Early Registration price of $50 for a tour day or $60 for both days!

On Feb. 25th, the Regular Registration $75 for both days.

Registration at the door for both days is $85.

Please contact me (Darryl Birkenfeld) for scholarship availability or with registration questions.

We hope to see you at our gathering in late March!

AGENDA:

Thursday, March 26th

8:15am Doors Open at the Burlington Community Center: Registration & Exhibit Viewing

9:00am Welcome & Overview

Darryl Birkenfeld, Ph.D., Director Emeritus, Ogallala Commons, Nazareth, TX

9:20am Assessing the Ogallala Aquifer in Colorado

Joel Schneekloth, Water Resources Specialist-Northern Region, Colorado State University Water Center, Akron, CO

10:00am The Abundant Ogallala Project

Darron Gaus, Assistant Director of Agriculture, National Center for Appropriate Technology, Victoria, TX

10:40am Break & Exhibits

11:10am LEMAs in Western Kansas, GWD #1

Katie Durham, District Manager, Western Kansas Groundwater Management District, No. 1, Scott City, Kansas

11:50am Catered Lunch and Exhibit Viewing

12:30pm Tomorrow’s Water: The Role of Healthy, Functioning Playas:

Kelly Tobin, Playa and Water Conservation Outreach Specialist Tomorrow’s Water, Playa Lakes Joint Venture, Lafayette, CO

1:00pm Republican River Compact: A Panel Presentation

Deb Daniel, General Manager, Republican River Water District, Wray, CO

1:45pm Break & Exhibit Viewing

2:15pm Landscape Rehydration: Restoring Dry Creeks and Tributaries

Will Masters, Ogallala Life educator, Amarillo, TX

Henry Pollack, Executive Director, Southern Plains Land Trust, Lamar, CO

3:15pm Agriculture’s Role in Stewarding Our Water Future: A Panel Presentation

Samuel Baumer, graduate student, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS

Storm Casper, Ag producer, Springfield, CO

Ron Meyer, Golden Plains Extension Agronomist, Colorado State University Extension, Burlington, CO

4:00pm Next Steps & Wrap Up

4:15pm Adjourn

Friday, March 27th

8:15am Doors Open at the Burlington Community Center: Registration & Exhibit Viewing

9:00am Welcome & Tours Overview

Darryl Birkenfeld, Ph.D., Director Emeritus, Ogallala Commons, Nazareth, TX

9:20am Depart for Field Tours

Tour # 1: Playa Tour

Tour #2: Landscape Rehydration Tour

Tour #3: Soil Health Tour

11:30am Return from Tours

11:45am Sandwich Lunch

12:30pm Wrap-up Session

1:00pm Adjourn

Contact the host of Stewarding our Water Future Conference

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