HomeMy WebLinkAboutResponse To Constituent Letter - Mail Packet - 12/27/2022 - 10 - Letter From Mayor Jeni Arndt To Natural Resources Advisory Board Re: Rights Of Nature For The Cache La Poudre River And Watershed Resolution
Mayor
City Hall
300 LaPorte Ave.
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.416.2154
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
December 22, 2022
Natural Resources Advisory Board
c/o Honore Depew, Staff Liaison, Senior Manager, Environmental Sustainability
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
Dear Chair Metcalf and Board Members:
On behalf of City Council, thank you for providing us with the December 16, 2022
memorandum regarding Rights of Nature for the Cache la Poudre River and Watershed
Resolution.
As Councilmember Pignataro mentioned, we have been in conversations with representatives for
this topic and discussions are continuing. The Poudre River is important to our community, and
we appreciate you reviewing the verbiage of the proposed resolution and formulating a response
for City Council. Please continue to remain engaged in how this may ultimately play out for Fort
Collins.
Thank you for the expertise and perspectives that you bring to the Natural Resources
Advisory Board and sharing them with City Council.
Best Regards,
Jeni Arndt
Mayor
/sek
cc: City Council Members
Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
MEMORANDUM
NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD
DATE:December 16, 2022
TO:Mayor and City Council Members
FROM:Natural Resources Advisory Board
SUBJECT:Rights of Nature for the Cache la Poudre River and Watershed Resolution
Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
On August 17, 2022, three community representatives presented to NRAB on an anticipated resolution
regarding an initiative to have the City Council support the recognition of Rights of Nature for the Cache
la Poudre River and Watershed. The Board recommended for the representatives to speak to additional
officials, including legal representation and Council members, to strengthen the merit of the resolution.
The representatives submitted a revised draft resolution to NRAB in preparation of the November 16,
2022 meeting, and the community members plan to formally submit the draft resolution to City Council.
Upon review and discussion at the November meeting, the Board presents this memo to express support
for Council to consider the forthcoming recommended resolution and how to best apply it in practice.
Although the resolution does not contain clear and measurable outcomes, it does present a foundation
from which tools, policies, and regulations can be created. Of the Board members present at the
November meeting, support for the spirit and symbolic nature of the resolution was expressed. The
Board views this resolution with a future orientation that reimagines the relationship the Fort Collins
community has with one of its most significant natural resources that will, in-turn, allow for further
prioritization of environmental protection and systemic change.
As a Board that prioritizes the conservation of natural resources and the impact they have on the future
of our community, the Board sees this resolution as beneficial because it foremost sets the precedent of
further protecting the Cache la Poudre River and Watershed for future generations. The benefits of this
include, but are not limited to:
●Environmental benefits: Species recovery and protection; maintenance of native biodiversity and
environmental functions; resiliency toward climate change effects;
●Social benefits: Access to clean water; improved air quality; general wellness of community
members due to access to nature; improved community cohesiveness and interaction;
promotion of health equity for all community members;
●Economic benefits: Provisioning of public health resources by supporting the riverine ecosystem
that improves air quality, reduces the urban heat island effect, and provides for mental and
physical health services that reduce health care and public health expenditures; continuous
resource to sustainable use recreation outfitters; climate change impact mitigation and
adaptation; decrease in local government expenditures through the natural provisions of
ecosystem services
Although the resolution in its current form does not set enforceable regulations, it serves as an
aspirational precedent that will allow for the codification of future City ordinances and policies to further
protect the natural environmental systems and ecosystem services the Cache la Poudre River and
Watershed provide to the Fort Collins community and the surrounding geographical region, and to
recognize and address previously externalized costs of human development and impacts to the
ecosystems services we depend upon.
The Board further recommends prioritizing the consideration and implementation of a “guardianship
body” as expressed in Section 4. The River ’s Voice and Guardians of the draft resolution.NRAB
recognizes the challenges that are present in formation of such a group, but see it as a tremendous
opportunity to ensure that the "voice" of the river is born from many voices that make up the fabric of
the community: Indigenous, agricultural, recreation, scientific research, and environmental. These voices
and perspectives will inform the legal frameworks, evaluative methods, and enforceable policies, so that
the aspirational goals outlined in the resolution can become tangible and measurable outcomes.
The Board views this resolution as instrumental in achieving Our Climate Future goals, particularly as it
pertains to the “Big Move 3: Climate Resilient Community,” “Big Move 11: Healthy Natural Spaces,” and
additional environmental health goals outlined in the City’s strategic plan.
Thank you for your time and consideration on this issue and its future implications for the community.
Very Respectfully,
Dawson Metcalf, MS
Chair, Natural Resources Advisory Board