Earth Day float focuses on Colorado water issues

And the state is not that great at the moment, Burk said, ticking off indicators while Rimrock Adventures staffers steered a raft through calm waters sometimes only a foot deep.

While Colorado reservoirs are full thanks to "a couple of good wet years," experts forecast that the Colorado River will only send 38 percent of its average contribution to Lake Powell this year, Burk said: not a good sign.

As a whole, the state is under its average snowfall: not a good sign.

Looking forward, Colorado's 5.6 million population is expected to double by 2050. Not an indicator, but a troubling concept in terms of water.

"And all we want to do is just float," Burk said, gesturing to the backdrop of Colorado National Monument.

Burk said another concern for state officials is the marriage between funding for the Colorado Water Plan and severance taxes from the oil and gas industry, which have fallen sharply in recent years.

"We are in a fiscal drought and we are in a physical drought," Burk said.

Attendee Kathie Gissing leaned forward from her perch on the boat's edge.

"It's not necessarily in our best interest to support renewables and that kind of thing?" she asked

"I wouldn't go that far," Burk answered, smiling. State officials are looking at several options to produce funding independent of oil and gas, she said, including possibly a bottle tax.

Water woes aren't only in-state but inter-state, Burk said, noting a dust-up last week where the CEO of Denver Water criticized and threatened to pull funding from the Central Arizona Water Conservancy District over what he said was the "manipulation of water demands."

"This is one of the most heavily politicized rivers in the entire nation," Burk said.

Political talk notwithstanding, the birders in the bunch took full advantage of the sun-kissed afternoon.

The group chatted animatedly while floating past a set of water pipes where a pair of black phoebes recently nested, and pointed as either an osprey or a hawk dove near Snooks Bottom Open Space. Shannon Hatch of RiversEdge West pointed out stands of the invasive tamarisk plant that her group is battling to eradicate. Attendees shook their heads collectively as they passed by a stand of trees blackened during the Skipper Island Fire last week, sparked when an illegal camper tried to burn his toilet paper. A pity about the already struggling cottonwoods, they agreed, but at least the responsible party came forward.

"He came clean, so to speak," one quipped.

"Canada goose!" Audubon member Katey Buster called out mid-discussion, prompting a brief recess as heads turned and binoculars raised to watch as the fowl in question winged low over the water.

"There it goes."