Steamboat Ski Resort is proud to announce a $500,000 contribution to the newly launched Yampa River Fund. The half a million dollar cornerstone contribution is the largest single cash commitment in the resort’s 56-year history. The Yampa River Fund is a local water fund created through partnerships with The Nature Conservancy and local partners that improve river flow in Northwest Colorado to sustain both people and nature. Supporting the fund at $500,000 unlocked a one-to-one match ultimately allowing the resort to provide access to $1million for the health and prosperity of the community’s main water source.
“We are incredibly proud to be a Founding Donor of the Yampa River Fund, ” said Rob Perlman, president and COO of Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation. “The Yampa River really defines who we are as a community and what makes this valley and all of Northwest Colorado so special in terms of agricultural, industrial, environmental, municipal and recreational benefits. One of our core values as a company is protecting and preserving our environment and being an active participant in the Yampa River Fund is another big move in our efforts to sustain our future for generations to come,”
The Yampa River Fund is a collaborative community-based organization dedicated to identifying and funding activities that protect the water supply, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities provided by the Yampa River. Water funds are a common entity in communities around the U.S and the world, and they work to create collaborative planning and implementation tools for communities to create water security.
“The Nature Conservancy has been working to protect and restore the beautiful Yampa Valley for more than 25 years,” said Carlos Fernandez, Colorado state director for The Nature Conservancy. “The launch of the Yampa River Fund with support from SSRC enables the Steamboat community to improve and protect their water security by bringing diverse interests to the table and creating a shared vision for the future of the river and all who depend on it.”
“SSRC has been a great supporter of the Yampa River Fund,” said Nancy Smith, external affairs director, The Nature Conservancy’s Colorado River Program. “Their partnership has been critical to launching this effort to protect this river for the community. The Nature Conservancy looks forward to working together with its new sustainability director to make the Yampa River Fund a huge success!”
Steamboat announced the half-million-dollar support at a local launch event at Mountain Tap on Thursday, September 19. The resort will contribute $100,000 per year for the next five years, unlocking the one-to-one match for a total of $1 million impacts on the fund.
“I can’t think of a better way to kick off Steamboat’s new sustainability work than by making a big splash into such an important community effort.” said Sarah Jones, sustainability and community engagement director for Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation. “We appreciate how critical the environment is to our business and understand the inextricable link between the river and the resort. Funding the Yampa River Fund supports Steamboat’s environment, economy and way of life.”
For more information on the Yampa River Fund visit www.yampariverfund.org.
Ski Federation
