Colorado Rivers Update: Should Aspen’s Roaring Fork River get Rights of Nature?

Hi Friends of Colorado’s Rivers,

We are very pleased to see the City of Aspen grappling with the idea of granting “Rights of Nature” to the Roaring Fork River as it flows through town.

An ambitious local resident, Lindsay Branham, is pushing the idea forward while meeting with boards, commissions, and City officials.

Aspen, Colorado, is one of the most affluent communities in the U.S., with more “billionaire property owners per capita” than any other city in the U.S. If any place can afford to give rights to their local waterway, Aspen is surely it!

Read the story here in Aspen Journalism.

The Aspen proposal fits squarely in our “Rights of Nature for Rivers” program. We are pleased to provide a bit of support to help move the proposal along, and to have provided information for the news story. We have communicated with Lindsay and offered support, as has one of our boardmembers, Grant Wilson, of the Earth Law Center.

We were happy to see the City of Durango grant Rights of Nature to the Las Animas River and few months ago, also led by local residents. Interest in Rights of Nature is growing rapidly across the globe, and in the Colorado River basin as well.

Last year, the Colorado River Indian Tribes granted “personhood” to the Colorado River as it flows through their reservation. Other communities and advocates across the Southwest are also now championing the cause.

We’ll continue to support these efforts to give Rights to Rivers, and we’ll keep you posted about all the progress in Colorado and beyond.

Thank you for your support!

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