San Miguel Watershed Coalition

What San Miguel Watershed Coalition does

San Miguel Watershed Coalition (SMWC) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1998 and headquartered in Telluride, Colorado, that maintains and improves the ecological health of the 80-mile free-flowing San Miguel River across a 1,550-square-mile watershed spanning parts of San Miguel and Montrose Counties and seven incorporated towns. The organization operates a Water Quality Monitoring Program with nearly 40 sites that submits tri-annual data to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the EPA through the Colorado Data Sharing Network, and produces a State of the Watershed Report every five years with annual e-format updates. Its Riverscape Restoration program deploys Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration (LTPBR) techniques, including beaver dam analogs (BDAs), post-assisted log structures (PALS), and Zeedyk structures, with site selection supported by an ArcGIS-based Beaver Habitat Suitability Model and an integrated hydrologic modeling program using USGS, NRCS SNOTEL, and Colorado River Basin Forecast Center data. The Coalition is led by Executive Director Adrian Bergere and governed by an up to eight-person Board of Directors, with a Stakeholder Committee setting project priorities across watershed communities, federal and state agencies, NGOs, and private landowners.

SMWC's business model is purely grant and donation funded; it has no product pricing or revenue from sales. Funding streams include planning grants from The Nature Conservancy and the Colorado Water Conservation Board, collaborative project funding from federal partners (USFS, BLM, Bureau of Reclamation) and state partners (Colorado Parks and Wildlife, CWCB), local foundation grants (Telluride Foundation), and unrestricted donations processed via PayPal. Its go-to-market is community-led collaborative engagement: stakeholder meetings, site visits with land managers and restoration specialists, and a Stream Management Plan process that engages residents and officials across the watershed. The organization maintains no patents, no trademarks, and no disclosed certifications, and operates exclusively within Southwest Colorado with no global footprint.

Name

San Miguel Watershed Coalition

Legal name

San Miguel Watershed Coalition

Website

https://sanmiguelwatershed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

San Miguel Watershed Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Telluride, Colorado that restores and monitors the 80-mile San Miguel River across a 1,550-square-mile watershed, serving watershed communities, federal and state land agencies, NGOs, and private landowners through grant-funded collaborative programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watershed Management Services

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Administration of Conservation Programs (924120)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disaster Risk Reduction Services (Flood Mitigation, Erosion Control, Landslide Stabilization) (AFAMAMAJ), Riparian & Watershed Reforestation (Streambank Stabilization) (AFAMACAK), Watershed/Source Water & Raw Water Quality Monitoring (intakes, reservoirs, groundwater) (EUANAJAH), Ecological Restoration Planning & Monitoring (Habitat, Wetland, Stream) (EUAHAHAF)

Keywords

• Watershed management
• River restoration
• Water quality monitoring
• Hydrological modeling
• Environmental conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Telluride

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations: Accepts donations through PayPal platform for operational support.
2. Grants and Planning Funds: Receives planning grants from organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to fund restoration planning processes.
3. Collaborative Project Funding: Works with multiple agency partners (USFS, BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, CPW, CWCB) to fund on-the-ground restoration projects through grant applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The San Miguel Watershed Coalition conducts and facilitates river restoration projects, water quality monitoring at nearly 40 sites, integrated hydrological modeling, and community education to maintain and improve the ecological health of all 80 miles of the free-flowing San Miguel River and its 1,550 square mile watershed in southwest Colorado. Operations are funded through donations, planning grants, and collaborative project funding from federal, state, and nonprofit partners.

Product overview

The San Miguel Watershed Coalition operates as a nonprofit environmental organization offering a suite of watershed management programs and services focused on the ecological health of the 80-mile San Miguel River in Colorado. The organization's core offerings include a Water Quality Monitoring Program with nearly 40 monitoring sites, Riverscape Restoration using Process Based Restoration (PBR) techniques, Integrated Hydrologic Modeling, the State of the Watershed Report, Community Education initiatives, and the Stream Management Plan. These programs work together to maintain and improve the ecological health of the watershed through monitoring, restoration, and stakeholder engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Quality Monitoring Program Environmental monitoring program consisting of nearly 40 monitoring sites throughout the San Miguel Watershed that test water quality and report data to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Colorado Data Sharing Network on a tri-annual basis.
• Riverscape Restoration / Process Based Restoration (PBR) River restoration program employing Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration (LTPBR) techniques, including beaver-dam analogs (BDAs), post-assisted log structures (PALS), and Zeedyk structures, to reconnect rivers with their floodplains and restore wet meadows across the watershed.
• Integrated Hydrologic Modeling Hydrological modeling services for the San Miguel Watershed integrating data from USGS gages, NRCS SNOTEL stations, and the Colorado River Basin Forecast Center to support watershed analysis and planning.
• State of the Watershed Report Periodic assessment report analyzing the ecological health of the San Miguel Watershed, including climatic variables, aquatic ecosystems, terrestrial environments, and land-use activities; revised every five years with annual e-format updates.
• Community Education Educational programs providing community education opportunities about watershed health, river ecosystems, restoration techniques, and watershed stewardship for watershed residents and stakeholders.
• Stream Management Plan Collaborative planning process engaging stakeholders throughout the 1,550 square mile watershed to direct future management of watershed resources, including summary, story map of projects, strategies and initiatives, and nonconsumptive needs assessment.

Quantifiable outcome

• LTPBR can address hundreds of miles of degraded streams at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods that often require millions of dollars per mile
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• United States Forest ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner for restoration projects on public lands within the San Miguel Watershed.
• Bureau of Land ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner for river cleanup events and restoration projects on BLM-managed lands.
• Bureau of ReclamationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner providing funding and technical support for watershed restoration projects.
• Colorado Parks and WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner for conservation and habitat restoration efforts in the watershed.
• Colorado Department of Public Health and EnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner for water quality monitoring and regulatory compliance (CDPHE Division of Water Quality Control).
• Healthy RiverssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner organization for river conservation and watershed stewardship.
• Town of TelluridecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner for watershed stewardship and collaborative watershed management efforts.
• Town of Mountain Village Housing AuthoritysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner for watershed protection and community development.
• Town of OphirsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner in watershed stewardship.
• American RiverscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational river conservation organization partner for river restoration efforts and advocacy.
• Alpine Water ResourcessecondaryTechnology or IntegrationWater resources consulting partner for watershed projects.
• Trout UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization partner for fisheries restoration and watershed protection.
• Eco-MetricssecondaryTechnology or IntegrationEnvironmental metrics and monitoring partner for watershed assessment.
• Arable EarthcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRestoration consulting firm contracted to conduct remote assessment of LTPBR opportunities and factors limiting beaver activity in the watershed.
• Private LandownerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate property owners collaborating on restoration projects on private lands throughout the watershed.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Roaring Fork Conservancy: Colorado-based 501(c)(3) watershed conservation nonprofit serving the Roaring Fork Valley with water quality monitoring, river restoration and community education — the closest functional analog to SMWC in scale, mission and funding model.
• Eagle River Watershed Council: Vail, Colorado-based watershed nonprofit delivering water quality monitoring, river restoration and stakeholder engagement on the Eagle River — directly comparable in geography, scope and grant-funded operating model.
• Gunnison Basin Roundtable: Colorado basin roundtable representing watershed stakeholders in the Gunnison Basin, focusing on collaborative water planning, restoration and protection — comparable multi-stakeholder watershed governance model.
• Friends of the Yampa: Steamboat Springs-based nonprofit dedicated to preserving the free-flowing Yampa River through stewardship, advocacy and on-the-ground projects — a near-perfect mission peer to SMWC, with the same free-flowing-river focus.
• Animas River Stakeholders Group: Southwest Colorado stakeholder-led group focused on water quality and remediation in the Animas River basin following the Gold King Mine spill — analogous mining-impact watershed restoration context and collaborative model.

Broad incumbents

• River Network: National nonprofit that supports and connects local watershed groups across the U.S. — provides capacity-building, funding and advocacy that directly overlaps with SMWC's operating environment, though at a national scale.
• The Nature Conservancy: Global environmental nonprofit and a core SMWC planning-grant funder; conducts similar conservation planning, restoration and water-resource work at vastly greater scale across Colorado and beyond.
• Trout Unlimited: National coldwater fisheries conservation nonprofit and SMWC partner; operates overlapping stream restoration, LTPBR and watershed programs nationwide, providing both partnership and competitive grant context.
• American Rivers: National river-conservation organization and an active SMWC partner; offers overlapping river-restoration and advocacy capabilities as part of a much wider portfolio spanning the entire U.S.

Others

• Eco-Metrics: Colorado-based environmental metrics and monitoring consulting firm listed as an SMWC technology partner; provides adjacent water quality and ecological monitoring services to similar Colorado watershed clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sanmiguelwatershed
• Facebookfacebook.com/sanmiguelwatershedcoalition
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-miguel-watershed-coalition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about San Miguel Watershed Coalition