What Eagle River Watershed Council does

Eagle River Watershed Council (operating as Eagle River Coalition) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1998 and based in Gypsum, Colorado, that focuses exclusively on the conservation of the Eagle River and Upper Colorado River basins. The organization operates a four-pillar program framework — Monitor, Advocate, Educate, and Restore — that covers water quality data collection (approximately 5,000 data points annually), live river gauges at multiple locations, restoration projects, community education, and advocacy for watershed health and water rights. It also runs the Wild & Scenic Film Festival as a community engagement event.

Its core technology infrastructure is a public-facing website platform that hosts live river gauges, a free email-based Water Temperature Alert Program, a newsletter subscription module, donation and volunteer sign-up workflows, and content such as a blog and event calendar. Underlying data collection is conducted in-house with volunteer support, and the live gauges pull real-time sensor data from the field. The organization does not disclose a proprietary software platform, mobile application, or API; its digital footprint is built on standard web tooling rather than custom-built technology.

The business model is contribution-based rather than transactional. Revenue streams include individual donations, monthly giving programs, event sponsorships, the dedicated Eagle River Fund, and platform-mediated giving via One Percent for the Planet. Programs and alerts are provided free to the public, and the organization relies on a 1,546-volunteer base (2025) for labor on monitoring, cleanups, and restoration. Customers in the commercial sense are effectively donor segments (individual donors, corporate sponsors), with secondary user segments being volunteers, anglers, and contractor partners; no enterprise customers, paid pricing, or subscription fees are evident.

Name

Eagle River Watershed Council

Legal name

Eagle River Watershed Council Inc.

Website

https://erwc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Eagle River Watershed Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that monitors, advocates for, educates about, and restores the Eagle River and Upper Colorado River basins in Colorado, serving donors, volunteers, anglers, and contractor partners through free community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watershed Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE), Ecological Restoration Planning & Monitoring (Habitat, Wetland, Stream) (EUAHAHAF), Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF)

Keywords

• Watershed conservation
• Water quality monitoring
• River restoration
• Environmental nonprofit
• Community advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Gypsum

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization raises funds through direct donations from individuals, monthly giving programs, and general fundraising campaigns. Donors can give via the website through the 'Donate' and 'Ways to Give' sections.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate and individual sponsorship of events and programs, including the Wild & Scenic Film Festival and other community events.
3. Eagle River Fund: A dedicated fund for supporting watershed conservation and restoration projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Eagle River Watershed Council (operating as Eagle River Coalition) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that protects and improves the health of the Eagle River and Upper Colorado River basins in Colorado. It delivers a Monitor-Advocate-Educate-Restore program that includes collecting approximately 5,000 water quality data points annually, operating a free Water Temperature Alert email subscription, publishing live river gauge readings, running volunteer-driven restoration projects, hosting community education events such as the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, and advocating for watershed-friendly water policy.

Product overview

Eagle River Coalition is a non-profit environmental organization that operates as a single unified program focused on watershed protection and water quality. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected environmental services centered on monitoring (water quality data collection and river gauges), education (programs and film festivals), restoration (hands-on conservation work), and advocacy for the Upper Colorado and Eagle River basins. These services are supported by volunteer engagement and donation programs, with the water temperature alert program and live river gauges providing direct public access to real-time watershed data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Quality Monitoring Environmental monitoring program that collects water quality data throughout the Eagle River and Upper Colorado basins, gathering approximately 5,000 pieces of data annually. Intended for community members, anglers, policymakers, and partner agencies seeking watershed condition data.
• Water Temperature Alert Program Free notification service that sends subscribers daily emails about temperature trends and projected high water temperatures across the watershed, helping anglers and river users plan responsible recreation during low-flow, high-temperature summer periods.
• Live River Gauges Real-time monitoring system providing current water conditions and temperature data at multiple gauge locations including Eagle River at Wolcott and Colorado River at Kremmling, accessible to the public on the organization's website.
• Educational Programs Community outreach and learning initiatives that include the Wild & Scenic Film Festival (198 participants in 2025), classroom and public educational resources, and programming about watershed health for residents, students, and visitors.
• Watershed Restoration

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,546 volunteers engaged in watershed protection activities in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• One Percent for the PlanetcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Eagle River Coalition is an Environmental Partner of One Percent for the Planet, an organization that connects consumers and businesses to environmental charities. This affiliation provides credibility and a channel for environmentally-conscious donors to support the coalition.
• GuideStarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGuideStar platinum seal of transparency is displayed on the organization's website, providing donors with verified nonprofit information and enhancing credibility.
• Project World ImpactminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe organization is listed on Project World Impact's platform, which helps connect donors with environmental nonprofits. A badge from Project World Impact is displayed on the website.
• Land and Rivers FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Land and Rivers Fund logo appears on the website footer, suggesting a partnership supporting land and river conservation efforts in the region.
• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)minorOthersCDPHE's 24-hour spill hotline (877-518-5608) is referenced on the website footer, indicating a coordination or referral relationship for environmental incidents and spills in the watershed.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Rivers: National nonprofit focused on protecting and restoring U.S. rivers; shares Eagle River Watershed Council's Monitor-Advocate-Restore framework and donor-supported operating model, but operates at a national scale across many basins.
• Riverkeeper: Watershed advocacy nonprofit that combines water quality monitoring with policy advocacy and community engagement; highly comparable programmatic structure to Eagle River Watershed Council.
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Regional watershed nonprofit with comparable water quality monitoring, advocacy, education, and restoration programs; operates at much larger scale in the Chesapeake Bay basin but follows a structurally similar model.

Broad incumbents

• National Wildlife Federation: National conservation nonprofit with overlapping water quality, habitat, and advocacy programming; significantly larger scale but operates in adjacent mission territory.
• Trout Unlimited: National coldwater fisheries conservation nonprofit with overlapping priorities in stream temperature monitoring, habitat restoration, and angler community engagement; broader scale but highly comparable mission surface.
• The Nature Conservancy (Colorado Chapter): Global conservation organization with a Colorado chapter working on watershed protection and land/water stewardship; overlaps significantly in restoration and water resource advocacy.

Regional players

• Roaring Fork Conservancy: Colorado-based watershed nonprofit in an adjacent basin (Roaring Fork) with similar water quality monitoring, education, and volunteer-driven restoration activities; closest geographic peer.
• Colorado Water Trust: Colorado-focused nonprofit working on river flow restoration and water rights; shares the same state-level water policy and advocacy terrain as Eagle River Watershed Council.
• Conservation Colorado: Statewide environmental advocacy organization that drives Colorado water policy; a complementary peer that operates the policy/advocacy layer upstream of Eagle River Watershed Council's basin-level work.

Others

• One Percent for the Planet: Network partner of Eagle River Watershed Council that connects donors to vetted environmental nonprofits; included as an ecosystem/distribution partner rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eaglewatershed

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eagle River Watershed Council