The Poudre Heritage Alliance

By Megan Maiolo-Heath, Communications Coordinator

Poudre Heritage Alliance

970.295.4851

[email protected]

The Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA), managing nonprofit of the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area (CALA), honored Senator Wayne Allard and Dr. Richard Bond at the 2nd Annual Emeritus Dinner this past Saturday, September 7^th, for their outstanding service to the PHA and the National Heritage Area.

PHA Emeritus are selected from those individuals who have served the Poudre Heritage Alliance and/or the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area with distinction and excellence and considered deserving of this role for outstanding service. Board members emeritus may have been on the PHA Board of Directors or engaged in major volunteer or advocacy activities in his or her service to the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area.

Dr. Richard Bond was a former Board Member of the Poudre Heritage Alliance and was integral in the organization and creation of the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area, the first Heritage Area to be designated west of the Mississippi. Dr. Bond was introduced by 2018 PHA Emeritus honoree Richard Maxfield, also a former board member of the PHA.

With his sponsorship of the Cache la Poudre River Corridor Act in 1996, the precursor to the legislation that created the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area, Senator Allard was instrumental in the creation of the CALA. He was introduced by his former legislative aide, Senator Cory Gardner. Speaking about the CALA, Senator Gardner said, “We can protect our truly special places by working together with communities of different needs and different interests to bring them together, and with community input we can find a way to protect and preserve the most precious places among us.”

During his acceptance speech, Senator Allard said, “The Poudre River has a reputation. It appeals to all sorts of interests, recreational interests, hunters and fisherman, it appeals to the economies of Greeley and Fort Collins because the water there has contributed to their urban growth. And, also, because it has environmental concerns. And what they [PHA] are trying to do is to bring together a balanced effort and that’s one of the main reasons that I went on ahead and got involved with that particular piece of legislation.”

The event program for the Emeritus Dinner consisted of introductions by colleagues and friends of the PHA, with special awards being given to each of the honorees. The presentations and speeches were recorded for historical archiving purposes.

Several Larimer and Weld County business leaders and commissioners, Greeley, Fort Collins, Windsor and Timnath municipal leaders, and Colorado State University and University of Northern Colorado faculty and Board of Regents attended the dinner. Other leaders in attendance included Maria Secrest, Regional Director for Senator Cory Gardner, Sara Capen, Alliance of National Heritage Areas Chair, and the National Park Service’s Intermountain Regional Director of National Heritage Areas, Alexandra Hernandez. The emcee for the evening was Town of Windsor Open Space & Trail Manager and current PHA Board Chairman, Wade Willis. For the full list of PHA’s current Board of Directors please visit www.poudreheritage.org/board