Guidebooks to Support Converting Lawns and Transforming Landscapes

Ruth Quade, NoCO Ecoscapes

Ruth is a Colorado native with extensive experience in board and committee leadership. She has served on the Colorado WaterWise board since 2002, chaired the RMSAWWA Conservation Committee from 2005 to 2011, and has volunteered with the Colorado State University Extension Master Gardener program since 1994.

A master gardener with a background in environmental studies, Ruth previously worked as the Water Conservation Manager for the City of Greeley. She recently transitioned to entrepreneurship, launching her own sustainable landscape business, NoCO Ecoscapes.

Laura Wing, City of Thornton

Laura Wing is a Senior Water Resources Administrator at the City of Thornton, working in water quality, water resources and conservation for 31 years. She has served on the Colorado WaterWise Board since 2005. Laura is passionate about developing strategies to improve water efficiency and focuses on public outreach, water-wise landscapes, policies and incentive programs.

Catherine Moravec, Colorado Springs Utilities (LinkedIn)

Catherine Moravec is a Water Conservation Lead at Colorado Springs Utilities. Her specialty is understanding how to create water-wise landscapes that add beauty, usability, and livability to homes and businesses. She grew up in the Denver Metro Area and has a master's degree in horticulture from UC Davis.

Bea Stratton, Denver Water

Bea Stratton is the Landscape Transformation Program Manager with Denver Water's Conservation and Efficiency team. In her time at Denver Water she has focused on building tailored programming to help customers conserve water through landscapes. She is leading an effort to test different turf replacement methodologies across Denver Water’s properties with the goal of sharing these case studies to the broader community. She is an active member of the Native Grass Working Group of Colorado, serving on its steering committee, and is a proud Master Gardener through Colorado State University. She holds a Master of Public Administration with a focus on Environmental Policy from the University of Colorado Denver. Bea's passion for outdoor water use and conservation began during her time working in landscaping while pursuing her graduate studies.

Community Comprehensive Plans: A Data Forward Approach to Integrating Water and Land Use

Abbye Neel, Brendle Group (LinkedIn)

Abbye Neel is a water resource engineer helping to shape the vital intersection between water resources and efficiency through land use planning. With more than ten years of industry experience, she has a deep understanding of the dynamics within different sectors, as well as best practices for water engineering and planning. At Brendle Group, she supports a wide range of projects through the implementation of sustainable water management solutions and climate resiliency approaches.

Nick Eagleson, Adams County

Nick Eagleson is an experienced land use planner with over 15 years of expertise in urban development, zoning policy, and sustainable community design. With a background in urban planning, Nick has worked with local governments, including Commerce City, City and County of Honolulu, the City of Golden, and now Adams County. 

Scott Williamson - Colorado Department of Local Affairs (LinkedIn)

Scott Williamson is the Land Use and Water Planner for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. He convenes and supports collaborative projects of the Colorado Water and Land Use Planning Alliance, works across state agencies to advance implementation of the Colorado Water Plan, and provides technical assistance to local governments. Scott is currently supporting implementation of several land use, housing, and strategic growth-related laws passed by the Colorado General Assembly in 2024. Scott is an AICP-certified planner.

Meryl Corbin, Sonoran Institute (LinkedIn)

Meryl Corbin directs the Growing Water Smart program at the Sonoran Institute, supporting communities in the Colorado River Basin to align land use and water planning. With a background in environmental management and policy, she advances partnerships and tools that foster sustainable water use and locally driven planning solutions.

From Mapping to Management: Implementing Data-Driven Landscape Transformation

Austin Krcmarik, Denver Water (LinkedIn)

Austin has over 15 years of experience in land use planning, water conservation, and sustainable agriculture. Water has been a passion his entire life. As the Denver Water Efficiency Lead, he develops programs and policies that promote efficient water use. Austin is dedicated to building a sustainable future for both urban and rural communities.

Corinne Anderson, Colorado Water Conservation Board (LinkedIn)

Corinne Anderson develops data-driven visualizations and educates the public about water issues and opportunities for the CWCB. With a background in journalism and urban planning, she seeks innovative solutions for water challenges in Colorado, especially integrating land use with water supply planning, and disrupting outdated water industry systems.

Joshua Eldridge, Matrix Design Group (LinkedIn)

Joshua Eldridge is a senior ecologist with 20 years of experience in ecological consulting. He specializes in landscape restoration, adaptive management, and biophilic design, integrating resilient plant communities into urban and interface environments. His systems-level thinking supports the creation of functional, sustainable public spaces through innovative ecological planning and design.

Ian Schillinger-Brokaw, Denver Parks and Recreation (LinkedIn)

Ian Schillinger-Brokaw is an Urban Ecology Project Manager for the Denver Parks and Recreation Planning Design and Construction Team. With over 8 years-experience in the field of natural resource management, Ian focuses on ecological restoration and finding collaborative ways of stewarding public lands so that they better serve the ecological and social needs of the communities interacting with them, human and non. 

Phil Segura, Denver Water

Phill Segura has 23 years of experience at Denver Water, specializing in water conservation, GIS, and data-driven decision making. His expertise includes landscape classification, informational water budgets, and using targeted marketing to promote water efficiency.

Can Artificial Turf Be a Beneficial Water Conservation Tool?

Chelsea Benjamin, Western Resource Advocates (LinkedIn)

Chelsea Benjamin is a Policy Advisor at Western Resource Advocates. In her role, she focuses on research and technical assistance efforts that support municipal water conservation and land use and water planning integration efforts in Colorado and Utah. Prior to joining Western Resource Advocates, she received a master’s degree in Environmental Policy at CU Boulder.

Austin Krcmarik, Denver Water (LinkedIn)

Austin has over 15 years of experience in land use planning, water conservation, and sustainable agriculture. Water has been a passion his entire life. As the Denver Water Efficiency Lead, he develops programs and policies that promote efficient water use. Austin is dedicated to building a sustainable future for both urban and rural communities.

Tim York, Aurora Water

Tim York joined Aurora Water in 2012 after holding design and construction management roles across multiple states in all sectors. He earned a BA in Landscape Architecture and is a Colorado licensed Landscape Architect. As Manager of Water Conservation, Tim supports a large team of passionate water conservation professionals.

Lessons Learned from Water Loss Audits

Michelle Erickson, Loveland Water and Power (LinkedIn)

Michelle Erickson is a Technical Analyst for Loveland Water and Power. Michelle grew up in Loveland, Colorado and has lived most of her life in Northern Colorado, where she has seen dramatic development and growth. Since 2016, Michelle has served as the primary point person in compiling Loveland’s annual M36 water loss audits and participated in some of the earliest Colorado Water Loss Initiative trainings and technical assistance programs. 

Moving Beyond Lawn

Rose Sandell, Eagle River Coalition (LinkedIn)

Rose Sandell serves as Community Engagement Manager for the Eagle River Coalition, fostering connections between people and local rivers. She emphasizes accessible, hands-on learning that inspires stewardship and care for waterways.

Laura Bohannon, Eagle County Conservation District

Laura Bohannon moved to Colorado at 13 and quickly fell in love with the outdoors. After graduating from CSU and traveling internationally to learn from rural communities, she settled in Eagle County in 2013. Now Executive Director of the Eagle County Conservation District, she leads programs supporting natural resource management and conservation.

Allegra Waterman-Snow, Eagle County Conservation District

Allegra Waterman-Snow received a B.A. in Biology from Colorado College and began engaging in global conservation work. Allegra joined the Eagle County Conservation District in 2022 to build local conservation programs. As Program Manager, she helped establish and expand the Beyond Lawn program to meet community needs.

Denyse Schnrenker

 Denyse was born in Missouri and has called Eagle County home since 2018. She loves plants and gardening, and volunteering in the community as a Master Gardener. Outside of gardening, she enjoys hiking with her dogs and biking.

Denyse joined the ECCD team in 2025. Before coming to ECCD, she worked as a horticulture and agriculture specialist in Colorado and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania, where she focused on agricultural projects. She holds a M.S. in Agronomy from Penn State University and a B.S. in Agricultural Sciences from Truman State University. 

Ryan Vlarr, Eagle County Conservation District (LinkedIn)

After attending school in the midwest and working in food and agriculture abroad, Ryan settled into horticulture in Colorado's Eagle River Valley, which he has always called home. He now works toward reducing water use and creating healthier, more resilient landscapes with the Eagle County Conservation District.

Helping Communities Adopt WaterWise Landscaping Codes

Laura Belanger, Western Resource Advocates (LinkedIn)

Laura Belanger is a Senior Policy Advisor with Western Resource Advocates where she works to increase municipal water efficiency and reuse, while protecting and restoring stream flows to benefit river health. She currently has a strong focus on helping Colorado make the change to more water-wise landscaping and irrigation.

Sean McDermott, City of Fort Lupton (LinkedIn)

Sean McDermott is the lead planner on the City of Fort Lupton's Project Accelerator program, collaborating with WaterNow Alliance and Western Resource Advocates to update the City's landscaping code and Comprehensive Plan with the goal of cohesively implementing waterwise best practices for effective future growth and land use.

Rick Schultz, Castle Rock Water

Rick Schultz is the Water Efficiency Supervisor for the Town of Castle Rock / Castle Rock Water. He has been with the Town since 2007, overseeing the conservation program. This includes the outreach and education program, rebates and incentives, contractor registration, and landscape and irrigation inspections. He is a Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor (CLIA), a Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL), and QWEL instructor.

Susan Carter, City of Grand Junction (LinkedIn)

Susan Carter started as the first water conservationist for the City of Grand Junction in 2023. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Ornamental Horticulture and a Master's in Landscape Horticulture. She is QWEL, CSU NPM, and ISA certified and is a retired CSU Extension Professor.

Jason Naughton, Norris Design (LinkedIn)

Jason Naughtin is a Senior Associate at Norris Design. He has worked in the green industry since 1996 and has worked as an irrigation technician, landscape contractor, and now irrigation designer. He is a Certified Irrigation Designer, Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor, Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper, and Certified Landscape Technician.

Elevating Colorado Water Utility Investments in Watershed Health and Wildfire Resiliency with Innovative Financing

Victoria Arling, WaterNow Alliance (LinkedIn)

Victoria Arling, Colorado Basin Program Director at WaterNow, leads water conservation and efficiency efforts across the river basin. She provides technical assistance to advance on-the-ground sustainable water projects and assists communities to apply for federal funding and financing. Victoria holds a BA and Masters in Environmental Management from CU Boulder, and is currently co-chair of Colorado WaterWise.

Claire Sheridan, One Water Econ (LinkedIn)

Claire Sheridan is a water resource economist with One Water Econ, a small Colorado-based and woman-owned consulting firm. She specializes in natural resource valuation and ecosystem service benefits assessments for water management challenges in the American West.

Water Education Exemplars Project

Donny Roush, Colorado Watershed Assembly (LinkedIn)

Donny Roush is a Certified Master Environmental Educator and leads the Water Education Exemplars Project for the Colorado Watershed Assembly. Previously, he managed Denver's award-winning Stormwater Education and Outreach Program, reaching more than 15,000 students from 2011-2024. His MS in Natural Resources is from The Ohio State University.

Casey Davenhill, Colorado Watershed Assembly (LinkedIn)

Casey Davenhill has been the Executive Director for the Colorado Watershed Assembly since 2013. Casey has a long history of coordination with River Watch, the Cherry Creek Stewardship Partners, the Colorado Healthy Rivers Fund and other important water programs and projects. Casey loves to share her enthusiasm for public engagement and participation to find what is working and do more of that.

Colorado Landscapes of 2085: Horticulture Practices Today for a Water-Wise Future

Ross Shrigley, Plant Select

Ross Shrigley, Executive Director of Plant Select®, brings over two decades of horticultural experience, including roles at Denver Botanic Gardens and Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery. A CSU biology graduate, he’s certified in sustainable landscape management, irrigation auditing, and nursery practices, and is dedicated to promoting resilient, eco-friendly plants for the Rocky Mountain region.