The River North (RINO) Greenway Master Plan was completed in 2008 and the River South (RISO) Greenway Master Plan was completed in 2009. The two Plans were made possible through the support of the City and County of Denver, Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Denver Water and The Greenway Foundation . RINO and RISO created a “renewed vision” for the 10+ mile section of the South Platte River Greenway in Denver involving numerous community, stakeholder, business and public interaction leading to their respective recommendations. In 2010, the recommendations of RINO and RISO were compiled and summarized into the River Vision Implementation Plan (RVIP) that established a prioritization listing of said recommendations into a series of short term, mid term and long term priorities. The five short term priority projects then received further conceptual design and cost analysis detailing. RVIP was made possible through the support of Great Outdoors Colorado, the City and County of Denver's Parks and Recreation Dept., Trust for Public Lands, Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado and The Greenway Foundation. Efforts are now underway to obtaining the funding needed to initiate the realization of the recommendations within these three planning documents.
The first 12' by 8' mural is installed on the flood channel walls of the Cherry Creek as a part of the 2010 Art on the River event. The mural depicts prehistoric life along the South Platte River and is funded by The Friends of Dinosaur Ridge.
The Greenway Foundation, in partnership with numerous other River “stakeholders” continue to oversee an increased effort to improve the water quality of the South Platte River in the Denver Metro area known as PURE (Protect Urban River Environment).
The Foundation’s South Platte River Environmental Education Program (SPREE); Venice on the Creek; and numerous special events including Spring RiverSweep, Confluence Concerts, Reception on the River and Fall RiverSweep return in increasingly strong fashion.
Mile High Mile returned for its fourth year, with a change in venue from the Colorado State Capitol to Invesco Field at Mile High. Participation in the MHM increased three fold with over 1,800 runners of all ages and, through the Title Sponsorship of orthodontist Dr. Anil Idicula, this increasingly popular family based event is now known as the Live Life Smiling Mile High Mile.
The SPREE Program partners with Gold Unlimited to introduce a new family event: Panning on the Platte.
The Greenway Foundation presents the Friend of the River Award to Dana Crawford at the second annual Gala on the Bridge.
The Greenway Foundation's Education Program expands its summer camp program to a second location in downtown Denver, serving over 600 children between the two.
The Greenway Foundation hosts the first annual Coors Light South Platte RiverFest presented by REI. This festival brought 12,000 participants to Confluence park for free stand up paddle boarding lessons, kayaking, tubing, rafting, food, music, vendors and beverages.
The Greenway Foundation presents the Friend of the River Award to Christopher Shears at the third annual Gala on the Bridge.
The Greenway Foundation introduces its newest signature event After Party on the Bridge. The After Party on the Bridge is held on the Historic 19th Street Bridge, one night after the Greenway Foundation's highly esteemed annual Gala on the Bridge. This extraordinary event featured eats, cocktails and amazing live music as we presented the Partners in Change awards. Partners in Change 2013 Winners: Rik Sargent (Art), Xcel Energy (Public Projects), TAXI & GroundWorks for Fr8scape (Private Development), cityWILD (Programming, Events, & Recreation).
SPREE’s summer camp Adventures Outside hosts its first camping event at Johnson-Habitat Park. Fifteen families joined the SPREE team for hot dogs, s’mores, and fireside stories at this premier camping event.
Adventures Outside Day Camps along the River won the Nonprofit Award for Excellence in Environmental Education, awarded by the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education.
The Greenway Foundation celebrates its 40th anniversary of work along the River!
The Greenway Leadership Corps (GLC) begins to introduce middle and high school students to environmental careers and provide them with environmental service projects and outdoor adventure opportunities.
The 2nd Annual Coors Light South Platte RiverFest presented by REI welcomes 15,000 participants. The festival expanded its sports classes to include both yoga, boot camps, SUP jousting, and other water sports.
The Greenway Foundation presents the Friend of the River Award to Senator Ken Salazar at the Noble Energy Gala on the Bridge presented by Wells Fargo.
SPREE continues its family friendly event series with Panning on the Platte, Art on the River, Family Fishing Day and Kid RiverSweeps.