Five years of brainstorming and four months of serious planning will culminate this Saturday in a watershed festival at Courtney-Ryley-Cooper Park in Idaho Springs.

The festival will be hosted by the Clear Creek Watershed Foundation, which dedicates itself to improving the ecological, recreational and economic conditions in the Clear Creek Watershed.

The Clear Creek Watershed Festival will start at 10 a.m.

Watershed foundation outreach coordinator Chris Crouse said the event is the “ultimate” outreach and education opportunity.

“We really want people to have a better understanding and appreciation for what a watershed is and (about) this particular watershed,” Crouse said.

She said the event will feature more than 20 environmental information booths, and each booth will have activities, demonstrations and giveaways. Trout Unlimited will demonstrate fishing and fly-tying.

“It is going to be just an all-around great day. We have so many watershed stakeholders who are participating,” Crouse said. “… We want people to leave this festival knowing what a watershed is and what makes the Clear Creek Watershed so special.”

Representatives from the Henderson Mine, the Environmental Protection Agency and renewable-energy companies will have booths at the festival.

Crouse said there will also be prizes and food — but with a catch.

“When we say ‘free,’ we mean no charge, but you have to earn them. We don’t want people to just come in and grab some free stuff and leave,” Crouse said. “We really want people to take some time to go around to check out the booths, talk to the people.”

So drawing on her teaching and parenting background, she came up with a plan to educate the public.

Festival attendees will receive a “passport,” and with each event or booth they attend, they will get a passport stamp. With enough stamps, festival-goers will earn “free” prizes and food.

“They come back to (the Clear Creek Watershed Foundation) booth …, and we’re going to check it out. We’re going to see if they’ve done a good job of trying to learn about the watershed,” Crouse said.

She said the watershed stakeholders are aiming to help people appreciate and understand the area.

“We want people to know about all the fantastic natural resources, recreational opportunities, land-use opportunities (and) sustainable living options … that are out there,” Crouse said. “We really want to keep the dialogues going about what makes this place so special.

“This is a very unique geographic area. We have a lot of fantastic landmarks, businesses, history and people here, and we just want to give everyone the opportunity to tell their story,” Crouse said. “… We want everyone who attends to just think, ‘Wow, there’s a lot going on here, and we really need to think about how we’re going to maintain the sustainability of this watershed.’ “

For information about the festival, visit www.clearcreekwater

.org/festival.html.

Contact Ian Neligh at couranteditor@evergreenco.com, and check www.clearcreekcourant.com for updates and breaking news.