Chapter Highlights: Conservation, Community, and Fall Events

Across Colorado, Trout Unlimited chapters are bringing people together to support healthy rivers, introduce the next generation to conservation, and raise funds for work in their local watersheds. From a record-setting CarpSlam in Denver to fall gatherings, raffles, and events on the water, here are a few highlights from chapters around the state.

Denver Trout Unlimited: CarpSlam Raises Record $111,000

Denver Trout Unlimited’s 20th annual CarpSlam raised a record $111,000 for the Denver South Platte River, making 2026 the event’s biggest fundraising year yet. The support will help fund river cleanups, pollution protection, restoration, and other work along the South Platte, including $10,000 for the DSP River Cleanup Series through 2027. Volunteers have already helped remove 16,000 pounds of trash and litter from the river in 2026.

The milestone event also celebrated 20 years of CarpSlam with strong competition on the water and the creation of the CarpSlam Hall of Fame, recognizing people who have played an important role in building the tournament and supporting the Denver South Platte.

Eagle Valley Trout Unlimited: RISE for OUR WATERS

Eagle Valley Trout Unlimited’s RISE for OUR WATERS returns October 7 in Edwards for an evening celebrating the local river community and supporting the chapter’s conservation and education work. The gathering includes dinner, drinks, music, contests, and live and silent auctions, with proceeds supporting projects including Gore Creek restoration, water quality monitoring, work on Abrams Creek, cleaning stations, and youth education. An online auction and raffle will also run September 30 through October 7 for those who can’t attend in person.

Cutthroat Chapter: Annual Raffle

The Cutthroat Chapter’s annual raffle is back, giving supporters a chance to win prizes while helping fund the chapter’s conservation, education, and community engagement work. Tickets are available now, with the drawing taking place November 17 during the chapter meeting at Lone Tree Brewing. Every ticket helps support the chapter’s work in local watersheds and communities.

Southern Colorado Greenback Chapter: Cast for Conservation

The Southern Colorado Greenback Chapter will host the second annual Cañon City High School Fly Fishing Tournament October 9–10 along the Arkansas River. Open to students in grades 9–12, the event combines competitive fly fishing with hands-on conservation education, responsible angling practices, and an opportunity for students to build a stronger connection with the river.

The two-day event includes an open fishing and welcome evening on Friday followed by Saturday’s competition, awards, and dinner. Royal Gorge Anglers returns as the tournament’s title sponsor.

Yampa Valley Fly Fishers: Fishable Feast

Yampa Valley Fly Fishers will bring fishing, food, and conservation together for Fishable Feast on October 3 at Yampa Valley Ranch. Guests can spend the afternoon on a guided fly fishing experience along the Yampa River before gathering for dinner, storytelling, and community with author and angler Kirk Deeter. Dinner-only tickets are also available.

Proceeds from the event support Yampa Valley Fly Fishers’ youth education programs and conservation work throughout the Yampa Valley, helping the chapter continue connecting people with the waters that make the region special.

Trout in the Classroom Reaches More Students Than Ever

Colorado TU is kicking off another record-breaking year of Trout in the Classroom, connecting more students than ever with Colorado’s rivers and watersheds. For the 2026–27 school year, 105 tanks at 98 schools and sites across Colorado will reach an estimated 22,000 students, educators, and community members. The program now spans communities served by 20 TU chapters statewide.

Trout in the Classroom reaches students from preschool through high school, and this year the program is expanding into higher education with new tanks at Adams State University and the Getches-Wilkinson Center at the University of Colorado Law School. These tanks will give students hands-on opportunities to learn about watersheds and carry that understanding into their future work.

The Trout in the Classroom Team, including Dr. Martin Harris, Statewide TIC Coordinator, Maddie Onstott, Eastern TIC Coordinator, and Audrey Kenney, Western TIC Coordinator, have coordinated trainings throughout the summer and are working hard to ensure all of our sites, schools, and participants are ready for eggs, which will arrive October 26 and 27, depending on location. 

Reach out to your local TU Chapter to help deliver rainbow trout eggs to eager students and educators. 

This program could not exist without our incredible volunteers, supporters, educators, donors, and staff. If you are interested in supporting the growth of the Trout in the Classroom program, we are continuing to seek new donors, sponsors, volunteers, and funding support. Please reach out to Natalie Flowers, Education Director, to explore collaborative opportunities. 

We will also be offering an educational session on the TIC program at our Fall Rendezvous. We hope you can join us in early November!

River Education in Action

Colorado Trout Unlimited's STREAM Program, part of the Headwaters Education initiative, kept youth engaged throughout July with hands-on lessons focused on rivers, watersheds, and aquatic ecosystems. STREAM is a STEM-based river stewardship program that also incorporates Recreation and Arts to help young people connect with nature through watershed exploration, trout education, and river conservation activities.

Adams County 4-H

In early July, Colorado Trout Unlimited partnered with CSU Extension Adams County 4-H Youth Development Camp for a two-day exploration of two locations in the South Platte River watershed.

On the first day, middle school campers gathered at Waterton Canyon and Lake Lehow near Littleton, where the South Platte River emerges from the mountains. Participants sampled aquatic macroinvertebrates and recorded water quality measurements, including temperature, turbidity, pH, and dissolved oxygen. The group identified stoneflies, mayflies, caddisflies, damselflies, crayfish, and frogs, concluding that the river's cool, clear water supported good overall water quality.

Two days later, the group reconvened in Brighton, where the South Platte River flows through the Adams County Fairgrounds after passing through the Denver metropolitan area. Sampling revealed a different macroinvertebrate community, including small mayflies, planaria, leeches, and bloodworms. Water temperature was warmer and turbidity was higher, indicating fair water quality and conditions more suitable for species tolerant of warmer water.

Campers discussed the differences between the two locations and what the changes in water temperature, clarity, and aquatic life could tell them about river health. Comparing the sites helped participants see firsthand how conditions can change along a single river and how those changes affect the species that live there.

The program also included the Greenback Cutthroat Trout Life Cycle board game and an introductory fly casting lesson, where campers practiced their casting skills by catching Velcro trout.

Together, the activities gave campers a better understanding of how water quality, habitat, and aquatic life are connected throughout a watershed.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Colorado

In mid-July, the STREAM Program traveled to Steamboat Springs, partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Colorado and volunteers from the Yampa Valley Fly Fishers Trout Unlimited Chapter.

Over two days at Fetcher Park, youth from Steamboat Springs and Craig participated in aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling and fly casting instruction. Although recreational use of the Yampa River was temporarily restricted due to elevated water temperatures, special permission was obtained for educational sampling activities.

Campers discovered populations of caddisflies, mayflies, and midges, giving them an opportunity to learn what aquatic insects can reveal about river conditions, even during a period of drought and elevated water temperatures.

Fly casting lessons and catching Velcro trout provided another hands-on way for participants to connect what they were learning about rivers and aquatic habitat with outdoor recreation.

Many participants were already familiar with outdoor recreation and angling, but the program gave them a closer look at their local watershed and the ecology of the Yampa River.

Brighton Recreation Center Funshine Summer Camp

The final STREAM event of July took place at Vikan Middle School in Brighton in partnership with the Brighton Recreation Center's Funshine Summer Camp.

Youth ages 7–11 participated in the Trout Survival Game, an interactive activity that follows a trout's journey from egg to adulthood.

Each participant began with a cup of orange lentils representing trout eggs within a redd, or spawning nest. As they moved through the trout life cycle, campers encountered the natural and human-caused challenges trout face along the way.

At each stage, participants saw their original number of "eggs" decrease, illustrating how relatively few trout survive from egg to adulthood and how water quality, habitat, predators, drought, and other factors can affect survival.

A concluding discussion encouraged participants to reflect on what they learned about trout, river ecosystems, and the conditions aquatic species need to survive.

Building Future River Stewards

Throughout July, Colorado Trout Unlimited engaged youth from different communities through hands-on learning focused on river ecology, water quality, trout conservation, and watershed stewardship.

From sampling aquatic insects and testing water quality to exploring the trout life cycle, participants had the opportunity to investigate Colorado's rivers for themselves. Along the way, they learned how water, habitat, and aquatic life are connected, and why understanding those connections is an important part of caring for Colorado's rivers and streams.

Comment on the BLM's Proposed Oil and Gas Rule

Public lands are essential for sustaining our hunting and angling traditions. Energy development and conservation can be compatible, but it takes the right policies to strike this balance.

Significant progress was made in 2024 when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued updated regulations to modernize oil and gas development on public lands. These updates better balanced energy development with conservation while also ensuring that taxpayers are not left holding the bag when bad actors in the oil and gas industry default on their obligations to reclaim lands and waters impacted by oil and gas drilling.

Unfortunately, the BLM just released a new proposed regulation to do away with most of these improvements in the federal oil and gas leasing system. Further, the proposal would significantly curtail public involvement, limit science-based decision-making, and reduce opportunities for hunters and anglers to weigh in on the proposals to develop oil and gas resources in the areas we know best.

The agency is providing a 60-day comment period for the public to comment on this proposal, and your voice is essential to help inform the agency’s decision and avoid policy changes that would upset the balance between energy development and conservation.  

Public Lands – Celebrating America’s 250th

By David Nickum, CTU Executive Director

Earlier this month, the United States celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence – the birth of our nation. While the Semiquincentennial was recognized in a host of ways including in Washington, DC, my wife and I decided to celebrate the occasion through visiting one of America’s most notable innovations: the establishment of protected public lands for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. We went to the Flat Tops and visited Trappers Lake, the cradle of wilderness.

Some of you may know the story of Arthur Carhart. Carhart was a US Forest Service employee who in 1919 was charged with surveying the area around Trappers Lake for the purpose of designating cabin sites and a road that would provide access all around the lake. He completed his assignment, but in seeing the remarkable beauty of the area in its natural state, he submitted along with his survey a memo to his superior at the Forest Service – Aldo Leopold – suggesting that rather than developing the Trappers Lake area it should instead be preserved in its natural state. He wrote:

There are great values of this type to be found in the several forests of the Nation, which in order to return to the greatest total value to the people, not only of the Nation, but of the world should be preserved and protected from the marring features of man made constructions. These areas can never be restored to the original condition after man has invaded them, and the great value lying as it does in natural scenic beauty should be available, not for the small group, but for the greatest population. Time will come when these scenic spots, where nature has been allowed to remain unmarred, will be some of the most highly prized scenic features of the country.

Leopold and the US Forest Service accepted his recommendation, and for the first time in its history the US Forest Service set aside an area to be protected in its wild, untrammeled state. More than 40 years later, the Wilderness Act was adopted as law and the concept of wilderness protection began proliferating to other largely pristine areas. Today, more than 3.7 million acres of Colorado are protected as designated Wilderness – including the Flat Tops Wilderness, centered around Trappers Lake and the landscape that inspired Carhart’s visionary proposal.

Whether you are fishing for cutthroat trout in Trappers Lake, paddling on it in a canoe or kayak, or hiking the scenic Carhart Trail that encircles the lake, this corner of the Flat Tops remains an inspiring place a century after Carhart’s momentous visit. It reflects both the beautiful landscapes and great ideals of our nation, and was for me a perfect place to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. I’m proud to be associated with Trout Unlimited and all of you who are part of our TU community that celebrates, and works to protect, such remarkable places and the fish that call them home.

A Native Trout Rescue Built on Years of Conservation Work

On July 4, 2026, a controlled burn reaches the ridge above the hatchery and merges with the edge of the Willow fire. USFWS Photo/Josh Homer

When the Willow Fire threatened the Leadville National Fish Hatchery in late June, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service moved quickly to protect some of Colorado’s most important native trout.

Over three days, crews moved more than 148,000 fish, including approximately 5,000 greenback cutthroat trout and 1,500 Hayden Creek cutthroat trout. The fish were carefully transported to hatcheries and waters across Colorado, with different populations and age classes kept separate to protect their genetics.

Approximately 250 Hayden Creek Cutthroat trout are released into Iowa Gulch near Leadville. Some fish were stocked in regional waters ahead of schedule, or as part of retirement from their broodfish role. Release arrived for more than 142,000 rainbow trout into Twin Lakes, Mount Elbert Forebay and Hayden Meadows reservoirs; 250 additional Hayden Creek Cutthroat Trout went into the Arkansas River; and more than 500 greenback cutthroats went into Joe Wright Reservoir.

The emergency response was extraordinary, but it was only possible because of years of preparation, science, and partnership.

The greenback cutthroat trout at Leadville are part of a long-term effort to recover Colorado’s state fish within its native range. The Hayden Creek cutthroat trout trace back to a population rescued from wildfire in 2016. Both populations represent years of careful conservation work and important opportunities for future restoration.

The rescue also shows why long-term investment in native trout conservation matters. When wildfire, drought or other threats put isolated populations at risk, strong partnerships, experienced hatchery teams and carefully managed broodstocks can help protect decades of progress.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deserve tremendous credit for the speed, care, and coordination behind this effort. Their work protected not only thousands of fish, but also the future of ongoing native trout recovery across Colorado.

Read the full story in Colorado Outdoors Magazine to learn more about the Willow Fire evacuation and the people who made it possible.

Turn a High Lake Trip Into Field Data

Many of Colorado’s high alpine lakes are remote, difficult to reach, and hard for Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologists to sample regularly.

The Colorado High Alpine Lake Observation Project, or HALO, gives anglers a way to help fill that information gap.

Running from July 1 through Oct. 31, 2026, HALO is a citizen-science project developed with CPW to gather trip, catch, and lake observation data from remote stocked high alpine lakes. By logging eligible trips through the Fishtechy app, participants can help support science-based fisheries management while spending time in places they already care about.

For Trout Unlimited members, this is a practical way to put time on the water to work for conservation. HALO rewards the full effort of collecting data in remote places, including miles hiked, elevation gained, and eligible catches logged. The score is not about the size of the fish. It recognizes the trip, the effort, and the information participants provide along the way.

Interested members should start by visiting the Running Rivers HALO project page for current instructions, rules, eligible lake information, and Fishtechy setup details. Before heading out, participants should download Fishtechy, join the Colorado HALO Tournament, get a Proof Ball, review the current project lake map, and follow all CPW fishing regulations.

Colorado TU chapters may request up to 10 Proof Balls for initial distribution to interested members, with additional Proof Balls available depending on demand. TU members who want to participate should contact their local chapter leadership about Proof Ball availability.

Because project details and eligible lakes may change throughout the season, participants should check the Running Rivers page before each trip. Many HALO waters are remote, high elevation environments where weather, trail conditions, access, and drought impacts can change quickly, so please plan carefully and minimize impacts around sensitive high alpine waters.

Your high lake trip can help CPW gather better information from places that are difficult to reach, and help support the long-term care of Colorado’s high alpine waters.

Drought, Fire, and Low Rivers Are Testing Colorado’s Watersheds

Colorado’s rivers are showing the strain of a hot, dry summer.

After months of drought, low snowpack, and persistent heat, the impacts are visible across the state. Rivers and streams are running low. Water temperatures are rising. Reservoir levels are dropping. Wildfires are burning across Colorado. These conditions affect more than recreation. They put pressure on water supplies, agriculture, wildlife, local economies, and communities that depend on healthy watersheds.

When streamflows drop, rivers warm more quickly. Warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen, making conditions harder for fish and other aquatic life. Low flows also reduce the ability of a stream to buffer heat, dilute pollutants, and support healthy habitat through the hottest part of the year.

Those conditions are already affecting how people use Colorado’s rivers. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has implemented voluntary fishing closures on several waters, including portions of the Yampa River, the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, Cochetopa Creek, and Tomichi Creek. These closures are a signal that some rivers need extra care right now, especially during the hottest parts of the day when water temperatures peak and fish are under the most stress.

Drought is also tied to what is happening beyond the riverbank. Dry soils, stressed vegetation, and hot weather can increase wildfire risk across the landscapes that feed our rivers. Fires like Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain are reminders that watershed health includes both land and water.

The full impact of an active fire on stream habitat is not always known right away. But the risk is clear. When rain falls on burned hillsides, ash, sediment, and debris can move into streams and reservoirs. That can affect water quality, aquatic habitat, infrastructure, and downstream communities long after the flames are out.

This is a summer for paying attention.

Before heading outside, check current fire restrictions, local closures, stream conditions, and water temperatures. Respect voluntary and mandatory restrictions. Use water wisely at home and in your community. If you are fishing, go early, handle fish carefully, and be willing to change plans when water is too warm or flows are too low. Consider waters with more favorable conditions, such as higher-elevation lakes, tailwaters with stable cold releases, or warmwater fisheries where appropriate.

For Colorado Trout Unlimited, this moment reinforces why long-term river conservation matters.

Healthy watersheds are more resilient. Reconnected floodplains, restored wetlands, shaded stream corridors, intact headwaters, and healthy riparian areas can help stabilize flows, reduce erosion, improve water quality, keep stream corridors cooler, and support habitat through difficult conditions.

Restoration work led by TU staff and chapters does not make drought disappear or stop every wildfire. But over time, projects that restore floodplains, protect headwaters, improve riparian areas, and reconnect rivers with their natural corridors can help watersheds function more naturally and recover more effectively under drought, heat, fire, and low-flow conditions.

Colorado’s water story started with snow this year. Now, in July, it is showing up in low rivers, hot afternoons, dry forests, active fires, and communities watching conditions closely.

Colorado Trout Unlimited and our chapters will continue working across the state to protect and restore the watersheds that sustain Colorado’s rivers, communities, wildlife, and way of life.

Every river needs a champion, especially in a summer like this.

Where Conservation, Confidence, and Community Come Together - Colorado TU's 2026 River Conservation & Fly Fishing Camp

Each summer, Colorado Trout Unlimited’s River Conservation & Fly Fishing Camp gives teens the opportunity to explore rivers, develop outdoor skills, build confidence, and form lasting connections.

This year’s camp brought together 22 campers, supported by youth counselors, volunteers, conservation partners, subject matter experts, and staff. Together, they created an unforgettable week rooted in conservation, leadership, and connection to the outdoors.

The impact is perhaps best described by the campers themselves:

“The greatest experience of my life.”

“I was unaware of the significance of the problems Colorado faces.”

“At the start of the camp I had a general idea of TU’s mission and work, but by the end I feel like I got the perfect example of their goals.”

“My cast improved significantly, and I learned a lot more about entomology and the science behind choosing which flies to fish.”

“I learned a lot about technique and really built my skills.”

Campers improve their casting, learn about river ecology, practice conservation, and develop leadership skills. They also learn how to support one another, overcome challenges, and build confidence.

Some arrive shy or uncertain. Others are simply looking for a place where they feel welcome. By the end of the week, many leave with new skills, lasting friendships, and a stronger sense of self.

As one parent shared:

“Thank you from the bottom of our heart for creating a space where our child feels he belongs. That hasn’t happened at other camps.”

Another reflected:

“The impact of this camp is simply beyond words. These children came home glowing, and the excitement they carry with them is something we could not have imagined or hoped for.”

That growth is made possible by an extraordinary group of volunteers.

This year alone, volunteers contributed 2,795 hours of service. They served as counselors, mentors, cooks, educators, drivers, conservation leaders, and role models. They prepared more than 400 sandwiches, more than 300 breakfast burritos, helped serve 20 meals, and worked throughout the week to ensure every camper felt welcome and supported.

Their contribution goes far beyond logistics. Volunteers create an environment where campers feel safe trying new things, asking questions, and stepping outside their comfort zones. They help friendships form around picnic tables, campfires, and days spent along the river.

The camp also gives young people direct experience with conservation. Campers and volunteers planted more than 1,500 sagebrush plugs at a restored abandoned mine lands site and learned from experts representing Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Western Conservation Advocates, Adams County 4-H, and Trout Unlimited.

Statistics cannot fully capture what makes the camp special. Its impact is found in the friendships formed, the confidence gained after mastering a new skill, and the young person who discovers a deeper connection to rivers, conservation, and the outdoors.

River Conservation & Fly Fishing Camp is a place where teens grow into leaders, develop new skills, and become part of a community committed to caring for rivers and watersheds. Thanks to the dedication of volunteers, partners, counselors, and supporters, that experience continues year after year.

Shoshone Water Rights Project Takes Major Step Forward With $40 Million Federal Funding Release

A major step forward for the Colorado River is now in motion.

Photo Courtesy of The Colorado River District

On May 22, the Department of the Interior released $40 million in federal funding to the Colorado River District for the Shoshone Water Rights Preservation Project. The funding brings the River District to $97 million of the $99 million needed to purchase and permanently protect the water rights tied to the Shoshone Hydropower Plant in Glenwood Canyon.

For Colorado’s rivers, Western Slope communities, agricultural producers, recreation economies, and everyone who depends on the Colorado River, this is a significant milestone. The Shoshone water rights are some of the largest and most senior non-consumptive water rights on the Colorado River. They include senior 1902 and junior 1929 rights that have long helped maintain flows in the Colorado River headwaters down through Glenwood Canyon and on to downstream communities.

The Shoshone water rights are some of the largest and most senior non-consumptive water rights on the Colorado River. They include senior 1902 and junior 1929 rights that have long helped maintain flows from the Colorado River headwaters through Glenwood Canyon and on to downstream communities. Because the water used for hydropower returns to the river, the rights have supported river flows that benefit agriculture, local economies, recreation, aquatic habitat, and the coldwater conditions wild and native trout need.

Colorado Trout Unlimited has long supported the effort to permanently protect the Shoshone water rights because this project is about more than one stretch of river. It is about long-term water security for Colorado’s namesake river and the communities, ecosystems, and future generations that rely on it.

In 2023, the Colorado River District entered into an agreement with Public Service Company of Colorado, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, to purchase the Shoshone water rights for $99 million. One of the major conditions of that agreement was securing the funding needed to complete the purchase. With the release of this federal award, that goal is now nearly complete.

Another major step came in November 2025, when the Colorado Water Conservation Board unanimously approved accepting the Shoshone water rights into the state’s instream flow program. That approval was a critical milestone in the broader effort to allow the rights to continue supporting hydropower production while also protecting flows in the Colorado River.

Important work remains. The project now moves into the contracting phase, where the Colorado River District will work with the Bureau of Reclamation to finalize the terms of the federal award. The River District, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and Public Service Company of Colorado have also filed in Colorado water court for a change of water rights that would add instream flow use to the Shoshone rights while allowing continued hydropower production. The transaction must also receive approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission before it can close.

Shoshone Dam, seen here on August 13, 2021, near Glenwood Springs, generates electricity through its turbines on the Colorado River. The dam and power plant near the Hanging Lake parking area was constructed in the early 1900s. (Hugh Carey, The Colorado Sun)

The Shoshone Water Rights Preservation Coalition includes more than 100 water providers, local governments, regional entities, conservation groups, the State of Colorado, and bipartisan elected officials. That broad support reflects what makes this project so important: it brings together diverse interests around a shared commitment to the future of the Colorado River.

Protecting Shoshone is one of the most meaningful river conservation opportunities in Colorado. It helps preserve historic flows, strengthens resilience in a changing climate, and supports the health of the Colorado River from the Western Slope downstream.

For Colorado TU, this moment is a reminder that durable conservation takes partnership, persistence, and a shared belief that healthy rivers matter to all of us.