The Dolores River Anglers' (DRA) first river project at the confluence of Taylor Creek and Little Taylor Creek, tributaries of the Dolores River, was a great success! The Chapter received great support from the community, and their out lay of cash for the project was only about 25% of budget because of several generous donations, including one from Western Excelsior in Mancos. Chris Burkett, DRA Secretary/Treasurer, calculated over 160 hours of TU labor moved 10 tons of rock and emplaced more than 240 feet of Aspen fiber rolls. The crew from the forest service’s hydrology group also provided great support. According to San Juan National Forest, Dolores District, Hydrologist, Shauna Jensen, "I couldn't have asked for anything better than this" at the completion. District Ranger, Derrick Padilla said "I am very pleased with the results of this partnership and look forward to more such projects." The USFS provided the technical expertise and engineering for the project and a core work crew that DRA supplemented with volunteers, funding, and donations of materials.

Dale Smith, chapter vice president and project coordinator said "This project was an excellent opportunity for Trout Unlimited's newest chapter in Colorado, the Dolores River Anglers, to partner with the local District of the San Juan National Forest. Our purpose was to prevent degradation of a wonderful resource, to help protect native cutthroat trout, and protect water quality in our homewaters drainage."

DRA learned a lot from these folks and are looking forward to their next project together. Fish sampling and a paper draft have already begun for a stream crossing rebuild on Rio Lado, another creek in the Dolores River drainage.

Check out The Cortez Journal's write up on this great collaborative project!