by Geoff Elliot, CTU Youth Education Coordinator
“This changes everything.” A camper shares this succinct recap of the experience with their parent during pick up after Colorado Trout Unlimited’s 2021 River Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp.
After my first experience at camp, I wholeheartedly agree. CTU’s youth camp is truly a transformational experience. Between the camp community, educational programs, career exploration, and fly fishing experiences, CTU’s youth camp captures young anglers and conservationists at many levels. They have the opportunity to spend a week with long-minded peers from across the state, learn from natural resource professionals, develop fly fishing and fly tying skills, and recognize the importance of fisheries and watershed management. Through these diverse experiences, they connect the dots between outdoor recreation and conservation in fly fishing and beyond.
In 2021, campers:
Participated in fish population surveys by electroshocking Illinois Creek with CPW and USFWS.
Conducted macroinvertebrate surveys to evaluate stream health and practice data analysis.
Engaged in hands-on hydrology and stream flow experiments from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Learned about the importance of managing for Aquatic Invasive Species from CPW staff.
Developed awareness of water law and management from TU National staff.
Discussed Leave No Trace ethics for fly fishing in the front country and backcountry.
Improved fly fishing and fly tying skills through mentorship with CTU volunteers.
Fished private water on small streams and ponds to challenge and practice on diverse waters.
Established a statewide community of young anglers and conservationist.
Among all of these, the community aspect resonates with me as the most powerful and impactful moving forward. By building relationships with like-minded peers, campers take all of these experiences and build upon them as their community grows and evolves beyond the camp experiences. Already we have seen the impacts of this, as campers reach out to share photos from fishing adventures with their newfound friends.
A big THANK YOU goes out to the incredible volunteers who mentored campers and supported camp logistics, programming, and everything else. CTU’s River Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp is a moving experience underscoring the passion among TU volunteers and the critical importance for sharing our love of rivers and trout with younger generations!
I am excited to continue to support this community moving forward and eager to build upon the 2021 camp experience moving forward!
