Genetic study could make Grizzly Creek ideal for recovery

By Charlie Meyers The Denver Post

Funded in large part by MillerCoors, the Forest Service and Trout Unlimited and bolstered by a small army of volunteers, the effort will begin the first week of August with a launch of equipment and materials that will make the creek suitable for fish while erasing a rash of environmental scars.

A buck-and-rail fence will be installed to prevent motorized incursion, while a mile of unauthorized road will be obliterated to further aid in stream protection. At the same time, a single-track trail will be maintained for hiking and other backcountry uses.

Design and construction will be managed by Frontier Environmental Services, the firm that earlier was contracted by West Denver TU to design and build the so-called Golden Mile on Clear Creek.

The Clear Creek Watershed Foundation will oversee the project once it has been completed, an effort that includes on-ground remediation and metals reduction.

http://www.denverpost.com/extremes/ci_12933965

Trout Unlimited plans 'party' for Fraser River

Sky-Hi Daily News Imagine the Fraser River Valley without a river running through it. Imagine the Fraser River without trout swimming in it. Imagine a way to ensure that we always have our rivers and our trout. The Colorado River Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited is holding "A Party for the River" on Saturday, July 18, an invitation to help them help the rivers.

TU will host its annual banquet at Gasthaus Eichler in Winter Park with cocktails beginning at 5:30 p.m., Silent Auction at 6 p.m., and dinner at 7:30 p.m. The $35 tickets can be purchased at Winter Park Optical in the Safeway Center, at Mo' Henry's on Hwy. 40 in Fraser, or by calling 726-5652.

Don't think of this as a party just for fishermen — think of it as a party for people who care about our Grand County environment. The mission of Trout Unlimited is to conserve, protect, restore and enjoy our cold water fisheries and the watersheds upon which they depend, including the already endangered Upper Colorado and the Fraser River.

http://www.skyhidailynews.com/article/20090709/NEWS/907099998/1067

Rapp named Trout Unlimited’s conservationist of the year

Clear Creek Courant Since the discovery of gold in 1859 in Clear Creek County and neighboring Gilpin County, it is doubtful that any Colorado body of water has been under more influence from historic mining activity than Clear Creek.

During the Gold Rush era, an estimated 1,600 or more active mines were developed, with nearly all of those since abandoned.

Over the years, these orphan mines and related mine waste residuals have had negative impacts on the local fishery. Clear Creek’s revival began in the late 1980s, about the time that Ed Rapp arrived on the scene.

Rapp is being honored as Colorado Trout Unlimited’s conservationist of the year.

http://www.lcni5.com/cgi-bin/c2.cgi?040+article+News+20090428174748040900

Thanks to Coyote Gulch for the link.

Animas River Makeover

by Dale StrodeDurango Herald Outdoors Editor

A prime stretch of the Animas River in downtown Durango will get a new identity this summer.

The Animas River itself will get a bit of a new look, starting in mid-August.

The west-side riverbank will get a full-scale makeover - a retro renovation - between Ninth Street and the Highway 160 bridge.

The river and west-bank renovation project was announced recently when Durango received an $86,000 grant from the Colorado Division of Wildlife for bank stabilization and habitat improvement on that stretch of the Animas River.

The DOW grant was one of the final pieces of a 3½-year jigsaw puzzle, put together through the nonprofit efforts of Trout Unlimited and the Animas Riverkeepers.

Ty Churchwell, then the president of the Five Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited, sat as a member of the Animas River Task Force. With other Trout Unlimited local board members and board members from Animas Riverkeepers, the task force was asked to review an Animas River corridor assessment.

http://durangoherald.com/sections/Features/Outdoors/2009/05/01/Animas_River_Makeover/

Boulder Creek gets massive makeover for fish habitat

Boulder Daily Camera By Laura Snider (Contact) Tuesday, April 28, 2009

BOULDER, Colo. — As David Blauch stepped closer to the creek, he saw a couple of shadows dart under the eave of a big rock.

"That's exactly what you want," he said, pointing to the trout he'd just frightened into the shadows.

The massive rock now sitting in Boulder Creek, parting the frigid waters and creating an eddy of still water where a trout can hide, is new to the stream. Just a week ago, this section of the creek near the top of Boulder Canyon ran wide and shallow, with uniform ripples stretching for a half mile with barely a boulder in sight.

"All the larger rocks are placed to increase habitat," said Blauch, vice president and senior ecologist for Ecological Resource Consultants in Boulder.

The $234,000 restoration project is the result of three years of hard work by Boulder Flycasters, the local chapter of Trout Unlimited, to create a fish-friendly section of stream with stable banks, better recreational access and environmental education opportunities.

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/apr/28/restoration-project-rogers-park-boulder-creek-fish/

A volunteer group for every animal

  Grand Junction Sentinel

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Of the many conservation groups I’ve been associated with or written about in my 25-plus years of covering outdoor causes and issues, none stand out as much as Trout Unlimited.

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/opinion/stories/2009/04/25/042609_8D_Sunday_OUT_column.html

Durango river steward honored

Durango Telegraph One of Durango’s leading river stewards received national recognition last week. Ty Churchwell, of the Five Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited, was recognized as Colorado Trout Unlimited’s 2009 Volunteer of the Year last weekend at the group’s Spring Rendezvous.

Churchwell commented that he volunteers out of a sense of obligation both to the Durango community and the Animas watershed. “Those trout keep me sane and our rivers are my ‘church,’” he said. “Healthy rivers are the lifeblood of our communities, and I’m thankful Durango recognizes the value of the Animas to our community.”

The award also spotlighted the Animas River Restoration Project, which Churchwell is helping to spearhead. The City of Durango was awarded an $86,000 grant from the Colorado Division of Wildlife for habitat improvements and bank stabilization for the stretch of river between 9th Street and the Highway 160 bridge. The project, which is planned for August, is meant to improve fish habitat while restoring riparian areas along the western river bank. With the high flows and increased use of the area in recent years, a number of native cottonwoods and shrubs along the banks have disappeared, leading to further erosion and habitat damage.

“The restoration project we are doing on the Animas is symbolic of the spirit of Durango,” he said. “The great success we are experiencing at the chapter is a function of the wonderful people in Durango who come out and donate to our causes. We could not do this type of project without the people who support us.”

The Five Rivers Chapter’s upcoming annual fund-raiser is scheduled for May 2 in the Fort Lewis College Ballroom.

http://www.durangotelegraph.com/telegraph.php?inc=/09-04-23/quick.htm

Joint effort may reopen angler access

Mountain Mail

by Paul Goetz Mail News Editor

A joint effort that may reopen a portion of road used by anglers was endorsed by Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area task force members during their regular meeting Thursday.

The road in question is a quarter mile section on the north side of the Arkansas River near Stockyard Bridge.

It was closed following a three year travel management plan process that ended with implementation March 5.

Collegiate Peaks Chapter of Trout Unlimited and Arkansas Valley Audubon Society may adopt the road to allow for environmental education and access.

In exchange the Bureau of Land Management would reopen the road.

Whether the BLM reopens the road will ultimately be the decision of Roy Masinton, Royal Gorge Field Office Manager.

http://www.themountainmail.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=16104

Suit forged pact on trout repopulation

Coloradoan April 5, 2009

A further comment on the March 25 front page Long Draw article. The local Trout Unlimited chapter, Rocky Mountain FlyCasters, sued the U.S. Forest Service. What the article left out was why. The lawsuit forced the USFS's obligation to care for a watershed instead of blindly permitting a privately held water company. The lawsuit was actually filed in 1994, not 2004. It languished in appeal until the volunteer efforts of a lawyer brought it before a judge.

What the judge remanded was absolutely remarkable and a victory for the people of Colorado. He said put the water back in the stream or mitigate - make up for your sins. Winter water flow to La Poudre Pass Creek was impossible because of a dam enlargement, so it forced an historic compromise. The USFS, Trout Unlimited and the Water Conservation District had to sit down and hammer out a compromise to please the judge. Amazingly, that is what they did.

Now, partially funded by the Water Conservancy District and in coordination with the USFS and Rocky Mountain National Park, the largest native fish restoration in the United States will occur in our backyard. The watershed above Long Draw will be repopulated with Greenback Cutthroat Trout. TU volunteers will help. This historic victory proves something. Solutions do exist when organizations sit down to talk. I applaud the courageous individuals who helped it happen: Doc Sheets, Paul Fromme, Dave Piske, Ken Eis and other local heroes who care!

Greg Evans,

past president Rocky Mountain FlyCasters

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20090405/OPINION03/904050321

River rescue

Local groups unite to rehabilitate river Durango Telegraph

by Missy Votel

The Animas River is getting a facelift. This week, the City of Durango was awarded an $86,000 grant from the Colorado Division of Wildlife for habitat improvements and bank stabilization for the stretch of river between 9th Street and the Highway 160 bridge. The project, which is planned for August, is meant to improve fish habitat while restoring riparian areas along the western river bank. With the high flows and increased use of the area in recent years, a number of native cottonwoods and shrubs along the banks have disappeared, leading to further erosion and habitat damage.

“Over the last several years, we’ve lost a lot of our big cottonwoods into the river,” said Ty Churchwell, of the Five Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited. “Every time we lose a 150-year-old cottonwood, it takes that long to replace it.”

Churchwell said the trees are important because, in addition to providing bird habitat and cover for fish, their massive root systems help to hold the soil in place. Without them, the bank erodes, causing further undercutting. “The root structure is what keeps the soil from washing away. Every big run-off we have, the problem perpetuates itself.”

Trout Unlimited along with Animas Riverkeepers was instrumental in securing the grant and getting the City of Durango on board with the project. The area to be worked on, which runs adjacent to Roosa Avenue, is city owned, making city cooperation crucial. The west side of the river, versus the east side adjacent to the River Trail and Doubletree, is being pinpointed because that is where the river takes a natural lefthand turn, scouring the west bank especially hard as a result.

http://www.durangotelegraph.com/telegraph.php?inc=/09-03-05/coverstory.htm