River, Fooses Creek receive restoration

Audrey Gilpin - Mail Staff Writer Habitat restoration was completed in August at Fooses Creek and the South Fork of the Arkansas River, which feed two antique hydroelectric plants operated by Xcel Energy.

During a tour of the restored sites last week, U.S. Forest Service fisheries biologist Phillip Gaines said the project began after studies found the sites east of Garfield and below Maysville had insufficient fishery habitat.

Collegiate Peaks Anglers and Cheyenne Mountain chapters of Trout Unlimited donated $5,000, Xcel Energy contributed $50,000 and the Colorado Division of Wildlife made in-kind donations to the project.

"Trout Unlimited really came to the rescue," Gaines said.

http://www.themountainmail.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=17539

Neubecker to speak to Alpine Anglers on water diversions

Special to the Trail-Gazette

Ken Neubecker, president of Colorado Trout Unlimited, will speak Thursday on the impact of water diversions from the upper Colorado River."More than half of the water of the upper Colorado is already diverted to the Front Range for agricultural and municipal use," said Neubecker. "Now two new projects could take almost half of what remains."

But as conservation, government and business interests in Grand County geared up for a protracted fight, water developers Denver Water and Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District agreed to work with local agencies to find ways to meet the water needs of the Front Range while minimizing the impact on wildlife and recreation on the Colorado and Fraser Rivers.

Neubecker will speak about the situation at the Alpine Anglers` monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 in the Hondius Room of the Estes Park Public Library. The public is invited.

http://www.eptrail.com/ci_13552219

Cutthroat competition

Durango Herald op-ed from Paul Sheppard, president of the Five Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited in Durango: As part of the recent land swap discussion, we should consider values that do not equate well to dollars, as they are priceless.

The U.S. Forest Service recognizes articles identified in the Wild & Scenic Rivers Acts as "outstandingly remarkable values" or ORVs. These are features in the forest of such high value, the Forest Service is directed to manage them so as to retain their character. In order for the people to make more informed decisions about the proposed land swap, I feel it important to share these values.

http://durangoherald.com/sections/Opinion/2009/09/27/Cutthroat__competition/

Thanks to Coyote Gulch for the link!

Sportsmen's group labels gas drilling a threat to Roan

By DENNIS WEBB/The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel Friday, September 11, 2009

John Trammel, of the Grand Valley Anglers chapter of Trout Unlimited, is quoted in the report as saying, “It would be a serious mistake to jeopardize the irreplaceable values of native fish on the Roan by drilling in their watersheds.”

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/news/stories/2009/09/11/091209_3A_roan_sportsmen.html

Part of Animas River west bank to undergo stabilization process

by Garrett AndrewsHerald Staff Writer

"We're losing that riverbank," said former president of the Five Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited Ty Churchwell. "Eventually it will eat its way through Roosa Avenue."

He said that part of the problem is the unstoppable force of nature, the other is human. River users who utilize the free parking along Roosa Avenue often don't walk to a trail to get to the river but forge their own through the native vegetation.

The repair measures have been designed to withstand a 50-year flood, and should be around "for decades," said Churchwell.

http://durangoherald.com/sections/News/2009/08/27/Part_of_Animas_River_west_bank_to_undergo_stabilization_process/

Revival within reach for South Platte River

Carp Slam will help breathe life into restoration plans for South Platte River

By Charlie Meyers The Denver Post

All of this serves chiefly as an angler's pow-wow for an initiative that began several years ago with a $400,000 grant to the Greenway Foundation to study what is called River North, from Confluence Park to the northern city limits.

More recently, Trout Unlimited announced a memorandum of understanding with South Suburban Parks and Recreation and the city of Littleton for a study of an extended reach of the river downstream from C-470.

North of this is a jumble of broken concrete, discarded tires and assorted trash that has plagued the river for as long as anyone can recall.

"We'd like to see the Platte turned into a recreational playground, a place that would attract tourists as well as residents, much like with Salida and Durango," said Michael Hobbs, president of the Denver Chapter.

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_13154645

Carp Tournament In Denver Will Help Trout

  Written by Environmental Specialist Paul Day

DENVER (CBS4)

Why, some might ask, would competent fly fishers pay good money to catch something in downtown Denver as ugly as a carp? The answer lies several miles upriver on the urban South Platte.

Todd Fehr is with the environmental group Trout Unlimited.

"Today, the river in many places is thin, too shallow for trout to live in," said Fehr, an officer with the Denver Chapter of TU.

TU has plans for turning the marginal water into a recreational fishery.

http://cbs4denver.com/entertainment/fly.fishing.carp.2.1132797.html

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.