Plan to Drill on Colorado Plateau Meets Resistance

By SEAN PATRICK FARRELL

New York Times

RIFLE, Colo. — Standing in a canyon in hilly terrain, Ken Neubecker cast his fly into a cold stream. Minutes later he had a bite. Thrashing at the end of his line was a speckled green fish, a scarce Colorado cutthroat trout. Mr. Neubecker was fishing on the Roan Plateau, a high stretch of terrain beloved by hunters, anglers and hikers for its clear streams, herds of deer and elk, and rugged beauty.

“There just aren’t many places like this in the West,” Mr. Neubecker said. “It’s a real gem.”

But as the number of truly wild places in the United States dwindles, people like Mr. Neubecker, who is president of the Colorado chapter of a conservation group called Trout Unlimited, are arguing that the nation ought to recalibrate its view of what is worth saving.

This desire to preserve more land is running up against a powerful economic incentive to develop new supplies of oil and gas. In particular, the nation is undergoing a boom in natural gas drilling. New production techniques have expanded the country’s potential reserves of gas by 40 percent in the last few years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/business/energy-environment/30roan.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print

Animas River one of our 'greatest resources'

by Dale RodebaughHerald Staff Writer

The quality of a community’s waterways reflects its dedication to the environment, says Buck Skillen, an inveterate fly-fisherman and board member of Trout Unlimited who keeps track of water quality for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Of particular interest to Skillen is the stretch of the Animas River from its confluence with Lightner Creek near the Durango Dog Park to the Rivera Crossing Bridge behind Home Depot. Since 1997, the division has designated that reach of the Animas as a gold-medal trout fishery – its highest rating.

But silt entering the Animas at Lightner Creek causes turbidity, which can compromise the quality of the gold-medal waters.

“The silt affects the fishability of the reach and the overall river experience,” Skillen said. “Further, it reflects negatively on our community’s stewardship of the river.”

http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/News/Earth/2009/10/29/Animas_River_one_of_our_greatest_resources/

Williams looks to help repair Clear Creek

By Charlie Meyers The Denver Post

First, as a board member of West Denver Trout Unlimited, he [Miles Williams] served as director of the heralded Golden Mile project that breathed a $250,000 revival into the creek just upstream from the town of Golden. Work was completed last year.

Now he has taken the lead in a similar surge of fundraising for what will be the Courtney Riley Cooper Park in Idaho Springs.

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_13605156

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