Trout Unlimited Partners With the Forest Service to Restore

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) along with residents, local governments, other agencies and many others, have a long road ahead of them to restore what was damaged during the 2013 floods in Northern Colorado. To begin this process the USFS needs to assess the damage of the rivers. They have turned to Trout Unlimited (TU) because we have an expansive network of dedicated volunteers that care about the watershed and want to make a difference.

This is the beginning of a multi year partnership to bring back the healthy river ecosystems in the South Platte Basin after the floods; and we already have volunteers trained and ready to get on the river!!

The USFS hosted the first training for TU members on August 20, 2013, and it was a huge success. Dan Cenderelli and Matt Fairchild from the Forest Service developed a unique scientific assessment aimed at gathering data to develop a prescription to restore the entire watershed. This assessment is unique in many ways, but the big one is that there is an app for it!! Yes, an app for your smart phone. TU volunteers were not only trained on the science of the assessment, but also how to enter the data into their phones and instantly submit their results into the USFS database.

TU and the USFS were very anxious to get this project going. Planning and developing this partnership began shortly after the floods in September 2013. We are excited that the first bunch of volunteers have been trained and are ready to get out on the rivers and be true citizen scientist.

Because of the high demand from volunteers we will be hosting another training. We are working on scheduling it and should have details ASAP. If you are interested in being a part of this ground breaking partnership then please let us know. Contact Stephanie Scott at sscott@tu.org or 720-354-2647 to learn more and get signed up.

Hidden Treasure Mine Decommissioning and Rehabilitating Project

Saturday, August 23, 2014 We are calling for a maximum of 20 hearty CCTU volunteers to join forces with the Coalition for the Upper South Platte and the city of Alma to complete the  Hidden Treasure Mine, aka. Orange Fence Mine Decommissioning and Rehabilitating Project.  By closing access and rehabbing the site, this work will both help to preserve the historical aspects of the area, populations of rare plants recently discovered at the site as well as to improve water quality of Buckskin Creek  and ultimately the important fishery of the Middle Fork of the South Platte River.

Where and When:  We plan to meet on Saturday, August 23rd at 9:00 AM at the Alma Town Hall located at 59 Buckskin Street, Alma, CO 80420.  There is a lot of work to do so we are planning on working till 2:00PM.  

Lunch!  A BBQ Lunch  will be provided by a generous supporter for all volunteers.

Project Description:  Work will include rehabilitating the  abandoned mine site on USFS property 4 miles  outside of Alma on County road 8..  The site has significant erosion issues exacerbated by illegal digging with heavy equipment.  Runoff flows over tailings and goes subterranean before entering Buckskin Creek, which then drains into the Middle Fork of the Upper South Platte.   Part of the project entails creating a diversion to curtail water moving over the tailings.  The illegal use activity also created access point for off road vehicles, multiplying the damage.  Work will minimize the issues through decommissioning the site, re-seeding with native perennials, transplanting trees and shrubs.  This work will  reduce degradation of this ‘attractive nuisance’ and enhance regeneration at this polluted site, improving downstream water quality. The Town of Alma will donate heavy equipment and staff for the project, CUSP will donate staff and seed, and a generous supporter will provide a BBQ lunch.  This project will be completed through genuine dedication of key local community members and committed efforts of CCTU volunteers.  Please plan to join us on this collaborative and impact-full effort.

Important Notes:

CUSP will provide materials and necessary tools to complete project work.

Events may be canceled or rescheduled due to bad weather, which could create hazardous conditions for volunteers and staff.  Staff will monitor weather and notify you of any changes in a timely fashion.

Please Bring:

Any applicable medicines (including epi-pen and inhalers, if needed)

Sun block and sun glasses (or safety glasses)

Layered clothing appropriate for outdoor work

Waterproof work boots

Work Gloves

A container for water, the use of reusable containers is encouraged, refills will be provided

Please Call Jim Klug at 303-565-7504 to sign up and to arrange for car-pooling.

Colorado TU Recognizes Colorado River Day

The Colorado River is recognized by American Rivers as one of as one of the most endangered rivers in the country. Restoration efforts, including those by Colorado TU and other non-profit agencies have been in full force to help protect the Colorado. On July 25, 2014, the same day Congress renamed the river from the Grand to the Colorado back in 1921 the states of Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona are celebrating Colorado River Day.

Colorado River Day is when urban and rural organizations and progressives and conservative groups come together to celebrate the river and unite in support of maintaining the sustainability of the Colorado River.

The Colorado begins in Colorado at the Continental Divide and runs west through seven different states. The river supplies roughly 36 million Americans with clean drinking water, supports roughly 15% of the nation’s agriculture and provides recreation that accounts for about $26 billion annually into the economy.

The high demand on the river is depleting the resources and usually the river completely dries up before it can reach the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean. The depletion of water has lead to the endangerment of many fish species living in the river system including the Colorado pikeminnow, razorback sucker, humpback chub and bonytail.

Colorado TU is the leading voice in Colorado dedicated to the conservation efforts of the Colorado River. Colorado TU is working on many different projects dedicated to protecting the waters of the mighty Colorado including the Moffat Expansion Project, Blue River restoration, Windy Gap Firming Project and the Fraser River project.

Currently chapters west of the Divide are working on projects that will help restore the Colorado River and its tributaries. The Ferdinand and Hayden Chapter is helping put on a river clean up where volunteers will help pick up trash along the Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers in Glenwood Springs and Glenwood Canyon.

For more information or to help volunteer for this event and help save the Colorado River, click here.

With assist from Trout Unlimited members, and other conservation organizations, Colorado TU can help restore the Colorado River back into the life force it once was and hopefully one day, the waters of the Colorado will reach the Sea of Cortez year after year.

Boulder Creek TU River Cleanup

We'll meet at 9:00 a.m. October 11th for registration and clean-up beat assignments.

The cleanup will get underway at Boulder Flycasters Memorial Park approximately 2.5 miles up Boulder Canyon. The park is about 150 yards past the tunnel on your left.

Bring gloves and waders if you'd like to pull out trash from in the stream. An old rake can do wonders to help with in-stream work.

Each volunteer will be responsible for about 1/2 mile of stream and we'll have teams of two so bring a buddy or another family member to help us!We'll have plenty of trash bags and safety vests provided by the county and they'll pick up all trash we gather later on during the week.

Trout Unlimited and the U.S. Forest Service teaming up to restore our rivers!!

The U.S. Forest service along with residents, local governments, other agencies and many others have a long road ahead of them to restore what was damaged during the 2013 floods. To begin this process the U.S. Forest Service need to assess the damage of the rivers in order to develop a prescription for restoration across the entire watershed. They have turned to Trout Unlimited because we have an expansive network of dedicated volunteers that care about the watershed and want to make a difference. The Forest Service is hosting a training exclusively for Trout Unlimited members to learn how to assess the damage in the watershed based on the scientific protocol that they have developed. The surveys will take place in Northern Colorado along the Big Thompson, St. Vrain and Boulder Creek areas.

The training session will be on Tuesday evening, July 29, from 6:00 PM until 8:30 PM. It will take place at the Forest Service office building, 2150 Centre Ave. Bldg. E in Fort Collins.

We already have a large number of people signed up for this training but still have some space available for additional volunteers. If you attend this training you will be able to sign up for certain stretches of river to assess on your own time with a partner. If you CAN attend this training and are interested in being trained by the Forest Service to assess rivers then please let Stephanie Scott  know ASAP!!

The remaining spaces are first come first serve, so if you want to attend this training I will fill the remaining spots in order of response.

To RSVP or for additional questions please contact Stephanie Scott sscott@tu.org or 720-354-2647

Bear Creek Cleanup in Evergreen

9am - Noon. Participants meet in the parking lot across from the Little Bear in downtown Evergreen and should bring waders and gloves. Children are welcome, but each child under 12 should be accompanied by an adult. For more information, prospective volunteers should contact me at ronbelak@msn.com.

West Denver Trout Unlimited Annual Stream Cleanup

September 27, 2014 @ 9am Congregate at the Mt. Tool and Feed Store (Mountain Gateway Mercantile) parking lot.  Take exit 243 from I-70 (Central City Gateway Highway).  The West Denver  TU chuck wagon will be there.

Things to bring:

-- waders for crossing the stream or retrieve trash among rocks in the stream

bottom or stream bank .

-- gloves for your safety.

-- pinchers/grabbers to reach unreachable areas.

-- folding chair if you have one and would like to sit for lunch.

-- hat/cap – sunscreen

-- radios or cell phones for communication  – there NOW is cell phone service.

-- water bottles – can be filled at the feed store.

Schedule:

*** juice & coffee & energy snacks at 9:00 – 10:00

*** sign waivers

*** pick up orange safety vests and orange trash bags

*** divide into groups/teams to work both sides of Clear Creek only if access is safe!!

10:00 - Teams will be driven to sites/pull-outs then picked up at the next pull out, either up or down stream.  We will be working up stream from Mayhem Gulch toward the Feed Store parking lot.

CDOT is planning to have “Shoulder Work Ahead” signs along the area we will be “de-trashing” – hopefully the signs will cause the traffic to drive slower and help them become more alert.

Back to the chuck wagon as teams finish, to brag about the best find.

Lunch – 11:30 ish (provided).   There is a fund raiser cook-out planned for the Feed Store customers so the grill will be ready any time you choose to eat.

Call Jackie for questions/concerns or to be added to the volunteer list.

Cell:  303-503-9356

Home:  303-278-2282 (leave a message if no answer)

e-mail:  jorgedwards@aol.com

FRIENDS OF THE DILLON RANGER DISTRICT WATERSHED RESTORATION DAY

Volunteers are needed to help rehabilitate the watershed with natural vegetation. Projects will include burying logs for erosion control, collecting and planting willow shoots, transplanting native trees and grasses, as well as some spreading of native seed and hay to encourage regrowth. Please register online at FDRD.org

*This project is a partnership with the Blue River Watershed Group, Trout Unlimited, Summit County Open Space and Trails, and the USDA Forest Service.

SCHEDULE: September 13, 2014 9am: Meet in parking lot - Introduction and overview of the day

12pm: Lunch

1pm: Arrive back at trailhead - wrap up discussion.

ITEMS TO BRING OR WEAR: Our summer mountain weather can range from sunny and warm to cold and wet. Be prepared.

• Work or hiking boots--no sandals or minimalist shoes
• Long pants, long sleeved shirt, other layers
• Rain gear, hat, sunglasses
• Sunscreen, insect repellant, allergy medications
• Day pack Lunch Snacks for munching on the trail Drinking water (AT LEAST 2 liters per person per day)
• Leather or heavy-duty work gloves (optional)

AGE REQUIREMENTS:

• Ages 6-15 must be accompanied by an adult.
• Ages 16-18 must have parental consent via FDRD waiver to attend.

REMINDERS

• Pets are not permitted
• Drink plenty of fluids before and during the project
• Smoking on the project site is not permitted
• Carpooling is highly encouraged

Moffat Agreement: What's In It for the River?

Earlier this year, after a long-standing dispute over Denver Water’s proposed Moffat Collection System Project (Moffat Project), Trout Unlimited, Grand County and Denver Water have reached an agreement on how to protect the Fraser River and its tributaries from the project’s impacts. Denver already diverts water - including an estimated 60 percent of the native flows of the Fraser - from the Fraser and Williams Fork basins through an extensive network of tunnels and pipes that funnel water to the Moffat Tunnel for delivery and use in the Front Range.  Denver's proposed project would expand storage at Gross Reservoir and enable them to divert additional water from this network during comparatively wetter periods (generally spring and early summer, in wet and average years).  The loss of these higher flow periods and the sediment flushing they provide, and the potential for summer diversions to exacerbate existing high stream temperatures, raise significant concern for TU and others concerned with the health of the Fraser basin.  Above all, TU has been concerned that existing habitat models cannot properly predict impacts in a stream system that is already so depleted, and so we have consistently called for a monitoring and adaptive management program capable of detecting and addressing unanticipated impacts.

The agreement among Denver Water, Grand County, and TU responds to these concerns through an extensive package of enhancement and mitigation, guided by an ongoing monitoring and adaptive management effort called "Learning by Doing." Whether mitigation or enhancement, Denver Water commits to implement this package and that commitment would be included in the 404 permit for the project.

Learning by Doing (LBD) will be implemented by a committee that includes Grand County, Trout Unlimited, Denver Water, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.  The LBD Committee would implement an extensive monitoring program to assess stream health based on specific parameters including stream temperature, aquatic life, and riparian vegetation health.  Water and financial resources committed by Denver Water (listed below) would be deployed to prevent declines and improve conditions where needed.  Denver Water also commits to use flexibility in how it can operate its extensive water diversions system to help reduce impacts and where possible provide benefits to the streams.  LBD would also be the vehicle through which mitigation measures imposed by the Corps would be implemented.The core concept is to dedicate substantial resources for mitigation and river enhancement, and then let future monitoring data help guide how to best apply those resources - so that river conservation efforts will be based on actual conditions, not on uncertain model results.  And the program offers a path forward to not only address impacts from the proposed Moffat Project, but also to improve existing stream conditions.

So what are the resources Denver will provide to help the Fraser and Upper Colorado river basin? Here's a brief summary:

Mitigation Measures include: (1) Measures to address stream temperature issues:

• Monitor stream temperatures and bypass up to 250 AF of water annually if stream temperatures reach or exceed state standards
• Bypass sufficient additional flows to reach defined minimum flows if stream temperature problem persists after the 250 AF have been bypassed
• If temperature problems persist, contribute $1 million to LBD for additional projects to help reduce temperatures (such as riparian re-vegetation and channel improvements)

(2) Measures to address sediment/flyshing flow issues:

• Using flexibility in Denver's system operations, work to provide flushing flows as recommended under Grand County’s Stream Management Plan
• Operate and maintain sediment pond that catches highway traction sand
• If sediment problems persist, contribute $1 million to LBD for additional projects to help reduce sedimentation (such as channel improvements to facilitate sediment flushing)

(3) $750,000 for fish habitat restoration projects

(4) $72,500 for fish barrier and restoration of cutthroat habitat, plus any additional measures required by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in its Biological Opinion

Enhancement Measures include:

(1)  Through LBD, implement an extensive monitoring program including stream temperature, sediment transport, benthic macroinvertebrates, and riparian areas and wetlands

(2)  1000 AF of water each year released from Denver Water’s Fraser collection system for the benefit of Fraser basin streams (guided by LBD and presumably during key low-flow periods)

(3) 1000AF of water each year released from Williams Fork reservoir (including up to 2,500AF of storage) for the benefit of the Colorado River below its confluence with Williams Fork

(4)  Use Denver Water’s system operation flexibility (ie, retiming/reoperating their diversions) to address identified problems while maintaining water yield

(5) $3.75 million for aquatic habitat improvement projects ($1.25 million available before the Gross enlargement is built)

(6)  $1 million to pump water at Windy Gap to Granby for release for the benefit of the Colorado River below Granby and below Windy Gap Reservoir

(7) $2 million for stream improvement projects in the Colorado River

(8) $1 million for the Colorado River Wild and Scenic Stakeholder effort in the Colorado River

(9) $2 million for water quality projects (available before the project is built)

(10) Provide in-kind contributions of people, equipment and material to benefit LBD

These are significant resources to benefit river and watershed health, especially as they will be applied based on a data-driven monitoring and adaptive management program in which multiple stakeholders, including TU, have a full voice. If for any reason LBD were to cease functioning, Denver Water commits to continuing to implement these measures through an alternative process that would be approved by the Army Corps of Engineers.  To guarantee the enforceability of these commitments, Denver Water has asked that they be included as a term and condition of its Clean Water Act 404 permit for the Moffat Project.  Inclusion of this “fail-safe” permit condition is critical to the agreement.  Without it, Trout Unlimited cannot support either the agreement or the Moffat Project.

Trout Unlimited has fought long and hard to protect the Fraser River basin streams.  The new agreement not only provides the tools needed to protect and even improve stream conditions, but it also puts Trout Unlimited in a position to influence their future.  With that opportunity, we recognize an ongoing responsibility as well.  Reaching this agreement (and next, ensuring its inclusion in the Moffat Project's permits) is a major milestone, but only the beginning for the real work ahead of saving the Fraser.

Boulder Fly Casters Work to Restore Boulder Creek

Trout Unlimited chapters throughout Colorado are dedicated to working on the conservation of habitat in their area. Boulder Fly Casters has been working tirelessly with several conservation projects, including one to restore the Upper South Boulder Creek. At two areas, Boulder Fly Casters are helping restore the creek at two separate areas: the Moffat Tunnel and the Jumbo Mountain Picnic Area. At both of these areas, at times of low flow, <10 CFS to >1000 CFS (Cubic Feet per Second), fish passages were blocked and the river offered very few holding areas.

According to Tim D’Avis, project supervisor and Boulder Fly Casters Board of Directors member, “The original stream wandered through the valley in the Moffat Tunnel area.  With the advent of the water tunnel and railroad tunnel, the stream channel was routed next to the mountains on the south side of the valley.  In the Jumbo Mountain area, the stream was pinched between the road and the railroad.”

In the spring of 2013, the restoration projects began. Efforts were soon made to build more bends in the stream to allow for more water flow. Along with more added structure, these bends will, according to D’Avis, address “the need to get water efficiently to Gross Reservoir.” The images below show the restoration sites and what is being done at each of those sites.

 

The Fishing is Fun Grant for $80,000 along with the Denver Water Board providing $124,900 made the restoration efforts possible. The United States Forest Service also donated roughly $10,000 worth of seeds which were scattered along the river banks. Along with the seeds planted, 700 willows were staked as well.

As of July 2014, restoration is about 95% complete according to the Boulder Fly Casting website.

Boulder Fly Casters is also working on several other projects including flood restoration , restoring Middle Boulder Creek at Rogers Park, and restoring part of Jenny Creek.

For more information, on the Boulder Creek project or any other projects Boulder Fly Casters is currently involved in, click on the links above, or check out their website at BoulderFlyCasters.org and click under the “Conservation” tab.