Forests, fish and skiers have place in drought plans

By CHRIS WOODKATHE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

In the water itself, Trout Unlimited is assessing what the worst impacts of climate change could be, said Greg Espegren, aquatics specialist.

The group uses a conservation success index to measure the viability of species. It is particularly concerned with the cutthroat trout in the Colorado River basin. The risks include wildfires that degrade streams through erosion and sedimentation, increased water temperatures and winter floods.

http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2008/10/12/news/denver_bureau/doc48f187cc381ab122676862.txt

Current affairs on state water

By Mark Jaffe The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 10/05/2008 01:10:04 PM MDT

Denver and the northern district have the water rights to take those 48,000 acre-feet from the streams and rivers of Grand County.

"For years Denver Water's position was: 'These are our water rights; we're exercising them,' " said Kirk Klancke, manager of the Winter Park Ranch Water and Sewer District. "So this dialogue is a big step."

What Grand County officials are seeking are ways to soften and manage the impacts of removing more water.

The county has spent $800,000 on a stream-management plan that indicates what a healthy flow would be for each reach of stream and river flowing through the county.

The towns of Winter Park and Fraser, in cooperation with Trout Unlimited, initiated a $750,000 project to reconfigure a stretch of the Fraser River so it would run faster and have deeper pools for fish.

The county spent $60,000 this summer to pump an additional 1,500 acre-feet of water into Lake Granby so it could be released this fall to help buck-up the Colorado and prevent another Labor Day dry-out.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10635332

For the Love of Water

FLOW (For the Love of Water) will premiere at the Starz FilmCenter in Denver on Thursday September 25, continuing through Thursday October 2. Shown at the Sundance Film Festival in February, this comprehensive documentary illuminates the threats to our future global water resources, from privatization to pollution, that have affected communities from Bolivia to Michigan. Complete information about the film can be found at www.flowthefilm.org.Our hope is that FLOW will provoke discussion and a new level of thoughtfulness about global water resources among the greater Denver community. To launch the film, several special events will take place at the Starz FilmCenter:

• DOC NIGHT - Director Irena Salina will be in attendance and will lead a discussion with the audience on Thursday night September 25. A small reception will follow. Please visit www.denverfilm.org for more information about our programs.

DISCUSSION PANELS  - Following the 7 PM screenings on Friday September 26 and September 27, leading experts on Colorado water resources will discuss FLOW and relate it to water issues affecting our community.

• DOC DAY - There are still openings for high school students to see the film and learn more about our water resources at 10 AM on Friday September 26. Director Irena Salina will also participate in the discussions.

For more information or group ticket sales, please contact Ann Collier, Denver Film Society Outreach Coordinator, at ann@denverfilm.org. You can also purchase tickets online at www.denverfilm.org.

United by a split

By Gregory Moore | Herald Outdoors Editor August 8, 2008

A good measure of progress on the new proposal could be found in July at a gathering of wilderness proponents near Purgatory that was hosted by the Durango office of Trout Unlimited. Present at the weekend retreat were representatives of the San Juan National Forest, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Trails 2000 and several journalists from around the state.

Also present were staff members from the local office of U.S. Rep. John Salazar and La Plata County Commissioner Wally White.

Everyone had something positive to say about the compromise proposal, and about the necessity of acting in a timely fashion to ensure the protection of the Hermosa drainage.

"This one's a winner," Chris Hunt of TU's Public Lands Initiative office said of the compromise proposal. "Let's come together on this one to protect the area for generations of hunters and anglers."

http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=out&article_path=/outdoors/08/out080808_1.htm

DENTRY: Sportsmen push Hermosa area for wilderness status

By Ed Dentry

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

About 28 miles of Hermosa Creek's main stem hold trout, but the native gem is the Colorado River cutthroat, which almost disappeared until a few pure specimens turned up in isolated headwaters.

Ty Churchwell, president of the Five Rivers chapter of TU, says chapter members will help the Division of Wildlife restore the upper five miles as an all-native trout fishery next spring.

"We want the general public to come in here and experience the river the way it was 100 to 150 years ago," Churchwell said.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/22/dentry-sportsmen-push-hermosa-area-for-status/?printer=1/

Forest plan full of holes, critics say

Foes believe roadless-area rules could open 300,000 acres to development.

By Mark Jaffe The Denver Post

Sportsmen's groups are pressuring Gov. Bill Ritter not to sign off on a soon-to-be-proposed rule regulating roadless areas in national forests.

The rule, negotiated by the Ritter administration and the U.S. Forest Service, is expected to protect about 4.1 million acres but potentially open 300,000 acres to development, according to a consortium of conservation groups.

"Ritter tried to make the best of it, but it was already a flawed process," said Dave Peterson, Colorado field director with Trout Unlimited and a member of the task force.

http://origin.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_9965756

Lending a helping hand

A change in policy will help fish in Wild Trout, Gold Medal waters flourish By DAVE BUCHANAN The Daily Sentinel

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Colorado has some new regulations for its Wild Trout and Gold Medal waters, including much-needed changes that may see more waters added to the list of the state’s most productive fisheries.

"We hope this opens the door for more waters being added to the list of Wild Trout waters,” said David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “We think there’s a desire from anglers to see more waters managed this way.”

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content/sports/stories/2008/06/28/062908_OUT_column_WWW.html

Volunteers aid greenback cutthroat’s recovery

By Trigg White Special to the Trail-Gazette

Alpine Anglers, the Estes Park chapter of Trout Unlimited, supports the greenback recovery program by recruiting and coordinating the volunteers that Kennedy needs. Austin Condon is the group’s volunteer coordinator. “We’ve got a core team of about 35 volunteers who delivered more than 1,100 hours of service to the greenback program last year,” reports Condon. Volunteers man dip nets and fishing rods to assist with population surveys and collecting tissue samples. “It’s tough work,” says Condon smiling, “fishing for science in some of the most beautiful alpine lakes in the park.”

http://www.eptrail.com/pages/01wednesday_z/wed08_sports.html

Sportsmen meet in Wyo. to talk preservation of hunting land

Associated PressFriday, May 23, 2008

Trout Unlimited spokesman Chris Hunt said Thursday that hunters and anglers don't oppose energy development but they also don't want to see their hunting and fishing grounds destroyed.

"If you're a sportsman in Wyoming or in Colorado or in Utah or Montana or New Mexico, you're watching as the places you hunt and fish are disappearing," Hunt said. "And it's a pretty simply equation, lost habitat equals lost opportunity."

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/may/23/sportsmen-meet-in-wyo-to-talk-land-preservation/

Safeguarding Rio Grande cutt

By Charlie MeyersThe Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 05/20/2008 11:20:45 PM MDT

With the possible exception of a few loggers and certain water diverters, everyone wishes the best for the Rio Grande cutthroat trout. As one of three remaining native trout subspecies in Colorado, it surely deserves the full force of protection and restoration that official and private forces can afford.

The question that lingers in the wake of last week's decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to recommend listing under the federal Endangered Species Act is just how this protection can be delivered most effectively.

Certain conservation groups, notably Trout Unlimited, cheer for federal protection. State wildlife agencies that continue to strive for recovery believe more can be achieved under the current programs.

http://www.denverpost.com/charlie/ci_9326347