Steamboat's 11th Golf/Trout Tourney

The Yampa Valley Stream Improvement Charitable Trust in cooperation with the Yampa Valley Fly Fishers chapter of Trout Unlimited invite you to beautiful Steamboat Springs and the Yampa Valley to join in the 11th annual Golf/Trout Tournament, a fun, two-day fund raising event. COME JOIN US FOR A FUN WEEKEND IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO SEPT 7-9

Proceeds go toward the preservation and improvement of coldwater fisheries in the Yampa Valley and Northwest Colorado.

THE EVENT

It all begins with a Friday evening kick-off (location TBA) featuring refreshments and a buffet dinner. The evening also features a live auction for some very special water, after which teams will be paired with their guide to assess equipment needs and determine winning strategies.

Saturday consists of a fully guided fly fishing adventure on some of Steamboat Springs’ finest private trout water along with one or more public water options where teams of four and a guide will compete for top honors in the fishing category. After fishing, teams meet for a festive evening that includes food, fun, beverages and a silent auction at the Three Peaks Grill in Steamboat Springs.

Sunday the same groups of four and their guide will meet at the world-class Tom Weiskoph championship Catamount Ranch and Club course. There will be a shotgun start using the “best ball format” with all the traditional opportunities to make or lose money along the way – remember, this is for a good cause. Following the golf tournament, the final awards and prizes will be presented. (more schedule details below)

THE COST

Registration for the entire weekend is $700 per participant or $2800 for a team of four. Groups of four can register at a reduced rate of $2600 if paid in full by June 30TH. For registration information, please contact Jim Zuccone at 970 846-8677 or email jjzuccone@yahoo.com

SPONSORSHIPS

There are several sponsorship opportunities available. For more information, please call or email Bruce Carta at (970) 819-3633 or logovudu@gmail.com. Click here for a sponsorship form.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, September 7th  

Arrive early and fish the Yampa River Thursday evening or Friday morning to tune up. The three local sponsoring fly shops can help you with current fishing conditions and fly selections. The fly shops are: Bucking Rainbow Outfitters (970) 879-8747, Straightline Outdoor Sports, (970) 879-7568 and Steamboat FlyFisher, (970) 879-6552 and don’t forget to mention the tournament when calling.

Official check-in and registration is from 5-7 p.m. at a yet to be determined location. Refreshments and buffet dinner will be served. Members of the YVSICT and TU will be on hand along with the guides to assist participants with any questions and to welcome teams to this great event.

Saturday, September 8th.

Each team will meet their guide at 8:00 a.m. at a location mutually agreed upon. Fishing officially starts at 9:00 a.m. and runs until 5:00 p.m. The guides will be the official judge and scorekeeper. Scores will be turned in to the tournament directors by 6:30 p.m. After everyone is assembled at dinner at Three Peaks Grill, Steamboat Springs and liquid refreshments will be served. As in years past everyone will have a chance to purchase raffle tickets for a fabulous array of fine fishing, and golf equipment, outdoor gear, clothing; gift certificates for great dining, lodging and other fishing opportunities.

During dinner, the days winning teams for the fishing portion of the tournament will be announced.

Sunday, September 9th.

The day begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Catamount Ranch and Club where donuts and coffee will be served. During coffee teams will be able to hit some practice balls and to purchase “Mulligans” that may come in handy in the final scoring. At 9:30 AM we will tee off with a “shotgun” start using a best-ball format. On the course, opportunities exist to compete for the longest drive and closest to the pin and other fun events. Lunch consisting of hamburgers and brats will be served on the course at two locations on the course.

Following the golf competition the final awards for the golf tournament and the overall Golf/Trout winner will be named.

Show Your Support for the Farm Bill

We need your help. The Farm Bill protects great fishing by putting more water into rivers and creating quality stream habitat through improved agricultural management practices. It is one of our nation's most cost-effective and successful conservation programs. And it is in jeopardy.

Some lawmakers are using today's budget climate to threaten conservation programs in the Farm Bill.  You can help by contacting your members of Congress today and urging them to support the Senate Agriculture Committee proposal that includes reasonable reductions to conservation programs without undermining their effectiveness entirely.

Please visit our online action center now to support the Farm Bill.

Why we care

Simply put, the Farm Bill's conservation programs improve agricultural land and water management and that means better fishing. With the support of Farm Bill programs, TU works tirelessly with ranchers and farmers to upgrade irrigation systems, adopt stream-friendly management practices, and enhance both habitat and agricultural operations. This means more water in rivers, better riparian habitat, and strong rural communities which are the backbone of the places we love to fish.

In short, these programs work – for ranchers and farmers, for rural communities, for anglers and hunters, for all Americans who care about reviving our economy and keeping our lakes, wetlands, and rivers and streams healthy. They're proof that conservation works for America.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

1. Visit our online action center now and send an email to your state congressional delegation expressing your support for Farm Bill conservation programs. This is an easy action step—and your email will make a difference!
2. Or feel free to use the model letter and information you find there as a basis for your own personal letter or email explaining why sportsmen care about Farm Bill provisions.
3. Learn more about Why TU Supports the Farm Bill.
4. Thank you for taking a stand to protect our ranches, farms and outdoor heritage! To learn more about TU’s work on farms and ranches, go to www.tu.org/waterpartners.

Sincerely, Russ Schnitzer Agriculture Policy Advisor Trout Unlimited rschnitzer@tu.org

Experience Life on the Yellowstone

The Greenbacks present a screening of Where The Yellowstone Goes, a documentary from award-winning filmmaker Hunter Weeks, at the Denver Film Center on Tuesday, June 12 at 7 p.m. Click here to purchase tickets. Where The Yellowstone Goes, which had its debut at the Newport Beach Film Festival, follows a small crew down the Yellowstone from Gardiner, Mont., to the confluence of the Missouri River at Fort Buford, N.D., a nearly 600-mile journey.

The Yellowstone is the longest un-dammed river in the lower 48 states and one of the world's most renowned trout angling destinations.

The trip down the river is led by fourth-generation Montanan and fly fishing guide Robert Hawkins. His crew explores fly-fishing, conservation, and the type of clarity that can only be found upon slowing down to meet and gain insight from the people who live along the river.

In July of 2011, an ExxonMobil pipeline running beneath the river ruptured, spilling an estimated 63,000 gallons of oil into the river. The film captures some of the clean-up effort less than two months after the spill.

“People are becoming more aware of how important our nation’s waterways are,” said Weeks, who will attend the screening and conduct a Q&A session afterward. “I think this film will really resonate and help people understand that they can do something. This isn’t just about fly fishing and conservation, this is a real story of life.”

Advance tickets for the June 12 showing are $12 ($10 for Denver Film Society members) and $15 at the door. Click here to purchase tickets. (The film runs 88 minutes.)

Learn more at Where the Yellowstone Goes.

For more information, or to view the trailer, go to www.WhereTheYellowstoneGoes.com.

The Governor Can Help

Despite a recent agreement, the Upper Colorado and Fraser are still threatened.

On May 15, Denver Water and Grand and Summit counties ratified the Colorado River Cooperative agreement, touted in the Denver Post as a "framework to avoid conflict." Denver Water will kick-in 25 million for water projects in western Colorado and the signers, including Eagle county, won't oppose DW's expansion of gross reservoir and will have a say in future water projects that affect the west slope.

The following is the text of a letter by Mely Whiting, a staff attorney for Trout Unlimited's Colorado Water Project, that was recently published as a Denver Post e-letter.

Denver Water and Western Slope water stakeholders deserve credit for forging this cooperative agreement, a new, collaborative approach to managing our water that recognizes the value of protecting our natural resources while meeting our water needs.

But let’s remember that the Upper Colorado and Fraser rivers remain on the brink of ecological collapse. Two looming diversion projects — Denver Water’s Moffat Tunnel expansion and Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District’s Windy Gap Firming Project — collectively will take another 15-20 percent of the already depleted flows of the Upper Colorado. The Moffat expansion will leave less than 25 percent of the Fraser River flows.

The cooperative agreement does not address the impacts of those two major projects. The fact is, these rivers will continue to decline unless they receive additional protections, as the state’s own recent studies attest. As long as adequate protections are not provided, opposition to the projects will continue.

Gov. John Hickenlooper should use his influence and the good will generated by this agreement to finish the job of protecting the Upper Colorado.

Mely Whiting, Denver

Help ensure that the Upper Colorado River gets the help - and the water - it deserves. Visit: Defend The Colorado.org/

We Agree: Leave the Green Alone

The Salt Lake City Tribune isn't the most conservative paper in the west, or even Utah for that matter. And they're not above borrowing a a bit from the Green With Envy tour sponsored in part by Trout Unlimited. But we have to give them a lot of credit for their editorial position on the Green River that states:

The prudent thing is to call a halt to further development of its waters and leave them for the wildlife and humans who already depend upon them.

In other words, no pipeline to the front range and no diversions to cool a nuclear plant.

Read Leave the Green River Alone on the SLC Tribune website.

Sending Young Trout to School

Seven Colorado schools are taking part in Trout Unlimited's Trout in the Classroom program this year. While raising trout from eggs to fingerlings in a tank right in their classroom, students learn about water quality monitoring, stream habitat and water resources. TIC also provides lesson plans and web-based resources for teachers.

It's a great experience for students, as the following letter from a Thompson Valley High School student clearly shows.

Trout in the Classroom - By “JC”

Various questions I get throughout the day are, “Hey, How are the fish doing”, or “Are all of these fish still okay?”

This has been a product of Mr. Hewson teaching students about the life-cycle of the trout as well as the chemical balance in the tank. Most kids aren’t really interested from a chemical standpoint but that plays a big part. That’s where I come in, so the fish can survive and stay healthy. I do a 5-15 gallon water-change daily to make sure the nitrites and ammonium don’t build up in the tank and kill the fish.

I need to do what I do so that, come next spring, we can transport our fish to the Big Thompson River happy and healthy. But last year, for fear of the fish not being big enough to survive against the river’s larger and more aggressive brown trout, we decided to hold them at a nearby water-treatment plant where they have two 55-gallon tanks with a constant flow of Big Thompson River water moving through them. So the fish get an extra year to grow and learn to eat river insects before having to make it on their own in a harsh river.

I have learned that, yes, we are doing it to help restock the “Big T” with rainbow trout and, yes, to help Mr. Hewson teach. But kids have lots of interests and they just need to find the right one; if the option isn’t there how can they figure that out by themselves?

When kids walk in to Mr. Hewson’s room, sometimes they stop at the door to talk to me about how the fish are doing, or just sit there and watch them swim around. It’s a great feeling for me to actually help them get interested in the fish. It helps me carry on in doing my work so that they can enjoy the fish being healthy and the water is as clean as I can get it. Sometimes they’ll see me changing the water and ask, ”Why are you doing all this?” and I’ll respond, “So we can learn about fish and chemical cycles.”  And before you know it they are taking a mini-lesson from me, and Mr. Hewson, if he’s there.

By the end of this year, our fish will be more than fifteen inches long. We plan to release them into the tanks at the water plant right after we release last year’s fish into the Big Thompson.

Visit the ColoradoTU Trout in the Classroom page.

Learn more about National Trout Unlimited's Trout in the Classroom program.

Streamflows You Can Trust

"The Colorado Water Trust for the first time will lease water under 2003 state legislation to put into the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s in-stream flow program. The group is calling it a pilot program." Read Chris Woodka's full story in the Pueblo Chieftain

CO Roadless Rule nears the finish line

After the Clinton Administration's 2001 "Roadless Rule" faced legal challenges, Colorado began an extensive process to develop its own plan for roadless protection. But then, the Clinton era rule got the legal green-light, and there were questions about whether Colorado would be able to continue with its own roadless plan. This week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack endorsed the Colorado roadless plan, saying it includes "higher protections" and "fewer exceptions."

Read more in the Denver Post:

The new proposal contains some notable improvements - particularly in strengthening protections for 1.2 million acres of "Upper Tier" roadless backcountry lands. However, questions remain about how the rule addresses protection of native cutthroat trout and potential water development projects within backcountry areas.

Read Colorado TU's News Release

The rule is currently available for a final round of 30 days of public review before a final record of decision is issued. Trout Unlimited is pleased by the improvements reflected in this latest version, but will use the 30 day period to carefully review the new proposed rule and the associated Environmental Impact Statement and work with the Forest Service to ensure that backcountry resources including native trout receive the protection they need.

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Meet Our Award Winners!

Colorado TU honors those whose contributions to resource protection make them deserving of statewide acclaim. Congratultions to our 2012 award winners!

Trout Communications Award - Kirk Deeter

Kirk Deeter, newly appointed editor of Trout Unlimited's TROUT magazine and long-time outdoor writer for Field and Stream and other publications, was recognized for his focus on Colorado's Best Wild Places and for his ongoing support of TU in Colorado.

Trout Conservation Award - Grand County

Grand County Commissioner Nancy Stuart accepts the Colorado TU Trout Conservation Award for the county's ongoing efforts to ensure that the upper Colorado River system is protected and restored for future generations.

Exemplary Guide & Outfitter - Kerry Caraghar

The fishing manager for Orvis-Cherry Creek, Kerry is a respected guide and leader in the regional fly fishing industry. He was instrumental in establishing the "Orvis 101" program to introduce new anglers to fly fishing, and is now a regular fly tyer and speaker with regional TU chapters. Kerry also and helped secure corporate grant funding for the Golden Mile habitat restoration project on his "home waters" of Clear Creek.

Chapter Communications Award - The Denver Chapter

Denver TU was recognized for modernizing its email system with improved tracking, developing a high-quality online newsletter (“The Drift”), maintaining an attractive & useful website, and developing the "Spill or Kill Reporting Card" to engage anglers as eyes and ears on their home waters.

Youth Education Award - Collegiate Peaks Anglers

When Salida schools adopted a 4-day class schedule, Collegiate Peaks saw opportunity. Working with the school district, the chapter established "Stream Explorers" to introduce students to aquatic life and fishing. Using an “inquiry-based” approach, the program focuses on hands-on learning and experimentation rather than lectures.

Youth Education Award - Evergreen Chapter

ETU’s youth education efforts include: teaching entomology, conservation, fly tying and fishing to 6th graders at JeffCo Schools Outdoor Lab; an annual day-long “fish camp” with entomology, fly tying, and fishing for 30 kids; a July 4th fishing derby for 250 kids; and partnership with Camp Comfort, which hosts children who have lost loved ones; and regularly assisting with youth fishing clinics

Outstanding Chapter Project - West Denver

West Denver’s $300,000 Canyon Reach effort builds on its earlier "Golden Mile" in the city of Golden. The project includes 3 sections below the intersection of U.S. 6 and CO 116 and focuses on both public access and aquatic habitat. J-hooks, cross vanes, boulder clusters and toe-wood islands improved habitat, while pathways and safe-wading areas were created for young families and limited-mobility anglers.

Most Improved Chapter - Rocky Mountain Flycasters

Rocky Mountain Flycasters have strengthened their chapter significantly in recent years and just completed a banner year with successful membership recruitment, an improved email newsletter and website, doubled average meeting attendance, and an increased commitment to education and conservation which has led to an 85% increase in the chapter budget. RMF has also contributed more than 5,000 volunteer hours to a slate of youth education and stream conservation projects.

Exemplary Chapter - Cheyenne Mountain

Cheyenne Mountain TU celebrated its 25th anniversary by hitting on all cylinders - strong chapter communications, growing attendance at events, strong revenue from fundraising, and the completion of important conservation projects on Fountain Creek and the South Platte. CMCTU has expanded its youth education programs and boosted conservation awareness by working with a local brewery to introduce a "Bear Creek Porter" to support conservation of a local cutthroat trout stream.

Outstanding Volunteer - Glen Edwards, West Denver

Glen has been a long-time chapter volunteer leader with the West Denver Chapter and was honored for his tireless efforts on the successful Golden Mile and Canyon Reach restoration projects, as well as for his conservation leadership within West Denver.

Outstanding Volunteer - George Osborn, Gunnison Gorge Anglers

After BLM completed a study on modifying the Relief Ditch diversion to reduce impacts on stream habitat while helping irrigators, the concept seemed doomed to languish - until George stepped up to provide steady, dedicated leadership. Construction will begin this year. George personally helped raise more than $200K in cash and in-kind donations.

Outstanding Volunteer - John Ellis, Evergreen Chapter

John has served ETU as president 5 times and Youth and  Education Chair for 18 years. He helped develop the Mt Evans Outdoor Lab Program in partnership with Jeffco Schools, worked with Evergreen Parks & Rec to establish a 4th of July fishing clinic that attracts 250 kids each year, was a leader in the O’Fallon Park/Bear Creek restoration project and helped build key partnerships with Audubon, Denver Mountain Parks, and the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife.

Outstanding Volunteer - Dave Piske

As conservation chair for the Rocky Mountain Flycasters, Dave has brought a thorough knowledge of advocacy processes and strategy to the cause of coldwater conservatin, drawing from his corporate career experience.  He has represented TU in collaborative negotiations on the Halligan-Seaman Reservoir expansion, on Long Draw Reservoir reauthorization, and has helped establish partnerships with agencies from the National Parks Service to Larimer County Open Space.

Outstanding Volunteer - Fred Portillo, West Denver Fred was cited as a “Renaissance Man” (and all-around great guy) who has always been willing to step up to fill a need. He served the West Denver Chapter as president (2 yrs), Vice-President (2 yrs), Programs Director (2 yrs), Youth Education Programs Coordinator (1 yr), Fundraising Raffle Chair (2 yrs) and Chapter Picnic Coordinator (2 yrs).  Wherever he was needed, time and again, Fred was there.

It's Official: Drought

"The Denver Board of Water Commissioners is declaring a Stage 1 drought in recognition of low streamflows and projected low runoff. Anticipating the possibility of continued dry water, customers will be asked to voluntarily cut back on water use by 10 percent."

Read the full story at Summit County Voice.