Senator Bennet to Protect Sportsmen's Haven

A bill introduced on March 22nd would provide protection to an area critical to sportsmen and to the recreation-based rural economies of Colorado. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Thompson Divide Withdrawal and Protection Act. The bill provides an appropriate framework for protecting this invaluable landscape by withdrawing unleased portions of the area from future energy development and by providing mechanisms for current leaseholders to retire or sell their leases, ensuring they won't be leased again.

"We applaud Senator Bennet for recognizing the value of the Thompson Divide. From iconic trout waters to some of the best hunting in the country, the Thompson Divide holds a special place in the sportsmen's heart" said Aaron Kindle, Colorado Field Coordinator for Trout Unlimited.

Kindle said the bill walks a good line between conservation and development by respecting valid existing rights. He added that sportsmen are eager to work with energy companies to find equitable solutions.

The Thompson Divide is a roughly 200,000 acre landscape just west of Carbondale, Colorado that holds some of the premier big game habitat in the state and provides water to the world famous Gold Medal trout waters of the Roaring Fork River.

"We're pleased that we have the opportunity to protect an area that makes our valley great" said John-Paul Schaefer, President of Trout Unlimited's Ferdinand Hayden Chapter in the Roaring Fork Valley. "Anglers and trout conservationists value the area's extreme importance to cutthroat trout conservation and to providing cold, clean water to area rivers."

Comments needed to protect the Roan Plateau!

The BLM’s Colorado River Valley Field Office (CRVFO) recently released its Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Resource Management Plan Amendment for the Roan Plateau. Colorado Trout Unlimited, along with national TU, has invested hundreds of hours and almost a quarter of a million dollars in the protection of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout (CRCT) in Trapper Creek, Northwater Creek, East Middle Fork of Parachute Creek (below the confluence of Trapper and Northwater Creeks) and the East Fork on the top of the Plateau.

You have probably heard about TU’s efforts to support responsible energy development. On the Roan, we are seeking a balanced solution that protects TU’s interests and the native trout that call streams there home.

We ask that our members help us spread the word and submit comments (by March 30^th) to influence the BLM into developing a plan that is most protective of TU’s and Sportsmen’s interests on the Roan Plateau.

Key points to include in your comments:

1. New roads, well pads and pipelines should not be constructed in cutthroat trout drainages on top of the Roan;
2. Undisturbed big game winter range at the base of the plateau should not be developed;
3. Big game migration corridors need to remain intact and undisturbed by drilling and development; and,
4. Where drilling is allowed, it should be done using state of the art practices (such as directional drilling and water and advanced waste management technologies) that will protect sensitive trout and wildlife habitat at the top, along the sides and at the base of the plateau.
5. To protect sensitive resources including trout and wildlife habitat, the BLM should retain the option of lease cancelation.

Submit Comments to: 

roanplateau@blm.gov

Attn: Roan Plateau Comments

For additional information please contact:

Bob Meulengracht

Coordinator Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development – Colorado

Trout Unlimited

303-232-3909 (W) or 303-514-8227 (C)

rmeulengracht@tu.org

Colorado TU welcomes the Dolores River Anglers!

Please join us in welcoming our 24th Chapter, the Dolores River Anglers (DRA).  Serving the counties of Dolores and Montezuma as well as the community of Egnar, DRA began out of a group of dedicated Five Rivers Chapter members who in October of 2009 met to see if enough interest existed to support a TU chapter “on this side of the mountain.” While they only became an official chapter in February 2013, DRA has already built an impressive record of conserving trout and educating kids over the past three years.  In 2010, the DRA had three members become certified to teach the National Fly Fishing in Schools Program curriculum and the group's name officially became the Dolores River Anglers.  The group partnered with Cortez Parks and Recreation and the Cortez Rotary Club to conduct a Kids Fly Fishing Clinic and Community Fishing Derby at Parque de Vida in Cortez.  Later that summer, DRA conducted an Upper Dolores River Road Trip to show members where to go to fish on the Upper Dolores River, assisted the then CDOW with fish counts on the Dolores River both above and below McPhee Reservoir, and conducted a Dolores River Cleanup.

By 2011, DRA was holding evening fly tying classes at the Cortez Cultural Center.  The summer brought the Kid’s Fly Fishing Clinic and Community Fishing Derby again at Parque de Vida, a second Dolores River cleanup in June, and the second annual Upper Dolores River Road Trip to find new places to fish.  In August of 2011, DRA members joined Five Rivers Chapter members in assisting as mentors for injured soldiers involved in a visit by Project Healing Waters participants from Ft. Huachuca, Arizona and Ft. Carson, Colorado.

In 2012, DRA conducted their Third Annual Kids Fly Fishing Clinic, First Annual Adult Fly Fishing Clinic and Third Annual Community Fishing Derby.  The DRA partnered with the Dolores River Whitewater Advocates in their annual Dolores River Cleanup.  In July and August, DRA, in partnership with CPW, collected DNA samples from over 40 suspected individual native cutthroat trout on Stoner Creek and Taylor Creek.  In September 2012, the DRA worked to designate three tributaries to the Dolores river as Outstanding Waters - Little Taylor Creek, Spring Creek, and the Rio Lado.

Dolores River Anglers are currently working with the Dolores District of the San Juan National Forest to repair damage to the banks of Taylor Creek adjacent to the Little Taylor Creek Trailhead, and they continue to expand their youth education programs through fly fishing clinics and by helping local libraries in their summer reading programs with aquatic entomology.

Congratulations to the Dolores River Anglers!  Keep up the great work!

North Fork gets reprieve from O&G leasing

February 6 -  Colorado Trout Unlimited and other sportsmen's groups welcomed news that the Colorado Bureau of Land Management is withdrawing proposed oil and gas leases that include big game habitat and trout fisheries along the North Fork of the Gunnison River. The decision announced Wednesday follows protests and letters from several Colorado hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts concerned about selling leases using a 23-year-old resource management plan.

The 20 parcels covering a total of 20,555 acres in western Colorado were to be offered in the BLM’s Feb. 14 sale.

``We’re glad the BLM pulled the leases from the sale. It doesn’t make sense to push forward with selling leases in such an important wildlife and agricultural area, against the wishes of the community and using outdated planning materials and information,’’ said Suzanne O’Neill, executive director of the Colorado Wildlife Federation.

In a Jan. 7 letter, seven sportsmen’s groups asked the BLM to finish revising the area resource management plan before offering more oil and gas leases.

Hunters and anglers look forward to working with the BLM field office as it updates the resource management, identifies where leasing is suitable and considers the necessary safeguards, said Bob Meulengracht of Trout Unlimited and the Colorado coordinator for Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development.

Signing onto the Jan. 7 letter were Trout Unlimited; Colorado Trout Unlimited; Colorado Wildlife Federation; Bull Moose Sportsmen’s Alliance; Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership; Backcountry Hunters & Anglers; and the National Wildlife Federation. The organizations represent thousands of Colorado hunters and anglers and other wildlife enthusiasts.

For more background on TU's concerns with the proposed leases in the North Fork valley, click here to read a previous post.

BLM Reopens Roan Plateau Plan

The Bureau of Land Management has announced that it is reopening environmental review on its plan for development on and around the Roan Plateau near Rifle. The new review comes following a legal victory by Colorado TU and other conservationists, where the federal District Court found that the BLM had not properly reviewed environmental impacts and considered alternatives that would have been more protective of the Roan. The Roan has special significance for trout conservation (click to read more) because it harbors rare populations of native Colorado River cutthroat trout, including in Trapper Creek where TU volunteers from the Grand Valley Anglers have conducted projects to benefit native trout habitat. The Roan also supports outstanding big game habitat including key mule deer areas.

Through scoping, the BLM solicits public input on the types of issues and impacts they should address in their environmental review, as well as the alternatives they should consider. One of Colorado TU's main criticisms of the original, flawed Roan Plateau plan was BLM's failure to consider alternatives that would have allowed for energy development while better protecting the Roan's outstanding fish and wildlife resources - for example, through greater use of directional drilling to avoid disturbances in more sensitive habitats. The new process gives BLM - and all of us - a second chance to "get it right" for the Roan.

The Denver Post added its voice to the chorus calling for a more balanced approach to development on the Roan Plateau in a recent editorial.

You can also add your voice!  As part of scoping, BLM will be hosting two public meetings (each run as open house formats from 4 to 7 pm):

• Feb. 27 in Silt at the Colorado River Valley Field Office, 2300 River Frontage Road;
• Feb. 28 in Grand Junction at the Clarion Inn 755 Horizon Dr.

You can also submit comments electronically by emailing to: roanplateau@blm.gov by March 30.

Senator Udall's 2013 Sportsmen's Agenda

Sportsmen and women are a vital thread in the fabric of the West. They fuel a significant part of the Colorado economy - generating more than $3 billion each year in Colorado and supporting 34,000 jobs, especially in rural communities. And sportsmen are some of our greatest conservationists, proudly carrying on the traditions of Colorado's first settlers. It is a valuable tradition to pass along to the next generation, as well, because it teaches healthy lifestyles, responsible gun ownership and our Western heritage. As I look ahead to 2013, I will do everything I can to support our hunting and angling heritage and ensure it remains a vital part of our state.

For starters, I plan to complete work on my bill to expand safe public shooting ranges. This common-sense and bipartisan piece of legislation doesn't cost taxpayers a dime, gives states greater flexibility regarding federal money they already receive, provides sportsmen a better return on investment for the fees they pay on ammunition and sporting goods and results in better, safer places for shooters to practice their sport responsibly.

We were very close to U.S. Senate approval of my legislation last year as part of a bipartisan package of bills benefiting sportsmen. Sadly, the bill failed to pass when a minority of senators objected to an unrelated provision on duck stamps - during the "lame duck" session of Congress, no less. I will be back again to take up the fight this year.

I also will continue fighting for common-sense access to our public lands for sportsmen. For example, we should fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund fully and set aside a portion of it for sportsman access. This critical fund uses natural resource extraction royalty payments to reinvest in conservation, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation for future generations. Unfortunately, this program rarely has received the full funding it deserves. As a result, the program moves forward in fits and starts.

Moreover, I plan to continue my work to protect and enhance conservation and quality wildlife habitat. Last year, I began a community-driven, ground-up process to designate new protections for public lands in Colorado. Backcountry wilderness is beneficial for hunters and anglers for obvious reasons: Cleaner water and undisturbed wildlife corridors make for more robust game populations and quality hunting and angling opportunities.

And I will continue to develop proposals in 2013 to protect Brown's Canyon on the Arkansas River, the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado and pristine areas in Eagle, Pitkin and Summit counties. These efforts will strengthen rural communities whose economies depend on hunters and anglers and reinforce Colorado's position as a top destination for sportsmen and women from across the world.

In a related victory, late in 2012, I secured a major positive step in the cleanup of abandoned mines. These mines pose big environmental problems for Colorado, poisoning thousands of miles of rivers and streams, killing aquatic life and hurting water quality. At my urging, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed a new policy encouraging cleanup of this pollution using third-party groups who volunteer to clean up the sites - so-called good Samaritans, like Trout Unlimited. I will continue to fight for cleanup funding and to remove any remaining legal impediments to good Samaritans willing to help preserve our streams and waterways.

Lastly, any sportsman's agenda must acknowledge that the status quo on gun violence is unacceptable. Hunters represent the model of responsible gun ownership and can offer valuable advice about how to protect our children while respecting citizens' constitutional right to own guns.

And we all too often have endured the nightmares of mass shootings, here and across our nation, perpetrated by deranged individuals outfitted with equipment designed for the battlefield. There is no single solution to curbing gun violence, and everything must be on the table for discussion, but we have an obligation to promote policies that will keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. I will be seeking input from sportsmen and many others on any measure designed to curb gun violence.

Taken together, these measures will bolster our sportsman legacy and outdoor economy as well as benefit all Coloradans who enjoy the outdoors. I look forward to continuing to work directly with Coloradans on these issues and advancing their views in Washington, D.C.

Mark Udall serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is Colorado's senior senator.

Originally printed here in The Steamboat Pilot.

Tell Denver Water: Don't Kill The Fraser River!

Denver Water already sucks 60% of the annual flows from the Fraser River, and they now want to take more: another 15%.  Sign the Defend the Colorado petition today and tell Denver that before they take more water, they need to protect the Fraser River.  Tell Denver Water:  Don't Suck the Fraser River Dry!  

If you see a lost-looking trout walking the streets of downtown Denver in coming weeks, don’t be alarmed. He’s just looking for some water. Any water.

He urgently needs your help.

We recently filmed this trout’s sad dilemma. Left high and dry in the Fraser Valley, where Denver Water is sucking the life out of the Fraser River and its tributaries, our refugee trout hitchhiked to Denver to try to find out who moved his water and where he can get a few drops.

Check out the short video– it’s a lighthearted effort to highlight a serious problem: Denver Water is diverting the Fraser River to death.

You can make a difference by sending a message to Denver Water: sign the petition telling Denver Water to protect – not kill – the Fraser River.

You might not know that much of Denver’s water comes from across the Continental Divide, in Grand County, where the Moffat pipeline each year drains 60 percent of the Fraser River’s annual flows, leaving dozens of tributaries sucked completely dry. Denver Water’s proposed expansion of that pipeline would take another 15 percent of flows, leaving an already damaged river on life support.

It’s not just trout and wildlife at risk—our mountain towns and state tourism economy are also threatened. If you love to fish, ski, raft, hike, camp or otherwise recreate in the mountains, this hits you where you live.

We simply can’t keep sucking the lifeblood out of the Fraser and expect it to remain a living river.

If Denver Water is to move forward with the Moffat expansion, they must take steps to ensure it is done in a way that won’t destroy the Fraser River. For months, a coalition of conservation organizations, landowners, and recreation businesses have been calling on Denver Water to take a few responsible, cost-effective steps to protect the Fraser:

• ensure healthy “flushing” flows in the river to clean out silt and algae.
• avoid taking water during high water temperatures, when trout and aquatic life are vulnerable.
• monitor the river’s health and take action as needed to prevent further declines.

We’ve presented these concerns to Denver Water, but so far they’ve been unwilling to work with us to adopt this common-sense package of protections.

This is where you come in. Denver Water  will listen to their customers. We need Denver-area residents—and anyone who cares about Colorado’s rivers and wild places—to  tell Denver Water that you want them to “finish the job” of protecting the Fraser River.

Please—go right now to the Defend the Colorado webpage to sign a petition asking Denver Water board members to protect the Fraser. We know they will respond to public pressure—but that means you need to take a few minutes and sign the petition. It will make a difference for the Fraser River and for our homeless trout, but only if you act now.

Denver Water won't act if they think Coloradans don’t know enough or care enough to demand a higher level of river stewardship.

So do something good for our rivers today. Sign the petition and tell Denver Water: don’t suck—protect the Fraser River.

TU praises Windy Gap, criticizes Moffat projects in Denver Post

Drew Peternell, director of TU's Colorado Water Project, had an op-ed piece carried in the online edition of the Denver Post that highlights the ways in which the Windy Gap Firming Project is moving forward to meet water needs while protecting river health - in contract to Denver's Moffat Project where Denver Water continues to balk at taking actions to offset the impacts of their new project.  Check out Drew's column here. The fact that Boulder County recently declined to sign on to an intergovernmental agreement by which they would lend support to the Moffat project simply underscores the fact that Denver Water is not yet taking the actions needed to make its project work not only for water supply, but for the health of rivers and communities on both sides of the Continental Divide.

Good Sam: Legal muddle cleared up for mine-tainted streams

The 19^th century mining boom across the West was a bust for many of our rivers and streams. Colorado alone has more than 7,000 abandoned mine sites, many of them leaching toxic metals into nearby watersheds—and these damaged streams represent more than a century of lost fishing opportunities. It gets worse. In many cases, Good Samaritans like Trout Unlimited, eager to undertake mine cleanup projects, can’t get started—ironically, because of a Clean Water Act provision that says groups who voluntarily clean up a toxic dump could be liable if the treated water doesn’t meet CWA standards.

No good deed goes unpunished, right? That unfortunate Catch-22 has stopped scores of cleanup efforts dead in their tracks, in Colorado and across the West.

That’s why this big news out of D.C. is cause for celebration: The EPA this week issued new guidelines for abandoned mine cleanup agreements that largely eliminate the legal exposure of Good Sam groups.

Read more about it from the Summit County Voice.

This is a huge victory for Colorado streams.

“True Good Samaritans can feel comfortable pursuing cleanups and partnerships with EPA knowing they won’t be responsible for pollution when they get done,” said Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, who showed great leadership in pushing EPA to change the guidelines.

“We’re thrilled--this is a major breakthrough,” said Elizabeth Russell, mine restoration project manager for TU. “This is the single most important issue in the state as far as addressing mine pollution. 

“These projects will have huge benefits forColorado’s water quality and fish habitat,” said Russell.  “And that will improve the fishing for future generations of anglers.” 

Send thanks to Sen. Udall for showing leadership on this issue!

Don't put the cart before the horse on the North Fork

UPDATE:  Sportsmen groups including TU have submitted a formal request to BLM to withdraw leases from the February sale, pending completion of their plan revision.  That will allow leasing decisions to be made on the basis of the best current information - not a 23 year old leasing plan.  Check out coverage from E&E News online.

What: The BLM is offering 20 leases comprising nearly 20,000 acres in the North Fork Valley as part of the agencies February 14 lease sale. These leases are located between Hotchkiss and Paonia Reservoir, and many are along the North Fork of the Gunnison and several tributaries to the river. This creates the possibility of direct and serious impacts to the health of the watershed and the trout fisheries that it sustains.

Why it Matters: The North Fork of the Gunnison River has been the focus of a multi-year, collaborative effort to improve water quality and enhance river health so that the river is able to provide for current and future needs of the community. Poorly planned energy development could undermine these community-driven initiatives and restoration projects, to the detriment of important wild and native trout fisheries.

The Solution: The BLM’s Uncompahgre Field Office, which manages the lands proposed for leasing, is currently in the process of revising its 23 year-old management plan. In doing so, the agency is considering where and under what restrictions they are going to allow for leasing and energy development, as well as the impacts of that development on the watershed. If the BLM leases these lands now, they will be undermining their own planning efforts and leasing lands without a thorough review or the best available information. Moreover, leasing today without the benefit of an updated management plan could create a situation where future natural gas development is in conflict with direction brought forth in a new management plan.

The solution is simple: complete the resource management plan before selling new leases. By deferring these leases, the BLM will ensure that the cart doesn’t get ahead of the horse and that any future development that does occur is the result of a thoughtful, collaborative plan that balances energy development with the health of the watershed and the needs of the community.

For more information, contact: Bob Meulengracht, Colorado SFRED Coordinator, Trout Unlimited 303-514-8227, rmeulengracht@tu.org