Sportsmen applaud Senate hearing on Browns Canyon (Press Release)

July 22, 2014 Media Contact: Kyle Perkins, Trout Unlimited, kperkins@tu.org, 303.579.6498

(Denver, CO)--On Wednesday, July 23, the Senate National Parks Subcommittee will hear a variety of bills – including S. 1794, which designates Browns Canyon in Chaffee County as a National Monument. Sportsmen and women, rafters and local communities and businesses have worked for over 20 years to have this area’s hunting, fishing and recreational values protected—and they urged quick passage of the legislation.

“Now is the time to get this done,” said Kyle Perkins, Browns Canyon coordinator for Trout Unlimited. “We have overwhelming local support for protecting Browns Canyon—we just need Congress to get it across the finish line.”

David Leinweber of Angler’s Covey fly shop in Colorado Springs said Front Range anglers are pleased to see this hearing, and eager to see this designation accomplished: “Browns Canyon is a favorite fishing spot for many of my customers and clients. Virtually all of us want to see Browns Canyon—a stretch of the Arkansas River’s Gold Medal trout water—receive National Monument protection.”

Sen. Mark Udall introduced his bill, which will protect 22,000 acres of rugged backcountry as well as a popular rafting canyon, in December 2013 after a lengthy process of public input and listening sessions. The area is highly valued by sportsmen who hunt and fish the area, and just want to keep it the way it is now. Browns Canyon is important to outdoor recreation businesses, a mainstay of the local and state economy.

Sportsmen praised Sen. Udall’s effort to protect one of Colorado’s most treasured landscapes. Supporters of the National Monument status include Colorado Trout Unlimited, National Wildlife Federation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Fishpond, Ross Reels, Scott Fly Rod Co., Umpqua Feather Merchants, and Bull Moose Sportsmen Alliance. For more information, see the Sportsmen for Browns Canyon website at www.sportsmenforbrowns.com.

The groups urged hunters and anglers to contact their local senator to support S. 1794 – Sen. Mark Udall (Chairman), Sen. Ron Wyden (D, OR), Sen. Rob Portman (R, OH), Sen. John Barrasso (R, WY), Sen. Mike Lee (R, UT), Sen. Bernard Sanders (I) (D, VT), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D, MI), Sen. Brian Schatz (D, HI), Sen. Mike Lee (R, UT), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D, NM), Sen. Lamar Alexander (R, TN), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D, WI), and Sen. John Hoeven (R, ND).

Trout Unlimited is the nation’s largest coldwater conservation organization, with 150,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. Colorado Trout Unlimited has 11,000 grassroots members across the state. Follow TU on Facebook and Twitter, and visit us online at tu.org 

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.

Browns Canyon Campaign in Full Pursuit

Colorado is home to some of the most natural and beautiful landscapes all across the country. It’s only right to want to keep the land protected. Right now protecting Browns Canyon is one of Colorado Trout Unlimited's highest priorities. With some help, Browns Canyon can become the next National Monument. Recently, former Colorado Governor, Bill Ritter wrote an opinion piece for the Denver Post pushing for Coloradans to make the area a National Monument right now.

The current bill was proposed by Sen. Mark Udall will help protect roughly 22,000 acres of Browns Canyon and the outlying land. In 2005, a similar effort was introduced by Congressman Joel Hefley and Sen. Wayne Allard. The first bill was derailed by special interest groups. However, it had over 100 businesses behind the bill including all of the Colorado Congressional Council.

As a National Monument, Browns Canyon will receive protection forever and provide a testament to the state’s rich and proud sporting tradition. The status will help protect the land from irresponsible development from mining companies and help keep the land healthy.

Along with protecting fish and game in the area, a National Monument status will improve the local economy. Colorado is a recreation enthusiast’s heaven and an estimated 200,000 tourists will visit the area this summer for recreational activities, including white water rafting and hiking. According to a Denver Post article, Browns Canyon will generate more than $55 million this summer.

A National Monument status will keep this area protected forever. The land is used by anglers, hunters and recreation fanatics alike and all of them want to see the land protected for future generations to enjoy just as they have done.

Recently, the Arkansas River had 100 miles of water designated as a Gold Medal fishery. Part of this section includes Browns Canyon. Anglers enjoy the great fishing opportunities while hunters enjoy the rugged landscape and the game the area is home to; including elk, bighorn sheep, deer and mountain lions.

For anglers and hunters, the plentiful opportunities will still be there and this will not reveal or affect any secret spots. With the status, Browns Canyon and the surrounding land will be protected from outside sources disrupting the site.

Currently, mining claims have been made in the canyon so it is very important to act now in making the land a National Monument. Mining could disrupt the natural landscape of the area and affect hunting and fishing opportunities.

Colorado Trout Unlimited has been pushing a new campaign called Sportsmen for Browns Canyon which is a coalition of sportsmen and women who want to see Browns Canyon be protected and conserved forever under the status of a National Monument.

For more information on the bill visit the Denver Post Article and please show support for the legislation by commenting on the article.Senator Udall needs to know that there are anglers, sportsmen, and conservationist behind him that support the National Monument designation.

For more information on the Sportsmen for Browns Canyon effort visit SportsmenForBrowns.com or email Kyle Perkins at kperkins@tu.org

Glenwood Springs River Commission River Cleanup

The Glenwood Springs River Commission's River Cleanup and Community Barbecue! Volunteers are needed to pick up trash along the Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers in Glenwood Springs and Glenwood Canyon. Volunteers will work from shore and from boats. Boaters are urged to participate. After the cleanup, volunteers will be treated to a barbecue and picnic with food donated by local restaurants. 9am - 2pm Directions: Two Rivers Park is the location for volunteers to check in and receive assignments.  The midday barbecue for volunteers will also be at Two Rivers Park. Walk or ride your bike. Parking is limited.    - Across from Centennial Drive  on Devereux Road  Glenwood Springs, CO  81601

See more at: http://web.glenwoodchamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=5083#sthash.ODjpvwt9.dpuf

Help needed at Big Thompson Wildlife Area

Big Thompson Wildlife Area - Lend A Hand DayWhen: Saturday, July 19th Volunteer Project Time: 7:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. with lunch provided at noon Number of Volunteers Expected: 100

Project Description: Big Thompson, fondly know as Big T has been significantly damaged from the flood in the fall of 2013. Volunteers will help remove fence, clean up a lot of debris, and help to scatter seed and plant willows to help restore some of the damage. Volunteers will be encouraged to car pool as parking is limited. Amenities will be primitive. Check out this link for more information on Big Thompson: http://cpw.state.co.us/swa/Big%20Thompson%20Ponds%20SWA

Ways to get involved: • Volunteer with the project or serve as a group lead • Help with volunteer registration or lunch set up and clean up • Donate money, tools, expertise or resources towards project

*Will give some career type demonstrations or talks geared towards younger volunteers over lunch and via group leads. SIGN UP: If you are interested in getting involved or volunteering for either of these projects please contact Vicki Leigh at vicki.leigh@state.co.us or at 303-291-7299.

Trout Unlimited Rolls Out TroutBlitz

As part of Trout Unlimited’s mission to conserve, protect and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds, Trout Unlimited is now featuring TroutBlitz. TroutBlitz is a program that allows anglers all over, both members and non-TU members, to contribute to the protection and conservation of trout and their habitats. TroutBlitz is an online program that allows anglers to picture and document the fish they caught to help TU scientists understand the populations of trout and the quality of the watersheds across North America. By using a simple TroutBlitz website interface, all anglers, not just Trout Unlimited members can upload pictures of their fish and document the location where they caught it.

The program was initiated to help organize a catalog and map healthy populations of wild and native trout. By sharing their information, “anglers can help us identify healthy populations of native trout and help us understand where non-native trout have been introduced over the years,” said TU senior scientist, Jack Williams in a Trout Unlimited press release.

Documenting the fish an angler catches, not only helps the TU scientists understand the populations of trout, it gives a better understanding of the watersheds and habitats across North America. According to the TU press release, “they [anglers] can help the organization [Trout Unlimited] identify intact watersheds, important tracts of intact habitat and waters that could benefit from restoration work, reconnection efforts or even native fish reintroduction efforts.”

Along with native and non-native trout, the feature will also help anglers and TU know where there are pockets of rare native fish, including bull trout and grayling.

To get involved, all you need to do is go fishing. Take your camera (or smart phone) with you to document your catch, along with a GPS device or map that will help determine where the catch was made, (some cameras or smart phones can track the GPS for you). After that, all you need to do is catch a fish then upload it to the TroutBlitz interface by clicking “add observations” on the TroutBlitz website.

TroutBlitz is offered through iNaturalist.org so to begin uploading catches you must sign up for an iNaturalist account for free. From there you can help TU and other scientists understand more about native and non-native trout all across North America. For more information on how to upload your photos and document your fish, visit Trout Unlimited’s TroutBlitz webpage.

As an incentive for anglers to share their catch, TU is offering prizes for the top posters. Prizes include some TU merchandise and apparel, a free TU membership, and chances to win prizes provided by sponsors.

For more information on the program, check out the Trout Unlimited press release regarding TroutBlitz.

New Push for Browns Canyon - Join Us!

While most sportsmen and women in Colorado have fished, hunted, hiked, or floated in and around Browns Canyon along the Arkansas River, few know that federal legislation to protect it has been in process for over 20 years. Recently, Trout Unlimited launched a new push to protect this beautiful, habitat-rich canyon, and rally sportsmen and women to designate Browns, once and for all, a National Monument. Why a monument? Being designated a monument would protect—for all time—the 22,000-acre backcountry area with its current mixed uses for all sportsmen and women. Browns Canyon would remain just as wild and pristine as it is today, so that future generations of anglers and hunters can enjoy this magnificent “last best place.”

Besides preserving vital fish and wildlife habitat, the monument designation would also be an economic boon for the Arkansas River valley and the state, which depend on tourism and recreation dollars.

Browns Canyon, located between Buena Vista and Salida, has for generations been one of the most floated rivers in the state. . Add a recently designated gold medal fishery and exceptional backcountry hunting grounds, and you can see why Coloradans want to protect it forever. Recent and future mining and other development interests in the area could change all of that if we don’t protect it now.

The immediate need is for sportsmen and women to speak up and tell our leaders that Browns Canyon is a special place—and let’s keep it the way it is.

For more information, and to sign up to join the coalition, please visit http://www.sportsmenforbrowns.com or contact Kyle Perkins at kperkins@tu.org.

Colorado High School Teacher Wins National Conservation Award

Thanks to his conservation efforts and environmental teaching within the program of Trout in the Classroom, local Summit High School teacher, Jamie Lambrecht is the newest winner of the 2014 Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE). The PIAEE is awarded to 16 different teachers across the country each year. These teachers have dedicated their time and curriculum to teaching their students about the importance of environmental conservation. According the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the award is given to teachers, “to nationally honor, support and encourage educators who incorporate environmental education in their classrooms & teaching methods.”

For Lambrecht, winning the award is an honor; but he is most happy with the recognition the award represents. According to Lambrecht, the award shows that, “people are starting to realize the efforts that go into watersheds and conservation.” This is the reason behind his involvement with the Trout in the Classroom program (TIC).

Lambrecht has been involved with the TIC program for the last three years. With a biology degree under his belt, he felt very drawn to the program when it was being offered by Gore Range Trout Unlimited. “I wanted a way for kids to get more involved with some more hands on research,” he said.

The program reaches about 150-200 kids between the ages of 14 and 18 at Summit High School in Summit County, Colorado. “The program is an elective class, [as an extension of the biology department] therefore students have to sign up and want to take it,” said Lambrecht.

His curriculum involves more than growing fish in tanks; it helps students learn all about the aquatic ecosystem. Students learn about the insects in the water, the affects of pH and nitrate towards water quality, and other ways to help improve the river habitat. The kids also learn how these different traits affect fishing. Lambrecht says, “The kids leave the class ready to fish.”

In the future Lambrecht and Gore Range TU are going to continue with the Trout in the Classroom program as well as other conservation projects that will help kids get more involved with watershed conservation.

For more information on the Trout in the Classroom program, check out the article on the Stream Explorers Program.