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.

Where the wild things are: Hermosa Creek among best

Coloradans, perhaps better than anyone, understand and appreciate just how special the wilderness can be. And as connoisseurs of the outdoors, they recognize there are not only wild places, but there are best wild places. These are the places that inspire — some acknowledged and held sacred, others that have managed to remain under the radar. Others still find themselves perched in a sort of purgatory somewhere in between.

Hermosa Creek, in the San Juan National forest just north of Durango, might qualify among those in-betweeners. To Durango locals, the drainage that translates to "beautiful" creek epitomizes the Colorado outdoor experience, and they'd like to see it remain that way. But those who don't frequent the Four Corners region may not be aware of all that this hidden gem has to offer.

Count the majority of U.S. Congress among that latter group. For more than a year now, a bipartisan bill known as the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act has languished in the legislative branch of our federal government as a consensus of local stakeholders await acknowledgment of efforts to preserve the attributes that make the place so special.

"The primary thing the bill does is it takes the basin and protects it exactly as it is today," said Ty Churchwell, backcountry coordinator for Trout Unlimited's Sportsmen's Conservation Project. "This bill is completely supported by consensus from all stakeholders — everyone from county commissioners and town boards to sportsmen, miners, mountain bikers and motorized users. There's nothing for them to do in D.C. but vote it forward."

Read the rest from Scott Willoughby in The Denver Post.

Climate Change is Heating Up Along With Colorado Water

Climate change has been a hot topic the last few years and it’s about to heat up once again. The Colorado Climate Change report states that Colorado is warming up. But how will air temperature affect the water quality and fishing in Colorado? The report was  done for the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Western Water Assessment, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental sciences and the University of Colorado at Boulder with funding from a grant the NOAA Climate Program Office.

Temperatures have been rising over the last 30 years due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These changes in the atmosphere and temperature are affecting the water supply in Colorado and its basins.

With the increase in temperature in the entire region, the snow packs will begin to melt one to three weeks earlier in the year than normal. This will result in lower flow periods later in the summer due to the shift in peak periods. Although the runoff will occur earlier, there is less certainty that the amount of runoff will change.

With the change in flows, the procedures of reservoirs and draining may be changed to counter the lower periods of flow.  Reservoirs will be forced to keep flows downstream, therefore changing the flood control and water storage operations.

With a lower water supply and higher temperatures, the amount of water needed for crops will increase, consequently reducing the amount of stream flow. According to the Colorado Climate Report, “Warming temperatures could increase the loss of water from plants and soil, lengthen growing seasons, and increase overall water demand.”

The ground water available for agriculture will also be depleted and the recharge rate will decrease due to lower amounts of precipitation every year. If the groundwater is used too much and is unable to recharge in time, more water will be used from the rivers, resulting in even lower stream flows.

These higher temperatures will also affect the quality of the ecosystems. The warmer temperatures will lead to warmer water temperature, resulting in spreading of invasive species. Particularly the spreading into higher mountain streams.

The patterns of fish and other aquatic species will change with the increasing water temperatures. This will lead to a difference in fishing throughout the state. Rainbow trout prefer a water temperature between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit; the change in temperature will force the fish to adjust accordingly. The spawning times will change and the fish would move into higher mountain streams where the water may be cooler.

For more information, read the Colorado Climate Report or the Executive Summary version of the report.

Clean Water Act worth bolstering, says Summit County Commissioner

Summit County Commissioner Karn Stiegelmeier penned an op-ed piece that ran in the Denver Post on August 4th, supporting the proposed new "Waters of the United States" rulemaking by the EPA as an important step in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Clean Water Act permitting processes.  The piece is well worth the read, and you can find it online by clicking here. The EPA rulemaking is a key step in ensuring that headwater and feeder streams, which may not flow year-round, are still afforded protection under the Clean Water Act. Commissioner Stiegelmeier sums up the bottom line for Summit County and Colorado as a whole: "Healthy waterways benefit the whole state by protecting and enhancing recreational opportunities. For those of us living and working in Summit County, protecting our waters means protecting our clean water and our tourism economy. The proposed rule is a thoughtfully crafted, urgently needed clarification to protect Colorado's waterways."

The EPA is taking public comment on the Waters of the United States through October.  You can add your voice in support of protecting headwater streams by visiting our action alert and submitting your comments to the EPA, and sharing them with your Senators and US Representative.

Rio Grande Cutthroat: A Colorado Treasure

In 1951, Francisco de Coronado and his expedition went west looking for cities of gold. They never found the fabled cities, but they did find another treasure: the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout. The Rio Grand cutthroat (RGCT) is a subspecies from the Colorado River cutthroat around 70,000 years ago. Both species of fish share a common ancestor, the Rainbow trout. Around 2 million years ago, the Colorado River cutthroat branched off from the rainbow.

Rio Grande cutthroats only occupy 10-12 percent of its historic range. Due to these low populations, the species is a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Different factors have contributed to the decrease in population of RGCT over the previous years; the biggest factors being environmental changes, mining development and the introduction of non-native trout species.

Rainbow trout as well as brown and brook trout were all released into the same areas as the Rio Grand cutthroat. In return, this led to more competition for habitat and prey amongst the species. These other species of trout also have the ability to hybridize with the RGCT and make vulnerable the genetic make up for the population.

The RGCT generally lives to between five and eight years old and are between 10”-15” in length. In some lakes, they can reach over 20”.  The fish present red and orange on their underbelly, transferring into a yellow along the sides, with a green coloration on the back.

Although these fish are decreasing in population, with help from Colorado TU and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, there are over 80 recreational populations throughout the Rio Grande basin in Colorado. CPW helps maintain these populations through stocking.

To help improve the entire population of RGCT, Colorado TU and CPW and working together to help restore habitat, improve streamflow as well as other projects to help improve the Rio Grande cutthroat species.

Colorado TU also appreciates any angler feedback about this wonderful species, therefore we ask you to take a few minutes for a brief survey about the RGCT.

For more information on how to help protect this beautiful species of trout, contact Kevin Terry at Kterry@tu.org or check out the Colorado Parks and Wildlife conservation strategy.

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