CTU, Partners Reach Settlement to Protect Roan

It has been a long road in a legal battle that has stretched back more than six years - and advocacy and conservation efforts that stretch back more than a decade beyond that.  But on November 21, a settlement of the legal battle over energy development on the Roan Plateau was announced, laying a "win-win" path forward that protects the Roan's most valued fish and wildlife habitats while also allowing for responsible energy development. The Roan Plateau supports remarkable natural values including habitat for rare native Colorado River cutthroat trout, scenic canyons and waterfalls, and outstanding big game habitat and hunting opportunities.  TU's Grand Valley Anglers chapter has for nearly two decades worked on projects to benefit Trapper Creek and the unique native cutthroats it supports - Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists found they are adapted to withstand warmer water temperatures than most cutthroats.

The settlement resolves litigation in which Colorado Trout Unlimited, the National Wildlife Federation and eight other conservation groups were represented by Earthjustice. Among the key provisions of the settlement:

• The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will cancel 17 of 19 leases held by Bill Barrett Corp. (BBC) atop the Roan within 60 days, and refund to BBC the money that was paid for those leases.  These leases include about 90% of the acreage on top of the Plateau, including all of the native trout watersheds.
• BLM will prepare a new management plan for the Roan, and as part of their analysis will consider a "settlement alternative" with terms from the settlement agreement.  While BLM legally cannot commit to adopting this alternative prior to completing their environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, all parties have agreed not to challenge the new plan so long as BLM adopts the settlement alternative.
• Under the settlement alternative the areas covered by the canceled leases atop the Roan Plateau will not be subject to oil and gas leasing.  The two retained leases - located on Anvil Ridge in a portion of the Roan adjacent to existing drilling on private lands, outside of native cutthroat habitat, and lacking current public road access - will be allowed to develop responsibly with a limited number of carefully-sited well pads and management practices to minimize their impacts.
• The settlement alternative also allows for development under existing leases at the base of the Roan but strengthens "no surface occupancy" requirements, helping to secure important wildlife migration corridors, steep slopes, and other fragile resources.

The Roan Plateau is a great example of TU working together, with local volunteers from Grand Valley Anglers, Colorado TU staff and volunteer leaders, and National TU staff all helping contribute to our success.  We've also benefited from great partners including our outstanding legal counsel with Earthjustice who have been a model of dedication and skill in guiding the legal challenge and settlement talks over several years.

The Roan could also be a model for balance on energy development.  The oil and gas leaseholders - BBC, as well as Oxy, Ursa, and WPX (companies holding the leases at the Roan's base) - engaged with us in honest and constructive dialogue about a path for responsible energy development that includes strong protection for the Roan's unique fish and wildlife resources. Keeping disturbance out of the most important and sensitive habitats, while enabling responsible development to proceed on other portions of the Roan, is a great model for balance.  We appreciate these companies working with us in good faith to achieve a responsible settlement for the Roan.

Our work isn't over -- we will continue our cutthroat protection and restoration projects on the Roan in the summer of 2015 and beyond, and we must work to ensure that the BLM adopts the "settlement alternative" in its planning process.  Stay tuned for ways that you can get involved in the months ahead.

St Vrain TUer Speaks Out on Flood Response

Erik Wilkinson, the Conservation Chair of the TU St Vrain Anglers chapter, recently published an opinion piece in the Longmont Times-Call, highlighting the role of the Land and Water Conservation Fund in helping to purchase properties from flood-ravaged families following the 1976 Big Thompson flood - and calling for local officials to learn from that experience as response work continues to the 2013 floods.  He also points out the importance of Congress acting to reauthorization the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which will expire in 2015 absent Congressional action. Wilkinson writes: "As our communities endeavor to rebuild, we should again look to the future and use this tragedy as an opportunity to reinvest in our infrastructure and river resources. We must strengthen our towns against future floods so that we aren't faced with the same rebuilding challenges in the coming decades. We must use this event to create and enhance habitat and water recreation along the rivers, providing economic stimuli (jobs) to the affected communities."

The piece was informed by a recent Colorado TU report, Land and Water Conservation Fund—A Source of Hope and Help in the Face of Disaster which was issued at the one-year anniversary of the September 2013 floods.  The report also highlighted the role of LWCF in helping Lyons rebuild its important St Vrain corridor trail - a key local connector and recreational feature.

You can read Erik's full piece here.

Hermosa Bill Takes Another Step Forward!

Legislation to establish wilderness and a special management area protecting Southwest Colorado's Hermosa Creek watershed passed unanimously through a US Senate Committee this week.  The legislation, S.841, was introduced by Senator Bennet and cosponsored by Senator Udall, who also serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee which passed the bill out of committee on Thursday, November 13.  A companion bill, HR 1839, is sponsored by Representative Tipton and already has passed out of House committee. TU and other supporters of the bill hope that it can get a floor vote in both chambers during the "lame duck" session, and be forwarded to the President's desk for signature.

The Hermosa watershed bill, which incorporates an agreement crafted by a broad range of local stakeholders, preserves an array of recreational opportunities in and around the areas designated for protection. The package of protections will help protect hunting and fishing values, motorized recreational opportunities, popular hiking and biking trails, and wilderness-quality lands.  The bill designates approximately 37,000 acres of new wilderness and a 70,000 acre special management area to protect watershed values.

On a disappointing note, specific reference to Hermosa's native trout was removed from the bill.  However, the watershed and land protections still accomplish protection for the area's highly-valued native cutthroat trout fishery.

You can read TU's press statement on the latest Congressional action here.

And a big "thank you" goes to Senators Bennet and Udall for their efforts in moving S.841 forward in the Senate, and to Representative Tipton for his continued leadership for Hermosa in the House.

TU restores miles of habitat on Kerber Creek

The Kerber Creek Restoration Project is an ambitious partnership between Trout Unlimited, federal and state agencies, non-profits, and local landowners to address the impacts of mining and erosion on a high-value trout stream in Colorado. The headwaters of Kerber Creek start above Bonanza, Colorado, and flow for 26 miles past Villa Grove, until its confluence with San Luis Creek at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  Since the inception of the project in 2008, Trout Unlimited and project partners have restored seven miles of stream and 14 miles of stream bank.  Unstable stream conditions were created by several flood events in the 1900’s that deposited historic mine wastes throughout the downstream floodplain.  The highly acidic soils did not provide a good growing medium for riparian plants, resulting in unstable stream banks throughout the lower watershed.

This short video provides an example of the restoration techniques used to stabilize an eroding stream bank.  The operator first knocks down the steep, unstable bank to a 3:1, gradual slope.  Two sets of in-stream rock barb structures are then installed on the outside of the bend to provide bank stabilization and trout habitat.  Anchored and dredged into the bank, these rock barbs push the energy portion of the stream away from the bank to help create pools and establish a point bar.

After installation of each rock barb, the operator transplants sedge mats and willow clumps to provide immediate vegetation and bank stabilization.  The sedge mats and willow clumps will provide erosion resistance on the newly graded bank until the planted seed comes up the following year.  After completion of the in-stream restoration, soil amendments will be added into the bank behind the structures to neutralize any acidic soil, and provide good growing conditions for the native seed mix.

TU has had great success with this type of stream restoration procedure, and post-project monitoring has shown an improvement of water quality and an increase in trout density throughout the watershed.

Jason Willis is Mine Restoration Field Coordinator for Trout Unlimited in Salida, Colorado.

Update: Hermosa Creek Bill

For those of you following the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act, you may find the amendment made this week a little concerning. Read the press release from TU below for more information. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      

Sept. 18, 2014

Contact: Ty Churchwell, 970-903-3010 or Keith Curley, 703-284-9428

Hermosa Creek bill passes House Natural Resources Committee        Congress alters bill, creating concern among stakeholders                           

DURANGO, Colo.— Trout Unlimited and other local stakeholders today expressed concern with a substitute amendment released on Tuesday, Sept. 16, that alters key provisions of the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2014.

The bill is slated for markup in the House Natural Resources Committee today, Sept. 18. The original bill, H.R. 1839, introduced in May 2013, was the product of years of collaboration and consensus among numerous stakeholder groups in Colorado—and the bill enjoyed strong bipartisan support from its Colorado sponsors, Rep. Scott Tipton and Sen. Michael Bennet. The bill was widely seen as noncontroversial, and a model of collaboration.

Then, two days before this week’s markup—without input from stakeholders—the bill was amended to alter key habitat protections.

“The version of the bill that went into committee was the product of years of hard work and consensus—and it had broad, bipartisan support among local stakeholders, from sportsmen’s and conservation groups to local businesses and county officials,” said Ty Churchwell, Hermosa coordinator for Trout Unlimited. “The amended bill raised a number of questions about whether the original consensus was still being honored.”

One of those questions concerns the 108,000-acre Watershed Protection Area to maintain the health of the Hermosa Creek watershed, safeguarding the purity of its water, its native trout fishery, and its recreational values (§4 of H.R. 1839). That provision was altered by committee to say the land “may be called” the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Area. “In the last 48 hours I have heard varying interpretations of the Watershed Protection Area language,” said Churchwell. “I hope there will be an opportunity to get clarity before the bill progresses further in Congress.”

The original bill also established a Special Management Area to be managed for conservation, protection and enhancement of watershed, cultural, recreational, and other values, and for the protection of the Colorado River cutthroat trout fishery. The new version of the bill released Tuesday removes that language and replaces it with a broader management approach.

“It takes hard work to reach consensus on a bill like this,” said Tim Brass, Southern Rockies coordinator of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. “Congress should make sure that the goal of the original bill is honored as it moves toward becoming law.”

“The Hermosa Creek proposal is the product of Westerners rolling up their sleeves and finding common ground,” said Joel Webster, director of western public lands for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Sportsmen ask that the House Natural Resources Committee advance legislation that honors the intent of the original stakeholder proposal.”

Trout Unlimited and other stakeholders called on Congress to ensure that the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act is true to the proposal put together over three years by a broad stakeholder process that was open, inclusive and transparent.

"Rep. Tipton has been a strong leader on the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act since he introduced the bill early last year,” said Churchwell.  “We are talking with his office and gaining a better understanding of the changes, but we have remaining concerns with the language in Tuesday’s amendment. We look forward to working with Rep. Tipton and others in our congressional delegation as the bill moves through the legislative process to ensure that it fully reflects the stakeholder agreements.”

Trout Unlimited is the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s trout and salmon and their watersheds. Follow TU on Facebook and Twitter, and visit us online at tu.org.

TU Report Shares Untold Story of LWCF & Flood Relief - UPDATE

On the one-year anniversary of floods that devastated communities along Colorado’s northern Front Range, and the fiftieth anniversary of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), Colorado Trout Unlimited released a new report documenting the untold story of the connection between the two. UPDATE:  The TU report and release was featured in a story from the Public News Service - check it out by clicking here.  Senator Udall also specifically referenced the TU report on the floor of the US Senate as part of a speech calling for reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

The report, “Land and Water Conservation Fund—A Source of Hope and Help in the Face of Disaster,” details how LWCF has played a vital role in local flood recovery efforts. Created by Congress in 1964 using royalties from offshore oil and gas revenue, LWCF conserves natural resources and enhances outdoor recreation opportunities, including a recent grant to help the town of Lyons in rebuilding the St Vrain Corridor Trail which was destroyed in the September 2013 floods.

At an event releasing the report and commemorating the one year anniversary of the 2013 floods, Colorado TU Outreach Director (and lead report author) Stephanie Scott and Executive Director David Nickum were joined by a distinguished group of speakers including US Senator Mark Udall (who serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee that oversees the LWCF program), Colorado Parks and Wildlife State Trails Program Manager Tom Morrissey (the State Liaison Officer for LWCF), Boulder County Commissioner Cindy Domenico, and Town of Lyons Parks Commission member Reed Farr.

“For 50 years, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has used a small fraction of royalties from offshore oil drilling to protect millions of acres, including parks, river access, and priceless open spaces for future generations,” said Udall. “The fund also played an essential role helping protect communities after the devastating Big Thompson Flood of 1976. Today it’s playing the same role helping communities like Lyons rebuild in the wake of the September 2013 flood. I will keep fighting to ensure Congress reauthorizes and fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund so it can continue to aid Colorado’s disaster-recovery work now and in the future, as well as preserving our nation’s priceless land and water resources.”

Lyons was especially hard hit by the floods of 2013, sustaining flood damages totaling nearly $50 million—a crippling amount for a community that operates on a budget of less than $1 million. The flood-swollen St. Vrain River devastated not only the town of Lyons, but also most of the major park facilities and the popular St Vrain Corridor Trail.  LWCF funds—leveraged with other grants and matching funds—will help Lyons to rebuild and extend the park and trail through the town, making connections to regional trails to Boulder and to Longmont.

 “The funds from the LWCF grant will be instrumental in giving us the resources needed to rebuild and extend the Lyons St. Vrain Corridor Trail,” said Farr. “For many Lyons residents and visitors, this trail system is a main arterial serving as a major source of connectivity to neighborhoods, schools, parks, businesses and nearby Boulder County Open Spaces. Having the trail restored and improved will really help bring Lyons back together both physically and emotionally.”

The Trout Unlimited report details past LWCF investments that helped avoid millions of dollars in property damage in the floods of 2013. Following the catastrophic 1976 Big Thompson flood, Larimer County used $1 million from LWCF as well as other matching resources, to acquire 80 key properties along the Big Thompson—compensating families for their loss of homes while creating new park lands and recreation opportunities along the river canyon. This foresight avoided some $16 million in estimated property damage that would have occurred had those homes been rebuilt after the disastrous flood of 1976, while providing outstanding fishing opportunities for an estimated 200,000 angling days each year.

“As our report shows, LWCF is an invaluable tool for communities wanting to enhance their outdoor recreation opportunities including in the face of floods and other natural disasters,” said David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “Some 90 percent of Coloradans take part in outdoor recreation—and we want them to know how important LWCF is to preserving our state’s quality of life.”

Congress is in the process of reauthorizing the LWCF, and bipartisan voices are calling for full funding of the program. These case studies show why the LWCF program is indeed a wise investment that pays significant dividends for communities in enhanced recreation, economic vitality and quality of life.

ANIMAS RIVER CLEAN UP

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!9:30 a.m. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th

SANTA RITA PARK  (Gazebo next to the Chamber of Commerce) Please join TROUT UNLIMITED/FIVE RIVERS CHAPTER in cleaning up the Animas River!  Every September we reach out and ask volunteers to join us and pick up trash along the beautiful Animas River.  We’ll hand out garbage bags and give everyone a specific area to collect trash. This casual event last only a few hours.

Questions call: 970.759.5877

Keeping up with Hermosa

July was a very busy month for the ‘Sportsmen for Hermosa’ and TU’s efforts to protect one of Southwest Colorado’s favorite cutthroat fisheries, Hermosa Creek.  With the August congressional recess looming, and just a few months left in this congressional session, it was time to give the bill another big push from anglers and hunters.  Mid-month, a small group of Durango and Silverton supporters, including TU, went to DC to advocate on Capitol Hill.  Over the course of two days, a dozen Congressmen and women heard the praises of this very special piece of legislation.  The bill continues to be very well received and everyone in DC was supportive of moving the bill out of subcommittee and to the floor for formal votes.  Despite this push, Congress was unable to move the bill forward before the end of the month and the recess.  We’ll resume our efforts again in September. Later in the month, TU hosted a media trip into Hermosa’s interior to chase native cutthroats while experiencing Colorado’s largest unprotected roadless area.  The Denver Post’s Scott Willoughby accompanied TU staff and Emily Orbanek of Conservation Colorado on a three-day backpack trip eighteen miles down the main Hermosa trail. The group captured some fantastic images, and a bunch of nice trout, which are being shared on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sportsmenforhermosa.  Join us there.

Mr. Willoughby penned two fabulous articles for the Denver Post and we are grateful.  Enjoy them at: Hermosa Creek fishing is well worth the walk

Where wild things are:  Hermosa Creek among best

The Hermosa legislation continues to capture national attention as one of America’s best proposals to possibly move a wilderness bill through a very sticky Congress.  Since 2009 there has only been one wilderness bill enacted, and we hope Hermosa is next.  National Geographic magazine recently wrote of the backlog of wilderness bills and listed Hermosa as a top contender.  Read more here and here.

Willoughby: Roan deserves protection

For years, Colorado TU and our Grand Valley Anglers chapter have been working to protect and enhance habitat for native cutthroat trout atop the Roan Plateau.  From involvement in a legal challenge against a BLM oil and gas leasing plan that lacked adequate protections for watersheds, to volunteer work days with fencing and riparian restoration - from water quality monitoring and securing "outstanding water" protections, to construction of a fish barrier to secure native trout habitat from invasion by non-native brookies - TU has been, and continues to be, hard at work in protecting this unique place within Colorado. As part of a four-part series on some of Colorado's best wild lands and efforts to conserve them, Scott Willoughby of the Denver Post recently took notice of the efforts by TU and our partners on the Roan.  TU's Corey Fisher noted some of the challenges:  "Our Grand Valley chapter out of Grand Junction has been working on stream restoration projects up there for over 15 years, so our engagement up there in fisheries conservation goes back long before the oil and gas issue really got going on the Roan.  But those leases and areas that could be developed theoretically could cover the entire top of the plateau, including all the trout streams up there."

Read Scott Willoughby's full Sunday feature on the Roan here.

Trout Unlimited Partners With the Forest Service to Restore

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) 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 in Northern Colorado. To begin this process the USFS needs to assess the damage of the rivers. They have turned to Trout Unlimited (TU) because we have an expansive network of dedicated volunteers that care about the watershed and want to make a difference.

This is the beginning of a multi year partnership to bring back the healthy river ecosystems in the South Platte Basin after the floods; and we already have volunteers trained and ready to get on the river!!

The USFS hosted the first training for TU members on August 20, 2013, and it was a huge success. Dan Cenderelli and Matt Fairchild from the Forest Service developed a unique scientific assessment aimed at gathering data to develop a prescription to restore the entire watershed. This assessment is unique in many ways, but the big one is that there is an app for it!! Yes, an app for your smart phone. TU volunteers were not only trained on the science of the assessment, but also how to enter the data into their phones and instantly submit their results into the USFS database.

TU and the USFS were very anxious to get this project going. Planning and developing this partnership began shortly after the floods in September 2013. We are excited that the first bunch of volunteers have been trained and are ready to get out on the rivers and be true citizen scientist.

Because of the high demand from volunteers we will be hosting another training. We are working on scheduling it and should have details ASAP. If you are interested in being a part of this ground breaking partnership then please let us know. Contact Stephanie Scott at sscott@tu.org or 720-354-2647 to learn more and get signed up.