River Explorers continue their journey

Colorado Trout Unlimited is happy to say that the River Explorers program at the Mapleton School District in Thornton will be continuing into its second school year. This will be the beginning of the program’s vertical alignment in which students have different experiences in sequential years centered around healthy watersheds, in this case the South Platte, and fishing. We will also be bringing the program to the Adams-12 district for its first year in that district. As the years go by, we hope that this approach will be an ongoing success showing the value of consistent and stepwise programming to outdoor education. Students who are “River Explorers” will see four years of new activities. One step on the path is Trout in the Classroom. State-wide this year, Colorado Trout Unlimited and its chapters are sponsoring eleven tanks in which students raise trout from eggs to be released into the wild when they grow large enough in the spring. All classrooms have now received their eggs, and many have actively swimming and feeding fry.

River Watch is another piece of the River Explorers curriculum. As its own nonprofit, River Watch utilizes citizen science through school groups and volunteer organizations to collect and formulate water quality data from across the state. Colorado Trout Unlimited works with River Watch to host a few sites through partnering schools and local chapters. As a part of the River Explorers, students will become intimately familiar with the local water quality on the South Platte, and through River Watch provide that data to the public for anyone to use. This real world applicability is something CTU is proud to bring to the South Platte River Explorers, and we think the addition of two new monitoring sites is an exciting undertaking.

Rounding out the River Explorers experience are two more years of programming:  Stream Explorers, the introductory portion hosted at the middle school level, in which students learn the basics of a watershed, stream ecology, and fishing; and National Fishing in Schools Program where they hone their fly fishing skills. Connecting all of these pieces together we hope will foster students’ love of the outdoors, of fishing, and ultimately the desire to protect the places and resources they connect with. With generous support from local sponsors, Colorado Trout Unlimited is thrilled to be educating the next generation of river stewards through the continuation of River Explorers in the Mapleton School District, and the expansion to Adams-12 district.

South Arkansas River Restoration Project

The South Arkansas River Restoration Project (SARRP) is located on an 1,100 foot section of the South Arkansas River downstream of the Hwy 285 Bridge in Poncha Springs, Colorado.  The project site is 100% on private land divided between two landowners.  The main focal point of the project was on a long outside bend that was being “stabilized” by Detroit riprap (Old car bodies and other debris).  These features were installed in the 1960’sand 70’s to protect the bank from eroding.  Along with being an eye-sore, the riprap was accelerating flows along the bank, which was lacking in fish habitat.  The lack of fish habitat is synonymous with most of this river due to historic flood protection measures and channelization.  The goal of the project was to remove the car bodies and debris, improve bank stabilization, create habitat, and connect to a previously restored adjacent downstream section. Over the past year to year and a half, TU worked with another local non-profit, Land Trust of the Upper Arkansas (LTUA), to seek out and write grants for the project work.  Successful grant funds were secured from the Trout and Salmon Foundation (T&SF) and the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s (CWCB) Healthy Rivers Fund (HRF), making this project a reality.  The local Collegiate Peaks Anglers Chapter of TU contributed a cash match contribution, as well as several volunteer hours.  In addition to the grant funds, 142 tons of rock for in-stream structures were donated from Butala Sand and Gravel.  Kaess Contracting, Inc. also contributed some in-kind for their machine time and hauling of the rock.  Countless hours were donated by one of the landowners who assisted in completion of the Army Corps of Engineers 404 permit, final design, and construction oversight.  This project was a great example of wide-ranging community involvement and support.  From grant writing to donations, and construction to volunteer work, various community organizations were involved when it counted.

Figure 2: Post-construction photo of same bank in Figure 1 without debris.  A cross-vane structure is in the foreground creating habitat, while reducing shear stress against the bank. Bank slopes were graded to a gradual slope and re-vegetated with native plants and seed.

Construction work was completed in late November with the installation of several rock structures, log features, and bank stabilization work (Figure 2).   A previously featureless river now contains quite a few pool-riffle-run-pool sequences commonly associated with healthy rivers.  The icing on the cake was a volunteer planting work day along the newly restored bank and four steep bank slopes (Figure 3).  A local Rotary Grant funded a majority of the planting materials, food, and materials on a day in which eight local middle and elementary students learned how to plant riparian and upland vegetation.  An additional 15-20 mentors and volunteers were present from LTUA, TU, TU Chapter, and the Rotary Club to assist in installing over 200 plants.  A variety of upland and riparian species were planted, which included dogwood, willow, juniper, pinyon, chokecherry, rabbit brush, and a native seed mix.

Figure 3: South Arkansas River Restoration Project volunteer workday

The goal of this project was to increase community awareness and develop a template for river restoration in the South Arkansas River Watershed.  With the help of the South Arkansas Watershed Coalition (SWAC), TU plans to engage adjacent landowners about the benefits of restoring habitat along the South Arkansas.  Through this effort, TU hopes to generate landowner support, and continue this type of project for years to come throughout the watershed.

Ask President Obama and Secretary Jewell to Make Browns Canyon a National Monument

Browns Canyon, located along the upper Arkansas River in Colorado, is known for premier trout fishing, outstanding big game habitat, world-famous whitewater, rugged and remote wildlands, and a proud cattle ranching tradition. This diversity supports thousands of jobs, from river outfitters and guides to ranchers in the nearby communities of Salida and Buena Vista. Protecting this 22,000 acre gem along the Arkansas River as a National Monument is a community-driven effort to preserve this unique natural and economic resource for generations to come. You can help!  Click here to send a message to President Obama and Interior Secretary Jewell asking them to designate Browns Canyon as a National Monument, ensuring that its diverse values are maintained for the public for generations to come!

The Story Behind The Story

The Yampa Valley Fly Fishers Chapter of TU (YVFF) provided hundreds of volunteer hours to bring a portion of the tailwater renovation project to a close for the Winter of 2014/2015. Completing riparian/floodplain revegetation efforts required some real foresight and effort, long before it was time to actually do plantings.  Anglers are all familiar with the idea of raising and stocking fish – but what about raising and stocking riparian plants? YVFF worked with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and their contributors to construct a nursery at the edge of the Yampa River, on State property just outside of Steamboat Springs.  Its purpose is to allow the growth of selected plants in a protected and controlled environment, with the goal to have mature vegetation ready for specific projects in and around the Yampa Valley.

The 1000 square foot nursery was designed, funded and constructed by a joint collaboration between CPW and YVFF.  Construction began in the Summer of 2013.  The ground was prepared for proper drainage by the use and placement of special fabrics and a specific size and depth bed of crushed rock.  A vinyl coated chain link fence was erected to protect the plants and trees from hungry beavers, deer, etc.  Construction was completed in the Spring of 2014 with the addition of a sunscreen and manual irrigation system.

The first seedlings were delivered shortly thereafter and potted by a large volunteer group.  In October, those now mature potted plants were ready for transplanting and were moved to the tailwater project.  With a couple truckloads of soil amendments, digging tools, food, and beverage, more than 30 volunteers spent the weekend placing nearly 1000 new willow and alder trees along this newly renovated stretch of the Yampa River.

YVFF anticipates repeating these potting and transplanting endeavors for many years to come.

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.