At the Colorado TU Rendezvous, prior to passing the gavel on to new President Marshall Pendergrass, Past President Rick Matsumoto shared a video highlighting the "State of Colorado Trout Unlimited" over the past year - it has been a great several months for trout and watersheds in Colorado. Check it out!
Five Rivers TU/Hermosa Win National FS Award
The Five Rivers Chapter and its partners have been selected for a US Forest Service Rise to the Future Award for their Hermosa Creek project efforts. The award will be presented by Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell at a formal ceremony in Washington, DC in May. Chapter President Buck Skillen will be on hand to accept the award. The Chapter, based in Durango, will receive the US Forest Service's national “Rise to the Future Award for Collaborative/Integrated Aquatic Stewardship." According to the Forest Service, the Chapter, along with partners at Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the San Juan National Forest, and the Mountain Studies Institute, are being “recognized for their commitment to restore native Colorado River cutthroat trout to a portion of their historic range and share that with students.”
Work toward restoration of cutthroat trout has been taking place since the 1990s in the Hermosa Creek drainage – which was also recently protected as a first-of-its-kind federally designated Watershed Protection Area through legislation sponsored by Senator Bennet and Congressman Tipton. The Five Rivers Chapter has assisted with funding and volunteers for stream improvement and riparian planting projects, helping the agencies as more than 17 miles of Hermosa Creek have been secured for genetically pure cutthroat trout populations. The Mountain Studies Institute has also partnered in providing volunteer support and in using the projects as a working stream laboratory to hold field classes for students Fort Lewis College.
Hermosa Creek is an amazing example of TU working at all levels as both advocates and as on-the-ground restorers. The Rise to the Future award is the latest success story for Five Rivers and its long-term efforts on behalf of Hermosa Creek. And the chapter and its partners are certainly not sitting on their laurels - work continues toward connecting separate recovered habitats into a combined “metapopulation” above a downstream barrier point on Hermosa Creek.
Congratulations, Five Rivers TU - and keep up the great work!
President Obama Steps Up for Browns Canyon!!
Trout Unlimited praises creation of Browns Canyon National Monument Calls monument designation ‘historic victory’ for Colorado conservation
SALIDA (Feb. 18)—Trout Unlimited today praised President Obama’s designation of Browns Canyon as a new national monument, the culmination of years of effort to protect a Colorado backcountry treasure beloved by generations of anglers, hunters, rafters, and other recreational users.
Gov. John Hickenlooper and Sen. Michael Bennet recently asked President Obama to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish the 22,000-acre Browns Canyon National Monument, after legislation sponsored by Sen. Mark Udall stalled in Congress despite broad local support.
Trout Unlimited leaders called the monument action a “historic victory” for public lands conservation.
“TU members are proud to have played a leading role in protecting this Colorado crown jewel and preserving fishing and hunting opportunity for future generations,” said Chris Wood, CEO and president of Trout Unlimited. “This is a big bipartisan win for our outdoors heritage, and it sends a strong and clear message that hunters and anglers want to keep our public lands public.”
“I’m thrilled,” said Jim Impara, vice president of the Collegiate Peaks Chapter of Trout Unlimited in Salida. “Browns Canyon is one of those special places that draws rafters, hunters and anglers from all over the world. This action ensures that Browns’ wildness and rare beauty will be there for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.”
For years, sportsmen’s groups have been pushing for monument status for Browns Canyon, which includes prime backcountry habitat for mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep as well as miles of outstanding Gold Medal wild trout waters in the Arkansas River.
TU and other sportsmen’s groups, including the National Wildlife Federation and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, organized local anglers and hunters to voice their support and attend numerous local meetings and public forums. The groups cited Brown’s important fish and wildlife habitat, as well as its role as an economic driver for Colorado’s $1.2 billion fishing economy and $500 million hunting economy. Browns Canyon is also the single largest contributor to Colorado’s $140 million whitewater rafting industry.
“Sportsmen helped deliver this victory for Browns,” said David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “Our local roots and deep knowledge of this place carried weight with lawmakers and federal officials. Hunters and anglers understand the value of our public lands and wild backcountry, and we’re committed to protecting these magnificent resources and our outdoor way of life.”
He added, “We especially thank Sen. Udall for his dedication and persistence in pushing for a Browns Canyon monument. He has been a valued voice for sportsmen and for commonsense conservation.”
For more information about Browns, go to www.sportsmenforbrowns.com.
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Additional resources for media:
High-res images of the Browns Canyon, available for download at Trout Unlimited Photoshelter site.
(Credit copyright holder if photo downloaded for use. If prompted for password, use “Browns Canyon”)
Trout Unlimited is a non-profit organization with 147,000 members nationwide dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. Colorado Trout Unlimited has 24 chapters and more than 10,000 members in the state.
Trout Unlimited in Press Release from USFS
Date: Feb 23, 2015 Contact: Reid Armstrong, 970-222-7607
Forest Service, Trout Unlimited partner to restore flood-damaged Lower Creek
BOULDER, Colo. – The U.S. Forest Service and Trout Unlimited are partnering to stabilize and restore a half-mile section of flood-damaged stream in the Lefthand trails area on the Roosevelt National Forest northwest of Boulder. The popular trails system has been closed since September 2013 when a historic flood event washed out access roads and primary trails, saturated hillsides and permanently altered stream courses. Lower Creek, an intermittent tributary of Left Hand Creek located near the entrance to the trails area, was severely scoured along the final half-mile stretch above its confluence. The creek bed alignment now runs through the bottom of a former road bed. Ongoing erosion and sedimentation issues along this stretch of Lower Creek are of real concern to the health of the watershed, according to Boulder District Ranger, Sylvia Clark. The scouring of banks and movement of topsoil unearthed debris and trash left along the stream banks from a long history of recreational activities in the area. “While this project addresses less than two acres in a much larger landscape of flood damage, it’s a very important half mile stretch of stream,” Clark said. “Stabilizing this area will help prevent sedimentation issues downstream and will be an important first step in getting this area reopened to the public.”
Through an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service, Trout Unlimited is beginning the task of hiring a specialized contractor to collect data in the Lower Creek area. The contractor will make recommendations on how to stabilize the stream to prevent further erosion and sedimentation, and will recommend the best course of action for addressing any contamination from the human debris and trash in the area. The overall focus of this work will be restoring the half-mile section of Lower Creek.
Trout Unlimited’s project manager Elizabeth Russell said, “We are excited about expanding our reach and doing a restoration project in a new watershed. We appreciate our great partnership with the Forest Service and look forward to working together on this project.”
The U.S. Forest Service will evaluate the recommendations and, depending on funding, implementation could occur as soon as fall 2015.
K. “Reid” Armstrong Public Affairs Specialist/Community Liaison Boulder and Clear Creek districts Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee National Grassland p: 303-541-2532 c: 970-222-7607 krarmstrong@fs.fed.us
2140 Yarmouth Ave Boulder CO 80301 www.fs.usda.gov/arp
NRCS funding will deliver benefits for ranch and farm operations, fisheries
Trout Unlimited today praised USDA Secretary Vilsack’s announcement that the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) has chosen its first batch of projects funded by the Farm Bill’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)—including one TU project in Colorado that improves farm and ranch operations while enhancing river and fisheries health in the lower Gunnison River basin. Over the past decade, aided by its grassroots local chapters and volunteer members, TU has worked with agricultural partners throughout the upper Colorado River Basin to develop projects that upgrade irrigation systems and restore important fish habitat. These pragmatic partnerships improve ranch and farm operations, restore watersheds and improve fishing and recreation opportunities.
“The ultimate objective is simple: provide win-win solutions that safeguard water resources for fish and irrigators,” said Cary Denison, Gunnison River Basin project coordinator for Trout Unlimited.
Drought conditions threaten many agricultural producers for whom water supplies are already under intense pressure. Aging irrigation infrastructure has reached epidemic levels throughout the West, and the cost of retrofitting this infrastructure often exceeds the capacity of individual operators or even organized irrigation districts.
The RCPP program offers an exciting new model to meet these challenges. Despite their many benefits, Farm Bill conservation projects have sometimes been too scattered and limited in scope to provide substantial long-term benefits on a larger watershed or basin scale. The RCPP program encourages a landscape-scale, collaborative approach, with local partners working together to coordinate funding, resources and expertise on priority projects that enhance important fish habitat.
“It helps put the larger pieces of the conservation puzzle together,” said Denison.
TU was delighted to have four of its projects in the West selected for RCPP funding, including the Lower Gunnison Project.
The LGP will address aging infrastructure, modernize irrigation systems, and address water quality concerns in four irrigation water districts located in Montrose and Delta including the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association, North Fork Water Conservancy District, Bostwick Park Water Conservancy District and Crawford Water Conservancy District.
One of TU’s project partners, No Chico Brush, is a local collaborative ad-hoc farmer led group whose goal is to make the best use of water as possible for the benefit of all users. The group understands that improving delivery systems including water measurement and control and linking those improvements to on farm irrigation improvement including soil health initiatives can lead to water security for farmers, address down-river demands and local stream health issues.
The No Chico Brush group and its partners, including Colorado State University, are beginning its second year of on-farm water studies examining the benefits to both farm operations and fish and wildlife habitat related to modernized irrigation practices such as sprinkler, drip, and other technologies.
Trout Unlimited sees these improvements to irrigation control and measurement as a necessary first step in addressing water shortages for all users—and the upgrades can also improve fisheries health through the basin.
“TU salutes the agriculture and conservancy district leaders for their leadership and partnership in this RCPP funding process,” said Denison. “The No Chico Brush group in particular played an important role in providing the momentum for the funding being made available to the Colorado River Basin and having the ‘grand vision’ of connecting irrigation system and on-farm irrigation improvements to water supply needs and the health of our fisheries, rivers and streams. We’re eager to get to work on these projects, and thanks to the NRCS, we’re going to hit the ground running.”
---Cary Denison, Project Coordinator, Colorado Water Project, and Randy Scholfield, Communications Director, Southwest Region
Victory on Hermosa!
In late December, a bill to permanently protect the Hermosa Creek watershed—a major Trout Unlimited focus area for conservation—received final approval in the U.S. Senate and proceeded on to President Obama for his signature. It was a great day for our local Durango community, for Colorado and for America’s backcountry fanatics.
The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act, along with a handful of other public land bills, was attached as riders to the National Defense Authorization Act – a “must pass” piece of legislation. As a result, Congress finally got this important piece of legislation across the finish line.
Native cutthroat trout in southwest Colorado now have a protected home in America’s newest wilderness area!
We are grateful for Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Scott Tipton and staff, for helping bring the Durango community together and working hard to get this done.
The passage of the bill represents eight years of work by TU staff from the Sportsmen’s Conservation Project and Colorado Water Project, and volunteers from the Five Rivers Chapter in Durango, CO. The effort has truly been a “One TU” success. But it was not just TU members who fought to protect the Hermosa Creek area for the next generation. Anglers were joined by sportsmen from the region, and across the country, in a coalition aptly named “Sportsmen for Hermosa.” From the local fly shops to rod manufacturers, from sportsmen’s conservation groups to outfitters, sportsmen stood up unified in support of permanent protections for Hermosa Creek. And Congress heard our voices loud and clear!
The Hermosa Creek watershed, just north of Durango, contains Colorado’s largest, unprotected roadless area and is treasured by hunters and anglers for its opportunity and ease of access. For fly fishermen and women, Hermosa Creek is the go-to location in southwest Colorado to cast summer dry flies to pure Colorado River cutthroat trout, brookies and rainbows. For fall big game hunters, Hermosa’s elk beckon with bugles that raise the hair on your neck with excitement and anticipation. Deer, turkey and grouse round out the quarry. Sportsmen were joined in the effort to protect Hermosa Creek by mountain bikers, off-highway vehicle enthusiasts, hikers, backpackers, photographers, horsemen, water concerns, grazers, ranchers and citizens of the region.
It was a bumpy road along the way. In September, the bill received a mark-up in the House of Representatives. To the surprise of everyone back in Colorado, the bill was substantially amended by the House subcommittee. Though it was watered-down and failed to provide the “teeth” of conservation we desired, it passed. Whereas the bill once enjoyed complete and uncontested support, there now was significant opposition, including from TU and sportsmen.
Thankfully, the utter disappointment of the House mark-up and amendments brought about change. Locals made it clear the bill was not OK and needed to return to the original version. In mid-November a deal was struck between the Senate and House subcommittees. The amended bill now was much, much closer to the original version and regained the support of locals back home. In late November the bill received a full House vote (via the defense bill) and passed 300-119.
It’s notable, too, to mention four other TU-led initiatives passed alongside Hermosa and were signed into law. They include the Columbine-Hondo wilderness in New Mexico and the Pine Forest Range in Nevada. We share this victory with our brethren in nearby states.
With that, we raise our glasses in celebration. To pass a public lands protection bill, with a wilderness component, is an astronomical feat in today’s tough and highly partisan political climate. But sportsmen stood strong, made their voices heard, and were persistent and patient—and now 107,000 acres of public land perfectness will remain unspoiled and productive for the next generation of America’s sportsmen, women and children.
---Ty Churchwell, Backcountry Coordinator, Sportsmen's Conservation Project tchurchwell@tu.org
Clear Creek County Commissioner Speaks for Clean Water
Clear Creek County Commissioner Tim Mauck testified today before a joint hearing of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in support of a proposed federal rule that would restore protections to headwater streams under the Clean Water Act. The so-called Waters of the United States rule, put forth by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, is in draft form, and has received support in the form of public comment from about 800,000 Americans. It was crafted in response to a pair of Supreme Court rulings in the early and mid-2000s that removed longstanding Clean Water Act protections from “intermittent and ephemeral” headwater streams unless they were shown to have a “significant nexus” with the larger rivers and streams into which they flow. The EPA and the Corps have since proven a scientific nexus between America’s great rivers and their headwater streams--hence the draft rule.
Despite the overwhelming public support for the rule, many in Congress see the rule as “overreach,” and efforts are afoot to derail the established rule-making process and prohibit the EPA from restoring protections to headwater streams under the Clean Water Act.
“As an elected county commissioner, I am testifying to convey how important clean water is for my community,” Mauck told the members of the committees today. “The proposed clean water rule will protect the headwaters, tributaries and wetlands that are essential for providing the high-quality water that supports the hunting, fishing, rafting and outdoor recreation that are an economic backbone for my community. Clean water from streams and wetlands also provide drinking water for thousands of our residents.”
Commissioner Mauck is also an avid sportsman and a member of Trout Unlimited. Thank you, Commissioner, for speaking out in support of Colorado's headwater streams!
Former Congressman Hefley calls for Browns Canyon protection
Former US Congressman Joel Hefley (R-Colorado Springs) added his voice to those of sportsmen, local governments, business owners, Governor Hickenlooper and Senator Bennet, and Chaffee County citizens in supporting protection for Browns Canyon on the Arkansas River. He authored an op-ed piece in the Denver Post that calls on the President and the Colorado Congressional delegation to move forward with protection for Browns. Browns Canyon is one of Colorado's natural treasures, with a Gold Medal reach of the Arkansas River as its centerpiece, outstanding big game habitat in the uplands, and world-class rafting opportunities that have made it one of America's most popular whitewater destinations.
In 2006, Congressman Hefley led a bipartisan effort to secure protections for the Browns Canyon area. In 2013-14, Senator Mark Udall sponsored legislation for Browns that would both establish a National Monument and designated some additional wilderness. Unfortunately, both efforts were caught up in Congressional gridlock and fell short.
As part of Sportsmen for Browns Canyon, TU has been working steadily to support National Monument protection for Browns; you can help by lending your voice through our action alert here - asking the President to give Browns the National Monument Protection it so richly deserves.
Tell the Governor: Healthy Rivers Matter!
On December 10, a draft of Colorado's Water Plan was formally presented to Governor Hickenlooper - and will no undergo a renewed round of public input and 
revision with plans to finalize it by late 2015. The Plan talks about the strategies Colorado should use to meet its future water demands for cities, industry, agriculture, recreation and the environment. It will set the tone for how Colorado addresses its water challenges - whether there is an emphasis on sustainability, aggressive water conservation, and healthy rivers and landscapes - or emphasis on more dry-up of Colorado's rivers and its irrigated farmlands. Colorado's sportsmen want to see our values reflected in the Plan.
Governor Hickenlooper has said that every conversation about water should start with conservation. Tell him yourself why conserving the health of rivers is important to you!
Click here now to weigh in now on the vision for Colorado's water future that you want to support!
This is just the first draft of the first Colorado Water Plan. We have one year to try to secure a healthy future for our rivers for fish, and for people.
You can learn more and read the draft Colorado Water Plan online by clicking here and by visiting Colorado's Water Plan website.
Small town turns out big for Browns Canyon
Public meeting in Salida with federal officials turns out hundreds in support of Browns Canyon National Monument By Kyle Perkins from www.sportsmenforbrowns.com
Hundreds of people turned out Saturday in Salida, Colorado, to show support for a Browns Canyon National Monument. The droves of green “I support a Browns Canyon National Monument” stickers were visible evidence of the overwhelming support, along with speaker after speaker urging administration officials to designate the canyon now.
Don’t let anyone tell you this is a top-down executive overreach. Local residents and stakeholders, frustrated by years of congressional fiddling, made it clear that this is a grassroots effort and that they want to get this special place protected.
The stretch of the Arkansas River that veers from the highway south of Buena Vista and rushes through a steep canyon full of Gold Medal Water fishing, amazing white water rafting, and a pristine backcountry habitat is truly a unique place. Floating and finding pocket water within the canyon can produce over 20” trout, and the population of elk, deer, bighorn sheep, mountain lion and black bear create a healthy habitat for hunting and wildlife in general. This 22,000-acre rugged canyon is a truly wild place that I have visited more times than I can remember.
For over 20 years, legislative efforts to protect this canyon have had local and state support, yet Congress has failed to act. From bills sponsored by former Colorado Senator Wayne Allard in 2006, and by current Senator Mark Udall in December of 2013, momentum has built—only to be thwarted by congressional inaction and gridlock. However, on November 25, an official letter from Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet requesting President Obama to declare Browns a national monument under the Antiquities Act of 1906 became headline news in the state. Local and state word spread fast with articles from all major state newspapers.
Rep. Doug Lamborn, one of the few opponents of the measure, claimed in a recent piece that there were many local opponents of the Browns designation. If that’s true, they failed to show up Saturday– supporters vastly outnumbered the handful of nay-sayers in the crowd.
In addition to the Colorado Senators, the public meeting was attended by administration officials and included Deputy Director of BLM Steve Ellis and U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell.
What I saw were individuals and groups from across the valley and state come together to protect a place they love and to support our valued public lands, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities. Indeed, local stakeholders in the Arkansas Valley reminded the Colorado delegation that this is a local effort, with bipartisan support from local elected officials and overwhelming support from the local business community.
“I take tourists and residents whitewater rafting and fishing through Browns Canyon, exposing them to the natural beauty that is at the heart of Colorado’s outdoor heritage,” said Joe Greiner, owner of Wilderness Aware Rafting in Buena Vista. “A lot of people put national monuments on their bucket list. A national monument designation will put Browns Canyon on the map and have an even bigger impact on our local economy.
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“Americans love our public lands and the rich outdoor experiences they provide,” said Jim Impara, vice president of the Collegiate Peaks Chapter of Trout Unlimited. “We also understand that there are highly valued, iconic wild places that are not yet protected. Browns Canyon is one of those special places. Let’s keep it the way it is.”
“It was a true showing of the local community and the support we have to protect Browns,” said local resident Susan Mayfield. “It was a large theater of about 400, and an overfill room of many more in support of finally and permanently protecting one of our local pride and joys. The people in Chaffee County have spoken. It’s time.”
The public meeting sent a strong, unequivocal message to the White House: Coloradans want to protect Browns Canyon—and it’s time to get this done. This is our best chance to do that in a generation.
