The Animas & Why Headwaters Matter

Jack Bombardier, an outstanding guide running Confluence Casting working on the Upper Colorado river above Dotsero, wrote the following piece for his friends and clients with his reflections on the Animas spill and the larger context of protecting our headwaters.  He was kind enough to grant us permission to reprint his piece.  For those who are interested in getting one of the "Headwaters Matter" bumper stickers that he mentions in his piece, we have them available through Colorado TU - email dnickum@tu.org for details.                  What Happened To the Animas, or Why Headwaters Matter

A few days ago, after a perfect day on a perfect river (the Colorado) I got home to watch a sickening series of images shown on the nine o’clock news. They were aerial images of the Animas River, looking like a bright orange ribbon of toxicity winding through pastures and past golf courses. The Animas is a river I would have considered just as perfect as my own not long ago. It will be beautiful again one day, but it’ll probably remain tainted for the rest of my lifetime. The Animas begins in the highest of Colorado’s high country, the San Juans, birthplace of five of Colorado’s greatest rivers. The Rio Grande, the Dolores, the Uncompadre, the San Miguel, and the Animas all begin here. There are very few places on earth that are the natal source of so much life, spreading out like spokes in a wheel. The Dolores feeds the Colorado, just before turning its crimson flows towards Moab. The Rio Grande helps water the lower San Luis Valley and is the lifeline of Taos and much of northern New Mexico all the way to Texas and the Gulf Coast. The Uncompadre nurtures one of Colorado’s true breadbaskets, bolstered by an amazing irrigation project built a hundred years ago underneath a mountain using waters from the Gunnison.

And then there’s the Animas. If you grew up back east the way I did, you probably hadn’t heard of the Animas.   The Animas has a pretty colorful history, in all meanings of the word. There are plenty of mines above it, and despite the history of men and women doing amazing things at high altitudes in tough conditions, the main legacy of the mining era is its toxic waste. But the Animas feeds into the San Juan, and the San Juan merges into the Colorado at Lake Powell, and the Colorado below that is the lifeline of Phoenix and Las Vegas and the Imperial Valley. The Animas is fed by a little creek called Cement, probably not so named due its bucolic properties. Abandoned mines leach into Cement Creek, which has been fishless for as long as miners have been extracting wealth from these hills. One of these is called Gold King, and it was walked away from by the last men to work it in 1923. Gold King was one of the many holes in the ground trickling nasty stuff into Cement Creek, which in turn flows the Animas. EPA crews were poking around that hornet’s nest of toxicity when something breached and the small trickle turned into a small flood.

The problem with Cement Creek is that it’s a really stupid creek. The water in it wasn’t content enough to just stay where it was, and enjoy the wonderful views it had of the surrounding countryside. No, that deranged Cement Creek water wants to run downhill towards Silverton due that pesky unseen force known as “gravity”. Gravity is something that scientists can explain the effects of and manipulate, but don’t really understand the true cause of. All we really know is, unless external pressure is exerted upon it water runs downhill, and on the western slope of North America, that means that the true connected end point of Cement Creek is the Pacific Ocean, via the Animas, the San Juan, and the Colorado rivers.

The EPA was attempting to mitigate what they knew was an impending problem, and in the process triggered the exact outcome they were hoping to avoid. Whomever was operating that track hoe or bulldozer probably feels badly right now, or if they don’t they should. But the EPA at least had good intentions, and was trying to do the right thing, but we all know what the road to hell is paved with.

The thing that really all brought this to forefront to me was something I heard from a neighbor the day after the news broke. We were having a nice conversation, and admiring how perfect the Colorado River was looking. Knowing that he is also a lover of rivers, I asked him if he’d seen what had happened on the Animas. Since our properties are more than fourteen miles from a cell phone signal, sometimes it’s easy to get a little behind on world events. Turns out, he had. We exchanged a few comments about it, and then he looked at me with a pointing gesture and said, “Do you know that the EPA did it?”

Now my neighbor is a wonderful person, and one of the nicest people I know. But he’s made his career in the uranium mining industry, and I’ve made my livelihood dependent on having a clean river to run. This is one of those things that happen which some people are just going to look at from different perspectives. In strictly technical terms, he was right. The EPA “did” it. If they had just left it alone, and just gone and done something else with its increasingly limited resources, then maybe the Animas River would have kept being one of the most beautiful rivers in America for another year or two, or for the rest of my life, or maybe even longer. But maybe not. The point is, the EPA didn’t create the problem, they were trying to fix someone else’s mess, and that’s not the same thing.

Then my neighbor said, “Well they didn’t break any laws, there were no rules back then”, as if to say, “if it wasn’t illegal then they did nothing wrong”. He was referring to the miners who a hundred years ago had dug the mine, extracted whatever wealth there was to be had from it, and then walked away. That’s a scenario which was repeated thousands of times in the west. There are an estimated 18,000 abandoned mines in Colorado, and 250 of them are leaching toxins into our watersheds. Once again, he was a hundred percent correct. Back then, doing that broke no laws, or least no meaningful ones. But bad behavior back then is why we have laws to try and regulate that kind of behavior now. If the unfettered free market could be allowed to do whatever it wanted and not just walk away from the mess it had created, then we wouldn’t need an EPA in the first place.

The EPA was created in the early seventies, and signed into existence by a radical environmentalist called Richard Nixon. What’s happened on the Animas should be a wake-up call for everyone that protecting watersheds is important, for they make life as we know it possible. I’ve heard one suggestion that this might be a “Cuyahoga River Moment” for watershed awareness, referring to the Ohio River which caught fire in 1969 and was one impetus for passing the Clean Water Act in 1972. I hope something good like that can come from the poisoning of a beautiful river like the Animas. There are those who would defang the EPA in any way possible, up to and including getting rid of it altogether. They might use this horrible but inevitable accident as a rationale to blame or tear down the EPA, which after all exists to help mitigate problems like these and not manufacture them.

Recently, the EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers have moved to restore the protections given to headwaters under the Clean Water Act, (also passed by that Edward Abbey doppelganger Nixon). These logical rules, which understood that little creeks like Cement Creek are connected to rivers below, and not somehow distinct from them, were relaxed under the Bush administration. Trout Unlimited has been calling attention to this issue, and urging its members to contact their congressperson and ask them to not stand in the way of restoring the original language and intent of the Clean Water Act.

The Yakima River TU chapter in Washington State recently printed up a large number of “Headwaters Matter” bumper stickers. They were created in response to some of the issues faced by the Yakima River, including placer mines. But though the issues in Colorado or anywhere else might not be the same, the message is. Headwaters matter. We all live downriver, and downwind, from someone else. What others do above, has an impact on those below. The higher up a watershed you go, the more lives and ecosystems below are affected by your choices.

The bottom line is, one of the most verdant and beautiful spots on the planet has been irrevocably harmed, not by someone living and breathing today, but by someone who has long since passed. (Unless you believe in reincarnation, in which smashing the next mosquito you see might help balance the karmic scales). The point is, how do we try to make some good out of something that has virtually no upside to it? Supporting the restoration of headwaters protection by the Clean Water Act is an obvious first step. Another positive thing that might come from this is for people to acknowledge that all of the waters that flow from the highest peak to the widest ocean estuary are all one thing, not separate and distinct. Like an aspen glade consisting of what seems to be individual trees that are actually just one big plant, so too is water from mountain streams all the way down to the sea. Just one thing, and all the same thing. Trying to make one set of rules for the water on your right hand, and another for the water on your left, makes no sense. It is all one water, indivisible by God or whatever deity you are accountable to.

As science explores the universe, and searches deep into the cosmos for worlds suitable for human habitation, one thing becomes abundantly clear. The best possible habitat we’ll ever find in our lifetime or in our grandchildren’s is the humble old rock we’re currently stuck on. Headwaters matter, and so do everything those headwaters are connected to, which is to say, everything else. Headwatters are especially important, because they are upstream of everything we hold dear. If the source becomes fouled, then everything downstream of the source becomes impure, as well. Its our duty as citizens and temporary guardians of this planet to keep the waters we depend on as clean as we can from as high up as we can all the way down to the ocean’s edge.

Watching the toxic orange progression make its way from the highest peaks through Durango, and then on to the southwest desert should really make obvious the connectedness of it all to everyone.

Jack Bombardier

Animas River catastrophe a call to action on mine pollution

Photo courtesy NBC News Aug. 7, 2015

For Immediate Release

Contact: Steve Kandell, skandell@tu.org, (970) 946-5801

Ty Churchwell, tchurchwell@tu.org,

Jason Willis, jwillis@tu.org, (719) 221-0411

Animas River catastrophe a ‘wake-up call’ on mine pollution

Trout Unlimited, stakeholders call for solution

(DURANGO)—Trout Unlimited today called for urgent action to clean up the scourge of abandoned hardrock mines, in the wake of a catastrophic spill of some 1 million gallons of toxic abandoned mine runoff into a tributary of the Animas River above Durango, Colorado.

An orange plume containing high sediment levels and toxic heavy metals coursed down the Animas through Durango on Thursday and moved toward the New Mexico state line. The spill could threaten the health of valuable fisheries and wildlife habitat in the Animas basin. State wildlife officials are currently testing the fishery to gauge impacts.

“This toxic spill into the Animas is a shocking incident that underscores how vulnerable our rivers, streams and fisheries are to abandoned hardrock mine pollution,” said Steve Kandell, director of TU’s Sportsmen’s Conservation Project. “Trout Unlimited will be monitoring the situation in coming days to assess the impact to our waters and world-class trout fishery in the Animas River. Needless to say, the health of our local community and recreation-based economy depends heavily on water quality. This is a wake-up call to Coloradans and the nation on the need to find solutions to abandoned mines.”

There are an estimated 500,000 abandoned hardrock mines, 23,000 in Colorado alone, are affecting some 40 percent of headwaters in the West. Hundreds of these mine sites dot the San Juan Mountains area, many oozing a mixture of toxic heavy metals, and low pH that devastate aquatic life.

For years, Trout Unlimited and other so-called groups have been working voluntarily to clean up these mine sites. Trout Unlimited is actively working with industry, agriculture, elected officials, the Animas River Stakeholders Group and others to find a policy solution that provides more incentives and support for cleaning up these toxic mine sites. This solution needs to reduce the likelihood of a catastrophic event of this magnitude from happening again. To learn more about the abandoned mine problem and how to take action, go to www.sanjuancleanwater.org.

“Abandoned mines are a cancer threatening the health of rivers and streams in southwest Colorado and many other areas of the West,” said Ty Churchwell, Colorado backcountry coordinator for Trout Unlimited. “If we do nothing, we’re inviting more catastrophes like the Animas spill. It’s time for action.”

# # #

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.

New Clean Water Rule

On June 17th, 2015 the Denver Post posted Colorado Trout Unlimited executive director David Nickum's, and Rocky Mountain Farmers Union president Kent Peppler's article that highlighted the new clean water rule from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA. The new rule is not an expansion of the Clean Water Act, but rather a "clarification of Clean Water Act jurisdiction," to quote the article directly. The rule allows for the water fish use as their habitat, and Coloradans use for safe drinking water, to be protected. It also ensures the protection of streams and wetlands that are essential to Colorado's outdoor recreation economy. The full article can be found below.

For nearly 15 years, 10,000 miles of streams and thousands of acres of wetlands in Colorado have been at greater risk of being polluted or destroyed due to confusion over what bodies of water are protected under the Clean Water Act. That all changed last week thanks to a new rule from the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that restores protections to the vital waters that provide habitat for fish and wildlife and safe drinking water to two out of three Coloradans.

The rule is a clarification of Clean Water Act jurisdiction. It gives Colorado's farmers and ranchers a clear understanding of the rules that protect the water we rely on for the production of healthful food while maintaining all of the existing Clean Water Act exemptions for normal farming activities, and in some cases, strengthening them. The rule also gives Colorado sportsmen certainty that the wetlands and headwater streams that form the backbone of our state's $3 billion outdoor recreation economy will be safeguarded.

Contrary to what opponents have claimed, the rule does not expand the Clean Water Act. The rule does not protect any new types of waters or regulate ditches. It does not apply to groundwater, nor does it create any new permitting requirements for agriculture, or address land use or private property rights.

In crafting the long-overdue final rule, the agencies reviewed comments from more than 1 million Americans. Advocates on all sides had called for the clarification the rule provides, prompting the EPA and Army Corps to hold more than 400 meetings with stakeholders. The final rule is a clear victory not only for farmers, ranchers and sportsmen, but for all Coloradans. Unfortunately, it may not last long.

Before the clean water rule was even finalized, some members of Congress began to engage in last ditch efforts to block the anticipated rule, and restart the multi-year rulemaking process. Now that the rule has been written, these attacks have intensified. Inflammatory rhetoric about an administrative "power grab" are driving attempts to pass legislation in both the House and Senate that would force the agencies to go back to the drawing board and rewrite the rule. Not only would these efforts unnecessarily delay a process that has been well vetted from top to bottom, it would also have serious, damaging impacts on our water supply, our local farmers, sportsmen and our state's economy.

As Congress considers this unnecessary delay, Colorado's senators have a critical role to play. Sen. Michael Bennet has supported these efforts to protect clean water in the past, while Sen. Cory Gardner has been in opposition. We urge them both to do what's in the best interest for their constituents and oppose efforts to derail the clean water rule.

There is a misconception that all farmers oppose the clean water rule. In fact, farmers, ranchers and sportsmen have stood side by side for decades in the fight for clean water, and were present during the many public meetings and listening sessions the agencies held as they were forming the final rule. As we face down 11th-hour efforts to block the rule, we urge support for the clean water rule across the Continental Divide, from headwater trout streams to farm fields, to sustain our Colorado way of life for us and future generations of farmers, hunters and anglers.

Rain's Effect on Rivers and Fish

Colorado has become unrecognizable. If one were to take a look out of their window while flying into DIA they would see nothing but green, lush land for miles and miles. “Wait a minute,” the natives are thinking, “I haven’t seen anything like this in Colorado… this isn’t normal.” But it’s becoming the new normal thanks to persistent and consistent rain storms that have dominated the afternoons for the past month. Although May is usually Denver’s wettest, cloudiest month these storms have led to rainfall amounts that are far from the usual. So far in 2015 Denver has received more than 11 inches of rain, just a few inches shy of the total average yearly rainfall amount of 14 inches. All this rain is not entirely unwelcome. Too much water is still not enough water for Coloradans considering the fact we’re an extremely dry state and no stranger to droughts. Overflowing rivers and streams, hydrated agriculture, and plentiful amounts of water for cities is far superior to the severely water deprived lands states like California are currently suffering from. On the other hand, too much rain does not bode well for river and fish health.

More rain means more pollution ending up in our rivers due to runoff that picks up pesticides, sediment, bacteria, and other pollutants as it makes its way into our rivers. Bad bacteria and pollution could lead to oxygen depletion, or even hypoxic river conditions; conditions that are not conducive to healthy aquatic environments.

The sudden influx of water also creates rivers with a much higher velocity than is normal. According to USGS, the South Platte River is flowing at 782 percent of its normal flow, and the Cache La Poudre is flowing at 702 percent. These high river flows due to rain could be a symptom of climate change. The usual source of water for Colorado’s rivers is snowmelt, but as temperatures rise and snowpack lessens in the lower mountains (below 8200 ft.) it’s possible rain could become a new water source. However, A report done for the Colorado Water Conservation Board (click here for full report) states that as of right now it’s difficult to tell whether average annual precipitation will increase or decrease within the next 35 years. Due to high variability, determining whether long-term trends in annual precipitation are changing is nearly impossible right now, so this year’s immense rain falls could just be a temporary anomaly. That being said, it’s important for anglers to recognize that changes in water sources are quite possible.

Water flowing at high rates due to rain means the river turns into a muddy mess, which disrupts trout activity. Trout are water snobs; they thrive in cold, high quality, extremely clean water (as stated in Trout Unlimited’s State of the Trout article, the full article can be found here), the likes of which this rain does not produce. However…

Not all hope for good trout fishing is lost. With the rain comes some benefits as well. When rain falls on water, it oxygenates it, which brings life back into the river and raises trout activity levels. Rain also allows for bugs to be washed into the rivers, piquing the trouts interest and making them more likely to bite. Another bonus? Rain regulates the water temperature, and adds humidity to the air which is conducive to hatch activity.

A Renewed Push for Good Samaritan Legislation

Historically, mining played a large role in settling the American West and building the nation.  However, its legacy – more than 500,000 abandoned hard rock mines with an estimated cleanup cost ranging from $36-72 billion – has persisted for the better part of a century with little progress toward a solution.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), abandoned hard rock mines affect 40 percent of headwaters in the western United States.  Unfortunately, burdensome liability for would-be ‘Good Samaritans’, such as Trout Unlimited, has hindered abandoned hard rock mine cleanups.  Good Samaritans didn’t create the problem, but they want to fix it. One needs to look no further than Colorado’s San Juan Mountains for acute examples of this problem.  The San Juans are some of the most heavily mineralized mountains in the world, and they’ve been mined to death.  More accurately, several fabled trout rivers in the region have suffered a long, slow death from acid mine drainage.  The Animas River is completely devoid of aquatic life for many miles below Silverton on its way to Durango.  Only through the input of clean tributaries does the water become diluted enough to support a strong fishery in Durango.  The Uncompahgre River near Ouray is dead until the heavy metals fall out into the depths of Ridgway Reservoir.   Other regional rivers, such as the Rio Grande and Lake Fork of the Gunnison, suffer as well.

Our tried and true pollution cleanup laws, the Clean Water Act and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (better known as “CERCLA” or “Superfund”), place the burden of cleanup squarely on the owners of the property.  Generally this is an excellent policy for most forms of pollution.  But in the West, where the parties responsible for developing most of the old mine sites are long-gone, cleaning up these sites is a legal quagmire.  A 2007 EPA policy memorandum provided useful protection to Good Samaritans from Superfund liability, but Clean Water Act liability remains a significant obstacle.

There are many projects in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains where water quality could be improved by collecting run-off, or taking an existing discrete discharge, and running the water through either an active or passive treatment system.  Clean Water Act (CWA) compliance and liability issues remain a barrier to such projects.

In short, Good Samaritan projects need some sort of permit mechanism, such as that contemplated by legislation previously introduced by Senator Mark Udall and Rep. Scott Tipton in 2013.  That legislation required a project to produce significant improvements in water quality for a specific period of time, implement best design and management practices, and conduct appropriate monitoring, but not expose the Good Samaritan to liability if the project at some point fails to achieve a required criterion for a given pollutant.

For over two decades numerous federal legislators have attempted to pass ‘Good Samaritan’ legislation with no success.  Thankfully, Colorado’s Senator Michael Bennet and Colorado 3rd District Representative Scott Tipton are committed to resolving the problem.  Building on their success with Trout Unlimited last year with the Hermosa Creek legislation, theses delegates are drafting site-specific Good Samaritan legislation for the San Juan Mountains.  The hope is to demonstrate with pilot legislation that these types of projects can be successful, whereby removing political concerns for a national bill down the road.

Trout Unlimited will be coordinating the on-the-ground effort to educate communities and stakeholders while gathering supporters.  We are building a grassroots coalition and you’re urged to voice your support.  Visit the campaign website at:  www.sanjuancleanwater.org.  Click on the ‘Take Action’ tab to sign up.  Find us on Facebook as well at San Juan Clean Water Coalition.

Let’s work together to pass this important legislation for healthy rivers and productive trout fisheries!

For info:  Ty Churchwell – tchurchwell@tu.org 970-259-5116 x 11

Help determine future of Rio Grande National Forest

The Rio Grande National Forest has two public meeting scheduled for the week of June 22nd to discuss and gather public input for the Rio Grande National Forest’s plan revision. It would be very helpful if San Luis Valley Trout Unlimited could have chapter members present to represent us. Please plan to attend if you can! The first meeting will be on Monday, June 22, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the South Fork Community Building, 254 CO State Highway 149, South Fork. Participants at this meeting will help to identify current issues and foreseeable trends concerning management of fish, wildlife and rare plants on the RGNF.

The second meeting will be on Tuesday, June 23 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Conejos Canyon Community Chapel. The chapel is located before mile post 20 on U.S. State Highway 17. Participants at this meeting will help to identify issues and impacts of recreation and its management on the RGNF and surrounding communities.

Both meetings will feature an open house for the first half hour allowing the opportunity to view maps and engage in one-on-one discussion with RGNF staff. A short presentation by forest service staff will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by interactive discussions designed to provide input for the plan revision. Light refreshments will be provided.

The forest plan is the overarching document that guides all management decisions and activities on the entire Rio Grande National Forest, including preservation of cultural and historic resources, grazing, timber production, recreation, wildlife management, firewood cutting and gathering of special forest products.

For more information, visit the RGNF plan revision website at http://riograndeplanning.mindmixer.com/ or contact Mike Blakeman at the Rio Grande National Forest Supervisor’s Office at 719-852-5941 or Marcus Selig at mselig@nationalforests.org or 720.437.0290.

Denver TU Receives Grant from Wells Fargo!

The Greenway Foundation and Denver Trout Unlimited Receive $50,000 Grant from Wells Fargo-NFWF to Support  their Sustainable South Platte River 

Part of $100 million effort to support local environmental nonprofits 

Denver, CO – 06.09.15 – The Greenway Foundation and Denver Trout Unlimited today received a $50,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program, funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), to support their Sustainable South Platte River Initiative.

Established in 2012, the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities five-year grant program has awarded $12 million to 207 grantees and funded 247 projects to date that promote conservation and environmental sustainability.

“Denver Trout Unlimited and the Greenway Foundation will work to transform current water use patterns along the South Platte River below Chatfield Reservoir into a model for cooperative water use”, stated Jeff Shoemaker, Executive Director of The Greenway Foundation and Todd Fehr, Former President of Denver Trout Unlimited.  “One of the direct benefits of this collaboratively based endeavor will be the ability to provide added urban ecological restoration of this section of the River within the Denver Metro Area. Without Wells Fargo’s support, this opportunity would not be able to move forward in this manner at this time”

“This environmental grant today is an investment in our local community and will provide much-needed funding aimed at protecting the environment for our local residents,” said Ashley Grosh, Vice President, Wells Fargo Environmental Affairs “We’re proud to collaborate with The Greenway Foundation and Denver Trout Unlimited to use our financial resources, as well as the expertise of our team members, to protect and preserve a more sustainable environment for communities we serve.”

As part of Wells Fargo’s $100 million philanthropy commitment to nonprofits and universities by 2020, a $15 million, five-year relationship with NFWF was created and launched in 2012 to promote environmental stewardship across the country. The goal of the Wells Fargo-NFWF grant partnership and program is to provide grants for highly impactful projects that link economic development and community well-being to the stewardship and health of the environment. The program will fund proposals in select cities/regions (see website for full list) in the following areas:

• sustainable agriculture and forestry
• conservation of land and water resources
• restoration of urban ecosystems
• clean energy infrastructure

The Greenway Foundation and Denver Trout Unlimited were selected from among more than 450 requests submitted by local team members and nonprofits Wells Fargo identified as being in need of extra help with green revitalization projects. In April 2012, Wells Fargo released a set of environmental commitments to be achieved by 2020; including reducing the company’s environmental impact, financing the transition to a greener economy and encouraging stronger and more sustainable communities. Part of this goal includes a $100 million environmental grants commitment by 2020 to create a “greener” future for the communities they serve.

Details of the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program and a link to the 2016 application (available in September 2015) can be found at the NFWF application website:  www.nfwf.org/environmentalsolutions. Projects benefiting underserved communities and encouraging volunteerism are given priority consideration. The Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program is funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation to promote environmental stewardship across the country.

Since 1974, The Greenway Foundation has led efforts to:

• Reclaim the South Platte River and its tributaries from a virtual cesspool to a place of environmental and recreational pride.
• Construct more than 100 miles of hiking and biking trails
• Create 20+ parks and natural areas
• Design and build numerous whitewater boat chutes
• Vastly improve the health of the South Platte River Watershed and its habitats
• Provide environmental education to more than 60,000 school children
• Employ more than 100 teenagers in youth employment programs
• Host numerous community events, and annual volunteer river clean up days
• Help create over $500 million of green improvement to the South Platte River and its tributaries, facilitating over $15 billion in residential and commercial development throughout the Denver metro area.  

Current projects include:

• SPREE (South Platte River Environment Education), including River Rangers Youth Employment and
• Greenway Leadership Corps
• River Vision Implementation Plan – South Platte River Master Plan
• PURE (Protect our Urban River Environment)

About Denver Trout Unlimited

The Denver Chapter of Trout Unlimited draws it support from the city's downtown and northern suburbs. We have a membership that is young and diverse in interests. DTU espouses and promotes the mission of Trout Unlimited to preserve, protect and restore North America's cold water fisheries and their watersheds.

This is Denver, Colorado and a river runs through it. DTU has adopted a long term goal to turn the Denver South Platte River into an asset for the city of Denver and its citizens. Our objective is to restore aquatic and riparian habitat thus making the South Platte River in Denver a recreational fishing destination for residents and visitors and a refuge for fish and wildlife. Our focus is on the river below the water line, the aquatic insects, the quality and quantity of water, the structures and bottom of the river and, of course the fish and other life forms in the water ecosystem.

One of our current goals is to work on the mechanisms that can bring a minimum flow to the Denver South Platte so that the improved aquatic environments we helped create at Carson Nature Center, Grant Frontier/ Overland Park, and soon River Run Park in Sheridan are preserved during periods of low flow stress.

The world famous Denver Trout Unlimited Pro/Am Fly Fishing Carp Slam is our major fund raising event. Proceeds are used for improving the aquatic habitat of the Denver South Platte and sponsoring Trout-in-the-Classroom sites that connect youth to our river.

Please visit www.DenverTU.org for more information about our chapter’s work and upcoming events.

About Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,700 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 266,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 2015 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.

Wake-up call for Colorado River users

As the California drought continues, Colorado River water users are reminded of the importance of working together to effectively address water needs in the basin.  There are a variety of interests competing for water rights, however it is only through a collaborative effort that we will see success in meeting the diverse water needs.  As Eric Kuhn, general manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District points out, “collaboration is needed today to keep us ahead of our significant water challenges, before they spiral into a crisis that pits one water use sector against another.” Trout Unlimited is committed to continue to work with and engage agriculture, municipal and industrial stakeholders in finding innovative and effective solutions in meeting future water needs.  Colorado TU’s Randy Scholfield recently wrote an op-ed piece highlighting the Upper Colorado River Basin and the current efforts going on there – you can read it here.

To get involved in this effort please email Stephanie Scott at sscott@tu.org

West Denver TU Partnering with Orvis to Monitor Rivers

PRESS RELEASE from WEST DENVER TROUT UNLIMITED: Trout Unlimited (TU) and Orvis have had a productive collaborative and supportive relationship over the years as reflected, for example, by their work to remove harmful culverts, teach the Nation how to fly fish and, in general, to protect and enhance coldwater fisheries. Trout Unlimited has also benefited from Orvis’ grant program designed to help organizations improve local streams.

Colorado’s West Denver Chapter of TU has been in the forefront of the State’s River Watch program to work with voluntary stewards to monitor water quality and other indicators of watershed health. West Denver has focused its effort primarily on Clear Creek, a local Front-Range stream. However, the U.S. Forest Service has requested that West Denver do testing on U.S. Forest sites throughout the State to help the Agency evaluate the effectiveness of restoration efforts, track on-the-ground conditions that affect the success of trout, identify possible trout strongholds, and monitor water quality changes over time and geography.

However, in order to do this testing, West Denver needed additional testing equipment. Thus, West Denver applied for a stream-improvement grant from Orvis, and received $2,000 to buy needed equipment. This equipment will allow West Denver to obtain high-quality data to educate citizens and decision makers about the condition of Colorado’s waters.

Volunteer Opportunity in San Luis Valley!!

Hidden Mile Volunteer Information The project dates are May 16th to May 24, 2015. You are welcome to work any or all days of the project. Even if you can only come for part of a day it will be greatly appreciated.

The project will be at the Hidden Mile section of the Conejos River. The work will be building and repairing fence to protect the riparian area.

To reach the Hidden Mile go west from Antonito on highway 17

about 21 miles to the Platoro Road (rd 250). Turn right on the on Platoro Road and go about 4 miles until you see a sign and balloons at the work site.

Please wear work clothes, work gloves and sturdy boots. If you have fencing tools please bring them. For those who don’t have tools they will be provided on site. Some work may involve crossing the river so waders would be helpful if you have them.

Please bring lunch and water.

Work will begin at 9am due to the long travel time to the project.

Free camping will be available for all volunteers at Conejos campground located several miles above the Hidden Mile site. The site will have a vault bathroom but no electricity or water.

Volunteer time tracking sheets will be available at the site- please fill in hours and sign out at the end of each day you work and include travel time as part of your total hours.

To sign up for the project please email David Kenvin at slvdrifter@gmail.com or call 719-657-0724 or cell 970-214-4221.

You can also call Marty Jones at 719-589-4327 or cell 719-937-3634.