Colorado Doubles Gold Medal River Miles!

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission announced the upper Arkansas River as the newest addition to the statewide list of Gold Medal Trout Waters. The new Gold Medal reach is 102 miles long from the confluence with the Lake Fork of the Arkansas River, near Leadville, downstream to Parkdale at the Highway 50 bridge crossing above the Royal Gorge.  This one remarkable listing doubles the extent of Gold Medal river miles recognized in Colorado. Once a poster-child for the adverse water quality impacts on rivers left behind by our state's legacy of mining, the Arkansas now "officially" joins the ranks of Colorado's elite, high-quality trout waters.

The Gold Medal designation has been 20 years in the making, and although anglers have enjoyed the improved conditions for years, it is an official acknowledgement of the great success of myriad efforts undertaken by government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and other partners to turn an impaired river into one of the most popular fishing destinations in Colorado.

Colorado Trout Unlimited's Collegiate Peaks Anglers chapter has been an active partner in conservation efforts along the Arkansas throughout this time.  From habitat improvement efforts in the basin, to assisting with mine cleanup efforts (including ongoing efforts with National TU's Abandoned Mine Program on the Tiger Mine), to helping acquire new public access - TU has a long history of involvement with the river.  The new Gold Medal designation, as well as Senator Mark Udall's proposal to establish a new National Monument along the Browns Canyon section of the Arkansas, are testament to the benefits of many years of hard work. The Arkansas River is also a model for cooperation - with many agencies including EPA collaborating to improve its water quality, a multi-agency collaborative managing the "Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area" with tremendous boating and fishing opportunities, and a partnership with water users for cooperative releases to maintain whitewater recreation during the summer and needed stable fish flows in the fall and winter.

“The upper Arkansas River fishery is the best it has been in over a century thanks to the efforts and hard work of many agencies and individuals that have recognized its great potential,” said Greg Policky, Colorado Parks and Wildlife Aquatic Biologist. “I am very pleased that this outstanding river has received the Gold Medal designation and is now ranked among the elite trout fisheries in Colorado.”

Gold Medal listings are a reflection of a healthy trout population accompanied by strong numbers of larger fish.  In order to receive a Gold Medal listing, a body of water must consistently support a minimum trout standing stock of 60 pounds per acre, as well as consistently support a minimum average of 12 "quality trout" – trout larger than 14 inches – per acre.

Granby students win "Water Is Life" Mural and Art Challenge

Renowned muralist and conservationist Wyland announced today that Katrina Larson's art students at East Grand Middle School were named the grand prize winners of the National "Water Is Life" Classroom mural contest for grades 5-8. The  contest, inspired by the growing demands on U.S. water resources, took place Oct. 21-Nov. 21, and drew more than 9,000 students across 45 states. Participating students painted 50 square-foot murals depicting the range of habitats and uses for water throughout the United States. "America's water resources are among our greatest treasures," said Wyland, the artist whose pioneering marine life murals are seen by more than 1 billion people around the world every year. "Our coastal waters, rivers, and lakes support millions of people. But like anything they need our attention and art helps put that into focus."

As part of the national "Water Is Life" competition, the Wyland Foundation and its partners provided 300 schools with paint supplies, educational materials, and 50 square foot canvas murals to look at the economic, cultural and aesthetic value of American waters. Additional schools that participated created artworks on other surfaces - from sidewalks to school buildings. The contest encouraged students to study local and national water issues and work collaboratively. Winning classes receive $250 for art supplies, a signed Wyland artwork, and a chance for a live online painting lesson with Wyland

Twelve students at East Grand Middle Schools, ranging in grades from 6th-7th, worked on the mural entitled, "Save the Fraser River." Program organizers hope the process of interpreting water-based habitats through art will lead students to a greater understanding of their role as future caretakers of the resource.  An individual art contest for grades K-12 was also held concurrently. Details at wylandfoundation.org/artchallenge.

The National "Water Is Life" Classroom mural contest was presented in partnership with Fredrix Artist Canvas, Arts & Activities Magazine, National Van Lines, the US Forest Service, the Georgia Aquarium and Marco Fine Arts.

Check out the beautiful "Save the Fraser River" mural.

Restore the Range

Flooding in September 2013 devastated many communities and watersheds along Colorado’s Front Range including along the Big Thompson, Boulder Creek, and the St. Vrain.  The “Restore the Range” effort is working to provide financial and volunteer support for fish- and river-friendly flood restoration efforts. Click here to help Restore the Range!

The Colorado River: Every drop must count

Water has literally shaped the West. It carved Colorado from red rock and shaped landmarks from the Rocky Mountains to the Grand Canyon to the Gulf of California. Water has etched green and fertile valleys into the desert and sustained generations of hardworking families throughout the Southwest. Water is what makes the West as we know it possible — from our ski resorts in places like Vail and Powderhorn to the orchards of Palisade to our cities like Gunnison and Steamboat Springs.

The Colorado River is healthy now, but make no mistake: the Centennial State and the six states downriver are on an unsustainable course.

As former Congressman Wayne Aspinall used to say, “In the West, when you touch water, you touch everything.”

Read the rest of Senator Udall's Guest Opinion in the Post Independent.

Sportsmen welcome Udall as sponsor for Thompson Divide legislation

Another prominent co-sponsor signed onto a bill that would protect large portions of the Thompson Divide area from energy development. Sen. Mark Udall joined the Thompson Divide Withdrawal and Protection Act as a co-sponsor on Thursday, prompting another wave of support from sportsmen.

"There's been enough turmoil surrounding the Thompson Divide," said Aaron Kindle, campaign coordinator for Trout Unlimited's Sportsmen's Conservation Project. "With Udall's support, we hope to get this passed and put to rest the threat to such important hunting  and fishing resources."

The bill would permanently withdraw unleased acres of largely untouched public land near Carbondale,  Colo. from future energy development and give developers the means to donate or sell lands that are currently leased. The area is known for its prime elk hunting and high quality fishing.

"I've camped and hunted the Thompson Divide for more than a decade and have fallen in love with the place," said Nate Simmons, a longtime bowhunter and local resident of the area. "I'm really pleased that Senator Udall also recognizes those values that sportsmen hold dear. Hopefully we're now one step closer to permanent protection."

The Thompson Divide is an important economic driver in the area providing hundreds of jobs and more than $30 million in revenue to the local economy each year.

"As a business owner that relies on the clean water coming from the Thompson Divide, I'm happy to hear the news of Senator Udall's sponsorship off this legislation," said Jeff Dysart, owner of Alpine Angling and Roaring Fork Anglers. "Protecting the area is key to ensuring the health and vitality of the gold medal Roaring Fork River and is essential to my way of life."

For more information, please contact Aaron Kindle at 303-868-2859 or akindle@tu.org.

Our Colorado River - uniting West Slope water users

Last May, Gov. John Hickenlooper directed the Colorado Water Conservation Board to hand him a draft plan for managing the state’s water no later than Dec. 10, 2014. That’s a hefty order considering the plan has been in the works for at least a decade and the state is riffed with disagreement, especially between the Front Range – which is the most populous – and the Western Slope, which has most of the water. Progress is being made, however.

As the CWCB nears its deadline, Trout Unlimited, a non-profit conservation organization, is currently working to unite the Western Slope to ensure the region has a strong voice at the bargaining table. The group is asking governments to sign onto the Our Colorado River project, which outlines five “core values” that various stakeholders might agree upon.

“We’re trying to show unity and resolve on matters that have sometimes been points of contention between the agriculture and recreation communities,” said TU’s Colorado River Basin Outreach Coordinator Richard Van Gytenbeek. “By agreeing to these core values, we can provide a united focus on a common platform as we move toward the Colorado Water Plan, which is due in 2014.”

Read the rest of the article in the Vail Daily.

Learn more about TU's Our Colorado River campaign and sign on to the Core Values.

Still looking for water

Check out the newest Fraser video! Denver Water is taking more than 60 percent of the annual flows of the Fraser River--and the low flows are threatening prized fish and wildlife habitat on this tributary of the Upper Colorado. Our Homeless Trout is still looking for water in all the wrong places--go to www.defendthecolorado.org and tell Denver Water to leave a little H20 for the fish!

TU stands ready to help Colorado recover from disaster

All of us in the Trout Unlimited family are concerned about the Coloradoans who have been impacted by the catastrophic flooding.  As I write this, hundreds are still unaccounted for, and the extent of the massive damage is not fully known. What we do know is that over 10,000 TU members in Colorado—many of them living on the Front Range which has borne the brunt of these impacts—stand ready to assist the most-affected individuals, families and communities. TU members, in Colorado and elsewhere, are intimately connected to their communities. Each TU chapter donates over 2,000 volunteer hours per year forging relationships with a variety of stakeholders, ranging from school children to veterans, to farmers and ranchers to state and federal agencies. In the face of this tragedy, TU's volunteers and partners will do what they have always done best, and set the greater good ahead of themselves to help their neighbors in their time of need.

While epic floods such as this cannot be planned, we can take steps to better protect communities from future floods, while maintaining habitat for Colorado's world-renowned trout. Little of that helps those who lost friends, family, property and livelihoods in the floods. To them, we offer our thoughts and prayers and those of the TU staff, and the 150,000 members of the Trout Unlimited family across the country.

---Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited

Touring Kerber Creek

“I didn’t know that Trout Unlimited did that!” This was the phrase I heard mentioned by a couple of students and professors during a tour I conducted of the Kerber Creek Restoration Project on June 4, 2013. The tour focused on various stream restoration projects and techniques that have been on-going in the watershed since 2008. Several students from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) and Colorado College (CC) visited Kerber Creek outside of Villa Grove, Colorado as part of their course curriculum, and were accompanied by a professor from each school. I was contacted earlier in the year by one of the professors to conduct a watershed tour of Kerber Creek so I developed a plan that would give the students a good overview of the legacy mining issues that created the problems existing today throughout the watershed. Back to the initial phrase. You would be surprised how many people think TU is “just a fishing club.” However, TU’s national staff is composed of 183 passionate individuals that strive to conserve, protect, and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds, most of whom also love fishing. My program specifically targets Colorado watersheds affected by legacy hard-rock mining, like Kerber Creek, Lake Fork of the Arkansas, and Clear Creek.

I started the tour at the Cocomongo Mill/Mine in the upper watershed, which provided a good representation of where and how historic mining operations took place, and the mine wastes/tailings commonly left behind. I explained the mining and milling processes and provided background information about the Bonanza Mining District. The setting included a large mill structure surrounded by piles of multicolored mine wastes within the Kerber Creek corridor. The students were captivated by the site and eager to learn more about the restoration techniques used to improve these conditions.

The next stop was near the confluence of Brewery Creek and Kerber Creek where 32 in-stream rock structures and 2.14 acres of mine waste reclamation had taken place the year prior. This site showcased what is possible when local stakeholders work together with government agencies and non-profit organizations. The students enjoyed seeing the finished structures and had countless excellent questions regarding rock structure type and purpose, soil amendment quantities and mixes, and grazing management techniques.

On the way down through the watershed we stopped at several sites, such as the repository that was completed in 1999, as well as past and future locations that exemplify the work accomplished through the Bonanza Stakeholder Group partnership, which is a collaboration of 16 federal, state, and local agencies, non-profit groups, and more than 20 local landowners. The final stop was at one of the largest private landowners in the lower watershed where work is taking place this fall. This site provided examples of existing mine waste deposits that were distributed throughout the floodplains during high flow events when tailing dams were breached in the 1900’s. The toxic mine waste deposits contain little to no vegetation and cannot sustain the high flows associated with spring runoff and summer storm periods.  This leads to unstable banks that erode, widening the stream, and eventually disconnecting the floodplain from the stream.

Conditions present at this site provided the students with a “before and after” glimpse of stream restoration. The entire site was walked from the degraded section, downstream to a recently restored segment that included in-stream rock structures and willow transplants.  I was impressed by the quality of questions and general interest of the students. I could tell that they were genuinely interested in the project and excited to be in the field observing actual conditions. The tour concluded with a question and answer portion that included questions about the history of the watershed, background information, and restoration procedures. Each correct answer yielded praise from fellow students and the grand prize of a………TU t-shirt!

The tour consisted of a unique group of students in that a majority of them were pursuing different forms of environmentally based degrees. In my opinion, this proved for a well-rounded tour and a broader range of questions asked by the students. It was great to see that they really appreciated the tour and the opportunity to see actual stream restoration. TU would like to thank both programs of CC and UCCS for the opportunity to help educate and inform the students about the importance of preserving our local ecosystems and watersheds. If the group that attended this tour is any indication of the quality of future ecologists, engineers, biologists, and scientists then I feel inclined to say that successful efforts to conserve, protect, and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds should continue for years to come.

- Jason Willis, Mine Restoration Field Coordinator Colorado Abandoned Mines Project, Trout Unlimited

Castle Rock - turning wastewater into drinking water

Kudos to Castle Rock for continuing its strong efforts to use water efficiently.  The more we can do with conservation and reuse, the better we can protect healthy flows for our rivers. Check out the full story from 9News.