Boulder Flycasters get Fairview High School On the Water

Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado recently began implementing the National Fishing in Schools Program through their Physical Education Department. In order to enrich the program experience, the Boulder Flycasters got involved by offering additional instruction and education opportunities. Our support of this program got the kids outdoors seven days working on casting, fishing & streamside entomology. This is six more days than they had been outdoors all semester!  Two days were spent on the school softball field receiving casting lessons from Bruning Rangel, Manager of the Boulder Orvis store, and a casting competition led by Larry Quilling.

Wallace Westfeldt from Front Range Anglers and Jim Shelly from the City of Boulder Water Treatment Department, tag-teamed for great sessions on entomology. Wallace taught the classroom basics and shared samples while Jim led a stream side collection day on South Boulder Creek near the McGinn ditch diversion. It was a strategically placed sampling location close to the US 36 highway bridge where students could escape the persistent rain showers. This is a great learning experience for the students. The biggest disappointment was running out of time to sample more than one location.

Ron Donahue, Drew Thomas and Larry Quilling led the students through fly tying. Ron is the expert demonstrator, Drew is a natural teacher and I am a hack! The cool part of these sessions is the concentration and focus the students have during their tying sessions. The flies they tied were used by the students to catch fish later at Viele Lake.

George Gumerman, Robert McCormack, Jake Lemon and Larry Quilling all helped the students test their skills at Viele Lake. There were four days the students spent at the lake and each day 5 to 6 fish were caught. It was not always pretty but the fishing caught the attention and interest of many of the kids. With high schoolers in the last two weeks of the spring semester, this is quite an accomplishment.

In summary, this program takes a lot of work and coordination but it is fully worth the outreach effort. We may only teach twenty-seven students in the class but the effect of our class goes well beyond the classroom. Other teachers and administrative staff know who we are and what we are doing for their school. Principal Don Stensrud asked that I thank our board for the program. Students shared their experiences with other students and other teachers noticed our presence. I am glad we have been able to re-establish this program and look forward to the fall when we can hopefully connect the class with a fishing field trip on the Poudre as we have done in past years.

---by Larry Quilling

The National Fishing in Schools Program (NFSP) has added numerous school sites throughout Colorado over the past year and will continue to expand with assistance from Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. This program provides a great first touch that gets students excited about fly fishing. TU can be a great partner by enriching the programs as detailed above. To bring NFSP to your school or find existing NFSP programs in your area, please contact Jake Lemon, Colorado TU Youth Education Coordinator at 720-354-2646 or jake.lemon@coloradotu.org.

CSEF River Conservation Awards Announced

For the past several years, Trout Unlimited has sponsored a Special Award for River Conservation at the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF).  Colorado Trout Unlimited and Boulder Flycasters jointly contribute and provide judges for the Award. This year's winners were:

First Place went to Rachel Rossi, from Durango, for her project "Endocrine Disruptor Remediation in Water: Exploration of Mycoremediation Capabilities of Fungi".

The TU award for First place was a Scholarship to CTU's River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp plus a check for $100.  Rachel also finished in 1st Place in the CSEF Senior Division Environmental Sciences.  Also at the CSEF, Rachel won scholarships to University of Colorado, Colorado State University and Colorado School of Mines.  She also won Special Awards from five other organizations.  At the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, she placed second in the Environmental Management category and won a full tuition scholarship ($150,000) from Drexel University.

Second Place went to Tayler Rocha, from Monte Vista, for her project "Successional Sequence of Water Quality and Macroinvertebrates in a Playa Wetland System".

The TU award for 1st Runner up was a check for $75 and serve as an alternate to attend the CTU Summer Camp if the First Place winner cannot attend.  Tayler also finished 3rd in the CESF Senior Division Environmental Sciences and won three Special Awards.  At the ISEF, she won 2nd Place from the American Geosciences Institute and a full tuition scholarship ($150,000) from Drexel University.

Third Place went to Sarah Stalcup, from Delta, for her project "Riparian Area Multiple Indicator Monitoring".

The TU award for 2nd Runner up was a check for $50 and serve as an alternate to attend the CTU Summer Camp if the First Place and 1st Runner up winners cannot attend.  At the ISEF Sarah won a full tuition scholarship ($150,000) from Drexel University.

Congratulations to these students for their fine projects!

Summit High students release Rainbows into the Blue

More than 50 members of Christopher Lambrecht’s Stream Ecology class have moved on. No, they’re not graduating. In fact, they’re not even students — they’re rainbow trout.

The trout, which hatched from eggs donated to the classroom by the nonprofit organization Trout Unlimited, were released into the Blue River Friday.

“This is a big day for these guys,” Lambrecht said before the release. “It will be strange not to have the tank in here.”

The stream ecology students have been involved with the trout from the very beginning. The class, which requires an application and teacher permission to join, is popular among high school students. Lambrecht said the class is intended to be “a biology class from a fisherman’s perspective,” with the goal of educating the students on the biology and chemistry behind steam and river ecology, as well as its potential for recreational enjoyment. One of the aspects that make the class popular is its hands-on outdoor components. Students regularly visit the river across the street from the high school, gathering insects to study and taking other data-gathering measurements.

Read the rest of the article in the Summit Daily.

Thanks For Supporting CTU Youth Education

Wednesday, May 8th, Colorado TU held a fundraiser in partnership with Patxi’s Pizza to raise funds for our Youth Education efforts. Delicous pizza, great drinks, and a fun time was had, all while increasing CTU’s capacity to inspire the next generation of conservationists.

Thanks to everyone who came out!

Thornton Students Explore Aquatic Ecosystems

In order to sustain our conservation efforts, it is essential that Colorado TU also inspire the next generation to experience the natural world.  Experiencing nature is the first step toward the development of a conservation ethic and becoming good stewards of our natural resources. This Tuesday, May 7, marked the culmination of an exciting new program that provides youth with the opportunity to have an intensive, yet introductory, experience that will hopefully catapult them towards a life of conservation and connection with the great outdoors. At the inaugural Achieve Academy Stream Explorers Program, all 7^th grade science students had the opportunity to interact with living aquatic organisms, learn about their behavior, tie some flies, and go fishing!  Nearly fifty students participated in the program. Achieve Academy, a part of the Mapleton School District, is located in Thornton a couple of miles from the South Platte River.

Stream Explorers is a Colorado TU curriculum that allows students to have hands-on, science-oriented, experiences with living aquatic organisms as well as develop basic fishing skills. Through this program, students develop a rudimentary understanding of the beauty, complexity, and dynamics of aquatic ecosystems and the fish they support. Through hands on learning and data collection students are guided in discovering something about aquatic ecosystems. The science activities are driven by student’s questions and allow them ownership of their own learning.

This program was implemented as a series where Colorado TU volunteers visited the school once a week over the course of four weeks. The first session, which was supposed to take place on the South Platte, was brought inside due to a winter storm. During this session, we brought the river to the classroom and students learned about aquatic macroinvertebrates, food webs, and life cycles through direct observation of bugs. During the second session, students performed experiments on how aquatic organisms react to various environmental factors including light, temperature, and gravity. The students analyzed the data collected during these experiments to make inferences on what these behaviors tell them about natural stream ecosystems in relation to seasonal and daily changes. The third session was a fly tying workshop where students learned the basic skills necessary to imitate natural aquatic organisms. During the fourth session the students traveled to a local park where they got the chance to sample and observe aquatic macroinvertebrates and go fishing.

Providing environmental education opportunities to students, particularly those in urban areas, is not only imperative in fostering a conservation ethic in today’s youth, but also has profound effects on school performance,and on emotional and physical health. In this way Colorado TU is not only contributing toward creating the next generation of conservationists, but also encouraging the development of the next generation of well adjusted, successful adults.

Thanks to all the volunteers who made this program possible.

To learn more about Stream Explorers, and other Colorado TU youth education programs, please contact Jake Lemon at jake.lemon@coloradotu.org or 720-354-2646.

CTU Partners with Patxi's Pizza in Cherry Hills for Youth Education Fundraiser

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 8. Colorado TU is partnering with Patxi's Pizza in Cherry Hills to raise money for Colorado TU Youth Programs! What: Come enjoy some tasty pizza pie, fine wine, and beer on May 8th at Patxi's Pizza. 10% of all sales for the entire day will benefit Colorado TU's efforts to engage the next generation of conservationists. This includes dine-in, carry-out, delivery, catering, and gift cards. Colorado TU staff will be on hand from 7pm-9pm if you would like to mingle and learn more about our programs.

Where: Patxi's Pizza Cherry Hills 3455 S University Blvd Englewood, CO 80113

Why: In order to sustain the efforts of our volunteers and supporters it is essential that we inspire a strong conservation ethic in the next generation of river stewards.  Colorado TU reaches kids through hands-on science and angling programs. Funds raised will be used to support youth programs in the Denver Metro Area.

Many thanks to Patxi's Pizza for supporting our work!!!

For more information, please contact Jake Lemon, Colorado TU Youth Education Coordinator, at jake.lemon@coloradotu.org.

Students and Volunteers Collaborate to Promote Conservation and Fly Fishing at CC

In an effort to inspire the next generation of conservationists, Trout Unlimited is working to promote our mission on college and university campuses throughout the country.  As part of the 5 Rivers College Outreach Program, TU volunteers and staff are giving college students the encouragement and tools to engage the next generation of conservationists. Here in Colorado, a budding partnership between the Cheyenne Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited (CMCTU) and students at Colorado College (CC) is showing great promise.  With the help of TU and Angler’s Covey Fly Shop, several students have started a campus organization with the goal of attracting, educating, and uniting fly fisherman at CC.  The CC Fly Fishing club is an official TU-affiliated college club under the 5 Rivers College Outreach Program.  TU affiliated clubs have the opportunity to take advantage of deals with manufacturers, have stickers and banners with their logo printed by TU, connect with and receive support from their local chapter, and connect with other clubs in Colorado and throughout the country.

The CC Fly Fishing club has already begun hosting weekend fishing trips, casting clinics, movie nights, and other events.  Club president Brooks Pinnick said, “As a new club we need as much support as possible.  The guidance provided by TU was helpful as we develop a successful campus organization. Also, being a part of TU will help us get more involved in conservation in addition to fly fishing.”  Jacob Twersky, another club officer, said “When I came to CC I thought there would be a fishing culture present.  That wasn’t the case, so we are trying to make that happen and create a community of fly fisherman.”  Future projects include fly tying workshops with CMCTU volunteers, a fly casting contest, and further trips.  In addition several members have begun volunteering for CMCTU conservation projects.  Sam Humpert VP of education for CMCTU said, “This partnership is a win-win because it is a great extension of our current youth education and provides an opportunity for environmental conscious students to participate in chapter projects.”  He continued, “This has been a great opportunity to work with an age group we are targeting specifically to continue the legacy of TU.”

Aside from the new fly fishing club, CC students have had several opportunities to engage in stream restoration and fly fishing this year.  As part of a freshman orientation experience, 22 students and two student leaders participated in two days of service, performing trail maintenance and willow planting with the Coalition for the Upper South Platte.  After a couple days of camping and hard work, the students were rewarded with a day of fly fishing led by volunteers with CMCTU.  After casting lessons the students headed to Cheeseman Canyon to try their hand at some fishing. Maggie Mckeon, an orientation leader who led the trip and a junior at CC said, “Fly fishing is a growing interest at CC and TU has been a great resource.  Several participants were very excited and will likely continue fly fishing.”

Additionally, a group of nine students were led by Jacob Twersky, who is also a leader with CC’s Outdoor Recreation Committee, on a fly fishing trip to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  The students, who were mostly novice fly fisherman, hiked up to alpine lakes, beaver ponds, and streams where they caught some fish and had a good time.  CMCTU provided the group with nine fly rods and six dozen flies for the trip.

To learn more about TU’s 5 Rivers College Outreach program and how you can engage students at your local campus, please contact Jake Lemon, CTU’s Youth Education Coordinator. jake.lemon@coloradotu.org 720-354-2646 http://www.tu.org/about-us/youth/5-rivers

Scouts and Trout's

Trout’s Fly Fishing and the Denver Trout Unlimited Chapter (DTU) have quite a bit in common: 1)   The South Platte River is our home water

2)   We both are committed to helping improve and restore Denver's South Platte River

3)   DTU and Trout’s love to introduce new people to fly fishing - especially kids

That is why it made perfect sense when a local Cub Scout Troop who was interested in getting their Scouts on the water approached DTU and Trout’s.  Here is what we were able to pull off after a morning volunteering at the Greenway Foundation's fall river sweep.

We talked about the river needs: sustained flows, improved habitat, improved water quality.

We talked about the different species of fish that call the Denver South Platte River home: common carp, mirror carp, brown trout, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, walleye and catfish and others.  We also tried to find out what they ate.

We talked about the basics of fly fishing, stalking spooky carp, and sight casting to river fish.

Lastly, we showed the Scouts where Clint Packo almost broke his rod in 1000 pieces during the Carp Slam.

And then we had some fun in the river!

We’d like to thank Dr. Matt Esson who initiated this event as well as all of the other Dads and volunteers who joined us on the South Platte River.  We'd also like to give Randall Paetzold of R! Series Photography a big shout out and "Thank You" for volunteering his morning and taking all of these great images.

Reprinted with permission from Trout's Fly Fishing.

Greenbacks, West Denver, and BBBS Come Through for the Kids

The past two weekends were about the kids. Colorado Trout Unlimited, with the help of Jake Lemon, and Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Colorado, with the help of Kaity Talmage-Bowers, teamed to create a unique experience for over a dozen boys and girls, along with their ‘bigs’. The first week was chalked full of stream entomology and biology, while the second focused on fly-tying and getting some lines in the water. On the first weekend, with the help of Charlie Horn of West Denver TU and Greenbacks volunteers, the kids and their ‘bigs’ got their feet wet collecting aquatic macroinvertebrates in the South Platte River at Reynolds Landing Park in Littleton.  Adults and kids alike showed great interest in the previously unknown world living under water and rock in their local river.  After sorting the bugs and discussing various physiological characteristics, the kids and their ‘bigs’ worked together to identify what they had found.  Following a brief lunch, the junior scientists worked in groups of three to investigate the behavior of aquatic macroinvertebrates.  Using brine shrimp as their subjects, they set up experiments to test the effects of light, gravity, and temperature.  After collecting and consolidating their data, they shared what their results told them about instream macroinvertebrate habitat and behavior.

With their interest in fish and bugs piqued during the first week’s activities, the kids were ready to fish the following Saturday. With help again from Charlie Horn, the kids first sat down at a table next to Overland Pond to try their hand at tying some flies. Charlie is such a good teacher, and when given the chance to tie a second fly or eat lunch, most hands were raised to stay put.

After the tying session, the kids were provided a gift courtesy of Denver Parks and Rec and the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife      – a brand new spinning rod they could take home and use in the future. We rigged the rods while they took a break, and then they were off fishing on Overland Pond – some with their own flies that they had tied.

It was great to walk around the park and watch these kids pull little fish in left and right. There wasn’t a huge number caught, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that these kids got the opportunity to work with people that care about them. From their big brothers and sisters, to Trout Unlimited, to Denver Parks and Rec and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, kudos to all your efforts to team-up and create a unique experience that these kids will never forget. And maybe, just maybe, a few of these kids will become life-long anglers and the next generation helping to keep our waters clean and fishy.

Kyle Perkins, Compleat Thought

Trout in the Classroom program hooks Centaurus students

Colorado Trout Unlimited's 2012 shipment of trout eggs to Centaurus High School only arrived on Wednesday, but that was more than enough to dredge up fish tales from years past. For the third straight year, Centaurus will participate in the Trout in the Classroom program sponsored by Colorado Trout Unlimited and Boulder Flycasters. As one of six participating schools in Colorado, Centaurus received 100 trout eggs and a 55-gallon fish tank in which to raise them to adulthood.

But the stories varied on the size of the fish in last year's batch when they were released into Lafayette's Waneka Lake.

"I'd guess they were around 2 to 3 inches when we released them in May," said Centaurus science teacher Craig Weinhold, whose classroom becomes the six-month home to the project fish.

Sophomores Ryan Elliott and Aaron Wilkins, who both participated in the Trout in the Classroom program as freshmen, recall things differently.

"A few of them got pretty big, more than 6 inches long," Elliott said.

"They got huge," Wilkins said. "One was at least a foot."

A whole new set of fish stories began Wednesday with the arrival of 100 tiny, bright orange trout eggs in Weinhold's classroom.

"Kids do better with it when they can go out and see it for themselves rather than looking at a poster or a worksheet," Weinhold said. "(The trout tank is) a valuable tool that I can use as a reference point. But it's also good to have something visual in the classroom to get kids interested in biology."

Though the trout aren't part of a dedicated instructional unit, Weinhold said he incorporates the trout's ongoing development into his lesson plan as often as possible.

"We watch the stages of life they go through," Weinhold said. "The whole purpose is to get kids invested and go over the different concepts we work with in biology and apply them."

Those concepts include ecology, developmental biology, cell biology, genetics and evolution, "all things we can relate to pretty much whatever we're working on," Weinhold said.

Visit Colorado Hometown Weekly to read the rest of the story about Trout in the Classroom at Centaurus.