Getting Dirty for Trout

If you have been wanting to volunteer with us, then here is your chance!! Below are some of the Volunteer Opportunities that we have coming up. If you are interested in any of these projects then please email Stephanie Scott directly at sscott@tu.org to sign up for one of the opportunities.  

July Opportunities:

• July 16th - Josephine Falls Trail Decommission (partner with Cheyenne Mountain Chapter TU) - These work days will be from about 8:30-3:00.  We will be working alongside of the Youth Core and other groups.  We will meet in Colorado Springs and do a short car pool to the work area. From there we will hike in less than a mile to the work site.  We will be using hand tools to loosen soil and remove evidence of the trail.  We will also be moving brush and may do some plantings to cover the trail.  These work days will be directed by the Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI).
• July 18th-19th - Thunder/Box Lakes Gill Net Surveying (partner with Chris Kennedy in Rocky Mountain National Park) - Chris needs 2-3 people to help conduct gill net surveys on both of these lakes. Right now this is a full backpack trip and we will be camping at Thunder Lake (6.8 miles, 200 feet), but there is a cabin up there which Chris will try to get the use of.  Chris has requested the use of the Thunder Lake cabin .
• July 22nd/July 23rd - Fence Repair (partner with Cheyenne Mountain Chapter TU)- Fence repair along the South Platte river in the South Park area (Hartsel).  These work days will be from about 9:00 to 3:00.  We will be working with CPW and other TU chapters.  There are several State Wildlife Areas that are leased from private land owners.  These land owners tend to graze cattle on their land.  As part of the lease agreement CPW has constructed fences to keep livestock out of the riparian areas.  CPW is charged with maintenance of these fences but does not have the manpower/budget to keep up with the work.
• July 23rd - S. Platte Musk Thistle Remediation (partner with Cutthorat Chapter TU) - Work days will be from 9:30 to 3:00, and meeting at 9AM near Deckers.  This project is located right along the road and includes clipping and bagging musk thistle and severing its base at ground level. This will include no more than a half-mile hike at a your own pace, or you can travel by car. CUSP crew will remove the bagged thistle. Musk thistle is a noxious weed that outcompetes native plant species, becoming a monoculture when left untreated. This population is currently a threat to aquatic habitat, riparian grasses and insect populations.  Musk thistle is a spikey plant so bring your favorite leather gloves, long sleeved shirts, and long pants. Deckers.

August Opportunities:

• August 13th - Colorado Trout Unlimited Outdoor Mentors Program - Chase Moore needs 1-2 volunteers to help with the CTU station.  They will be teaching fly casting, tying and fish art.  The event is from 9:00-2:00 at Barr Lake.
• August 20th - Horse Creek (partner with Cheyenne Mountain Chapter TU) - Work days will be from 9:30-3:00 and meeting at 9AM near Deckers.  This work will include harvesting and transplanting willows, installing jute matting, raking and seeding native vegetation or planting trees along a two-mile stretch of Horse Creek, above it’s confluence with the South Platte. In-stream restoration work will occur at this location over the next two years to reduce sediment, replace damaged culverts and install bridges. The work will improve fish passage and habitat, as well as the safety of residents and visitors. This area of the Hayman burn scar continues to produce an excess of 65 tons of sediment annually into the South Platte River and continues to flood Highway 67. It is anticipated that this restoration will remove 50 to 55 tons annually, and is modeled after similar work – much of which included CCTU volunteers – that has successfully occurred in the higher Trail Creek drainage. As work progresses and the weather cools, project details will change, for example: willows can be transplanted at warmer temperatures than pine trees.

• August 30th-September 2^nd - We will be in need of volunteers to help us fin clip rainbow X cutthroat hybrid trout at Mount Shavano Hatchery for our ongoing study comparing diploid versus triploid trout at Elevenmile Reservoir.  This year we will be clipping fish August 30th – September 2nd and could use your help.  Last year we clipped 68,000 fish in three days with the help of 70 people over the three day period. All of the work will take place outside at the Mount Shavano Hatchery in Salida.  Parking will be available at the visitor parking area on the hill before you enter into the hatchery.  We will plan on starting each day at 8 A.M. and should finish around 4:30 P.M.  Volunteers should bring the following: Lunch, Water, Sunscreen, Chairs, Sunshades if available

September Opportunities:

• September 10th - CarpSlam - Denver TU is looking for volunteers to help with Pro/Am Carp Slam X on Sept 10,2016.  The fishing venue will be 15 beats on the Denver South Platte River from Oxford downstream to 120th Ave.  We are seeking people to work as Controllers and Rovers for the teams on the river. This is an opportunity to learn about fly fishing for carp and other species on the Platte for the smartest, slickest, smoothest anglers in the world.  You should be in good physical condition and willing to work the full day from 7 AM to 5 PM.  Lunch will be provided at Fuel Café.  To volunteer please contact Mike Hobbs – CarpSlam Ops Manager – email: mhobbsco@gmail.com  Volunteers will also receive swag and a ticket to the after party on the 14th floor of DaVita with one of the most spectacular views  in Denver.  Food, beer and wine will be served. Music provided by MTHDS.  Tickets for the event are $35 presale and $45 at the door. For more info visit www.carpslam.org
• September 16th-18th - Girls Inc Fly Fishing Camp - This is a weekend commitment - still working on the details of the event and will post those once they are available.
• September 24th - This is the S. Platte River clean up - also still working on the details and will post once available.

Please RSVP for these events to Stephanie Scott sscott@tu.org

2016 Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp

By: Ameen Hosain As fourteen youthful and enthusiastic campers showed up to the Barr N I ranch for this year’s fly fishing and conservation youth camp, it was easy to tell that the next five days would be a week to remember.

With many fish to be caught and much to be learned, the campers settled in to the barn that they would call home for the coming days. As the week progressed the campers gained experience in the worlds of conservation and fly fishing and made new connections with others who shared similar passions for the outdoors.

Through fishing instruction, and participation in activities such as a fish hatchery tour and a river restoration project, the young anglers learned the relationship between the fish they are able to catch and the conservation efforts of Colorado Trout Unlimited and other organizations. These experiences all combined to create a lasting impact on all those involved.

To kick off the week, campers took a drive to the city of Alamosa, where they took a tour of the Native Aquatic Species Hatchery, a facility based around the restoration of Colorado’s native fish.  Here, over ten thousand fish are being raised with the intention of stocking them into Colorado’s rivers in the future. Campers were exposed to the science behind genetics, and were able to see what it takes to bring back a species from endangerment. Though the camp focuses on trout conservation, the hatchery harbors nothing but native species (meaning no trout), thus enabling campers to realize that conservation goes further than just the species most popular in Colorado rivers.

Another major part of the campers’ experience was their participation in a river restoration project in collaboration with the Purgatoire River Anglers Chapter of CTU out of Trinidad. The Purgatoire River runs through Trinidad and has seen many restoration efforts in the past few years. Campers assisted in the removal of a fern called Russian olive- an invasive plant that consumes large amounts of water, taking it away from the river system.  A day was spent using tools and chainsaws to cut down many of these large plants to better the fishery that the anglers of Trinidad value greatly.

As the title presumes, the fly fishing and conservation youth camp also put aside much time for campers to hone their fishing skills on the numerous stock ponds the Bar N I ranch had to offer, as well as the beautiful creek and the larger lakes surrounding the property. Given large amounts of time to fish each day, and instruction from experienced guides and fishermen, campers enjoyed testing newly tied flies on eager fish. Astoundingly, at the end of five days, every young angler, regardless of skill level was able to successfully land a fish, with dozens of healthy trout seeing the net.

The 2016 camp was an extreme success and campers and volunteers alike went home with smiling faces. With the future of our wildlife habitats at stake, Colorado Trout Unlimited gave campers the building blocks to continue down a road of conservation, using the sport of fly fishing as a catalyst to light a fire in the hearts of young anglers.

With hopes that these fisherman will follow in the footsteps of those they learned from, Trout Unlimited’s fly fishing and conservation youth will continue to inspire young conservationists one year at a time, with no end in sight.

Colorado Trout Unlimited would also like to give a special thanks to its volunteers, and those that are able to make this camp a reality year after year, as much success is due to their efforts. CTU would also like to thank the chapters that sponsored a camper with a donation to the Youth Camp. Without all of your support this camp wouldn't have been possible!!

Fly Fishing for Summer Campers

By: Ameen Hosain For the past two weeks, the Cheyenne Mountain chapter of Trout Unlimited teamed up with members of The Greenbacks to hold two, two-day fly fishing classes for the summer camp students at the Atlas Preparatory school in Colorado Springs.

The goal of the class was to give students a new perspective on the outdoors, and to introduce them to the basics of all aspects of fly fishing; including casting, knots, fish handling, and fly tying, as well as to give them an opportunity to catch fish themselves.

The first day began with a basic entomology class on bugs and their life cycles. Volunteers and camp leaders also showed the students what fish eat, and the flies that represent these species and phases. All of this was don in order to give students a better understanding of what the term “fly” fishing actually means.

The afternoon was then spent teaching the campers how to cast a fly rod.  With contests being held for both accuracy and distance, the students were all engaged and enjoyed the casting lessons. To complete the day, a fly tying class was taught- allowing each of the campers to tie three easy, yet effective flies that they could use the next day on the water.

The following morning, volunteers and campers loaded onto the bus to take a voyage to the Lost Dutchman resort- a private trout ranch stocked with high numbers of hungry trout. The kids then put to test what they had learned, casting the flies they had tied with high hopes. Many kids were able to hook up with and land their first ever trout! It was a great time for campers and volunteers alike, with smiles on faces all around.

Fish Tagging in Tomichi is Moving Along

In Spring of 2015, the Gunnison Angling Society Chapter of TU partnered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Gunnison Watershed School District to Adopt-A-Trout. For this project, the chapter and partners purchased 15 RF tags that were surgically implanted into various fish in Tomichi Creek, a tributary of the Gunnison River. By attaching the RF tags to the fish in the creek, the chapter, CPW, and the partners involved could follow these trout and see what kind of movement they did and provide more information as to what causes fish to move.

After a year of data collection and following the fish in Tomichi Creek, only two fish have left the area. The release was near the confluence with the Gunnison River and it's believed the fish may have migrated into the larger river. "A team from CPW floated a stretch of the Gunnison River looking for them but were unable to detect any signals," Said Briant Wiles, member of the Gunnison Angling Society.

The 13 fish that they can currently track are still in Tomichi Creek- although not necessarily in the same area that they were released in. During the release, groups split the creek into three sections- Upper, Middle and Lower- then tagged and released fish in each section to compare the data.

"We have had a few fish travel a pretty good distance. One fish in particular, which was tagged at the Lower Tagging Location, hung out in the same area we had released him in for several weeks. Then right around the same time the runoff started picking up he bolted upstream and was last detected near the confluence of Tomichi and Cochetopa Creeks. A run of over eight miles," said Wiles. "Now there is another tagged fish that has run nearly as far. This leads us to consider that the two missing fish may be farther up the Tomichi. This has effectively expanded our search area from a five mile stretch to who knows how big. Careful what you wish for."

With help from a $2,500 grant from New Belgium Brewing, the chapter is expanding the project to include a website that will have a map of the Tomichi and points to where each fish is located.

The project was initiated to help study trout movement and involve kids into the learning process. When the project started there were two Gunnison High School classes that were involved and over 25 students have been on field trips to help track the movements. The chapter is also looking to expand the youth outreach and involve more partners.

"We have plans to work with students from a local Boy Scout Troop, the 4H club, and Gunnison Valley Mentors this summer and will have an educational booth set up at next weeks Gunnison River Festival," said Wiles.

“I wanted to get the program going locally to help students develop more awareness and appreciation for our watershed and I thought the experience might generate some interest in resource management career paths,” said Jesse Kruthaupt, Upper Gunnison Project Specialist for TU. “In addition to those benefits, understanding trout behaviors in this area will be a very useful discussion making and monitoring tool for future restoration work. TU couldn’t have done this alone, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District deserve a big ‘Thank You’ for helping to make this happen.”

Meet the Newest Communications Intern Ameen Hosain

My name is Ameen Hosain, and I am very excited to have the opportunity to work for CTU as a Communications Intern for the summer of 2016.  I am a 19 year old Colorado native, and recently completed my freshman year at CU Boulder. I picked up a fly rod at the age of 14, and since that day the sport has consumed me, becoming my greatest pursuit in life.  I take pride in my abilities as an angler, and have a great love for the areas I fish in.  Outside of fly fishing, I am also an avid rock climber, something that I pursue with an equal amount of passion.  

Working for Colorado Trout Unlimited gives me the chance to help in solving real world issues, as well as gives me great experience in the field of conservation.  Through this internship I hope to learn how to effectively communicate the messages and goals of organizations like TU, and hope to learn how to use my passion to make positive changes in the world.

I am beyond thrilled to be writing blog posts and articles, attending events and volunteering for a great organization like TU, all in the name of conservation!

Simple Conservation Tips for Any Angler

By: Ameen Hosain As stewards of passion for the outdoors and as people who experience nature to the fullest, anglers should have a great appreciation for what the sport of fly fishing has to offer.

The environments that fishermen rely on offer much beauty and are fragile ecosystems that have been around for many years before our time.  These ecosystems are all valuable, and though most anglers treat them with respect, humans often have a large impacts on rivers and their surrounding wildlife areas- a lot of times the impact is unknown.

Conservation takes time and effort and can be done if a variety of ways.  As anglers it is our duty to help maintain wildlife and habitat as much as possible, and there are many things we can do both on and off the river to ensure the health of our waters.

For example, some waters contain what are called Aquatic Nuisance species, or invasive species that can have a negative impact on waters they are found in. These species are not native to Colorado Waters and have no natural competitors or predators that can stop their migrations That's why it's up to humans to maintain these species and keep them from spreading to waters all over.

Something that contributes to the spread of these unwanted species is the large number of wading boots with felt soles. These boots help aid in traction on the slippery surfaces found in rivers.  Felt is very absorbent and dries rather slowly, and can thus absorb and carry invasive species from river to river with the angler.  It's recommended not to and in some states illegal to use felt bottomed wading boots, because of the possibility of spreading Aquatic Nuisance species to new healthy waters.  On the contrary rubber soled boots reduce the impact anglers have on waters because they do not absorb water or hold invasive species.

To help keep waters invasive species free, it is always a good idea to spray down waders and let them dry completely in order to remove anything that may have stuck to them while wading. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has an Angler Cleaning card that offers suggestions on how to safely clean wading gear.

While fishing, anglers can do their part to protect the fish they so often seek by using barbless hooks, taking home any discarded tippet material,and properly releasing caught fish.

Barbed flies often wreak havoc on the inside of a fish’s mouth, and even when removed properly can cause lasting damage that alters a fish’s ability to eat and breath. Barbless hooks offer almost harmless removal and are a better choice in any circumstance. If barbless flies are not available, barbs on hooks can be crimped down using a pair of small pliers- a simple yet effective way to make sure fish experience less harm when hooked.

Tippet material is made of either monofilament or fluorocarbon, both of which are plastic materials and both of which take a very long time to decompose.  Much like any other plastics, this material can be considered litter and any pieces no matter how small may have a negative impact on the environment. As an angler, one should carry a small bag to discard any leftover material, in order to reduce the amount of litter and unwanted plastics that get into water systems.

The most important part of ensuring a fish’s survival after being caught is the way in which it is released.  Many anglers like to take photos as a way of documenting a day’s catch, however more often than not this requires a fish to be lifted out of the water for an extended period of time.  Fish are exhausted after fighting an angler, and if left out of the water for even a short period following a fight, can have their chances of survival severely reduced.  Thus it is best to keep a fish in the water as much as possible, with a photo being taken swiftly- holding the fish only a few inches above the water.

It is also essential that a fish be revived completely before allowing it to swim away.  Face a fish upstream and hold it still, allowing water to flow through the gills of the fish.  It is often assumed that moving a fish back and forth in the water allows it to breathe better.  The opposite is actually true, as a fish is only able to breathe while moving forward, not backwards.  A proper release is highly important in a fish’s ability to survive.

CTU Youth Camp

By: Ameen Hosain Engaging the next generation of anglers and conservationists is a top priority for Colorado TU’s mission and purpose. CTU does this by using the sport of fly fishing to show the importance of conserving and sustaining natural and healthy rivers.

For the past 10 years, Colorado Trout Unlimited has been the proud host of the River Conservation and Fly fishing youth camp, a five day wilderness camp targeting promising youth, who have interest in the sport of fly fishing, as well as interest in the conservation goals and values of Trout Unlimited.

At the Youth Camp, participants are presented with the opportunity to learn from many experts in the various fields of conservation and fly fishing. This information will one day allow and inspire these kids to become the next generation of fishermen and stewards who care for the environment that anglers and other recreationists get to experience every day.  

With a heavy importance placed upon the conservation and protection of Colorado’s great waters and wildlife areas, the students will learn the basics of conservation from various, well recognized, and respected organizations. Partners like, the US Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, all help teach various lessons.  Classes and seminars with these organizations often include intensive, hands-on learning in fields such as stream ecology, entomology, and hydrology.  Campers then get to put what they have learned into action, participating in a real-world conservation project.  In previous years, this project has involved stream restoration on a stretch of the Purgatoire River running through Trinidad, Colorado.

Though conservation is the overall theme of the camp, Trout Unlimited is an organization that revolves around the sport of fly fishing, and thus the camp also includes numerous opportunities for campers to both learn and participate in every aspect of the sport from fly tying to fish handling.  Campers of all skill levels are invited to create a friendly and fun learning environment where many fish are caught on rivers, small streams and stillwaters  Students are given a plethora of fishing opportunities and are offered fly tying materials, as well as instructions on tying, casting, and all that fly fishing entails from the highly experienced volunteer staff consisting of fly fishing guides and enthusiasts.

The staff at TU and the volunteers involved with the Youth Camp all do their best to find a location that all campers will feel comfortable in and that campers will enjoy to the fullest.  For the past three years, and for the upcoming 2016 camp, this location is the Bar N I ranch, located just south of Weston Colorado.  

Embedded in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, this ranch offers campers a beautiful location to learn and fish in.  With ponds stocked with healthy trout scattered across the property, it is the perfect place for beginners of the sport to catch their first or hundredth fish.  The ranch also offers numerous high mountain lakes that campers are invited to utilize, as well as a healthy high mountain stream that holds populations of wild fish.  The welcoming staff and volunteers combined with this beautiful location create a memorable experience for all involved, and offer campers the opportunity of a lifetime.

For over a decade, the camp has helped create a body of youthful and environmentally minded individuals capable of carrying the views and objectives of Trout Unlimited far into the future. Camp alumni have gone on to work in the outdoor industry as guides, environmentalists and educators that utilize the lessons they learned from the CTU River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp.

Costa Ambassador David Muench

With over 50 TU Costa 5 Rivers Clubs in the country, there are only six club presidents that have the honor of being called a Costa Ambassador. David Muench, President of the CU Fly Fishing Club, is one of those six to have received the honor. The Costa Ambassador program was created as an incentive to inspire the college club presidents to do a great job with their clubs. At the end of each semester Muench sent in a summary of all of the club's activities and programs. As president and Costa Ambassador, he had to help his club organize, everything from organizing fishing and cleanup trips to recruiting and teaching new people to fish.

"It means a lot to me to be nominated as one top ambassadors in the Nation," said Muench. "I've easily put in a similar amount of time into the club as I have my final year of Engineering, I care a lot about the fly fishing club and it's amazing to realize that you're one of the best in the nation. No matter how much work I put in, I keep finding myself wondering if we could have done it better and what we've done wrong. It's just something else to have someone else say you're one of the best in the Country."

As president of the CU club, Muench has helped expand the members, activities and programs they partake in. The group helped participate in the Boulder Flycasters Chapter Youth Night by helping teach kids casting. The club also held two intro to fly fishing classes, and a BBQ club dinner included with every trip.

Muench joined the club in 2014 and became an officer right away. The president before him, Justin West, showed him how a good club president operates and inspired him to take the club to the next level. The club now has over 50 participants and about half them partake in the weekend trips.

The former president also built the foundation in which Muench could grow the club on, "In the year before Justin, the club really consisted of just one fall trip and was completely inactive in the spring semester. Justin and all of the officers last year really put a lot of effort in getting the club's name out there and trying to get people more involved in the club. We started doing weekly tying nights, and tried to run some more trips. We did a lot of networking and really tried to grow our numbers. It was a tough year with poor turnouts, our last trip we had 5 people show up, however it laid the groundwork for this year."

When Muench took over, the club began  new focus on recruiting new people who wanted to be apart of it by adding new events and making the meetings less intimidating. "This year we decided to stop trying to convince people to join and focus on making the club fun for those who wanted to be a part of it. I also wanted to put a lot of focus on making the club un-intimidating and welcoming to beginners and intermediate anglers. We ran two intro to fly fishing classes in the fall that were a huge success. The club has grown to over 50 active members this year, we ran four weekend trips with our worst turn out being 18 people and our best being 28. We also put a lot of emphasis into building relationships among the club members, we implemented a big club dinner/BBQ into every trip to try to get people to make friends among the club."

The success of the club doesn't stop there. David is hoping that the new president, Ryan Watson, will take the club even further and continue to expand, as well as have an improved focus on conservation.

Included in expanding the program is working with other college programs. CU and Colorado State University may be rivals on the football field, but on the river, they're all on the same team of river stewardship, "CSU started a club this spring and were hoping to have them tag along on a couple of our trips, and help them out in any way we can. Having another club so nearby creates so many opportunities, from conservation to fun competitions."

Being in the fraternity of a select few Costa Ambassadors, the role doesn't stop after graduation. Muench plans to continue to stay involved with TU and make a difference for Colorado's rivers and trout.

Muench graduated in the Spring of 2016 with a bachelor's degree in engineering from CU Boulder. He plans to move to Denver and stay involved with TU and work with the local chapters and groups in the area.

What's in a name?

We've all heard of them- the Animas, Cache La Poudre, Cimarron, Yampa, Purgatoire, Uncompahgre. All of these Colorado rivers are household names throughout the state. We all say them, most of know where they are located, but what's up with the names? Most rivers are named after a town or a physical location (Colorado River, Gunnison River). Other's are named after the individuals who first recorded their discovery of the river or the leader who sent them on their exploration.

But some rivers have unusual names with unusual histories. Stories that have been told for centuries still resonate through their unique names.

The Animas River near Durango, Colorado got it's name from in 1765 from Spanish explorer Juan Maria de Rivera. When Maria De Rivera went in search of gold from Sante Fe, his group was haunted by the empty ruins of pueblo dwellings. Thus, they decided to name the river, "Rio de las Animas Perdidas" meaning River of Lost Souls. The Animas also runs through other Aztec, Ute and Navajo lands that have sense been "lost".

Cache La Poudre River has it's headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park and flows east from the Continental Divide. The river has supplied mining and railroad camps, cities, towns and agriculture throughout northern Colorado for centuries. But what does Cache La Poudre mean? In the 1820's French explorers were caught in a tremendous snow storm along the headwaters of the river. In order to lighten their load, they had to bury substantial amounts of gun powder along the river banks. The burying of the powder gave the water it's name, Cache La Poudre or "Hide the Powder."

The Cimarron River get it's name from early Spanish Explorers who named the water "Río de los Carneros Cimarrón" translating to "River of the Wild Sheep." Given for the large amounts of big horn sheep that explorers found along the river. Early American Explorers called the same river, "The Red Fork of the Arkansas" due it's color from the red clay banks.

The Yampa River is a tributary of the Green River which then flows into the Colorado River. The name Yampa was coined by John C Freemont who noticed the large amounts of Perideridia plants along the banks of the River.

While some rivers have names from their explorers, others have interesting stories behind their name. The name could come from an event along the water, like the Purgatoire River- meaning purgatory, named by French explorers after they saw Spanish Explorers killed by a native tribe. Or it could come from the sightings explorers noticed, like the Umcompahgre- which means "Dirty Water" in Ute because of the off color of the water.

All of these river names are known to Coloradans and anglers alike, but the history behind the naming of their favorite river is known to few.

College programs growing in the west

Leaders for tomorrow are stepping up in big ways and want to contribute to our rivers conservation. TU is helping support and organize over 62 college clubs throughout the lower continental US.  These clubs are a testament of TU’s continued effort to support and engage a wider audience with a legitimate interest in learning more about conservation efforts. In the western region, there are a total of 14 clubs- 10 of which are located in Colorado. These college clubs all have a faculty advisor, student members, and a chapter liaison. Referred to as the TU Costa 5 Rivers Clubs, these groups must integrate events that work with 5 different pillars- conservation, fundraising, community outreach, be an ambassador for Costa del Mar, and have a TU connection.

Along with helping spread the TU mission on campus, clubs are encouraged to participate with their local chapter and TU board to coordinate outings, guest speakers, and other events.

The 10 schools participating in the program are: Adams State University, Colorado College, Colorado State, Colorado Mesa College, Colorado Mountain College-Steamboat, Fort Lewis, Metro State University, Western State University, University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Denver.

University of Utah, Utah State, University of Wyoming, and Western Washington University are the other four schools rounding out the west.

Thanks to the student leadership, these programs all are growing in size each year. For instance, CU Boulder had 20 people last school year and has now more than doubled in size with 50 students in the current year.

CU Boulder has organized at least three full weekends of weekend trips, a river cleanup, and had over 30 participants helping teach fly fishing classes to students who may have been otherwise intimidated to try and join the sport. The CU Fly Fishing Club also helped with the local TU Chapter, the Boulder Flycasters, youth night.

All the clubs are doing their part, whether it's a stream cleanup or Youtube videos made by the students at Colorado College to help spread the word about conservation and fly fishing, these individual clubs are expanding.

But it doesn't stop there.

There are also plans to expand the entire TU Costa 5 Rivers program in the west to include more than the 14 current schools. According to Andrew Loffredo, TU Costa 5 Rivers Coordinator, they are searching various universities for faculty or students that would be interested as well as relying on chapters to help expand the program.

As an annual incentive and celebration of the great work these clubs are doing, in early April 2016, western clubs will all meet along the Frying Pan River in Colorado for the 3^rd annual TU Costa 5 Rivers Rendezvous. With help from the primary sponsor, Costa del Mar, these students will come together to socialize, share ideas, compete in a photo fishing scavenger hunt, and participate in an “Iron Fly” competition.

With help from CTU, Costa, chapters and local campuses, the 5 Rivers program is headed in the right direction and a new breed of young conversationalists are being molded.