Fishers, hunters worry development could spoil Roan Plateau

9News.com Accidental spills are just one of the threats that wildlife on top of western Colorado's Roan Plateau might face, now that the federal government has opened the door to drilling there.

One of the species that could wind up living in the shadow of drilling is believed by many to be a state genetic treasure.

Fly fisherman Ken Neubecker describes catching Colorado River Cutthroat trout as "combat fishing."

"They like to stay undercover. It's a short cast. They're only a few feet away," he said.

The trout love to hide out under a line-snaring tangle of overhanging willow.

Neubecker talked to 9NEWS as he stood beside a 15 foot wide, 8 inch deep strip of clear stream, meandering at the base of a ridge. It's a dauntingly steep mile down from the top of the ridge, which like scores of others, forms the undulating top of the Roan Plateau.

http://www.9news.com/seenon9news/article.aspx?storyid=101766&catid=509

Forests, fish and skiers have place in drought plans

By CHRIS WOODKATHE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

In the water itself, Trout Unlimited is assessing what the worst impacts of climate change could be, said Greg Espegren, aquatics specialist.

The group uses a conservation success index to measure the viability of species. It is particularly concerned with the cutthroat trout in the Colorado River basin. The risks include wildfires that degrade streams through erosion and sedimentation, increased water temperatures and winter floods.

http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2008/10/12/news/denver_bureau/doc48f187cc381ab122676862.txt

Lessons learned from innocent fishing tourney

The Coloradoan The Denver chapter of Trout Unlimited, a group committed to "conserving, protecting, and restoring North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds," held its second annual Pro-Am Carp Slam. The event took place on the South Platte River from Evans Avenue in Denver north to Thornton.

Thirteen teams consisting of one professional and one amateur fished two "beats" each, one section in the morning and a different section in the afternoon.

http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081012/ENTERTAINMENT06/810120301

The Emerging Environmental Majority

From Red State Rebels Home Page

 Seventy-five percent of Americans in a 2005 Harris poll agreed with the statement, “Protecting the environment is so important that requirements and standards cannot be too high, and continuing environmental improvements must be made regardless of cost.”.....

... Yet a shrinking minority of voters are willing to associate themselves with the loaded term “environmentalist.” In the same poll, only 12 percent claimed that label. Americans like green, but they are less fond of greens. And that has been doubly true for outdoorsmen.

http://redstaterebels.org/2008/10/the-emerging-environmental-majority/

Current affairs on state water

By Mark Jaffe The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 10/05/2008 01:10:04 PM MDT

Denver and the northern district have the water rights to take those 48,000 acre-feet from the streams and rivers of Grand County.

"For years Denver Water's position was: 'These are our water rights; we're exercising them,' " said Kirk Klancke, manager of the Winter Park Ranch Water and Sewer District. "So this dialogue is a big step."

What Grand County officials are seeking are ways to soften and manage the impacts of removing more water.

The county has spent $800,000 on a stream-management plan that indicates what a healthy flow would be for each reach of stream and river flowing through the county.

The towns of Winter Park and Fraser, in cooperation with Trout Unlimited, initiated a $750,000 project to reconfigure a stretch of the Fraser River so it would run faster and have deeper pools for fish.

The county spent $60,000 this summer to pump an additional 1,500 acre-feet of water into Lake Granby so it could be released this fall to help buck-up the Colorado and prevent another Labor Day dry-out.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_10635332

State will stick with roadless plan

Colorado officials worry about a potential loophole that could allow gas drilling in some roadless forests, but don't plan to scrap their plan for managing 4 million acres of the backcountry.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10638568

Elk tags, oil and gas hot issues

Charlie Meyers / Denver Post

'What follows are two morality plays that seemingly haven't the slightest shred of connection, as different as truth and lie.'

http://www.denverpost.com/outdoors/ci_10541544

Western & Colorado Water Project Staff Notes

September 2008

We continued to participate in the "visioning" exercise that Colorado's Inter-Basin Compact Committee is doing around what the state's water future will look like. http://ibcc.state.co.us/

The first printed copies of the WWP's 10th Anniversary Report, Water, People, Fish arrived in time for us to distribute to Board and annual meeting attendees. Additional copies will arrive soon and information will be available on CTU’s website and National’s Western Water conservation page.

http://www.tu.org/site/c.kkLRJ7MSKtH/b.3022975/

We completed the white paper about the next generation of TU’s Conservation Success Index (CSI) and made a presentation with the task force's recommendations to TU’s Board of Directors. More information on this will be forthcoming and expect to see some changes on the CSI website as a result of this effort as well.

http://www.tu.org/site/c.kkLRJ7MSKtH/b.4347959/

Excellent news on the hiring front! The Colorado Water Project hired Greg Espegren to be its aquatic specialist. Formerly, Greg was with the Colorado Division of Wildlife and the Colorado Water Conservation Board. And, after a thorough search of an excellent pool of candidates, we've filled the WWP Communications Director position with Randy Scholfield, the editorial writer for the Wichita Eagle newspaper and an avid TU member and angler, who was previously an organizer with the Great Plains Earth Institute and a teacher after having been awarded a PhD in English.

TU and the other parties to the Colorado water court proceedings to quantify the Black Canyon reserved water right are engaged in mediation. The lawyers have reached agreement on a proposed decree. The parties’ principals are now reviewing.

We met with the proponents of expanding Rio Grande Reservoir. The proponents claim that expanded storage capacity could be used to improve late season flows in the Rio Grande River. We are evaluating the expansion and will be providing input.

http://www.wildernet.com/pages/area.cfm?areaID=CORSRG&CU_ID=1

The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has released its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Colorado Springs’ Southern Delivery System (SDS). We have prepared draft comments on the EIS. We have also been discussing mitigation measures with the BOR and Colorado Springs: http://www.sdseis.com/

The Army Corps of Engineers released its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Northern District’s Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP). We submitted comments on the EIS in September. http://www.ncwcd.org/project_features/nisp_main.asp

http://www.savethepoudre.org/

We will be reviewing Denver’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license application related to expanding Gross Reservoir on South Boulder Creek. Comments are due at the end of September.

http://www.denverwater.org/search/searchframe.html

Fraser Valley water officials optimistic about device that vacuums sediment from streams

By Will BublitzSky-Hi Daily News

'Tucker and Streamside Systems were invited to the Fraser Valley by Kirk Klancke, chapter president of Trout Unlimited and president of the East Grand Water Quality Board.'

http://www.skyhidailynews.com/article/20080918/NEWS/809199981/1079&ParentProfile=1067&title=Fraser%20Valley%20water%20officials%20optimistic%20about%20device%20that%20vacuums%20sediment%20from%20streams

Environmental report for Chimney Hollow shows possible effects of reservoir southwest of Loveland

By Pamela DickmanLoveland Reporter-Herald

'The 90,000-acre-foot reservoir near Carter Lake (southwest of Loveland) would store water from the Windy Gap project for Front Range communities.'

http://reporterherald.com/news_story.asp?ID=18920