By Charlie MeyersThe Denver Post
"There needs to be some awareness. It's a controversial little creek. There needs to be some regulations. Take Bear Creek, for instance. If it wasn't for the work by Trout Unlimited to get catch-and- release on rainbows, it would be virtually sterile by now."
Audrey Gilpin - Mail Staff Writer Habitat restoration was completed in August at Fooses Creek and the South Fork of the Arkansas River, which feed two antique hydroelectric plants operated by Xcel Energy.
During a tour of the restored sites last week, U.S. Forest Service fisheries biologist Phillip Gaines said the project began after studies found the sites east of Garfield and below Maysville had insufficient fishery habitat.
Collegiate Peaks Anglers and Cheyenne Mountain chapters of Trout Unlimited donated $5,000, Xcel Energy contributed $50,000 and the Colorado Division of Wildlife made in-kind donations to the project.
"Trout Unlimited really came to the rescue," Gaines said.
http://www.themountainmail.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=17539
“There are projects that have significant adverse environmental impact that we could not support,” said Melinda Kassen, managing director of the Western Water Project for Trout Unlimited. “And there are projects that have substantially fewer environmental impacts that we can support,” she said, if mitigation measures are included.
By Juley Harvey [Estes park] Trail-Gazette
"River Watch is a wonderful way to get many people interested in protecting our rivers and streams," they said. "Anyone from the community could become involved, if they would like to make a change in the world. River Watch is extremely enjoyable for people ages 12 and up, because you get to work, hands-on, collecting your own data and know that you are working for a great cause....We learned information that will help us become both local and global stewards of our streams and planet."
By Juley Harvey Trail-Gazette The Supreme Court`s rulings in 2001 and 2006 narrowed protection to only "navigable waters," leaving wetlands, ponds waterfowl habitats and the intermittent creeks and streams that run throughout Colorado`s mountains open to the jeopardy of pollution. Wildlife organizations say that more than 76,000 miles of Colorado streams (73 percent of the state`s waterways) are at risk because of the looser law.
"Headwater streams, especially the intermittent and ephemeral streams that are dry for parts of the year, are the 'Rodney Dangerfields` of the water resource world: they don`t get enough respect," Steve Moyer, vice president for government affairs for Trout Unlimited, said. "Yet the best science we have tells us how extremely valuable headwater streams are for drinking water, water quality and fish and wildlife habitat. If the Clean Water Act`s visionary goals are ever to be achieved, Congress must restore protection for these critical resources."
By MATT HILDNERTHE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
Elizabeth Russell, who works on Kerber Creek and other mine cleanup projects for Trout Unlimited, said the legislation also would likely free up funding from government agencies and other organizations who might have shied away from doing so because of the liability concern.
"We're keeping our fingers crossed," she said.
The bill, titled the "Good Samaritan Cleanup of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act" is in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/10/15/news/local/doc4ad6b2e50a4a6906261873.txt
By Michael Riley The Denver Post
Udall's bill would streamline the permitting process for groups who otherwise would have to obtain a permit under the Clean Water Act to clean up an old mine — a process that can sometimes take years — while also shielding those groups from liability for not completing the job to exacting federal standards.
While the idea is supported by groups such as Trout Unlimited, it is opposed by some major environmental groups that believe it would make the Clean Water Act a target for lawmakers who want to weaken the landmark legislation.
"There are some groups that are of the opinion that we can't touch the Clean Water Act because if we do, by God, it will be eviscerated in the Congress. I think that is a playing-not-to- lose offense," according to Chris Wood, chief operating officer of Trout Unlimited.
Calling past opposition a “spirited debate in the environmental community about the best way forward,” Udall pointed to two environmental groups who have already agreed to support the new bill: Trout Unlimited and Earthworks. Trout Unlimited Chief Operating Officer Chris Wood released a statement in support of the bill, pointing to EPA data indicating that abandoned hardrock mines contaminate 40 percent of Western streams.
http://coloradoindependent.com/40122/udall-introduces-new-good-samaritan-water-clean-up-legislation
Chris Wood, Trout Unlimited's chief operating officer, said in a prepared statement that cleaning up abandoned mines "is one of the single most important, least addressed environmental challenges in the nation." Wood said Trout Unlimited is cleaning up fisheries and water affected by abandoned mines in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and Nevada.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has had to negotiate deals and issue administrative orders to protect the conservation group from lawsuits.
http://cbs4denver.com/local/Senator.sponsors.bill.2.1248421.html
Special to the Trail-Gazette
But as conservation, government and business interests in Grand County geared up for a protracted fight, water developers Denver Water and Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District agreed to work with local agencies to find ways to meet the water needs of the Front Range while minimizing the impact on wildlife and recreation on the Colorado and Fraser Rivers.
Neubecker will speak about the situation at the Alpine Anglers` monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 in the Hondius Room of the Estes Park Public Library. The public is invited.
