Field & Stream Conservationist blogger Hal Herring and photographer Kevin Cooley spent three days exploring what's at stake in the current rush to develop the energy resources beneath Colorado's unique Roan Plateau -- some of the best big game hunting and trout fishing in the United States. Here's what they found on day three.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/finding-deer-hunt/2010/07/exploring-roan-plateau-day-three
Field & Stream Hiking down into lower Trapper Creek. Ken Neubecker in the lead, Chris Hunt, Mac Cunningham, and me bringing up the tail. We’ll be in the cool trees soon, and you can see across to the dry, sun-baked aspect of the canyon, sage and cinquefoil and short grass. That side of the canyon is like a different world from where we’ll be fishing, but it’s really only a few hundred yards away. Shade, aspect, water, elevation, terrain - they change everything, and nowhere is this more clear than on the Roan, where all of these vastly different worlds are so close together. There is perhaps no place in Colorado that holds so much diversity, or where so much unique habitat remains unprotected.
Field & Stream Conservationist blogger Hal Herring and photographer Kevin Cooley spent three days exploring what's at stake in the current rush to develop the energy resources beneath Colorado's unique Roan Plateau -- some of the best big game hunting and trout fishing in the United States. Here's what they found on day two.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/finding-deer-hunt/2010/07/exploring-roan-plateau-day-two
Field & Stream The Roan Plateau in western Colorado is the “line in the sand” for the Western sportsman who values intact fish and wildlife habitat and a unique sporting opportunity amidst a sea of industrial development. The Roan, which comprises only one percent of the entire Piceance Basin Gas Field, rests above significant reserves of natural gas, but also provides refuge for trophy mule deer, elk, grouse, bear, mountain lion and pure strains of Colorado River cutthroat trout.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/finding-deer-hunt/2010/07/overview-roan-plateau
I went back to the Roan with Field and Stream, some great photographers from Brooklyn, and some guys from Trout Unlimited who have been fighting for this place for over a decade now. We all wanted to spend some days way up high, wander the rugged canyons that crisscross the plateau and shelter the monster bull elk that have made it famous and catch a few native Colorado cutthroats in the shadowed cathedrals of stone and water. It was not a trip to experience what might soon be lost. It was a trip to see and feel what is still truly worth fighting for. In a world that seems haunted by losses for hunters and fishermen and their children, here was a chance, and a place, to hold on to. http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/finding-deer-hunt/2010/07/exploring-colorados-roan-plateau-day-one
Conservationist blogger Hal Herring and photographer Kevin Cooley spent three days exploring what's at stake in the current rush to develop the energy resources beneath Colorado's unique Roan Plateau -- some of the best big game hunting and trout fishing in the United States. http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/fishing/trout-fishing/where-fish-trout/2010/07/exploring-roan-plateau-day-one
Nearly two decades after the local Trout Unlimited chapter unofficially adopted Trapper Creek, a small stream burbling from the sandstone layers atop the Roan Plateau, the changes are noticeable. Where once cattle trod through decadent sagebrush and the deepest hole was a smelly mud wallow, lush grasses and clear runs mark a stream that more than once has come back from the brink of disappearance.
http://www.gjsentinel.com/outdoors/articles/group_pours_years_into_protect/
Colorado Trout Unlimited, in partnership with Boulder-based Upslope Brewery, have a series of exciting events happening every Wednesday in August. CTU has been selected by Upslope to participate in their Pints for People (and rivers) program - a cool collaboration between the two organizations, and a little bit of fundraising for CTU!
Here is how it works - Every Wednesday in August, from 4:00 to 8:00pm, head over to the Upslope Brewing taproom (located at 1501 Lee Hill Road, No.20) and drink some beers. If you buy some beer or other products to take home, a portion of those proceeds go directly to CTU - its a win-win situation!
So...Wednesdays...August 4, 11, 18, 25 head over to the tap room and drink some beer - and support Colorado's rivers in the process!!
Julie SutorSummit County Correspondent Post Independent
SUMMIT COUNTY, Colorado — New water diversions could sap the life from the Upper Colorado River Basin, according to American Rivers, a national conservation group.
The organization declared the Upper Colorado America's sixth most endangered river earlier this month in its annual survey of the health of the nation's rivers.
“We can't continue to take and take water from the Upper Colorado without accounting for the serious impacts to fish and wildlife habitat,” said Ken Neubecker of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “This river is on the brink. A vibrant, healthy river system in the Upper Colorado is every bit as important to the future of Colorado as the water it supplies to our farms and cities.”
http://www.postindependent.com/article/20100630/VALLEYNEWS/100629860/1083&ParentProfile=1074
Field & Stream Ever wanted to learn to fly fish, but assumed it was just too complicated... and thought you didn't have the time or money to climb the learning curve?
Well you are fresh out of excuses. Orvis and Trout Unlimited have combined for a nationwide effort to recruit new fly fishers. Every Saturday in July, between 9 a.m. and noon, all you have to do is show up at an Orvis store, and you can take classes that teach you how to cast... how to rig your gear... everything you need to get started. I'm pretty sure they'll even give you some leads on the best fishing spots in your area. To find a location near you, go to orvis.com/flyfishing101.
You don't need to buy anything. But if you do, they'll give you a break.
If you go and complete the classes, you'll get a $15 savings card from Orvis, and a certificate for free membership in Trout Unlimited, worth $35 in total.
Now, some of you might be asking, "why do we want more fly anglers? Doesn't that squeeze my space on the river?" The answer is an emphatic "no." New fly fishers make our collective conservation voice louder and stronger, which leads to all of us having more space on more rivers.
“Fly fishers are a significant part of Trout Unlimited’s membership because of our mission to protect, conserve and restore coldwater fisheries and their watersheds in North America. Our volunteers are excited to help newcomers learn and enjoy the sport of fly fishing,” said Christopher Anderson, Trout Unlimited.
In a nutshell, this is a brilliant program (one I wish more fly companies had the vision and resolve to emulate) and I hope you or someone you know takes part.
