Giving Back to the Watershed

In June, Rocky Mountain Flycasters (RMF), the Fort Collins area Chapter of TU, began discussing the restoration process in the areas burned by both the High Park and Hewlett Gulch fires.Those two fires burned close to 100,000 acres of forest in the Poudre and Big Thompson watersheds. RMF was gravely concerned what impacts the fires would have on the watersheds. Using recent Colorado and Western US fires as examples, the chapter knew that restoration costs of those burned areas couldn't be done solely through agency response. The US Forest Service, National Resource Conservation Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado State Forest Service and Larimer County are all first rate organizations, but all these agencies combined lack the resources necessary to address the ecological damage caused this year by our two local fires, Colorado's other wildlifres, and the numerous fires burning throughout the Western US.

Rocky Mountain Flycasters has teamed with, in a leadership capacity, approximately 40 current member, agency or stakeholder organizations throughout Northern Colorado to collectively fund, organize and support restoration needs for the High Park and Hewlett Gulch fire areas through the High Park Restoration Committee (HPRC).

Restoration funds collected for the benefit and use by the coalition will be deposited with the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado. Project proposals will reviewed and approved by a HPRC Project Review Committee and funding will only be released to those projects that are approved by the committee.

To get "boots on the ground" and working on restorative projects, trained project leaders will be required to manage the on-site work. Project leaders will be volunteers and can receive training certification through programs provided by Wildlands Restoration Volunteers.

Details of volunteer and cooperative HPRC projects will be posted in the Rocky Mountain Flycasters newsletter and on the RMF website.

This is a tremendous opportunity for all anglers and those who support angling to 'give back' to the community and more importantly to give back to the rivers. Nothing can be done to eliminate the devastating effects fires have caused to the watershed, but together we can minimize the time it takes for the watershed to begin to recover and regain a sense of normalcy.

For more information about volunteering or donating to the HPRC, please visit the RMF website at http://www.rockymtnflycasters.org or contact Dick Jefferies, President of the Rocky Mountain Flycasters chapter, at djefferies@q.com.

White River Basin - Worth Protecting

After months of waiting and anticipation, we finally get to see what the BLM thinks oil and gas development should look like in the White River basin. The White River basin sits in the little-known north-western corner of Colorado and spans over 2 million acres. Last week, the White River Field Office released the draft Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA), which will govern how oil and gas development will proceed in the basin for the next 20 years. Of course, many sportsmen and women perked up when they heard the news – the basin is home to outstanding fisheries, some of the largest elk and deer herds in North America and home to a myriad of other critters we all care about. These values sometimes contrast with the extensive energy development occurring in the basin.

Here at TU, we are striving to ensure that an appropriate balance is struck. We drafted the Sportsmen’s Conservation Vision for the basin that outlines many of the ways we think energy development should proceed while retaining robust fish and wildlife populations and the basin’s other ways of life such as farming, ranching and outdoor recreational pursuits. We also work with the BLM, industry and other sportsmen towards meaningful solutions that benefit all parties. Of course, this is very difficult at times and we need other voices to echo our call to keep the area healthy and vibrant for generations to come.

That’s where you come in. We need our members to share their thoughts with the BLM about what they value and to offer ideas and insight regarding what they view as the smart way to develop.

In the coming weeks, we will post more information about where we feel the plan needs improvement and how to encourage the BLM to make those changes. In the meantime we encourage you to visit the planning website to see the plan for yourself or attend one of the four open houses hosted by the BLM, scheduled for late September. Your review and comments are an important part of ensuring the continuance of strong sporting and angling heritage in the White River basin.

You can find the draft plan in its entirety, along with the open house schedule by clicking this link.

Please check back in the near future for further information and contact Aaron Kindle if you have other questions (akindle@tu.org  303 868 2859).

Conservation nerds and the tale of Hermosa Creek

Here at TU, we spend a lot of time talking about watersheds.

We conservation nerds can find the most befuddling things to occupy the hours of the day. But, much to the dismay of our poor, bored-to-tears spouses and significant others, this notion we love so much here – the idea of protecting quality, connected, large-scale chunks of habitat – is catching on.

And it’s a good thing, too.

Case in point: the community reaching out to preserve Hermosa Creek in Colorado.

Located just outside the town of Durango, Hermosa Creek is a completely intact watershed with exceptional recreation values. Think rugged 13,000 foot peaks, high alpine meadows, pine, fir and aspen forests, crystal clear water and you’ll start to get a sense of this place.

Home to a native Colorado River cutthroat trout reintroduction program and some of the finest elk habitat in Colorado, Hermosa Creek is a sportsmen’s paradise.  For OHV enthusiasts, mountain bikers, campers, hikers, photographers and backpackers, Hermosa Creek offers some of the best…and within just a few miles of a major community.

With this in mind, locals formed a working group, the River Protection Workgroup, which spent 22 months crafting a blueprint for future management of this little gem. This proposal was not built in a D.C. office, but instead as a function of local, stakeholder-driven collaborative.  Everyone had a seat at the table and the consensus recommendations reflect a broad group of interests.

With that blueprint in hand, Sen. Michael Bennet. introduced the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2012. This legislation will maintain the quality of the habitat through a balance of protections and allowances to keep many things just as they are today. It’s the best of both worlds – sensitive habitat gets preserved and users still get to enjoy the landscape as they already do.

Just a few highlights:

• About 108,000 acres of the San Juan National Forest will be designated as the Hermosa Creek Special Management area (SMA), meaning it will have more protection than any old chunk of National Forest. The key here are the boundaries, which are drawn to encompass the entire watershed – no whittling out small bits that later have to be put together like a some hackneyed puzzle where the pieces don’t quite fit together anymore. In this fantastically fantastic instance (can you tell how giddy we are about this?) we’re talking the WHOLE puzzle.

• Of that acreage, some will receive more stringent protections, some less. For example, 25 percent of the area will allow current and historical uses such as mountain biking, motorized recreation, selected timber harvesting, grazing etc.

• 40 percent of the acreage will allow those activities to take place, but will no longer be eligible for future building of roads or timber harvesting, meaning more land will be able to stay just as it is today.

• All of the SMA, save for about 2,000 acres will be withdrawn from future mineral development.

• The remaining 35 percent will be designated as wilderness.

Bottom line? This is common-sense approach from the people, for the people – a collective forward step by a community that will protect a special corner of their own backyard.

The genius behind this kind of legislation is that it takes the entire watershed into consideration, thereby taking into account a basic principle that we all too often forget: All things are connected. By taking the initiative to protect the entire watershed, this community is taking an innovative approach to conservation. You can’t protect one portion of habitat if you don’t protect the things connected to it – i.e. what good is protecting a fish if there is no water for that fish?

So next time you overhear one of those conservation nerds utter those buzz killing phrases – watershed…habitat…permanent protection…collaborative process…federally designated lands  - don’t glaze over. Throw them a bone. Listen with a content smile on your face and happy heart. They’re doing good things for you.

And little-by-little, it’s catching on. Just ask the folks over in Hermosa Creek.

Originally posted here on the Trout Unlimited website.

Protecting CO Backcountry

Colorado’s backcountry fish and wildlife habitats will enjoy strong protections for the future thanks to a new federal rule that was shaped significantly by anglers and hunters.

The July 2012 release of the final US Forest Service plan for conservation and management of Colorado’s roadless areas was the culmination of a process that spanned the terms of three governors. From the beginning, TU was there, taking part in Governor Owens’ initial roadless task force, periodically meeting with Forest Services officials, and working to secure enhancements right through the final days before the rule was issued.

Why is “roadless” so important to TU? Because roadless areas support prime wildlife habitat that is critical to the survival and recovery of Colorado’s remaining populations of native cutthroat trout. The numbers tell the story about what roadless areas encompass:

• More than 75% of the remaining habitat for Greenback cutthroats
• Nearly 60% of the remaining habitat for Rio Grande cutthroats
• More than 70% of the remaining habitat for Colorado River cutthroats

Native trout and dirt roads are not good partners. Backcountry streams that support native trout are often narrow, not very deep and can experience very low seasonal flows. A single severe thunderstorm can flush so much sediment into a stream that spawning areas are smothered and fish suffocated.

Of course, TU wasn’t alone in its support of a beefed-up backcountry plan. Colorado hunters supported roadless protections because they harbor some of the state’s best big game habitat: More than 50% of elk summer concentration and production areas are in roadless areas, and the 15 most hunted Game Management Units in Colorado all have more than 66,000 acres of roadless lands.

Development of a state-specific Colorado Roadless Rule began during the Bush Administration as an alternative approach to the Clinton administration’s 2001 rule, at a time when the 2001 rule was the subject of multiple lawsuits. Even though the ensuing legal battles ultimately resulted in the affirmation of the Clinton-era rule, Colorado continued to develop its own plan, focusing on local interests and issues. TU participated throughout, always reiterating a simple standard: we would support a Colorado rule only if it was, on balance, as strong as or stronger than the 2001 rule in protecting Colorado’s backcountry.

It was a fruitful strategy. TU’s most notable success was to secure special protection for drainages supporting native cutthroat trout. And while the final rule allows for a range of activities within those drainages, it also requires the Forest Service to ensure that those activities would not result in any long-term declines in cutthroat trout habitat, or in the extent of streams and lakes occupied by the native cutthroat. These protections help ensure that roadless areas continue to serve as an essential and effective refuge for Colorado’s native trout heritage.

The final rule that emerged from the decade-long process contains additional, important protections:

• Establishing an “upper tier” category of roadless lands with protections stronger than those in the 2001 federal rule, including a requirement that oil and gas reserves be accessed through directional drilling, with drill sites sited outside the roadless boundaries. This upper tier includes more than 1.2 million acres of Colorado’s total of 4.2 million roadless acres.
• Closing a loophole in the federal rule that allowed for “linear construction zones” – temporary roads in all but name. Under the new rule, these “LCZs” are greatly restricted.
• Adjusting the federally designated “roadless areas” to reflect more accurate inventories, effectively extending roadless protection to more than 400,000 acres not included under the 2001 rule.

The final Colorado rule does contains some exemptions from the road-building and logging limitations of the 2001 rule, designed to accommodate specific community and economic interests. Most notably, the rule allows for temporary roads and logging to address wildfire risks by conducting fuel treatments in roadless areas adjacent to communities in the so-called “wildland-urban interface.” The Colorado rule also exempts certain areas within the boundaries of existing ski areas, as well as areas overlying some existing coal mining areas within the North Fork of the Gunnison watershed. Another exemption allowing for construction and maintenance of water conveyances with existing water rights was also included.

Colorado TU Executive Director, David Nickum, praised the new rule for its balance between strong protections for key habitats and flexibility when it comes to community protection and economic development. “We recognize the need to deal with issues like fuel reduction around communities,” said Nickum. “But the new rule pairs that flexibility with stronger protections for Colorado’s native trout heritage and its best backcountry lands. It strikes the right balance.”

Trout Unlimited was a central voice in pushing for some of the final changes that helped the Colorado rule meet our standard of being, on balance, as strong as the national rule.

Those changes included strengthened provisions for native trout protection, limitations on the location of water development facilities, and the concept of “upper tier” areas, which were modeled after a state-specific plan created by in Idaho.

There is no question that without the steady and effective involvement of sportsmen throughout the rulemaking process, we would not have achieved the success that we see in the final rule today.

“Colorado’s anglers and hunters understand the connection between healthy fish and game habitat and their ability to fish and hunt successfully on land that belongs to all Americans,” said Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “That’s why our volunteer members were engaged in the Colorado rule-making process. This rule, while not perfect, sets the bar pretty high and proves that sportsmen are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to protecting public lands and how they’re managed today, and in the future.”

For more on the importance of backcountry areas, visit Trout Unlimited's report on Colorado roadless areas, Where the Wildlands Are: Colorado

Discovering Life at CTU’s Fly-Fishing Youth Camp

By Jacob Lemon When Adam Beede arrived at Colorado Trout Unlimited’s 2012 Fly-Fishing Youth Camp, he was not a happy camper.

In the four months prior to camp, the teenager from Highlands Ranch had undergone four surgeries and spent six weeks in and out of the hospital. The experience had left him feeling a bit lost.

 “Between all of the surgeries, I no longer recognized who I was,” says Adam. “I fell so deeply into this hole, that I hadn’t realized who, or what, the surgeries forced me to become. I spent the next months looking for the old me—the me that I enjoyed, the me that I wanted to be. I was somber, and all too lost.”

Then Adam showed up for camp.  Under the patient watch of Sharon Lance, Mike Nicholson, Larry Quilling, and other volunteers for Colorado TU, Adam began to interact with the other kids. After a few days, Adam’s shyness disappeared and he was star-gazing, fishing, checking out bugs, and learning about conservation with the other kids.

By the time the last day of camp rolled around, Adam felt healed. So much so that he wrote: “One ranch, one organization, and one special group of people provided me with a feeling I hadn’t felt in an awfully long time; happiness. Because of TU Summer Camp, I found my lost life, and unraveled a lifetime of memories.”

The seventh annual CTU River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp took place at the High Lonesome Ranch near DeBeque, Colorado, from June 10-15.  Sixteen campers from Canon City, Grand Junction, Littleton and other Colorado communities spent five days learning about the importance of coldwater fisheries conservation and received hands-on fly-fishing instruction. 

They learned to catch fish, lose fish—and tell fish stories, too. They attended classes each day. Conservation topics included stream ecology, entomology, impacts of oil and gas industry, water law, hydrology, and much more!  The campers also learned the basics of fly casting, fly tying, reading the water, streamside ethics and stream safety. 

bug sampling

“Our hope is that kids who attend our camp today will become the conservation leaders of tomorrow,” said Shawn Bratt, a veteran youth camp counselor and winner of the 2008 National Trout Unlimited award for Outstanding Youth Education Volunteer. “It’s important for these students to understand the value of healthy streams and clean water and how they relate to our everyday lives. The camp curriculum has been structured to provide the necessary foundation for that education.”

TU works across the country on projects to protect and restore coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. The organization understands that to sustain that work into the future, it’s vital to engage the next generation of anglers and help them develop a conservation ethic.

That is why TU has made youth education a priority with a variety of local and state level programs that aim to create mindful and “complete anglers”—sportsmen and women who are passionate not only about fishing but also about protecting local home waters and giving back to their communities. With 19 camps in 17 states nationwide, Trout Unlimited youth camps provide meaningful, high-impact experiences to hundreds of kids each year.

casting on pond

This camp is made possible by the tireless work of a cadre of TU volunteers hailing from locations throughout the state of Colorado.  Eleven on-site volunteers led activities, while three alumni from previous camps serving as camp counselors.  One of those alumni—camp counselor Ben Ward, a student at Hoehne High School in Trinidad—said the camp had provided meaningful experiences, both as a camper and counselor.  “As a camper, I had a chance learn about fly fishing and about the many people who are fighting to protect the rivers, forests, plains, and the environment for kids and the future.  As a counselor, there were still those same chances but I felt like by coming back that I was part of the people who are fighting for our environment.”

CTU seeks to make this experience accessible to any interested youth by offering camp scholarships that are funded by local TU chapters.  Thanks to the generosity of many Colorado TU chapters, every student attended this year’s camp on full scholarship.

The CTU River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp is a shining example of what can be accomplished when TU volunteers collaborate across chapter lines and dedicate themselves to creating a quality program.  Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and the support of our chapters, the CTU Youth Camp will be providing unforgettable experiences to Colorado’s youth for years to come.

nice fish

“The past five days have been the greatest experiences of my life,” said camper Meg Branine. “In this week, I have developed a love for a sport I aim to continue. All components of this camp—the  science, the fishing and the social aspects—have all benefited me greatly.  They have given me a passion to protect our rivers and wild lands as well as great memories to take with me.”

Since the camp, Adam Beede has gone on several fishing trips with his new friends, volunteered for his local Cutthroat Chapter of Trout Unlimited, participated in the South Platte Clean-Up Day and assisted in a fly-fishing class for women. 

“This entire trip has been an incredible journey for me, and I believe that I speak for everyone when I say that,” said Adam. “Throughout this trip I’ve grown not only as an angler, but as a human. I’ve been happier this week than any time I can remember.I don’t want to leave and I’m going to miss you all so very much.”

For more information about the camp, contact Jake Lemon, Youth Education Coordinator, Colorado TU jake.lemon@coloradotu.org.

The Hole in the Colorado River

After eight miles, we reach Windy Gap Reservoir where we meet up with Rob Firth, the Colorado River Headwaters Project Coordinator for Trout Unlimited. He informs us that the full-fledged "hole in the river" begins at Windy Gap and ends where Troublesome Creek reinvigorates the river's flow 21 miles downstream. According to Firth, this stretch is "a terribly dewatered section that puts this river in a very perilous state." Read the complete article in the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zachary-podmore/the-hole-in-the-colorado_b_1749889.html

Bridging the (Thompson) Divide

Help Protect an Area Vital to Western Colorado Fisheries

Senator Michael Bennet recently introduced draft legislation to protect the area known as the Thompson Divide, near Carbondale, Colorado. The bill is being labeled as a discussion draft with the intent of gathering public input before formally introducing it in the Senate.

Many of you may ask why this area matters to TU? That’s a good question with several answers. First and foremost, the Thompson Divide contains several genetically pure populations of cutthroat trout known as conservation populations. These populations are used as a pure source for repopulating areas where cutthroat have been extirpated and need to be restored. Second, the Thompson Divide is, in part, the headwaters to no less than four major rivers – the Crystal, the N. Fork of the Gunnison, the Colorado and the Gold Medal waters of the Roaring Fork. Third, the area is a premier hunting destination in Colorado. And finally, the Roaring Fork Valley has a decades-old sustainable, recreation-based economy that can remain so, as long as the pristine landscapes that attract anglers, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts remain intact.

The next question you’ll likely ask is what does this legislation intend to do and why? The legislation aims to permanently withdraw the area from future oil and gas development and provide a mechanism for current lease holders to divest in an equitable manner. For those of you who follow TU across the country, you may remember similar situations we worked on in Wyoming, Montana and New Mexico. The result in those three areas was legislation that did essentially the same thing Senator Bennet seeks to do in the Thompson Divide. The issue is salient right now because the area is under imminent threat to be developed. Citizens, conservationists, sportsmen, ranchers and recreationists are all in the midst of working towards averting any sort of development in the area due to its pristine nature and importance to the Roaring Fork Valley’s outdoor based economy and traditional pastimes.

Lastly, I’m sure you’re clamoring to aid in this effort right away. Well, there’s a way for you to do so. Senator Bennet’s office has set up a website that has maps, a copy of the bill and allows citizens to provide input. I suggest you go to this link and provide meaningful input that explains to the Senator’s office why this is important to you and that there are much more suitable and less pristine areas to develop our domestic resources. Here is the link: http://www.bennet.senate.gov/thompsondivide

We have also set up a couple of resources for your use. For more information got to: www.sportsmenfortd.org or search for Sportsmen for Thompson Divide on Facebook and be sure to like the page so you’ll receive updates. If you could not find something you were looking for or just want more information, please call or email Aaron Kindle at akindle@tu.org or 303 868-2859.

Colorado TU's End of Summer Bash 8/24

Colorado TU works hard to conserve Colorado's wild trout - and we also love to throw wild parties!

So join us at the d-Note in Old Town Arvada as we celebrate another summer of progress in protecting and restoring Colorado's rivers with our end-of-summer bash, sponsored by our friends at Charlie's FlyBox.

Featuring live jazz from Rough Satin during happy hour, followed by classic rock from Big Universe!  Can't get enough?  Stick around afterwards for a second show and enjoy some boot-stomping zydeco from Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe.

Friday, August 24th, 5pm - 9pm At the d Note, 7519 Grandview Ave, Old Town Arvada $10 cover to benefit Colorado TU

Door prizes, raffle, silent auction, live music, cash bar and restaurant (don't miss out on the d-Note's creative pizzas!), and GREAT company!

You can order your tickets for the bash online - click here to reserve your space!

And a big thanks to our sponsor, Charlie's FlyBox, located just down the street in Old Town Arvada at 7513 Grandview. Swing by this award-winning fly shop before you come to the d-Note (they are open until 6); and with your purchase of $100 or more, you'll receive a $20 gift certificate.

Let's Support Casting for Recovery

Casting for Recovery's annual fundraiser is 8/23 at the Wildlife Experience in Parker. Click here for tickets: https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=4ecd65

Join Casting for Recovery-Colorado to celebrate 10 years of providing healing retreats that have given almost 350 Colorado women powerful tools to overcome the challenges of breast cancer! CFR's two-and-one-half day retreats are provided at no cost to participants, thanks to the generosity of our volunteers and donors.

This is a FUN event with a great selection of fishing and non-fishing items for you to bid on during the Silent Auction. 6:30-8:30 pm. Event details at https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=4ecd65 , email to coloradocastingforrecovery@gmail.com or call 303-694-4557.

Click here to learn more about Casting for Recovery.

Resources for Youth Programs

Colorado TU presents new resources for local youth education programs: Programs and Partners, details established programs that are conducive to our mission of inspiring the next generation of cold water conservationists.

Lessons and activities features proven tools to use in your youth education programs.

Please check back as additional content will be added to these pages as it becomes available.

If you have an activity, how-to guide, or other resource related to youth education that you think would benefit others, please contact Jake Lemon, Youth Education Coordinator, Colorado Trout Unlimited.