Small town turns out big for Browns Canyon

Public meeting in Salida with federal officials turns out hundreds in support of Browns Canyon National Monument By Kyle Perkins from www.sportsmenforbrowns.com

Hundreds of people turned out Saturday in Salida, Colorado, to show support for a Browns Canyon National Monument. The droves of green “I support a Browns Canyon National Monument” stickers were visible evidence of the overwhelming support, along with speaker after speaker urging administration officials to designate the canyon now.

Don’t let anyone tell you this is a top-down executive overreach. Local residents and stakeholders, frustrated by years of congressional fiddling, made it clear that this is a grassroots effort and that they want to get this special place protected.

The stretch of the Arkansas River that veers from the highway south of Buena Vista and rushes through a steep canyon full of Gold Medal Water fishing, amazing white water rafting, and a pristine backcountry habitat is truly a unique place. Floating and finding pocket water within the canyon can produce over 20” trout, and the population of elk, deer, bighorn sheep, mountain lion and black bear create a healthy habitat for hunting and wildlife in general. This 22,000-acre rugged canyon is a truly wild place that I have visited more times than I can remember.

For over 20 years, legislative efforts to protect this canyon have had local and state support, yet Congress has failed to act. From bills sponsored by former Colorado Senator Wayne Allard in 2006, and by current Senator Mark Udall in December of 2013, momentum has built—only to be thwarted by congressional inaction and gridlock. However, on November 25, an official letter from Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet requesting President Obama to declare Browns a national monument under the Antiquities Act of 1906 became headline news in the state. Local and state word spread fast with articles from all major state newspapers.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, one of the few opponents of the measure, claimed in a recent piece that there were many local opponents of the Browns designation. If that’s true, they failed to show up Saturday– supporters vastly outnumbered the handful of nay-sayers in the crowd.

In addition to the Colorado Senators, the public meeting was attended by administration officials and included Deputy Director of BLM Steve Ellis and U.S. Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell.

What I saw were individuals and groups from across the valley and state come together to protect a place they love and to support our valued public lands, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities. Indeed, local stakeholders in the Arkansas Valley reminded the Colorado delegation that this is a local effort, with bipartisan support from local elected officials and overwhelming support from the local business community.

“I take tourists and residents whitewater rafting and fishing through Browns Canyon, exposing them to the natural beauty that is at the heart of Colorado’s outdoor heritage,” said Joe Greiner, owner of Wilderness Aware Rafting in Buena Vista. “A lot of people put national monuments on their bucket list. A national monument designation will put Browns Canyon on the map and have an even bigger impact on our local economy.”

“Americans love our public lands and the rich outdoor experiences they provide,” said Jim Impara, vice president of the Collegiate Peaks Chapter of Trout Unlimited. “We also understand that there are highly valued, iconic wild places that are not yet protected. Browns Canyon is one of those special places. Let’s keep it the way it is.”

“It was a true showing of the local community and the support we have to protect Browns,” said local resident Susan Mayfield. “It was a large theater of about 400, and an overfill room of many more in support of finally and permanently protecting one of our local pride and joys. The people in Chaffee County have spoken. It’s time.”

The public meeting sent a strong, unequivocal message to the White House: Coloradans want to protect Browns Canyon—and it’s time to get this done. This is our best chance to do that in a generation.

Where Are They Now? Youth Camp Alumnus Collin Papuga

Collin Papuga has been living in Alaska and is living his dream; he has been an Alaska resident for the last 3 plus years where he just completed his first season running his own guiding company, Tightlines Alaska.  Collin graduated from Kenai Guide Academy last April and passed the test for his guide license in Coopers Landing, AK.  He is an alumnus from Colorado TU's 2^nd youth camp in 2007 held at Peace Ranch near Basalt, CO.   I remember Collin as a very passionate and experienced angler at the ripe young age of 14.  Growing up in Grand Lake, he had already spent some time working an internship for Mo Henry’s Fly Shop in Winter Park, where eventually guided for the shop as well.   Once at camp, Collin was happy to show all of his fellow campers his advanced double haul skills.  Collin was a natural leader during the camp and it is great to see him living his dream with his own Alaskan guide service. Fish on!  Collin fishing the Frying Pan during the 2007 camp.

The Colorado TU youth camp strives to ignite the passions of young men and women to become future stewards of our coldwater fisheries.  Here are a few of Collin’s accomplishments since attending the 2007 camp:

• Internship for MoHenry's Fly Shop in Winter Park as a Fly Fishing Guide
• Volunteered countless hours for the Colorado Division of Wildlife
• Youngest youth ever to electrofish on the Colorado River for the Division of Wildlife's annual fish count
• Selected to compete in America Cup Fly Fishing Tournament on the Youth Team
• Graduated from Kenai River Guide Academy in 2014.

Collin explains how he has grown as angler from a very early age:

"When I was 10 I found my Dad’s old fly rod and this was the point at which I put the spinning rod down and I was literally “hooked” on fly fishing! My Grandma bought me a fly tying kit and I began tying flies. I went fly fishing any chance that I could.

My Dad took me on my first trip to Alaska when I was 11 to go fishing, backpacking, hiking and touring the inside passage. When I returned home I told my Mom, “I’m going to move there someday”. I returned every summer thereafter to Alaska to continue this awesome experience of The Last Frontier. The day after I graduated from High School my parents put me on a plane to Alaska and I’ve been pursuing my passion and dream ever since."

Subsequently, Collin says: “I saved my money the last three years to enable myself to pursue my dream of starting my own business. I’m a well-rounded fisherman and Fishing truly is my passion. I would love the opportunity to share my craft with you and give you the thrill of catching an Alaska fish on the Kenai River. Let’s go have some fun together!”

Collin will be back in the Denver metro area attending the International Sportsman Show and will have a booth in front of the casting pond, booth #659.  Look for his banner name, Tightlines Alaska.   He will have many pictures of the first season hanging on display and two video slides shows of Alaska.   Collin will be tying flies he uses on the river and telling stories of his passion about Alaska, and rekindling old and new friendships.

- Story contributed by Larry Quilling, CTU Director at Large, founding camp director of the Colorado TU Youth Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp.

River Explorers continue their journey

Colorado Trout Unlimited is happy to say that the River Explorers program at the Mapleton School District in Thornton will be continuing into its second school year. This will be the beginning of the program’s vertical alignment in which students have different experiences in sequential years centered around healthy watersheds, in this case the South Platte, and fishing. We will also be bringing the program to the Adams-12 district for its first year in that district. As the years go by, we hope that this approach will be an ongoing success showing the value of consistent and stepwise programming to outdoor education. Students who are “River Explorers” will see four years of new activities. One step on the path is Trout in the Classroom. State-wide this year, Colorado Trout Unlimited and its chapters are sponsoring eleven tanks in which students raise trout from eggs to be released into the wild when they grow large enough in the spring. All classrooms have now received their eggs, and many have actively swimming and feeding fry.

River Watch is another piece of the River Explorers curriculum. As its own nonprofit, River Watch utilizes citizen science through school groups and volunteer organizations to collect and formulate water quality data from across the state. Colorado Trout Unlimited works with River Watch to host a few sites through partnering schools and local chapters. As a part of the River Explorers, students will become intimately familiar with the local water quality on the South Platte, and through River Watch provide that data to the public for anyone to use. This real world applicability is something CTU is proud to bring to the South Platte River Explorers, and we think the addition of two new monitoring sites is an exciting undertaking.

Rounding out the River Explorers experience are two more years of programming:  Stream Explorers, the introductory portion hosted at the middle school level, in which students learn the basics of a watershed, stream ecology, and fishing; and National Fishing in Schools Program where they hone their fly fishing skills. Connecting all of these pieces together we hope will foster students’ love of the outdoors, of fishing, and ultimately the desire to protect the places and resources they connect with. With generous support from local sponsors, Colorado Trout Unlimited is thrilled to be educating the next generation of river stewards through the continuation of River Explorers in the Mapleton School District, and the expansion to Adams-12 district.

South Arkansas River Restoration Project

The South Arkansas River Restoration Project (SARRP) is located on an 1,100 foot section of the South Arkansas River downstream of the Hwy 285 Bridge in Poncha Springs, Colorado.  The project site is 100% on private land divided between two landowners.  The main focal point of the project was on a long outside bend that was being “stabilized” by Detroit riprap (Old car bodies and other debris).  These features were installed in the 1960’sand 70’s to protect the bank from eroding.  Along with being an eye-sore, the riprap was accelerating flows along the bank, which was lacking in fish habitat.  The lack of fish habitat is synonymous with most of this river due to historic flood protection measures and channelization.  The goal of the project was to remove the car bodies and debris, improve bank stabilization, create habitat, and connect to a previously restored adjacent downstream section. Over the past year to year and a half, TU worked with another local non-profit, Land Trust of the Upper Arkansas (LTUA), to seek out and write grants for the project work.  Successful grant funds were secured from the Trout and Salmon Foundation (T&SF) and the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s (CWCB) Healthy Rivers Fund (HRF), making this project a reality.  The local Collegiate Peaks Anglers Chapter of TU contributed a cash match contribution, as well as several volunteer hours.  In addition to the grant funds, 142 tons of rock for in-stream structures were donated from Butala Sand and Gravel.  Kaess Contracting, Inc. also contributed some in-kind for their machine time and hauling of the rock.  Countless hours were donated by one of the landowners who assisted in completion of the Army Corps of Engineers 404 permit, final design, and construction oversight.  This project was a great example of wide-ranging community involvement and support.  From grant writing to donations, and construction to volunteer work, various community organizations were involved when it counted.

Figure 2: Post-construction photo of same bank in Figure 1 without debris.  A cross-vane structure is in the foreground creating habitat, while reducing shear stress against the bank. Bank slopes were graded to a gradual slope and re-vegetated with native plants and seed.

Construction work was completed in late November with the installation of several rock structures, log features, and bank stabilization work (Figure 2).   A previously featureless river now contains quite a few pool-riffle-run-pool sequences commonly associated with healthy rivers.  The icing on the cake was a volunteer planting work day along the newly restored bank and four steep bank slopes (Figure 3).  A local Rotary Grant funded a majority of the planting materials, food, and materials on a day in which eight local middle and elementary students learned how to plant riparian and upland vegetation.  An additional 15-20 mentors and volunteers were present from LTUA, TU, TU Chapter, and the Rotary Club to assist in installing over 200 plants.  A variety of upland and riparian species were planted, which included dogwood, willow, juniper, pinyon, chokecherry, rabbit brush, and a native seed mix.

Figure 3: South Arkansas River Restoration Project volunteer workday

The goal of this project was to increase community awareness and develop a template for river restoration in the South Arkansas River Watershed.  With the help of the South Arkansas Watershed Coalition (SWAC), TU plans to engage adjacent landowners about the benefits of restoring habitat along the South Arkansas.  Through this effort, TU hopes to generate landowner support, and continue this type of project for years to come throughout the watershed.

Ask President Obama and Secretary Jewell to Make Browns Canyon a National Monument

Browns Canyon, located along the upper Arkansas River in Colorado, is known for premier trout fishing, outstanding big game habitat, world-famous whitewater, rugged and remote wildlands, and a proud cattle ranching tradition. This diversity supports thousands of jobs, from river outfitters and guides to ranchers in the nearby communities of Salida and Buena Vista. Protecting this 22,000 acre gem along the Arkansas River as a National Monument is a community-driven effort to preserve this unique natural and economic resource for generations to come. You can help!  Click here to send a message to President Obama and Interior Secretary Jewell asking them to designate Browns Canyon as a National Monument, ensuring that its diverse values are maintained for the public for generations to come!

The Story Behind The Story

The Yampa Valley Fly Fishers Chapter of TU (YVFF) provided hundreds of volunteer hours to bring a portion of the tailwater renovation project to a close for the Winter of 2014/2015. Completing riparian/floodplain revegetation efforts required some real foresight and effort, long before it was time to actually do plantings.  Anglers are all familiar with the idea of raising and stocking fish – but what about raising and stocking riparian plants? YVFF worked with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and their contributors to construct a nursery at the edge of the Yampa River, on State property just outside of Steamboat Springs.  Its purpose is to allow the growth of selected plants in a protected and controlled environment, with the goal to have mature vegetation ready for specific projects in and around the Yampa Valley.

The 1000 square foot nursery was designed, funded and constructed by a joint collaboration between CPW and YVFF.  Construction began in the Summer of 2013.  The ground was prepared for proper drainage by the use and placement of special fabrics and a specific size and depth bed of crushed rock.  A vinyl coated chain link fence was erected to protect the plants and trees from hungry beavers, deer, etc.  Construction was completed in the Spring of 2014 with the addition of a sunscreen and manual irrigation system.

The first seedlings were delivered shortly thereafter and potted by a large volunteer group.  In October, those now mature potted plants were ready for transplanting and were moved to the tailwater project.  With a couple truckloads of soil amendments, digging tools, food, and beverage, more than 30 volunteers spent the weekend placing nearly 1000 new willow and alder trees along this newly renovated stretch of the Yampa River.

YVFF anticipates repeating these potting and transplanting endeavors for many years to come.

CTU Presents: Behind the Fin

Everyone has a story to tell and now it’s time to tell yours. Colorado Trout Unlimited is bringing members a new online blog segment entitled “Behind the Fin,” a spotlight on a member of Trout Unlimited. Behind the Fin will take a deeper look into the personalities that make up Colorado Trout Unlimited and expose those responsible for all of the great work we’ve done together. Many projects have been completed to save water resources and restore fisheries in Colorado and now it’s time to recognize the volunteers who make it happen.

With help from the staff of CTU, members will be highlighted in an article on the CTU website that will recognize their achievements both within and outside the trout world. Behind the Fin will be a great way for fellow members to get to know each other better and enhance the member community.

To be highlighted, it’s as easy as answering a few questions. Some include:

• How long have you been a TU member?
• Why did you become a member?
• What is your favorite activity or project that you have done with TU?
• What is a favorite fishing spot and favorite fishing story?
• To you, what is the best tactic or fly for catching trout?
• Beyond being an awesome angler, what else do you do in your spare time or for work?

Using these answers and some other basic information, CTU will help write an article that can be shared and highlighted on the Colorado Trout Unlimited website – telling your story around the world.

If you’re interested in sharing your story with CTU and its members, or you know of someone who you think should tell their story, please submit any inquiries to Stephanie Scott at SScott@tu.org.

CTU, Partners Reach Settlement to Protect Roan

It has been a long road in a legal battle that has stretched back more than six years - and advocacy and conservation efforts that stretch back more than a decade beyond that.  But on November 21, a settlement of the legal battle over energy development on the Roan Plateau was announced, laying a "win-win" path forward that protects the Roan's most valued fish and wildlife habitats while also allowing for responsible energy development. The Roan Plateau supports remarkable natural values including habitat for rare native Colorado River cutthroat trout, scenic canyons and waterfalls, and outstanding big game habitat and hunting opportunities.  TU's Grand Valley Anglers chapter has for nearly two decades worked on projects to benefit Trapper Creek and the unique native cutthroats it supports - Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists found they are adapted to withstand warmer water temperatures than most cutthroats.

The settlement resolves litigation in which Colorado Trout Unlimited, the National Wildlife Federation and eight other conservation groups were represented by Earthjustice. Among the key provisions of the settlement:

• The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will cancel 17 of 19 leases held by Bill Barrett Corp. (BBC) atop the Roan within 60 days, and refund to BBC the money that was paid for those leases.  These leases include about 90% of the acreage on top of the Plateau, including all of the native trout watersheds.
• BLM will prepare a new management plan for the Roan, and as part of their analysis will consider a "settlement alternative" with terms from the settlement agreement.  While BLM legally cannot commit to adopting this alternative prior to completing their environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, all parties have agreed not to challenge the new plan so long as BLM adopts the settlement alternative.
• Under the settlement alternative the areas covered by the canceled leases atop the Roan Plateau will not be subject to oil and gas leasing.  The two retained leases - located on Anvil Ridge in a portion of the Roan adjacent to existing drilling on private lands, outside of native cutthroat habitat, and lacking current public road access - will be allowed to develop responsibly with a limited number of carefully-sited well pads and management practices to minimize their impacts.
• The settlement alternative also allows for development under existing leases at the base of the Roan but strengthens "no surface occupancy" requirements, helping to secure important wildlife migration corridors, steep slopes, and other fragile resources.

The Roan Plateau is a great example of TU working together, with local volunteers from Grand Valley Anglers, Colorado TU staff and volunteer leaders, and National TU staff all helping contribute to our success.  We've also benefited from great partners including our outstanding legal counsel with Earthjustice who have been a model of dedication and skill in guiding the legal challenge and settlement talks over several years.

The Roan could also be a model for balance on energy development.  The oil and gas leaseholders - BBC, as well as Oxy, Ursa, and WPX (companies holding the leases at the Roan's base) - engaged with us in honest and constructive dialogue about a path for responsible energy development that includes strong protection for the Roan's unique fish and wildlife resources. Keeping disturbance out of the most important and sensitive habitats, while enabling responsible development to proceed on other portions of the Roan, is a great model for balance.  We appreciate these companies working with us in good faith to achieve a responsible settlement for the Roan.

Our work isn't over -- we will continue our cutthroat protection and restoration projects on the Roan in the summer of 2015 and beyond, and we must work to ensure that the BLM adopts the "settlement alternative" in its planning process.  Stay tuned for ways that you can get involved in the months ahead.

Fraser the Fish - The Man… The Fish… The Legend…

Behind that beautiful scaly head (ok it’s actually furry) is a hard working volunteer!!  CTU staff lucked out when we found Dustin McCory.  Or is it that he found us?

Dustin made a phone call to CTU one fateful day in 2013 “How can I get involved?”  Not a member of any one chapter, nor aware of what he was about to get himself into, he remembers the pause on the other end of the line…

“Are you available this weekend?” -  CTU Outreach Coordinator Stephanie Scott had just recruited her next Fraser.

“I was scared to death…terrified.  As soon as I put the head on, all the fear went away”

“It is difficult - I can’t see very well, and it is very heavy.  I almost fell off a stage once.”

Without further ado; the man behind the fish…

Dustin McCory

Dustin’s transformation into our hardworking fish began a deeper very personal transformation.  A web developer by day, he once allowed work to consume his life.  “I lived in Avon for two years, and never once fished…TU brought me back to fishing.” In his journey back to himself, he is compelled to leave the computer screen behind every chance he gets. Dustin spent every weekend in 2014 from June through October camping, hiking, and fishing.  “I just get in my car and go.”  It seems he is finding a more balanced life; time alone, time on a river, new friends, and fish heads…

                                                                                   by - Rachel Kohler

Next Sighting:  2014 Fly-Fishing Rendezvous – November 22/23 – The Apex Center, Arvada CO.

This weekend he is traveling with CTU staff to the Fly Fishing Rendezvouz!! Come on down, meet the legend, and start the conversation with your kids about why we must protect headwaters like the Fraser River.

"Will Work for Water"

The Fraser River, a major tributary of the Colorado River, flows from Berthoud Pass to the town of Granby. Denver Water is currently draining most of the Fraser River’s flows through its Moffat Collection System pipeline—and it wants to take more.  

St Vrain TUer Speaks Out on Flood Response

Erik Wilkinson, the Conservation Chair of the TU St Vrain Anglers chapter, recently published an opinion piece in the Longmont Times-Call, highlighting the role of the Land and Water Conservation Fund in helping to purchase properties from flood-ravaged families following the 1976 Big Thompson flood - and calling for local officials to learn from that experience as response work continues to the 2013 floods.  He also points out the importance of Congress acting to reauthorization the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which will expire in 2015 absent Congressional action. Wilkinson writes: "As our communities endeavor to rebuild, we should again look to the future and use this tragedy as an opportunity to reinvest in our infrastructure and river resources. We must strengthen our towns against future floods so that we aren't faced with the same rebuilding challenges in the coming decades. We must use this event to create and enhance habitat and water recreation along the rivers, providing economic stimuli (jobs) to the affected communities."

The piece was informed by a recent Colorado TU report, Land and Water Conservation Fund—A Source of Hope and Help in the Face of Disaster which was issued at the one-year anniversary of the September 2013 floods.  The report also highlighted the role of LWCF in helping Lyons rebuild its important St Vrain corridor trail - a key local connector and recreational feature.

You can read Erik's full piece here.