Rain's Effect on Rivers and Fish

Colorado has become unrecognizable. If one were to take a look out of their window while flying into DIA they would see nothing but green, lush land for miles and miles. “Wait a minute,” the natives are thinking, “I haven’t seen anything like this in Colorado… this isn’t normal.” But it’s becoming the new normal thanks to persistent and consistent rain storms that have dominated the afternoons for the past month. Although May is usually Denver’s wettest, cloudiest month these storms have led to rainfall amounts that are far from the usual. So far in 2015 Denver has received more than 11 inches of rain, just a few inches shy of the total average yearly rainfall amount of 14 inches. All this rain is not entirely unwelcome. Too much water is still not enough water for Coloradans considering the fact we’re an extremely dry state and no stranger to droughts. Overflowing rivers and streams, hydrated agriculture, and plentiful amounts of water for cities is far superior to the severely water deprived lands states like California are currently suffering from. On the other hand, too much rain does not bode well for river and fish health.

More rain means more pollution ending up in our rivers due to runoff that picks up pesticides, sediment, bacteria, and other pollutants as it makes its way into our rivers. Bad bacteria and pollution could lead to oxygen depletion, or even hypoxic river conditions; conditions that are not conducive to healthy aquatic environments.

The sudden influx of water also creates rivers with a much higher velocity than is normal. According to USGS, the South Platte River is flowing at 782 percent of its normal flow, and the Cache La Poudre is flowing at 702 percent. These high river flows due to rain could be a symptom of climate change. The usual source of water for Colorado’s rivers is snowmelt, but as temperatures rise and snowpack lessens in the lower mountains (below 8200 ft.) it’s possible rain could become a new water source. However, A report done for the Colorado Water Conservation Board (click here for full report) states that as of right now it’s difficult to tell whether average annual precipitation will increase or decrease within the next 35 years. Due to high variability, determining whether long-term trends in annual precipitation are changing is nearly impossible right now, so this year’s immense rain falls could just be a temporary anomaly. That being said, it’s important for anglers to recognize that changes in water sources are quite possible.

Water flowing at high rates due to rain means the river turns into a muddy mess, which disrupts trout activity. Trout are water snobs; they thrive in cold, high quality, extremely clean water (as stated in Trout Unlimited’s State of the Trout article, the full article can be found here), the likes of which this rain does not produce. However…

Not all hope for good trout fishing is lost. With the rain comes some benefits as well. When rain falls on water, it oxygenates it, which brings life back into the river and raises trout activity levels. Rain also allows for bugs to be washed into the rivers, piquing the trouts interest and making them more likely to bite. Another bonus? Rain regulates the water temperature, and adds humidity to the air which is conducive to hatch activity.

State of the Trout Report Shows Challenges for Native Cutthroat

Trout Unlimited released a new "State of the Trout" report highlighting the status - and plight - of native trout across the country including in Colorado.  “Native trout are in trouble in the United States,” said Chris Wood, Trout Unlimited’s president and CEO, in the report’s foreword. “But we are making a difference and with help, involvement and action can promise a future of recovery, not one of loss, for our children.”

“The State of the Trout” details the status of 28 separate species and subspecies of trout and char native to the United States. Of those detailed populations, three are already extinct (including Colorado's yellowfin cutthroat trout), and more than half of the remaining trout and char populations occupy less than 25 percent of their native waters. While the state of trout in America is tenuous, there are success stories that prove trout recovery is possible. The report lays out a roadmap for that recovery.

Trout Unlimited’s staff of scientists spent more than a year preparing the detailed report with input from TU’s field staff and independent, federal and state fisheries experts. The full report is available in digital form online.

Energy development and climate change head a long list of challenges facing trout, which also are under pressure from increased demand on the nation’s water resources, threats from non-native species, and loss and degradation of habitat.

On the Colorado Plateau and in the southern Rockies, native trout face several threats ranging from century-old abandoned mine runoff to ongoing efforts to drill for gas and oil within native trout ranges. In Colorado, native greenback cutthroat trout were thought to be nearing recovery and delisting under the Endangered Species Act when new genetic techniques revealed that stocks used for reintroduction were not greenbacks, but rather a strain of Colorado River cutthroat trout. Today, self-sustaining native greenbacks are found in just four miles of Bear Creek on the slopes of Pikes Peak, making them susceptible to natural events made more severe by yet another threat—a changing climate. The Front Range of Colorado has been hit hard in recent years by fire, extreme drought and heavy flooding that has wreaked havoc on communities and entire watersheds.

Native Colorado River cutthroat trout, while in much better shape than greenbacks, also face a number of historic and ongoing threats, including the persistence and expansion of non-native trout within their native waters, and ongoing energy development projects within the fish’s native range. Colorado River cutthroats today are largely relegated to headwater streams that are usually disconnected from one another, making individual stocks susceptible to local events often exacerbated by climate change, like fire, flood and extreme drought.

Despite threats to their long-term persistence, there is good news for Colorado’s native fish. In western Colorado, Trout Unlimited volunteers have worked diligently for 20 years to protect a unique strain of Colorado River cutthroat trout atop the Roan Plateau in the heart of the Piceance Basin energy fields. Volunteers from the Grand Valley Anglers Chapter of Trout Unlimited have worked to restore the headwaters of Trapper Creek for years, and just recently, TU reached a negotiated deal with natural gas leaseholders on the Roan that will protect the watersheds in which these prized native trout swim.

“Colorado’s native trout are a vital part of our state’s fishing heritage, something that anglers can experience in Colorado and nowhere else,” said David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “The State of the Trout report is a wake-up call that we need to step up our efforts to conserve and restore these fish, so that they are still there for our children and grandchildren to experience and enjoy.”

In the end, it’s all about hope and optimism.

“People who fish are eternal optimists,” Wood said. “Even the most cynical among us, on the last cast of the day, are confident we will catch the biggest fish of the day. That optimism and hope for the future breathes through this report.”

A Renewed Push for Good Samaritan Legislation

Historically, mining played a large role in settling the American West and building the nation.  However, its legacy – more than 500,000 abandoned hard rock mines with an estimated cleanup cost ranging from $36-72 billion – has persisted for the better part of a century with little progress toward a solution.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), abandoned hard rock mines affect 40 percent of headwaters in the western United States.  Unfortunately, burdensome liability for would-be ‘Good Samaritans’, such as Trout Unlimited, has hindered abandoned hard rock mine cleanups.  Good Samaritans didn’t create the problem, but they want to fix it. One needs to look no further than Colorado’s San Juan Mountains for acute examples of this problem.  The San Juans are some of the most heavily mineralized mountains in the world, and they’ve been mined to death.  More accurately, several fabled trout rivers in the region have suffered a long, slow death from acid mine drainage.  The Animas River is completely devoid of aquatic life for many miles below Silverton on its way to Durango.  Only through the input of clean tributaries does the water become diluted enough to support a strong fishery in Durango.  The Uncompahgre River near Ouray is dead until the heavy metals fall out into the depths of Ridgway Reservoir.   Other regional rivers, such as the Rio Grande and Lake Fork of the Gunnison, suffer as well.

Our tried and true pollution cleanup laws, the Clean Water Act and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (better known as “CERCLA” or “Superfund”), place the burden of cleanup squarely on the owners of the property.  Generally this is an excellent policy for most forms of pollution.  But in the West, where the parties responsible for developing most of the old mine sites are long-gone, cleaning up these sites is a legal quagmire.  A 2007 EPA policy memorandum provided useful protection to Good Samaritans from Superfund liability, but Clean Water Act liability remains a significant obstacle.

There are many projects in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains where water quality could be improved by collecting run-off, or taking an existing discrete discharge, and running the water through either an active or passive treatment system.  Clean Water Act (CWA) compliance and liability issues remain a barrier to such projects.

In short, Good Samaritan projects need some sort of permit mechanism, such as that contemplated by legislation previously introduced by Senator Mark Udall and Rep. Scott Tipton in 2013.  That legislation required a project to produce significant improvements in water quality for a specific period of time, implement best design and management practices, and conduct appropriate monitoring, but not expose the Good Samaritan to liability if the project at some point fails to achieve a required criterion for a given pollutant.

For over two decades numerous federal legislators have attempted to pass ‘Good Samaritan’ legislation with no success.  Thankfully, Colorado’s Senator Michael Bennet and Colorado 3rd District Representative Scott Tipton are committed to resolving the problem.  Building on their success with Trout Unlimited last year with the Hermosa Creek legislation, theses delegates are drafting site-specific Good Samaritan legislation for the San Juan Mountains.  The hope is to demonstrate with pilot legislation that these types of projects can be successful, whereby removing political concerns for a national bill down the road.

Trout Unlimited will be coordinating the on-the-ground effort to educate communities and stakeholders while gathering supporters.  We are building a grassroots coalition and you’re urged to voice your support.  Visit the campaign website at:  www.sanjuancleanwater.org.  Click on the ‘Take Action’ tab to sign up.  Find us on Facebook as well at San Juan Clean Water Coalition.

Let’s work together to pass this important legislation for healthy rivers and productive trout fisheries!

For info:  Ty Churchwell – tchurchwell@tu.org 970-259-5116 x 11

Help determine future of Rio Grande National Forest

The Rio Grande National Forest has two public meeting scheduled for the week of June 22nd to discuss and gather public input for the Rio Grande National Forest’s plan revision. It would be very helpful if San Luis Valley Trout Unlimited could have chapter members present to represent us. Please plan to attend if you can! The first meeting will be on Monday, June 22, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the South Fork Community Building, 254 CO State Highway 149, South Fork. Participants at this meeting will help to identify current issues and foreseeable trends concerning management of fish, wildlife and rare plants on the RGNF.

The second meeting will be on Tuesday, June 23 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Conejos Canyon Community Chapel. The chapel is located before mile post 20 on U.S. State Highway 17. Participants at this meeting will help to identify issues and impacts of recreation and its management on the RGNF and surrounding communities.

Both meetings will feature an open house for the first half hour allowing the opportunity to view maps and engage in one-on-one discussion with RGNF staff. A short presentation by forest service staff will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by interactive discussions designed to provide input for the plan revision. Light refreshments will be provided.

The forest plan is the overarching document that guides all management decisions and activities on the entire Rio Grande National Forest, including preservation of cultural and historic resources, grazing, timber production, recreation, wildlife management, firewood cutting and gathering of special forest products.

For more information, visit the RGNF plan revision website at http://riograndeplanning.mindmixer.com/ or contact Mike Blakeman at the Rio Grande National Forest Supervisor’s Office at 719-852-5941 or Marcus Selig at mselig@nationalforests.org or 720.437.0290.

Denver TU Receives Grant from Wells Fargo!

The Greenway Foundation and Denver Trout Unlimited Receive $50,000 Grant from Wells Fargo-NFWF to Support  their Sustainable South Platte River 

Part of $100 million effort to support local environmental nonprofits 

Denver, CO – 06.09.15 – The Greenway Foundation and Denver Trout Unlimited today received a $50,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program, funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), to support their Sustainable South Platte River Initiative.

Established in 2012, the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities five-year grant program has awarded $12 million to 207 grantees and funded 247 projects to date that promote conservation and environmental sustainability.

“Denver Trout Unlimited and the Greenway Foundation will work to transform current water use patterns along the South Platte River below Chatfield Reservoir into a model for cooperative water use”, stated Jeff Shoemaker, Executive Director of The Greenway Foundation and Todd Fehr, Former President of Denver Trout Unlimited.  “One of the direct benefits of this collaboratively based endeavor will be the ability to provide added urban ecological restoration of this section of the River within the Denver Metro Area. Without Wells Fargo’s support, this opportunity would not be able to move forward in this manner at this time”

“This environmental grant today is an investment in our local community and will provide much-needed funding aimed at protecting the environment for our local residents,” said Ashley Grosh, Vice President, Wells Fargo Environmental Affairs “We’re proud to collaborate with The Greenway Foundation and Denver Trout Unlimited to use our financial resources, as well as the expertise of our team members, to protect and preserve a more sustainable environment for communities we serve.”

As part of Wells Fargo’s $100 million philanthropy commitment to nonprofits and universities by 2020, a $15 million, five-year relationship with NFWF was created and launched in 2012 to promote environmental stewardship across the country. The goal of the Wells Fargo-NFWF grant partnership and program is to provide grants for highly impactful projects that link economic development and community well-being to the stewardship and health of the environment. The program will fund proposals in select cities/regions (see website for full list) in the following areas:

• sustainable agriculture and forestry
• conservation of land and water resources
• restoration of urban ecosystems
• clean energy infrastructure

The Greenway Foundation and Denver Trout Unlimited were selected from among more than 450 requests submitted by local team members and nonprofits Wells Fargo identified as being in need of extra help with green revitalization projects. In April 2012, Wells Fargo released a set of environmental commitments to be achieved by 2020; including reducing the company’s environmental impact, financing the transition to a greener economy and encouraging stronger and more sustainable communities. Part of this goal includes a $100 million environmental grants commitment by 2020 to create a “greener” future for the communities they serve.

Details of the Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program and a link to the 2016 application (available in September 2015) can be found at the NFWF application website:  www.nfwf.org/environmentalsolutions. Projects benefiting underserved communities and encouraging volunteerism are given priority consideration. The Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program is funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation to promote environmental stewardship across the country.

Since 1974, The Greenway Foundation has led efforts to:

• Reclaim the South Platte River and its tributaries from a virtual cesspool to a place of environmental and recreational pride.
• Construct more than 100 miles of hiking and biking trails
• Create 20+ parks and natural areas
• Design and build numerous whitewater boat chutes
• Vastly improve the health of the South Platte River Watershed and its habitats
• Provide environmental education to more than 60,000 school children
• Employ more than 100 teenagers in youth employment programs
• Host numerous community events, and annual volunteer river clean up days
• Help create over $500 million of green improvement to the South Platte River and its tributaries, facilitating over $15 billion in residential and commercial development throughout the Denver metro area.  

Current projects include:

• SPREE (South Platte River Environment Education), including River Rangers Youth Employment and
• Greenway Leadership Corps
• River Vision Implementation Plan – South Platte River Master Plan
• PURE (Protect our Urban River Environment)

About Denver Trout Unlimited

The Denver Chapter of Trout Unlimited draws it support from the city's downtown and northern suburbs. We have a membership that is young and diverse in interests. DTU espouses and promotes the mission of Trout Unlimited to preserve, protect and restore North America's cold water fisheries and their watersheds.

This is Denver, Colorado and a river runs through it. DTU has adopted a long term goal to turn the Denver South Platte River into an asset for the city of Denver and its citizens. Our objective is to restore aquatic and riparian habitat thus making the South Platte River in Denver a recreational fishing destination for residents and visitors and a refuge for fish and wildlife. Our focus is on the river below the water line, the aquatic insects, the quality and quantity of water, the structures and bottom of the river and, of course the fish and other life forms in the water ecosystem.

One of our current goals is to work on the mechanisms that can bring a minimum flow to the Denver South Platte so that the improved aquatic environments we helped create at Carson Nature Center, Grant Frontier/ Overland Park, and soon River Run Park in Sheridan are preserved during periods of low flow stress.

The world famous Denver Trout Unlimited Pro/Am Fly Fishing Carp Slam is our major fund raising event. Proceeds are used for improving the aquatic habitat of the Denver South Platte and sponsoring Trout-in-the-Classroom sites that connect youth to our river.

Please visit www.DenverTU.org for more information about our chapter’s work and upcoming events.

About Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,700 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 266,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 2015 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs and Wells Fargo Stories.

Ask Congress to Protect Our Headwaters

On May 27, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers issued new Clean Water rules that restore long-standing protections to headwater streams and adjacent wetlands under the Clean Water Act.  The rules are a balanced package that maintains long-standing Clean Water Act exemptions for standard farming practices, while clarifying that the Act's protections extend to the tributary streams and wetlands that shape the quality and health of downstream rivers. These waters were historically protected under the Clean Water Act until two politically charged Supreme Court decisions in the 2000s put them into regulatory limbo. The court ruled that there must be a proven nexus between these small, sometimes-intermittent waters and the larger rivers they feed in order for the former to receive Clean Water Act protections. Armed with the science that proves such a connection, the EPA and the Corps crafted this rule that protects the clean water sources of America’s rivers. Unfortunately, some in Congress are pushing to block the rules from being implemented.  Legislation to do just that has passed the House and will be considered in the Senate, and other amendments to block the rules will likely be proposed in the coming weeks and months.  Please take a moment to weigh in with your Representative and Senators Bennet and Gardner, and ask them to support the Clean Water Rules and protect Colorado's headwater streams!

Headwaters Matter! New rules protect water quality

Yesterday (May 27) the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers issued new Clean Water rules that restore long-standing protections to headwater streams and adjacent wetlands under the Clean Water Act.  From TU's Colorado press release:  

Colorado anglers stand behind new clean water rule

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Anglers in Colorado support a new rule announced today that restores protections for America’s headwater streams under the Clean Water Act.

“The waters this rule protects are the sources of our nation’s coldest, cleanest water,” said Trout Unlimited President and CEO Chris Wood. “Not only do they provide the needed spawning and rearing habitat for our trout and salmon, they are the sources of our iconic rivers and streams—they provide the water we all use downstream. The EPA and the Corps were right to craft this thoughtful rule in a way that protects our headwaters and our fish, but also protects the downstream uses of our nation’s water.”

Wood said the rule doesn’t require any new actions on the part of existing water users, but it does require anyone wishing to pursue a new development that impacts small streams to get a permit to do so.

The rule restores protections to America’s headwater streams that were removed after two politically charged Supreme Court decisions in the 2000s. The court ruled that there must be a proven nexus between these small, sometimes-intermittent waters and the larger rivers they feed in order for the former to receive Clean Water Act protections. Armed with the science that proves such a connection, the EPA and the Corps crafted this rule that simply protects the clean water sources of America’s rivers.

“Colorado is a headwaters state, and we understand the importance of protecting the sources of our great western rivers,” said David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “The new rule restores long-standing protections to these small streams and wetlands, which ensure healthy waters downstream and support our state’s $9 billion outdoor recreation economy. Anglers understand that healthy rivers depend on healthy tributaries—this rule simply acknowledges that reality.”

“TU members in Colorado are grateful to the Corps, the EPA and the Obama administration for developing the new rule, and we are thankful to many members of Congress who have defended it from attack,” said Drew Peternell, director of TU’s Colorado Water Project. “The rule is the product of many months of consultation and input from Americans and Congress. The agencies listened to the concerns of diverse interests and found an approach that will ensure clean water for our communities, industry, farms and ranches, and environment.”

“This is a rule for everyone,” Wood continued. “The most important thing this rule does is restore Clean Water Act protections to headwater streams, and that means the world to anglers who understand the importance of these waters to their success in the field. But these waters are important to everyone, not just anglers. If you turn on a tap, this rule helps make sure the water that comes out is clean and fresh.”

Wake-up call for Colorado River users

As the California drought continues, Colorado River water users are reminded of the importance of working together to effectively address water needs in the basin.  There are a variety of interests competing for water rights, however it is only through a collaborative effort that we will see success in meeting the diverse water needs.  As Eric Kuhn, general manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District points out, “collaboration is needed today to keep us ahead of our significant water challenges, before they spiral into a crisis that pits one water use sector against another.” Trout Unlimited is committed to continue to work with and engage agriculture, municipal and industrial stakeholders in finding innovative and effective solutions in meeting future water needs.  Colorado TU’s Randy Scholfield recently wrote an op-ed piece highlighting the Upper Colorado River Basin and the current efforts going on there – you can read it here.

To get involved in this effort please email Stephanie Scott at sscott@tu.org

CTU Welcomes New Water Policy Intern!

Howdy y’all!  My name is Zach DeWolfe and I am currently wrapping up my senior year at Metropolitan State University of Denver studying Political Science and Water Studies.  I am originally from Austin, Texas, but have been in Colorado for the past four years.  Living here has allowed me to fully explore my passion for the outdoors, whether through fishing, climbing, hiking or mountain biking.  Through these experiences I have developed an appreciation for these places and a sense to protect and preserve them.  I am thrilled to join CTU this summer in addressing such key water policy issues as the ongoing development of the Colorado State Water Plan, and ensuring that our goals and values are well represented.  

West Denver TU Partnering with Orvis to Monitor Rivers

PRESS RELEASE from WEST DENVER TROUT UNLIMITED: Trout Unlimited (TU) and Orvis have had a productive collaborative and supportive relationship over the years as reflected, for example, by their work to remove harmful culverts, teach the Nation how to fly fish and, in general, to protect and enhance coldwater fisheries. Trout Unlimited has also benefited from Orvis’ grant program designed to help organizations improve local streams.

Colorado’s West Denver Chapter of TU has been in the forefront of the State’s River Watch program to work with voluntary stewards to monitor water quality and other indicators of watershed health. West Denver has focused its effort primarily on Clear Creek, a local Front-Range stream. However, the U.S. Forest Service has requested that West Denver do testing on U.S. Forest sites throughout the State to help the Agency evaluate the effectiveness of restoration efforts, track on-the-ground conditions that affect the success of trout, identify possible trout strongholds, and monitor water quality changes over time and geography.

However, in order to do this testing, West Denver needed additional testing equipment. Thus, West Denver applied for a stream-improvement grant from Orvis, and received $2,000 to buy needed equipment. This equipment will allow West Denver to obtain high-quality data to educate citizens and decision makers about the condition of Colorado’s waters.