TU hails Long Draw settlement and native trout benefits

Agreement includes largest native trout restoration in Colorado history

The U.S. Forest Service this week finalized a litigation settlement that will allow the Water Supply and Storage Company, a northern Colorado ditch company, to continue to use Long Draw Reservoir on the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests, and will launch a large-scale native trout restoration program for the Cache la Poudre river headwaters within the Forests, including the Neota and Comanche Peaks Wilderness Areas, as well as in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Completion of all project elements is expected to take more than 10 years, but when completed will provide for a connected “metapopulation” of trout across the watershed – the largest such restored native trout habitat in Colorado. The native trout restoration project will span more than 40 miles of connected river and multiple lakes, as well as Long Draw Reservoir itself. To protect the watershed from invasion by non-native species, fish barriers will be established on the Grand Ditch and on the mainstem Cache la Poudre below its confluence with La Poudre Pass Creek. Within the watershed, temporary barriers will also be installed to enable fishery biologists to complete restoration of native trout one section of the basin at a time.  After installing temporary barriers, biologists will remove non-native fish from the upstream areas. Once the areas are confirmed to be free of non-native trout, they will be re-stocked with native greenback cutthroat trout. Work will be done in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain National Park, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Colorado Trout Unlimited.

Under the settlement, a trust will be established with $1.25 million from the Water Supply and Storage Company for purposes of funding these restoration activities. Colorado Trout Unlimited will serve as the Trustee, while the U.S. Forest Service will be the lead agency for project implementation.

David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited, issued the following statement:

“The settlement finalized today is a great example of how open dialogue and a spirit of cooperation can yield conservation solutions. After years of litigation and debate, the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Water Supply and Storage Company, and Trout Unlimited have agreed to launch a collaborative restoration project for Colorado’s state fish, the greenback cutthroat trout, which will be the largest native trout restoration effort in Colorado history.

“Over the next decade, we will be restoring a true Colorado native to the Cache la Poudre headwaters in spectacular alpine wilderness within both Rocky Mountain National Park and the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. The watershed will be a stronghold for native trout, helping secure this piece of Colorado’s natural heritage for generations to come.

“We are pleased that settlement efforts enabled all the parties to find a solution for the area’s natural resources that meets federal stewardship responsibilities, respects the operating needs and challenges of long-standing water users, and achieves meaningful benefits for Colorado’s environment and the millions of residents of and visitors to our state who enjoy it.”

Keith Amen, president of the Water Supply and Storage Company said:

“We are pleased to have concluded the terms necessary for us to obtain a thirty year easement agreement for the continued operation of Long Draw Reservoir, a very valuable resource that contributes a great deal to the local, state and national economies.”

Congrats to our Spring Raffle Winner

Congrats to the 2017 Statewide Raffle Winner, Doug Nielsen. Doug is the winner of a two-day, one-night float trip through the Gold Medal waters of the Gunnison Gorge for two with Black Canyon Anglers. The trip also includes one night’s lodging and dinner for two at Gunnison River Farms the night prior to the launch.

The Gunnison Gorge is home to some of the state’s Gold Medal Waters and is a world-class fishery for large rainbow and brown trout. And is one of the best fishing trips in the lower 48 states.

Black Canyon Anglers have been guiding on the Gunny for over a decade and have knowledge about the fishing, geology, and wildlife in the area. Along with the excellent fishing, there is beautiful scenery and the occasional encounters with big horn sheep, mule deer, river otters, and eagles.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the raffle, helping Colorado TU raise over $7,000 that will go towards on-the-ground projects to help protect and restore Colorado’s fisheries and watersheds.

Voices from the River: What makes a 'trophy?'

by Kirk Deeter, editor of TROUT Magazine and the vice president of Trout Media for Trout Unlimited I love catching big fish. How can you not? After all, size is the benchmark that is ingrained to matter most to many anglers. My mother doesn't fish much, but when I call her to say I spent the day fishing, she always asks: "Did you catch any?" Question two… "How big?"

The concept of "trophy fish" is usually about size too. I'm starting to rethink that a bit, though. If you go fish in a place where the fish are stocked, and some of the trout are 20 inches long when they are put in the water to begin with, well, isn't that more like a "participation trophy?"

I'm a bit more old-school, in that I think a trophy should be a reward for lots of hard effort and good performance. I love it when people catch big Michigan brown trout at night… you know, this fish you think is in the bottom of that perfect run, but you've never been able to get it to eat. Sometimes it takes a better angler than me to revive my faith.

A small, native cutthroat is also a good "trophy" in my mind, especially when I have to walk a few miles to find them (though I admit I don't have to make any miracle casts to catch them). They also tend to represent the effort of a lot of people who work hard to keep them around.

We spend a lot of time thinking about the covers for Trout magazine. Thanks, by the way, to those who wrote to say they like the current one, featuring a Clark Fork Cutbow, by Lon Lauber. Erin Block picked that one.  I think one of my favorite covers is the "State of the Trout" issue we did a couple years ago featuring a small cutthroat. We might be the only "fishy" magazine to run a 3-inch fish on its cover. I wonder if we could pull that off again...

Support Sustainable Funding for Colorado's Fish and Wildlife

The Colorado General Assembly is taking up legislation – HB 17-1321 – to authorize the Parks and Wildlife Commission to have the power to set its own fee rates, up to a specified cap, instead of the Colorado Legislature setting all fees. This action would enable them to increase fishing and hunting license fees in order to provide needed funds to maintain fish and wildlife management and to meet growing demands for habitat conservation and for hunting and fishing access. While the bill provides a needed financial boost to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), it does include limitations on using these funds for fee title land and water purchases – limiting an important tool in CPW’s tool box for protecting habitat, improving stream flows, and securing access. You can help by contacting your state Representative – today – and letting them know that you support increasing CPW funding, and that you believe CPW should retain authority to purchase land and water to benefit fish and wildlife.  The most effective way to make your voice heard it to call your Representative directly – using your address, you can look up your Representative and their contact information here.  Or you can quickly comment using our email template by clicking here. 

Colorado TU’s Board of Directors has voted to support HB 1321.  Since 2009, CPW has cut or defunded fifty staff positions and sliced $40 million from the wildlife budget. Without new revenue, more painful cuts are inevitable.This bill gives the Parks and Wildlife Commission authority to set fees, within a cap set at a 50% increase from current levels.  Importantly, it allows future license fees to be adjusted gradually over time to keep up with inflation rather than needing the legislature to approve larger increases every few years. The bill would also allow out-of-state fishing license fees for Colorado to be increased to bring Colorado’s pricing in line with peer states like Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. A senior fishing license (not more than half the regular price) would also be re-instituted.  The bill also would add a new sticker and fee program for boats, to help finance inspections for aquatic nuisance species.  You can read more about the bill here.

While the bill provides much-needed financial support for CPW, it also includes language limiting the agency’s purchase of fee title land and water. While such permanent purchases of land and water are not frequent, they are important – for example for expanding or establishing new state parks, obtaining water rights to benefit fisheries, or protecting key wildlife habitat if a landowner wishes to sell their property rather than putting under conservation easement.

Please tell your Representative to support HB 1321’s enhanced funding for CPW, and also to support CPW’s ability to use purchase land and water to benefit fish, wildlife and recreation in Colorado.

2017 Rendezvous: Homewaters

Registration is now open for 2017 Rendezvous! The agenda for Rendezvous Weekend can be viewed here!

Rendezvous will also be featuring a Women's Weekend complete with massages, brunch, and much more!

This is the largest annual meeting held in Colorado for TU members, chapters, leaders and supporters. This 3-day weekend is packed with workshops, presentations on important conservation issues and current projects, the annual business meeting for Colorado TU where new officers will be elected, plenty of time for networking, sharing ideas and socializing, and a Saturday evening banquet featuring delicious food and presentation of CTU's annual awards plus a keynote address from National TU CEO/President Chris Wood. This weekend is great for all members (new and old), chapter leaders and anyone interested in what Trout Unlimited in Colorado needs to accomplish this year to protect our cold water resources.

The theme for Rendezvous 2017 is Homewaters. Colorado contains 24 local chapters with their own homewater rivers and streams that all face unique challenges and issues. This year's Rendezvous will help chapter leaders and TU members tackle the issues happening in their own backyard with help from National and Colorado TU staff,  industry experts and organizational partners! From agriculture partnerships to mine drainage to urban rivers, we'll have sessions covering all different types of challenges facing our rivers so those in attendance can take back to their chapter useful information on protecting and restoring their local homewaters and fisheries.

We have lined up speakers this year that will help us explore solutions, inspire new ideas, and develop projects on your chapter's local waterways. We also want each chapter to share their homewater projects and success stories with us! New this year, we will be featuring a Poster Session that will be set up all weekend including for the Saturday night cocktail hour. These posters will help share each chapter's stories on the projects and issues facing their homewater streams. We hope that all 24 chapters are represented in this poster board session (even if no one from the chapter can make Rendezvous, we hope you can send a poster board to share your local work with other TU members!). Please contact Shannon Kindle for details on the poster session!

Friday afternoon will consist of a Chapter Leaders Summit that will address the challenges facing all chapters from retaining members, to developing projects, to diversifying your membership. Friday evening we will hold a social event complete with beer, heavy hors d'eouvres, and casting! There will be a silent auction plus fly casting demos, instruction, and contests for a chance to win some awesome prizes and connect with other TU members and professionals. On Saturday, we will hold the CTU board meeting and begin our Homewaters workshops. The Saturday night banquet will feature a delicious meal and presentation of CTU's annual awards to chapters and volunteers for their distinguished work. We will also be hosting Trout Unlimited CEO and President, Chris Wood, as the keynote speaker.

Sunday morning will contain more Homewaters workshops and a chance to network with other chapter and state leaders. This is a weekend you don't want to miss!

For more information, please contact Shannon Kindle SKindle@tu.org.

Embrace-a-Stream Grants

Bring in up to $10,000 dollars to support a conservation project in your watershed! Have an idea for a conservation project, community education program, or public lands campaign? The Embrace-a-Stream grant program can help your chapter raise up to $10,000 dollars for the initial implementation of efforts that promote healthy coldwater fisheries in your area.  Chapters must contact their regional Embrace-a-Stream representative (Bill Schudlich, highmesa@gmail.com) with their project ideas by APRIL 15 in order to qualify. You do not need to have specific project details for the initial conversation, but you must inform your representative that you are interested in pursuing this funding source!

A Quick Overview

Embrace-A-Stream (EAS) is a matching grant program administered by TU that awards funds to TU chapters and councils for coldwater fisheries conservation. Since its inception in 1975, EAS has funded more than 1,000 individual projects for a total of $4.4 million in direct cash grants.

The Details

Who Can Apply?

A TU chapter or council must be the primary applicant, but government agencies, non-profits, and other groups are strongly encouraged to partner with TU. There must be significant TU involvement in the planning and execution of the project to warrant funding, and projects which include strong chapter capacity and/or community building components are highly encouraged.

What It Will Fund

• On-the-ground restoration, protection, or conservation efforts that benefit trout and salmon fisheries and their habitats
• Education or outreach projects that increase the awareness and support of coldwater conservation among a non-TU audience.
• Applied research, assessment, or monitoring that addresses the causes of fisheries or watershed problems and helps develop management solutions
• Advocacy efforts that will positively influence government planning or policy to benefit coldwater resources, including coalition building with other partner organizations
• Feasibility studies, campaign planning, or other tools that will directly contribute to TU’s imminent ability to benefit coldwater resources
• Projects that increase the internal capacity of the chapter or council to directly benefit coldwater resources.
• Any other well planned and feasible project that will provide direct benefit to coldwater resources

How Projects Are Evaluated

Applications will be evaluated based on four key criteria:

Conservation Impact

Strengthening overall TU Impact in the community or watershed

Public education, engagement, and outreach (especially for non-TU members)

Technical Merit

Timeline

Successful applicants will have two years to implement their Embrace-a-Stream project.

Matching Requirements

Chapters must provide a 1:1 match for requested funds.  Matching dollars can be cash and/or volunteer hours ($23.07/hr.).

Important Deadlines

April 15, 2017:    Deadline for chapter/council to make initial contact with EAS Committee Representative about proposed project

May 15, 2017:    Deadline for draft application to be sent to EAS Committee Representative.  This step is intended to help chapters address shortcomings in and improve their applications prior to the final submission deadline.

July 15, 2017:      Final deadline for applications

Sept. 29, 2017:   Embrace-A-Stream Committee grant selection meeting

October 2017:    Grant announcement letters are mailed

October 2017:    Grant checks will be deposited in the chapter or council bank account. Please ensure that your bank routing information is on file with TU. Contact Kyle Smith (ksmith@tu.org) to update your information, if needed.

Important Next Steps

For more information, visit: http://www.tu.org/conservation/watershed-restoration-home-rivers-initiative/embrace-a-stream

Contact your Embrace-a-Stream Representative for Colorado:

Bill Schudlich

Southern Rockies

505-470-4878

highmesa@gmail.com

For additional questions or for more information, contact:

Dan Omasta

Colorado Trout Unlimited, Grassroots Coordinator

720-354-2647

domasta@tu.org

Antiquities Act and why should outdoorsmen care?

By Corey Fisher, Pulib Lands Policy Director What are national monuments and why should hunters and anglers care?

National monuments and the Antiquities Act have been in the news lately, with members of Congress pushing the Trump Administration to repeal some national monuments, and a renewed call in the halls of Congress to dismantle the act.

These discussions are usually somewhat abstract and exactly what a national monument is leaves many of us scratching our heads. But for sportsmen and women, there are a few things to know about national monuments and the act used to establish them:

1. National monuments are created when a presidential issues a proclamation designating a national monument out of existing public lands. Signed into law by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, sixteen U.S. presidents – eight Democrats and eight Republicans – have used the Antiquities Act to protect some of the nation’s best public land hunting and fishing opportunities. National monuments are not a “land grab” as some opponents erroneously claim; these lands are already owned American public.

2. The Antiquities Act helps keep our public land like it is, preventing changes that would negatively impact our hunting and fishing heritage. Importantly, each proclamation designating a national monument is different, and each one identifies the values that are to be protected for that specific area, including fish, wildlife, and hunting and angling. For instance, the 2015 proclamation designating Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in California listed trout, salmon, steelhead, elk and mule deer as monument features and noted that the area is important for “recreation opportunities, including hunting, fishing”. In doing so, by law these values will be conserved.

3. National Monuments protect quality hunting and fishing opportunities on public lands. Many monuments allow traditional uses to continue, including hunting and fishing; here’s a list. In short, uses that were allowed before a monument is created are typically allowed after a monument is created, while future activities would degrade fish and wildlife habitat – such as mining or oil and gas development – are not allowed except where there are already valid existing rights.

4. The Antiquities Act is needed more today than ever. In today’s Congress, even widely supported, bi-partisan proposals can get wrapped up in unrelated political fights, but the Antiquities Act offers a path forward to see conservation initiatives through when Congress won’t act. For instance, Browns Canyon National Monuments in Colorado was designated in 2015 after over two decades of unsuccessful legislative proposals from both Republican and Democratic members of Colorado’s Congressional delegation. If the authority for a president to designate a monument were taken away, legislation to conserve Browns’ Canyon would still be languishing in Congress.

5. In the West, national monuments are usually managed by a multiple use public land management agency, commonly the Forest Service or BLM. A designation typically doesn’t change who manages public lands, only what features will be conserved, such as fish and wildlife habitat. Importantly, modern monument proclamations explicitly state that fish and wildlife management authority will be retained by fish and wildlife management agencies, just as it was prior to designation.

6. Monuments ensure the public has a voice in the management of their public lands. When developing a management plan, agencies are required to involve the public, including consultation with tribal, state, and local governments. The process for developing monument management plans is the same process used to create management plans for other public lands, with public input at the beginning of the process and a draft plan that is made available for review and comment before a final decision is made.

7. Today, Congress is trying to dismantle this important tool. Congress has shown a renewed interest in repealing the act outright, or creating hurdles to monument designation that would render the act useless. One such bill in the Senate, S. 437, places a higher bar for the approval of monuments than Wilderness, even though national monuments are a far less restrictive designation.

8. You can help. Theodore Roosevelt was the father of the Antiquities Act and it is critical that hunters and anglers speak up in support of this important tool for conservation – take action today and tell Congress don’t mess with Teddy’s law.

Voices from the River: Tangled up in blue

By Randy Scholfield, TU communications director for the Southwest.  Is there anything worse than tangles? They happen so suddenly, and advance so diabolically, just when things seem to be going so right with our fishing day.

An all-too-common scenario: I come upon an inviting stretch of water, with a sudden rise or hatch breaking out all around me, and in my feverish haste to cast, I lurch the line back and forth and—in a microsecond!—my carefully crafted rig is reduced to a satanic web of entanglements that mock my visions of fly-fishing simplicity.

What too often follows, if I am alone, is a slow-building but unstoppable and obscenity-laced howl of rage and despair that issues from deep within my soul and carries far across the landscape with a force that I’m sure has unnerved nearby anglers and perhaps stampeded large ungulates.

Of course, my own foolish haste is to blame for many, if not most, of these technical and emotional breakdowns. Yes, it takes two to tangle.

The tangle is there to humble us and remind us that we’re fallible, hopeless creatures, filled with pride and all of those other deadly sins.

They remind us, too, of the primacy of patience in fishing.

The tangle is most often the result of an overpowered, rushed and graceless cast.

And the odds of Tanglepocalpyse increase in direct proportion to the number of flies you greedily string on your rig. I have spent long minutes slowly and painstakingly constructing a two- or (madness) three-fly rig, carefully trimming and testing all the knots, gazing lovingly upon my creation—only to snag it on an unseen overhead branch on the first cast and have it delivered back into my hand looking like a giant condor’s nest.

After the wave of self-loathing and disgust washes over me, there follows the requisite stage of forced calm and problem-solving.  Yes, you can do this. It’s not as bad as it looks, right? I begin unwrapping line, focused like a safecracker, waiting for just the right combination of moves to unlock the crazy mashup of hitches, bowlines, slippery eights and stemwinder wraps.

Usually, I make it worse.

I once asked a guide if there were some tricks or shortcuts he’d picked up to untangling leaders and rigs. He smiled grimly and said, “It’s just a matter of practice. After working with hundreds of them, you just get better at it. One thing—don’t keep moving your rod if a tangle has started—that just makes things worse.”

It’s like if you step on a landmine. Stop. Don’t move and you’ll be OK, at least until you move again.

I’ve found it sometimes helps if I cut off the trailing fly on a rig – this sometime gives the needed advantage to pull line through and make sense of things.

So how to avoid these messes in the first place?  As someone more skilled in tangling line than untangling it, I am probably not the person to consult.

But a few things have become clear to me: Slow down and don’t overpower or rush your cast and avoid tight loops with multi-fly rigs. Not prudent. Take your time and watch what you’re doing.

Sure, some tangles are unavoidable. Chaos, after all, is an immutable law of nature, hardwired into the structure of the cosmos.

Just remember there is always the nuclear nipper option. Give the tangle a few minutes, and if it doesn’t look good, for God’s sake give up and cut away and re-rig. Our fishing life is too short to be spent working on tangles.

Behind the Fin: Jason Groves

How long have you been a TU member? I joined Trout Unlimited five years ago while attending law school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Why did you become a member and what chapter are you involved with?

I first joined TU in order to learn. I wanted to learn how to be a better fly fisher. I also wanted to learn more about the local fisheries and waters that sustain them. Having moved to two different states prior to settling my family in Basalt, Colorado in 2013, becoming a member of TU taught me about the pursuit of trout and the local streams in each state more than I ever could have expected. Through TU, I’ve connected with and befriended many veteran anglers that know the craft and know the issues and challenges facing our watersheds as intimately as anyone.

I’m a member of the Ferdinand Hayden Chapter (FHTU) in the Roaring Fork Valley. I serve as the president of the chapter.

What made you want to become involved with TU? I think Aldo Leopold put it best when he stated, “There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.” I’m one of those who cannot live with out them.

What is your favorite activity or project that you have done with TU?

I’m proud of a number of things that FHTU accomplished this past year. From supporting our friends and neighbors’ efforts to secure protections for the Thompson Divide area, to funding and supporting the Ware-Hinds fish passage project, which will provide a critical bypass around an irrigation diversion dam on an important tributary of the Colorado River, to our regular partnerships with other local organizations on river cleanups, and a host of other activities. We even managed to squeeze in a chapter excursion up to Trappers Lake.

Looking ahead, there’s a lot of important work yet to be done.

I know you won’t tell me your top spot, so what is your second favorite fishing spot or favorite fishing story?

Lately, given the short days and a demanding work schedule, it’s been teaching my 2 year-old son, Henry to roll cast in the house with his toy training rod. His favorite thing to say after casting is, “It’s a whopper!”

To your first question: there’s so much water to explore in this valley. (How’s that for a lawyer answer?) Just when you think you have a handle on it, the weather or the season changes. As much as I enjoy skiing, I also personally love winter fishing on the middle Roaring Fork and the Frying Pan near Basalt. There are no lift lines and usually no one in your favorite hole! In the summer months, I have a similar mantra and usually keep to the smaller tributaries of the Roaring Fork outside of Aspen. It’s hard to beat a good weekend hike with family and small streams in high country. From my perspective, the wilder the place, the better.

What does being a part of TU mean to you?

Being a part of TU means that you’re passionate not only about the incredible trout fishing opportunities that our state has to offer, but also about the decisions and issues that impact the long-term health of the rivers and streams on which we all depend. As a conservation organization, TU does a terrific job by engaging and partnering with the stakeholders across the spectrum on a given issue or project and by finding common ground.

What else do you do in your spare time or for work?

I’m a water attorney, licensed in Colorado and Montana and practice exclusively in the areas of water rights law, water resources, and water quality. When I have spare time and I’m not hunting or fishing, I’m an avid trail and ultra-marathon runner.

Headwaters Chapter on Fraser Flats

On March 11, Colorado Headwaters Chapter President, Kirk Klancke, and chapter board member, Anna Drexler-Dreis, joined Good Morning Grand County to talk about water. Klancke was joined by Grand County Water and Sanitation District Manager, Bruce Hutchins, Klancke and Hutchins talk about the issues facing the water supply in Grand County and how the Learning by Doing initiative will help protect stream flows and temperatures of the Fraser River.

Klancke also speaks about the Fraser Flats River Enhancement project. Part of this project will include revegetation along the Fraser as well as stream channeling. Stream channeling will create a smaller river bed within the natural river bed to keep water consolidated during the low flow periods. This will keep the water moving faster, colder, and provide holding areas for trout.

Part of the project will also include a half mile of the river being open to the public for fishing. "We can improve the stream sections of the Fraser and its tributaries to the point where it will be healthier now than it was when I started fishing there 46 years ago," said Klancke.

Drexler-Dreis talked more about the Fraser Flats project, the first Learning by Doing project since its inception. The first step in the Fraser Flats project will entail planting willows along the Fraser River for just under a mile in an area that was heavily overgrazed. With willows in place, the river will experience more stable conditions and improve the stream banks to provide more trout habitat. Volunteers will help with the harvesting and planting of these willows.

The segments below were from the Good Morning Grand County episode on March 11, 2017. If you wish to view the whole episode, you can check out their YouTube channel!