Behind the Fin: Wil Huett

How long have you been a TU member? Hard to answer. In the late 1970's-early 80's I was attending meetings of the Northern Colorado Anglers which eventually became the Rocky Mountain Flycasters (chapter #010). The chapter was chartered in 1983, so I was at least unofficially some kind of 'member' before there was a chapter!  A few years later I had a career change which created an unavoidable conflict with chapter meeting dates and so was relatively inactive for a long time. When I was able to become active again I became a life member - and was surprised when my new life-membership card arrived and bore an expiration date! I thought, how do they know when I am going to expire?

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

My initial interest was the 'fishing club' hook which brings so many members into TU. I wanted to learn more about the mythical art of catching trout on a flyrod. I grew up on the banks of the mighty Mississippi and had used a friend's flyrod to catch a few bass in farm ponds. A career change took me to NW Nebraska where I caught my first trout - on another friend's flyrod. I picked up a little more experience in the nearby Black Hills, but when I moved to Colorado and within a few blocks of the Cache la Poudre I was in 'real' trout territory and needed to know more.

What made you want to become involved with TU?

Growing up on the banks of the Mississippi and experiencing its periodic floods gave me no background for understanding the water scarcity issues of the west. When the mighty Miss and its tributaries flooded they used to let us older boys out of school and permit trustee crews from the state prison to help sandbag. It was usually a problem of too much water, so I was fascinated by the complexity of water law created by the scarcity of water and the mission of TU to conserve and correct the mistakes of the past just seemed to me to make manifest sense.

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

I love to get involved with our youth activities, and field work. The RMF annual Youth Conservation and Fly Fishing Day Camp is one of the highlights of my year. It is such a terrific program I truthfully tell people that in my first year as a mentor in the camp I learned things I hadn't learned in the previous 40 years of fishing, The info these students are presented is that good! (or maybe I was just that slow a learner?)

One of my favorite field work projects was installing plunge pools on the Michigan River near Gould many years ago, with fellow RMF members including "Dr Trout", the late Robert J Behnke, PhD, himself. It was a two day project so we camped out and got rained on overnight. Dr Behnke had not brought a tent so he just rolled his sleeping bag under my jacked-up pickup truck to stay dry. He truly was a man with one foot firmly planted in the field and the other in the academic world!

I am also looking forward to our chapter cooperating with the Alpine Anglers in Estes Park to rebuild the fishing access pier up the Big Thompson, I helped build the original (in '89' or '90') and would love to have a hand in seeing it rebuilt to give the mobillity impaired a better chance to fish the "Big T"

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

My favorite fishing spot is any spot I happen to be in which harbors fish. I advocate carrying a flyrod in every vehicle because you never know when you will run into a fishing emergency! Although exotic locales beckon to many I have trouble getting too far away from my home rivers - and ponds. I flyrod a lot of local natural area ponds for warmwater species too. Also take a trip to Canada each June with a couple of RMF's founding fathers, but home waters are the preferred locales since they are close.

One of my favorite memories occurred one week to the day before the 2013 flood devastated the lower Big Thompson and its North Fork. I was fishing the North Fork and saw a rise just inside a culvert under the county road. I watched long enough to see the fish was rising regularly in roughly the same spot, but it was going to be a tough, horizontal, back-handed cast, low enough to get into the culvert and into the feeding lane. I tried and missed. The fish kept rising. I tried again and missed. The fish paused but then resumed. I tried once more and got it just right...and Fish On! It dove into the pool just out of the culvert and bulldogged me. I know it was a big fish for that small stream, but had no idea for a few minutes that it was an 18 inch brown trout! Out of that tiny stream! I have no proof because my camera-bearer had gone back to the truck to escape a light rain and proceeded to fall asleep. So I released the fish and a week later as the flood swept the canyon had to hope he or she could survive somewhere in Nebraska. Once North Fork restoration work is done, some of it by RMF volunteers including me, I hope to find a similar fish hiding in a similarly deceptive spot. And then have to hope I'll be able to reproduce that tricky cast again.

What does being a part of TU mean to you?

TU membership means I am leaving a legacy, giving a gift to the future.

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

It seems spare time is so scarce in retirement I wonder how I had time to work! But I did: 40 years in the broadcast business and then 15 years with the American Red Cross before retiring. I volunteer with Rocky Mountain Flycasters, currently serve in the Trustee slot of Immediate Past President and fill the Community/Media Outreach chair. I think I have about 240 RMF volunteer hours thus far in this fiscal year. Also volunteer occasionally with a couple of other conservation organizations, read voraciously, do handyman fix-up projects on my near 100 year old home, and am finally trying to learn to tie a fly that doesn't look like an insect scraped off a windshield.

Thank you for Celebrating Colorado Public Lands Day!

On May 20 Colorado celebrated the first ever Public Lands Day. As part of this celebration we called on Colorado Trout Unlimited members and supporters, anglers and sportsmen, and overall supporters of our public lands to help celebrate these great places Colorado has to offer. And did you all deliver!

On Colorado Public Lands Day there were over 450 Instagram posts with #CoPublicLands, over 265 tweets, and we received various emails with photos showing your love for public lands.

We tasked our supporters to share public lands fish photos with Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet. There were some awesome photos of fish caught on public lands and some of our favorites can be seen below. There were also photos of people celebrating by hiking, camping, biking, and hunting. These outdoor recreation opportunities through public lands help drive Colorado's economy by generating 313,000 jobs and $34 billion in revenue for the state.

While there is still some uncertainty regarding the future of our public lands in the United States, our voices have been heard before and they will continue to be heard. Both Senators posted statements regarding Colorado Public Lands Day and showed their support to Colorado's 24 million acres of public lands. Senator Bennet's statement can be read here. Senator Gardner's statement can be read here.

Thank you to everyone who helped show their support of these lands! Remember, that it doesn't have to be a special day to show your support for our public lands. You can always share your photos and testimonies with Colorado TU's social media accounts or email! You can also visit standup.tu.org or contact Tyler Baskfield, Tbaskfield@tu.org

The rivers need people like you

Long ago, a wise and influential man told me, in a low and gravelly voice that matched the importance of his words, "The rivers need people like you." Last month, I was reminded of these compelling words when I was honored to receive the Silver Trout Award. The award, given by the Silver Trout Foundation, recognizes individual volunteers whose body of work in support of Colorado's rivers has left a significant and lasting impression.

If you were at Colorado TU's Rendezvous 2017, you heard me nervously stumble through an acceptance speech. I had one memorized in advance, but altered it on the spot because of the way I was introduced. I've since been encouraged to share that speech for others and I welcome the opportunity to deliver it without stumbling!

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Thank you. I've always been honored to work with such a passionate and committed group of people. Now I'm humbled to be in the company of other award winners.

Ken [Neubecker] mentioned that he met me at a volunteer day where I was flipping burgers, and it reminded me of a story that I'd like to share.

That volunteer day, at Buffalo Peaks Ranch in 2008, was my very first volunteer experience with Colorado TU. Sinjin [Eberle] had enlisted my help to cook lunch. Honestly, I wasn't a TU member or even a river conservationist at the time. I was simply helping a friend out.

The last person I flipped a burger for happened to be the late Charlie Meyers of the Denver Post. I shut down the grill and joined him for lunch. I tried to thank him for the media coverage of the event, but he cut me off and thanked me for helping to restore the river.

We talked about a lot of things and I don't recall the details anymore, but I do remember how it ended. He grabbed my arm to make sure he had my attention, looked me in the eye and said, "You know, the rivers need people like you."

He didn't sound like Morgan Freeman, but I felt like Morgan Freeman had just given me my marching orders. Later that day, I told Sinjin I wanted to get more involved in Colorado TU and the rest is history.

So I was a volunteer, but I didn't really become an engaged volunteer until Charlie gave me the push I needed. We all know someone like this, someone who just needs a push to get involved. I want to encourage all of you to push that person - you might be creating a future Silver Trout Award winner. Thank you.

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I added the bit about Morgan Freeman. Sure wish I'd thought to say it at the podium!

For those who don't know, Ken Neubecker is the current President of the Silver Trout Foundation and a past president of Colorado TU. Sinjin Eberle, who was a good friend even before the Buffalo Peaks Ranch projects, is the Director of Communications for American Rivers and a past President of Colorado TU. Both are Silver Trout Award winners.

Charlie Meyers, an outdoors writer for the Denver Post, covered his beats for 40 years. He died in January of 2010 from complications due to lung cancer.

2016 Annual Report

The 2016 Colorado TU Annual Report is now available! This year we broke it down basin-by-basin to show that no matter where you fish, Colorado TU is on-the-ground working to make the watershed healthier, protect the lands and streams, and ensure that the fish habitat is sustainable for future generations.

In the South Platte basin, Colorado TU and chapters worked to engage young, inner city, girls through the great outdoors by introducing them to fly fishing and conservation; CTU worked with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to reintroduce the Colorado state fish, Greenback Cutthroat Trout, to it's native watershed along the Front Range; Trout Unlimited tackled abandoned mine issues, and various chapters worked to repair their homewater streams from the devastating floods of 2013.

The Arkansas River basin is home to Bear Creek where the last wild population of Greenback Cutthroat trout were found. The Annual Report discusses how CTU and the local chapter worked to connect this rare fish with the community. The Arkansas River basin also included the Colorado TU Youth Camp where 15 students ages 14-18 were introduced to the basics of conservation and fly fishing.

The San Juan, Animas, and Dolores basins included work on restoring the trout habitat and cutthroat trout populations into Hermosa Creek, rerouting the San Miguel river through the Telluride Valley Floor, and protecting the southwest rivers and streams from hardrock mining issues.

In the Colorado River basin, TU helped secure protections for the Roan Plateau and Thompson Divide from harmful oil and gas development, worked with local ranchers and farmers to improve the health of the Upper Colorado while enhancing agriculture water usage. TU also helped lead the Learning by Doing initiative that, among other things, secured $8 million in funds to protect and restore the Upper Colorado River.

Along the Yampa, Trout Unlimited's Brian Hodge was rewarded the U.S. Forest Service’s Rise to the Future Award for his work restoring miles of streams and trout habitat in the Routt National Forest. The local chapter also worked to engage youth in the basin by connecting them to their local watershed and introducing them to the issues present.

The Gunnison River basin included engaging youth through the Adopt-a-Trout program in Tomichi Creek where students, in collaboration with local agencies, tagged wild trout to study the movements of fish in the creek. TU also worked with local farmers and ranchers to improve agriculture processes and trout habitat in the Gunnison valley.

In the Rio Grande basin, Trout Unlimited worked to protect the Great Sand Dunes Cutthroat from potential changes in the environment. The Rocky Mountain Flyathlon came to Saguache for the annual race and fishing events that help raise money for Colorado TU's work in protecting native trout and their habitats. The local chapter and Trout Unlimited also worked to repair sections of the Conejos and ensure that winter flows were hospitable for trout.

The work we accomplished last year could not have been done without the generous support of our donors and partners listed on page 23 of the Annual Report. All donations to Colorado TU are leveraged through corporate partnerships, volunteer sweat equity, and matching grants to make your dollars go even further!

There are many more stories in each basin and projects from around the state that you can read in the 2016 Annual Report. You can view the report here or make sure you check it out in the Spring edition of High Country Angler!

Celebrate Colorado's First Ever Public Lands Day

Residents will have the opportunity to celebrate Colorado’s  inaugural  Public Lands Day on May 20. Made official in 2016, Colorado Public Lands Day will be held on the third Saturday of May each year to recognize the contribution of public lands to our state’s economy and its residents’ quality of life. Colorado has 24 million of acres of public lands, nearly one third of the state’s landscape, that allow hunters and anglers to have access to some of the best fish and game habitat in the world. These federal public lands are responsible for boosting Colorado’s economy by $722 million every year and provide 45,000 jobs to the state. Colorado Public Lands Day is an opportunity to publicize how important these lands are to our State and our heritage as sportsmen.

There is a small but dangerous movement brewing in this country that would transfer ownership of federal public lands to the states. TU and many other sportsmen’s organizations have been working to defend public lands from this catastrophic concept. On May 20, Coloradans now have a chance to make our voices heard and show the country how much we care about our public lands in the Centennial State. It's our chance to show legislators and the rest of the country that the majority of sportsmen and residents of Colorado strongly believe public lands need to remain public.

As part of your Colorado Public Lands Day celebration, we ask that you join us in tweeting or emailing a photo of a fish caught on public lands to Sen. Gardner and Sen. Bennet with the hash tag #CoPublicLandsDay and a message reminding them how important federal public lands are to Colorado’s residents. Also, send the photo to Colorado TU's Facebook and Twitter so we can keep track of the impact you have as a member of TU. CTU will be sending out an Action Alert with more instructions to come.  We all enjoy the opportunity to boast over a photo of a fish we have caught, now we can enjoy our accomplishment and help protect the places we love while we are doing it.

For more information on other Colorado Public lands Day event please visit: www.copubliclandsday.com.

Secrets of Fly Fishing the Lowly Carp

Webmaster's Note: The following is a guest post from Rich Stuber, the founder of Big Sky Inflatables, home of Water Master Rafts. Water Master has been used by anglers and hunters all over the world for over fifteen years, including Dave Whitlock, one of fly fishing’s greatest innovators.

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It was a warm, really pleasant day on the Dream Stream (the South Platte River) near Lake George, Colorado. Trout were hitting well on San Juan worms and nymphs, and even though the water was a bit murky, we had been catching some nice browns and rainbows. A single prince nymph under an indicator had been working well, and as the setup rounded a bend into dead water, the indicator took a dive. Raising the rod to set the hook met solid resistance so much so that it seemed as if it was hung on submerged structure. Just as quickly, the line started screaming off my reel, downstream, and the fight was on. A chase along the river bank ensued, as the 6X tippet on my line wouldn’t hold for long. After a strong fight, the fish rolled the surface and revealed the bright gold scales of a five pound common carp. This was no disappointment, as any fiver on a fly rod is a treat. The "freshwater redfish" as many call carp, is the newest and maybe the most challenging target for many anglers today.

There are five species of carp that we see in the U.S.

1. Grass Carp, up to 60” long, 99lbs., feed on aquatic plants
2. Big Head Carp, up to 60” long, up to 110lbs., feed on zooplankton
3. Black Carp, up to 48” long, up to 78lbs., feed on snails, mussels, invertebrates
4. Silver Carp, up to 40” long, up to 110lbs., feed on photo plankton
5. Common Carp, up to 40” long, up to 100lbs., feed on water plants, crustaceans, crawfish, benthic worms, scuds, san juans, snails, clams

There are some variants such as the Mirror Carp, with larger scales, varied colors and placement; and the Leather Carp, with no scales, except some near the dorsal fin.

Typical targets in fly fishing are common carp and grass carp. The habitat of carp is varied and they are found in a wide variety of waters all across the United States. Most typically, they’ll be found on flat areas, such as in Lake Michigan, in slow and slack water in creeks, streams and rivers, and in just about any lake you come across.

Fly anglers typically look for carp along the edges in shallow water, because fishing for carp is mostly a sight-fishing event. It can be very difficult to place a fly in the right place to be taken if you cannot see the fish, and the take itself is hard to detect without seeing it happen. That doesn’t mean that a carp won’t slam a fly, because sometimes they will.

Depending on the food source they have, their eating habits will differ-sucking in clams on the bottom, eating nymphs in the water column as they swim along, chasing bait fish in the shallows, or rising to slurp in a floating mulberry or dead insect on the surface. When feeding, they’ll swim along, looking side-to-side, searching or be head-down, tail up, eating from the bottom (tailing).

Gear for Carpin’

• Carp are strong and large, usually weighing five pounds or more, so a strong rod is necessary. A 6-8 weight rod is recommended, and 9’ works well. Beside the strength of the fish, one needs the ability to fling weighted flies into the wind on occasion.
• Nothing fancy on fly line, just match the line to the rod.
• A good reel, with capacity for backing is important, because even a ten pound carp can take you well into your backing, and make several runs.  They habitually bolt when you try to get them to the net, often for a fresh strong run.
• You’ll want strong leader, ten-pound test or better, and in most cases, monofilament is fine. You can use a redfish or bass tapered leader, 3X or stronger, for better turnover, but in most cases the mono is adequate. Whether to use nylon or fluorocarbon is your choice, the carp masters differ in their opinion of which is best.

Flies

Many carp anglers tie specialty flies for catching carp, imitating the food sources, such as the Hybrid Carp Fly or the Backstabber, popular mainstream carp flies. The reality is that much of the time you’ll catch carp doing the same thing you do with trout - match the hatch.

• Aquatic creatures-carp eat nymphs and pupa of mayflies, dragonflies, damsel flies and stoneflies, so flies you use to imitate those work
• Plant material-they like fluffy cottonseeds and love mulberries, so flies that look like those two foods work
• Introduced foods - if you fish an environment with human presence, carp will be eating things thrown into the water, and there are flies to imitate foods like bread, dog food, corn, etc.
• Try these: GR Hare’s Ears, dragonfly nymphs, scuds, leeches, san juan worms, crawfish, woolly buggers, Carp Boobies, Bristle Leeches
• Some popular concepts: weighted flies that sink, hook point up, flies with legs that stir up mud or silt
• Tips: clear water - smaller flies; murky water- larger, darker flies

Methods

• GOOD - indicator rig dead drifting the fly just above the bottom, slowly stripped (no wake on the indicator).  This method good for murky water where sight fishing is difficult.
• BETTER - drag and drop, casting a two-fly rig beyond the fish, dragging the setup across the surface until the flies are on either side of the carp’s head, then allowing the flies to drop to the bottom.
• BEST - drop the fly one to two feet directly in front of the feeding carp, and watch for the take, when the carp sucks in the fly.
• Strip set is always best, as it is easy to pull the fly out of the carp’s mouth if you trout set by lifting the rod tip.

Tips

• Rub your fly with mud, they have a keen sense of smell.
• Study the water, don’t just start throwing flies - sight fishing to specific carp is most productive.
• Carp like stable weather patterns.
• Watch for tailing, or puffs of mud.
• If you miss a take, let the fly drop, don’t give up.
• Look for tilted fish.  When they are cruising level, they’re not eating.
• Try bright flies, carp are curious and will pick up bright objects.
• It’s ok to let your fly ‘sploosh’ on the water, it gets their attention.
• Be stealthy, carp are nervous fish, easy to spook.
• Cast in front of fish, not over them, they ‘line’ easily.
• If you find carp, but they’re not feeding, look for some that are.

The next time you want some excitement, and want to catch a big fish on a fly rod, consider looking for carp. You will be surprised how many bodies of water they inhabit in your area. You may have to do some searching to find them, but the reward of a 7-10 pound hard-fighting fish on the fly rod is worth every step you take. Go carpin’!

If you would like to learn more about fly fishing for carp be sure to check out these podcasts Cruising for Carp and Tactics for Monster Carp.

TU helps protect Colorado River Gold Medal stretch

Not all of Trout Unlimited's efforts are loud and publicized. In fact, some are quiet and calculated. There are many TU efforts that don’t generate action alerts or require high level discussions with politicians. Recently, TU's work to protect the Gold Medal Water section of the upper Colorado River from 20 oil and gas leases was successful by inserting the voice of sportsmen into the BLM’s oil and gas lease sale process. “The process of commenting on these federal land actions can feel bureaucratic and can be tedious,” said Tyler Baskfield, sportsmen coordinator for Colorado who drafted comments for TU pertaining to the May 2017 Oil and Gas Lease Sale. “But it is critical that we address federal land actions from a sportsmen’s perspective. These leases in Grand County near the Colorado River are a perfect example of what TU staff can accomplish by participating in the process and providing accurate and consistent information to federal agencies.”

The parcels had originally been nominated for the lease sale by the oil and gas industry, but the BLM removed the 20 parcels totaling 27,529 acres in Grand County from the upcoming lease sale citing “concerns raised by Grand County and other stakeholders about offering these parcels at this time,” said acting Deputy State Director for Energy Lands and Minerals, Kent Walter. “We want to be sure they are still appropriate for leasing.”

TU staff along with Grand County and a number of environmental organizations discouraged the leasing of these parcels that were close to both the Colorado River and Rocky Mountain National Park. These areas also contained cutthroat trout habitat. TU and partners commented on the potential impact to the wildlife resources and recreation in the area to the BLM throughout the NEPA process. The other organizations who commented on these potential leases played a large role in the removal of these parcels, but the sportsmen’s perspective that TU provides seemed to be especially influential in many of these efforts.

“TU’s members should feel great about the impact their contribution has to the places that sportsmen are passionate about,” said Baskfield. “It takes several staff members to participate in just one of these efforts. The staff who work on these comments and follow these processes are incredibly passionate, intelligent, and thorough when it comes to producing the desired outcome for the resource. It isn’t the most visible part of the work that we do, but it is rewarding to work with all of those talented staff members and get a win.”

Speak Out for National Monuments

By Corey Fisher Senior Policy Director for Trout Unlimited Caddis fly blizzards on the Arkansas River in Browns Canyon National Monument. Strongholds of native redband trout in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Fishing with the ghost of Henry David Thoreau in the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

These are just a few of the reasons Trout Unlimited supports the Antiquities Act and the ability for presidents to use the act to designate national monuments. As national monuments, each of the places will be kept just the way they are today and provide world-class coldwater habitat and fishing opportunities for future generations – or so we hope.

Take action to stand up for our National Monuments!

On Wednesday, President Trump issued an executive order, Review of Designations Under the Antiquities Act, calling for a review of national monument designations over 100,000 acres since 1996 (or at the discretion of the Secretary of the Interior) and instructing the Secretary to provide “recommendations for such Presidential actions, legislative proposals, or other actions” if determined that a monument should be rescinded or resized.

This unprecedented action could have far-reaching implications for America’s public lands and hunters and anglers. Trout Unlimited cautions that the order could lead to the weakening of national monument protections and the Antiquities Act, a law championed by Theodore Roosevelt and used by sixteen Presidents – eight Republican and eight Democratic – to protect some of America’s most iconic landscapes.

This review starts us down a path that could jeopardize protected public lands that help to sustain our outdoor traditions, such as Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. In these places, locally driven conservation efforts need to be preserved and celebrated, not questioned.

The Antiquities Act has historically been a bipartisan tool for conserving public lands that are part of our natural heritage and important for America’s sportsmen and women. After signing the act into law, President Theodore Roosevelt designated over 1.5 million acres of public land as national monuments, both large and small.  Since then, the act has been used to enable long-term conservation of some of the best fish and wildlife habitat and hunting and angling opportunities in the country.

When Congress has been unwilling or unable to enact widely supported conservation initiatives, the Antiquities Act has provided a path forward to see these efforts through to fruition. The Antiquities Act is a powerful tool for conservation. Like any tool, it must be used appropriately, but it is important to keep this tool available for those times and places it is needed.

For this reason, hunting and fishing groups have been calling on elected officials to uphold the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt and set an example for how the Act can be used responsibly, rather than attacking national monuments and the Antiquities Act. These efforts have included a letter from the CEOs of five national sporting groups expressing opposition to any executive action to overturn a national monument.

An angler looks to hook up with a trout while fishing Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Joshua Duplechian/Trout Unlimited

It remains to be seen what final actions will stem from the review mandated by President Trump’s executive order, but one thing is clear: we must remain vigilant to ensure that some of America’s most cherished landscapes remain protected as national monuments.

Read more about national monuments and the Antiquities Act.

Take action today – tell Congress don’t mess with the monuments!

Own a business? Sign the outdoor business letter to Congress.

Read a press release from Trout Unlimited and partners in response to the Executive Order.

Corey Fisher is the Senior Policy Director for Trout Unlimited. He can be reached at CFisher@tu.org

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.”

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.