CPW staff spawn unique cutthroat trout rescued from Hayden Pass fire

Colorado Parks and Wildlife press release GUNNISON, Colo. – Inside Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Roaring Judy Hatchery, the staff is working to save and breed 158 unique cutthroat trout rescued from Hayden Creek during last year’s devastating Hayden Pass wildfire, southwest of Cañon City.

Throughout June, hatchery technicians have artificially extracted milt and roe – semen and eggs – from the unique cutthroat trout, which were first discovered in Hayden Creek by CPW biologists in 1996. Today they may be the last survivors because no fish were found in an initial survey of the South Prong of Hayden Creek in the aftermath of the wildfire and subsequent flooding.

The fire erupted from a lightning strike last July 8 and roared out of control for weeks, eventually charring 16,754 acres across the Hayden Creek and Big Cottonwood Creek drainages above the Arkansas River near Coaldale.

At the time, CPW staff and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) volunteers made a desperate dash behind the fire lines and captured roughly half of the cutthroats believed to be living in a one-mile stretch of the South Prong.

Of the rescued trout,158 were taken to Roaring Judy and placed in isolation. The other 36 were released in Newlin Creek south of Cañon City with a goal that they would reproduce naturally.

Several hundred fish were left behind in hopes they would survive and the monsoon rains would spare the drainage. Heavy rain events after a fire can inundate streams with debris, ash and sediment making it difficult for fish to survive and reproduce.

Indeed, soon after the fire, fall monsoons ravaged the watershed. Biologists returned to the area with sampling gear and could not find a single fish. They plan to return to the creek this fall in hopes of finding a few hardy survivors .

The Hayden Creek cutthroat are unique and different than the famed pure greenback cutthroat residing in Bear Creek, on the western edge of Colorado Springs. Those trout, which ironically are native to the South Platte River basin, were once thought to be extinct in the 1930s. A study headed up by scientists at CU Boulder in 2012 revealed that the only true greenback cutthroat resided in Bear Creek. That information led to the propagation and eventual reintroduction of those fish into several streams and one lake in the South Platte basin.

The cutthroat trout in Hayden Creek, and now in the hatchery, are unique and contain genes matching museum specimens collected by early explorers. In 1889, ichthyologist David Starr Jordan collected a pair of trout specimens from Twin Lakes, near Leadville. Today those specimens reside at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. The Hayden Creek cutthroat trout are the only known modern fish to share their genetics.

“The coordination that occurred between the USFS staff and CPW to rescue these fish from the wild during an active fire was truly amazing,” said Josh Nehring, CPW senior aquatic biologist. “Furthermore, our staff at Roaring Judy, lead by Seth Firestone, has provided exceptional care to these fish. It is not an easy task to take a wild fish into the hatchery and get them to survive let alone reproduce. Kudos to that team!”

Their spawning efforts began June 12 in the isolation unit located along the East River, north of Gunnison.

Firestone, hatchery manager, said roe was stripped from 10 female cutthroat and mixed with milt from 10 males the first day. Action continued June 19 and the staff is hopeful for more success the week of June 26.

But the rescue is not without risk. The trout are being treated for fungus attributed to male aggression.

“It’s a concern,” Firestone said, describing how the fish are receiving weekly baths in a mild saltwater solution to combat the fungus. “We are doing our best to keep it under control.”

2017 Youth Camp Recap

Over the week of June 11 to June 16, campers from all over the state joined at the Bar N I Ranch in Stonewall, CO for the 2017 Colorado TU River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp. For the entire week, 15 campers between the ages of 14-18, joined Colorado TU staff, volunteers and camp counselors for a week of camping, learning, and fishing- for some of the kids, it was their first time ever fishing. The kids took part in various activities teaching them all about river conservation, native trout species, Western water issues, and of course, all things fly fishing.

The students arrived on Sunday, June 11 and right away the fun started. After the campers got their tents set up, the camp staff and counselors went over basic information about the camp, rules, and an overview of what to expect. After the orientation, the kids then got a chance to know one another. Finally, they learned about some basic fly fishing techniques including how to tie knots and when to use them and the basics to casting. The first day also covered some of the current river and water issues in Colorado.

Monday was the first full day of camp and after waking up, the kids went to the stream and pond at the ranch to learn about the entomology of the watershed. The kids took bug samples to learn about what the fish would be eating in the area and took water samples to determine the health of the stream and pond. After the sampling, students ate lunch and headed to nearby North Lake to fish for the afternoon. It wasn't long before kids started hooking into fish and in the first day over half of the kids had landed their first fish of the camp and for some, their first fish ever.

On Tuesday, June 13, the campers and camp staff headed to Alamosa to visit the Sand Dunes National Park. While at the Sand Dunes, the campers visited with National Park staff and Trout Unlimited's Kevin Terry to learn about the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout and how climate change is affecting the habitat of this species. During the trip to Alamosa, students also visited the Native Aquatic Species Hatchery, a facility based around the restoration of Colorado’s native species. Here, campers were exposed to the science behind genetics, and were able to see what it takes to bring back a species from endangerment. Tuesday wrapped up with a lesson on western water law and the issues affecting the region's most valuable resource.

Over the first few days the kids had free time to tie flies and practice their fly fishing skills and on Wednesday they had a chance to hone in those skills and use the flies they have tied. The day started off by traveling to North Lake for the morning. While at North Lake kids were catching fish left and right and by halfway through the morning, everyone had caught a fish. After returning to the camp, the kids ate lunch and broke up into teams of three for some additional fishing. One group headed to some beaver ponds, another group fished the stream, and the third group fished a lake on the ranch property.

Thursday, the last full day of the camp, consisted of a lesson from Colorado Parks and Wildlife on aquatic nuisance species and how anglers can do their part to protect our watersheds from these invasive species. Colorado Parks and Wildlife also lead a trout dissection for campers to learn about the biology of trout. Later in the afternoon, the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) brought a soil trailer to demonstrate watershed issues on a smaller scale. The students were able to see how issues of erosion, wildfires, and flooding can affect an entire watershed. After dinner on Thursday the campers watched the 2017 Fly Fishing Film Tour at the local Pinion Valley Lodge.

On the last morning of the camp, the campers helped pick up the fly tying and fishing material and break down their camps. Soon, parents were arriving for the closing ceremony. Campers, staff, and parents had a chance to comment on their experiences with the camp.

When the 15 campers arrived on June 11, there were nervous faces and uneasy feelings about what to expect for the upcoming week. But just a few days later on June 16 the campers had a hard time leaving one another. The friendships formed, the lessons learned, and the memories made will carry on forever and many students mentioned coming back in 2018.

Colorado TU wants to thank the campers, parents, volunteers, chapters, and all of the guests who helped make this camp a great success. The camp could not have been done without your support and we look forward to working with you all next year! CTU also wants to thank the Bar N I Ranch for their hospitality during the course of the week!

We hope to see many new and old faces at the camp in 2018!

Jeff Florence Farewell

There are a range of feelings I have when it comes to announcing my farewell. Excitement for future opportunities, nervousness for what lies ahead, and sadness for having to leave such an incredible organization. I have accepted a job as the Web Content Manager with the National Cattleman's Beef Association so I will be leaving Colorado TU, effective June 30, 2017.

I want to thank all of you, the volunteer leaders, supporters, and friends of Colorado TU for all of the help and support you have given me. Having worked with you all over the last two plus years has helped me grow into a better person than I could have ever imagined. The mentorships, friendships, and lesson learned will never be forgotten as I continue with my career.

My time with CTU started in 2014 as the first Communications Intern. Then in the summer of 2015 I came on as a part time position which slowly evolved into a full time position. I fulfilled the duties of admin, communications, youth education, volunteer coordinator, raffle salesman, photographer, and so much more!

None of that could have been accomplished without the help of you all. Time and time again you worked with me to help me learn the programs and projects, you forgave me when I messed up, and helped me learn how I can best contribute to the organization.

I will miss dearly the lively discussions at the board meetings, the talk of how to fish certain streams, working booths at events, the camaraderie of the organization, and the Fall Meetings and Rendezvous... as long as I was in bed by 10!

I first got involved with Trout Unlimited a few years prior to my internship when I was in high school. I got a letter in the mail that said if I joined I would receive 15 flies. For someone just starting to fly fish, this seemed like gold- 15 flies and a chance to join with other anglers. So, like so many others who join, I thought I would be joining a fishing club.

But much to my surprise it was even better.

Trout Unlimited is so much more than just anglers getting together to share fishing stories and photos. While we love to do that, it is a shared passion of our rivers and sport that joins everyone together. Whether it's connecting youth to their local watersheds, protecting native trout species, helping a veteran learn to fish, cleaning up the stream bank, or restoring sections of a river, there is no shortage of passion from the members of this great organization.

While I joined TU to learn more about fly fishing, I am probably just a slightly better angler than when I got started- and probably the one person with TU who wears a Rockies hat more than a fishing hat. But the passion of TU has been instilled in my DNA. The Colorado River headwaters hold a special place in my heart. However, I never realized the extent of the issues effecting the headwaters until I joined TU. From there I learned more about it and through that, the fire was lit. I wanted to protect the Upper Colorado because to me that is a place worth saving.

And while for me it's the Colorado Headwaters, there is a stream or river out there for all of you that holds a special place in your heart. A place that is worth saving. So as long as you feel that a place is worth saving, I will be right alongside you and TU, fighting like hell to save it.

I will miss working with all of you in my current capacity but this is not the end of my time with CTU. I plan to stay involved through volunteering with chapters and programs, helping with the state council, and being a continued resource and contact for you all.

If you want to get in touch with me, my email is Jeff.Florence2@yahoo.com and my number is 303-912-5230 (the same number a lot of you already have for me).

If you see me on the river don't feel shy to come over and say hi... I'll be the guy getting the fly stuck in the tree after every other cast.

Playing the Long Game

As anglers, we are all familiar with the reasons behind keeping our rivers and lakes healthy.  As a community that spends time on the water and public lands more than most, we can be far more attentive to subtle changes in environmental quality or perceived threats to an ecosystem.  Moreover, our chapters are often heavily engaged in the community and see the impacts of programs like Stream Explorers, Casting for Recovery, and Project Healing Waters on the lives of our friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, our elected officials (county commissioners to Senators) are often too busy to see these same local stories first-hand, or experience the subtle ecological impacts of a new fish passage structure just upstream.  This is why it is so important for TU members, chapters, and organizers to reach out and build relationships with the leaders in our communities.

As chapters, we are the face of TU in our local communities and we do a great job of bringing people together in the spirit of protecting and enjoying our public lands.  We also make a significant impact on the lives of veterans, families, youth, and the general public through a myriad of programs and special events.  This is the story we must not only tell – it is the cause we must share.

Far too often, the only time we find ourselves talking with an elected official is when we need something. As chapters, we must break out of this mold if we are to be successful in cultivating a healthy environment of community leaders that understand the importance of keeping our rivers and watersheds healthy.  For this reason, we should all to extend a hand to our local leaders and invite them into the CTU community.

When we think of elected officials, we often point to state legislators and national delegations, but do not forget your local school boards, county commissioners, or active community organizers.  These leaders at all levels of government make decisions every day that affect the programs we hold near and dear to our hearts – Trout in the Classroom, public access, mineral leasing, funding for recreation, and the list goes on.\

So next time you are planning a barbeque for chapter volunteers, consider reaching out to your county commissioner to have them join you and meet their constituents; invite your state legislator to come fishing with you during the Green Drake hatch; or bring a member of your local school board along for a kids fishing derby.  These local leaders are genuinely interested to meet their constituents and get engaged in their communities – and what better way to show the importance of keeping our rivers healthy and maintaining recreational opportunities then putting a fly rod in their hand, or having them help net a young kid’s first fish.

By building these types of relationships on the front end, we can more actively engage our local leaders when we do actually need them to take a specific stance on a key issue.  Suddenly CTU is not that just that fishing organization flooding their email box with action alerts – they are the local chapter that brought a senator out on the river with a group of military veterans.

Below are a few ways that your chapters and local members can help cultivate these future water leaders:

• Invite elected officials to attend chapter events and give them an opportunity to speak;
• Invite community leaders to join one or two members on a fishing outing;
• Keep the conversation light and don’t hammer down on details – the point is to develop long-term relationships and help these public officials to better understand the ecosystem or a certain community program;
• Don’t give them expensive gifts (state laws restrict gifts to a value under $50) – this is a learning and “get-to-know-ya” activity, not a bribe;
• Expand your focus beyond elected officials who don’t have a strong record on the environment, it is also good to bring allies out on the river too
• Ideas of people to invite: school board members, county commissioners, city council, city/county staff, basin roundtable reps., ag/water companies, state legislators, state and local departments, other NGOs

At the end of the day, CTU and its chapters are successful because of our ability to build strong ties with our local communities.  While it may seem easy to focus on anglers or specific members when we do our outreach, let’s not forget the value of bringing in our local leaders. Show them that while CTU members support opinions across the political spectrum, we are united in the idea that clean, healthy rivers are a benefit to us all.  You never know, the school board member you have at your fishing derby today could be the state’s governor tomorrow.  Play the long game.

Greenback Recovery Working Group

The greenback cutthroat is one of last three remaining species of cutthroat trout that is native to Colorado. Their populations were decimated during the initial settling of the west, and for a period of time this species was thought to have become extinct. Later, greenback cutthroats were believed to have been rediscovered, but this proved to be case of mistaken identity. Genetic testing later provided evidence that this “old Strain” of greenback cutthroats were in fact Colorado Cutthroats, an entirely different subspecies of cutthroat trout. It wasn’t until later that a small population of true native greenback cutthroat were discovered in Bear Creek near Colorado Springs. Since this discovery there has been a significant effort to capture the genetic pool of these true greenback cutthroats, breed them in controlled environments, and repopulate native waters with these trout. Much of this work is thanks to the Greenback Recovery working group, currently lead by Colorado TU Grassroots Coordinator, Dan Omasta. This working group is a collaborative effort; including organizations such as Trout Unlimited, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Forest Service, and front range CTU chapters. This partnership forms a unified front to work as a single point of contact. The Greenback Recovery Working Group has been effective because they are able to provide much needed volunteers, address funding needs, enhance communications, and work on grant writing across chapters as a single entity.

One of the most significant ongoing projects is the reintroduction of native greenback cutthroat trout to Zimmerman Lake. This lake serves as a spawning ground for these cutthroat, where fertilized eggs are then collected and brought to the Leadville hatchery. The resulting fry are then reintroduced to other native streams.

Another substantial project conducted by the Greenback Recovery Working Group in partnership with Western Native Trout Initiative entails installing 30 temperature loggers into local streams. This project will help Colorado Trout Unlimited collect data in order to evaluate streams for reintroduction, monitor progress, and over time measure the impacts of climate change. There are many other ongoing and upcoming projects that the Greenback Recovery Working Group is tirelessly working on in order to successfully reintroduce native greenback cutthroat trout.

Soon under the Endangered Species Act, the Department of Fish and Wildlife will be forced to review the status of greenback cutthroats. Currently greenback cutthroat trout are listed as a threatened species, but if they are downgraded to an Endangered species there could be significant consequences. It would take significantly more time and money to acquire permitting and conduct environmental impact assessments.  Additionally, if this species becomes endangered, it may no longer be targeted by anglers. This may provide disincentives to protecting this native cutthroat species and limit fishing areas across Colorado. This would hinder one of the most substantial trout recovery efforts even undertaken in Colorado, but with proper funding and volunteers the Greenback Recovery Working Group should continue to successfully reintroduce this cutthroat species thought to have been lost.

To get involved or volunteer please contact Dan Omasta, DOmasta@tu.org, to learn about various opportunities!

A Native Odyssey: A conservation road trip of a lifetime

"The beauty and charm of the wilderness are his for the asking, for the edges of the wilderness lie close beside the beaten roads of the present travel."

—Theodore Roosevelt

President Theodore Roosevelt was a visionary, having set aside 230 million acres during his presidency for the American public to enjoy. In doing so, he was responsible for founding the U.S. Forest Service, and laying the ground work for the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service.

Fast forward a little more than a century. The U.S. government now manages 640 million acres of public land in trust for all Americans, a vast swath of shared real estate representing 28 percent of the American land mass. This large plot of public land in large part supports the $887 billion dollar outdoor recreation economy.

Today, our public land is under threat, with President Trump ordering the review of national monuments, and congress in tow with a push to transfer federal land to states governments that cannot afford it.

For two months this summer, five students from the TU Costa 5 Rivers Outreach Program will embark on a once-in-a-lifetime journey in pursuit of 16 native trout species, all on their public land. With support from the U.S. Forest Service, Costa Sunglasses, Simms Fishing Products, Fishpond and Post Fly Box, these students will tell the stories of our native trout, the places they live, and the local economies they fuel.

These students will be chiming in on Trout Unlimited’s and Trout Unlimited Costa 5 Rivers’ social media accounts to document the adventure. They will fish and explore our public lands around the country, unearthing challenges facing our native trout species. In addition to pursuing each species on fly, they will be interviewing local stakeholders, including ranchers, TU Volunteers, TU and U.S. Forest Service staff. They hope to reveal a diverse set of perspectives on what public lands, native species, and clean water means to each region the students visit.

The students will be in Colorado on June 18-24. They will be working with the Pikes Peak Chapter of TU on June 19 learning about the Greenback Cutthroat trout story, tour the Henderson Mine in Empire, CO on June 20 as part of the TU Abandoned Mines program, fish for Cutthroats in Rocky Mountain National Park with the Greenbacks of Colorado TU on June 21-23.

This week we will be introducing this year’s Odyssey participants. Each of these students comes from a unique background, having shaped their conservation viewpoints from their respective fisheries from around the country. Stay tuned to the blog to meet the participants.

To stay up to date with the Odyssey, follow @Troutunlimited, @TUCosta5rivers, @USForestservice, @simmsfishing @Fishpondusa to discover the story of our native trout, public lands, and what you can do at home to keep your lands in public hands.

For additional opportunities to get involved with protecting public lands, please visit standup.tu.org.

Adam Beede wins Dr. Behnke Award

Adam Beede, the 2017 Youth Camp Director, was rewarded as the recipient of the Dr. Robert Behnke Award from the Pennsylvania Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp. The Behnke award recognizes an individual who is a graduate of a TU Conservation Youth Camp, someone who has gone on to continue their river/conservation/fishery studies in college or a career in the field, and has contributed with a leadership role with a state Youth Camp.

The award was established by the Pennsylvania Rivers Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp to honor Dr. Behnke for his years of volunteering his time and his talents in teaching at the Pennsylvania camp as well as his educating and mentoring thousands of students during his career as a professor of Fisheries Conservation and Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University.  He was the author of more than 200 articles and papers regarding fish and fisheries and had served on numerous advisory boards for state and federal agencies.  He was the author of several books, including the seminal Trout and Salmon of North America (2002).  Bob began writing the quarterly column About Trout for Trout magazine in 1983.  Dr. Behnke passed away in September, 2013.

Adam is an alumnus of the 2011 Colorado Trout Unlimited River Conservation and Fly-fishing Youth Camp, served as a youth counselor for the camp three additional years, and is volunteering at the 2017 as Youth Camp Director. He is the youngest person to take on this role for the Youth Camp.

"I am honored and extremely excited to receive the selection for the Dr. Robert Behnke Award this year!" said Adam. "Attending the 2011 Colorado Trout Unlimited Youth Camp inspired me to start the Gunnison Sockeyes River Conservation Club and also to serve as Director for this year's youth camp."

This Spring, he graduated from Western State University in Gunnison majoring in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry. But he's leaving behind an incredible legacy of coldwater conservation leadership. In 2013, Adam founded The Gunnison Sockeyes, the first TU Costa Five Rivers collegiate club in the nation to found their club based on conservation rather than fly fishing. The club boasts over 160 members and has logged in excess of 220 man hours of service work in the Gunnison Watershed in the fields of Lake Trout Removal, Kokanee Salmon Spawning, Electroshocking, Stonefly Reintroduction and River Clean Ups.

"The Sockeyes logged 568 man hours of community service in the few years I went to Western State and I believe they will continue to put river conservation equal to, or ahead of, fly fishing in an effort to inspire the conservation of our rivers while having a blast in the Gunnison watershed," said Beede.

Adam has been head guide for Harmel's Ranch Resort the past three years sharing his passion for fly fishing and conservation with multitudes of ranch clients.

Colorado TU is extremely proud of Adam Beede for this incredible accomplishment and recognition. The work and leadership he has provided to the Colorado TU youth programs has helped instill the passion of fly fishing and conservation into other groups of kids. CTU is honored to have Adam be part of the Youth Camp team this year.

Adam will be presented the award at the Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Rivers Conservation Camp graduation on June 23, 2017 at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. In addition, his name will be added to the plaque at the Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Museum's Rivers Conservation Camp exhibit and will receive a certificate, a hand-carved trout pin, and a custom made pen to record his efforts in cold water conservation.

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.

Meet the CTU Communications Intern Sam Stein

My name is Sam Stein, the Colorado TU communications intern for the summer of 2017. I am currently a graduate student at Colorado State University studying natural resources and environmental economics. I am incredibly excited at the opportunity to work for Colorado Trout Unlimited, and the ability to help promote conservation, sustainability, and good stewardship.

I caught my first fish on a fly on the Roaring Fork River at five years old, sparking a lifelong passion. Over the years I have fished many places, but few give me as much joy as fishing my local waters. I have translated this passion into working in several fly shops as well as working as a fly fishing guide. My immense interest in fly fishing, paired with the direction of a dedicated college adviser (who happens to be a fisheries economist) shaped my undergraduate studies and kindled my focus in conservation.

Working for Colorado Trout Unlimited will give me the ability to help promote the ideals that this organization so fastidiously stands by, as well as learn immensely throughout the experience. Consequently I hope to determine how to direct my passion into an effective tool for protecting fisheries and the other precious amenities that make Colorado so unique.

Some of the key projects I will be working on over the course of the internship is compiling a history of Colorado TU and key events and projects from over the years. I will also be building the Instagram and social media pages through compelling photos and interesting articles. As well, I will be helping share the great work and project stories from around the state!

With Colorado Trout Unlimited working on incredible projects such as reintroducing Greenback Cutthroats and protecting the upper Colorado River, I am excited to embrace the principles displayed by TU and work with them to continue making a difference in such an important industry.

I can be reached at CTU.CommsIntern@gmail.com. I look forward to working with the National and State Council staff of Trout Unlimited as well as all of the chapters!

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