Colorado TU Supports the Great American Outdoors Act

Anglers thank Senators Gardner, Bennet for investing in public lands

Denver, Colo – Colorado Trout Unlimited strongly endorses the Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422), which is expected to be voted on by the U.S. Senate next week. The bill, introduced by Senator Cory Gardner and cosponsored by Senator Michael Bennet, would for the first time guarantee full, dedicated funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), one of America’s most successful conservation programs, as well as commit $9.5 billion toward public lands maintenance needs. The legislation has broad, bipartisan support with 58 cosponsors and President Trump has signaled his support.

“Colorado is fortunate to have bipartisan leadership from our Senators in securing funds for LWCF and maintenance on our public lands,” said Colorado TU Executive Director David Nickum. “We greatly appreciate the efforts of Senators Gardner and Bennet in sponsoring the Great American Outdoors Act and their hard work in moving it toward Senate passage.”

For more than half a century, LWCF has used a portion of federal offshore energy revenues — at no cost to taxpayers — to conserve our public lands, water, and open spaces and protect the outdoor recreation opportunities they offer. LWCF has invested over $268 million in Colorado, helping to secure access and conserve special places across the state, including the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and boat launches on the Colorado River. 

Unfortunately, while $900 million is generated by energy royalties for the program each year, in its more than 50-year history the LWCF has only been fully funded once – with funds instead being diverted by Congress toward other unspecified purposes. The Great American Outdoors Act would solve this problem by permanently dedicating those annual revenues to LWCF.

"Public lands are an icon of democracy,” said Colorado TU President Matt Moskal. “They are places to celebrate our rich natural history and they provide all Americans with the freedom to recreate in our most cherished places. By fulling funding the LWCF and providing critical support for the stewardship of our public lands, the Great American Outdoors Act will maintain this legacy. Colorado Trout Unlimited, on behalf of its 12,000 members state-wide, strongly supports this legislation."

The legislation also includes $9.5 billion in funding over five years to tackle deferred maintenance on public lands. The legislative proposal originally included deferred maintenance funding only for the Park Service, but hunters and anglers championed a change to provide funding for all public land management agencies. The public lands maintenance backlog has been mounting for decades and is now estimated at $20 billion, with the Park Service share alone nearly $12 billion. 

Region 2 of the Forest Service, which includes Colorado, has a deferred maintenance backlog of $477 million, and the road maintenance backlog on the Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre National Forest alone is $49 million. This problem does more than create challenges accessing our public lands; poorly maintained roads degrade trout streams through increased erosion that bleeds sediment into rivers and streams. Oftentimes these roads also have undersized culverts that block trout migrations. TU partners with both the Department of the Interior and Forest Service on collaborative restoration projects and has leveraged nearly $43 million in funding to complete restoration projects on Forest Service lands.

“Fixing roads that are bleeding sediment and removing migration barriers for trout at road crossings are just two examples of how this bill and TU’s partnership with federal agencies benefit anglers and public lands users,” noted Moskal. “We hope to see this bill’s passage into law this summer so dedicated funding is guaranteed to continue our work to make fishing better.”

About Colorado Trout Unlimited:

Colorado Trout Unlimited is dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring Colorado’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. With a grassroots base comprised of nearly 12,000 members in 24 local chapters across the state, Colorado TU works both locally and statewide through advocacy, education, and on-the-ground restoration projects. For more information visit www.coloradotu.org.

Consider a gift that gives back

Rep Your Water Hats & Sun Hoodies

Show your support for our state’s beautiful rivers and fish by sporting the Colorado TU Rep Your Water trucker hat the next time you’re out for a day on the water! Or with your generous support, the lightweight cutthroat Rep Your Water Aqua Sun Hoodie ($68.95 value) can be yours. We offer sizes S-XXL so there is something for everyone!

Shop local with gift cards to your fly shop

Support conservation and buy local this holiday giving season! Gift cards are available to the following CTU Business Partners: Alpine Angling (Carbondale), Anglers All (Littleton), Angler’s Covey (Colorado Springs), ArkAnglers (Salida/Buena Vista), Cutthroat Anglers (Silverthorne), Duranglers (Durango), Front Range Anglers (Boulder), Roaring Fork Anglers (Glenwood Springs), Steamboat FlyFisher (Steamboat Springs), St. Peter’s Fly Shop (Ft. Collins), Trouts Fly Fishing (Denver and Frisco), Western Anglers (Grand Junction).

Hit the slopes for native trout

We've teamed up with one of our favorite grassroots conservation organizations, Colorado Trout Unlimited, and one of the most talented outdoor artists in the world, Nick Laferriere to bring this Special Edition Snowboard and Skis to you! For every board or pair of skis built, Gilson Snow will donate $75 to CTU to be used in their conservation efforts to protect and expand populations of native trout in the state of Colorado.

Using Gilson's most versatile All-Mountain models, Nick has designed artwork that embodies our passions of getting on the mountain and getting into the river. Whether exploring the backcountry or cruising a groomer, the Fly By is well equipped to handle a multitude of terrain and condition combinations. If matching the hatch and finding powder stashes are both up your alley, the Fly By is the board or skis you need in your quiver.

Native Trout Dog Collars by Dublin Dog Co.

Dublin Dog has generated a limited-edition cutthroat trout collar to support awareness of, and raise funds for, native trout recovery in Colorado. Proceeds from this collar benefit Colorado Trout Unlimited and their efforts to protect, conserve, and restore Colorado’s native cutthroat trout.

Also available at select locations:

• The Next Eddy Salida, CO

• Yampa Valley Fly Fishers Steamboat Springs, CO

• Basin+Bend Evergreen, CO

• West Denver Trout Unlimited Chapter

• Five Rivers Trout Unlimited Chapter

• Grand Valley Anglers Trout Unlimited Chapter

Protect Our Rivers License Plate

Show your support for Colorado’s rivers by displaying this ultra-cool license plate on your vehicle! 100% of the money raised goes toward the conservation, protection, and restoration of rivers and streams in Colorado. So whether you’re a farmer, kayaker, hunter, rafter, or angler – or just someone who appreciates the natural beauty that rivers bring to our landscape – the Protect Our Rivers license plate shows that you’re willing to put your money where your interest lies!

Give the Gift of a TU Membership

Need a gift idea for that special person in your life? Consider the gift of a Trout Unlimited membership. Memberships include some awesome benefits, such as a subscription to the TROUT magazine, but best of all, your membership helps protect cold, clean fishable waters for generations to come. 

Thank you for another great year and happy holidays!

Hitting the slopes for native trout

Here’s what Gilson had to say about the partnership:

We've teamed up with one of our favorite grassroots conservation organizations, Colorado Trout Unlimited, and one of the most talented outdoor artists in the world, Nick Laferriere to bring these Special Edition Snowboard and Skis to you! For every board or pair of skis built, Gilson Snow will donate $75 to CTU to be used in their conservation efforts to protect and expand populations of native trout in the state of Colorado.

Using Gilson's most versatile All Mountain models, Nick has designed artwork that embodies our passions of getting on the mountain and getting into the river. Whether exploring the backcountry or cruising a groomer, the Fly By is well equipped to handle a multitude of terrain and condition combinations. If matching the hatch and finding powder stashes are both up your alley, the Fly By is the board or skis you need in your quiver.

CTU 50th Anniversary Film headed to Zimmerman Lake this summer (Behind the Scenes)

On July 2, 2019 passionate TU volunteer and native trout angler, John Trammell headed up with CTU and Josh Duplechian of Trout Unlimited to participate in filming for CTU’s 50th Anniversary Film featuring the native trout work on Zimmerman Lake. Below is his personal account of the day. Enjoy!

John and his daughter Melissa.

MY LIFE AS A FLY FISHERMAN PART 21: Greenbacks and Zimmerman Lake

by John Trammell

Up front I’ll confess that not much of Part 21 is about fishing, but about what I observed at Zimmerman Lake on July 2 this year. What I saw was a team of government agencies and Trout Unlimited volunteers working scientifically and physically to preserve and propagate our state fish - the greenback cutthroat trout. I could not have been more impressed by the skills and hard work I saw. Really amazing.

Zimmerman lake is 40 miles east of Walden, near the continental divide, at 10,000+ feet elevation. It has a population of a few hundred greenbacks, placed there to become the source of eggs for the purpose of increasing the numbers of our state fish. On the day my daughter Melissa and I were there, the steep trail up to the lake was both rough and muddy, with numerous snowdrifts. (The day before, the workers had shoveled away drifts that were impassable to ATVs.)

The ancestors of the greenbacks in Zimmerman Lake were a small number of fish rescued from their only remaining natural habitat, Bear Creek near Colorado Springs, when the habitat was threatened by a wildfire. Being so few, when they’re artificially spawned it is important to preserve genetic diversity. Observing how that is done was fascinating - not only because of what was done, but how it was done under difficult field conditions.

When we arrived at the work site the fish were already being held in floating mesh pens. Wader-clad workers separated them into categories to be processed on a long table set up amid mud, snow and trippy exposed tree roots. They were given an anesthetic bath to make them more docile and to reduce shock while they were being processed.

CPW’s project leader Kevin Rogers told me that his agency knows each greenback in the lake individually. Each has a little VIE tag behind its eye that he identifies to a person who then uses a hand-held electronic device to read an internal pittag. Each fish is described verbally (e.g, “ripe female, good condition; immature male”), its pittag recorded, measured, weighed, and photographed beside its PIT number. Then the fish is put into a five-gallon bucket of water, to recover from the anesthetic. This all occurs rapidly as the trout are passed down the table. This information is used to select males and females to have their eggs and milt combined. Records of the combinations are kept with the intent to achieve maximum genetic diversity.

After the anesthetic has worn off and the greenbacks are trying to swim out of the buckets, they are returned to the lake. Forest Ranger Chris Carrell hustled those 40-pound buckets down to the lake all afternoon, quickly returning the empties back to the table for more greenbacks. After a while, realizing the physical toll it was taking on him, Melissa helped. Although she wasn’t there as a representative of her agency, the National Park Service, she also helped with the work at the table. Being somewhat enfeebled by the trip up to the lake, I just sat, and observed.

Fertilized eggs are treated with an iodine solution, and taken to CPW’s Mt. Shavano hatchery to be hatched and reared for stocking into suitable waters. In addition to the objective of saving them from extinction, the aim is to have a sustainable population of greenbacks for Coloradoans to enjoy.

I’ve long been a fan of native cutthroat trout, so I’m grateful to the State of Colorado for going to the expense and trouble to save the greenbacks. And I’m grateful to the agency people and TU volunteers who do the work.

““I know I volunteer because I love trout, trout habitat, and trout fishing. Of those three, I think it’s the habitat I love best, and not just because without it we can’t have the other two. It’s because I just love it, everything about it. I get a thrill every time I approach a trout stream.””

— John Trammell

Rare cutthroat trout in Abrams Creek will see improved stream habitat

Trout Unlimited, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Buckhorn Valley Metropolitan District No. 1 (District) completed their ambitious restoration project on Abrams Creek to preserve a rare population of cutthroat trout threatened in part by reduced flows during irrigation season.

Among other benefits, increased flows are expected to:

• Increase physical/wetted habitat and riparian cover along approximately 3.5 miles of stream.

• Improve in-stream habitat connectivity and quality, allowing trout to more easily move to the best habitat and holding areas.

• Enhance sediment transport, which helps keep river cobble and spawning habitat clean and healthy.

• Increase aquatic insect productivity, improving cutthroat food resources.

• Create deeper pools for trout refuge.

• Maintain cooler water temperatures in lower Abrams.

Moreover, a permanent fish screen will be installed at the point of diversion on Abrams Creek that will help protect the trout population by reducing losses due to entrainment in the ditch.

For more than a century, however, Abrams Creek has been dewatered by irrigation diversions that drastically reduce its flows in late summer and fall. The trout have been hanging on, but they’re seriously pressured. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has called this population the “highest priority” for cutthroat conservation efforts in Western Colorado. In 2016, Trout Unlimited’s Mely Whiting helped negotiate a deal with the local irrigation company, Buckhorn Valley Metro District, which agreed to pipe their irrigation ditch and thereby reduce leakage by 40 percent, with the water savings going back into the creek to keep the fish healthy.

Restoring Rivers with Can'd Aid

This summer, Colorado Trout Unlimited teamed up with Can’d Aid to help restore rivers in Colorado. Can’d Aid is a nonprofit organization that was founded as an immediate response to the massive flooding that devastated the towns of Lyons & Longmont, CO, in September 2013. Since then, the organization has been helping spread people powered do-goodery when and where it is needed most.

On July 13, volunteers generously came out to help restore a section of the Gore Creek in Vail, CO. This river has seen some hard times and have been labeled unhealthy since 2004. To help this river on it’s path to recovery, volunteers planted willows and lodgepole pines to anchor the heavily eroded riverbeds. This effort will protect the river from further erosion while also improving the habitat for fish and other wildlife. Colorado Trout Unlimited is proud to have partnered up with Can’d Aid, River Restoration Adventures for Tomorrow, Eagle Valley TU, and the City of Vail to make this a successful day!

Can’d Aid projects like this are supported through  Wild Basin Boozy Sparkling Water, which donates $1/case sold.

“Did you know that you can replant a willow tree simply by cutting a branch and sticking it in the ground? They’re hearty plants that provide protection for riverbank erosion while also lending much-needed shade to fish and wildlife.”

— Can'd Aid

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On July 20, 2019, volunteers gathered at the Gunnison River to monitor last year’s progress and continue their work to help restore habitat in the Basin. Volunteers floated to the 2018 work site and found many of the willows that were planted the previous year growing strong - despite the severe drought in 2018 and high Spring flows in 2019. This was a promising sight to see the volunteer work was taking root!

Small but mighty: A patriotic super volunteer!

Restoration work in 2019 took place beyond the banks of the Gunnison River. 25 volunteers spent the day building "one rock damns" in Dutch Gulch. These mulch damns slow the flow of water, prevent erosion and reconnect gullies to flood plains.

Ultimately, they trap sediment and extend flows in low water years - promoting long-term river health and grazing for deer, elk and the threatened Gunnison Sage Grouse! 

After a morning of intensive rock work, the group got on the river once again to celebrate a job well done.

Check out more pictures on the Can’d Aid facebook post here. Also, CBS 4 News shared a video of the day, see below!

The group from Can'd Aid Foundation worked to prevent erosion.

Thank you to all the people and organizations that volunteer their time to protect rivers in Colorado. Your efforts are crucial to the places we love to play, float, hike and fish!

Please follow and support our collaborative partners below!

Rare Hayden Cutthroats have a new home!

Editor’s Note:

Rick Helmick, Director on the Collegiate Peaks TU Chapter Board, brings us a story about 4,500 rare Cutthroat offspring being released into their new home, Cottonwood Creek, after their original home was destroyed by the Hayden Pass wildfire, which burned more than 16,000 acres in the Sangre de Cristo Range three summers ago.  July 1, 2019 the offspring were released into the wild by officials of Colorado Parks and Wildlife accompanied by 40 staff and volunteers from the U.S. Forest Service and Trout Unlimited.

Rare Hayden Cutthroats have a new home!

by Rick Helmick, Director on the Collegiate Peaks TU Chapter Board

It was a dark, ominous, and rainy day ahead of the forty of us, and two mules, as we gathered at the base of the Sangre de Cristo’s, west of Westcliffe, at the Venable Trailhead. All we had to do was carry the offspring of the 158 rare Cutthroats, saved out of Hayden Creek, right in the middle of that 2016 Wildfire that eventually burned 17,000 acres, and destroyed the Cutts that lived there.

When USFS Fisheries Biologist Janelle Valladares called for CPC-TU’s help, we put out the word and had incredible response from volunteers - even as far away as Missouri, and a member from the Southern Colorado Greenbacks Chapter in Pueblo, CO.

“What an incredible experience. We are forever grateful for having this experience, Thank you!”

— Amber, Volunteer from Missouri

It was a hard and long trip up this mountain, which did everything but snow on us July 1st (although it did sleet), as the volunteers carried 20 pound bags of 70-80 fingerlings each, and the heavy lifting done by mules carrying panniers all the way to the top. 4,500 of these rare Cutthroats only found in Hayden Creek, now have a new home in Cottonwood Creek!

It was a huge, and combined effort, of CPW, USFS, TU, Trails for All, and some great public volunteers! CPW plans on several more stockings of additional Hayden Creek Cutthroats, in various other high mountain streams. Thanks to the Collegiate Peaks Chapter for responding to CPW’s call for assistance! We all sincerely hope for the survival of these genetically rare Cutthroat, in their new home.

In the News

https://theknow.denverpost.com/2019/07/08/cutthroat-fingerlings-hayden-pass-wildfire-cottonwood-creek/218721/

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/four-legged-workers-help-colorado-parks-and-wildlife-restore-rare-trout-to-hayden-creek

https://gazette.com/news/rare-indigenous-trout-species-reintroduced-to-colorado/article_84bb75fc-a1c5-11e9-96fc-ab1a52c749a0.html

http://www.cpr.org/2017/07/20/spared-the-wrath-of-wildfire-colorados-hayden-creek-trout-are-on-the-comeback/

From CTU: Thank you Rick for the great recap of the day - what an amazing project!

Native Trout Need Your Help

Young Greenback Cutthroat Native Trout.

Photo by: Neal Bullock/2018

After an epic snow year, Spring has finally settled in Colorado - which means great fishing and that Greenback recovery projects are just around the corner!

The Greenback Cutthroat Trout, once declared extinct, is making a comeback in Colorado – thanks in large part to agency partners and the hundreds of volunteers that have helped spawn, stock, and restore habitat over the past few years.  2019 is poised to be the biggest year yet for Greenback recovery projects and we need your help!  Follow the linked opportunities below to see how you can make a difference for this threatened species and be a part of this historic recovery effort!

Colorado TU works closely with our agency partners to support recovery projects with funding and volunteers.  Your help with spawning, stocking, habitat restoration, and citizen science goes a long way.

Thank you for helping to recover this critical trout species and we look forward to seeing you out there!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Click any opportunity below to learn more and sign up.

New! Spring 2019 High Country Angler is out!

NEW! High Country Angler Spring 2019

The new spring issue of High Country Angler is now live and you can view it online or download the entire issue for free! This time around you can look forward these stories:

• A Q& A with Landon Mayer by Frank Martin

• Still Water Sure Thing: Yellowstone Lake by Brian La Rue

• Paint By Number Fly Fishing by Peter Stitcher 

• Your Guide to RMNP by Annie Smith

• Dry Flies in February by Hayden Mellsop

• Minturn Anglers by Mark Shulman

• 50 Years Protecting Rivers by Mike Ledger

• Corps, EPA Propose Clean Water Act Rollback By David Nickum

• Public Lands: Best. Idea. Ever by CTU Staff

• Behind the Fin with Dave Taylor by CTU Staff

• TU and the Birth of Colorado Instream Flows by CTU Staff

• Angler's All by CTU Staff

• Fit to be Tied by Joel Evans

Fishing for Fahrenheit

Guy Turenne and Phil Wright trekking through deep snow to find a buried stream temperature probe on Fall Creek. Photo Credit: Phil Wright, 2019.

It was a beautiful November day in the high country, as Guy Turenne and Phil Wright climbed their way over drifts of fresh snow along Fall Creek – a tiny tributary in the heart of Colorado’s northern mountains. 

This time, it was not fish that they were after, but a small temperature probe the size of a silver dollar, lying in wait at the bottom of the stream channel.  Months earlier, Guy and Phil, along with dozens of other TU volunteers, worked with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to place these loggers in different stream locations throughout the eastern half of the state.

Fish are heavily affected by temperature – especially trout.  Changes in thermal regimes over the course of a few hours to a few months can trigger fish to spawn, eat, grow, and even breathe.  We all saw stories in the hot, dry summer months of 2018, when low flows and extreme ambient air temperatures brought some rivers to over 79°F.  At that point, dissolved oxygen becomes increasingly scarce and fish can die. 

Stream temperatures also impact the normal day-to-day and cyclic activities of our trout.  For example, Rainbow trout will spawn in the spring when water temperature begins to rise and reaches 45-56 degrees F (52°F is ideal).  Conversely, Brown trout will spawn in the fall as water temperatures drop within 44-48°F.  Each species of trout thrives at different conditions.

So, what does any of this have to do with two TU volunteers hiking through two feet of snow in the middle of Winter?

As it turns out – a lot!  Just as water temperature affects the spawning cycle of Rainbows and Browns, thermal regimes play an important role in the development of Cutthroat trout – in this case, Greenbacks and Rio Grandes.  These fish have evolved over thousands of years to eat, grow, and reproduce at specific thermal conditions in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.  As Trout Unlimited and native trout recovery partners continue to engage in projects that reclaim habitat and stock native fingerlings, we must ensure that the temperature regimes will support those fish long term.

But collecting that level of data across thousands of miles of small tributaries and remote drainages can pose a challenge to recovery partners.  Fortunately, TU volunteers came to the rescue.

Chris Carroll, aquatic biologist with the U.S. Forest Service teaches TU volunteers how to attach stream temperature probes during April 2018 training.

With critical funding supplied by the Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) and the U.S. Forest Service, volunteers from several chapters helped to identify future habitat for the returning Greenback and Rio Grande Cutthroat.  In the Spring of 2018, the project kicked off with a USFS-led volunteer training during the annual CTU Rendezvous in Keystone.  From that point, chapter representatives recruited and trained their own local group of temperature probe deployment experts. Over the course of the summer, TU volunteers exceeded the original 30-site goal by setting and maintaining over 40 HOBO stream temperature loggers in several key drainages that have potential for recovery sites.

View fullsize

Evergreen TU volunteer, Mike Goldblatt, points to a recently-installed stream temperature probe in the Bear Creek drainage.

“We observed that the RMF membership and other members of the community seem to value stream monitoring efforts in general, are strongly supportive of such efforts, and are willing to volunteer,” explained Phil Wright, project coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Flycasters Chapter. 

As the leaves changed and fell from the trees, TU volunteers went back into the field to collect the data – which was then transferred to biologists at USFS and CPW.  From there, recovery partners will be able to show a better picture of which watersheds will make good candidates for future reintroduction. 

Trout Unlimited volunteers continue to help advance native trout recovery throughout Colorado each year – even winning a regional volunteer service award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2018.  Whether its notching beaver dams, backpacking in fingerlings, or tramping through two feet of powder, TU volunteers are committed and engaged in the recovery of our native trout.  The stream temperature study is another chapter of this important saga – and one that will undoubtedly be the preface for the next wave of native cutthroat recovery sites.  Who knows… maybe one of those streams will be in your backyard!

Colorado Trout Unlimited would like to recognize our valuable partners and chapters who have made this project possible:

Western Native Trout Initiative, the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Evergreen TU, West Denver TU, Rocky Mountain Flycasters TU, Alpine Anglers TU, Cutthroat Chapter TU, Pikes Peak TU, San Luis Valley TU, and Boulder Flycasters TU.

If you are interested to learn more about this project or volunteer, please visit Colorado TU’s Native Trout Page.