Wanted: Your Input on Fisheries, Wildlife & Recreation on the US 285 Corridor!

As TU members, and anglers at large, any time we get an opportunity to share our thoughts toward water quality and accessibility, we love to seize the opportunity. These are our home waters!

Trout Unlimited has been participating over the past few months on the Outside 285 Steering Committee, working with a broad range of stakeholders to ensure consideration and protection for the wild lands and wildlife within the US 285 corridor, as trail and other development projects are proposed as part of a master planning effort.

Outside 285 has recently released a public survey and we encourage you to participate. The intent is to allow for a regional planning effort focused for identifying opportunities for trail improvements and habitat conservation within public lands surrounding the US-285 corridor, from the Front Range to Kenosha Pass. The survey page also includes a link to a brief video about the Outside 285 effort as well as links to a website it you’d like to learn more.

This area of the state is very important for trout populations in the state, including the reintroduction of Greenback Cutthroat Trout. We need to make certain that we give voice to future Greenbacks and other wild trout within the watershed. Please participate in the survey and let the Steering Committee know that native trout habitat is essential and overall trout water and water quality needs to be protected as development is planned.

Please take a few moments to speak up for the trout! The survey is open through December 9. 

Thank you!

Giving Tuesday

On this Giving Tuesday, we hope you’ll consider a gift in support of healthy watersheds and wild places. Your contribution this giving season is critical to the work Colorado TU accomplishes throughout the year. As we look toward 2021, we look forward to continuing our stream management planning efforts on rivers around the state, from the Blue, Gunnison, and Arkansas Rivers to South Boulder Creek. We are working diligently to continue to provide youth education programming through virtual adaptions for STREAM Girls and Trout in the Classroom and stand ready for when we can resume in-person learning with the next generation of river stewards. Our Bull Moose Advocacy Committee is keeping close watch of the upcoming legislative session in Colorado and will be ready to mobilize our grassroots members across the state in support of water-wise and fish-friendly policies. And we look forward to working with our TU chapters and partner organizations and again hosting volunteer days to benefit native trout and healthy riparian habitats.

By making a gift today you’ll not only be supporting coldwater conservation in Colorado, you’ll be helping us to raise even more funds for our work through a special matching opportunity. Freestone Aquatics has generously pledged to match up to $7500 of any new or increased donations on Gives Day! Their generosity means your Gives Day gift helps us to raise an additional $15,000 for Colorado’s rivers and fisheries.

Help us meet the match by donating this Giving Tuesday!

We realize this has been an incredibly tough year for many, and yet we have also seen how important rivers and angling are to providing solace and a healthy outlet during these challenging times. Our work at Colorado TU will continue long after the pandemic has ended - we hope you will help us to continue this work in 2021 and beyond by making your Gives Day gift today!

Thank you for your support, 

- Annie, Dan, David, Geoff, Jen, and Shannon

The Colorado TU Team

Giving Thanks

What a year 2020 has turned out to be! As we head into this holiday season and begin to look forward to 2021, we at Colorado Trout Unlimited wanted to take a minute to thank YOU. In spite of the pandemic, we have many things to be grateful for this year!

• First, a HUGE thank you to those who have served our communities in Colorado and across the nation this year! Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to our First Responders, Healthcare Workers, Essential Workers, and Fire Fighters – thank you for your efforts and dedication during this incredibly challenging year.

• With the support of Colorado TU’s chapter leaders and volunteers, we successfully adapted our youth programs during Covid-19 to continue engaging kids with fish, rivers and the outdoors. STREAM Girls pivoted to a virtual learning opportunity with Girl Scouts exploring their local watersheds safely with family members; Trout in the Classroom teachers set up cameras so students could monitor their tanks virtually; and teens from around the state joined Colorado TU for an online lineup of fly fishing and conservation-related sessions through TU Teens LIVE.

• The Great American Outdoors Act passed with broad bipartisan support and will provide needed funding for public lands, including permanent full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. We are grateful to the hundreds of TU supporters who contacted their elected officials and to members of our Colorado Congressional delegation who supported this landmark legislation.

• We’ve seen continued progress on Stream Management Plans for the Blue River, Gunnison River, and South Boulder Creek and new SMPs coming together on the Arkansas and Clear Creek, all in partnership with our local TU chapters.

• We held our first-ever Digital Rendezvous with chapter leaders from around the state and excellent sessions on Stream Management Planning, engaging people of color in conservation and angling, TU’s mine reclamation work, the State of Colorado’s Fisheries, and more!

In a year like this, we couldn’t be more thankful for the support we have been fortunate enough to receive from all of you in the Colorado TU community. A big thank you to the following folks for their incredible generosity and ongoing support of our work for healthy rivers and trout:

• River Stewardship Council and Century Club donors, raffle ticket purchasers, and all of the supporters who make contributions in support of CTU's work;

• Business Partners who contribute through our corporate donor program, support our events, and share our story with their customers;

• Gala sponsors, auction donors, and attendees who have made CTU's largest annual fundraiser into a must-attend event;

• Chapter leaders and grassroots members who changed direction and continued to serve their local members and communities from a distance;

• Our dedicated volunteers who contribute countless hours in support of healthy rivers and wild trout;

• Our National TU staff colleagues whose expertise and commitment help to make Colorado even better through mine reclamation work, advocating for our wild lands and water partnerships with Colorado’s farming and ranching community;

• And last but not least, the Colorado TU Board who give of their time, talent, and treasure and are integral to CTU's continued success!

THANK YOU! Wishing you a safe and healthy holiday season!

- Annie, Dan, David, Geoff, Jen, and Shannon

The Colorado TU Team

The Sporting Diversity Road Tour Podcast Ep 3: The Animas

Check out this podcast discussing mining, conservation, superfund projects, Good Samaritan Legislation and trout fishing while sitting on the banks of the Animas River with Jeremy Nolan and Rob Peper of Heads Up Fly Fishing and Ty Churchwell of Trout Unlimited.

November Currents: A voice for Colorado's rivers

Happy November! As we head into the last bits of fall, check out the latest from CTU. Stories include:

• Colorado Gives Day: December 8, 2020

• Despite COVID-19 impacts, youth programming adapts & continues

• Ballot Measure 7a passes!

• How to practice a straight cast

• Rendezvous Recap & Survey

• Tying the Sparkle Bugger

• Habitat connectivity helps trout take care of themselves

and more!

Ballot Measure 7a passes

Dear Trout Unlimited Members and Supporters,

While the nation awaits final election results on a sharply divided vote, Colorado’s western slope voters showed a broad and bipartisan consensus of support for investment in the Colorado River. With approval from more than 70% of voters, Ballot Measure 7A easily passed and will provide much-needed funding to the Colorado River Water Conservation District. The measure was supported by a diverse coalition of interests – including Trout Unlimited.

The voter-approved measure will increase property taxes by a half-mill – or an extra $1.90 per year for every $100,000 of residential home value. While a modest cost for property owners, the measure will provide nearly $5 million annual for the River District to invest in securing western slope water. Funds will be used for projects across five categories: productive agriculture, infrastructure, healthy rivers, watershed health and water quality, and conservation and efficiency.

TU has partnered with the River District and other local water stakeholders across its boundaries on a range of projects that highlight the benefits the new funding can provide. From agricultural partnerships like those benefiting Tomichi Creek, to healthy river efforts such as restoring fish passage on key Colorado River tributaries like Elk Creek, Trout Unlimited has demonstrated the ways that collaborative water projects can benefit our fisheries, communities, and working lands across the western slope. With the passage of 7A, the River District will be able to continue to build on these partnerships for the benefit of all users within the basin.

In a period of great national divisiveness, it is great to see voters of all stripes joining together to support our Western Slope waters and the River District’s vital role in sustaining them. And Trout Unlimited is proud to be a part of those efforts building common ground around healthy and productive rivers and watersheds across western Colorado. Thank you to all of you who voted for 7A and who have helped support TU in our work to benefit west slope rivers!

Sincerely,

David Nickum

Executive Director, Colorado Trout Unlimited

Drew Peternell

Director, Trout Unlimited – Colorado Water Program

Despite COVID-19 impacts, youth programming adapts & continues

Despite COVID-19 impacts, Colorado TU is excited to share some successes in the Stream of Engagement programming from this fall. The youth education programs faced challenges with many schools operating in new models and group gatherings limited by public health orders. To adapt to these challenges, Colorado Trout Unlimited and chapters across the state stepped up to continue to provide high quality educational experiences focused on water and fisheries conservation. Most notably, CTU is excited to share nearly a dozen Trout in the Classroom (TIC) sites kicked off and four STREAM Girls events were held in September and October.

This year, 11 TIC sites received trout eggs from CPW in early through mid-October. This included several sites along Colorado’s Front Range, as well as sites in the San Luis Valley and Gunnison Gorge area. Of the 2020-21 TIC sites, chapters are supporting six new locations including one virtual community tank through a partnership between Denver TU and the Greenway Foundation. The 2020-21 TIC sites are listed below with their supporting TU chapters:

• Academy High School – Denver TU

• Angler’s Covey – Pikes Peak Chapter TU

• Arvada West – Denver TU (New Site)

• Cheyenne Mountain Junior High School – Pikes Peak Chapter TU (New Site)

• Del Norte Jr/Sr High School – San Luis Valley TU (New Site)

• Greenway Foundation Community Tank – Denver TU (New VIRTUAL Site)

• Heaton Middle School – Southern Colorado Greenbacks TU

• Hotchkiss High School – Gunnison Gorge TU (New Site)

• Lyons Elementary School – St. Vrain Anglers TU

• The Classical Academy – Pikes Peak Chapter TU (New Site)

• Ute Pass Elementary – Pikes Peak Chapter TU

CTU is excited to see follow these TIC sites over the course of the year and hear what students are learning through the program! Additionally, CTU transitioned to raising trout eggs provided by Colorado Parks and Wildlife hatcheries. We hope this will increase the local partnership between sites and the state agency!

In addition to in-school programming with Trout in the Classroom, CTU hosted STREAM Girls programming through four virtual/self-guided events with the support of local chapters. To facilitate these programs, CTU staff and volunteers created and sourced instructional videos to support each of the six STREAM Girls activities. The four STREAM Girls programs engaged 59 girl scouts from across Colorado. After completing the session, Girl Scouts and Leaders have said:

“This is a great program to introduce girls to fly-fishing and knowledge of local streams. It was a well-thought out, self-guided program that covered a great deal of information. We had a fun time doing all of the steps.”

“It was really fun and would like to do it again in person. All the activities were awesome!”

A big THANK YOU goes out to Girls Scouts of Colorado, Pikes Peak Chapter, St. Vrain Anglers, Rocky Mountain Flycasters, Gunnison Gorge Anglers, Grand Valley Anglers, and all of the volunteers who helped support these events! Colorado TU was the first to pilot and host virtual/self-guided STREAM Girls events across all of Trout Unlimited. We are proud to have shared our success and lessons learned

with TU Headwaters staff and state councils. We look forward to further developing these resources to help support in-person STREAM Girls events in the future!

As we transition into the winter months, CTU will be exploring opportunities to support ongoing engagement among the TU teens. Please reach out to Geoff.Elliot@tu.org, if you have any thoughts or feedback! We are especially interested in input from youth, so feel free to ask friends and family to share their ideas.

Digital Rendezvous Recap

This past Saturday, Colorado Trout Unlimited wrapped up its first Digital Fall Rendezvous. The online conference was spread out across 2 weeks and featured a variety of speakers. If you happened to miss out of some of the sessions or would like to share them with friends or colleagues, there is a YouTube playlist linked below.

This event could not have been possible without our amazing speakers and sponsors. Thank you to everyone who attended and we hope next year we can be together in person!

CTU President Matt Moskal will present an update on the range of projects, challenges, and opportunities with which TU is engaging in Colorado, followed by t...

The last day of the conference was the annual Board meeting where CTU presented awards recognizing volunteers and chapters. Below are this year’s winners:

Outstanding Volunteer

Tom Palka for his tireless work in maintaining creative and effective communication and engagement with Collegiate Peaks chapter membership.

Mickey McGuire for his leadership in restructuring the RMFC board to instill values of leadership development, committees, and succession. His leadership has empowered others to grow and be successful in the organization.

Allyn Kratz for his dedicated efforts in conserving and protecting Bear Creek and educating the community and state about its unique population of Greenback cutthroat trout

Stephen Brant for his leadership in developing cooperative relationships, sound science, and projects to protect and improve stream health in South Boulder Creek through its Stream Management Plan

Exemplary Project

San Luis Valley Chapter for their leadership in the Sand Creek Reclamation Project to begin restoration of the Rio Grande Cutthroat trout to a stronghold watershed that can support native trout for generations to come

Dolores River Anglers for their vision and leadership in developing The Upper Dolores Stream Protection Working Group, a model for science-based, collaborative conservation efforts.

Exemplary Chapter

Denver Trout Unlimited Chapter for their outstanding efforts in restoring habitat, engaging the community, educating youth, and overall raising the quality of their homewaters on the Denver South Platte.

Exemplary Youth Education

Gunnison Gorge Anglers for their collaborative effort with the stream girls programming to bring an outdoor watershed experience that employs STEM education plus recreation and arts to explore a local stream.

Pikes Peak Chapter for their collaborative effort with the stream girls programming to bring an outdoor watershed experience that employs STEM education plus recreation and arts to explore a local stream.

The John Connolly Outstanding Chapter Communications Award

St. Vrain Anglers for their newly redesigned website, strong social media, Speaker Series, and email communications, as well as local partnerships to broaden community outreach

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS

Dale Smith for his years of service and leadership in establishing the Dolores River Anglers chapter as a strong TU presence in Southwest Colorado, and his work in engaging other volunteer leaders to carry it forward.

Barbara Luneau for her dedicated and effective efforts to build programs and deliver “Stream of Engagement” youth education from the annual youth camp to STREAM Girls, as well as her local conservation leadership in the St. Vrain watershed.

SILVER TROUT Award– Presented by the Silver Trout Foundation

Buck Skillen was recognized for his many years of volunteer leadership in the Durango area including his work to promote protection of the Hermosa Creek watershed and of the rediscovered San Juan lineage cutthroat trout.

Paula Fothergill was honored for her long-time efforts as an instructor, organizer, and mentor, helping TU chapters and allies to engage more women with fly fishing and conservation.

Thank you to our 2020 Digital Rendezvous Sponsors!

Let's go fishing before the ice comes!

Colorado's aspens are changing color and that means that cooler weather is here. Before winter gets here, we hope you can enjoy some beautiful fall fishing. Below are some great resources and tips to get you pumped to get outside and enjoy the great public lands we have to offer.  Remember to respect spawning fish and mind the redd!

Statewide Fishing Conditions

VIDEO: Fall Streamer Tactics | Fly Fishing & Floating in Colorado

Podcast: More Catch-and-Release Science, with Dr. Aaron Adams

Colorado Flow Reports 

Check out these five streamers for fall fishing

VIDEO Inspo: Livin' The Wildlife: Colorado Spawning Brown Trout

October Currents

The latest issue of “Currents” is out now! Currents is our monthly newsletter that goes out to all our subscribers and members. Topic headlines include:

• Let's go fishing before the ice comes!

• "Something Fishy & Building Fish" - River Radius Podcast

• Learning By Doing Project Updates

• Annual TU Teen Essay Contest - Grand Prize is a Temple Fork Outfitters BVK fly rod with a Prism reel

• Fixing what ails our western forests and communities

• Q&A with Colorado’s U.S. Senate Candidates

• Tying the Autumn Splendor

• Fall 2020 High Country Angler

• Featured Business Partner: Williams

• The Five Rivers TU Chapter is raffling off a fly fishing gear package, and more!