AvidMax's Coffee Break Features CTU Camp

Coffee Break is an ongoing series at AvidMax where they talk about fly fishing, which sometimes includes supporting local fishing communities. In this episode, Noah sits down with TU member Barbara Luneau to learn more about the annual youth event, Camp, hosted by CTU. Camp is an amazing event for high school students that takes place here in Colorado and aims to teach students conservation and fly fishing. If you are interested in helping support the event or know a student between the ages of 14-18 interested in attending, please visit the CTU Camp Webpage.

We would like to thank AvidMax for their continued support of Colorado Trout Unlimited.

February 2024 Currents

THIS MONTH’S ISSUE OF CURRENTS FEATURES CTU River Stewardship Gala, Protect Colorado Waters & Wetlands, STREAM Programs, and More!

Protecting Colorado Waters and Wetlands

On May 25, 2023, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling in Sackett vs. EPA that sharply reduced Clean Water Act protections for wetlands vital to healthy and functioning watersheds. While not directly addressed, the decision also appears to put streams that don’t have year-round flow at risk of losing Clean Water Act protection, as well.  Those ephemeral and intermittent streams represent a majority of Colorado’s waterways.

With federal protection for most of Colorado’s waterways jeopardized under the Court’s decision, we need the State to step up and ensure our waters remain protected.  Water quality protection must start at the source. If the wetlands, headwaters, and other feeder streams are opened to degradation, all of our waters will suffer along with the fish, wildlife, and communities that depend upon them.

The good news is that the Colorado Water Quality Control Act already covers direct discharge of point-source pollutants at the state level.  The bad news is that dredging and filling of waters – the kind of activities managed under the Clean Water Act’s 404 permitting program – do not have any state program in place for permitting, leaving a massive gap in the protection of our state’s watersheds.

Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie is working with the Polis Administration on a bill that would create a new permitting program for dredge and fill activities within the Colorado Water Quality Control Division.  Colorado TU and other conservation-minded partners are providing input to try and ensure that this bill provides adequate protection, at least as strong as what was in place before the Sackett decision. 

So, what would be some of the key ingredients in making a good bill? Some of the elements Colorado TU is recommending include:

• Ensure that the state program is no less protective of Colorado waters and watersheds than the federal programs that were in place prior to the Sackett ruling.

• Recognize the importance of protecting ephemeral and intermittent streams, given their critical role in shaping the health of downstream waterways.

• Incorporate protections for rare and ecologically important wetlands including fens, playa lakes, and wet meadows – for their importance to watershed health and fish and wildlife habitat.

• Use the tried-and-true Clean Water Act approach of first avoiding, then minimizing, and finally mitigating impacts, recognizing that prevention of impacts is always preferable to remediation.  Where less impactful alternatives are available for a proposed project, they should be used.

• Offer a streamlined and low-cost general permit program for activities with minimal adverse impacts individually and cumulatively. These permits can set appropriate terms and conditions to ensure that activities being approved are completed in a minimal-impact way.

• Ensure that compensatory mitigation – where impacts cannot be fully avoided – addresses not simply the replacement of wetland and water acreage but replaces the lost wetland functions, recognizing that newly constructed wetlands often function less effectively and may require more than a 1-for-1 replacement rate to offset wetland losses.

• Respect long-standing exemptions under the Clean Water Act for standard farming and silviculture practices to avoid creating new burdens on farmers and foresters.

• Include effective enforcement to ensure dischargers comply with the program’s protections for Colorado wetlands and waters.

 Look for more information and opportunities to weigh in with your elected representatives as that bill is introduced and moves forward.

Save the Date for 2024 STREAM Programs!

We are excited to announce several STREAM Programs in 2024!

STREAM Programs are incredible environmental education programs for youth, families, and the community that incorporates river conservation, outdoor exploration, and fly fishing skills. We take the traditional STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) educational model and add recreation and arts to create STREAM. CTU works closely with TU Chapters and Partner Organizations to make these programs possible.

Check out our upcoming 2024 STREAM Programs below!

Please note that some of these programs are open to the public for registration and some are in partner events that serve a specific audience. Click the links below for more information.

• 4/23 - STREAM Program in Colorado Springs, CO

  • More information coming soon!

• 5/4 - STREAM Exploration Program in Erie, CO

  • More information coming soon!

• 5/10 - STREAM Girls in Pueblo, CO

  • More information coming soon!

• 5/11 - STREAM Girls 2.0 in Fort Collins, CO

• 6/15 - STREAM Keepers in Avon, CO - Contact Walking Mountain Science Center for more information.

• 7/9 - STREAM Explorers Program in Littleton, CO

  • More information coming soon!

• 7/20 - STREAM Girls 1.0 in Littleton, CO

• 7/21 - STREAM Girls 2.0 in Littleton, CO

• 7/23 - STREAM Keepers in Delta, CO - Contact The Nature Connection for more information

• 7/24 - STREAM Keepers in Hotchkiss, CO - Contact The Nature Connection for more information

• 8/10 - STREAM Girls 1.0 in Steamboat Springs, CO

• 9/21 - STREAM Girls 1.0 in Fort Collins, CO

Troutfest Colorado 2024 Registration Now Open

Colorado Trout Unlimited is excited to announce that Troutfest Colorado 2024 registration is now open!

CTU Awarded $150,000 Grant

The Colorado River District has awarded Colorado Trout Unlimited $150,000 through the Community Funding Partnership to aid in implementing Phase 3 of the Middle Colorado Agricultural Collaborative. This project focuses on upgrading five diversions along Elk and Canyon Creeks. Tasks encompass obtaining federal clearances, finalizing engineering designs, and construction. Projects include combining ditches, which will keep heavy machinery out of the stream, and essential infrastructure enhancements that will provide for fish passage and improve agricultural efficiencies and maintenance operations, which will enable voluntary bypass flows when crops and animals do not need the diverted water.

The goal of the Middle Colorado AG Collaborative is to continue opening Elk and Canyon Creeks to spawning and migrating fish from the Colorado River by working with agricultural water diverters to make their diversion structures fish-friendly. To date, Trout Unlimited has completed two successful projects on Elk Creek (Ware and Hinds Fish Passage-2018) and Canyon Creek (Fish Passage-2021). This project is a collaboration between TU national, CTU, Eagle Valley TU chapter #102, and Ferdinand Hayden chapter #008.

January 2024 Currents

THIS MONTH’S ISSUE OF CURRENTS FEATURES New Ross Native Reel, Good Samaritan Bill Passes, Monarch Park Ponds Restoration, and More!

Ross Reels Rio Grande Cutthroat Native Series Reel

Announcing the all-new Native Series: Rio Grande Cutthroat Reel! We have partnered with Ross Reels on this third limited edition Native Series reel to benefit Trout Unlimited's work on the Rio San Antonio Improvement Project to restore native Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout. Each special edition Ross Colorado 4/5 reel includes a number of 1 to 495, as well as "Rio Grande" on the reel foot. Each purchase of this reel contributes $75 to Colorado Trout Unlimited and our efforts to conserve, protect, and restore native Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout.

about the rio san antonio improvement project

• In 2021, Trout Unlimited identified a previously unknown population of Rio Grande cutthroat trout in the Rio San Antonio. These trout have survived against all odds.

• 2023 saw the implementation of phase one of the Lagunitas Rio San Antonio Watershed Improvement Project.

• The first phase saw efforts focused on the implementation of riparian and river restoration on 1.5 miles of the Rio San Antonio and Lagunitas Creek.

• These initial treatments will reduce channel incision, increase floodplain access and deposition, expand flood-prone areas across the valley bottom to promote wetland vegetation, and increase pool depth and frequency.

• Conservation efforts will continue into 2024 with plans to plant additional willows and riparian vegetation, along with wider efforts over the next ten years including: population surveys, genetic analyses, and fish stocking efforts; habitat improvement and flow manipulation; and policy development for the long-term protection of the species.

CTU at The Fly Fishing Show - Volunteer With Us!

CTU staff and volunteers will be at this year’s Denver Fly Fishing Show January 19th - 21st at the Gaylord Rockies Event and Convention Center. Drop by and see us, or you can sign up to volunteer at our booth for a block of time and receive a parking reimbursement and admission to the show while you’re not at the booth. Sign up through the button below to see available times.

Monarch Park Ponds Restoration: A Collaborative Effort for Sustainable Fishing Access

By Nick Gann, Southwest Communications Director

Near the top of Monarch Pass, which rises to 11,312 feet, are the Monarch Park Ponds nestled among this picturesque landscape. During the summer of 2023, a restoration project quietly unfolded as a testament to the power of collaboration. This ambitious endeavor was not just about restoring lost fishing access, but also about rejuvenating an ecosystem that has faced challenges for 15 years.

Spearheaded by Trout Unlimited in partnership entities such as the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), Newmont’s Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine, Freeport McMoRan, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), U.S. Lime and Minerals, and Collegiate Peaks Chapter of TU, this restoration project set new standards in environmental stewardship.

“For more than 15 years, the Monarch Park Ponds have faced increasing sediment accumulation stemming from the surrounding basin and highway,” said Jason Willis, TU’s western Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) program director. “The degradation of these ponds prompted a comprehensive restoration effort and desire to replace the expected loss of fishing access from the nearby South Fooses Dam removal that is scheduled to take place in 2024.”

In response to the substantial sediment accumulation that had filled several ponds due to the adverse impacts of highway sand and erosive decomposing soils, a series of initiatives were implemented to breathe new life into these ponds. Undertaking an exhaustive dredging effort, approximately 1,860 cubic yards of dredge material were meticulously transported to U.S. Lime and Minerals for stockpiling.

Next, nine trees with roots intact were used to plug the old pond outlet resulting in undercut habitat for fish. This structure also allowed for the construction of a new channel between two of the ponds to protect a nearby access road from future encroachment.

A degraded levee near the ponds also received an upgrade with TU bolstering the spillway with a mix of riprap (angular rock between 4 and 12 inches), 3 to 4-foot boulders, and native vegetation to maintain the desired water levels in the ponds. This also allowed excess water to enter the spillway in a controlled manner and continue to move downstream.

Additional measures, such as channel shaping, bank stabilization, erosion controls, and grade controls were also undertaken to improve habitat and allow for renewed fishing opportunities next year.

“The success of the Monarch Park Ponds Restoration project is indebted to the generous contributions and collaborative spirit of its diverse group of partners,” said Willis. “Our partners played pivotal roles in donating the time, equipment, and manpower to the project. Newmont Mining, Freeport McMoRan, and TU’s Keystone Agreement with the USFS also provided essential funding, infusing the project with the financial support required for its ambitious goals.”

As the landowner, the USFS was also instrumental in providing staff specialists to complete necessary environmental review processes, concurrence, and project oversight. The great communication by USFS throughout the project really allowed partners to collaborate on ideas and crucial field decisions.  

In terms of time and resources, CDOT and CPW made significant contributions. CDOT, recognizing the importance of the project, contributed haul trucks and facilitated the transportation of dredge material to U.S. Lime and Minerals. CPW, on the other hand, demonstrated their commitment by donating personnel time, expert operator time, and crucial equipment such as an excavator and loader. Their contributions went beyond mere support, with both agencies actively participating in the restoration process and contributing to the project’s success.

As a key partner, U.S. Lime and Minerals also demonstrated unparalleled generosity by allowing project partners to surpass the initially planned dredging amount. This flexibility enabled the removal of additional accumulated material from the ponds, contributing significantly to the overall success of the restoration.

The TU Collegiate Peak Chapter will also become a driving force for the project’s future phases. Securing a grant for the installation of an ADA pier on one of the ponds, this chapter will play a crucial role in addressing the accessibility challenges that will occur from the removal of Fooses Dam next year.

In essence, the Monarch Park Ponds Restoration project stands as a shining example of what can be achieved through collaboration and environmental stewardship. This unique restoration initiative, fueled by federal infrastructure funding, not only restores lost fishing access but also ensures a sustainable future for the local community. With improved ADA access, enhanced habitats, and a commitment to ecological balance, Monarch Park Ponds is poised to become a haven for anglers as well as a thriving ecosystem for generations to come.