One Step Forward in Protecting the Denver South Platte

Local residents and advocates for the Denver South Platte received an early holiday gift last week, as the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission agreed to set a hearing in September 2022 to reconsider its 2020 decision rejecting a strengthening of water quality protections for the improving Denver South Platte and lower Clear Creek. A coalition of groups from Green Latinos to Denver Trout Unlimited to Conservation Colorado joined in requesting the re-hearing of this issue; their petition was approved by the Commission last week. (You can read more coverage with the Colorado Sun here.)

Many of the community and conservation partners who petitioned for this rulemaking also took part in an earlier statewide rulemaking, where they defeated a broader proposal to weaken “antidegradation” protections for a range of Colorado waterways. While the Commission rejected the rollback proposed earlier this year, they did not at that time agree to revisit the standards applying to the Denver South Platte and Lower Clear Creek - even though the level of protection on those reaches was inconsistent with the Commission’s statewide policies.

The issue arose in 2020 when the Commission rejected antidegradation protections for the reaches, despite them qualifying under the statewide rules and being recommended by staff. Community members and allies were particularly upset by the Commission’s rationale which said such water quality protection was appropriate for “pristine mountain waters” – raising significant pushback from urban river advocates and local communities on environmental justice grounds.

“So much work has gone into improving the Denver South Platte – with even more to come – and it makes no sense to allow weakened water quality protections to jeopardize all that progress,” said Sam Agnew, President of Trout Unlimited’s Denver Chapter. “We’re grateful that the Commission recognized the need to take a fresh look at this issue and hope the new rulemaking will give the river the stronger protections it deserves. Denver TU will stay vigilant in monitoring this issue in 2022 and any other plans that arise that could possibly negatively impact our home water.”

Your Voice Matters for Colorado's Rivers!

As leaders across the state in nine "Basin Roundtables" work to update their local water and river management plans, or "Basin Implementation Plans (BIPs)", they're taking public comment from community members. It’s time to make your voice heard: What do you think needs to happen in your local watershed for the health of your local rivers, the environment, and water supply? To help you do this, Water for Colorado is collecting comments, which will then be submitted on your behalf to your local Basin Roundtable once the public comment period ends on Nov. 15.

WATER FOR COLORADO HAS COMPILED SIX KEY RECOMMENDATIONS YOU CAN USE IN YOUR COMMENTS:

• Ensure healthy, flowing rivers

• Prioritize resilient watersheds

• Center equity

• Support for irrigated agriculture

• Include water conservation and efficiency

• Plan for sustainable Funding

Learn more about these recommendations here.

Get to your your river basin here.

As Colorado Legislature kicks off, here are bills we’re watching

repost from TU.org, by Kara Armano

Trout Unlimited is known for its rock-rolling work where we are often found wearing waders and making rivers and streams better for trout and salmon, and of course, anglers. But we also spend plenty of time in our finest attire in the halls of state and federal legislative buildings advocating for smart water policies, protecting public lands, and funding allocations to continue our on-the-ground efforts.  

With Colorado’s legislative session about to ramp up, here is a look at some of the bills we are watching in the Centennial State and how we’ll play both offense and defense to advance our goals of conserving, protecting, and restoring our coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.  

Extend Colorado’s Healthy Rivers Fund — This successful funding mechanism is set to expire, but we are looking to extend it for another 10 years. This is financed by the Colorado tax check-off program, which provides taxpayers the opportunity to contribute a portion of their tax refund or to make a donation on their state income tax return. These funds assist Colorado Trout Unlimited and other watershed-based groups in efforts to protect our land and water resources. It is administered through the Colorado Water Conservation Board in association with the Water Quality Control Division and the Colorado Watershed Assembly. Since 2003, this fund has raised over $1.1 million to fund more than 80 local watershed projects.  

The bill will be introduced by Sen. Cleave Simpson and Rep. Donald Valdez. Colorado Trout Unlimited does not want to see this fund expire, so we are asking that it be approved for 10 more years.  

State parks funding — Amidst the many restrictions over the past challenging year, we’ve seen more and more people turn to outdoor recreation as a safe outlet for enjoyment and to benefit their mental and physical health. While a growing appreciation for our outdoors means more allies in its defense, it also means growing pressure on public lands, including our state parks. To rise to that challenge, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is looking to expand its funding base to help support sustainable recreation management and development of new parks and opportunities to serve the growing demand. 

Drawing from an example already in place in Montana with a 75 percent participation rate, legislation will be introduced to fold an annual state parks pass into vehicle registrations in Colorado. Those who don’t want the pass can opt-out, while the proposed fee level will be significantly less than the current annual pass rates for those who do obtain the pass. Parks passes for out-of-state visitors or those who decide to purchase after registering their vehicle will still be available for the current standard fee. While the per-pass revenue will be less, CPW anticipates a significant revenue boost due to a much larger volume of pass sales facilitated by the convenience of having passes folded into annual vehicle registration. CPW’s priorities for the funding include maintenance and expansion of state parks, search and rescue/outdoor education programs, and wildlife management both within and outside of state parks, with an emphasis on non-game species. CTU is supporting this effort as the new dollars will help meet our state’s growing demand for hiking, camping, fishing, and other outdoor recreation at Colorado’s 42 (with more to come!) state parks. 

Recreational in-channel diversion — There will be a bill to streamline the RICD process to avoid the necessity of significant in-river construction for smaller projects and to broaden the definition of whom can apply for these diversions.  

We will be watching this bill and helping our partners determine the best language to ensure a positive outcome for our constituents.  

Budget defense — With the current pandemic, state budgets across the country have been pushed to the brink, and that is certainly no different in Colorado. While creative measures to find funds for imperative state needs must be pursued, CTU will defend against redirecting funds that are specifically dedicated to natural resources, such as those earned under Proposition DD from sports betting to help fund the Colorado Water Plan. Likewise, we will defend against budget cuts and furloughs at important state agencies like Colorado Parks and Wildlife that manage fish, wildlife, and habitat programs critical to our mission. 

Of course, we’ll keep you updated throughout the course of the Colorado’s legislative session. If any of these particular items need assistance in terms of advocacy efforts like calling, emailing or Tweeting your elected official, we’ll be in touch.  

Take Action: Ensure Responsible Energy Development with safeguards for wildlife, fish and their habitat

Please take a moment to give your voice and urge the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) to ensure responsible energy development through providing safeguards for wildlife, fish and their habitat. Both the outdoor economy and our Colorado quality of life depends on it.

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.

Support Public Lands - the Great American Outdoors Act

Please take a moment today to ask your elected officials to support S.3422 and help secure funding for public lands and outdoor recreation.

Help protect Colorado rivers - ask your Senator to support HB1157!

Good Samaritan legislation: A solution for a vexing problem

The 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill was an environmental disaster that began at the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, when Environmental Protection Agency personnel, along with workers for Environmental Restoration LLC, caused the release of toxic waste water into the Animas River watershed.

by Trout Unlimited (Trout Unlimited is the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization, boasting more than 140,000 members. TU’s mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America's coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.  Learn more at www.tu.org)

Pollution from mine sites (abandoned or active) fall into two categories: “Non-point sources” and “point-sources”.  Non-point source sites are those without a specific point where the pollution discharges into waterways.  These are commonly waste rock and tailings piles that cause contaminated soil runoff.  Point-sources are those that have a specific source of water pollution discharge that you can, well, point to. In this instance, think of a mine portal bleeding orange, heavy metal-laden water; that’s a point source.  

This is an important distinction because under the Clean Water Act (CWA), the EPA requires a discharge permit for all discharges of point source pollution. The effect is that third-party groups - “Good Samaritans” who have no legal responsibility or connection to an abandoned mine – who are interested in conducting a cleanup to address a point-source, draining abandoned mine would inherit permanent liability for a problem they didn’t create.  Additionally, Good Samaritans would be required to hold a CWA pollution discharge permit and meet all applicable water quality standards as if they had created the pollution. In other words, the Clean Water Act treats polluters and Good Samaritans the same.  There is no distinction in the law.  

Because a draining mine is likely to drain forever, the entity performing the work at an abandoned site would be saddled with accountability for any remaining pollution and held liable as if they had created the pollution to begin with - even if their actions create measurable improvements in water quality. The existing legal framework is “all or nothing”.  A cleanup project must result in 100% attainment of water quality standards – 99% isn’t good enough.  This creates legal jeopardy for Good Samaritans who are unsure if 100% attainment is possible. This conundrum leaves the EPA as the only entity legally positioned to clean up leaking, abandoned mines.   But, again, it is only through Superfund can this action occur.    

Under current law, only the EPA can treat discharged mine water from abandoned mine sites.  ‘Superfund’, or the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) provides the legal authority and source of funding for the EPA to treat mine waste water from a point-source.  But, mine sites are not the only toxic sites awaiting EPA Superfund cleanups.  At present, there are over 1300 toxic chemical/pollution sites on the EPA’s Nation Priorities List (NPL) awaiting funding and attention, only a few of which are mine sites.  Federal resources are limited for the EPA to conduct cleanups at Superfund sites and there is no dedicated funding source beyond the Congressional appropriations process.  And, unfortunately, there are hundreds - if not thousands - of smaller, abandoned draining mine sites contaminating the environment that are not likely to qualify for a Superfund action.  These are sites that Good Samaritans could take on to increase cleanup capacity beyond the back-logged and underfunded Superfund program.   

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After the Gold King mine spill in 2015, numerous Federal and State agencies placed a greater emphasis on quantifying the scope and scale of draining mines in Colorado.  A study by the State Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety (DRMS) showed over 250 draining mines in Colorado with 148 likely degrading downstream water quality.  With more frequent temperature fluctuations and population increases across Colorado, having clean water sources will become more important for future generations of Coloradans.  The draft legislation discussed in previous summaries and below, will give qualified groups the opportunity to assist the EPA and federal agencies in addressing the cleanup of draining mines.    

Good Samaritans would only be those private organizations and/or state agencies qualified to conduct cleanups who apply for, and receive, a new type of “Good Samaritan” permit from the EPA. At a minimum, permit applications would have to include: site description, parties to be involved in project, description of mine residue to be remediated, description of the expertise of the Good Samaritan and resources available to successfully implement the project, baseline environmental conditions, comprehensive remediation plan, monitoring plan, engineering plans, contractors, work schedule, health and safety plan, contingency plans, project budget, proof of financial resources and an operation and maintenance plan. Permits would only be issued after a public hearing and comment period, and only if the Good Samaritan meet requirements to the satisfaction of the EPA and applicable regulations.  

Funding for Good Samaritan projects would come from a variety of private and public sources, including both state and federal dollars depending on site locations.  Grants and foundation money could also be utilized to fund these types of cleanups that would take on a true collaboration of all project partners and interest groups in the surrounding area.   

If the EPA chooses to issue a permit for an abandoned mine cleanup, a Good Samaritan would not be required to hold a traditional CWA pollution discharge permit.  And, they would be shielded from lawsuits if 100% attainment of water quality standards are not achieved. The EPA would instead hold the Good Samaritan to the requirements and terms of the permit.  And, in the unlikely event that a Good Samaritans violates the terms of the permit, and the violation leads to a reduction in water quality or environmental conditions below baseline levels, then the EPA is authorized to require the Good Samaritan to return the site to baseline conditions or face fines, bond forfeiture and permit revocation.   

Good Samaritan legislation is being proposed by conservation organizations such as Trout Unlimited who want to conduct Good Samaritan cleanup projects, but are prevented from doing so under current laws.   Under existing laws, there are three primary disincentives to Good Samaritan cleanups.  They are: 1) It is not feasible to improve water quality to meet high Clean Water Act standards, even though there would be measurable water quality improvements. 2)  The Good Samaritan would be permanently liable for pollution they didn’t create.  3)  The threat of being sued under “citizen suit” provisions of the Clean Water Act if a project does not attain 100% of water quality standards for any given criterion - again, even if there is a measurable improvement in water quality.  

Without Good Samaritan legislation, abandoned mines sites throughout the West that are not qualifying candidates for Superfund will continue to drain pollution every single day without a legal mechanism to begin addressing the problem. Under CERCLA, these sites are not candidates for Superfund projects and therefore the EPA does not have the funding or authority to clean them up.  By passing Good Samaritan legislation, state agencies and private organizations can fill in this gap and help take-on cleanups that would yield cleaner water to the benefit every water user downstream.  

The current draft proposal is for a pilot program that would terminate after 15 projects or 7 years, whichever comes first.  After which, Congress would either let the program expire or pass legislation to continue the program. This will allow for the concept to be proved-up and show that Good Samaritan mine cleanups are effective before making permanent changes to federal law.   

In the end, Good Samaritan proponents believe any improvement to water quality, over any period of time, is better than none at all.  

Behind the Fin with Sinjin and Rick

Rick Matsumoto and Sinjin Eberle. This was taken at Rendezvous 2013 when Sinjin officially turned over the presidency to Rick.

Editor’s Note: Somewhat embarrassingly, we’ve managed to produce over 30 BTF posts without interviewing Sinjin Eberle or Rick Matsumoto. They were back-to-back Presidents of Colorado TU from 2010 to 2015. The organization was highly effective during this timespan in part because they led Colorado TU as a team. We’re making it up to Sinjin and Rick with this special edition of Behind The Fin in which we talk to both at the same time and learn about what made them such a good team.

BTF: Let’s start by getting some of the basics out of the way. You guys were good friends before you became involved with TU, but bonded over river conservation, right? Tell me about how you first got involved with Colorado TU.

Sinjin: That’s right, we met playing volleyball at the Denver Athletic Club and got to be good friends playing local tournaments. But I had been on CTU’s board at least a few years before that. I was recruited by Sharon Lance at a Denver TU meeting. I think she was the council VP at the time.

Rick: We bonded more because of our competitive spirit than river conservation. I’m probably not supposed to say that in an interview for CTU, but it’s true. We pushed each other to compete, and had a great time doing it. River conservation came later. I think I was just coming off a long volunteer stint with the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.

Sinjin: Oh, here it comes. Rick: Go Blue!

Sinjin: And there it is.

Rick: He’s jealous. Anyway, I was looking for another volunteer opportunity. It just happened to be right about the time Sinjin was getting started with the Buffalo Peaks project.

Sinjin led the Buffalo Peaks Ranch Restoration Project, restoring a key section of the Middle Fork of the South Platte River in 2008. This picture, taken in August 2019, shows how beautifully the area has matured since the restoration. It provides some of the best publicly-accessible fishing in South Park.

BTF: At the time, the Buffalo Peaks Ranch Restoration Project was the largest restoration project CTU had ever done. How did you decide to take on such a large project?

Sinjin: Certainly, the bigger the project the greater the risk. But the board is pretty good about evaluating projects, both in terms of conservation value and financial risk. As I recall, our confidence was high because of the parties involved - the Colorado Division of Wildlife, City of Aurora, Park County, and a private landowner. And I wanted to take it on because it was ambitious. If I’m going to volunteer my time, pull in others like Rick to volunteer their time, then let’s make sure it’s for a good reason. Let’s work on the things that are the most impactful.

Rick: There’s that competitive spirit I was talking about. As a first-time volunteer, I really appreciated that I was working on something that made a tangible difference. Too often, volunteers are tasked with bringing food or producing a newsletter or washing cars. Don’t get me wrong, it all has to be done, but I really enjoyed being outdoors, busting my ass, working with others who felt the same way, on a section of river I could visit for years to come.

BTF: So that’s what prompted you to join the CTU board?

Rick: Not exactly. I think I could have worked on CTU projects without joining the board and been content. The late Charlie Meyers, whom I first met at Buffalo Peaks, inspired me to make a  difference. But Sinjin gets most of the credit, or blame depending on who you ask. I still remember a night at Sinjin’s house with Tom Jones…

Sinjin: Tom was the National Leadership Council Rep at the time, and a board member that I viewed as a trusted mentor. Many think of these years as the “Sinjin and Rick” years, but Tom was the NLC Rep for both of us. He was really the voice of reason that kept us in line.

Rick: Most of the time. We probably should have asked him about that video we posted of a bulldozer in the river.

Sinjin: Yeah, he wouldn’t have approved.

Rick: We were sitting at Sinjin’s dining table. I think Tom was drinking whiskey and I was drinking scotch. I’m not sure what Sinjin had, a Moscow Mule?

Sinjin: Sounds about right.

Rick: We talked for hours about Sinjin’s upcoming term as President. It was generally about how Sinjin felt we could bring a different approach with a different energy. I remember leaving his house thinking about his vision, how I as VP was going to help, how great it was to be able to lean on Tom for advice. Honestly, I didn’t know much about David Nickum or the other board members or the history of the organization, but I was pretty sure we were going to kick ass!

Sinjin: That was really the starting point of our next five years. Nobody explicitly said “this is our five year plan,” but we were all on the same page about how we wanted to operate and so we never thought twice about projects that might take several years to complete.

BTF: Give me an example of one of those longer projects.

Sinjin: The Roan Plateau is what first comes to mind. I only had a small part in getting it done, Nickum and Ken Neubecker deserve most of the credit, but our persistence in protecting the Roan Plateau is the thing I think about with the most pride. Especially now, when oil and gas issues are overwhelming our public lands, our work to protect that little slice of wildness is really satisfying. It took nearly a decade for all of the litigation to play out. Grand Valley Anglers was fighting oil and gas leases on the Roan before I became President and the final settlement happened after Rick was done being President, but we had several milestone victories in between because of CTU’s strong and consistent voice during both our terms.

Rick: Absolutely. The other project that comes to mind for me is the Protect Our Rivers license plate. The board didn’t even want to take it on because it had been tried before and failed. I thought, “fine, then you can watch while I do it.”

Sinjin: I had your back.

Rick: Totally. And so I did the research, got Nick at Sage Lion Media to design the plate, created the petition, got the signatures, we drafted the bill. I remember Jen [Boulton, Legislative Liaison for CTU] saying it was looking good, and then it just blew up in our faces. For some reason, the chair of the House Ag Committee shot the bill down. That was the legislative session of 2011.

Sinjin: You’re just pointing out it failed during my presidency.

Rick: Well, it did! It was really disappointing, but then the political landscape changed and we did it all over again with SB13-224. I still remember the bill number! It succeeded, during my presidency of course, but only because Sinjin had my back two years earlier. The plate went into production in 2014 and we just recently passed 3,000 plates sold. My wife and I still point out the plates and smile when we see them on the road.

Rick led the initiative to establish the Protect Our Rivers license plate. Over 3,000 have been purchased since the plate first went into production in 2014, making it a permanent offering in Colorado.

Sinjin: Rick hates to lose and in this case it drove him to persevere. I knew he would get it done. Tom and I used to call him the “hit man” because we knew we could give him an assignment and send him on his way. We didn’t have to tell him how to do anything, it would just get done.

Rick: I prefer “ninja.”

BTF: I’m seeing why you two worked so well together. Would you say these bigger, longer projects really defined your presidencies?

Sinjin: Maybe in the big picture that’s true. CTU is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, so it’s natural to look back and highlight the major achievements. But there were major achievements in every presidency, not just mine or Rick’s.

Rick: Right, I think if we’re talking about Sinjin and me together, and I’d include Tom as the mentor for both of us, we’d rather be known as the people that made some fundamental changes in the way CTU operated, and that those changes facilitated a lot of positive things happening during our five years. Some of those things were the Roan settlement and the license plate, but there were plenty of other things too.

Tom, Sinjin, and Rick at Colorado TU’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. Governor Polis kicked off the event by declaring October 15, 2019 Colorado Trout Unlimited Day.

Sinjin: Agreed. There were actually several minor victories on the Roan before the final settlement, we did the “Don’t Suck” campaign for the Upper Colorado, we created a new chapter in the Dolores River Anglers, we led the collaborative effort with Sportsmen’s Conservation and Western Water Project to hire a fundraising director...

Rick: Without the “One TU” meetings, which you created, the fundraising director would not have happened.

Sinjin: And with that fundraising director, Chris Herrman, we introduced the River Stewardship  Council and made that a huge financial success.

BTF: You were both founding donors, right? And I see you are both Life Members of TU.

Sinjin: Yes, with Michael McGoldrick, Jay Boak, a few others. It was important for us to lead by example and we were fortunate enough to have the personal financial means.

Rick: Don’t forget 1% for Rivers. You got that deal done with Henry Wood at Upslope Brewing. I love seeing that logo on their Craft Lager label.

Sinjin: And you turned it into a larger corporate sponsorship program that pulled in many others, even that car wash in Highlands Ranch!

Rick: You also deserve credit for bringing the Greenbacks into the fold. You managed Nick Hoover through some rough waters, but it was an innovative approach that got a lot of attention at National TU.

Sinjin: That, I think, we can take credit for as something that was far more likely to happen with you or me at the helm. I mean the whole reason the Greenbacks came to be in the first place was because a younger, more hip group of conservation-minded people felt like TU was becoming an “old, white man’s fishing club.” We at least didn’t look like the part.

BTF: Okay, so those are all things you achieved during your presidencies…

Sinjin: Things that the organization achieved while we were presidents - I think it’s important to recognize how everyone was rowing together.

BTF: Right, but with you sitting at the front of the boat. I wanted to ask about something you said earlier, Rick, about changing the way the organization operated.

Rick: I’ve had a long career in operations, so I naturally see ways to make things more efficient or effective, sometimes both. Sinjin and I spent a lot of time in cars, driving to and from chapter and council meetings, talking about ways to do things better. For example, we made an effort to apply Robert’s Rules of Order to board meetings. Honestly, we didn’t like some of the formalities, but we needed a way to streamline the board’s tendency to have lengthy discussions that didn’t drive toward decisions. It didn’t really make the meetings any shorter, but it did make them more productive.

Sinjin: I remember now one of the first things Rick did was take control of Rendezvous. He put together a planning committee and ran weekly meetings to keep people on task. He lined up strong speakers and forced them to deliver presentations in advance, produced a slick binder and name tags, held all of us to a schedule that included time for socializing. It totally rejuvenated Rendezvous. In fact, several National TU staff made a point of attending the following year and they weren’t shy about saying it was the best council event in the country.

Rick: The planning committee gets the credit and you’re the one who got sponsors to pay for the binders and name tags. But yes, I’m proud to have created a stronger process that CTU was able to carry forward even after our presidencies were done. Sinjin did a lot of this type of fundraising work, where I think I did more in the area of non-profit governance. When you put it all together, I think it meant the business side of CTU ran a little more smoothly.

Sinjin: And when you’re confident that the business side is humming along, it allows you to flex your muscles on the conservation side. CTU has always had a great deal of conservation-related expertise and passion in its board. That expertise and passion just comes through stronger when the organization is operating efficiently.

BTF: Since this is a Behind the Fin interview, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask for a fishing story or two.

Sinjin: Superfly!

Rick: Yeah, we competed in a few Superfly tournaments.

Rick and Sinjin working the Gunnison River in the 2010 Superfly tournament.

Sinjin: Rick was so mad one year he didn’t say a word to me the entire drive back!

Rick: That was the day I decided to dramatically raise my fishing game. And I did get a lot better, and it showed in the next Superfly.

BTF: But you didn’t win?

Sinjin: Nope, I think I was the weak link that year, but Superfly is mostly about drawing the right beats. Skill plays a role too, but there was one year where everybody on the Taylor River did dramatically better than everyone else.

Rick: Speaking of the Taylor…

Sinjin: Oh yeah. We stopped at the “Hog Farm” one time, that stretch of the Taylor just below the dam. Rick hooked the hog of all hogs, got it to shore, but … it made a last ditch run and got away before I could net it.

Rick: He’s leaving out the part where he snapped my tippet with his net. It looked like he was trying to club the fish rather than land it. Complete spaz, I will never forgive him for that one.

BTF: Okay, we’re in the home stretch now. Sinjin, I wanted to hear a little bit about your work at American Rivers. It’s obviously very relevant to our work at Colorado TU and I think it gives you some interesting perspective.

Sinjin: Well, I’m the Communications Director for the Colorado Basin, handling all of our marketing, communications, and outreach. Mostly, I work with a trio of conservation  campaigns: the Colorado Water Plan, the Arizona Water Sustainability campaign, and the Upper Basin Demand Management program. I also run American Rivers’ Grand Canyon campaign, which was instrumental in stopping the plan to build an aerial tramway into the heart of the canyon and limiting the expansion of the town of Tusayan.

BTF: Great, it sounds like there are similarities with the types of things CTU would be involved in. Is that what attracted you to American Rivers, just doing it for a larger geography?

Sinjin: Sure, but CTU is a much stronger grassroots organization where American Rivers is more communications- and policy-oriented. It’s that emphasis on communications that prompted me to get into filmmaking. Over the past four years, I’ve created, directed, or produced over a dozen short films. I’m having a great time making character-driven films that deliver a powerful message about river conservation. The Important Places, won several awards and generated over a million online views, so I have a lot of freedom and support to do more of this kind of work.

Rick: I think it’s super smart. I mean, the movie was great, but I’m referring to the strategy of telling these stories about people who are impacted by conservation issues without even using the “conservation” word.

BTF: That sounds controversial, almost counter intuitive.

Sinjin: I hate to say it, but films about conservation just aren’t as interesting as films about people. My latest film, Sonora Rising, is about the circular economy of water, through wheat, flour, and bread in Tucson, Arizona. The idea is to broaden our reach by making something good enough to get into film festivals. Shoot, if you get into the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, the winning films are shown on a 175-city tour. And that’s in addition to online views through YouTube and Vimeo. We’re getting a strong conservation message out to a lot of people. It’s very, very satisfying work.

Rick: And there’s that competitive spirit again. There’s no shame in pushing yourself and those around to do excellent work out of a desire to make something better. Winning film awards or council awards - Colorado TU won the State Council Award for Excellence in 2014 I think - is great, but it’s a byproduct of just consistently working hard to get better.

BTF: Good segue back to TU. One of the questions we like to ask, and this really is the last question for each of you, what advice would you have for current TU members?

Rick and Sinjin, attending the Silver Trout Award presentation at Rendezvous 2017. This distinguished award is given to individuals whose conservation work for Colorado Rivers has made a significant and lasting impact. Both are Silver Trout Award Winners.

 Sinjin: My advice is to go all in, and commit to something bigger than yourself. What do you  have to lose? It’s so easy to be complacent about and intimidated by the giant array of challenges facing our environment, to just throw up your hands in defeat. But the joy and inspiration the outdoors provides is worth putting forth our best efforts. Even with a small commitment of effort, we can have a real impact. Money and fame and more fly rods are all nice, but the satisfaction of knowing that you were part of protecting a place, or even better, inspiring others to give back to the landscapes we care about is like a multiplier effect for the world. Activism doesn’t have to be some dopey, granola-crunching, tree-hugger aspiration – our rivers and streams, and by extension our public lands, need our voices or they are going to be gone. What better place to spend your hard-earned time and efforts than that? Do something. Write your representative. Lean in to make change happen.

BTF: That’s tough to follow, but same question for you Rick.

Rick: Ha, it’s okay, those are the same inspiring words that brought me to Colorado TU a decade ago. Like Sinjin, I believe in “committing and going all in,” but there’s a big difference between joining the board of Colorado TU and going to a river clean-up event. I would tell members to take the initiative to be responsible for their own level of involvement. Don’t wait for someone to give you a menu of volunteer options. Go talk to other members, reach out to staff, ask chapter  or council officers what they need help with. Find what’s right for you. Then commit and go all in! That’s how you control your effort, make sure you have a rewarding experience. I think Sinjin and I did an honest job of that when we first got involved. It really helped us get the most out of our time on the board, and give our best to the organization.

BTF: Great answers guys, and it’s been really fun talking with you. Thank you for taking the time to make this a truly special edition of Behind the Fin!

Colorado Trout Unlimited celebrates passage of lands bill

House passes bill to restore the Land and Water Conservation Fund and protect public lands 

(Feb. 26, 2019) Denver, Colo. – The Land and Water Conservation Fund is now one step closer to being permanently re-authorized. With a vote of 363 to 62, the US House of Representatives passed the Natural Resources Management Act today, sending the historic package of bills to the President’s desk. 

“Today the House of Representatives put public lands over politics and passed this important legislation. On behalf of Colorado Trout Unlimited’s 11,000 members, I want to thank Representatives DeGette, Neguse, Tipton, Crow, Lamborn and Perlmutter for voting to support conservation. We deeply appreciate their commitment to investing in Colorado’s public lands and outdoor recreation,” said David Nickum, Executive Director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “This vote comes on the heels of Senators Gardner and Bennet helping shepherd the bill through the Senate, reflecting the broad, bi-partisan support for conservation in Colorado.”  

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. 

Also included in the package were numerous provisions protecting public lands with important fish and wildlife habitat, including mineral withdrawals in Washington’s Methow Valley and the upper Yellowstone in Montana, a special designation to conserve wild steelhead habitat in Oregon’s North Umpqua watershed, new Wilderness in Oregon and New Mexico, Wild and Scenic River designations in Oregon and California, and a unique collaborative plan to protect water quality and quantity in Washington’s Yakima Basin. Significant to Colorado, the act extends the authorization of the Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Implementation Program, a partnership between local, state and federal agencies, water and power interests, and conservation groups working to recover endangered fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin. 

“Passing this package of bills is a huge win for sportsmen and women,” said Scott Willoughby, Colorado Field Coordinator for Trout Unlimited. “Anglers and hunters know first-hand what it means to be connected to place and to the fish and wildlife that make a place special. The work isn’t over, and we look forward to working with Colorado’s delegation to secure dedicated funding for LWCF, but I think all sportsmen and women can take a moment today and celebrate such an achievement as the reauthorization of LWCF and protection for hundreds of thousands of acres of special places across the country.” 

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Trout Unlimited is the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s trout and salmon and their watersheds. Follow TU on Facebook and Twitter, Instagram and our blog for all the latest information on trout and salmon conservation.