Colorado TU Gala: March 13, 2015

Reserve your seats for the Colorado TU River Stewardship Gala on Friday, March 13, and join us for an evening celebrating Colorado's rivers and helping raise funds for their conservation.  This year we will be honoring Richard Adkerson of Freeport-McMoRan with our River Stewardship Award, in recognition of his leadership and support in restoring streams impacted by abandoned mines.  The evening also features a wide-ranging live and silent auction, with trips and items for the angler and non-angler alike. Tickets to the Gala include admission, dinner, and complimentary beer and wine, and can be purchased online for $100 - table sponsorships (with reserved seating for 10) are also available for $1000.

The Gala will again take place at the Arvada Center, conveniently located by 68th and Wadsworth in Arvada, with ample free parking available on-site.

The Gala will feature an outstanding auction with diverse fishing and nonfishing experiences including a one-week trip for trophy brook trout in Labrador, a five day horsepack trip in the Yellowstone backcountry, a week-long Alaska fishing lodge experience, a five-day five-hunter package for wing shooting in Argentina, a one-week photo safari in South Africa and more!  Check out our Auction Sampler to see some of the great items that you can bid on.  Of course, along with our larger packages we'll also have a wide array of other items including regional fishing trips, performing arts tickets, ski packages, and more.

Make your plans to join us for an evening to remember on March 13!  Click here to reserve your tickets.

About Richard Adkerson and Freeport-McMoRan:

Richard Adkerson is the President, CEO, and Vice Chairman of Freeport-McMoRan Inc.  Under his leadership, the company has invested generously in restoration efforts aimed at healing rivers impacted by the west's legacy of abandoned mines - sites where no responsible party remains to clean up waters being impacted by mine tailings and drainage.  Among other projects, Freeport-McMoRan has helped TU, the Bureau of Land Management and other partners to advance an award-winning restoration partnership on Kerber Creek in Colorado's San Luis Valley - where a wild brook trout fishery again thrives in waters that were once too polluted to support self-sustaining fisheries.

Colorado TU Membership Survey

Click here to complete the 2015 Colorado TU Membership Survey.  

With over 10,000 Trout Unlimited members across the state, together we represent a strong voice for river conservation.  We are hoping to strengthen that voice by better understanding what is important to our members as individuals and as parts of the whole that is Colorado TU.  We have compiled a Membership Survey with questions ranging from your favorite river basins to the kinds of work, from water issues to public lands, that interest you most.  We want to know why you became a TU member, if there are ways you’d like to get more involved, and more.  Completing the survey should take less than 5 minutes of your time and will help us better tailor our communications to you.

Please consider taking a few minutes today to offer your feedback.  Thank you!

Click here to complete the 2015 Colorado TU Membership Survey.

Pat Dorsey - Guest Speaker (and Fly Tier) for West Denver’s Chapter Meeting on February 4th!

At West Denver Trout Unlimited's February 4^th Chapter Meeting, Pat Dorsey will be the main event!! Pat is the Guide Director and a partner at the Blue Quill Anglers Fly Shop, overseeing 30 plus guides.  He is the recipient of numerous awards and a prolific author—frequently appearing in national fly fishing magazines and writing several best-selling books on fly fishing and fly tying.   He is as native of Colorado, and has been guiding on the South Platte for more than 11 years, spending at least 200 days a year on this stream.

On February 4^th, Pat will talk about fly fishing tail waters, sharing his tips and tactics for fishing these types of waters, covering nymphing, dry fly and streamer fishing.   He’ll be doing double-duty that night and also serve as our guest fly tier as well.  Pat has been commercially tying flies for over 15 years, and he’ll be tying some flies that you’ll want to have in your arsenal.

Doors open at 6 PM at the American Mountaineering Center (10^th Street and Washington Avenue in Golden).  Pat will start tying at 6:30 PM.  We plan on having refreshments (soft drinks and beer).  Please plan on joining us on the 4^th.  A good and informative time should be had by all.

For additional information please contact Chapter President Tim Toohey at tim2e@comcast.net.

Former Congressman Hefley calls for Browns Canyon protection

Former US Congressman Joel Hefley (R-Colorado Springs) added his voice to those of sportsmen, local governments, business owners, Governor Hickenlooper and Senator Bennet, and Chaffee County citizens in supporting protection for Browns Canyon on the Arkansas River.  He authored an op-ed piece in the Denver Post that calls on the President and the Colorado Congressional delegation to move forward with protection for Browns. Browns Canyon is one of Colorado's natural treasures, with a Gold Medal reach of the Arkansas River as its centerpiece, outstanding big game habitat in the uplands, and world-class rafting opportunities that have made it one of America's most popular whitewater destinations.

In 2006, Congressman Hefley led a bipartisan effort to secure protections for the Browns Canyon area.  In 2013-14, Senator Mark Udall sponsored legislation for Browns that would both establish a National Monument and designated some additional wilderness.  Unfortunately, both efforts were caught up in Congressional gridlock and fell short.

As part of Sportsmen for Browns Canyon, TU has been working steadily to support National Monument protection for Browns; you can help by lending your voice through our action alert here - asking the President to give Browns the National Monument Protection it so richly deserves.