Jake Lemon is Colorado TU's Youth Education Coordinator and a lucky guy. He's engaged to Kate Prestine, a woman of obvious talent who has put together a really nice video on Colorado TU's youth initiatives. It's called Creating Tomorrow's Conservationists. Nice job, Kate!
Check it out on vimeo.
The award was presented at the 2012 Colorado TU Auction & Gala on Friday evening, March 16. Save the Colorado is a collation of businesses and foundations, spearheaded by the New Belgium Brewing Company with supporting sponsors that include Teva, Patagonia, the Clean Water Fund, National Geographic, Clif Bar, the Environment Foundation, Environment Now and the Kenney Brothers Foundation.
New Belgium CEO Kim Jordan (2nd from left) accepted the award from Colorado TU President Sinjin Eberle (at left). The award is a large scale photograph of blue sky and canyon walls reflecting off the Colorado River by photographer Peter McBride, co-author with Jonathan Waterman of the book, The Colorado River: Flowing through Conflict.
The companies and foundations that created Save the Colorado initially committed nearly $500,000 in funding. “We’re very pleased to honor Save the Colorado and proud of our association with them, said Colorado TU president Sinjin Eberle. “Save the Colorado is a wonderful example of businesses working with non-profit organizations to protect a vital American resource.”
Save the Colorado has been a catalyst for efforts to create broad public awareness of the threats facing the Colorado as well as a financial resource for groups working on-the-ground to protect and restore the river, which runds more than 1,400 miles from its source in the Rocky Mountains to the Sea of Cortez.
More than 30 million people in seven states rely on the Colorado River system for their drinking water. Many more count on the river as a source of water for agriculture, hydro-electric power, recreation and industry. But the Colorado is an overburdened resource, and its waters and wildlife are threatened by an increasing number of dams and diversions, mineral extraction, population growth, invasive species and the potential impacts of climate change.
Nearly 300 people attended the 2012 Colorado TU Gala and Auction. An outstanding slate of items donated by our loyal and generous supporters were responsible for making it a very successful event. Each year, proceeds from the Gala play a substantial role in funding Colorado TU’s efforts toward river conservation, youth education and on-the-ground restoration projects.
Thank you to all who attended, to all who donated to our auction and to Save the Colorado!
When it comes to water law in Colorado, it's hard to argue that anyone carries as much weight as Chief Justice Greg Hobbs. And few reporters cover water issues as well as Chris Woodka of the Pueblo Chieftain.This week Judge Hobbs spoke to a group at CSU-Pueblo as part of the Colorado Water 2012 initiative, and Chris Woodka was there.
"The basis of water law is need, not speculation,” Hobbs said. “Show me the use, so you aren’t just leaving it sitting there to make gold."
Presenter Walt Gasson, Trout Unlimited's endorsed business director, briefly invoked Dr. Seuss's Lorax in his impassioned plea to save the Green River.
"This is not a problem for people in Colorado or Thneedville who just want to wash their car or water their lawn," Gasson said. Instead, he said it is Wyoming and its $118 million local outdoor economy that will suffer the consequences of exporting 250,000 acre-feet of water annually. Of that water, 85,000 acre-feet would come from the Green River above Flaming Gorge while the rest would come from the reservoir itself. Read the full story by Mark Wilcox.
Green with Envy scheduled dates:
Steamboat Springs: May 15, 8 p.m., Community Center 1605 Lincoln Ave.
Grand Junction, Colorado: May 17, 7 p.m., Roper Music Ballroom, 130 N. 5th St.
Trout Unlimited has worked for six years to restore Kerber Creek from the impacts associated with the effects of mining. In the last three years, Trout Unlimited has spent $1.3 million to improve the stream.
"This grant will allow us to take the next critical step in a project that holds vital importance to the area," said Elizabeth Russell, Trout Unlimited's mine restoration project manager.
The Kerber Creek Restoration Project is a joint partnership between Trout Unlimited, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety (DRMS), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Bonanza Stakeholders Group (BSG), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), local landowners and other partners.
Historic mine tailings from mining that occurred decades ago have washed down through Kerber Creek and are contributing metals and acid drainage into the waterway. The project will work to treat the mine tailings and will install fish habitat and stream bank stabilization structures. (The Collegiate Peaks Chapter has been a key player in the Kerber Creek restoration. Read an October 2011 article by Salida Mountain Mail's Joe Stone on the Kerber cleanup.)
Trout Unlimited and its partners are working to increase understanding of the environmental issues associated with legacy mining and public awareness of restoration projects.
03/09/2012 Contact: Erin Mooney, Trout Unlimited, (215) 557-2845, emooney@tu.org
Trout Unlimited is a non-profit organization with more than 147,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America's trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. Follow TU on Facebook on Twitter via @TroutUnlimited.
Is the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement a good deal? While some praise the pact between Denver Water and west slope interests, others question whether the best interests of the Colorado are at the forefront.
"Studies conducted by the Colorado Division of Wildlife clearly show that the upper Colorado River is a collapsing ecosystem. Most of this is due to the fact that well more than 65 percent of the upper Colorado is drained by diversions to the Front Range."
On the Vail Valley Voices page of the Vail Daily's website, CTU Past-president Ken Neubecker questions just how good the CRCA is for the river when all things are considered. Read Ken Neubecker's letter.
According to the Associated Press
"The South Platte basin is in the best shape with a snowpack that's 89 percent of average. The Yampa/White basin is the lowest at 74 percent."
HB 1275 in the Colorado House of Representatives would establish a specialty license plate program for Colorado’s hunters and anglers. Revenue would support youth hunting and fishing programs within the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife.
Recently the bill passed the House Finance Committee, but to make this license plate a reality 3,000 Coloradans have to sign a petition indicating their support.
Click this link to sign the petition right now. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/support-the-colorado-wildlife-sporting-license/
"Now, as Colorado River Basin stakeholders contemplate possible solutions to long-term shortfalls in the balance between water supply and demand, a group of agricultural and conservation organizations have joined efforts in a ground-breaking new coalition."As you'd imagine, Trout Unlimited is part of this coalition featured in a piece on Natonal Geographic online by Jennifer Pitt. Read the article at nationalgeographic.com
When you buy tickets for Colorado TU's statewide raffle, you'll help us fight to keep water in streams, support on-the-ground habitat projects, and help young people develop an appreciation for the aquatic life.
But hey, what's in it for you? How about a three-day float trip through the spectacular Gunnison Gorge? If you're the winner, you'll enjoy three days and two nights along the river as part of a Dvorak Expeditions pack-in trip.
All meals are provided and your camping gear will be packed in (you'll need to hike in about a mile with your personal gear). And experienced guides will row you through one of Colorado's true natural wonders where you'll enjoy world-class fishing on a Gold Medal river.
The trip can be used in the 2012 or 2013 seasons, subject to availability. Retail value is $1,425.
Raffle tickets are $10 each, or $25 for three. The drawing will take place at 7 pm at Colorado TU's Spring Rendezvous on April 21, 2012 at Redstone, Colorado. You need not be present to win.
Thanks to Dvorak Expeditions for their generous support of Colorado Trout Unlimited. To learn more about their fishing and rafting trips on the Gunnison, Arkansas, and other great rivers visit www.dvorakexpeditions.com
This raffle is conducted under Colorado Raffle License No 2012-05008, and is open only to residents of Colorado.
