Bennet & Tipton Bills = Good News for Hermosa Creek!

In a true “One TU” effort, a cutthroat stronghold may soon have a permanently protected home. The Hermosa Creek basin has long been a focus area for southwest Colorado’s 5 Rivers chapter and staff from TU’s Sportsmen’s Conservation Project and Colorado Water Project. Now, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and U.S. Representative Scott Tipton have introduced a bill to protect more than 107,000 acres of the Hermosa Creek Watershed, an area in the San Juan National Forest north of Durango. The “Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act” would establish management for the Hermosa Creek Watershed based on recommendations from the Hermosa Creek River Protection Workgroup, which included local water officials, conservationists, sportsmen, mountain bikers, off-highway-vehicle users, outfitters, property owners, grazing permit holders and other interested citizens.

“We are lucky in Colorado to be able to enjoy many of the country’s most beautiful landscapes in our backyards. The Hermosa Creek Watershed represents some of the best Colorado has to offer,” Bennet said. “This bill will protect this land for our outdoor recreation economy and for future generations of Coloradans and Americans to enjoy. It is the result of a local effort that took into account the varied interests of the community, and that cooperation helped us put together a strong bill with the community’s input.”

Senator Bennet’s sentiments were mirrored by Representative Tipton in a joint press release on April 25^th.

“As one of Colorado’s most scenic areas, Hermosa Creek has long been treasured by the local community and by countless visitors who have explored all that the region has to offer,” Tipton said. “Local stakeholders including snowmobilers, anglers, hunters, other outdoor enthusiasts, elected officials, miners and Southwest Colorado residents have voiced their support to preserve the Hermosa Creek watershed and the multiple use recreation opportunities it provides. In response to this locally driven effort, Senator Bennet and I have joined together to put forward legislation to protect and preserve this special place, and ensure that Coloradans as well as visitors to our great state have the opportunity to experience Hermosa Creek’s abundant natural beauty for generations to come.”

The bill would designate certain public lands in SW Colorado as the Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Area.  In accordance with the consensus recommendations of the Hermosa Creek Workgroup, roughly 38,000 acres of the watershed would be set aside as wilderness, to protect some of the finest elk habitat in Colorado.  Of particular interest to TU, a Special Management Area would be established to protect a Colorado Parks and Wildlife Colorado River cutthroat trout reintroduction program.

Click here to learn more about Sportsmen for Hermosa, or if you prefer visit us on Facebook.  To get involved with TU's work for Hermosa, you can contact Ty Churchwell at tchurchwell@tu.org.

Coloradoans LOVE their Trout!

The results are in, and apparently Colorado fishermen prefer their trout with a side of trout. And a trout chaser. So say the 1,404 respondents out of 3,000 licensed anglers asked to take part  in the  2012 Colorado Angler Survey commissioned by Colorado Parks and  Wildlife. Among residents and nonresidents who replied, the four most  commonly targeted species of fish were rainbow trout (23 percent), brown trout  (17 percent), cutthroat trout (12 percent) and lake trout (11 percent). And  while it might seem like those cold-water fish were selected because they're the  ones anglers have the greatest opportunity to fish,  the survey compiled by CPW  human dimensions specialist Stacy Lischka indicates that those who fish in  Colorado really can't get enough trout.

Forty-six percent of resident anglers surveyed wanted additional fishing  opportunities for rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout. Nonresidents favored  brown, cutthroat and lake trout, with 64 percent desiring additional  opportunities to fish for those species.

One of the coolest things about fishing in Colorado is the opportunity to  catch nearly 30 species of game fish. The vast majority of them are stocked by  CPW, with rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout making up most of the agency's  hatchery fish. Out of 17 CPW hatcheries, 13 focus almost entirely on trout.

Read the rest from Scott Willoughby in The Denver Post.

CSEF River Conservation Awards Announced

For the past several years, Trout Unlimited has sponsored a Special Award for River Conservation at the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF).  Colorado Trout Unlimited and Boulder Flycasters jointly contribute and provide judges for the Award. This year's winners were:

First Place went to Rachel Rossi, from Durango, for her project "Endocrine Disruptor Remediation in Water: Exploration of Mycoremediation Capabilities of Fungi".

The TU award for First place was a Scholarship to CTU's River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp plus a check for $100.  Rachel also finished in 1st Place in the CSEF Senior Division Environmental Sciences.  Also at the CSEF, Rachel won scholarships to University of Colorado, Colorado State University and Colorado School of Mines.  She also won Special Awards from five other organizations.  At the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, she placed second in the Environmental Management category and won a full tuition scholarship ($150,000) from Drexel University.

Second Place went to Tayler Rocha, from Monte Vista, for her project "Successional Sequence of Water Quality and Macroinvertebrates in a Playa Wetland System".

The TU award for 1st Runner up was a check for $75 and serve as an alternate to attend the CTU Summer Camp if the First Place winner cannot attend.  Tayler also finished 3rd in the CESF Senior Division Environmental Sciences and won three Special Awards.  At the ISEF, she won 2nd Place from the American Geosciences Institute and a full tuition scholarship ($150,000) from Drexel University.

Third Place went to Sarah Stalcup, from Delta, for her project "Riparian Area Multiple Indicator Monitoring".

The TU award for 2nd Runner up was a check for $50 and serve as an alternate to attend the CTU Summer Camp if the First Place and 1st Runner up winners cannot attend.  At the ISEF Sarah won a full tuition scholarship ($150,000) from Drexel University.

Congratulations to these students for their fine projects!

Summit High students release Rainbows into the Blue

More than 50 members of Christopher Lambrecht’s Stream Ecology class have moved on. No, they’re not graduating. In fact, they’re not even students — they’re rainbow trout.

The trout, which hatched from eggs donated to the classroom by the nonprofit organization Trout Unlimited, were released into the Blue River Friday.

“This is a big day for these guys,” Lambrecht said before the release. “It will be strange not to have the tank in here.”

The stream ecology students have been involved with the trout from the very beginning. The class, which requires an application and teacher permission to join, is popular among high school students. Lambrecht said the class is intended to be “a biology class from a fisherman’s perspective,” with the goal of educating the students on the biology and chemistry behind steam and river ecology, as well as its potential for recreational enjoyment. One of the aspects that make the class popular is its hands-on outdoor components. Students regularly visit the river across the street from the high school, gathering insects to study and taking other data-gathering measurements.

Read the rest of the article in the Summit Daily.

Governor Signs License Plate Bill

In the final step of a long journey, Governor Hickenlooper signed into law SB-224 on May 18, authorizing a "Protect Our Rivers" license plate.  CTU's Regional Vice President Ken Neubecker and Legislative Liaison Jen Boulton were both on hand at the bill signing in Avon as the Governor gave his final approval to the legislation. The plate, which should be available no later than January 2014, will allow Colorado motorists to show their support for our rivers while also contributing financially to river conservation and education.  Plates will be available with a $25 donation to Colorado Trout Unlimited, plus a $50 payment to the DMV for the plates themselves.

We extend a special thanks to the legislative sponsors of the license plate bill, whose leadership made this success possible: Senators Randy Baumgardner and Andy Kerr, and Representatives Millie Hamner and Jared Wright.

Sportsmen for Browns Canyon Meeting Tomorrow!!

Browns Canyon Public Meeting: We need your voice!!

Senator Mark Udall has unveiled his proposal to create Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Area. Trout Unlimited along with the National Wildlife Federation, Colorado Wildlife Federation, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and the Bull Moose Sportsmen’s Alliance are proud to support his bill and we need your help. This proposal will create jobs, maintain existing uses, and most importantly protect this spectacular area for river recreationists, sportsmen, anglers and future generations.

Mark Udall, who chairs the U.S. Senate National Parks Subcommittee, unveiled draft legislation on March 28, 2013, to create the Browns Canyon National Monument, covering 22,000 acres between Salida and Buena Vista in Chaffee County.  The proposal includes 10,500 acres of new wilderness and seeks to protect the most popular rafting destination in the country.  The proposal is based on a year of public input that Udall and his staff have collected since the spring of 2012.

Senator Udall is hosting two public meetings to gather input on his proposal. The first meeting was in Nathrop, CO on April 13th, and we are proud to say that sportsmen made a huge impact on the discussions that took place. Senator Udall very much heard the support coming from the sportsman community in Nathrop; but we need more!! The second meeting is being held in your area and We need to bring a strong sportsmen's voice to this meeting also. Senator Udall's proposal will protect the outstanding brown trout fishery in Browns Canyon and maintain the integrity of the backcountry habitat that is critical wintering ground for the big game that we appreciate so much as sportsmen.

Meeting Details:

What:

Browns Canyon Public Meeting

When:

Saturday, May 18

9:30am - 11:30am

Where:

American Mountaineering Center

Foss Auditorium

710 10th St.

Golden, CO

For more details, contact Reed Dils (719) 395-8949, Bill Dvorak (719) 221-3212, or Garrett VeneKlasen (505) 670-2925

Thanks For Supporting CTU Youth Education

Wednesday, May 8th, Colorado TU held a fundraiser in partnership with Patxi’s Pizza to raise funds for our Youth Education efforts. Delicous pizza, great drinks, and a fun time was had, all while increasing CTU’s capacity to inspire the next generation of conservationists.

Thanks to everyone who came out!

License Plate Creates Sustainability

The work to get Senate Bill 13-224 passed is behind us now. Thanks primarily to Jen Boulton, Legislative Liaison, many of us are raising a glass in victory. The Protect Our Rivers license plate will be available for purchase January 1, 2014. As we celebrate, and we should, I'd like to remind us of the original reason we wanted to have the license plate.

• To create a viable brand for Colorado TU. Even prior to the passing of the bill, we created the Protect Our Rivers Corporate Sponsorship Program using the same logo that was developed for the license plate two years ago. This program formalizes how we partner with local businesses, modernizing the 1% For Rivers concept originated with Upslope Brewing Company as well as the Round Up for Rivers concept employed with Freestone Outfitters.
• To create an unrestricted revenue source that went directly to river protection. Though the money raised cannot be used for litigation or lobbying, it is otherwise available for river restoration and protection projects across the state. In analyzing the fiscal impact of the bill, the legislative council assumes that 1,000 plate sets will be sold in the first year and 100 sets in the following year. That would mean $25,000 to Colorado TU in year one, $2,500 in year two. Call me crazy, but I think we could easily double those numbers.

In this sense, the license plate is the first of what I intend to be many steps toward greater sustainability for rivers and our organization. It took a lot of upfront work to get it done, but the ongoing work is minimal and we will reap the value for years to come.

This is exactly the kind of sustainability that was the theme of Rendezvous 2013 and the backbone of my presidential platform. I look forward to sharing many more such examples over the next two years of my tenure!

- Rick Matsumoto, Colorado TU President

Thornton Students Explore Aquatic Ecosystems

In order to sustain our conservation efforts, it is essential that Colorado TU also inspire the next generation to experience the natural world.  Experiencing nature is the first step toward the development of a conservation ethic and becoming good stewards of our natural resources. This Tuesday, May 7, marked the culmination of an exciting new program that provides youth with the opportunity to have an intensive, yet introductory, experience that will hopefully catapult them towards a life of conservation and connection with the great outdoors. At the inaugural Achieve Academy Stream Explorers Program, all 7^th grade science students had the opportunity to interact with living aquatic organisms, learn about their behavior, tie some flies, and go fishing!  Nearly fifty students participated in the program. Achieve Academy, a part of the Mapleton School District, is located in Thornton a couple of miles from the South Platte River.

Stream Explorers is a Colorado TU curriculum that allows students to have hands-on, science-oriented, experiences with living aquatic organisms as well as develop basic fishing skills. Through this program, students develop a rudimentary understanding of the beauty, complexity, and dynamics of aquatic ecosystems and the fish they support. Through hands on learning and data collection students are guided in discovering something about aquatic ecosystems. The science activities are driven by student’s questions and allow them ownership of their own learning.

This program was implemented as a series where Colorado TU volunteers visited the school once a week over the course of four weeks. The first session, which was supposed to take place on the South Platte, was brought inside due to a winter storm. During this session, we brought the river to the classroom and students learned about aquatic macroinvertebrates, food webs, and life cycles through direct observation of bugs. During the second session, students performed experiments on how aquatic organisms react to various environmental factors including light, temperature, and gravity. The students analyzed the data collected during these experiments to make inferences on what these behaviors tell them about natural stream ecosystems in relation to seasonal and daily changes. The third session was a fly tying workshop where students learned the basic skills necessary to imitate natural aquatic organisms. During the fourth session the students traveled to a local park where they got the chance to sample and observe aquatic macroinvertebrates and go fishing.

Providing environmental education opportunities to students, particularly those in urban areas, is not only imperative in fostering a conservation ethic in today’s youth, but also has profound effects on school performance,and on emotional and physical health. In this way Colorado TU is not only contributing toward creating the next generation of conservationists, but also encouraging the development of the next generation of well adjusted, successful adults.

Thanks to all the volunteers who made this program possible.

To learn more about Stream Explorers, and other Colorado TU youth education programs, please contact Jake Lemon at jake.lemon@coloradotu.org or 720-354-2646.

Some Good News for Our "Most Endangered River"

In April, American Rivers issued its annual list of  Most Endangered Rivers.  And the Colorado River - from source to sea - was named the #1 most endangered river in America. The Colorado is facing enormous challenges, largely driven by the extensive demands of its water supply in the face of a limited resource - and one that may become even more limited as we experience shifts in climate.  Fortunately, there are also positive developments for the Colorado River.

In April, the Colorado water courts decreed a new instream flow right to the Colorado Water Conservation Board to help protect its environment from the Blue River near Kremmling down to its confluence with the Eagle River.  With flows ranging from 500 cfs to 900 cfs depending on the season, it is the largest instream flow water right in Colorado's history. You can read about it in the local (Sky Hi News) paper here.

While as a more "junior"  2011 water right, it will not guarantee flows in the river from diversions under prior existing "senior" water rights, the instream flow will help protect the outstanding environment that the Colorado sustains today from future water rights or changes.

The filing was the result of a collaborative effort among local governments, conservationists, water districts, and other stakeholders in developing protections for a reach of the Colorado that had been found eligible for possible federal Wild and Scenic designation.

“This is good news for a stretch of the river that is beloved by generations of anglers,” said Mely Whiting, counsel for Trout Unlimited. “It’s an example of what can be accomplished when working together.”