Great American Outdoors Act passes the House

On July 23, 2020, the U.S.House voted 310-107 to pass the Great American Outdoors Act.  This bill also overwhelmingly passed in the Senate by a 73-25 vote on June 17th. Please take a moment to THANK your members of Congress for helping to advance this bipartisan legislation. 

A special thank you to our Colorado Senators Bennet and Gardner who took a lead in sponsoring the Great American Outdoors Act. They have helped secure funding full permanent funding for LWCF and establish an additional dedicated funding program to address the great and growing needs for maintenance at National Parks and other public lands. Thank you!

Latino Conservation Week 2020

July 18-26 is https://latinoconservationweek.com/, an event of our partners at the Hispanic Access Foundation and is full of virtual and in-person activities all week across the country.

Check out the online event map of webinars, conversations and sessions happening this week!

Featured Online Latino Conservation Week Events:

• Elevate Conservation: Outdoors for All – July 20 – 4 pm Mountain Outdoor Retailer Online and partners such as Patagonia, The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Lands and more, bring together national conservation organizations, outdoor industry companies, and diverse community leaders to discuss the intersection of outdoor recreation, conservation, and equity in the outdoors. Hispanic Access Foundation's powerful video "I Am Cheo" will be screened.

• Latinx Conversation to Conservation - July 21  - 4 pm Mountain For minority students aspiring to work in a conservation related field, challenges related to lack of representation and exposure face many current and recently graduated students. Listen in on a student panel as they talk about their experience in internships and programs that helped expose them to diverse opportunities in conservation related work with different state and federal land management agencies.

• "We Need to Talk" Just the Beginning: Experiences of Young Latinx in Conservation – July 22 – 4 p.m. Eastern Join the National Park Service Chesapeake Bay Office for a virtual panel discussion. Young, early career Latinx conservationists will explore their personal experiences of diversity in the conservation field and the Chesapeake Bay community.

  Conexión: The Conservation Heritage of Latinx and Hispanic Peoples in the Southwest – July 23 – 7 pm Mountain Presented by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Continental Divide Trail Coalition, HECHO, Latino Outdoors Colorado, National Parks Conservation Association, and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a panel of Latinx and Hispanic leaders will explore: National Park Service, Hunting and Food Security, Advocacy and Environmental Legislation, Climate Justice Activism.

Trout Unlimited Activities During #LCW2020:

Trout Unlimited will be supporting Latino Conservation Week by elevating and promoting our partners in Latino communities and their events and programs to help connect our audience to the broader conservation community.

• Free TU Memberships to Latino Conservation Week participants
  Our free trial membership offer will be shared by Hispanic Access Foundation and their partners through email and social media to help introduce us to new friends and members in the Latino outdoors and conservation community.

• Land, Water y Comunidad video
  When the Great American Outdoors Act passes this week (fingers crossed), including funding the Land & Water Conservation Fund, we’ll have our own media and communications related to our mission work and messages, but we’ll also be sharing the Hispanic Access Foundation video “Land, Water y Comunidad” showcasing why the LWCF is important for Latino communities.

• Instagram Live Interview with Luke Argleben – July 22 – Time TBD
  Tune into our Instagram channel on Wednesday for a special live interview between Josh Duplechian and Luke Argleben of the Hispanic Access Foundation. Luke, an avid angler and conservationist will talk about Latino Conservation Week, the Hispanic Access Foundation and efforts to engage more Latinos in conservation and outdoor recreation.

Connect:

 HECHO - Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting & the Outdoors

Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project

Latino Outdoors

This Cutthroat needs your help!

Rio Grande Cutthroat. Photo credit: Frank Weisbarth.

Help us Meet our Match for Native Trout

You can be part of restoring Colorado’s native trout heritage in the heart of one of our state’s most unique landscapes! The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is one of Colorado’s iconic settings and is also home to the most significant Rio Grande Cutthroat trout restoration project in Colorado. Sand Creek, nestled above the dunes in the spectacular Sangre De Cristo mountains of southern Colorado, provides an opportunity to restore Rio Grande cutthroats to 14 miles of stream and two outstanding natural lakes high in the headwaters and is well situated to persist in the face of drought and a warming climate.  With your help it can be a place that our native trout will exist forever on our priceless public lands.

In September, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, with volunteer support from TU, will begin the first phase of work to restore cutthroat to Sand Creek, utilizing a large crew in a very rugged and remote setting. Wilderness Adventures has generously donated 25% of the value of the outfitting and catering required to logistically support this backcountry project.  That leaves us needing $9,000 to complete phase one of this restoration project.  Colorado TU, The Greenbacks and the San Luis Valley Chapter of TU have contributed $4,500 as a challenge to private donors like you: every dollar you donate toward this project will be matched.

Join this exciting effort to bring back Rio Grande Cutthroat trout to the Sand Creek watershed and create a unique backcountry fishery that will remain available for generations to come!  Every donation helps so please consider contributing and helping us to Meet Our Match.

July Currents: A voice for Colorado's Rivers

July’s issue includes:

• Help us Meet our Match for Native Trout

• The Great American Outdoors Act Passes in Senate

• Final TU Teens Live Session: Exploring Conservation and Fly Fishing Careers

• Two Knots You Need To Start Fly Fishing

• Ascent Fly Fishing Teams up with Fly Fishing For Hip Hop to Bring Fly Fishing To Denver Youths!

• Pre-Register for the Greenback Stocking! Project time frame: Mid to Late-July

and so much more. Check out our monthly digest, Currents, to see what we are up to!