Our Colorado River - uniting West Slope water users

Last May, Gov. John Hickenlooper directed the Colorado Water Conservation Board to hand him a draft plan for managing the state’s water no later than Dec. 10, 2014. That’s a hefty order considering the plan has been in the works for at least a decade and the state is riffed with disagreement, especially between the Front Range – which is the most populous – and the Western Slope, which has most of the water. Progress is being made, however.

As the CWCB nears its deadline, Trout Unlimited, a non-profit conservation organization, is currently working to unite the Western Slope to ensure the region has a strong voice at the bargaining table. The group is asking governments to sign onto the Our Colorado River project, which outlines five “core values” that various stakeholders might agree upon.

“We’re trying to show unity and resolve on matters that have sometimes been points of contention between the agriculture and recreation communities,” said TU’s Colorado River Basin Outreach Coordinator Richard Van Gytenbeek. “By agreeing to these core values, we can provide a united focus on a common platform as we move toward the Colorado Water Plan, which is due in 2014.”

Read the rest of the article in the Vail Daily.

Learn more about TU's Our Colorado River campaign and sign on to the Core Values.

Still looking for water

Check out the newest Fraser video! Denver Water is taking more than 60 percent of the annual flows of the Fraser River--and the low flows are threatening prized fish and wildlife habitat on this tributary of the Upper Colorado. Our Homeless Trout is still looking for water in all the wrong places--go to www.defendthecolorado.org and tell Denver Water to leave a little H20 for the fish!

Colorado Outdoor Mentors program kicks off

Last weekend marked the official kick off of the Colorado Outdoor Mentors Program.  On Saturday September 28, several organizations came together for an outdoor skills festival at Barr Lake State Park. With the help of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Pheasants Forever, Environmental Learning for Kids, the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, the Wildlife Experience, the American Canoe Association, and CTU over 200 people had the chance to try their hand at a wealth of outdoor activities and learn about native wildlife. Spearheaded by CTU, this Colorado Outdoor Mentors Initiative seeks to assemble a cohesive coalition of conservation organizations, state agencies, youth development organizations, and other key outdoor recreation stakeholders in Colorado to focus efforts on providing outdoor education to non-traditional audiences. By partnering with youth mentoring organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Denver Kids Inc., we can give more children the chance to learn how to fish, hunt, shoot, camp, and experience Colorado’s great outdoors.

Continuing participation for children who are exposed to outdoor opportunities often depends upon having a trusted adult who can share in those activities.  By partnering with mentoring organizations, the Outdoor Mentors program will help jointly expose youth and their adult mentors to hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation – planting the seeds for mentors and youth alike to continue to experience the outdoors together.  By encouraging mentors to share their enjoyment of the outdoors with a child on a regular basis we can make a significant impact on that child’s perception of the outdoors. Also, it is our experience that many youth who participate in outdoor education programs represent a self-selected population from families who already hunt, fish, and engage in outdoor activities. By partnering with youth development organizations we can reach a population that have never caught a fish, shot a bow, or been in a canoe.

This program follows a successful model set forth by Pass it On Outdoor Mentors in Kansas. Pass it On Outdoor Mentors began as a program of Kansas Big Brother Big Sisters in 2002 and focused on recruiting members to spend time outdoors with a child. In 2006, the program spun off into a separate 501(c)3 with the goal of providing support to other youth mentoring organizations throughout the country. Today 20% of community-based matches for Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters participate in Outdoor Mentors programming.  In  2011, the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Directors unanimously endorsed the Pass it On Outdoor Mentors model as one that “would greatly expand the ability of state fish and wildlife agencies to engage in  more and new recruitment and retention activities by leveraging capacities of multiple stakeholder groups.”  A recent study by Responsive Management of 37 hunter and angler recruitment and retention programs highlighted one of the great accomplishments of Pass it On Outdoor Mentors. The study showed that 43% of participants in their programs come from families that do not hunt, shoot, or fish – they are reaching the kids who need to be reached.   With the second highest rate being 20%, no other program in the study came close to these results.  It is our goal to replicate the successes of this program in Colorado.

If you are interested in getting involved with this initiative, or better yet, mentoring a youth in the outdoors, please contact Jake Lemon, CTU Youth Education Coordinator, at jake.lemon@coloradotu.org or 720-354-2646.

A balanced approach to wind and solar energy development on public lands

As commercial-scale wind and solar projects become an increasing presence on our public lands, sportsmen, state and county governments are stepping up to support the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act (Senate Bill 279 and House Resolution 596) that have been introduced in U.S. Congress.  These renewable energy projects take up large chunks of land for long periods of time, and may cause some unavoidable impacts on fish, wildlife and water resources and recreational access. The Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act offers a way to offset unavoidable impacts by creating a conservation fund derived from royalties and other revenues generated by public land wind and solar energy projects. SB 279 would establish a formula for the distribution of wind and solar lease revenue where:

-25% would go to the state where projects are sited;  -25% would go to the counties where projects are sited;  -15% would fund the Interior Department to process wind and solar lease applications; -35% would be deposited in a fund for fish, wildlife, and land conservation. -Under H.R. 596, 25% of revenues would be deposited in the conservation fund, and 10% would be put toward deficit reduction.

Another important component of the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act is that it can lead to a better framework for the federal agencies managing wind and solar on public lands. Right now land managers are using rights-of-way and special use permits—tools better suited to permitting irrigation ditches or cell phone towers than large-scale energy projects.  SB 279/ HR 596 are needed to provide specific direction for how best to administer wind and solar energy projects on public lands.

Specifically, these bills:

• Create a pilot program to determine whether and how to transition to a leasing program for public land wind and solar projects. • Establish a royalty fee for public land wind and solar projects • Outline a clear process for current and pending projects to transition to a leasing system

In Colorado, the bills continue to garner support and are currently supported by TU, CTU, the National Wildlife Federation, the San Luis Valley chapter of TU, Montezuma County, Clear Creek County, the San Luis Valley County Commissioner’s Association.  Additionally, the Western Governors’ Association supports the leasing and royalty concept in the Bills.

Colorado congressional representatives also support the legislation with Senators Udall and Bennet cosponsoring S279, and Representatives Coffman, Degette, Gardner, Perlmutter, Polis, and Tipton signing on as co-sponsors in the House.  Please thank them for their support should you have the chance during a district meeting with them.

Should you need more information on either of these bills or want to add your name in support of the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act, please contact Bob Meulengracht at 303-514-8227 or rmeulengracht @tu.org.

Farewell to a Legend

Last month, we lost one of the great leaders in trout conservation as Robert J. Behnke, Ph.D., passed away on September 13th at the age of 83.  Dr. Behnke was a professor emeritus of Fisheries Conservation and Wildlife Biology at Colorado State University.  During his illustrious career, he authored more than 100 articles and papers regarding fish and fisheries; helped re-discover two subspecies of native trout previously believed extinct (Pyramid Lake strain Lahontan cutthroat, and Colorado’s state fish the Greenback cutthroat trout); and brought fisheries science to decades of TROUT magazine readers through his “About Trout” column. Dr. Behnke was an unforgettable and outspoken voice for trout conservation, from supporting hatchery reform in California to promoting native trout restoration throughout western North America.  He inspired countless anglers and conservationists to value the beauty and uniqueness of native trout – and his years of work in translating the intricacies of fisheries science for a mass audience led Colorado TU to recognize him with its 2002 Trout Communications Award following the publication of his magnum opus, Trout and Salmon of North America.  Beyond his numerous publications and many personal achievements, perhaps his greatest legacy may be seen through the work of the generations of fish biologists who he influenced while serving on faculty at Colorado State University.

Dr. Behnke once wrote on his life’s research work by reflecting that his “career covers the period of the transition from the strictly anthropocentric, utilitarian based management of natural resources to a more ecocentric, holistic ecosystem form of management based on Aldo Leopold's land ethic. My work and publications over a 40 year period reflect this transition.”

His work as a researcher and educator will be carried forward by his own TU chapter, the Rocky Mountain Flycasters, through its Robert J. Behnke Fellowship. Dr. Behnke contributed the original endowment for this annual award, which supports the research of Colorado State University graduate students in coldwater fisheries research.  Before his death, he asked that in lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory be made to this fellowship.  You can contribute using the Rocky Mountain Flycasters’ convenient online donation page or by sending donations for the Robert J. Behnke Fellowship to the Department of Fish and Wildlife and Conservation Biology at CSU Foundation , PO Box 1870, Fort Collins, CO 80522.

Read more about Dr Behnke in the Ft Collins' Coloradoan.

Share your memories of Dr Behnke and read those of others here.

Listen to Dr Behnke’s reflections on “a life with trout” on a Midcurrent podcast.

Support the Robert J. Behnke Fellowship.

Statement from Trout Unlimited on the Shutdown of the Federal Government

Trout Unlimited is disappointed by the federal government shutdown because it undercuts fall fishing opportunities that are economically vital to communities bordering national parks and monuments. The shutdown also threatens to hamstring vital conservation efforts nationwide. For the first time in 17 years, our federal agency partners are not allowed to go to work with us, and the gates leading to some of the world’s best fisheries are locked. Trout Unlimited strongly urges Congress to restore government funding as soon as possible. Adverse impacts to TU are immediate. Many of TU’s science and restoration experts are prepared to attend this week’s Wild Trout Symposium in Yellowstone National Park, which is almost certain to be cancelled because the park is closed. Going on its 40th year, the symposium is a conference held every three years to bring together the best international experts on wild trout science and restoration techniques. This event is just the kind of activity that makes federal, state and local agencies, as well as their non-profit partners, more efficient at investing public and private resources in science and restoration. Thousands of dollars are lost, as are opportunities to improve trout conservation and make fishing better all across America.

Incredible fisheries will be off limits due to the closure of national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other federal facilities, at a time when they are most productive for anglers. Thousands of anglers were hoping to finish their fishing season chasing brown trout on Yellowstone’s famed Firehole River or cutthroats in the scenic Lamar Valley. Others were setting out to pursue the brightly colored brook trout of Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountain national parks.  Many of these anglers have campsites reserved, flights booked and hotels reserved that revolve around access to these national parks.  Lands owned by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will see many campgrounds closed, even barred shut when possible. To those planning on visiting these areas, and to the communities that depend on the tourism dollars anglers generate, Congress’ inability to act is ruining vacations and literally taking money from merchants at a time when it’s needed most.

In Colorado’s Front Range communities, TU is coordinating with federal partners to help recover from severe flooding. While emergency personnel are still on the job, many of those federal partners have been forced to stop working during a critical time for affected Coloradans.

TU’s 150,000 members and volunteers, who selflessly donate almost 700,000 hours to conservation every year, understand that getting trout and salmon streams protected, reconnected and restored requires working together with partners and allowing common sense to prevail. As we cooperate with local, state and federal governments, landowners and industry representatives every day, we hope that Congress can do likewise and restore funding for these vital operations.  This government shutdown is a stark reminder that our nations parks and monuments have a very real economic value to Americans from coast to coast, and that the government’s role in managing those lands on behalf of all Americans cannot be underestimated. TU hopes this reminder will spur Congress to act and provide the funding to sustain the traditions treasured by the nearly 40 million Americans who hunt and fish.

---Steve Moyer, Vice President for Government Affairs Trout Unlimited