Bill Jackson / Greeley Tribune “We will revise key portions of the original draft and conduct additional study in categories such as hydrology modeling, water quality, vegetation and aquatic resources. This next stage will also give us the opportunity to encourage public participation, which is an extremely important part of this process,” Press said in the press release.
Rod Kuharich, executive director of the South Metro group, refused to comment on Million’s charge, saying there could be a lawsuit in the future. The group is exploring the possibility of a Colorado-Wyoming coalition, and has had a few stormy meetings with Million.
http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/02/05/news/local/doc498aa233dfde2753707056.txt
The 33 rd Annual Fly Tying Clinic by West Denver Trout Unlimited returns Saturday, February 14, 2009 from 8:30 AM until 3:00 PM at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds (6 th Ave.and Indiana St., Golden) Halls 1 and 2.The event features some of the best fly tiers in Colorado and has evolved one of the first large arena fly tying clinics in the state. Read More
Colorado Springs Independent By J. ADRIAN STANLEY
Here's the thing: Because CDOT is contributing funds, state law says the Colorado Division of Wildlife must review the plan and ensure the animal environment isn't damaged. So far, the wildlife folks aren't pleased.
Neither is Jack Hunter, president of the Cheyenne Mountain chapter of Trout Unlimited, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and creating trout habitat. He says the partners ignored his organization's tips on improving the environment for fish.
Under current plans, both Hunter and Division of Wildlife representatives say, water would be too shallow for fish during warm months, while planned small waterfalls would act like barriers to fish. Rocks along the banks would leave nowhere to hide or feed.
The Division of Wildlife and Trout Unlimited argue that changes — such as adding more curves to the creek — could be made without sacrificing the project's other goals. Some ideas might even save money.
The fight to protect those rights has been going on “for years and years,” City Manager Patrick Rondinelli said.
“The federal government tried to wipe out all water rights.”
A tentative agreement was reached in June of last year on the amount of water that should flow through the national park and was formally decreed by the Gunnison Water Court on Dec. 31.
The city previously withdrew its opposition to the proposed decree and effectively consented to the settlement, according to Rondinelli, but with the settlement adopted, the action by Ouray City Council Monday night was to ratify withdrawing that opposition, which passed unanimously.
The water fight involved many entities, including the Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, the National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior, Western Area Power Administration, Trout Unlimited, High Country Citizens’ Alliance, and more.
Funny thing about Colorado's Habitat Stamp. Most folks I talk to think it's a swell idea to tack $10 onto the price we pay to fish and hunt and that the stamp should be reauthorized either in this session of the legislature or in the next.
But all this enthusiasm comes with a strange caveat. Hardly anyone likes what happened during the first three years of this fundraising project.
In an effort aimed both at reform and in keeping the stamp alive, an advisory group has arrived at a number of proposals to be codified into a bill that might be introduced in a couple of weeks. Otherwise, the stamp faces a do-or-die legislative firing squad during the 2010 session.
Among other changes up for discussion:
• The stamp would involve a one-time $10 cost, no matter how many licenses are involved.
• A stamp would be required to apply for big-game preference points, a measure to prevent abuse by non-resident hunters.
• A stamp would be required of those who purchase search-and-rescue cards.
• DOW could use stamp funds for maintenance and operation of these newly acquired properties.
• Finally, and foremost, public access would be considered a key element in any property selection.
This last element is of particular interest to an angling community that has paid for more than it has received.
"Our organization isn't looking for special treatment, but we don't want anglers to be put in a disadvantageous position," said David Nickum, executive director of Colorado Trout Unlimited.
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11621704
The proposed Feb. 12 sale of oil and gas leases on more than 81,000 acres of national forest, federal and private land in Colorado has sparked protests from the state, counties and environmental groups.
The sale is the most controversial since the $114 million auction of Roan Plateau leases in August.
That sale is the target of a lawsuit by environmental groups.
One major criticism of the upcoming auction is that forest parcels were chosen based on 1993 information about wildlife in the areas and dated science on how drilling might affect that wildlife.
Environmentalists argue that those older rules fail to reflect new information on species and major changes in oil-and-gas-drilling technology.
Trout Unlimited protested the sale on the grounds that it includes about 60,000 acres of prime cutthroat trout habitat.
"The problem is that just about all the cutthroat trout habitat is in this sale," said Cathy Purves, the group's science adviser.
A $3.6 million project to improve drainage on Fountain Creek on the city's west side and keep mine tailings from Gold Hill Mesa out of the water is in jeopardy, caught between competing visions for the creek.
Should the creek be as natural as possible, capable of supporting a healthy fish population, or should it be an urban drainage channel, funneling water downstream as quickly as possible?
City officials say if they can't soon reach a consensus with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, which must issue a permit, the project may not happen.
The local chapter of Trout Unlimited, a conservation group that works to restore waterways, last week issued a news release objecting to the project. The group had been working with the Stormwater Enterprise on its design.
The DOW and Trout Unlimited have asked the city to not grout the boulders in the rip-rap, keep the creek narrower, deeper with more curves and bends, and to remove from the plan some of the cross-creek barriers.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/creek_47415___article.html/project_city.html
