CCTU Board Mentors Alma Youths in Fly Fishing

Cutthroat Chapter Board has supported the Alma Riverwalk for the last couple of seasons. This ambitious project by the Town of Alma was formed to permanently conserve and protect a stretch of the Middle Fork of the South Platte as it flows through the Town. The Alma Foundation has aided in the purchase of 24,000 acres of critical wetlands habitat by the City which will help protect this essential headwaters from encroachment by mining and housing development. The Riverwalk will provide ADA access and educational opportunities via a 1800 foot trail that is now under construction. When CCTU approached the Foundation about helping them this season we learned that the Foundation had plenty of young boots on the ground in the form of the Southwest Conservation Corps.The Corps is a non-profit based in Salida that provides conservation service programs for local youth. What the Foundation hoped was for us to spend the day with these youths and demonstrate to them some of the finer points of headwaters recreation. The Foundation was hoping we could give these high school age youth a lesson in fly fishing. We were happy to oblige! Four members of the CCTU Board and Alma resident David Andersen spent the morning of August 2 teaching a version of the Fly Fishing 101 and 201 classes taught by our partners at Orvis. Many thinks to Brian Young for providing his expertise leading the instruction and providing Orvis rods for the experience. After a casting lesson we moved to a local pond where the youth put their lessons into practice catching a few of the local trout. After fishing the Foundation provided a nice lunch for all, thanks to the South Platte Brewing of Fairplay. After lunch the youth were happy to take us on a hike to show all the tough trail work they had accomplished. We wish the Foundation all the best as the Riverwalk construction moves forward. They are optimistically hoping to compete construction by the end of next season, at which time there will be ADA accessible trails complete with interpretive signage funded by our Cutthroat Chapter. To learn more about the Alma Riverwalk please be sure to attend our October chapter meeting when we will hear a talk by the Foundation's representative and Alma native Jara Johnson.