We are sad to notify the CCTU family of the passing of Bill Reinig after a long battle with Parkinson’s. Bill, aka B3, was a long-time active member of the chapter and participated in many of the CCTU fishing trips. Services will be held on Monday, November 14, 1pm at Cherry Hills Community Church. Donations can be made to the Parkinson’s Association of the Rockies in Bill’s name.
CCTU SOUTH PLATTE TEMPERATURE MONITORING
Twice a year, members of the Cutthroat Chapter of Trout Unlimited walk through parts of the South Platte River to access submerged data loggers, bring them to the surface and download the last 12 months of data. We have three submerged data loggers and one ambient air logger that have to be found. Accessing the data loggers in the river requires remembering where they are, finding the rebar post and then unscrewing old hose clamps. Ray leads the group just upstream of Deckers. Below Jim and Bill are using a “hydroscope”, aka a clear piece of Tupperware, to see into the river so Bill can open the hose clamps and bring the data logger to the surface. The group pulled the last data logger that, unfortunately, would not communicate with our App. After the work was done everyone spent a few extra hours fishing the canyon. A few of us will have to return shortly to install a new data logger.
Ray leads the group just upstream of Deckers.
Downloaded ambient air information.
Jim finishing the hike out of Cheesman Canyon.
Jim and Bill using a “hydroscope”, aka a clear piece of Tupperware, to see into the river so Bill can open the hose clamps and bring the data logger to the surface.
CCTU BEAR CREEK EARTH DAY CONSERVATION PROJECT - PROJECT WRAP-UP
On Saturday, April 23, 17 CCTU members drove to Bear Creek Lake Park to continue our tradition of assisting the park with restoration efforts on Bear Creek near Stonehouse. The Chapter provided $2,000 to the city of Lakewood to purchase 10 narrow leaf cottonwood trees and 20 bushes. After a light breakfast and short safety discussion by a ranger, we headed off to Stonehouse. Once we arrived at the location, we met with park staff. They provided the plants and all the tools we needed. After breaking into groups and getting instruction from the staff, digging began in earnest! Each cottonwood was placed and then two smaller bushes planted nearby. The final step was setting steel posts and surrounding everything with wire to prevent our work from becoming lunch for beavers. If you have not seen the large beaver dam near the Stone house, it is worth the trip! Bring your 3wt and fish downstream from the dam for a while. Thanks again to Lee Blair and his team for making this happen.
March Meeting Presentation - Pat Dorsey, "Colorado's Best Trout Streams"
What a fantastic turnout on Tuesday for Pat Dorsey. Pat presented a look at his favorite Colorado flies and best trout streams, breaking down Cheesman Canyon, the Gunnison, Taylor, the Dream Stream, Blue, and more. If you missed the meeting, or want to take some notes on some of those fantastic locations, the presentation is up on the CCTU YouTube site at https://youtu.be/7QzEkavrBJU. Book a trip or pick up some equipment at The Blue Quill Angler at www.bluequillangler.com or check out Pat’s stream report at https://www.patdorseyflyfishing.com/rivers/
Bear Creek Electrofishing CCTU & CPW
September 8, 2021 was a beautiful day for a conservation project. Eleven members of CCTU traveled to Bear Creek west of Morrison where they met with a CPW crew lead by Paul Winkle and Tyler Swarr. The goal was to help CPW electrofish that creek in O'Fallon and Dedisse Parks. The data retrieved will allow CPW to make informed decisions to ensure the health of those fisheries. Brown trout made up the bulk of the catch, and native fish like chubs were also captured and recorded. It was a fun and educational educational experience for all, and we helped CPW in their mission to manage and maintain our Colorado coldwater gamefish populations.
At one point a young family became curious about all of us splashing around in the water. Tyler took time to greet and inform the family by showing them some of the trout we had captured. The little girls helped revive some of the trout and gently released the fish back into the stream. Outreach such as this is great promotion for our club, and maybe one day these little girls will grow up to become environmental advocates. Hopefully this will ensure that our children and theirs will enjoy healthy trout and productive streams for generations to come.
ALMA RIVERWALK PROJECT UPDATE
On July 23, 2021, three CCTU board members paid a visit to the Alma area. We were there to confer with representatives from National TU and USFS about a CCTU volunteer project that will be coming up very soon. Spoiler alert, mark Saturday, August 14, on your calendars to come help us near Alma on an abandoned mine reclamation effort (see separate Mineral Park Project event). Since we were in the neighborhood we stopped by to admire recent progress on the Alma River Walk. CCTU has contributed funding and volunteer time to this wonderful effort by the Town of Alma. Their goal is to conserve and protect a stretch ecologically important wetlands of the Middle Fork of the South Platte River that runs through the center of town. The River Walk will eventually include ADA accessible trails, educational opportunities, and fishing access, while shielding this sensitive headwater environment from development and abuse. Jara Johnson of the Alma Foundation gave us a tour of recent work done by the youth of the Southwest Conservation Corps. The young people are working on a trail spur leading to the interior of the River Walk property. The first part of the spur is roughed in and will be soon be finished in cinder fines. The second part of the spur will be a boardwalk that extends into the wetlands ending in a fishing/observation platform overlooking a beaver pond. This part of the spur has already been cleared of willows, the lumber has been obtained, and a contractor has been hired to start work soon. This entire spur with trail and boardwalk will be finished this summer. A new rock garden is coming along well, with native plants like currant and sedge providing both beauty and and educational opportunity. By fall we will should see the first couple of many interpretive signs and kiosks that will welcome and inform visitors. When you come up to volunteer with us on August 14, please take time afterwards and check out the River Walk!
