Alma River Walk Project Visit - 6/18/18

The town of Alma, CO is north of Fairplay in Southpark and at 10, 578 feet, is the highest incorporated town in North America.  Alma is an idyllic location with several 14ers nearby and more importantly for TU, the headwaters of the South Platte River are just above and adjacent to the town.  Alma is a small town (less than 400 residents) but that is about to change. Up to three new multi-unit housing developments are being planned for Alma so the population will increase substantially in the next few years.  The town of Alma and the Alma Foundation are planning a project that will consist of platforms and walkways in the Upper South Platte wetlands for both recreation and fishing access.  They wish to create a multi-use area while also managing and protecting these important headwaters for future generations.

On June 8, 2018 a meeting was held to provide TU (Cutthroat and Cherry Creek Chapters) with key information for the Walkway Project, including a tour of the wetlands, a discussion of project options, and solicitation of ideas for improving the project.  Attendees from TU included George Franklin, John Aaron, Peter King and Tim O’Connor (Cutthroat Chapter) and Steve Rozendaal (Cherry Creek Anglers).  Jara Johnson represented the Alma Foundation and Tim Zingler represented the town of Alma (Director of Public Works).  They currently have a contract for a wetlands delineation study (report due the end of June 2018) and they will soon be contracting with a small engineering firm for engineering design and review of alternatives.  Colorado Parks and Wildlife has donated $30,000 and TU Cutthroat Chapter has committed $5,000 for this phase of work.  Considerably more funding will be required for the construction phase, scheduled for 2019-20.  TU’s Cutthroat Chapter is offering to help find corporate sponsors for that phase.  Some ideas that TU provided include:  giving these headwaters a “Catch and Release” designation to ensure a sustainable fish population; adding large rocks to the stream in selected locations to provide structures for the fish; and dredging the pond next to the planned fishing dock as it is currently very shallow.

Ladies Fishing on the Fly Recap - May 11-12 at Highlands Ranch

Cyndy Scholz and her team of volunteer instructors had a great time with the 15 students at this year’s spring Ladies Fishing on the Fly.  Friday night was the classroom session from 6-9pm.  They learned about equipment (rod, reel, line, leader, tippet & more), how to read water, tied the two knots, and had a brief entomology session with CTU’s Cam Chandler.  Saturday from 8:30AM to 1PM, after a casting lesson from Buzz Soard, they put into practice what they learned at the Fly’n B Park pond in Highlands Ranch.  They had a blast catching bluegill, sunfish and even some rainbow trout.  Thanks a ton to the HRCA for setting up and for all the CCTU volunteers that participated.  The Fall program runs August 24-25. Get tickets at the Highlands Ranch Eastridge Recreation Center (9568 University Blvd, Highlands Ranch), at www.HRCAonline.org or by calling (303) 791-2500.  Any chapter members that would like to help with instruction, please contact Cyndy at cyndyscholz@msn.com or (303) 507-3068.

Spring Bear Creek Conservation Project and Fishing Contest Recap

A TON ACCOMPLISHED AND A GREAT TIME HAD BY ALL

April 28 was a beautiful spring day…the kind of day the City of Lakewood and CCTU were hoping to get for the annual spring planting and clean-up day at Bear Creek Lake Park.  This year, 19 CCTU volunteers partnered with the city to help conserve, protect, and restore a stretch of urban Bear Creek.  These industrious folks helped revegetate the stream side by planting 350 red osier dogwoods, willows, buffalo berries, and star bushes along with eight good sized cottonwood trees. All native plants!  In addition these folks built a barrier wall to block and restore an unauthorized equestrian stream crossing.  The twist this year was all these materials were purchased through funds earned by our own CCTU fundraiser and the support of all our CCTU chapter members.  After the work we held a tongue-in-cheek fishing contest on that same stretch.  Data from that contest goes to Colorado Parks and Wildlife to help them manage what is hoped will become a proper urban trout fishery in time. Contest awards were given for quickest fish landed (two hours 11 minutes), largest trout caught (6 inches) and most flies lost (11).  A fun and rewarding time was had by all, and many thanks to our volunteers!

Hayman Fire Rehabilitation, Horse Creek CONSERVATION PROJECT RECAP

The scene was eerily appropriate for the weekend before Halloween.  Charred skeletons of trees stood like tombstones against the barren soil.  It is one thing to see the Hayman Burn from the highway as one speeds to a new fishing spot near Deckers.  It is quite another thing to be standing in the middle of the Hayman Burn and taking in the immensity of the destructive power of fire.  On October 28 a crew of 16 CCTU volunteers and 16 volunteers from UCD joined together to help a small part of that area to recover.  After a 4x4 trip of about a mile, and with the help of our partners at CUSP, we seeded drainages that have yet to recover from that 2002 fire.  The rains of fall and the snows of winter will help nourish the mix of quickly sprouting sterile oats and native grasses that we sowed over almost two acres.  These grasses will help stabilize the soil and stop a portion of the tons of silt that annually wash down the slopes into Horse Creek and then move on into the South Platte River.  There are hopeful signs of progress.  In some spots the native grasses and shrubs have begun to return on their own. The occasional young fir tree can be seen among the charred trunks.  With our help and the steady progress of nature this area will eventually recover.The CCTU Board of Directors would like to thank all the CCTU volunteers who have helped make the five conservation projects of 2017 so successful. The Board will be having its annual planning meeting in early January.  One of the topics for discussion will be conservation projects for next year.  If you have any suggestions or comments about conservation projects please send them to George Franklin.  He can be reached at (303) 902-9827 or at georgefr@aol.com.

CLEAR CREEK CLEAN-UP – PROJECT RECAP

The Watershed Festival had been cancelled and there was a change in venue due to road construction. The day began with wind and rain.  In spite of that 43 volunteers from three TU chapters and other sources gathered at Anderson Park in Idaho Springs to carry on a two decade old tradition of conservation effort.  The clouds parted and a beautiful fall day resulted allowing the Clear Creek Clean Up on September 16 to be a tremendous success. Seventy contractor bags of trash and countless large discarded objects found their way from the creek to the roadside where they could be properly disposed of.  Ray Carney of CCTU, who originated this effort long ago and still runs it tirelessly with Jim Klug, has nothing but praise for all the generous folks who took the time an effort to help this little jewel of a stream.All of us at CCTU would like to thank the City of Idaho Springs and Clear Creek County for their continued support over the years.  Local merchants such as Starbucks and Beau Joe’s Pizza helped feed the workers. Mile High Rafting, Clear Creek Outdoors, Colorado Adventures, and Orvis Park Meadows supplied raffle prizes.  The West Denver TU. Cherry Creek Anglers TU, and CCTU all provided raffle prizes and workers.  Without the generosity of all these people this event would not be possible.

CCTU/CPW Electroshocking Survey on Lower Bear Creek - Post Event Summary

 Hidden in Plain Sight: Anatomy of an Urban Fishery – Article by Richard PilatzkeOn a cool morning in September, a group of volunteers and Colorado Parks and Wildlife(CPW) personnel thread their way between homes and condominiums and adjacent to a golf course.  Their destination is Bear Creek, a small tributary of the South Platte River in the Southwest metro Denver area.  It is a small drainage, averaging only fifteen feet in width. It is considered a transitional fishery, as it is a combination of cold water and warm water habitat for fish.  It is supported by stocking of fingerling brown trout, which thrive in the temperatures in this habitat. This group is there to conduct an electrofishing survey to gauge the health of the fish population.A project like this is an example of cooperation between a cold water conservation group like Trout Unlimited (TU) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife.  The event was organized by the Littleton-based Cutthroat Chapter of TU.  The volunteers range in age from 16 to 76.  This project is an integral part of Cutthroat’s aggressive conservation agenda.The day starts with the CPW personnel forming a phalanx across the stream with their electrodes that will stun the fish nearby. The TU volunteers man nets and floating fish carts to store the fish as they are recovered. Two reaches of the stream are sampled, each approximately 100 yards long.  The stream seems narrow and shallow in many places, but there are some surprisingly deep holes, some as deep as 5-6 feet. As the electrodes are passed through the water, fish start to float to the surface, stunned by the electric current.  They are carefully netted and passed to a floating net.  They are then placed in a larger holding net for counting. The CPW personnel carefully measure length and weight and the fish are released.  The results of the survey are surprising.  Out of this little urban stream we have collected three brown trout between 18 and 19 inches – beautiful buttery brown healthy fish.  We also collected more than a dozen other brown trout between 14 and 18 inches.  Also present were a group of Colorado native fish – longnose dace, whiter sucker, creek chubs, and longnose sucker.  These minnows provide an ample food source for the brown trout.The results of our survey revealed a thriving brown trout fishery in the middle of a suburban setting.  This stream had not been electro-fished by CPW previously, so they are encouraged by our findings. Joggers, walkers and bikers pass the stream on a regular basis and most don’t know what secrets it contains.  Only a few fishermen frequent this little gem of a stream, but the rewards can be surprising. This urban fishery is clearly hiding in plain sight.

Rock Creek Greenback Cutthroat Trout Reintroduction Progress - COMPLETED AUGUST 31, 2017

On Thursday, 8/31, five members of the Cutthroat Chapter Ready Response Team and nine other members of CTU joined together near the town of Jefferson in South Park.  The team headed by Jeff Spohn and Paul Winkle of CPW were working on the second phase of reintroducing our endangered state fish back into Rock Creek, part of the South Platte River watershed.  Last fall CCTU gave $4000 for the planning of a fish barrier on Rock Creek that will protect the Greenback Cutthroat Trout from invasion by competing fish and disease.  On Thursday, the volunteers got to see the completed barrier and they helped in removing non-native fish in preparation for stocking Rock Creek with Greenbacks.  The waters must now be monitored for whirling disease for from three to five years and when the waters are deemed safe the Greenbacks can be returned to their original home.  In the meanwhile the connecting Black Canyon Creek is being readied and work may begin there sometime next year.

Hayman Fire Rehabilitation Project "Horse Creek Buckle and Rail Fence" - Completed Aug 5, 2017

On August 5^th eleven members of the Cutthroat Chapter worked with the Coalition for the Upper South Platte on Horse Creek, near Deckers. The Horse Creek drainage was devastated by the Hayman fire of 2002 and continues to dump tons of sediment in the South Platte River each year.  On this day we set out to clean up an illegal campsite and build a buck and rail fence to discourage future illegal camping and keep the trash out of the stream.  We were able to clean up the trash, reseed the area and erect the fence in just a few hours.  The CUSP crew was prepared, and had all the required tools, materials and experience to pull this off.  Thanks to all who came out and worked!

Call for Volunteers

On Saturday August 5 Cutthroat Chapter will partner with CUSP for the first of two projects this season in the Horse Creek drainage near Deckers. This area continues to suffer from the 2002 Hayman Fire and we will continue our efforts to stabilize the soils and prevent habitat destruction in and around the South Platte River. This is part of a multi-year project and we would appreciate any help our chapter members can provide.We will meet in the parking lot of the Deckers Community Hall (behind Flies and Lies) on Saturday August 5 promptly at 9am. Work will go until about 3pm. Cutthroat Chapter will provide a lite breakfast of donuts and muffins along with bottled waters. We will carpool to a site nearby for the work day. The site will involve a hike of about a quarter mile which might take 20 minutes. Bring your own gloves if you prefer though gloves, tools, and safety equipment will be provided by CUSP. Workers are expected to pack in their own water, lunch, and rain gear along with some provided tools. Long pants, long sleeves, and sturdy boots are advised. We will be constructing erosion control methods such as sill log structures, log erosion barriers, flying v’s, and rolling log structures, further reducing sedimentation into the Upper South Platte River. This project should be considered physically strenuous.After this project many of us will stick around to fish in the Deckers area. Everyone is welcome, and if new anglers so desire they should be able to team up with a seasoned angling veteran for advice.For more information or to volunteer please contact George Franklin at georgefr@aol.com or at 303.902.9827. Contact with George prior to the event is requested so the appropriate amount of food can be brought along for breakfast.

Cutthroat Chapter 2nd Half Fabulous Fundraising Program - Pay $120 for Chance to Win Fabulous Prizes

This year, for the 2^nd Half fundraising program, CCTU is offering a simple, easy new way to fund chapter projects and win fantastic prizes.Pay $120 (check or credit card) and receive one ticket for a chance to win one of 10 great prizes, totaling nearly $5k in value.  Each additional $120 payment = one additional entry ticket.  Funds will be used for the key CCTU chapter programs, including the CSU Steve Bailey scholarship, Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP) grants, River Watch Analysis, and more.  Participants don’t have to be a TU member to enter…friends & family welcome!THE 10 FABULOUS PRIZES ARE ALREADY FULLY SET!

	PRIZES	RETAIL VALUE
1.	Full day Cast & Blast for 2 with Rudy Schreider, incl all meals that day	$1,500+
2.	Orvis Superfine 8’ 5wt Glass Rod, CFO Reel, and Hydros Line	$849
3.	22 dozen hand tied flies by Richard Pilatzke in Bugger Box	$776
4.	Full Day Guided Fly Fishing Trip for 2 – Pat Dorsey	$600
5.	Full Day Guided Fly Fishing Trip for 2 on Private Water – Brian Young	$570
6.	Remington 870 Pump Shotgun	$330
7.	Orvis Park Meadows Gift Certificate	$300
8.	Dave Whitlock Custom Signed & Numbered Framed Print	$250
9.	½ Day Guided Fly Fishing Trip for 1 on South Platte – Flies & Lies	$195
10.	48 hand tied flies by Richard Pilatzke in CCTU Box	$157
	TOTAL PRIZE VALUE	$5,527

Prizes will be awarded at the Fundraising Party on September 22^nd from 5PM-10PM at the Breckenridge Brewery.  The party should be a blast…it will include a separate Silent Auction, food & drinks, and more.  Winners do not have to be present at the party.For only $.67/day ($120 over 6 months) you can help the chapter attain its 2^nd Half fundraising goal, and help continue all the great conservation programs CCTU delivers.Contact CCTU Board members Brian Young (brianyoungco@comcast.net) or Mac Ishii (conradishii@yahoo.com) for more information.