Trip to Alaska up for Auction

We got a really great trip for our auction visitors this year.Alaska trip for one angler to Legend Lodge (250 miles southwest of Anchorage) for 6 days of fishing on Lake Iliamna. Fishing on the Copper and Gibraltar Rivers also available. June thru Sept. of 2011. If you bring a friend, Jack Johnson, the lodge owner, will pay round trip cost from Iliamna to the lodge (value $900).Learn more about the great fishing opportunities at the lodge.

Protect Our Rivers License Plate

During the upcoming 2011 legislative session, Colorado Trout Unlimited is introducing a bill to create the Protect Our Rivers license plate. The donations generated from these plates will be used to help CTU and our local chapters protect, conserve and restore Colorado’s rivers and watersheds – the money will remain local, 100% will be allocated within Colorado.To help ensure passage of the bill, we need your help to collect 3,000 signatures from Colorado residents that are interested in later purchasing the license plate. Note that signing the petition does not obligate you to purchase – at this time, you are merely expressing an interest.Once the bill is passed, to obtain the Protect Our Rivers license plate, you must make a one-time, tax-deductible donation of $25 to Colorado Trout Unlimited. The design of the license plate has not been finalized yet, but it is likely to be very similar to the sample above.To learn more about the Protect Our Rivers license plate, read theFAQ (frequently asked questions).For now, we’d really appreciate it if you’d sign our petition! And don’t forget to tell your friends!!

Trout in the Classroom at Thompson Valley High School

The eggs are in and they are hatching!! Go see the Thompson Valley HS Trout Lab through their website at http://tvhstroutlab.webs.comThe Cutthroat chapter is sponsoring this high school. Let us know if you know an outstanding high school science teacher that might consider adding Trout in the Classroom to their curriculum for the next school year.

October 16th - Michigan Creek Restoration Project

Michigan Creek Willow Project with CUSPCome join us to support CUSP(Coalition for the Upper South Platte) in this stream restoration project on Saturday, October 16th at Michigan Creek near Jefferson, CO.This stretch of stream was originally straightened to accommodate the highway and has undergone considerable rehabilitation to return it to a more natural state.  We will be transplanting willows to help stabilize the stream banks.  This project will occur on private property; it is the intention of the property owner to ultimately create a trail and fishing area to be used for disabled access.This will be a fun, challenging and rewarding project.  Additionally, the property owner has given permission allowing all participants to fish on this private property on this date only.  Participants may contact the owner personally for permission to fish there in the future.Jim Klug is coordinating the project for CCTU. Please call Jim at (303.953.8046) if you plan to attend. Carpooling will be arranged as appropriate.  Volunteers will be meeting at the Jefferson Market in Jefferson, CO at 9:30am for a pre-project safety talk and demonstration.  See attachment for additional details and directions.Michigan Creek Willow Project Info Sheet

Our very own Sharon Lance wins Trout Unlimited's Highest Honor

Our Chapter President Sharon Lance has been awarded the highest honor from Trout Unlimited. Not only is Sharon only the Second Coloradan to ever receive the reward she is also the first woman to EVER win the award. Most of us in the Cutthroat Chapter only see a small portion of her tireless efforts to conserve coldwater fisheries. The next time you see her cruising around a chapter meeting make sure you giver her big congrats and tell her Thank You for all she has done.TU press release- Trout Unlimited has awarded its top volunteer honor to Sharon Lance, of Centennial, Colo.  TU President and CEO Chris Wood presented her with the award at the organization’s annual meeting in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire this past weekend.The Ray Mortensen Award for Outstanding Volunteer Leadership is granted annually to a “one in a thousand” individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to local coldwater fisheries conservation efforts.During her 20-year involvement in TU, Lance has held numerous volunteer leadership positions, including president of the Cutthroat Chapter, located in suburban Denver. She has served as Colorado Trout Unlimited’s treasurer, vice president and president.  She has, for the last five years, served as a trustee on TU’s board of trustees.Lance, President of Fortin Financial Services, Inc., and a certified financial planner,  was a driving force in creating Colorado Trout Unlimited’s River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp, a camp that teaches conservation and fly fishing to children ages 14 to 18. She was instrumental in bringing the Trout in the Classroom program to Colorado, an educational curriculum that teaches children about trout and conservation by having students raise trout in their classrooms.  Lance also led the Cheesman Canyon Restoration Project  along the South Platte River which rebuilt the Gill Trail and added river access trails to make the canyon safer and reduce erosion.  Read the full list of 2010 TU Volunteer Awards here.Here's a link to another blub about Sharon's award on The Denver Post.

Frying Pan Fishing Fun - Sept 16/19

Wow,  did we have fun on the Frying Pan River September 16-19!!!!!!!!!!!!  This was a new chapter trip arranged by Joe Snoy through Frying Pan Anglers who own the accommodations at Taylor Creek Cabins.  The participant were Kent Higgins, Bill Honeyfield, Bill Wiebesiek, Jim Ives, Duane Vandeventer, Todd Young, Jerry Shin and Joe Snoy.  Fishing started slow on Thursday, but on Friday the guys "broke the code" and started catching rainbows and browns on size 22, 24, 26  emergers and dries.  The fish seemed to prefer the Barr Emerver.  The group concentrated on the section of the river at the bridge below Reudi Reservoir and several of the guys had 20+ fish days.   Most of fish were between 8-16 inches.  Four of the guys arranged float trips on the Colorado River below Glenwood Springs through the Frying Pan Anglers.  The Colorado River fish were very fussy and difficult to catch, but one 21 inch 4 pound rainbow was landed. Keeping in tune with the TU mission, we performed a "bug collection" experiment in "the Pan" across from the cabins just to get a feel for the health of the River.  The result was two stoneflies and a zillion size 50 midges/mayflies, etc.   The close-in accommodations made fishing access to the river a breeze.  The cabins are rustic on the outside but modern on the inside with a full kitchen, 2 bedrooms, living room with sleeper, satellite TV, phone and outdoor gas grill.  We had so much fun that Joe is thinking about making reservation for next year.

CCTU Lending Library

Cutthroat Lending LibraryThe library contains nearly 85 books, DVD's, and VHS tapes related to fishing. Items may be checked out for 30 days free of charge. Click to download a listing of the library's selections. Contact Duane "Van" VanDeVenter 303-935-4403 to borrow any item. The items are available at each membership meeting or from Duane by special arrangement.

October Meeting - Troy Thompson on Rehabing Trout Habitat

This month's speaker will be Troy Thompson, co-founder of Ecological Resource Consultants, Inc. His presentation will cover topics surrounding stream habitat restoration in Colorado.  You’ve probably already fished one of the many restoration projects Troy and ERC have tackled.ERC has been responsible for multiple stream restoration projects including the Blue River Enhancement Project in Silverthorne, CO, which was awarded the 'Colorado Trout Unlimited Stream Enhancement Project' for 2003. They provided analysis and recommendations to the Town of Telluride with respect to intelligent and long-term management of Telluride's unique valley floor.  They've also provided ecological improvements to a 1.6 mile stretch of the Eagle River from the town of Minturn down to the I-70 overpass for the Town of Minturn, reestablishing the Eagle River as a more productive and balanced ecosystem.  Another project provided enhancement of a 1.8 mile stretch of the Middle Fork of the South Platte River in Park County, CO.  Check out their website to see a list of other projects.Troy co-founded ERC based on his desire to combine his technical engineering expertise with his life-long interests in water and stream systems. Troy has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University, a Master’s of Science degree in Water Resource Engineering from the University of Colorado and is a registered professional engineer. Over the past 17 years Troy has provided consulting services to municipalities, irrigation companies, private land owners and mining companies including projects throughout North America, South America and Asia. His areas of technical expertise include hydrology and hydraulics, geomorphology, stream restoration, mine water management and irrigation facilities.Troy’s professional career closely parallels his personal interests. He loves to take part in the many activities that Colorado has to offer with his wife and kids. Much of Troy’s free time is spent in the outdoors, usually around water. To Troy there is nothing more peaceful than fishing a favorite stream, floating down a river or relaxing beside a lake in the summer. When the seasons change and the snow flies, Troy can often be found chasing his kids downhill on a powder day.Please join us for Troy's presentation at 7pm on October 19th at the South Metro Denver Realtors Association.

INSECTS OF CHEESMAN CANYON 2009

A report on the collection of trout forage and water quality information in the South Platte River, near Deckers Colorado.  Includes lists of insects and other macroinvetebrates collected from Cheesman Canyon down to below Night Hawk hill.  Also compares water quality and macroinvertebrates before and after the Hayman fire.   Hit link to view  SPRING 2009 MACROINVERTEBRATE REPORT

CTU comments on the Christo Project- "issues need to be addressed"

Colorado Trout Unlimited has released their comments to the BLM on the Christo "Over the River" project and have determined there are many areas of the plan that need further analysis and improvements before the project can proceed.The comments are broadly broken down into three areas: environmental impacts and risks of the project; inadequacies in the analysis within the EIS; and consistency with BLM management plans and special area designations.Environmental Impacts of the ProjectOf most concern to CTU is the (1) disturbance of land and vegetation along the river – and the associated increase in sedimentation in the river; (2) risk of fuel/chemical spills; (3) risks from catastrophic failure; and (4) the need for a “leave no trace” approach. Point number four, leave no trace, is the strongest request made by CTU. Essentially we are asking that "what goes in the ground must come out" I love that line. It's a great rally cry for the opposition to the project.Inadequacies in the EIS AnalysisThe main argument here is that the EIS fails to take into account the cumulative effect of the 9100 bore holes of the project. CTU argues that although the single impact of one bore hole may be insignificant the EIS fails to take into account the impacts of all holes combined.CTU also argues that there is little to no analysis on the impact to guides and fisherman in the area. The comments point to specific studies that show anglers prefer scenic beauty and poor fishing to excellent fishing in poor scenic areas. The later would be the case during construction of the project.Consistency with Management Plans and Special DesignationsThis section of the comments calls into question whether this project meets the directive established by the Arkansas Canyonlands ACEC. There are several major environmental impacts that will occur within the project that seem to fly in the face of the BLM regulations. These include:

"The DEIS states that Over the River would have “moderate to significant” impacts on bighorn sheep, including long-term impacts (DEIS 4-3).  Raptors would face moderate to significant impacts as well (DEIS 4-19, 4-20).  Peregrine falcon specifically would also face moderate to significant impacts (DEIS 4-55)."

Overall the comments from CTU ask BLM to address several improtant issues with the "Over the River" before the project is approved. Read the full version of the comments and let CTU know what you think.