Updated Lending Library

The Cutthroat Chapter has an extensive lending library available to it's membership. The Chapter Library is available by request only. If  you need any books brought to the next meeting please call Duane at 303-935-4403. The library list is attached to this post below.Cutthroat_lending_library-2

Trail Creek Willow Planting Project Completed

On a typical Colorado mountain weather day, which started out threatening to snow but turned out to be a calm, sunny 39 degree day, a group of 32 volunteers from the Boy Scouts, CUSP and the Cutthroat Chapter of Trout Unlimited worked together to plant over 4000 willows!  This number exceeded expectations and set a record for the number of willows planted per hour.Our chapter provided 7 of the volunteers.  We had a good group of hardworking folks including the youngest member of our chapter, Julia Klug age 9.   Many thanks to the following Cutthroat Chapter participants:Kent HigginsBill HoneyfieldJim KlugJulia KlugMarti KlugSharon LanceJim RasmussenThe purpose of the project was to stabilize erosion control in Trail Creek in order to protect the downstream  water supply from sedimentation.  Slips from three native willow species were harvested locally and planted along the creek bed drainage damaged by the Hayman fire.  In addition to erosion control the project benefits aquatic and wildlife habitat.  Our seining found a good variety of aquatic insect life indicating a healthy stream environment.  Willows planted one and two years ago are thriving indicating the feasibility and success of this type of rehabilitation.In addition, the project was supported by the Boy Scouts as an Eagle Scout Project  to earn the William T. Hornaday badge which is a combination of environmental management merit badges and a conservation project that the candidate organizes and leads.  It requires research, fundraising, publicity/advertisement, documentation (like how many service hours, photos and maps etc.) and a continuation statement (how the project will continue to help the environment for years to come).Thanks to the Scout Troop for providing a hot lunch for all.Off to Work!Checking Stream LifeThis Year's WillowsLast Year's Established WillowsHarvesting OperationsCutthroat Crew

Horse Creek Restoration Project

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY – Horse Creek Restoration ProjectSaturday, May 21^st at 9am in Deckers, CO.Horse Creek, which joins the South Platte River at Deckers dumps a tremendous amount of Hayman fire generated sediment in the river every time it rains in the area.  As a small start to recovery of the South Platte in the Deckers Area, the Cutthroat Chapter is joining with the Coalition for the Upper South Platte (CUSP)  to plant willows in an infamous section of Horse Creek known as ‘the swamp’.  A few years ago the swamp filled with logs and debris and the loggers of CUSP removed much of the wood, leaving the area denuded of vegetation.  The purpose of this day’s work will be to plant native willow slips in this area.The day begins at 9am in Deckers, CO behind Flies n’ Lies fly shop.  Lunch will be provided and the day’s work usually ends around 3:30pm, which leaves plenty of time to fish.If you’d like to join us, contact Jim Rasmussen by phone (303) 773-2772 or email.See the CUSP flyer for even more details.

Come out and watch three award winning films

The Greenbacks, a group of young TU members are putting another event to help native fish here in Colorado. The group is showing three award winning films at the Oriental Thursday April 7th. Learn more over at their website. thegreenbacks.org

Cutthroat Lending Library

The Chapter Library will be by request only for a little while. If  you need any books brought to the next meeting please call Duane at 303-935-4403. The library list is attached to this post below.Cutthroat lending library list

River Conservation & Fly Fishing Youth Camp

Colorado Trout Unlimited announces new venue for youth camp - High Lonesome Ranch in DeBeque, COThe youth camp will be held on June 12th through June 17th for 20 - 14 to 18 year olds. Please go to the CTU website for an application and to submit an essay on why you want to attend the camp. www.cotrout.org

Lost a friend

The Chapter lost a good friend over the weekend, Ralph Absetz passed away. His memorial service will be held on on Tuesday, Jan.25th at 1 pm at Fairmount Cemetary at the Memorial Chapel. Our Prayers go out to his friends and family. Ralph was a long time member of the Cutthroat Chapter and has served as our Treasurer for many years. He will truly be missed!!!

TU January Fishing Trip

We're heading to beautiful Eleven Mile Canyon for our January fishing trip.  We'll be leaving the board of realtors parking lot at 8:00 a.m. this Saturday, January 22, 2011.Details for the trip can be found at this link:January 22nd, fishing tripSign up at the monthly meeting or at sharptail16ga (at) gmail (dot) com

Trout in the Classroom Article from a Student

J.C., a student at Thompson Valley High School wrote a great 'reflection' paper on his experiences with Trout in the Classroom.  We so enjoyed it we wanted to share it with everyone.  The paper appears below in it's unedited form:

Trout in the Classroom

Various questions I will get throughout the day is, “Hey, How are the fish doing”, or “Are all of this fish doing okay”. This has been a product of Mr. Hewson and teaching students by using the life cycle of the trout but also the chemicals in the tank. Most kids aren’t really interested in the chemical stand point but that plays a big part. That’s when I come in, so that the fish can survive and stay healthy. I do a 5-15 gallon water change daily to make sure the nitrites and ammonium don’t build up and kill the fish. Especially when we try to keep around 100 fish alive in a 55 gallon tank all of the waste can’t just stay in there.

In a river this wouldn’t be a problem with freshwater plants and other wildlife not to mention a flowing water source. But I need to do what I do so that we can transport them to the Big Thompson River in the spring, happy and healthy. But last year for fear of the fish not being big enough to survive against the larger and more aggressive brown trout, we decided to hold our fish at one of the water treatment plants nearby where they have two 55 gallon tanks with constant Big Thompson water or the reservoir’s water flowing through the tanks. So the fish get an extra year to grow but also get to learn how to eat live river insects and other food sources before having to make it on their own in one of the harsh rivers of Colorado.

I have learned throughout the time of working with the fish that yes we are doing it to help restock the Big T with rainbow trout and yes to help Mr. Hewson teach. But that kids have interests and that they just need to find the right one and if the option isn’t there how can they figure that out by themselves. It’s a great feeling when kids walk in to Mr. Hewson’s room to get homework help and they stop at the door and talk to me about how the fish are doing or just sit there and watch them swim around, that I actually, possibly had a kid get an interest in something. It just helps me carry one in doing my work so that they can enjoy the fish being healthy and the water is as clean as I can get it.  And more times than I ever thought that kids will see me changing the water and will ask me, ”Why am I doing this?” and I’ll respond, “So that we can learn about fish and chemical cycles”. And before you know it they are taking a mini lesson from me learning more and even Mr. Hewson will help sometimes.

By the end of this year, the fish in our classroom will be around 1.5-2 inches. We plan to release them into the tanks at the water plant.  At the same time, we will release last year’s fish currently living at the water plant into the Big Thompson so that they can thrive. The cycle will then become set so that every year we will release last year’s fish into the river and start fresh next year with eggs that will in two years be doing the same. It’s so exciting, not only to see rainbow trout to go into the river that hopefully one day I’ll catch, but to know that next year a new batch of eggs will be coming so that students can enjoy the pleasure of looking at them grow, also name them, but so that they can learn about the fish and about water chemistry from a stand point that relates to them. And if it only gets through to some people, that’s fine, that’s more than none before. But I always miss the questions I get from other students while cleaning the tank when we don’t have the fish yet. I know that they will be coming soon and new lessons will be thought and new interests will be sparked.

Thanks, J.C.!

Greg Felt Speaks at January Meeting

January's speaker will be Greg Felt of Arkanglers guide service and fly shops. Greg Felt is co-owner and guide service manager of ArkAnglers. He has guided on the Arkansas for twenty six years, logging over 25,000 river miles in his boat. Along the way he has come to know some great fish and some great people. Bringing those two groups together has been his life’s work.This month's meeting is on January 18th at 7pm, but get there early to share your fish stories and get some raffle tickets!The monthly meetings are held at the South Metro Denver Realtors Association, 7899 S. Lincoln Ct., Littleton, CO 80122.