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.

Cutthroat Chapter Ready Response Volunteers help with the Greenback Recovery Program

The Cutthroat Chapter Ready Response Volunteers in action!  Jim Rasmussen and Peter King got up at 4am and made the drive north to Zimmerman Lake for a Greenback Cutthroat Trout Recovery event.  Lake Zimmerman (west of Ft. Collins at ~11,000 ft.) is the only lake in the US that is stocked with greenback cutthroat.  CPW is improving the gene pool by conducting spawning on these very healthy, wild fish and then taking the eggs to fish hatcheries in Colorado.  They set long nets in the lake and left them overnight.  In the morning they collected the fish from a central trap and sorted them by gender and tags.  Then they collected the eggs and milt, mixed them and stored them on ice for transport.  Jim and Peter assisted on the last day of a four day project.  It was a great experience as the lake is remote and very beautiful, and the fish were big and healthy! Great project as it's designed to help the survival of this endangered trout.

Cutthroat Chapter Rapid Response Volunteers

Volunteer opportunities frequently come up on short notice.  We would like to reach out to the CCTU chapter membership and sign up a list of people that would like be contacted when volunteer opportunities appear quickly.  Frequently these events happen on weekdays and they often require carrying, lifting, scrambling up and down stream banks or wading in strong flows.  For example, the Greenback Cutthroat Recovery restocking asks for individuals that can carry a 40 lb. pack for a couple miles on a steep mountain trail.Upcoming events of this nature include…

• Greenback Recovery at Rock Creek, located South of Jefferson CO
  • Wk of 8/28 – Carcass removal when a section of stream is poisoned to make way for Greenbacks. Dead fish must be removed to prevent the return of Whirling disease.
  • September – Fish stocking in Phase I (Lost Creek Wilderness). Pack in backs of fish for 1-2 miles. This is the second stocking of this area.
• Bear Creek
  • 9/12 – Electrofishing with Colorado Parks & Wildlife biologists on urban Bear Creek downstream from Bear Creek Dam in Lakewood. Must be able to wade confidently on slippery bottom and get in and out of the stream easily.

If interested, please contact Jim Rasmussen at jiber2@msn.com or George Franklin at georgefr@aol.com.

Check Out CCTU's New YouTube Channel

That's right, there's a YouTube Channel for the Cutthroat Chapter. Put together by Brian Young and George Franklin (thanks guys), the channel will feature videos from our events and fishing trips. Please check it out by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO1z28Pg09DweF6RJ5jmzWg

Earth Day 2017 Bear Creek Conservation Project and Fishing Contest – RECAP FROM 4/22/17

In spite of a snowy start, over a dozen CCTU members and friends were ready to work with the City of Lakewood to help restore neglected lower Bear Creek on April 22.  As the sun broke out into a beautiful spring day we helped Lakewood Rangers plant 700 saplings of native dogwood, chokecherry, and plum along the stream.  After lunch we had a low key fishing contest in order to supply CPW with angling data as they prepare to do their part to restore this urban fishery.  Fish were landed within yards of busy streets and residential neighborhoods.  Contest awards were given for the largest fish (10.5" smallmouth), largest trout (10" brown), fastest fly (first angler to send a picture of their catch- only 37 minutes!), and most flies lost (ten!!).  CPW is so encouraged by these results that they plan to electrofish survey this urban stretch for the first time on September 12, 2017.  We hope that Cutthroat members will be willing to volunteer on that day as we attempt to conserve, restore, and protect this urban fishery.  If you are interested in helping on that day please contact George Franklin at georgefr@aol.com or at (303) 902-9827.Go to the CCTU YouTube page to see a video of rising brown trout taken day, only yards from a bike path.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90eHuPyu9DUSee the original event notice here.

Bob Saile, Former Denver Post Outdoors Editor, Passed Away in January

Long-time Denver Post Outdoors Editor Bob Saile, passed away on January 16.  CCTU member Ray Nagashima was Bob’s opthamalogist and friend for many years, and asked that all chapter members remember Bob for the kind of man he was, and for what he did for the Colorado outdoors.  From helping stop the Two Forks Dam, to his nearly 30 years of beautifully written and insightful columns…he will be dearly missed.http://www.denverpost.com/2017/01/17/kiszla-rip-bob-saile/