NEWS
CCTU Jan Meeting (Josh Nugent Presentations) Now up on CCTU Youtube Site
Had a great January chapter meeting last night (1/19) with Josh Nugent from Out Fly Fishing Outfitters in Calgary, Alberta. We've got both of Josh's presentations loaded on the CCTU Youtube site - "The 7 Deadly Sins of Sight Fishing" and "The 7 Deadly Sins of Streamer Fishing". They were chocked full of excellent information, and definitely will help you take your spring fishing to the next level. Check out the presentations at https://youtu.be/CbqkMjG3T0U
See what Out Fly Fishing Outfitters is all about at www.calgaryflyshop.com. Calgary is a short two hour flight from Denver. Book a trip with Josh and his team once we get things back flowing over the border!
New article on Characterizing Gene Flow of Non-native Brook Trout
Check out this new article on Characterizing Gene Flow of Non-native Brook Trout to aid the Poudre Headwaters Project. The Poudre Headwaters Project is the signature conservation project of the Rocky Mountain Flycasters Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Learn more about the Poudre Headwaters Project at our February meeting, as Dick Jeffries from the RMFC Chapter will be speaking on the project.
COLORADO OIL AND GAS COMMISSION ADOPTS NEW PROTECTIONS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE
On November 23, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), the state board that approves drilling permits and regulates the oil and gas industry, finalized a rulemaking process that amended its permitting regulations for oil and gas locations in Colorado. These amendments allow stronger protections for wildlife and wildlife habitat, including cold-water fisheries, streams and riparian zones across Colorado. Key wins include new protections for streams, riparian areas, and wildlife corridors, strengthened protections for migratory birds and sage-grouse, and a commitment to mitigating unavoidable adverse impacts.
Specific fisheries benefits include…
500 ft buffers around all aquatic High Priority Habitat (HPH) streams identified by CPW – nearly all of Colorado’s Trout habitats will benefit from this protection
Spill prevention measures within 1,000 ft of aquatic HPH streams
Requirement of boring beneath HPH streams rather than trenching across them
Stay tuned for a High Country Angler article by Barb Sheedlo that will go through all the details of this fantastic collaborative win.
Pebble Mine Dead in the Water!
In a year of tough headlines, finally an excellent piece of pre-Thanksgiving news! The Pebble Mine has been struck dead in the water by the Army Corps of Engineers!
ACTION ALERT - COMMENT ON OIL & GAS SITE PERMIT RULES CHANGES
Colorado Trout Unlimited is asking all members to comment on the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s (COGCC) current draft rule making. In October 2020 they will amend rules for permitting oil and gas sites in Colorado. Our voices are needed to ensure that wildlife protections are prioritized in these amendments. In August CTU sent an Action Alert email asking members to provide comments to the COGCC. If you have not yet done so, please do so before 5PM on September 18, 2020.
Members can comment in one of two ways:
(1) Find the email you were sent on or about 14 August, click the bottom where it says Take Action!. A new web page will open with your information and the canned message defining CTU’s position on the existing draft rules and recommendations to improved protections for wildlife and wildlife habitat, including cold-water fisheries, streams and overall riparian zones. At the bottom of the webpage find and click the button that says Submit Your Comment.
(2) If you do not have an email from CTU, use the link below to CTU’s blog site that will open the comment page. Once there, your personal information may have been populated by your computer. If it is blank, please fill out your name, address and email. The canned CTU message will be in the message section. Click the Submit Your Comment button on the bottom of the page and you are finished.
HEADWATERS CHAPTER FRASER RIVER CLEAN-UP -SATURDAY SEPT 12
The Headwaters Chapter in Grand County is having another morning of river clean-up on the Fraser on Saturday September 12th. River clean-up is essential, especially with this year’s usage of our waterways, to the health and safety of all rivers. People of all ages can participate in this socially distanced outdoors activity and they are always looking for new faces to get involved with the health of our rivers. If you are looking for a Covid safe outdoor activity, this might be for you. Meet at the Lions Ponds in Fraser at 9:00 am on September 12th. Masks will be worn by all participants during orientation. After that, we will break up into small groups and practice social distancing while improving our environment. Those who own waders will work in the river while those in hiking boots will clean up the willows on either side of the river. We will gather again at noon at the pavilion to deposit the treasures that we found and receive a free lunch as well as Save the Fraser River bumper stickers.
If you are interested in participating, you can sign up by going to our website and leaving your information on our volunteer sheet. The Headwaters Chapter web address is www.coheadwaters.org.
Ask Trump To Fully Deny the Pebble Mine Permit
The Pebble Mine team has 90 days to rework their proposal for the Army Corps of Engineers. Now is the time to ask President Trump to fully deny Pebble’s permit by adding your name to the TU letter at the attached link. Takes two clicks.
http://www.savebristolbay.org/tellpresidenttrump
Army Corps of Engineers Denies Pebble Mine Permit with Current Plan
On Monday, the Army Corps of Engineers delivered a major blow to the proposed Pebble Mine by finding that the project fails to meet Clean Water Act standards and that it will not issue a permit for the current mine plan. While this is great news and a major hurdle for the project, the project is not dead, and TU needs to stay vigilant as the company retools its plans.
Check out the full TU press release at…
http://www.savebristolbay.org/in-the-news/2020/8/24/pebble-mine-sent-back-to-drawing-board-sporting-community-applauds-finding?fbclid=IwAR3rJw5ak4-nIxdmGpJUYnU9da0vPd75mF-NAYS6z_G8f9Ex1EOnaXugL5I
CCTU Annual Picnic and Raffle Prize Winners Recap
Great turnout for the Picnic and Raffle Party, all things considered. About 35-40 folks showed up and had a great time. Thanks again to Jonathan Walter for doing his casting demo and working with folks individually. Philly On The Go Cheesesteak’s food truck as a big hit…great work by John Cristantiello. The Raffle Drawing went from 6:15 to 7pm, and was deftly managed online via Zoom by George Franklin. Meg Renton and The Gibbens were the big winners of the evening. Check the final list below for the winners of each Raffle Item. Didn’t get as many pictures as normal but a good time was had by all. #troutunlimited #coloradotroutunlimited #coloradoconservation #coloradoflyfishing #flyfishingcolorado
FLY FISHING RMNP PRESENTATION NOW UP ON CCTU YOUTUBE SITE
Dick Shinton gave an excellent presentation on July 21 on Fly Fishing Rocky Mountain National Park. Dick is the shop manager and a longtime guide for the Laughing Grizzly Fly Shop in Longmont. He has guided and fished the waters of RMNP for many years and gave some great tips and techniques in addition to some specific locations, mainly on the eastern side of the park. Thanks to George Franklin's efforts on Zoom, we now have Dick’s presentation up on the CCTU Youtube site. Per Dick, you still need a reservation to enter the park, but once you are in, you are good for the rest of the day. It appears that you don’t need reservations before 6am and after 5pm as well. Get up and enjoy RMNP. The park’s waters are now at prime summer flows and fishing very well, especially on dries and terrestrials.
Check out the presentation at the following link…