NEWS
BOB TUCKER CELEBRATION OF LIFE, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 11AM-2PM
As previously announced, long-time CCTU member and supporter Bob Tucker passed away last April 1, 2020 in Carbondale. A Celebration of Life is being held on Saturday, October 9 at First Plymouth Congregational Church. The church is located at 3501, S Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80113.
Note - the Evite says RSVP by Oct 3, but they are still accepting more attendees.
For those that can’t make it, the event will be recorded and listed as an archive on the church website and viewable for the next year at https://www.youtube.com/user/firstplymouthdenver/videos.
Greenback Stocking in the Upper West Fork of Clear Creek
Colorado Parks and Wildlife stocked Greenback Cutthroat Trout in the Upper West Fork of Clear Creek. This is the third location stocked in the Clear Creek drainage basin after Dry Gulch and Herman Gulch.
Click on the link below for the full story.
Bear Creek Electrofishing CCTU & CPW
September 8, 2021 was a beautiful day for a conservation project. Eleven members of CCTU traveled to Bear Creek west of Morrison where they met with a CPW crew lead by Paul Winkle and Tyler Swarr. The goal was to help CPW electrofish that creek in O'Fallon and Dedisse Parks. The data retrieved will allow CPW to make informed decisions to ensure the health of those fisheries. Brown trout made up the bulk of the catch, and native fish like chubs were also captured and recorded. It was a fun and educational educational experience for all, and we helped CPW in their mission to manage and maintain our Colorado coldwater gamefish populations.
At one point a young family became curious about all of us splashing around in the water. Tyler took time to greet and inform the family by showing them some of the trout we had captured. The little girls helped revive some of the trout and gently released the fish back into the stream. Outreach such as this is great promotion for our club, and maybe one day these little girls will grow up to become environmental advocates. Hopefully this will ensure that our children and theirs will enjoy healthy trout and productive streams for generations to come.
MORE ALMA RIVER WALK UPDATES
After a very successful Mineral Park Ponds revegetation project on Saturday August 14, 2021, some of CCTU volunteers checked out Alma's River Walk. We are pleased to report even more progress. What was just a pile of lumber a short time ago is now an ADA accessible boardwalk and fishing/observation platform. The boardwalk is constructed such that high water can pass underneath and it has edge curbs to keep wheelchairs in check. The platform was constructed on a location suggested by CCTU board members in previous meetings with the Alma Foundation. That location is not only scenic but also is a great fishing spot for able and disabled alike. The lack of railings along the boardwalk and platform creates an open view and allows easier casting from a seated position. It is great to see the project continuing to come along.
Annual Picnic at Reynolds Landing - August 17, 2021
We had a great turnout for the CCTU Annual Picnic last week at Reynolds Landing. Despite some rain and wind, everyone had an excellent time. Food was enjoyed from The Denver Taco Truck and we had a great Streamside Entomology and Matching the Hatch presentation on the water from Peter Stitcher. Anyone interested in picking up Peter’s Streamside Match the Hatch Kit, Invertebrate Vials, Magnifier or other tools, please check out www.ascentflyfishing.com. Link in to Peter’s blog there as well.
MINERAL PARK PROJECT POST-PROJECT REVIEW
It was a cool morning on August 14 when 24 volunteers from Cutthroat Chapter Trout Unlimited, the U.S. Forest Service, National Trout Unlimited, other TU chapters, and even some members of the public (and their children) gathered to revegetate a reclaimed mine site above the town of Alma in Colorado. The gathering place was at an elevation of over 10,000 feet, but the project itself was at over 11,400 feet, just below tree line. The project area had been the site of settling ponds used by the Mineral Park Mill, a cyanide leach mill last operated in 1943. The 1.7 acre site was was on Forest Service land and the entire project was a coordinated effort of Trout Unlimited, the U.S. Forest Service, and local partners Anglers All and Cutthroat Chapter. Most of the funding for the reclamation project was provided by the Forest Service. Check out the area via this drone footage courtesy of Trout Unlimited OneDrive (sharepoint.com).
After a quick safety briefing, tools were distributed, and the volunteers were shuttled up to the project site. The work for the day was to plant 550 tufted hairgrass plants, 140 water sedge plants and 240 bristlecone pine seedlings. The site had previously been treated for lead contamination and recontoured to correct the drainage around the old settling ponds. This work involved moving about 1850 cubic yards of material to cap the site with clean fill and constructing a rip rap lined drainage channel to divert the natural drainage away from tailings. The planting was accomplished in about four and a half hours and the volunteers returned to the Alma Town Hall for lunch. Many of the volunteers afterward enjoyed hiking or fishing in the area, which is a popular recreation destination.
The United States has thousands of mining-impacted sites that need actions to reduce the impact of contamination associated with them. Most of these sites are in prime recreation areas and remediation projects can restore the locations to public access recreation uses. This project is a model for cooperative work between National Trout Unlimited, the USFS, and local partners. It is a very small first step, but to accomplish anything, you need to take that first step.
COLO RIVER HEADWATERS CHAPTER HEALTHY RIVERS CONCERT II HEADWATERS RIVER JOURNEY, SAT, AUG 21 12-5PM
The 2019 Healthy Rivers Concert was such a success that the Fraser Valley community asked for a repeat performance. Originally scheduled for 2020, it will now occur on August 21, 2021. Doors open at 12pm, music will run on the outdoor stage from 1-5pm. Admission is $20/adult and $10/children under 12…and includes a Headwaters River Journey admission for each ticket.
Caitlyn Taussig will play 1pm-2pm. She is a singer, songwriter, and working rancher in the Kremmling area and a true Grand County treasure.
The main act is the Rifters and they will play 2:30-5pm. The Rifters are a nationally known 3 piece band from the northern New Mexico/southern Colorado high desert region. They play their own brand of southwestern folk-country Americana.
For more info, go to https://coheadwaters.org/healthy-rivers-concert.
ALMA RIVERWALK PROJECT UPDATE
On July 23, 2021, three CCTU board members paid a visit to the Alma area. We were there to confer with representatives from National TU and USFS about a CCTU volunteer project that will be coming up very soon. Spoiler alert, mark Saturday, August 14, on your calendars to come help us near Alma on an abandoned mine reclamation effort (see separate Mineral Park Project event). Since we were in the neighborhood we stopped by to admire recent progress on the Alma River Walk. CCTU has contributed funding and volunteer time to this wonderful effort by the Town of Alma. Their goal is to conserve and protect a stretch ecologically important wetlands of the Middle Fork of the South Platte River that runs through the center of town. The River Walk will eventually include ADA accessible trails, educational opportunities, and fishing access, while shielding this sensitive headwater environment from development and abuse. Jara Johnson of the Alma Foundation gave us a tour of recent work done by the youth of the Southwest Conservation Corps. The young people are working on a trail spur leading to the interior of the River Walk property. The first part of the spur is roughed in and will be soon be finished in cinder fines. The second part of the spur will be a boardwalk that extends into the wetlands ending in a fishing/observation platform overlooking a beaver pond. This part of the spur has already been cleared of willows, the lumber has been obtained, and a contractor has been hired to start work soon. This entire spur with trail and boardwalk will be finished this summer. A new rock garden is coming along well, with native plants like currant and sedge providing both beauty and and educational opportunity. By fall we will should see the first couple of many interpretive signs and kiosks that will welcome and inform visitors. When you come up to volunteer with us on August 14, please take time afterwards and check out the River Walk!
July Meeting Presentation on CCTU YouTube Channel
Another excellent chapter meeting last night is now up on the CCTU YouTube channel. Noah Parker from Land of Enchantment Guides in the Santa Fe area gave a great presentation on “Fly Fishing Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado”. He hit both private and public water in multiple areas. Waters discussed included The Chama, Conejos, Navajo, Brazos and Upper Brazos, Los Pinos, San Juan, Valles Caldera, Rio Grande Pecos Rivers. Great info on locations and some excellent photography. Amazingly big fish. Good to hear about the excellent water flows this year as well as a lack of the type of crowding we experience on Front Range Waters (if you are willing to walk a bit). For more info on Land of Enchantment Guides, go to https://loeflyfishing.com/.
The full presentation is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am7_UcuNx8I
Thanks as always to Zoom Master George Franklin for managing the show and the recording.
#troutunlimited #coloradotroutunlimited #coloradoconservation #newmexicoflyfishing #landofenchantmentguides
CCTU CLEANS UP THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER NEAR DECKERS
After a holiday weekend that saw people enjoying the South Platte River, on Saturday, July 10th CCTU patrolled the river from Cable Hole to Nighthawk picking up trash that had inadvertently escaped from tubes, rafts and vehicles.
CCTU members and guests, including five CCTU Board Members, broke into 8 teams, each team covering a mile. Trash was collected and placed in orange bags provided by the Jefferson County and the Coalition for the Upper South Platte. The bags were placed along the road for Douglas and Jefferson Counties to pick up during the business week.
The most interesting finds during the day were a bull snake, a fishing license, a driver’s license and other ID…both by Ray, and Bill found a 10 dollar bill. Hold on to your stuff people!
A special thanks to the Coalition for the Upper South Platte for providing access to the community center in Deckers and to Deckers Corner for providing lunch.
