From the CTU President

Mission Accomplished

by Sharon Lance

Dear Colorado Trout Unlimited members and anglers across the state.

As we come to the end of 2005, I would like to share with you what we (our 18 chapters, the Colorado State council and National TU) accomplished together this year.

First of all, we had the dedication for two large chapter projects, namely the Cheesman Canyon Restoration Project and the Bear Creek Stream Improvement Project at O’Fallon Park. I commend the Cutthroat, Cheyenne Mountain and Evergreen chapters for their commitment and hard work. Cheyenne Mountain also had an innovative project called “Trees for Trout” where they took trees from the Hayman fire and used them for fish habitat improvement in Elevenmile Canyon.

We defeated the AB Lateral Hydropower Project, a proposed hydroelectric power plant which could have taken more than 1,000 cfs of water from the Gunnison River, This defeat eliminated a serious threat to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and the world-class trout fishery in the Gunnison Gorge.

At the State Capitol, we helped secure passage of bills to promote water conservation, enhance instream flow protection programs, and bolster funding for fish and wildlife management – while successfully defeating efforts to weaken local land use protections and consign recreational water rights to “second class” status. 

With the Water Quality Control Commission, we helped win adoption of rules that will require oil and gas development to address the same storm water discharge regulations that apply to other land development, which will help reduce sedimentation into streams in areas with oil and gas development .

We have helped build awareness of the challenges facing the Colorado River headwaters including the Fraser River, which was recently named one of America’s “most endangered”.  Diversions are its biggest threat and Denver Water has plans to increase their diversions by another 10,000 acre feet from the Fraser.

We built the framework for a new strategic plan to help strengthen CTU in our conservation work and organizationally over the next five years. 

We introduced 700 cub scouts and their parents to Trout Unlimited through fishing, entomology and fly tying in May at the Peaceful Valley Boy Scout Camp in Elbert, CO.

In addition to the above, we hosted the National TU annual meeting and held our second annual statewide river cleanup. We cleaned 15 rivers with hundreds of volunteers.

We continue to need your generous support and volunteer time to keep us as the leader in coldwater conservation as we move forward into 2006.

Sharon Lance

President, CTU