Conservation News
New Stream Restoration Projects Need Volunteers This Summer
Are you one of the many Rocky Mountain Flycasters (RMF) members who, for some years since completion of the riparian restoration project on the North Fork of the Poudre at Eagles Nest, have been dreaming of getting involved in another “real” stream restoration project? If your definition of a “real” project is getting your hands and feet wet, rolling some rocks and/or emplacing logs along stream banks to provide cover for the trout, or restoring riparian areas damaged by irreverent social use, your dreams will become reality this summer.
RMF-Trout Unlimited (TU) is partnering with Wildland Restoration Volunteers (WRV) to conduct a substantial stream improvement project on several miles of the North Fork of the Poudre. The project has been conceived, planned, and will be managed by the fisheries staff of the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee National Grasslands (A-RNF & PNG). It is located in the Canyon Lakes District and along the course of the North Fork west of its confluence with Killpecker Creek and on the way to Deadman Hill. The project is scheduled for August 25th and 26th, 2012 when stream flows are conducive for in-stream work.
This project will involve the use of heavy equipment to cut, transport, and emplace beetle-killed conifer tree trunks along the stream banks. Arrangements for the operation and use of heavy equipment are being made by WRV. WRV will also provide volunteers from its members and skilled crew leaders. RMF-TU will provide additional volunteers to work alongside the WRV volunteers and under the supervision of WRV’s crew leaders.
Wildlands Restoration Volunteers is a non-profit organization that provides an opportunity for people to come together, learn about their natural environment, and take direct action to restore and care for the land. WRV is based in Boulder, conducts projects throughout Colorado, and has a northern Colorado office in Fort Collins. This writer’s personal experience, based on participation as a volunteer in several recent WRV projects in northern Colorado, is that WRV projects are very well organized, conducted with a high regard for the safety of volunteers, and with an underlying motivation for volunteers also having fun while working on WRV projects.
In a longer-term view, RMF-TU anticipates engaging in additional conservation and restoration projects within the A-RNF & PNG lands. Some of these will be in partnership with WRV. Others, especially smaller projects, may involve only TU volunteers working under the supervision of skilled Forest Service personnel and FS volunteer crew leaders. Several candidate small projects are being considered for this summer, each of them involving the hardening of trail crossings of streams where sedimentation stirred up by vehicles is destroying trout and aquatic insect habitats. Some of these creeks hold native cutthroat trout and/or rare aquatic insect species.
Look for future announcements in the Flypaper, this web site, and our volunteer page for selected projects, some of which are likely in 2012, and others in future years. Please direct any questions or comments to Dave Piske, Conservation Chair.
New U.S. Congressional District Boundaries Will Better Reflect Northern Colorado’s Environment
Clean Water Action amicus curiae cited by court in redistricting decisionFort Collins, CO, December 5, 2011—Today the Colorado Supreme Court affirmed U.S. Congressional District boundaries previously accepted by Judge Robert Hyatt. The Supreme Court’s decision is the final say in the redistricting process and will go into effect for the 2012 election. The boundaries join Boulder County and Larimer County into Congressional District 2—the prior boundaries joined Larimer County with Weld County.
Clean Water Action, based in Fort Collins, wrote an amicus curiae (brief) for the court arguing that Larimer County was a “community of interest” with Boulder County rather than with Weld County. Clean Water Action’s brief argued that environmental issues around water supply, water quality threats, and public lands management made a very strong case for joining Larimer and Boulder Counties.
Judge Hyatt’s ruling, now affirmed by the Supreme Court, contained this paragraph referring to Clean Water Action’s brief:
“The Court was also advised of critical key differences between Larimer and Weld Counties by amicus curiae, Clean Water Action, which effectively chronicled the distinctions between the two areas without endorsing a specific map. That amicus brief addressed the differences in the two counties’ economies, geographies, water supply, water quality and public lands management, all of which were also established by evidence at trial. Brf. Amicus Clean Water Action, pp.3-5. That brief adds to a compelling argument that Boulder and Larimer Counties have a growing and already strong community of interest in terms of cultures and economies centered around water (natural resource protection and recreation as opposed to agricultural use and oil and gas extraction) and thus should be placed in a single congressional district with a focus on shared public lands and growing recreational economies.” (http://www.courts.state.co.us/Media/Opinion_Docs/2011CV3461 Redistricting THE ORDER.pdf, page 68)
“We are thrilled that northern Colorado’s environmental issues will be better reflected in these new congressional boundaries,” said Gary Wockner, program director for Colorado Clean Water Action. “Larimer and Boulder Counties are truly a ‘community of interest’ based on their shared environment—issues around protecting water supply, addressing water quality threats, and managing healthy public lands are very important for the citizens in these counties.“
Congressional Contacts for Colorado
| Colorado is represented in Congress by 2 Senators and 7 Representatives. | |||
| Member Name | DC Phone | DC FAX | Internet |
| Senate | |||
| Senator Mark Udall (D- CO) | 202-224-5941 | 202-224-6471 | markudall.senate.gov/... |
| Senator Michael F. Bennet (D- CO) | 202-224-5852 | 202-228-5036 | bennet.senate.gov/... |
| House of Representatives | |||
| Representative Diana DeGette (D - 01) | 202-225-4431 | 202-225-5657 | degette.house.gov/... |
| Representative Jared Polis (D - 02) | 202-225-2161 | 202-226-7840 | forms.house.gov/... |
| Representative Scott R. Tipton (R-03 | 202-225-4761 | 202-226-9669 | http://tipton.house.gov/ |
| Representative Cory Gardner (R-04) | 202-225-4676 | 202-225-5870 | http://gardner.house.gov/ |
| Representative Doug Lamborn (R - 05) | 202-225-4422 | 202-226-2638 | lamborn.house.gov/ |
| Representative Mike Coffman (R - 06) | 202-225-7882 | 202-226-4623 | forms.house.gov/... |
| Representative Ed Perlmutter (D - 07) | 202-225-2645 | 202-225-5278 | perlmutter.house.gov/... |
Last updated: 18 Oct 2011
Adopt-a-Trail at Gateway Natural Area
Dave Piske, Conservation Chair
Gateway Park Natural Area on the Poudre River
Gateway Natural Area at the confluence of the North Fork of the Poudre with the main flow of the Poudre River, being close to Fort Collins, is a favorite fishing site of many Rocky Mountain Flycasters (RMF) members. It also is the graduation site for RMF’s River Conservation & Fly Fishing Youth Day Camp.
Gateway is one of City of Fort Collins Natural Areas, a collection of special places in and near Fort Collins that provide public access to over 32,000 acres of natural areas. Recently the Fort Collins Natural Areas management staff invited the RMF Board of Directors to consider participating in any of several candidate activities supporting the management of Natural Areas. Your Board decided that Gateway is the Fort Collins Natural Area most relevant to RMF members’ interests. More specifically, RMF plans to enter into an Adopt-a-Trail agreement with Fort Collins in which RMF volunteers will participate in foot-trail maintenance within the Gateway Natural Area. This activity will be similar to the trail maintenance work that RMF volunteers have conducted during the past 6 years at Larimer County’s Eagles Nest Open Space. So, Gateway will become an addition to what RMF volunteers are already doing to protect and maintain trails in our nearby public lands natural areas.
Our first trail maintenance at the Gateway Natural Area will take place August 6 followed by another session September 10. For more details and to reserve a spot, see the Gateway page.
Rock Snot
“Rock Snot” (Didymosphenia geminata) or Didymo is speading across the country and has shown up at about 40 sites, including the Middle St. Vrain Creek, Boulder Creek, the east fork of the Eagle River, and Bowen Gulch in Rocky Mountain National Park. Believed to be native to the northern Hemisphere, its appearance in New Zealand has prompted some rather drastic proposals and included closing ten major rivers.
Didymo covering a New Zealand rock from NZ Dept. of Conservation
In an article by Kim McGuire originating in Denver for the AP, McGuire says “Didymo has been found smothering the bottoms of streams in the Western states, including Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Montana and Nevada.” While it looks as though someone has dumped raw sewage into the water, it is not toxic, it merely chokes out aquatic life by displacing insects’ access to feeding and breeding areas.
We, as conservationistic fishers, can help avoid the spread of this in-stream killer by either avoiding areas where it is observed or practicing decontamination procedures similar to that for mud snail investations.
“We think every angler out there should be paying attention to this one,” said Kajsa Stromberg, conservation coordinator for the Federation of Fly Fishers.
References:
New Zealand Mud Snail
Many of you will be going fishing on the South Platte system soon and you need to know this info.
It is important.
The New Zealand Mud Snail has been found in the South Platte in 11-Mile Canyon below the dam. This is very bad news, according to the DOW and other organizations. I have more info, but will share it in more detail as I become aquainted with it.
At this time, please beware of your waders, nets and boots - anything that is in the water and might attract a wayward mud snail. If the critters attach, they will stay alive for several days or longer even though they are not in the water. Next time you wade or net a fish, they’ll let go and we’ll have them in Spinney, Spinney Mnt. Reservoir, Boulder Creek, Clear Creek, the Arkansas, the Big Thompson, the Poudre, the...
You get the idea.
It only takes one mud snail to build an extended family.
Please: when you are done fishing, be certain to completely clean and dry your waders, boots, nets and anything else that hits the water. Mud snails are very small, and they present a significant problem for our fisheries.
Dale Darling, St. Vrain Angler
Ed. A quick search turned up many references. Among them Rocky Mountain News May 3, 05, Digis' UPI story Apr 29 05, extended forum discussion at OutdoorsBest, and searching Colorado DOW's site turned up these articles.
Volunteers Needed for Rocky Mountain National Park
Lily Lake Greenback Patrol
Volunteers help the Park Law Enforcement Ranger inform the Public of the “Catch and Release” and barbless hook regulations at Lily Lake and help enforce the spawning area closure during spawning season. Volunteers wear the National Park Volunteer uniform and work on a chosen day of the week, either morning, afternoon or evening patrol from May through August.
You set your schedule and there is flexibility if you need to skip a week.
Contact Austin Condon at AWCFlash@AOL.com if you are interested in helping at Lily Lake.