Current Projects
The 2007 Recipient of the Scholarship award is W. Carl Saunders:
The 2006 Recipient of the Scholarship award is Daniel Gibson-Reinemer.
The 2005 Recipient of the Scholarship award is Kendall Ross
Criteria (abbreviated) Applicants must be currently enrolled or have been selected to matriculate as a full time graduate student (9 semester hours) At Colorado State University in the life sciences studying fisheries biology, fisheries management, water quality related to coldwater fisheries or conservation with emphasis on salmonid species and their ecosystems. Application and awarding of the Scholarship is handled by the staff at Colorado State University.
For information regarding this Scholarship or if you wish to help support the West Denver Scholarship, please contact:
Charlie Horn
WDTU Education Co-Director
303-278-3200
horndreams@msn.com
The West Denver Chapter of Trout Unlimited is classified as a 501(c) 3 organization under the IRS code. Your contribution is 100% tax deductible.
In 1994 National Trout Unlimited (NTU) implemented a Home Rivers Program to tackle
watershed management challenges. The program recognizes that the most effective way to protect coldwater fisheries is to protect the environmental integrity of the watersheds those fish inhabit. The Home Rivers program now consists of six watersheds located throughout the nation none of which, by the way, is a Superfund Site. Based on positive support from the Watershed Programs Director of NTU, Clear Creek represents an excellent watershed for inclusion in the Home Rivers Program. That support is based on both the environmental importance of the watershed and the due diligence performed by WDTU. The Clear Creek watershed is not only an important fishery, but serves as a source of water and recreation resource for a huge population, its stakeholders have demonstrated solid commitment to environmental quality, and it’s road system provides immediate accessibility to anglers. It is also important that Clear Creek represents an important habitat for Native Greenback Cutthroat Trout, currently listed as a threatened species. The importance of addressing fishery improvements by means of watershed conservation is further endorsed by Colorado Trout Unlimited’s statement of core principals. The first core principal declared in the Strategic Plan 2008 – 2013 is “To conserve, protect, and restore Colorado’s trout fisheries and their watersheds”. During the last year WDTU performed considerable due diligence to be certain that a Home Rivers Program can be successfully implemented.
Clear Creek River shed location in Colorado
Sub-basin Boundaries
WDTU believes that the Clear Creek Watershed would be an excellent opportunity for the Home Rivers Initiative. Through its previous conservation efforts in Clear Creek TU knows that several organizations have programs to protect natural resources in the basin. Home Rivers is designed to facilitate watershed improvements by concentrating TU’s knowledge and experience on enhancing the fishery resource of the Clear Creek Basin.
- John Snyder PhD, WDTU Conservation Director
We are currently in an evaluation process to determine whether or not to apply to National TU for Home River designation. To find out more about this important initiative please read the following white paper:
White Paper -Clear Creek Home River Initiative
The Golden Mile stream restoration project of West Denver Trout Unlimited has been completed, according to Miles Williams, WDTU’s project director. The first phase, which begins just upstream of Golden’s kayak course off Lion’s Park and runs to the 6th Avenue Bridge, was finished a year ago. Work on the second, and final, phase starts about 300 yards upstream of the bridge, and extends just beyond a new footbridge installed by Jefferson County Open Space Parks about a thousand feet further upstream.
The Windy Peak Outdoor Education Laboratory is one of two outdoor education laboratories owned by the Jefferson County Public Schools. Windy Peak is 8 miles south of the town of Bailey, about a 90 minute drive from Denver. Windy Peak hosts 3500 sixth grade and 400 high school students in the Jefferson County School District each year. To many students, the week spent at Windy Peak is their first exposure to the outdoors.
Windy Peak has two ponds on their campus which are used as outdoor laboratories for the study of entomology, fish biology, limnology, microbiology, hydrology, water quality, botany, and wetland ecology. The ponds are also used to teach the fundamentals of sport fishing for trout with spinning and fly tackle. The lower pond is 100 years old and was partially silted in.
It become weed choked, limiting the number of trout the pond it could support and threatening their over wintering survival. The drain pipes controlling the upper and lower water levels in the pond are at least 40 years old, become almost inoperable, and needed to be replaced. Resident beaver on the pond continually filled the upper water level control pipe with woody debris requiring almost daily maintenance during the Spring and Summer months. An erosion channel below the existing spillway was eating its way up the back side of the dam, threatening the dam's very existence.
The West Denver Chapter of Trout Unlimited built a handicap accessible fishing platform on the pond in 1990 to prevent shoreline degradation and erosion from all the students using the pond. While the fishing platform was still structurally sound, it was in need of maintenance, as the posts supporting the platform had settled resulting in a tilted platform.
Project objective:The purpose of this project was to ensure the continued use of the Windy Peak Pond as a valuable educational resource to teach sport fishing and related outdoor studies to the youth of Jefferson County. This project enhances the lower pond's value as an outdoor teaching laboratory by:
ensuring the pond's very existence,
extending the life of the pond,
enhancing the over wintering survivability of the trout,
doubling the pond's current carrying capacity for trout,
providing a means to maintain more stable water levels,
requiring less maintenance,
providing a means to effectively drain the pond if the need should arise,
providing student anglers a level and more stable fishing platform, and
providing consistent water levels for the existing wetlands.
Results and Benefits:
Major contributors to this project included:
$87,429.00 - Fishing is Fun grant from the Colorado Division of Wildlife
$31,204.00 - Jefferson County Open Space
$11,500.00 - West Denver Chapter of Trout Unlimited
$3,000.00 - Embrace-A-Stream grant from National Trout Unlimited
$7,000.00 - materials for the fishing platforms donated by Zimkor Industries, Inc. of Littleton, CO
The balance of the project costs were picked up by Jefferson County Public Schools.
The pond renovations were completed in the fall of 2003. The pond was dredged to a depth of at least 15' over a minimum of 1/3 of the pond area. This has resulted in a deeper pond with a longer life expectancy, colder water, and less aquatic weed growth.
Dredging occurred in an area of the pond where wetlands were present. An aerator was installed to help keep the pond open in the winter months and to increase the level of dissolved oxygen in the water. Together, these measures will double the number of trout the pond can support.
The pond's drain pipes were replaced to allow the pond to be drained in the event that action is needed. In addition, an access pipe was added so that the fire department can readily draw water in case of an emergency. The upper water level control pipe was also replaced with an improved spillway structure to provide the ability to better control pond water levels. The spillway now has a pool area below the dam which currently has a few resident cutthroat trout living in it. The erosion on the back side of the dam was repaired to assure the structural integrity of the dam guaranteeing the existence of the pond.
The Boy Scouts of America, their parents, and WDTU constructed and submerged several "fish condos" in 4 to 5 feet of water to provide shade and cover for the fish. Members of the West Denver Chapter of Trout Unlimited have constructed three fishing platforms to ensure a level, safe, and stable platform for students and to prevent further erosion of the pond's shoreline and degradation of the pond's wetlands.
Greenback Cutthroat size- Jun 04
Greenback Cutthroat size- Oct 05
The Colorado Division of Wildlife, in 2002, stocked the pond with 500 Native Greenback Cutthroat trout. Greenbacks were on the Endangered Species list. In the 1940's they were thought to be extinct but in the sixties two small populations were discovered in the remote regions of the Colorado Rockies. Starting in the early 70's through efforts of many organizations including various Chapters of Trout Unlimited, US Fish &Wildlife, BLM, US Forest Service and the Colorado DOW the populations have been expanded to a number of stream drainages and high mountain lakes. They now share with the Bald Eagle the distinction of being the only two wildlife species to be successfully removed from the Endangered Species list. However, both still considered threatened. Three strains of the Cutthroat trout are the only trout native to Colorado. Greenback Cutthroat are the rarest. Trout like the rainbow, brown and brookie were"imported" 100 years ago.
In June of 2003 Chris Payne, for his Eagle Scout project, designed and built a storage shed on the dock to accommodate life preservers and fishing equipment. This project required him to seek approvals from the Boy Scouts, Windy Peak school administrators, and the West Denver Trout Unlimited board as well as raise the monetary funds to build the shed. The new shed fits with the structure of the fishing dock and the surrounding school buildings. This replaced the rubbermaid storage shed which resembled a construction site prota-poty. Chris built the major sections of the building at his home. Then with the help of volunteer scouts and parents moved the structural parts up into the mountains to Windy Peak where they then assembled them to form the shed shown below. During construction the existing deck boards where the shed was to be mounted were replaced with longer boards and supports so that the shed could extend past the back of the deck. Very nice. Thank you Chris.
Windy Peak School is located 8 miles south of Bailey and is operated by the Jefferson County Public Schools. Every sixth grader in the Jefferson County Public Schools attends Windy Peak or its sister campus, Mount Evans, for an intensive week of environmental education during the school year. For more information about the Jefferson County Outdoor Education Program and the Windy Peak Outdoor Education Laboratory, visit their web site at: http://204.98.1.2/elem/windypeak/
River watch is a cooperative program between the Colorado Rivershed Network and the Colorado Department of Wildlife in which periodic water samples and bug life samples are taken in a good number of the state's streams. A multitude of organizations participate in sampling the streams including schools, various Trout Unlimited chapters, and other nonprofit organizations.
Samples are collected monthly which we analyze for hardness, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature. We also collect samples to be analyzed for total and dissolved metals, which include Al, As, Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, Se and Zn. This analysis is performed at the CDOW laboratory in Fort Collins. Twice a year we collect nutrient samples that are analyzed in Fort Collins for ammonia, chloride, sulfate, total suspended solids, total phosphorous, nitrate and nitrite. We collect an annual macroinvertebrate sample which is sent to the state who then sends it to an outside lab for identification. The data collected is input by the DOW into a database which is made available on line. Two of the sampling points we have been collecting data for are on Clear Creek near the top and near the bottom of our "Golden Mile" stream improvement project. They are identified as "Clear Cr: Below Church Ditch" (CC222) and "Clear Cr: Below Highway 6 Br," (CC221). to access the database See the link below.
Here is the DOW website about the project.
Read the Biannual newsletter "River Watch Riffles" (large jpg files)- Pg 1 ,- Pg 2
Data Summary
From time to time the DOW asks us to also do samples of some high mountain feeder streams at about 10,000 foot of elevation.
High Mountain Water Sampling: by Gil Hassinger
Recently, Mr. Bill Janowski, a fish biologist with the US Forest Service, contracted with River Watch and Colorado Trout Unlimited to evaluate water quality at 12 different drainage basin tributaries to Clear Creek to provide information regarding the possibility of reintroducing greenback cutthroat trout. The “Colorado River Watch” program (River Watch) is a Statewide volunteer water quality monitoring program co-sponsored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) and the Colorado Watershed Network (CWN). River Watch brings together education with environmental protection in a meaningful, hands-on project for Colorado students and volunteers.
The water will be tested for heavy metals, nutrients, temperatures, pH, alkalinity, hardness and dissolved oxygen. All of the sites are located with latitude and longitude coordinates provided by the Forest Service in which thermographs are installed to keep a running tab on water temperatures.
Colorado Trout Unlimited has requested the assistance of WDTU to provide expertise to collect water samples and confirm that the GPS coordinates are properly located. Bob Tauer, Greg Parks, and I took on the challenge of finding the sites with a GPS locator and collected water samples. Fortunately, there was not much snow in the high country at that time although all the sampling sites were at an elevation of 10,000 feet or higher. After confirming the locations, checking the water temperature and collecting samples, the team returned to the base to complete the chemistry that would answer the question if greenbacks can be successfully restored in these areas. In the spring of the year, we will retrace our steps to further confirm water quality and do additional testing after the snow melt run-off. However, in the spring, we will also include some macroinvertebrate collecting.
While there were certain discomforts in working in higher altitudes, there are also some fabulous rewards. We were able to see some of the incredible scenery for which Colorado is so famous. And, if the water is good enough, we will have been a part of a restoration project few people get to see, not to mention participate in its success.
If you want to help us further on the greenback project or participate in our regularly scheduled Clear Creek samplings on the “Golden Mile”, please contact me at 303-980-5616. Above are some photos of our previous adventures.
Gil received an award for the water sampling program related to investigation of potential Greenback recovery implementation sites. Read about Gil's award. Read the Denver post article about Grizzly Creek and greenback recovery.
WDTU’s Annual Bug Dance: by Gil Hassinger
Each year, WDTU collects a full parameter of water samples for its River Watch program on Clear Creek, just upstream from the kayak course in Golden. The samples collected in October are being tested for heavy metals, nutrients, pH, alkalinity, hardness, dissolved oxygen and macro invertebrates. Each month, we collect samples to determine water quality, but October is special because that is when we do our now infamous “Bug Dance”, our water shuffle to scare up bugs hiding under and around the rocks.
This past year, we enlisted the expertise of Paul Ellis, a Chapter member who has an interest in entomology (we refer to him, our “Bug Man”), to supervise the macro invertebrate collection operation. The regular water samples were collected and stored for later analysis, and then, under Paul’s supervision, the group huddled under a near tree to discuss the best way to capture all the bugs in a small section of Clear Creek.
After laying out each section and giving final assignments to each participant---someone to record, someone to time the activities, and someone to photograph the action---we stepped into the cold water and began our “Bug Dance”. Each collection area is approximately 3 feet wide by 5 feet long, and the persons assigned to shake up the rocks within that area get ready to do a 60-second shuffle, while someone else holds a net at the downstream side of the area and nets all the bugs that are dislodged from the substrate.
There are four sites from which to collect bugs: two are in fast water and two are in slow water. Care is taken when changing sites so that no critters escape. They all have to be counted. After all four sites have been sampled, the bugs, along with everything else that went into the net, are carefully contained in a bottle supplied by River Watch. All water is canted off and the specimen is preserved in alcohol. Our macro invertebrate study gives us an excellent picture of the health of the stream. Without bugs, obviously, there are no fish, and we want to work to constantly improve the health of Clear Creek or, as some refer to it, the “Golden Jewel”.
After the insects are collected and preserved, the work of describing the stream begins. The analysis of the stream bed is determined by size and quantity of rocks, cobble, sand, and gravel. The average depth and width of the stream is measured and recorded, and the banks are described as to condition and foliage that is growing near the stream banks. All this takes assistance by dedicated people who care about the condition of our rivers and streams.
If not for the special care offered by some of our River Watch helpers, things would not get done. I want to thank just a few of the people who are always there to help: Linda Miyamoto, Dan Sullivan, Paul Ellis, Bob Tauer, Greg Parks, Gary Frey, and to my friend who decided California was better than Colorado, Dave Brady.
West Denver Trout Unlimited has an ongoing project of education at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Denver. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Denver serve inner city youth throughout the Denver metro area. At various times in the years a number of volunteers go to the various clubs for an evening of entomology education and fly tying. Usually live bugs are gathered from one of the nearby streams such a Bear Creek or the South Platte River. The youngsters are given a rudimentary lesson concerning the insects that inhabit nearby streams and how they relate to fish. The students are given a chance to locate and identify insects, which are in trays along with some rocks, leaves and moss from the stream. The various samples usually contain a variety of stone fly, mayfly, midge, worms, leeches, scud, crane fly and damsel nymphs in various stages of development.
After the youth have studied the insects they are given a chance to sit with a volunteer and try their hand at tying flies which may or may not closely resemble insects. The volunteers enjoy an evening passing on some of their tying skills, while the eyes of some youth are opened to a world they did not know existed. Clean water where fish and insects thrive is the message stressed. With these sessions West Denver Trout Unlimited hopes to create a new generation of conservationists, fly tiers and fly fishers. Click Here to see some recent pictures.
The stated purpose of trout Unlimited is to protect, preserve and enhance the cold water Fisheries. There is a good example of such a project proceeding on the South Fork of Ranch Creek. Under the guidance and leadership biologist Greg Horstman ,a plan has been implemented to enhance the environment by providing spawning beds, inserting cover and removing barriers so that the small population of Native Colorado Cutthroat trout can begin to increase in numbers and be restored to some of the unpopulated areas of the stream.
Volunteers from the Cutthroat and West Denver Chapters of trout unlimited have been at the sight through out the summer of 2001 assisting with the work. Most of the improvement goals, which Greg had planned for the stream, were achieved. Four spawning beds were designed and put in place for the fish to use next June. Near these sights some cover was put in place to allow the fry to have a better chance for survival. Brushy logs were placed in the A-Frame pond to give cover for the main concentration of Cutthroat. The logs were put to use by the fish almost as fast as we were able put them in. I visited the sight two weeks after the logs were inserted and found the adult population had increased from 2 to 10 and a large number of younger fish were dispersed throughout the cover. Two barriers were removed from the stream that will allow the trout to inhabit about another 1/3 mile of stream. Click here to view pictures of the project work and its results.
In 1999, WDTU under took one of the largest projects in its history in support of the Denver area Boys' and Girls' Clubs - a new fishing dock for the Boys' and Girls' Club camp at Ward, Colorado.
The Boy's and Girls' Club camp has a beautiful lake stocked with trout. The lake used to have a fishing dock but that dock had collapsed. It was really tough for the kids to catch them from the bank because of heavy tree cover on the south side and weed growth in the shallow end. WDTU decided to build a new fishing dock for the kids. Jim Van Liere was the project director and dock designer. Most of the fabrication was done in Kaz Rachek's shop. Other Volunteers: Del Befus, Doug Borer, John Connolly, Bruce Hoehn, Austin Howard (Dave & Randy's grandson), Harry Ledyard, Rob, Joyce, & Jennifer Long, Sandy Long, Paul & Lorraine Schaffer, Dave & Randy Shickle, Bruce Schwartz (worked at Kaz's shop), Bill Searles, Jack Sibbald. The large steel struts were donated by Bill Zimmerman (Zimcor) of Denver Total cost of the parts was approximately $4,000, divided more or less equally by WDTU and B&GCC. Estimated value of finished product is $40,000, based on docks of similar construction. Click here for a complete list of the donors to this project.
WDTU continues to support the Boys' and Girls' Club by removing and storing the dock each fall prior to winter and reinstalling it each spring.
River Watch
Clear Creek Golden Mile Renovation
Home River Initiative
West Denver TU Chapter Education Schlorship
Windy Peak Pond Renovation Project
South Fork of Ranch Creek
Boys' and Girls' Dock Project
Boys and girls Club Education Project
West Denver Chapter Trout Unlimited
