San Luis Valley Chapter #303
Our Native TroutThe cutthroat trout is the most diverse trout species in North America. The historical distribution of cutthroats covers the broadest range of any stream-dwelling trout in the Western Hemisphere. The rugged topography of their range has lead to isolation, which in turn has given rise to fourteen recognized subspecies. Four of these species evolved in Colorado: the Colorado River cutthroat trout west of the Continental Divide, the Greenback cutthroat trout in the South Platte River drainage, the yellowfin cutthroat trout (now extinct) in the Arkansas River drainage, and the Rio Grande cutthroat trout in the Rio Grande River drainage in the San Luis Valley and northern New Mexico. The Rio Grande cutthroat was the first New World trout encountered by Europeans in 1541, by Spanish explorer Francisco de Coronado.
SLV TU Chapter Meeting | Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 7 pm
Virtual TU Meeting on Zoom, featuring Deacon Aspinwall This will be the first ever virtual SLV TU meeting, using the Zoom platform. Go to this page for more information and the meeting link.
Chapter Updates
Jim Creek Brook Trout Challenge Results
From June 13 to October 24, several members of SLV Trout Unlimited (and a couple of non-members), caught and removed a total of 121 brook trout from Jim Creek! Pictures are shown below. On the Jim Creek workday back in June, the electrofishing effort by Colorado Parks and Wildlife personnel (with assistance by volunteers from SLVTU and Running Rivers) relocated more than 300 brookies from Jim Creek above La Jara Reservoir to La Jara Creek below the reservoir. Barriers will prevent the brook trout from coming back into Jim Creek. Removal of non-native brook trout together with all the restoration work over the past several years (construction of riparian fencing, restoration and enhancement of 2 miles of stream habitat, stabilization of erosional banks, planting of hundreds of willows and sedges, and replacement of two culverts impacting fish passage) means that Jim Creek is well on its way to becoming an excellent native Rio Grande Cutthroat stream.
Sand Creek Project
At the recent Colorado Trout Unlimited Fall Rendezvous, the SLV Chapter of Trout Unlimited was pleased to earn an “Exemplary Project” award for our leadership in the Sand Creek Reclamation Project! Congratulations to our chapter members and all the other partners in this important project to provide a stronghold for Rio Grande Cutthroat trout!
Member News
Thanks to our renewing members and contributors: Bob Antiel, Charles Brown, John Bullington, Benn McGee, Stan Price, Norman Segel, Dan Street, Larry Sveum, Errol Sweetser and Chuck Turner!!
If your name appears here, your membership is about to expire or has recently expired and we encourage you to renew soon: David Breece, Brendan Cahill,Tim Cash, Harry Daley, Dave Kenvin, Les Kuzion, Darrell Lewis, George McDonald, Kent Mitchell, Jimmy Quirico, and Jay Yeager.
Colorado Trout Unlimited News
Despite COVID-19 impacts, Colorado TU is excited to share some successes in the Stream of Engagement programming from this fall. The youth education programs faced challenges with many schools operating in new models and group gatherings limited by public health orders. To adapt to these challenges, Colorado Trout Unlimited and chapters across the state stepped up to continue to provide high quality educational experiences focused on water and fisheries conservation. Most notably, CTU is excited to share nearly a dozen Trout in the Classroom (TIC) sites kicked off and four STREAM Girls events were held in September and October.
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