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New year, new us? 

The new year can be a time of reflection and reawakening. This past year, CTU celebrated it’s 50th anniversary and reflected on the organization’s past accomplishments for Colorado’s rivers and trout. Now, with the new year and start of a new decade, we are looking forward with an eye towards growth. National Trout Unlimited is calling the 2020s a decade of recovery. “Whether its good for our health, our souls, or the rivers and streams we love, let’s make the 2020s a decade of recovery,” wrote Chris Wood, CEO of TU. 

At CTU, we recognize that our past and future accomplishments rely on all of you who help us meet our mission to conserve, protect, and restore. In this next year and beyond, we aspire to create a more diverse and collaborative environment that will expand our mission to new audiences and include every stakeholder when it comes to clean water, healthy fisheries and access to public lands.  We've been making a difference for trout for over 50 years - but with your help, we are just getting started.

As I enter this new decade, I am also making some personal "angling resolutions" - to give back to the rivers and the sport I love by joining in more volunteer programs; to share the experience of fishing with new people; and to expand my horizons beyond my familiar favorite waters and fish in new places around Colorado and beyond. What are your plans for the new year? However you look to engage in 2020, I and all of the team at Colorado TU wish you a very happy new year.

- David Nickum, Colorado TU Executive Director

ACTION ALERT: OUR PUBLIC LANDS NEED YOUR VOICE

For more than 50 years, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has invested more than $278 million in Colorado's public lands and outdoor recreation - all without relying on taxpayer dollars.  LWCF works on a simple premise: that a portion of offshore drilling fees should be used to protect important land and water for all Americans. Funds have gone toward public lands including National Parks, toward healthy working forests through the public-private partnerships of the Forest Legacy Program, and toward local parks and trail projects in communities across the state like the St. Vrain Greenway, and Garden of the Gods. 

Unfortunately, the promise of LWCF has not always been kept.  Over the program's history, more than $22 billion has been diverted from the $900 million/year that are earmarked toward LWCF. Now, two companion bills (S.1081 in the Senate, H.R. 3195 in the House) would solve that problem by ensuring full funding to the LWCF on a permanent basis. Senators Bennet and Gardner are both sponsors of S.1081; we are urging Colorado's House delegation to show similar bipartisan support for this important legislation.

January 15, 2019 | 2020: A Big Year for Colorado's Rivers Grand Junction, CO

Clean and reliable water supplies are essential to our way of life in Colorado. All of us depend on healthy flowing rivers: agricultural producers, cities and towns, businesses, recreation, and the environment. 2020 is a big year for Colorado water. The update of the Colorado Water Plan, the beginning of the renegotiation around the Colorado River, and performance of the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plans, a temporary yet broad agreement to reduce water use and ensure that Lakes Powell and Mead continue to provide a reliable water supply.

January 21, 2019 7pm | Tyler Soulek, Fly Fishing the North Platte Watershed Highlands Ranch, CO

January 30, 2019 |2020 Kick Off Fly Fishing Happy Hour Denver, CO

Come kick off the new year with other fishy folks, great beer, live music, and a fantastic cause!
A $15 donation also gets you a free beer!

February 1, 2020 10am-2pm | St. Vrain Anglers Fly Tying Expo Longmont, CO

SVATU and Laughing Grizzly Fly Shop co-host an annual Fly Tying Expo that features more than 30 expert tyers from throughout the state. This Expo offers the opportunity for one-on-one interaction with the tyers where attendees can chat and learn their patterns, tips, and pointers. Attending the Expo is a crash course in upping your tying skills. The Fly Tying Expo is a fundraiser to support the Chapter’s work and outreach.

February 8, 2020 10am-3pm | Fly Tying Clinic Golden, CO

Learn how to tie the most effective fly patterns used in the Rocky Mountain West today as well as interact with area’s most creative and successful practitioners of the art of fly-tying. At the Skills Building area you can try your hand at tying a fly with the help of experienced tiers. Funds raised are used toward Clear Creek watershed restoration efforts and the Chapter’s myriad community outreach and educational programs. 

*VOLUNTEERS NEEDED* February 7-8 | Frostbite Fishoff Arkansas Tailwaters in Pueblo, CO

The Frostbite Fish-Off is an annual fundraiser for Trout Unlimited, hosted by Trout Unlimited's Chapter 509, based in Pueblo, Colorado, title sponsored by Subaru of Pueblo. Eighteen teams of two anglers each will compete against each other for some fabulous prizes, bragging rights, and a great cause -- protecting our local watersheds in Colorado.

2020 Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T)

Thank you to our River Champion business partners: