DENVER –– More than 100 river advocates holding signs and chanting slogans gathered in front of the Environmental Protection Agency building in downtown Denver Thursday to ask federal regulators to protect the Upper Colorado River system from proposed water diversions to the Front Range.

“This is a moment of truth for the state,” said Sinjin Eberle, president of Colorado Trout Unlimited, which helped organize the gathering of Denver residents, kayakers, anglers, outdoor recreationists and other river supporters. “We have to do something to save our state’s namesake river from dying.”

Scores of signs at the event underscored that theme, including “Don’t Suck the Upper Colorado River Dry,” “Protect Our Flows,” and “EPA: Be a Hero.”

The rally is part of an ongoing campaign to protect the Upper Colorado River and its tributary, the Fraser River, and the mountain communities, businesses, people and wildlife that depend on them. The Denver rally, say organizers, was meant to show EPA and other federal decision-makers that Denver residents care about the state’s outdoor quality of life and the health of rivers.

The Defend the Colorado coalition is asking EPA–which Eberle called a “partner” on river protection–to take additional steps to ensure the health of the river in the face of two proposed water diversions.

Already 60 percent of the Upper Colorado is diverted to supply Front Range water users. The Windy Gap Firming Project proposal, along with a separate Moffat Tunnel water project, could divert as much as 80 percent of the Upper Colorado’s natural flows. The current proposed Windy Gap protections from the Bureau of Reclamation fall short of what’s needed to address mounting problems, such as low flows, rising temperatures, spreading algae and smothering sediment.

As Eberle told the lunchtime crowd, a state study released earlier this year shows that entire populations of native fish and the insects they feed on have virtually disappeared from the Colorado River below the Windy Gap Reservoir due to past diversions.

“Is this what we want to see happen to our rivers?” Eberle asked.

“NO!” the crowd responded.

Field and Stream magazine editor-at-large Kirk Deeter, a Colorado resident, said he was lucky enough to travel the world in his job but always looks forward to coming home to his home state and home waters. He called the Upper Colorado a ”special place” that deserves protection.

Also speaking was Jon Kahn, owner of Confluence Kayaks in Denver, who stressed the economic impact of water-based recreation, which he noted contributes “hundreds of millions of dollars” annually to the state’s economy. “I am just one of hundreds of business owners whose livelihoods depend on healthy flows in our rivers,” he said.

According to the Defend the Colorado coalition, additional steps must be taken to protect the rivers, including:

· Managing the water supply to keep the rivers cool, clear and healthy.
· Ensuring healthy flushing flows to prevent river habitat from filling in with silt.
· Monitoring of the rivers’ health and a commitment to take action if needed to protect them.
· Bypassing the Windy Gap dam to reconnect Colorado River and restore river quality.

“The health of the Colorado and Fraser rivers is critical to local communities and the state’s recreation economy,” Eberle said. “But many Coloradans don’t realize that these rivers are having the life sucked out of them. At some point, they cease to become functioning rivers—and we lose a huge part of what makes our state a great place to live. Our state and federal leaders need to finish the job of protecting these incredible places.”

The group is planning additional rallies and events this spring to highlight the plight of the rivers and demand action from state and federal decision-makers.

The Defend the Colorado coalition includes Colorado Trout Unlimited and a range of stakeholders, including conservation and wildlife groups, landowners, and outdoor recreationists. More than 400 western slope businesses have signed a petition asking state leaders to protect the Upper Colorado.

For more information, go to www.DefendTheColorado.org.

About Trout Unlimited

Trout Unlimited is the nation’s largest coldwater conservation organization, with 140,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.

Colorado Trout Unlimited has more than 10,000 members and 23 chapters across the state. Its members and volunteers act as advocates and conservators for their home rivers through on-the-ground, grassroots effort

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Trout Unlimited today supported the Environmental Protection Agency’s court-ordered final rule that requires coal- and oil-fired power plants to reduce mercury and other toxic emissions into the air.

Emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants are blamed for “acid rain,” which can eventually make rivers and streams uninhabitable to native fish and to other organisms that depend on clean water for survival. Additionally, mercury from power-plant emissions can build up in fish, making them unsafe to eat.

“This rule makes good sense and should result in significant reduction of mercury and other acid rain-producing toxins into the air,” said Steve Moyer, TU’s vice president of government affairs. “The EPA, in response to a court order to enforce the Clean Air Act and consider emissions technology as a way to reduce toxins in the country’s air and water, has offered a reasonable road map for industry to follow in order to meet these requirements.”

The rule gives the power generation industry three years to install emissions-reduction technology in power plants, with the option of applying for a fourth year if the technology cannot be installed on time.  A number of energy companies have already taken significant steps to prepare for the new regulations.

“Since 1959, TU volunteers and staff have worked to protect and restore trout watersheds throughout the nation, and we’ve come to realize that fish—trout in particular—are barometers for both air and water quality,” Moyer said. “Along the Eastern Seaboard, we’ve had to react to pollutants in the air that eventually find their way into the water. For instance, eastern brook trout in some Appalachian mountain watersheds are particularly susceptible to pollution that alters the natural chemical balance in their native streams. In order to keep some populations from winking out altogether, we’ve had to resort to unusual tactics to keep these fish alive, including adding lime to some streams to restore the water’s chemical equilibrium.”

TU volunteers in Virginia and other eastern states have worked with researchers to document the fish and wildlife habitat destroying affects of acid rain. These and other studies have compelled state and federal agencies to require cleaner emissions from power plants. In the Northeast, lakes and streams have made some progress in recovering from the impacts of acid rain following the enactment of the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, but in the southeast, where brook trout are relegated to high-elevation streams, some waters remain persistently acidic. This rule will require that all existing power plants meet more stringent mercury emissions rules, and that new power plants be required to meet more stringent emissions standards regarding mercury and other pollutants.

“This is a welcome move that will ensure, over time, that brook trout populations will have the opportunity to recover naturally,” Moyer said. “We congratulate the EPA on this measured approach and look forward to experiencing the positive effects this rule will have on our air, our water and, of course, our fish.”

Trout Unlimited is a non-profit organization with more than 147,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. Follow TU on Facebook on Twitter via @TroutUnlimited.

Question: Has this holiday sales season been merry business for your fly shop?

a.) Ho, ho, ho… we’re booming!  If this isn’t a record year, it’s close.

b.) Not bad, but no miracles.  A little up.

c.) Same old same old.

d.) Scrooge must fly fish… we’re down.

e.) We don’t really focus on holiday shoppers.

Shopatron, an eCommerce platform and solution provider, recently produced a white paper titled, “10 Ways ‘Online’ Will Change Life for Brands and Retailers in 2012.”  We found it to be an interesting read, and wanted to refer it to the Angling Trade audience.

Highlights from Shopatron:  ”The theme for the future of retail is ‘no boundaries.’ Forward-looking brands and retailers are creating a new, universal shopping environment for consumers, giving the green light for their customers to shop across all channels.  You wanna buy online? No problem.  In-store? Certainly!  You wanna shop online while in the store?  Of course!  Buy it online and pick it up at the store?  You can do that, too.

“If your sales strategy doesn’t meet the growing ‘no boundaries’ expectations of customers, you are effectively roadblocking potential sales and frustrating shoppers.  This whitepaper highlights 10 critical ways that ‘no boundaries’ eCommerce will influence the way you do business in the next year, whether you’re reader for the changes or not.”

View the Shopatron whitepaper  ”10 Ways ‘Online’ Will Change Life for Brands and Retailers in 2012.“

Pescador Longsleeve Shirt

Howler Brothers set out to make the perfect all around fishing shirt: one that works on the boat and in your waders, but doesn’t make you look like a giant tropical fruit that got into a knife fight when you grab a beer on dry land. The shirt is made out of a quick-drying poly-nylon blend that provides provides all-day UPF15 protection, with hidden pockets under the mesh-lined vented front yokes that are easy to access via pearl snaps. The bottom hem is cut straight and vented on the side, and the fit is relaxed for ease of movement. Available in Piscine Plaid-Ash and Piscine Plaid-Aquamarine. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $85.

Guayabera Shirt

Here’s Howler Brothers’ take on the time-honored guayabera or “Mexican wedding shirt.” It’s based on the classic with four front pockets, pin-tucked and side venting. But unlike the original, it features a mesh-lined vented back yoke, and is made of a technical poly-cotton blend that dries quickly. This makes it versatile enough for everything from your actual wedding on the beach in San Miguel to the kava ceremony in Nomatu. The company also modernized the fit and added their Howler Monkey icon embroidery to preside over the lower left pocket. Available in Playa Check-Blue. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $75.

For more info, visit Howler Brothers.