Denver Trout Unlimited

Fishing for Manhole Covers

Posted on March 1, 2013 by John Davenport

Fishing for Manhole Covers by Ronnie Crawford

While at my bank last summer, at Evans and S. Broadway, where everything is torn up for street improvements, I noticed that Denver has new manhole covers. Manhole covers, how mundane.

Well they are really cool. They are completely redesigned and very arty. I have seen three variations so far, two with rainbow trout and one with a bass. They say on them “City of Denver-Storm Sewer, No Dumping-Drains to River”, with a fish motif in the middle.

I got to thinking about the damaged manhole cover in front of the Skylark. What a neat thing , if I could get the damaged one replaced with a “fish motif” cover, instead of a generic one. So, I started a conversation with my councilman and City Council President, Chris Nevitt. Nevitt is a friend of mine and I call him Nevitt, not Councilperson Nevitt, which would be the appropriate thing.

Following is an e-mail conversation between Nevitt and myself. Quite humorous. Not the usual exchange between a City Councilman and a constituent.

The next time you are at the Skylark, check out the manhole cover. They can be cool, and it WILL make you smile. This goes along with what Jeff Shoemaker was saying at our last DTU meeting, about street trash, ending up in the river. The new man hole covers are a conscious and sub-conscious way of getting people, to think and realize, that all street trash, and water run-off, goes straight to the river. Kids walking with their parents will spot the fish long before they know how to read what the message is. That might start a conversation between the kids and the parents, concerning improving our environment.

DTUSocialNight2013

Posted on February 20, 2013 by admin

DTU’S QUARTERLY SOCIAL NIGHT IS BACK FOR 2013

Join us Upstairs @ The Skylark Lounge on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 from 7:30 pm until they kick us out. There will be plenty of fishy talk, pool and of course the bar will be open for business. You might even get a chance to check out Fred’s new knee! And as always at a DTU Social Night, there will be absolutely NO FUNDRAISING.

For anyone interested in the Denver Trout Unlimited Board or what we are up to on our member’s behalf, come early. Board meeting starts at 6:00 pm, and should be entertaining and productive.

Surface Film 3

SURFACE FILM 3
SHOWCASING THE BEST FISHING PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE BUSINESS

The Greenbacks of Trout Unlimited are excited to announce the 3rd annual Surface Film event showcasing top professional fly-fishing photography from across the country at the Anthology Fine Art gallery on Thursday February 7th, 2013. Framed prints will be available through a silent auction to benefit the Greenback’s work to conserve Colorado’s coldwater fisheries and recruit the next generation of Trout Unlimited Members.

EVENT DETAILS
SURFACE FILM will be showing at Anthology Fine Art Thursday, February 7th.

Doors Open at 7:00

If you are interested in learning more about the group please email info@thegreenbacks.org

Help Spend $ 5 million.

Posted on January 17, 2013 by John Davenport

River Vision – What do you see below the surface of the Denver South Platte ?

Now is the time to fight for the bugs, trout, and Denver South Platte habitat.

Major money ($ 5 million) is being poured into 2 miles of the South Platte river channel near Florida Avenue. This is your chance to be heard.
In a detailed and comprehensive slide show at our member meeting on 1/22/2013, Brian Murphy, P.E. water resources engineer with CDM Smith presented his firms preliminary aquatic habitat design for the Overland Park to Grant Frontier Park area encompassing about two miles of the urban South Platte between Wesley and Santa Fe. Read more from Will Rice’s notes on the meeting.

The presentation focused on:

Channel improvements,
Riparian enhancements,
Aquatic habitat (like riffles and pools),
River Access.

The project needs our input on improving aquatic habitat to create a SUSTAINABLE FISHERY, not just a “Disney” like recreation of a river where put and take fishing will take place.

Brian is looking for our input. Send it in and we’ll forward it on.

email: webmaster@denvertu.org

Brian Murphy and Big Foot

Brian Murphy is a Water Resources Engineer with CDM Smith in Denver, Colorado. His primary fields of work include river engineering and aquatic ecosystem restoration. Brian is a licensed Professional Engineer in four states including Colorado; a Professional Hydrologist; and a Certified Floodplain Manager. He is an avid outdoorsman, big foot tracker, and an aspiring fly fisherman. He is married and has two kids with another on the way.

Dreams Come True

Posted on January 3, 2013 by John Davenport

OUR DREAMS ARE COMING TRUE !! The Denver South Platte habitat improvements are starting !!!

Come on out to our meeting on 1/22/2013 Tuesday, at REI 1416 Platte Street Denver, CO 80202 4th Floor. 6:30PM for a presentation and discussion on stream restoration work to take place near Florida Avenue.

Brian Murphy, P.E. water resources engineer with CDM Smith will present his firms proposed RISO Preliminary Design for the development plan of the Overland Park to Grant Frontier Park area encompassing about two miles of the urban South Platte between Florida and Santa Fe.

Our chapter’s $25,000.00 contribution is combined with close to $13,000,000 earmarked for this project and related projects upstream and downstream. $6,000,000 to $8,000,000 is targeted for the Overland Park – Grant Frontier project.

Attendees may have the opportunity to interrupt Ronnie Crawford, unofficial river keeper, to give their own ideas for improving the habitat in Ronnie’s back yard.

The presentation will focus on riparian improvements, and various enhancements that can be accomplished to modify the channel, create riffles and pools and deal with siltation all the while protecting against unusual flooding and the potential multi-hundred year floods. The project will likely disrupt the river for two years but the end result sounds dramatic and fantastic.

10.23.12 Packo

Think your trout fishing season is coming to an end?

Think again. Come to Denver Trout Unlimited’s member meeting on October 23rd at REI’s flagship store to hear tactics and tips that will change the way you approach fishing in the winter months in Colorado. Clint will present effective strategies and techniques that will get you into fish during the cold months. Originally from Colorado, Clint began guiding in 1994 on the Colorado Front Range. Since then, he has fished extensively throughout the world and continues to learn and grown in a sport that he admires and loves. Co-founder of Freestone Outfitters, his passion in life always involves a fly rod. Clint has also won the DTU’s Carpslam two year’s running – the guy can fish.