DIGITAL RENDEZVOUS: RECOGNIZING OUR CHAPTERS AND VOLUNTEERS

RENDEZVOUS

Registration for the full conference is FREE!

Live sessions will be held on Zoom. Weeknight sessions will start at 7pm each evening with some sessions starting at 8pm. The weekend session will be held during the day. All live sessions will be recorded and available for viewing Earlier this autumn, Colorado Trout Unlimited held our first “Digital Rendezvous” – converting the usual weekend grassroots conference into a twocommunities, to engagement with people of color in conservation, to advancing watershed health under the Colorado Water Plan. A special session on “Colorado Fisheries: Today afterwards, so sign up to make sure you're able to access the live andweek online event with workshops across and Tomorrow” also featured CPW Director recorded content. Session topics will include, but not limited to:multiple evenings with TUers and partners Dan Prenzlow along with presentations on able to participate safely from across the native trout, Gold Medal fisheries, and the

Effective grassroots conservation advocacystate – and beyond. The Rendezvous implications of climate change. If you missed

Climate change and Colorado's trout Digital engagement and communicat kicked off with CTU President Matt Moskal sharing an update on the “State of CTU,” included workshops on a wide range of ions the Rendezvous – or simply want to go back to revisit some of the sessions – they were all recorded and can be seen on our CTU

Restoring streams impacted by abandoned minesimportant topics from youth education in our YouTube channel.

Native trout restoration in Colorado

Youth Education through the Stream of Engagement

Colorado Gold: Protecting and expanding Gold Medal Waters and more!

Watch the full 2020 Digital Rendezvous Sessions

Outstanding Volunteers

Stephen Brant for his leadership in developing cooperative relationships, sound science, and projects to protect and improve stream health in South Boulder Creek through its Stream Management Plan.

Allyn Kratz for his dedicated efforts in conserving and protecting Bear Creek and educating the community and state about its unique population of Greenback cutthroat trout.

Mickey McGuire for his leadership in restructuring the Rocky Mountain Flycasters board to instill values of leadership development, committees, and succession. His leadership has empowered others to grow and be successful in the organization.

Tom Palka for his tireless work in maintaining creative and effective communication and engagement with Collegiate Peaks chapter membership.

Exemplary Project

Dolores River Anglers for their vision and leadership in developing The Upper Dolores Stream Protection Working Group, a model for science-based, collaborative conservation efforts in a watershed facing major climate challenges.

San Luis Valley Chapter for their leadership in the Sand Creek Reclamation Project to begin restoration of the Rio Grande Cutthroat trout to a stronghold watershed that can support native trout for generations to come.

Exemplary Youth Education

Gunnison Gorge Anglers and Pikes Peak Chapter for their collaborative efforts in piloting chapter-led STREAM Girls programs to bring an outdoor watershed experience for Girl Scouts that employs STEM education plus recreation and arts to explore a local stream.

The John Connolly Outstanding Chapter Communications Award

St. Vrain Anglers for their newly redesigned website, strong social media, speaker series, and email communications, as well as local partnerships to broaden community outreach.

Denver Trout Unlimited for their outstanding efforts in restoring habitat, citizen science, raising funds and engaging the community through their Carp Slam event, educating local youth, and overall raising the support for and quality of their home waters on the South Platte River through the Denver metro area. Distinguished Service Awards Barbara Luneau for her dedicated and effective efforts to build programs and deliver “Stream of Engagement” youth education from the annual youth camp to STREAM Girls, as well as her local conservation leadership in the St. Vrain watershed.

Denver TU volunteers John Davenport and Ronnie Crawford collected water quality sampling data as part of the chapter’s citizen science work on the South Platte River – one piece of the many in their stewardship of the South Platte for which they were recognized as CTU’s 2020 Exemplary Chapter.

Exemplary Chapter

Dale Smith for his years of service and leadership in establishing the Dolores River Anglers chapter as a strong TU presence in Southwest Colorado, and his work in engaging other volunteer leaders to carry it forward.

In addition to our CTU Awards, the Silver Trout Foundation presented its annual Silver Trout Awards recognizing lifetime contributions to coldwater conservation in Colorado. The 2020 Silver Trout honorees

were:

Paula Fothergill was honored for her longtime efforts as an instructor, organizer, and mentor, helping TU chapters and allies to engage more women with fly fishing and conservation.

Buck Skillen was recognized for his many years of volunteer leadership in the Durango area, including his work to promote protection of the Hermosa Creek watershed, and of the rediscovered San Juan lineage cutthroat trout.

Many thanks to our award recipients, to all those who contributed to a successful Digital Rendezvous, and to the many other volunteers across Colorado who give so much of themselves to advance coldwater conservation statewide. Here’s to continued success and a return to more normalcy in 2021!

To Learn More.

To learn more about this story and Colorado Trout Unlimited, visit coloradotu.org.

Have you considered a planned gift to Colorado TU?

A legacy gift to Colorado TU helps to secure our future and enables us to continue our work preserving and restoring Colorado’s watersheds for years to come. It allows us to improve wild trout habitat in your homewaters, to restore native cutthroats, and to offer our River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp to more of Colorado’s youth. By making Colorado TU a beneficiary of your estate, you are making one of the most sincere and lasting commitments to our conservation mission and supporting cold, clean, fishable waters in Colorado.