Jerry Nissen
Oil Spill Risk

Utah produces some of the most environmentally damaging crude oil around. Called “waxy crude”, it’s hard to get out of the ground, to process into useful petroleum products and especially difficult and dangerous to ship.

The current proposal for moving this goopy petroleum to refineries includes via train through Grand County along the Colorado River. As many as ten trains as much as two miles long would move the crude through Grand County each day.

Oil Spill Risk
Jerry Nissen
Most Endangered River for 2022

If you’ve been in the western U.S. in the last 20 years or so, you won’t be surprised that American Rivers named the Colorado the most endangered river in the country.

Most Endangered River for 2022
Jerry Nissen
Strange Bedfellows

Our Trout Unlimited Chapter’s relationship with Denver Water and other diverters has evolved considerably over time. Not that long ago, we fought bitterly in court with diverters. Ultimately, we came to recognize that the diverters had both the well-established legal right to the water as well as the political clout and deep pockets to doom virtually all litigation on our part. We acknowledged that legal battles with the diverters were doomed to failure.

We realized that the strategy that would yield the best real-world outcome to protect our rivers was to communicate and (when appropriate) cooperate with the diverters. Our strategy of working with the diverters, while continuing to apply pressure on them to do the right things has resulted in many, many successes. Read Kirk’s letter for more insights.

Strange Bedfellows
Jerry Nissen
Take Action to Save Fisheries & Watersheds

TU needs your help to protect our trout fisheries and larger environment. Read the letter and contact your legislators!

Take Action to Save Fisheries & Watersheds
Jerry Nissen
Sign TU's Petition!

Trout Unlimited works hard to protect our rivers but we need your help! Colorado rule change proposals would negatively impact water quality statewide. Please sign the petition to stop water degragadion.

Sign TU's Petition!

Encourage Congress to Fund our most successful public lands program! 

Photo by skeeze

From some of Colorado's most iconic landscapes like the Great Sand Dunes and Black Canyon of the Gunnison, to boat launch/takeout access on the Colorado River in Eagle County, to community parks and trails in our own backyards, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) has set aside and protected special places in Colorado and nationwide for more than 50 years. If you've gone fishing, hiking or camping on public lands, or picnicked at a community park in your area, there's a good chance the LWCF helped protect it.  Earlier this year, Congress passed legislation permanently authorizing the LWCF - the next step is to make sure it is fully funded. 

LWCF doesn't rely on your tax dollars, but rather is funded by an earmarked portion of royalties paid on offshore oil and gas development. Unfortunately, that dedicated stream of revenue is regularly raided for other purposes in the annual politics of the appropriations process. More than $22 billion has been diverted from LWCF over its 54 year history! Senators Bennet and Gardner have been champions in supporting dedicated funding for LWCF and are co-sponsors of Senate legislation to secure full, permanent funding for the program (S. 1081).  Representatives Crow, DeGette, Neguse and Perlmutter are cosponsoring the equivalent legislation in the House of Representatives (HR 3195); we hope to see Representatives Buck, Lamborn and Tipton also join in supporting this bipartisan effort on behalf of Colorado's great outdoors.