Colorado Trout Unlimited is now accepting applications from students aged 14 to 18 for its second annual River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp. Applications must be received by March 30, 2008. The camp, scheduled for June 8th – 13th at the Peace Ranch near Basalt, Colorado, is designed to educate students on the importance of coldwater conservation and provide hands-on fly-fishing instruction.
The River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp is limited to 20 qualified students who will be selected based on their qualifications and a written essay on why they would like to attend the camp.
“We expect the selection process to be rigorous and quite competitive for this elite camp,” said Shawn Bratt, a Colorado Trout Unlimited member. “By selecting the high school leaders of today, we believe they will be our community leaders for years to come. It’s important for these students to understand the value of clean water and how it relates to everyday life. The Youth Fishing Camp curriculum has been structured to provide the necessary foundation for that education.”
Camp classes will include: principles of ecology, hydrogeology, aquatic vertebrate and invertebrate sampling, hydrology, trout behavior, trout stream entomology, the biology of pollution, acid deposition, and politics of conservation and human effects on the Rocky Mountains. In addition, the camp will include hands-on classes such as fly tying, fly casting, streamside ethics, angling literature, streamside botany, wader safety and survival, and the evolution of an angler. Students will also participate in a watershed project to repair habitat in a nearby stream.
The River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp includes faculty from various environmental fields and state agencies such as the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Department of Environmental Protection and National Forest Service. The cost to attend the six-day camp is $375. For more information or to download an application, visit www.cotrout.org or contact Mike Nicholson at 303-987-8425.
CTU’s 2007 youth conservation camp at Peace Ranch, near Basalt, drew 21 young men and women from across Colorado, as well as one each from Maine and Texas. From June 10th through the 15th, their hands-on learning programs included measuring stream flows, conducting water quality sampling, snorkeling to observe fish species, collecting macro invertebrates, and electroshocking a small stretch of stream to sample the fish population.
Campers also took a field trip to Reudi Reservoir to learn about water operations, and really got their feet wet, planting wetlands vegetation at a restored site. Of course, they had a chance to wet a few lines, too, benefiting from expert instruction in casting and fishing tactics.
This year's conservation camp was made possible by a terrific group of volunteer flight leaders and instructors, led by Larry Quilling of Boulder Flycasters. “Fly fishers have always taken the lead in conservation efforts,” said Quilling. “We think the key to future conservation is to reach people when they're young.” Special thanks are also due to the Beattie family at Peace Ranch, who were kind enough to provide a home and hospitality for our sizeable entourage.
CTU Conservation Camp participants are encouraged to apply what they learn; each camper helps organize a conservation or education project with their home chapter of TU. 2006 camper Elyssa Ridinger of Broomfield organized fellow students at the Peak-to-Peak Charter School to research an invasion of Eurasian milfoil in Boulder Creek and schedule a work day to remove the invasive plant.
Hayden Stone of Evergreen worked with CTU legislative liaison Jen Boulton to draft a Joint Resolution on Water Conservation, then convince the 2007 Colorado General Assembly to pass it. “It’s great to see young people learning that they can make a difference,” said CTU Executive Director David Nickum. “It's gratifying that CTU can be a part of that process.