Hermosa Creek A ‘One TU’ Initiative

1. Hermosa CreekA ‘One TU’ Initiative Sustaining chapters through leveraging money, partnerships and collaboration

2. Hermosa: For the next generation of sportsmen and sportswomen

3. For habitat For a creek For cutthroat For a community For wildlife Forever!

4. A Question of Wild and Scenic • 2006 - The San Juan Nat’l Forest Draft Plan • Numerous local rivers found to be ‘preliminarily suitable’ for W/S designation • Hermosa Creek • Upper San Juan • Pine/Vallecito • Piedra • Upper Animas (Alpine Triangle) • Standard public comment sought by USFS

5. Colorado’s Constitution – trouble? • W/S is the river equivalent to Wilderness for public land – prevents human development (dams) • W/S comes with an automatic Federal Reserve water right – to honor the value being protected with W/S • To abdicate CO water to the ‘Feds’ is something our Constitution, and water developers, can’t support • This is why the Poudre is our only W/S river • OH, NJ and even Puerto Rico have more W/S rivers • Conservation community wants W/S designations • Water development folks do not

6. What to do? Fight? Lawsuits? • Public comments sure to be conflicting • Thousands of comments likely • Time consuming for the USFS • Years of debates/fights • Costly! • Confrontational • Possible lawsuits costing agency more $ TU to the rescue! A 5 Rivers chapter board member comes up with a plan!

7. The Rivers Protection Workgroup (RPW) • Chuck Wanner goes to the CWCB, FS and SWWCD • “Let’s work this out as a collaborative, as stakeholders and avoid the fighting, costs and problems” • Water developers, USFS and conservation community agree – “WORK IT OUT” • A steering committee is formed • A process is created – ‘The Hermosa Process’ • Outreach is performed • A workgroup is created • Funding must be obtained!!!

8. The ‘Process’ • Anyone with an interest is welcome; ‘a stakeholder’ • Open and transparent • Operate on consensus, not votes • Values-based decisions (what value are we trying to protect?) • Protect the value while allowing for water development to occur or continue • Look for alternatives to W/S, if additional protections are needed at all • Colorado River Cutts are the ORV • All “tools” available are an option, including W/S • Developers agree to support one W/S river, if other development opportunities are not hindered • Each ‘suitable’ segment gets its own workgroup; 5 in all • Hermosa is first, the ‘test’

9. Putting TU’s chapter money to work • Locally raised money employed for local rivers • Seed money for a large collaborative effort • Partnering with others for our rivers & public land • Gov’t agencies (state, fed, county) • Water buffalos • Traditional enviro groups • Other user groups (OHV, mountain bikers, miners etc…) • Rivers being discussed are our “bread and butter” • Give the TU funders something tangible!! • Give your volunteers something to ‘work for, fight for’ • Hermosa has long-been a focus for all of TU’s programs

10. ‘ONE TU’ • 5 Rivers (Chuck and volunteers) • Steering committee member • Creator of the process • Funding source – 5 Rivers - $7000 over six years • Mely Whiting for CO Water Project • W/S rivers are her specialty, her objective • Our workgroup’s on-call water law advisor • Legislative drafting committee • Myself for Sportsmen’s Conservation Project • public lands program • wilderness/roadless objective

11. Leveraging chapter $$ • ‘Rivers Protection Workgroup’ needed funding • Facilitation can be horribly expensive • Five separate workgroups over six+ years • Cost $140,000 • 5 Rivers commits first - seed money - $1000 • CWCB • SWWCD • Wilderness Society • San Juan Citizen’s Alliance • Nat’l Forest Foundation • S. Ute Indian Tribe

12. Hermosa – TU has been committed • SCP’s (then PLI’s) Hermosa Media Tour - 2008 • Home to CPW’s most important and largest native CRCT reintroduction program - (1991-present) • ‘Outstanding Waters’ designation for highest natural water quality (CWQCC) - 2009 • ‘On the Rise’ episode – 2010 • Two, ongoing Embrace-a-Stream restoration projects – 5R • The poster child for CO’s Roadless Rule (largest in CO) • A primary source of diluting clean waters for the Animas’ metal-laden toxic mess • Advocacy for land swap of the only inholding - 2009 • A Durango area recreational treasure

13. Hermosa RPW comes up with a proposal – Consensus! • A public land proposal – SCP objective • A legislative protection proposal • It takes an act of Congress • Funders LOVE permanence (sustain Nat’l funding) • Locals see their money succeeding (sustain support from local donors/retailers/members for chapter) • Big media opportunities • Social media fodder (Facebook highlights) • CTU, NTU and 5 Rivers blogs • “Keep TU relevant” in the news • Wild/Scenic component coming, SOON!

14. The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act - 2013 • 1st entire watershed bill, ever! • Basin divided into 3 zones • Special Management Area • Roadless Area • Wilderness • Set-backs for W/S designation • Honors historic uses • Mining claims grandfathered • Main trail stays ‘mechanized’ • Win, win, win!!!

15. Sportsmen for Hermosa – will Congressman Tipton listen to us? • TU leads a coalition of sportsmen in support • CTU/5 Rivers • SCP • BHA • TRCP • Bull Moose • Nat’l Wildlife Fed • Fly shops • Guides/outfitters • Rod manufacturers • Project Healing Waters

16. Another example from the Animas basin • Animas River Stakeholder’s Group • 20 year collaborative working on mine restoration and acid mine drainage – water quality • TU a long-time participant • 5 Rivers • E. Russell’s mine restoration program • Sportsmen’s Conservation Project • Alpine Triangle

17. Partners of the ARSG –TU working alongside agency, industry & miners • CO Water Quality Control Commission • BLM • EPA • Dept. of Reclamation, Mining and Safety • SW Water Conservation District • San Juan County • Sunnyside Gold Corp • Colorado Goldfields • Kinross • Mountain Studies Institute • San Juan Citizen’s Alliance

18. Chapter money partnered with miners? • How to fund an Innocentive Challenge? • Three TU entities bring seed money • $2000 • 5 Rivers, SCP, Watersheds • Kinross matches $2500 • TU as financial partners with one of the world’s largest mining conglomerates from Canada • Working TOGETHER to resolve the Animas’ water quality problems

19. Alpine Triangle Ranger (OHV) • Off highway vehicle patrol for one of TU’s most important resources • 5 TU entities help fund • GGA • 5 Rivers • Lake City (defunct) chapter • Sportsmen Ride Right • SCP • Relationship builder w/ counties • Tom Reyburn is a life member of TU and Backcountry Hunters/Anglers

20. 5 Rivers putting money to work • The 9th Street Project • 2009 • Partnered with: • City of Dgo • Animas Riverkeeper • 5 Rivers seed money • $8000 • CWCB/Riverkeepers - $5000 • Fishing is Fun - $85,000 • City of Durango - $30,000

21. Share your successes!!!! • Stay relevant in your community!!! • Relationships are massively important! • Provide regular updates to local and regular funders • Make sure members and donors see your efforts, successes and accomplishments • Seek regular media • Gotta Facebook, that’s just the way it is (for now) • Websites are static, not interactive, not visited • Can easily engage others who are not members • Blog, post, get photos up… • “Thank your donors and volunteers”

22. Questions?