The Greenbacks have never had a Surface Film Closing event hampered by EPIC SNOW (don’t worry about the fact that there hasn’t been a previous closing event for Surface Film). Speaking as someone who disregarded the threats of Snowmeggedon, the photography is top notch. And… you could take some home. Seriously, don’t miss it this time.

February 24, 2012 7-11 pm
Anthology Fine Art Gallery
635 Santa Fe, Denver, CO

No one is going to be forgetting about the ‘Dream Stream’ anytime soon, but don’t overlook Colorado’s ‘Stream of Dreams’. Follow the links to see how years of work have begun to gain serious traction and momentum. And stay tuned to find out how you can give the Denver Metro a clean, natural, swimmable, boatable and, yes, fishable river.

Denver Post Your Hub article by Daniel Smith

Denver Post article by Bruce Finley

We spend a lot of time doing the crucial, good work of defending and whistle-blowing, and when we turn back careless greed or stave off disaster; we feel good. Rightly so. But there is something extra-special about an opportunity to get back something that’s been lost.

Last night the board of South Platte Suburban Parks and Recreation and the City of Littleton voted unanimously to begin the process of returning the South Platte to a naturally functioning river. They approved the master plan proposed by Ecological Resource Consultants (ERC), whose intial feasibility study was purchased by Denver Trout Unlimited. The work begins with three demonstration projects, which are fully funded and you should expect to see work begin in late 2012.

To pursue and fund this project took enormous vision, courage and commitment by South Suburban Parks and Recreation, the City of Littleton and Urban Drainage. The Littleton project added to planned improvements utilizing the Shattuck money awarded to The Greenway Foundation equals a Renaissance for the Urban South Platte.

Click HERE to check out the plan for the South Platte River in Littleton.

Trevor Tanner was already a proven friend of the Denver South Platte River having volunteered time and raising money for river restoration. This August, Trevor was crowned the Amateur Champion of DTU’s Fifth Annual South Platte Pro-Am Carp Slam. Trevor can now be considered a Conservation Hero. Click HERE to read the Denver Post story about how Trevor, while prowling an area of the South Platte known as “The Stink”, recognized a growing environmental crisis and doggedly pursued a response that has ultimately led to involvement by the EPA.

What next McTage?

Tweet this link about #SPspill South Platte Spill.

Additional coverage of the Sand Creek – Suncor  Benzene Spill – Beginning Nov 2011

• 11/27/2011 Trevor Tanner … Original Post on the Sand Creek Spill he happened upon on while fishing the Denver South Platte.
• 11/29/20011  Bruce Finley … Three trucks sucking up oily muck in Sand Creek trying to keep more from flowing into South Platte River – The Denver Post
• 11/30/2011 Bruce Finley … Health department: Pipe may have broken a half mile from Sand Creek spill site – The Denver Post
• 12/01/2011 Bruce Finley … Benzene in Sand Creek measured at 400 times amount tolerated by national drinking water standards, EPA tests show – The Denver Post
• 12/01/2011 Walter Ayramenko .. Order to Suncor on monitoring and mitigation .. CO Dep of Health and Env.
• 12/02/2011 Will Rice in the Drake … S. Platte Bitten by Benzene Attack
• 12/02/2011  Bruce Finley Denver Post … Cleanup orders at Colorado’s Suncor refinery spill into Sand Creek officially issued – The Denver Post
• 12/02/2011  EPA  Sampling Read:the full summary of the EPA’s surface water sampling for the Sand Creek seep, as of December 2, 2011.
• 12/03/2011 Bruce Finley … Trench being dug to halt toxic ooze into Sand Creek north of Denver – The Denver Post
• 12/05/2011  Trevor Tanner – Inspection of Sand Creek spill mitigation.
• 12/06/2011 Bruce Finley … Sand Creek trench done, catching gasoline-like leak near Denver refinery – The Denver Post
• 12/30/2011 CO Dept of Health and Environment – Hazmat -.. 2nd Interim Order requires sparging system and drinking water standards in Sand Creek by 1/31/2012
• 12/30/2011 Bruce Finley  … Benzene is fouling drinking water at Suncor refinery and chemicals are seeping directly into Sand Creek- The Denver Post
• 01/02/2012 Will Rice … Cause & Fx -current status of Sand Creek -The Drake Magazine.
• 01/07/2012 Bruce Finley …Suncor refinery employees tested for benzene contamination - The Denver Post

Join the Denver Angling Society at the Denver Athletic Club on December 1, 2011 from 12 to 1 pm for lunch and “A Fly Fisher’s Fantasy Tour” by Chris Santella. Seating is limited to 30 so click HERE to RSVP.

Later Visit the downtown Tattered Cover on December 1, 2011 beginning at 7:30 pm for a Presentation and Booksigning by Chris Santella. Santella reveals Carp Slammin’ secret water in the book – see it and buy it to believe it!

Click HERE for more info.

Click HERE for a review of the book by Kirk Deeter.

Here’s the release from the Greenway Foundation:

The Natural Resource Trustees of Colorado recently announced that they have awarded $1.7 million in natural resource damage funds to The Greenway Foundation on behalf of the Overland Park Neighborhood Association to help restore water quality, habitat and riparian areas along a two-mile stretch of the South Platte River in south Denver.

The planned improvements will result in a vastly improved riparian and wildlife ecosystem corridor along this section of Denver’s South Platte River as well as create new boat launch sites, fishing platforms, nature trails, and enhanced access points to the River.

The award of the funds will be contingent on The Greenway Foundation procuring matching funds for its projects at Grant Frontier Park, Pasquinel’s Landing and Overland Park. The construction of the various improvements, planned in conjunction with Denver Parks and Recreation and Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, is expected to be initiated in 2013.

“The Greenway Foundation is honored to be the recipient of these funds,” said Jeff Shoemaker, Executive Director of The Greenway Foundation. “We are excited to move forward with the efforts to obtain the needed matching funds. This is just one of several collaborative efforts between the Foundation and the City of Denver to fund and construct the recommendations within this section of the River Vision Implementation Plan.”

“This really shows the strength and commitment of our dynamic community,” said Councilman Chris Nevitt, District 7. “The Overland neighbors tirelessly pursued this opportunity and the entire area will benefit from their efforts. The South Platte River Greenway serves as a recreational highway in our backyard, leading to miles of trails and parks in all directions. This funding will go a long way in continuing to make the Southern Platte Valley THE place to live, play and work.”

“One of the features that makes this project so attractive is the way it connects with a larger and still-expanding network of greenway and riparian trail corridors along the South Platte River and its tributaries,” said Mike King, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “This endeavor further leverages the great work of The Greenway Foundation and others over many years in linking Coloradans to the natural beauty right outside our doors.”

Colorado received $1.5 million when it settled its natural resource damages case against the Shattuck Chemical Company in 2002. Since that time, the money has earned nearly $200,000 in interest, bringing the total amount available for restoring natural resources near the Shattuck site to $1.7 million.

The Colorado Natural Resource Trustees are the Attorney General, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources or their designees. The trustees are responsible for litigation of the state’s natural resource damages claims under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or the Superfund law) and administering funds received from such litigation.

is coming to Denver on Thursday, October 27, 7 pm at the Oriental Theater to raise awareness and build support for protecting Bristol Bay, Alaska, which is threatened by the proposed Pebble gold and copper mine. The mine, potentially three times as large as the largest mine in North America, puts thousands of fishing jobs at risk along with a Native way of life that has existed for centuries. The real gold in Bristol Bay is the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery, a sustainable resource that returns year after year.

This event is FREE and open to the public and includes a screening of award-winning film “Red Gold,” salmon bites prepared by Chef Justin Brunson of Wild Catch, plus a panel discussion, and cool gear giveaway (including a fly rod and reel set from Orvis worth more than $500).

Featured speakers include Melanie Brown, an Alaska Native and commercial fisherwoman; Ben Blakey, of family-run, seafood processor Snopac Products; Matt Aboussie; a Denver-based commercial fishermen and salmon wholesaler; and Kirk Deeter, a Denver-based fishing guide and writer; will share the importance of Bristol Bay as an economic engine, source of jobs, and resource for food.

For information about the Bristol Bay Roadshow, please visit: www.savebristolbay.org. Thank you to our sponsors The Road Show is made possible by the generous support of companies including Tiffany & Co., Patagonia, ExOfficio, Icicle Seafoods, Orvis, Sage, and Chefs Collaborative.

-  Contact Todd.Fehr@DenverTU.org

“We need more guarantees,” Peternell said. “Is this a guidance document or is it actually binding?”

Mitigation plan released for proposed Gross Reservoir expansion – Boulder Daily Camera.

Spending bill cuts EPA funding, delists wolves, limits funding for Interior ‘wild lands’ policy – The Hill’s E2-Wire.