creating environmental improvements through biodiversity

Sustainable Aggregates Creating Environmental Improvements through Biodiversity
Primary Points: On June 4, 2005, Trout Unlimited launched the training portion of the project through
an Abandoned Mine Restoration Workshop at the Ninemile Ranger Station. Twenty-nine volunteers from
the local community and Missoula attended to learn about the impacts of abandoned mines, restoration
techniques, fundraising and outreach and communications. Throughout the summer of 2005, the volunteers
worked with Forest Service staff to complete fisheries assessments, stream channel surveys and other field
surveys needed to design the final restoration plan.
Producing, Distributing and Using a Citizen’s Guide to Abandoned Mine Restoration
The Citizen’s Guide to Abandoned Mine Restoration has evolved into a multi-component outreach and
organizing vehicle that helps Trout Unlimited chapters and other interested parties learn the fundamentals
of abandoned mine restoration. The first component is a hardcopy outreach booklet that will provide
information, guidance and support for grassroots involvement on abandoned mines issued in a user-friendly
format with non-technical language. By profiling members of watershed groups who have successfully
identified and dealt with abandoned mine problems in their communities, the booklet will provide positive
examples and motivation for Trout Unlimited chapters and other western watershed groups.
Using case studies as examples, the booklet will introduce five basic principles of community organizing that
are based on lessons learned from our experiences with organizing Trout Unlimited volunteer groups and
delivering grassroots trainings. These principles, or concepts, include:
• Get the Facts
• Find a Starting Point
• Get Organized
• Develop a Plan
• Find the Funding
• Breaking Ground – Implementation
• Document Success
The booklet is not intended to be a technical manual or an exhaustive list of possible resources. The goal
is to provide grassroots volunteers with enough information and guidance to help them get started. It is
Trout Unlimited’s belief that many potential volunteers hesitate to get involved because they lack practical
experience or technical expertise. By giving these would-be volunteers positive examples and instruction, the
citizen’s guide shows them how they can use their skills to make a difference.
As part of the new design, the booklet will drive volunteers to Trout Unlimited’s online guide to abandoned
mine restoration, which will contain Web-based resources with more detailed and technical information. The
Web site will provide a more practical approach than a stand-alone document, whose relevance is limited
by shelf life. Reinforced by the grassroots training programme, the Citizen’s Guide to Abandoned Mine
Restoration will be an extremely effective method of identifying, educating and organizing community groups
to help accomplish the mission of abandoned mine reclamation.
PUTTING THE CITIZEN’S GUIDE INTO PRACTICE: GOLDEN MILE, CLEAR
CREEK, COLORADO
Following the process in the Citizen’s Guide, West Denver Trout Unlimited developed a plan to restore a
segment of lower Clear Creek. Recent water quality studies, fish counts and macro-invertebrate studies
suggest that this stream can be turned into an excellent urban fishery if habitat could be improved. The
group’s goals are to develop a trout fishery in this portion of Clear Creek that complements the City of
Golden’s kayak park and Jefferson County’s open-space plans to create a diverse recreational area.
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