Brian Conley visited the SH-7 reconstruction project on December 17, 2021, facilitated by Kiewet construction crew and engineers from Mueller Engineering. His main takeaway were, “wow, what a huge, impactful project!” Representatives from Boulder County, Lefthand Watershed Center, Trout Unlimited, Mueller, and others toured several stretches of river. The main objectives of the project were to prepare for another 100-year event, like the one that occurred in 2013, focusing on the preservation of life and accessibility in such an event. The engineering that went into this planning is incredible. A huge side benefit relevant to Trout Unlimited members is that Mueller engaged a very broad group of stakeholder (Forest Service, CPW, BCPOS, Town of Lyons and City of Longmont, Trout Unlimited, etc) to make sure river design and ecological well-being were top priorities. From a recreational access and fishing perspective, it’s not hard to see how this will end up being a fantastic project for the river. Features are more pools and riffles, more diversity in the riparian habitat, re-routing and restructuring of river in key areas. All of this will benefit life in the canyon, which will surely trickle down to trout habitat, trout size, and numbers! My guess is when you drive in there next time, it will be hard to really see some of these major changes – a huge accomplishment!