Trout Unlimited (TU) is recognizing five rural communities around the country as “Conservation Towns”—communities that are successfully incorporating their unique cultures and landscapes, their rivers and streams, and their hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities into long-term blueprints for economic success. These communities provide unique examples of innovation, civic engagement, and collaboration that provide a model for rural communities navigating change across America. One of the communities that was honored is Gunnison.
“America has hundreds of ‘resource dependent’ towns that barely survived the boom-and-bust cycles of commodity development,” said Chris Wood, TU’s president and CEO. “Many of those towns remain resource dependent, but the resources they depend on today are hunting and fishing, public lands—especially roadless areas—clean water and the wild landscapes that sustain our great nation.
“America needs to develop our natural resources, and conservation towns are a celebration of how to do that in a smart and collaborative manner. Trout Unlimited works with large and small communities across the country helping them to care for and recover our nation’s cherished public lands and waters. We’re proud to spotlight these communities, their river champions, and the innovative approaches they’ve taken to make the lives of people in their community better.”
With more than 300,000 members and supporters, 400 chapters, and nearly 400 staff members working across the country, TU had hundreds of potential examples to choose from for the inaugural list of communities.
Five communities were recognized as Trout Unlimited’s Conservation Towns:
In their writeup about the honor, Trout Unlmited included the following about Gunnison: Perched at just over 7,700 feet in the headwaters of the Colorado River Basin, the small town of Gunnison is surrounded by expansive public lands, high-elevation streams, and some of Colorado’s most valued coldwater fisheries. The Gunnison and Taylor Rivers, both designated Gold Medal waters, flow through the valley, while the Lake Fork and its tributaries support another premier trout fishery. With abundant public access and a strong culture of stewardship, Gunnison remains closely connected to the rivers and landscapes that sustain it.
“We’re incredibly honored to be included in TU’s Top 5 Conservation Towns for 2026,” said Sonya Chavez, Upper Gunnison Water Conservancy District Manager. “Protecting the rivers and landscapes that define this valley takes long-term collaboration between local residents, landowners, agencies, and conservation partners.”
“Gunnison is an example of how a community can come together to address the natural resources challenges we are facing in the West. This is especially important in a year like 2026, with the lowest snowpack on record,” said Drew Peternell, Colorado state director at TU. “In the Gunnison River valley, conservation groups, landowners, local, state, and federal agencies, and other stakeholders come together to support rivers and natural resources for the benefit of us all. We’re proud to name Gunnison as one of Trout Unlimited’s Conservation Towns this year.”
Across the local area, TU works with stakeholders to restore habitat in tributaries feeding the Gunnison and Taylor Rivers that restore the health of these iconic watersheds. Partnerships with the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service are the catalyst for work across these tributaries and has strengthened watershed health throughout the valley. These efforts reconnect streams to historic floodplains, improve sediment transport, and increase habitat complexity through techniques such as wood loading and channel reactivation. Work across these tributaries has strengthened watershed health throughout the valley. In the eastern basin, mine remediation and working lands conservation have helped trout biomass approach Gold Medal standards within the Tomichi Creek State Wildlife Area, an indicator of improving habitat conditions across the broader watershed.
TU is also working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Conservation Innovation Grants program to test Auto Tarp technology that allows irrigators to remotely control headgates for more efficient water management. The system was developed by a TU staff member in his garage after experiencing the impacts of persistent drought in the valley and recognizing the technology’s potential for ranchers. To date, eight ranches in the Gunnison and Rio Grande watersheds have implemented the system, with additional operations expected to adopt the technology in the coming years.
In Taylor Park, located in the upper reaches of the headwaters, TU and its partners like the U.S. Forest Service have collaborated on projects ranging from mine remediation at the historic Forest Hill site to wetland expansion and restoration across the watershed. Many of these efforts focus on improving water quality in critical headwater areas while complementing fuel reduction and wildfire mitigation in surrounding forests.
Looking ahead, TU and its partners are exploring opportunities to restore severely degraded streams that were historically dredged for gold. These legacy impacts left many systems disconnected from their floodplains and simplified aquatic habitat. Reestablishing natural channel processes and rebuilding complex stream habitats will be critical to sustaining Gunnison’s fisheries and building resilient watersheds.
Because of Gunnison’s central role in the upper Colorado River headwaters, and its strong tradition of collaboration, the community will remain a focal point as partners continue advancing restoration, stewardship, and watershed resilience across the region.
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