Submitted by Josh Duplechian on Tue, 2013-07-02 13:43 Conservation West of The Rockies Photographers Colorado TU Backcountry Thompson Divide Stream Ambassadors Boulder Flycasters - 082 Climate Change Sportsmen Ride Right Vote Up Down +196 + Thompson Divid Vignette - Kara Armano Location Thompson Divide Vignette - Kara Armano Back to Gallery Located west of Carbondale, Colo., the Thompson Divide is one of the most pristine places in the West and is currently under threat from energy development. It harbors some of the best elk hunting in the state, a dozen populations of cutthroat trout, and source waters for numerous renowned fisheries. Trout Unlimited has been working with sportsmen, agencies and industry to find solutions to keep the Thompson Divide as it is, largely by supporting legislation introduced by Sen. Michael Bennet in April of 2013 which would withdraw 183,000 acres from future development. “The Thompson Divide is one of those places where you can go and get away from everything. You kind of want to get back up into nature and just reconnect with what it is in these areas that are just open and pristine and really well maintained by nature itself.” “I think my love of land and natural places and pristine areas came from my great grandmother. She just had this beautiful sense of what nature means and why you should leave it the way it is for future generations. I think that's a big part of where it came from but then when I started getting into fly fishing those places became even more important to me and the way that I live because I know that if they don't get protected then all of us will have less and less opportunity to recreate whether that is mountain biking or fishing or hunting.” -Kara Armano To see more about the Thompson Divide head over to the project page or join them on their Facebook page as well for future updates.