When I was in elementary school, I was told stories about the Bermuda Triangle and how it devoured boats and airplanes.

Then came high school, and I had a geometry teacher tell me a right triangle would change my life. Both of those were scary.

Now there is the Alpine Triangle. It holds more promise than the other triangles I learned about.

At this point, you very well could be asking, “What is the Alpine Triangle?”

And, until I had lunch with Ty Churchwell, the backcountry coordinator for Trout Unlimited, I was a little hazy about the Alpine Triangle.

Simply put, the Alpine Triangle is 186,000 acres of public and private land. Its boundaries are formed by a line moving north from Silverton to Ouray, then east from Ouray to Lake City, and southwest back to Silverton from Lake City.

The name, Alpine Triangle comes from the Bureau of Land Management, which manages approximately 156,000 of the 186,000 acres in the triangle. It is the goal of Trout Unlimited to establish the triangle as a National Conservation Area and have the BLM continue to manage it.

Now, before you gag on the thought of the federal government taking control of one more project, read on.

The first thing to remember is the BLM already manages almost 85 percent of the triangle.

With that in mind, why would anyone want to do battle for a new designation?

I believe Churchwell summed it up best: “To keep it like it is.”

That’s what an NCA designation would do. With that motto in mind, Trout Unlimited and its regional supporters have formed the Alpine Triangle Coalition to help guide the long and drawn- out process to obtain an NCA designation.

This designation will help provide permanent protection for the triangle.

According to its brochure, the Alpine Triangle Coalition is a sportsmen-led, grassroots campaign to protect premier hunting and fishing, historical, recreational and economic resources.

While the coalition is led by Trout Unlimited, anyone wanting to be a member just has to sign up. You then are afforded the opportunity to have your words heard. There are no dues, no board of directors, just a grassroots effort to get all the stakeholders talking.

The coalition wants input from private landowners, mine claim owners, private businesses and anyone who just enjoys being outdoors in the Alpine Triangle.

What does this have to do with you?

Well, the Alpine Triangle has lots to do with where you fly-fish. One of the things I learned while researching the Alpine Triangle is that three rivers have their headwaters in the Alpine Triangle.

The Animas, Uncompahgre and the Lake Fork of the Gunnison all begin in the triangle. Add to that a countless number of small streams and lakes, and you have fly-fishing opportunities that you would be hard pressed to fish in a lifetime.

I encourage you to get a map of the Alpine Triangle and try to count all the places where you can cast your fly. I know over the last couple of years I have been doing a lot of fly-fishing just north of Silverton on the Animas and other unnamed small streams.

I’ve been finding lots of fish and very few people. I want to see it stay. I also don’t want to see any governmental body try to usurp private owners from enjoying what they have worked hard to obtain.

With Trout Unlimited, a private organization, leading the way, I think this could work.

Reach Don Oliver at durango_fishing@frontier.net.