I should have been focused on the brown trout dancing on the end of my line or the crisp tinge in the air or the smile on my brother's face as he watched the fish work me.

But I kept looking up to where a road was being cut into the hillside. The annoying sound of an excavator pushing boulders down the slope drew my attention like the scene of an accident: I didn't want to look, but I couldn't help it.

Later, as I sat on the bank watching my father-in-law wade his beloved Provo, I took some time to delve deeper into why the development was bothering me so much.

As growth in Utah continues to carpet the state like cheat grass, more and more of my favorite places are visible from someone's kitchen window.

Development is affecting wildlife and wild places across the state, but there are some groups doing what they can to preserve niches.

Next week the Stonefly Society of the Wasatch and Cache Anglers, both local chapters of Trout Unlimited (TU), will present $10,750 to the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to help with possible land acquisitions and conservation easements along the Weber River below Echo Reservoir.

The Blue Ribbon Advisory Council has targeted the Weber as a place where something can be done to maintain a healthy river and possibly create more angling access. Wendy Fisher, executive director of Utah Open Lands, is working with the landowners and the DWR to work out conservation easements and public access on the Weber.

Applying matching federal and state grants, the money the TU groups contribute could be quadrupled, depending on how it is used. The money came from the successful Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Expo the groups held last May. The second annual event will be May 1-3 in Sandy. Money raised from the second expo will be used in a similar manner.

Blue Ribbon Advisory Council members say this is the largest donation they have received from a nonprofit group and they commend Stonefly and Cache Anglers for "putting their money where their mouth is."

I guess that mantra was part of why I feel it was ultimately appropriate that my attention was a little distracted last week on the Provo. Mind you, I'm not going to let my mind wander every time I hook into a fish, but it was good, at least this one time, to realize the thrill of the catch and the chill of development are connected.

If that isn't enough to motivate anglers of all disciplines to get involved in conservation efforts, then everything that fishing is about is in jeopardy.

brettp@sltrib.com