Who says fish don't make good hiking buddies?
In a multi-agency effort, 10 staffers and 40 volunteers from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), U.S. Forest Service, and Colorado Trout Unlimited loaded up their backpacks and started hiking toward the restoration of some of the state's native species.
The federally threatened greenback cutthroat trout was once widely found in parts of the state. Twice believed to be extinct, possibly the only remaining native population was found in Bear Creek near Colorado Springs in 2012. Fish from that population were used to hatch more of the trout, which are now part of the restocking effort across the state.
The July 28 restocking trip to a tributary that feeds the Poudre River saw volunteers hike around nine miles, gaining 1,200 to 2,400 vertical feet of elevation, with backpacks filled with 12 to 15 fish each. It was quite a feat that will help the state gain more traction in its already successful restoration efforts.
"Colorado Trout Unlimited is a proud partner in the campaign to protect and restore our native trout,” said Dan Omasta, grassroots coordinator for Colorado Trout Unlimited, in a statement. “This stocking project is another great example of how anglers and local communities can work together to save a threatened species. We had over 40 volunteers that traveled from as far as Eagle, Colo., and Wyoming to carry fish over nine miles into the backcountry on a rainy afternoon. The passion and dedication of our community is what drives an optimistic future for the greenback cutthroat trout.”
The greenbacks were bred, hatched, and raised to 5 inches in length (an ideal size for restocking) over about a year at the Mt. Shavano Hatchery out of Salida. The stream they were released in was first identified a few years ago, and a lot of work was done to ensure that the fish would survive once they were transplanted. A key to survival is the lack of any other fish, protecting the greenbacks from predation and disease.
“This location is protected by a series of natural waterfall barriers, upwards of 20-feet, that ensures the reach we stocked will not be invaded by non-native fish downstream,” said Kyle Battige, aquatic biologist with CPW. "“Today is one of those exciting instances of getting a new population established."
Crews get fish prepared to take a hike. Courtesy of CPW.
Crews will stock additional greenbacks into the same location each summer for the next two years as they look to establish the population. They will follow up with surveys to see how the fish are doing and aquatic biologists will look for signs of natural reproduction and new greenbacks hatching in the stream in 3 to 4 years.
As part of reintroduction efforts, greenbacks have previously been stocked into Herman Gulch, Dry Gulch, and Zimmerman Lake—all within the South Platte River drainage. The original Bear Creek population still exists, as well.
“We are trying to replicate and perpetuate this resource across the landscape, by getting greenbacks into more water bodies within the South Platte River basin,” said Battige.
