CPW to conduct reclamation project on South Mesa Creek
MONTROSE, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologists will conduct a reclamation project on South Mesa Creek in Montrose County the week of Sept. 16. This project will apply a piscicide called rotenone to the creek along P16 road to remove non-native cutthroat trout.
The purpose of the project is to remove non-native trout to restore native Colorado River cutthroat trout within the creek. CPW crews, with assistance from the Bureau of Land Management, will conduct removal efforts of the non-native fish.
“Yellowstone cutthroat trout were historically stocked into South Mesa Creek where they reproduced with the native Colorado River cutthroat already present in the creek,” said Eric Gardunio, CPW Area Aquatic Biologist out of Montrose. “The goal of this project is to remove these hybridized cutthroat trout and restock the creek with native Colorado River cutthroat trout from a nearby drainage. These projects are critical to CPW’s goals of conserving native species, and South Mesa Creek offers a great place for our native cutthroat to thrive.”
To establish native cutthroat trout habitat in suitable streams, the removal of non-native trout is essential to prevent non-natives from hybridizing with native cutthroat trout. Successfully establishing a population requires removing all the non-native fish before native cutthroat can be stocked.
The removal of non-native fish is done with the use of the EPA-registered piscicide rotenone, an organic chemical that comes from a tropical legume (pea family) root that has been used by indigenous peoples to capture fish and has been used throughout the world for fish management projects. Rotenone only affects gill breathing animals and invertebrates when used properly. CPW, as well as other state fish and game agencies, have successfully used rotenone for more than 80 years to remove fish in controlled and targeted reaches of lakes and streams.
Members of the public may see a slight discoloration or a green tint of the water with the presence of an inert dye used to trace water flow during the use of rotenone. Access to South Mesa Creek will be temporarily restricted during the treatment.
CPW has worked on cutthroat trout restoration projects throughout the state for years. Restoration work is done to assure that native trout remain a sustainable and important part of Colorado’s natural environment. Colorado River Cutthroat Trout currently occupy approximately 11% of their historic habitat.
The treated areas will be void of fish until at least next summer when crews will get a chance to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.