CPW, volunteers help restore rainbow trout population in Cameron Peak fire area
Kara Van Hoose
Aug 31, 2023
CPW, volunteers help restore rainbow trout population in Cameron Peak fire area in Larimer County
POUDRE CANYON, Colo – Colorado Parks and Wildlife is restoring trout populations devastated by the Cameron Peak fire and subsequent debris flows by stocking more than 130,000 fingerlings into the Poudre River. CPW aquatic biologists and volunteers from Rocky Mountain Flycasters Trout Unlimited released the two-inch trout across a 25-mile stretch of the Poudre on Aug. 23.
In 2020, the Cameron Peak fire burned more than 200,000 acres in northern Colorado and ripped through the Poudre Canyon. With much of the landscape stripped of vegetation, a major debris flow the following year flooded the river with sediment and devastated fish populations.
“We conducted our standardized sampling in the fall of 2021 and did not see a single fish for 20 miles downstream of the debris flow,” said Kyle Battige, CPW Northeast Region Senior Aquatic Biologist. “It was a huge blow to the trout species in this area.”
In 2022, CPW launched a rebuilding effort in order to take advantage of an aquatic reset and to boost the rainbow trout population with intensive stocking efforts. These stocking efforts have focused on Gunnison River rainbow trout from the Black Canyon, which are resistant to whirling disease. All of the rainbows stocked during the effort were spawned and reared by CPW’s Glenwood Springs State Fish Hatchery. Brown trout are expected to repopulate the area naturally over the next few years.
“CPW wants to turn this into a positive situation by specifically targeting the rainbow trout population and helping bring more balance to their numbers in the Poudre Canyon,” said Battige.
More than 20 volunteers from Rocky Mountain Flycasters Trout Unlimited gathered to assist in the stocking efforts.
“Our partnerships play an important role in conservation and growth of fish populations. We couldn’t do it without them,” said Battige.
“Rocky Mountain Flycasters truly values its partnership with CPW, and this project is a perfect example of what we can accomplish together. I can't imagine a better win-win outcome for both organizations,” said Scott Baily, Rocky Mountain Flycasters Conservation Chair.
CPW is committed to rebuilding this important fishery. Biologists will continue to monitor the health of the trout population through field surveys and continue stocking efforts as needed.
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PHOTO CUTLINES:
Left: A volunteer with Rocky Mountain Flycasters Trout Unlimited gently fills water into a bucket with hundreds of rainbow trout fingerlings, releasing them into the Poudre River.
Right: A CPW Hatchery Technician places rainbow trout into a bucket ready to be stocked. The larger-sized fish give the species a better chance at survival in the area devastated by the Cameron Peak fire.
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.