In the Tarryall headwaters, Colorado TU is partnering with the US Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and a local ranch owner on a program to restore greenback cutthroat trout in a connected “metapopulation” spanning Rock Creek and its tributary Black Canyon.

The innovative project includes both eradication of whirling disease from the lower watershed and restoration of native trout throughout the reach. It includes installation of two removable barriers that can isolate and protect habitat while non-native fish and whirling disease are removed, and then reconnect the stream thereafter. A permanent barrier will be placed at the bottom of the project reach, near the Lost Park Road. The end result will be more than 8 miles of connected quality habitat for Colorado’s rarest trout.

The first removable barrier has been installed on Rock Creek (in 2017); in 2018, we will be installing the second barrier (on Black Canyon) and completing design for the final, permanent barrier at the downstream end of the project reach.  In 2019, funding allowing, we will complete construction of that bottom-most barrier.  Fish will be restocked into the stream once barriers are in place and whirling disease has been successfully eliminated (the WD parasite will die out over an estimated 3 years or so if it has no trout available as hosts – a process that has already begun for portions of Rock Creek). TU and its partners are securing multiple grants for this project, but some private match is needed to access those grant funds. The largest funding need will be for the final design and construction of the permanent barrier – we anticipate costs for that work to run approximately $200,000. Support from basin + bend will thus help the project not only directly, but by helping us leverage those large pots of grant funding as well.