Two popular nonnative fish species will be poisoned along miles of rivers near the boundary of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Rocky Mountain National Park to make way for Colorado's state fish: the greenback cutthroat trout.
Rotenone, a pesticide that kills fish, is being applied to about 4 miles of creeks in the area, including La Poudre Pass Creek downstream to the inlet of Long Draw Reservoir, according to a news release. That process was expected to run Aug. 25-31, according to the release.
The pesticide will remove 500 to 2,000 nonnative Colorado River cutthroat trout and brook trout in the stretch, according to Kara Van Hoose, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson.
The removal of the nonnative fish is the first step toward restoring native greenback cutthroat trout to the headwaters of the Cache la Poudre River. The greenback cutthroat trout is listed as federally threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Van Hoose said reintroducing native greenback cutthroat trout is still a "few years away from the reintroduction phase."
Rotenone is an Environmental Protection Agency-approved organic compound for the purpose of killing fish that works quickly, breaks down rapidly in the environment and does not persist in the environment, according to the news release. The pesticide does not harm other species that use the creeks or that eat the carcasses of fish.
All treated water flowing out of the treatment area will be detoxified with potassium permanganate, an oxidizing chemical that is commonly used in drinking water treatment.
The restoration project will force the temporary closure of sections of trails and campgrounds in the area during the project. Among those are parts of the Baker Gulch and Baker Pass trails in the Arapaho National Forest, portions of the Grand Ditch system and Colorado River Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park and Grandview Campground and some designated dispersed campsites near Grandview Campground at Long Draw.
Signs and placards will be posted at access points.
Closure maps can be found here.
The Poudre Headwaters Project is a collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Rocky Mountain National Park, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Colorado Trout Unlimited and Rocky Mountain Flycasters Trout Unlimited.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado killing nonnative trout to recover greenback cutthroat trout
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