On July 28, 2020 over 700 native Greenback Cutthroats were released into the East Fork of Roaring Creek, representing the first population restored in Poudre Canyon tributary since the Greenback species was rediscovered in 2012.

The effort looked a little different this time around due to mandatory social distancing requirements. 43 volunteers and 15 agency staff (CPW & USFS) managed a series of staggered start times, social distancing, groups of less than 10 people each, and a much more strenuous trek to complete the 1st stocking of Greenbacks into new habitat on an important Poudre River tributary was a success. Thanks to all of the volunteers and agency partners, the effort was a huge success!

This project is adjacent to a much larger effort called the Poudre Headwaters Projects (PHP) that is planned to be the largest Greenback Cutthroat recovery project in the history of Colorado. The goal is to restore these native fish back into a part of their historic range on the upper Poudre - including 40 miles of small streams and Long Draw Reservoir. The PHP will create a “metapopulation” of Greenback Cutthroats that will be able to survive future impacts of climate change and catastrophic events.

A big thank you goes out to the volunteers who took time out of their week to help these fish return home!

To learn more about this effort, please check out the Poudre Headwaters Project page.

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