At 45, Fry-Ark not so golden

Drew Peternell, director of the Trout Unlimited Colorado Water Project, called for a programmatic environmental impact statement on the Fry-Ark Project to look at how it has changed over the years.

http://www.chieftain.com/metro/1180771084/1

Concerns for the future of the project are weighed down by the need for water for growth.

By CHRIS WOODKA THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

A congressional hearing Friday began with a film of President John F. Kennedy at Dutch Clark Stadium on a hot August day in 1962, heralding the cooperative spirit of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project.

The hearing ended in a less cooperative spirit after a morning that proved the testimony of one witness who said Colorado water is a geographic, rather than political concern.

“To make life better for some of the people is to make life better for all of the people,” Kennedy said, outlining the benefits of the project for the farms and cities of the Arkansas Valley in his riveting speech.

The words drew applause from a crowd 45 years later as a field hearing of the water and power subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee opened at Pueblo Community College.

“This is our future,” said committee chairwoman Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif. “It was just as evident and true then as it is today.”

Napolitano said the hearing in Pueblo is the second she has held - the first was last year in Pomona, Calif. - to assess the water needs of Western states. About 150 people attended the 3-hour event.

People from Leadville, the Lower Arkansas Valley, Colorado Springs, Aurora and Pueblo came to hear public statements on rating the success of the Fry-Ark Project.

The hearing took on shades of partisanship, more from a geographic standpoint than by political parties, as described by Wally Stealey, former president of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, who told the committee water is a geographic issue.

Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., promoted his version of a Fryingpan-Arkansas bill through his statements and questions of witnesses throughout the hearing, making no bones about his defense of agriculture and small communities.

“I believe it is immoral for large cities to rob small towns for the sake of growth,” said Salazar, who represents Pueblo, the San Luis Valley and the Western Slope. “To add insult to injury, the Bureau of Reclamation has not made the case that it can contract with entities outside the basin.”

Holding a golden frying pan, he told the story of John Singletary, chairman of the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, who helped his parents sell the pans to promote the project in the 1950s.

“John Singletary didn’t help his parents sell golden frying pans so the water could be sold out of the Arkansas Valley,” Salazar said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Doug Lamborn, the lone Republican on the committee, was equally vigorous in promoting the interests of Colorado Springs, which he represents. He is sponsoring competing legislation that adheres to past intergovernmental agreements for the Preferred Storage Options Plan.

At one point Lamborn labeled the negotiations over PSOP as being stalled by “a few obstructionists” and promoted the view that the Fry-Ark Project should focus on future growth.

“The old adage of build it and they will come no longer applies to Colorado. They’ll come anyway,” Lamborn said.

Rep. Ed Perlmutter, Salazar’s Democratic colleague, disagreed with Salazar’s view that the Fry-Ark Project originally was intended primarily to benefit agriculture. Perlmutter, who represents Aurora and other growing areas in the Denver suburbs, focused on Kennedy’s statement that Fry-Ark was an “investment in the growth of the West.”

“I believe there is a real opportunity to find a compromise. I would love to see a solution,” Perlmutter said.

Finally, Democratic Senate Candidate Mark Udall gave a nod to Western Slope interests in the Fry-Ark Project, but generally took the high road in his comments and questions.

“Nothing is more important to us in the West - it is our lifeblood - than water,” Udall said.

Testimony followed lines of self-interest as well, as most of the 11 witnesses struggled to conform to guidelines that allowed only five minutes of testimony.

Jay Winner, general manager of the Lower Ark district, drew spontaneous applause for his testimony lamenting the decline of agriculture and the increasing burden of small communities in dealing with water quality as the Fry-Ark Project has aged.

Colorado Springs has worked for its own benefit, rather than with Fry-Ark partners and Aurora has “bullied its way into the valley,” Winner said.

The exchanges of the cities have hurt water quality, he said.

“When we talk about water quality, here’s a good example of what has happened,” Winner said, holding up jars of muddy water from the Lower Arkansas Valley and clean water from mountain lakes. “They bought this (the dirty) water and took this (the clean water). . . . I’m told over and over (by the cities) it’s too expensive to clean up the water, so the burden falls on the Lower Arkansas Valley.”

Mayors Lionel Rivera of Colorado Springs and Ed Tauer of Aurora urged the congressional delegation to look to the future and needs of growth, rather than dwelling on the past. Both emphasized their significant financial contribution to repayment of the project - Colorado Springs through taxes, Aurora through contracts.

“For all the rhetoric and misinformation that has been spread about our city, the truth is that Colorado Springs has historically sought to avoid relying on the transfer of agricultural water rights to provide a water supply for the city,” Rivera said.

Napolitano took Rivera to task, asking why the city has not dedicated more effort to reusing its supply.

Rivera responded that the city reuses 13 percent of its water supply for public landscapes and power plants and touted the city’s conservation efforts, sewage and stormwater control.

Tauer described the Fry-Ark Project as a “series of pipes, pumps and buckets that allow people to move water and defended Aurora’s right to contract with Reclamation for excess-capacity space. He praised intergovernmental agreements Aurora has made in the valley to attempt to address ill effects of water transfers.

“Aurora will continue to cooperate with all involved entities to promote the Bureau’s goals of maximum utilization of existing infrastructure,” Tauer said.

Napolitano asked Tauer if Aurora isn’t creating a situation in the Arkansas basin similar to the Owens Valley in California, which was dried up by Los Angeles. Tauer said the IGAs prevent Aurora from taking more water from the valley.

Bill Long, president of the Southeastern District, said the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit is the most important piece of the Fry-Ark Project that has yet to be developed.

The conduit was part of the 1962 legislation, but never built because communities could never afford it.

“If we don’t get the conduit, the project will ultimately be used to move water out of the valley,” Long said.

Terry Scanga, executive director of the Upper Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, said the project has changed over the years, providing water for the growth of a recreation industry and new growth in the upper end of the river.

Pueblo District Attorney Bill Thiebaut said the major new challenge of the project is water quality.

“The quality can change as fast as the use,” Thiebaut said.

Drew Peternell, director of the Trout Unlimited Colorado Water Project, called for a programmatic environmental impact statement on the Fry-Ark Project to look at how it has changed over the years.

Chris Treese, manager of external affairs for the Colorado River Conservation District, said the original Fry-Ark Project was intended to market water to an oil shale industry that has not materialized. He asked Congress to look at the repayment plan for Ruedi Reservoir to avoid higher lease rates in the future as interest piles up.

Sandy White, a lawyer representing The Pueblo Chieftain and other valley water interests, challenged Reclamation’s authority to enter contracts with Aurora, saying Aurora circumvents state law with federal contracts.

“The Bureau essentially is on an adventure of its own,” White said.

Mike Ryan, Great Plains regional director for the Bureau of Reclamation, defended contract policies, saying the Fry-Ark Project is not harmed by the bureau’s actions.

Stealey, however, disagreed.

“The biggest danger we’ve got is diminishing the taxpayers’ role in the Fry-Ark Project by diluting the stock,” Stealey said. “When does it quit becoming the Bureau of Urban Development? Some of us are very angry.”

Hearing to look at Fry-Ark impacts

Congressional subcommittee meets today at Pueblo Community College.

Scheduled to testify at the hearing are: Drew Peternell, Boulder, director of the Colorado Trout Unlimited Colorado Water Project.

http://www.chieftain.com/metro/1180683495/2

A congressional subcommittee will meet today in Pueblo to review the 45-year history of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project.

The water and power subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif., will meet at 9 a.m. today in the Pueblo Community College Ballroom to look at the project that brought water from the Colorado River basin into the Arkansas River basin.

Two members of the subcommittee, Reps. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., and Mark Udall, D-Colo., will attend today’s hearing. Reps. John Salazar and Rep. Ed Perlmutter, both Colorado Democrats, also plan to be at the hearing.

The hearing is not intended to debate current legislation regarding the Fry-Ark Project, although most of the speakers intend to discuss projects of concern to them, such as the need for more storage, the Arkansas Valley Conduit and the Southern Delivery System.

In Congress, there are competing water storage bills.

Salazar’s Fryingpan-Arkansas legislation would authorize a $10 million state study of the impacts of Arkansas basin water transfers, as well as a $4 million feasibility study that would include looking at enlargement of Lake Pueblo.

Lamborn is sponsoring a different version of the bill, nearly identical to former Rep. Joel Hefley’s failed version of a PSOP bill in 2004. It would authorize the $4 million study along the lines of PSOP.

A fundamental difference in the two bills is the authority of the Bureau of Reclamation to enter contracts with out-of-basin entities such as Aurora. Salazar’s bill specifically prohibits such contracts, while Lamborn’s specifically allows them.

The public will not be given an opportunity to testify, but may observe.

Scheduled to testify at the hearing are:

Bill Long, president, Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District.

Mike Ryan, Great Plains regional director for the Bureau of Reclamation.

Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

Lionel Rivera, mayor of Colorado Springs.

Terry Scanga, general manager, Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District.

Bill Thiebaut, Pueblo district attorney.

Jay Winner, general manager, Lower Arkansas Water Conservancy District.

Sandy White, La Veta water lawyer.

Ed Tauer, mayor of Aurora.

Drew Peternell, Boulder, director of the Colorado Trout Unlimited Colorado Water Project.

Chris Treese, external affairs manager of the Colorado River Conservation District.

Wally Stealey, rancher and former president, Southeastern district.

Snake River cleanup plan eyed; possible treatment

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20070530/NEWS/105300061

SUMMIT COUNTY - State and federal water quality experts will take a close look at the polluted water leaking from the abandoned Pennsylvania Mine into Peru Creek this summer, eying designs for a treatment plant that could remove some of the toxic heavy metals.

Zinc and cadmium oozing from the mine taint the creek all the way to its confluence with the Snake River and beyond - creating a dead zone, where trout don't survive for long. The collaborative Snake River Task Force has been working for years to develop a cleanup plan for the drainage, and will meet today for an update.

The biggest question marks include what sort of technology is best suited for the remote site, how to fund construction and operation, and how to deal with potential Clean Water Act liability of taking action, said Summit County environmental planner Brian Lorch.

Along with treating the water coming out of the mine, state experts will also try to determine other ways of improving water quality in Peru Creek and the Snake River, maybe by moving some of mine waste material or re-routing surface flows away from the polluted tailings piles.

Similar tactics were used at the Shoe Basin Mine last summer, where the county completed a remediation project that will reduce the amount of zinc reaching the water.

Snake River cleanup plans have started to look more promising since Trout Unlimited, a cold-water fisheries conservation group, took a lead role in the process. Fresh from a model mine cleanup in Utah, the organization hopes to bring a similar approach to table for Peru Creek.

Along with site-specific projects, the task force will also get an update on a watershed approach to stream health in the Snake River Basin, as well as the potential for re-evaluating water quality standards in the basin.

The task force meetings are the best way for citizens in the Snake River Basin to find out the latest on the status of the cleanup plans.

Information is also available at http://instaar.colorado.edu/SRWTF/.

STATE WATER BOARD DIRECTOR ANNOUNCES INTENT TO RETIRE

May 24, 2007 Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) Director, Rod Kuharich, announced his intent to retire from state service on June 30, 2007.  The announcement was made on the first day of the Board’s bi-monthly meeting, which was held in Montrose, CO.  The CWCB is the State agency responsible for developing, conserving and managing Colorado’s water resources.  It is run by a 15-member Board.

Rod Kuharich was appointed as director to the Colorado Water Conservation Board in November 2000.  Among a myriad of important state projects, during his tenure, Kuharich worked hard to protect the CWCB Construction Fund, which provides low interest loans to water users throughout the State and to promote the Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI) Study.  He devoted considerable time to interstate compact issues, which included forming a Colorado River Compact unit to help ensure Colorado is prepared to protect its interests in the Colorado River.  Mr. Kuharich also worked to protect Colorado’s interests in the Arkansas River.  In addition, he also presided over the evolution of instream flow water rights, including recreational in-channel diversions (RICDs).  Prior to taking this position, he spent 24 years working for the Colorado Springs Utilities in Resource Planning and Development.

Department of Natural Resources Director, Harris Sherman, an ex-officio member of the Board, thanked Mr. Kuharich for his years of service and his many accomplishments.  Sherman noted: “The state government is in a period of significant transition and we look forward to the opportunity to identify new leaders to help guide us into the future.” 

Mr. Sherman then discussed his intent to appoint CWCB Deputy Director, Dan McAuliffe, as acting Director until a new director is appointed.  Dan McAuliffe has been the Deputy Director since 1999, and prior to that he served as DNR Assistant Director under Governor Romer.

State of river ‘fairly good’

“Scott Linn, president of the Headwaters Chapter of Colorado Trout Unlimited, said Trout Unlimited fully encourages that the EIS for both firming projects not be finalized until the county’s stream management plan is complete.”

http://www.grandcountynews.com/mondaydailytribune/mondaydailytribunestories.html#news1

This year’s snowpack is similar to last year — slightly below average and melting quickly, according to last week’s State of the River meeting in Granby, presented by the Colorado River District.

But compared to other watersheds in the state, the northern Colorado River basin is having a fairly good year, with reservoirs such as Green Mountain Reservoir, located near Kremmling, expected to fill by early July, and Wolford Reservoir, located just north of Kremmling, “spilling probably right now,” said Colorado River District Water Resources Engineer Don Meyer, who spoke at the meeting.

In fact, many reservoirs are expected to fill this spring. The South Platte River Basin, Denver Water’s primary water supply, is doing better than it has in at least 10 years, according to Marc Waage of Denver Water, who said the South Platte collection system is expected to fill soon. On the west side of the Continental Divide, Denver Water’s Williams Reservoir is 88-percent full, and Dillon Reservoir is 95-percent full, he added.

Gross Reservoir and Ralston Reservoir, two reservoirs off the Fraser System Operation on the east side of the mountains, are expected to fill “easily,” Waage said, which lessens the amount of water taken from the Fraser River this spring.

“We’re already limiting the amount of water we’re getting through the Moffat Tunnel,” Waage said. It is hoped that the extra spring runoff will help flush out some of the sediment that has been building along the Fraser River.

The only reservoir not expected to fill this year is Granby Reservoir. Asked if Granby would ever fill again, one official said, “It goes in cycles . . . We haven’t seen it (fill) in a while, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.”

While Tuesdays’ meeting was generally more positive than say, during a drought year, numerous graphs shown that night depicted an alarming trend: Less snowpack and quicker runoffs. This past winter’s snowpack was less than last year’s, and warmer temperatures were causing snowmelt to be about a week ahead of schedule.

Alan Martellaro of the Division of Water Resources said last winter was “decent” compared to 2002 and 2004. Lake Irene, located in Rocky Mountain National Park, was said to have below average snowpack, tracking close to last year’s, and its snowmelt progression was about a week and a half ahead of schedule in runoff.

Berthoud summit’s snowpack was a little less than the previous winter (although two winters ago it was slightly above average). Runoff was “a little ahead of schedule.”

Things are certainly different in the lower part of the basin, Martellaro added. In fact, the more south one goes in the state of Colorado, the worse it gets, due to the warm temperatures this spring and a below-average snowfall this past winter. Heavy demands are expected on Green Mountain Reservoir, for example, due to Western Colorado needs this year.

Updates on projects

A packed room of various water and environmental representatives and concerned citizens listened carefully as updates were given on the two upcoming firming projects.

One is the Windy Gap Firming Project, a project to “firm up” water rights that belong to the Municipal Subdistrict of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (Northern). The subdistrict currently stores its water at Windy Gap, but due to insufficient storage space, it loses out on some of its water rights. A plan to build a new reservoir near Carter Lake on the Front Range would allow for more storage, and for the subdistrict to have access to 30,000 acre feet of water to be diverted to users on the Front Range.

A draft Environmental Impact Study (EIS) is to be completed sometime this fall by the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). (The Windy Gap Firming Project would tie into the federally owned and managed Colorado-Big Thompson Project, therefore Reclamation is the lead agency on the EIS for this project.)

The draft EIS will give a chance for the public to respond and give feedback. Designs for the project, if approved, could start in 2012 or 2013.

Grand County representatives are concerned that the Windy Gap Firming Project will take more water out of the Colorado River and cause more shortages on the already-strained stretch below Windy Gap.

Last fall that concern became a major reality when Reclamation dropped its flows to 20 cubic feet per second (cfs) and Denver Water stopped releasing out of Williams Fork Reservoir; that combination caused flows to reach dangerously low levels, and ranchers were forced to stop irrigating their crops for fear of drying out the river completely.

Grand County commissioners are currently undertaking a stream management plan to study all the shortages and water rights in Grand County, and find a way for entities — mainly Northern, Denver Water and Reclamation — to work together so that everyone can have water without drying out sections of the river.

The plan incorporates a scientific approach by measuring and monitoring various sections of the Colorado River, the Fraser River, Vasquez Creek and other tributaries. The plan is currently going into its second phase, and is expected to be completed sometime in 2008.

Unfortunately for Grand County, the draft EIS for the Windy Gap Firming Project will most likely be completed before the stream management plan, even though many representatives of the county feel the stream management plan is an important component and should be incorporated into the EIS.

One resident in the audience asked if Northern would support and incorporate Grand County’s stream management plan into its EIS before it’s completed.

“I don’t know what the timing will be,” said Don Carlson, Northern’s deputy general manager. “ . . . Guess it would depend on what’s in it. We’re working with (the county). I think it’s a good idea they’re doing that. (But) we are obligated to our participants, so it would depend on how it would affect operations.”

The Moffat Firming Project, a project to develop 18,000 acre-feet of water per year for users in the Front Range, is also a major concern among Grand County citizens. The firming project would allow for more water to be taken from the Fraser River’s collection system during high-flow (spring) conditions. Many feel the health of the Fraser River, listed as the third most endangered river in the U.S., will further deteriorate if the firming project is approved. A draft EIS by the U.S. Corps of Engineers is expected to be completed early next year.

Population growth, a trend in warmer temperatures and a harsh reality check in 2002 — a drought year — are the driving forces behind the two firming projects proposed by Northern and Denver Water; if both projects are approved, the combined effect will most likely be devastating on Grand County’s already dwindling water supply. That is why many hope the Grand County Stream Management Plan will be taken into consideration in both projects.

Scott Linn, president of the Headwaters Chapter of Colorado Trout Unlimited, said Trout Unlimited fully encourages that the EIS for both firming projects not be finalized until the county’s stream management plan is complete.

“Trout Unlimited implores that the environmental impact statements not come out until the stream management plan is completed,” Linn said. “Fishing below Windy Gap is still very bad . . . the fish are suffering from low flows . . . Without coordinated bypass flows, otherwise known as a stream management plan, our river is going to die a slow choking death.”

Other updates

Linn added, however, that he was happy to hear about the temperature monitoring below Windy Gap, a section of the river prone to low flows, sedimentation and high temperatures. The Colorado River District installed 10 temperature gauges up and down a section of the Colorado River below Windy Gap. The gauges will give data on temperatures on real-time basis.

The county still faces major challenges, however, such as low flows on the Fraser River, and not enough water below Windy Gap to flush out the growing amount of sediment, Linn said.

Carlson gave some updates on local concerns such as Whirling Disease, a parasitic infection caused by a microscopic parasite that causes fish to swim in circles and eventually die, is essentially obsolete in the Windy Gap Reservoir.

Carlson also spoke about the draw down on Shadow Mountain Reservoir, which he said will “hopefully help water quality problems.” He added that it is being monitored closely in the next couple of years to see how successful it will be.

Tuesday’s State of the River meeting, an annual meeting put on by the Colorado River District, was generally positive this year. Two strong winters are helping replenish some badly needed water supplies, and various local projects — such as restoration projects along the river by Trout Unlimited, and a major watershed project led by Carolyn Schott — are making some positive headway toward maintaining the health of local fisheries and rivers.

But nobody in the room that night was lulled into a false sense of security. The threats to Grand County’s water supply are very real, and things are bound to start heating up once the draft EIS is completed for the Windy Gap Firming Project, expected this spring. Grand County commissioners are also pushing for the county’s stream management plan to be taken into consideration by all entities and held a meeting the following Thursday with representatives of Northern, Reclamation and Denver Water.

A story about that meeting will be printed in this week’s Manifest.

Check Out Mo Henry's 3rd Annual Loco Appreciation Day and TU Fundraiser

Aspinall Operation Meeting

I attended the Aspinall Operations Meeting held here in Grand Junction on April 26^th.  The purpose of operation meetings-- held in January, April, and August-- is to gather input for determining upcoming operations for Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal Reservoirs. This input is used in Reclamation’s development of specific operations for the Aspinall Unit.  Operation of the Aspinall Unit considers projected inflows to its reservoirs, hydropower needs, flood control needs, existing water rights, minimum instream flows, target elevations for reservoirs, flow needs for endangered fish and other resources, recreation, and other factors. In addition, the meetings are used to coordinate activities and exchange information among agencies, water users, and other interested parties concerning the Gunnison River.  Dan Kowalski of the CDOW had a flow request to conduct his annual fish survey in the Gorge the first week of April.  The Gunnison Basin snow pack is only 57% of average and dropping so the runoff could be minimal.  Flows through the Black Canyon will continue to be around 500 cfs until later in June unless the basin receives significant moisture.  No peak flow will occur under the current forecast. 

~ Pat Oglesby

State of the River Meeting Tuesday night - 5/15

Streamflow conditions and reservoir operations in Grand County will be the leading subjects at the annual Grand County State of the River meeting set for 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 15, at Granby Town Hall.   The public meeting is sponsored by the Colorado River District, which includes Grand among its 15 member counties. Grand County Commissioner James Newberry sits on the Colorado River District Board of Directors.At the meeting, the Bureau of Reclamation will update operations of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT). The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD), the Front Range beneficiary of the C-BT, will discuss its operations. The Municipal Subdistrict of the NCWCD will provide updates on the Windy Gap Project and plans to firm up its yield from the project. Denver Water will discuss it Moffat Tunnel Project and its plans to firm up the project’s yield. An official from the State Engineer’s Office will talk about water administrative issues in the county. Also, county officials will address the goals behind a proposed streamflow management plan for the Colorado River, a plan that found new urgency during low river flows last Labor Day Weekend.

Additional updates will be given for the state of the trout fishery in Grand County and on watershed planning in the county.  For more information, call Jim Pokrandt at (970) 945-8522, ext. 236, or e-mail edinfo@crwcd.org. To learn more about the Colorado River District, celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2007, visit www.ColoradoRiverDistrict.org.

Cutthroat losing out to lake trout in Yellowstone

By MIKE STARKOf The (Billings) Gazette Staff

Native Yellowstone cutthroat trout are losing their fight for survival in the heart of Yellowstone National Park.

Non-native lake trout patrolling Yellowstone Lake are eating so deeply into the population that biologists last year found just 471 cutthroats at a spot where there were more than 70,000 in the 1970s.

The downward spiral has been particularly noticeable at that spot - Clear Creek on the eastern edge of Yellowstone Lake - over the last several years. After biologists counted 6,613 cutthroats in 2002, the number dropped to 3,432 in 2003, 1,438 in 2004, 917 in 2005 and 471 last spring, according to numbers released Wednesday.

They are the lowest numbers since record keeping began in 1945.

"We're deeply concerned," said Todd Koel, Yellowstone's chief fisheries biologist, "but we're working hard and trying to hold the line."

Last year, a record number of lake trout, more than 60,000, were caught and killed in Yellowstone Lake by Park Service crews. Since 1998, about 198,000 of the non-native trout have been removed.

Those efforts, which cost around $400,000 a year, are scheduled to continue this summer.

It is hoped that the work will give enough of an edge for the cutthroat to start rebounding, Koel said.

"That's what we're looking for," Koel said.

Yellowstone cutthroat are an important fish in the West both culturally and ecologically. Some 40 other species, including grizzly bears, bald eagles and otters, feed on the cutthroat.

Though drought and whirling disease have played a role, much of the cutthroat's decline has been attributed to lake trout, a predatory fish that can consume 50 to 60 smaller cutthroats each year.

Park officials have said the lake trout have reduced the cutthroat population to a fraction of what it once was. One of the best ways to gauge the damage is by counting fish that spawn in the lake's tributaries.

Some of the most significant dropoffs have been at Bridge Creek on the western edge of the lake. Seven years ago, 2,300 cutthroats were counted there. In 2005, none were found, and a counting station wasn't set up in 2006.

Crews also spent eight weeks visiting nine streams looking for cutthroats. They found just 27 fish and only twice saw signs that bears were looking for food there.

It's possible that parts of the Yellowstone River drainage above the lake may provide a reservoir of healthy cutthroat trout, Koel said. So far, that area appears to be free from whirling disease, though more work needs to be done to assess those populations.

"That hopefully will be part of the system that holds the line," Koel said.

Though Yellowstone cutthroat are struggling to survive in and around Yellowstone Lake - long one of the population's strongholds - the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declined last year to put the species on the federal endangered species list.

The fish, named for the reddish slash under its jaw, still survives in about 6,300 miles of streams in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and smaller portions of Utah and Nevada, the agency said. Despite threats in some areas, there's no evidence that the overall population will go extinct in the next 20 to 30 years, the agency said.

Some environmental groups, though, have said the federal government is underestimating the magnitude of the threats facing the fish.

Contact Mike Stark at mstark@billingsgazette.com or 657-1232

ANTERO RESERVOIR OPENING JULY 17

Park County fishing expected to be top notch this season The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) and the Denver Water Board (DWB) announce the anticipated re-opening of Antero Reservoir.  Anglers will be able to fish starting at 9:00 AM, Tuesday, July 17, 2007.  Anglers should also be aware of special trout bag limits for Antero.

Fishing regulations:

• Bag and possession limits for trout is 4; only 1 can be over 16” long.

Antero Reservoir rules:

• Can be found at the Denver Water Board site at: http://www.water.denver.co.gov/

In addition to the opening of Antero Reservoir, there is a new channel of the south fork of the South Platte that will be open on the DWB property.  This water can be fished using artificial fly and lures only and all trout must be returned to the water immediately.

After closing in 2002, Antero was re-stocked with brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout, cutthroat trout, and splake in 2006.

“We are very confident that anglers will have a great experience at Antero,” said Jeff Spohn, Aquatic Biologist with DOW. “It is, however, a limited capacity site, so anyone looking for prime Colorado fishing should also consider the many other waters we manage in South Park.”

Park County is home to many other great sites for trophy-caliber fishing.  If you can’t make it into Antero, please dip your line at one of these excellent fisheries:

Elevenmile Reservoir Elevenmile Reservoir should remain full through 2007.  Rainbow and brown trout fishing success should be good.  Pike fishing will be fair through the summer and steadily increase in September and October.  Anglers are encouraged to harvest all northern pike caught at Elevenmile Reservoir.  Both summer and fall kokanee fishing will be good, with a much improved snagging season over the last few years; these fish will range from 15-23 inches this fall.  Both the north and south boat ramps are operational.

Jefferson Lake Ice cover usually does not recede from Jefferson Lake until the last week of May or the first week of June.  Jefferson Lake will continue to be an outstanding catchable rainbow trout fishery, with the occasional holdover rainbow or brook trout to mix things up a little.  Small lake trout in the 12-18 inch range can be caught from shore all summer long and shore fishing for large lake trout is best at ice out and in the fall.

Montgomery Reservoir Rainbow trout fishing will remain good at Montgomery Reservoir.  Brook trout and brown trout fishing will remain fair to slow.  This is an excellent place for families to fish.  Please remember that fishing is prohibited on the south side of the reservoir and from the west face of the dam.  Also, fishing is prohibited Dec. 1-May 31.

Spinney Mountain Reservoir Opening day at Spinney should fall near the middle of April, depending on weather.  Rainbow trout fishing will be great.  Brown trout fishing will remain spotty. Northern pike fishing will remain good for smaller pike and slow for larger pike.  Anglers are encouraged to harvest all northern pike caught at Spinney Mountain Reservoir.  Keep in mind that this is an early projection but, the north boat ramp should be in operation for opening day.

Tarryall Reservoir Rainbow trout fishing will remain good with plenty of action to keep the family interested.  Anglers are catching rainbows and snake river cutthroat trout in the 11-16 inch size range with an occasional large brown trout.  Northern pike catch rates are increasing and so is the size structure.  Anglers are encouraged to harvest all northern pike caught at Tarryall Reservoir.

South Platte River – Deckers Fishing will remain decent for large and small rainbow as well as brown trout when the river is running clear.  Best bet for success is above Horse Creek.  In 2007, 15,000 5” rainbows and 15,000 4” browns will be planted from Scraggy View to the Wigwam Club.  Additionally, 4,500 10” rainbows will be planted from Scraggy View to the North Fork Confluence.  Cheesman Canyon will continue to fish exceptionally well, but is starting to see some sediment impacts from the Schoonover Fire.  Crowding will continue to be an issue, especially on the weekends.

South Platte River – Elevenmile Canyon Contrary to popular belief, the lower canyon has just as many fish as the upper reach.  Anglers might not catch as many 18-20 inch trout in the lower canyon, but they will also have less competition for the same water.  Flows in the canyon are dependent upon water calls from Spinney Mountain Reservoir because Elevenmile Reservoir is full and the spillway is on operation.  With that taken into consideration, expect modest water temperatures this summer because 50% of the water will be drawn from the bottom of Elevenmile Reservoir.

South Platte River – Dream Stream Expect to see large spawning rainbows from Elevenmile Reservoir to stay in the South Platte from mid-March through the middle of April.  Later in the year, large resident brown and rainbow trout will be abundant but hard to catch.  Expect to catch numerous smaller rainbows and browns throughout the year. We can also expect to see a large run of kokanee and brown trout this fall from Elevenmile Reservoir.  A 700-foot fishing closure will be enforced again this year below County Road 59 from September 15th – December 31st for a kokanee spawning operation.

Other Recommended Places to Fish in South Park:

• Fairplay Beach:  Stocked with catchable rainbows, great for kids.

• Teter-Michigan SWA:  Good brown trout population.

• Knight-Imler SWA: Good brown and rainbow trout population.
• Alma SWA:  Excellent brook trout population with an occasional brown trout, great for kids.
• Jefferson Creek below Jefferson Lake:  Excellent brook and brown trout population in beaver ponds, great for kids.

For more information on fishing at Antero, contact Joe Sloan at the Denver Water Board at 303-628-6320.  For other Park County fishing, contact the Division of Wildlife at 303-291-7227.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife is the state agency responsible for managing wildlife and its habitat, as well as providing wildlife related recreation. The Division is funded through hunting and fishing license fees, federal grants and Colorado Lottery proceeds through Great Outdoors Colorado.

For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.

S. Colorado Greenback Chapter 509