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Bringing back the upper Animas
Seven years after the Gold King spill, a $90 million settlement agreement sets the watershed on the course for recovery In August 2015, three million gallons of mining waste flooded out of the Gold King Mine and into the Animas River near Silverton. But the real damage to wild trout fisheries had been done long…
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What’s your vote for America’s ‘national fish?’
The author's choice? The smallmouth bass. USFWS photo. It’s a silly question, but it’s fun. And it’s Friday. If you were to vote for a national fish, what would it be? The brook trout currently holds the title of most revered freshwater “state fish” with nine states—including Michigan, Pennsylvani and New York—making it their choice.…
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Go higher to beat the heat and catch wild trout
Brook trout are wild in many western high-country streams. When water temperatures start to rise in the summer, most of us know to stop fishing. And if you didn't know before, you do now. Rivers across Colorado have voluntary closures and hoot owl restrictions have been in place in Montana for most of the summer.…
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What to do if we can’t fish?
Native Colorado River cutthroat trout. Kara Armano photo. Luckily, I've still been able to fish. Thanks to living over 8,000 feet and having plenty of high mountain streams and lakes, I have lots of options. At least so far. I recently went to beat the heat that was nearing triple digits to a new-to-me high…
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The cult of the invasive fish
Growing up in the Denver suburbs, one of my favorite childhood haunts was a public park a short bike ride from home. It sported the sketchy jungle gym with the sharp, rusty edges, the little spring loaded ridable critters that, with enough momentum, could send a small child into orbit, and a small lake that…
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Drawn to Wyoming’s native cutthroats
Heidi Lewis with the Bonneville/Bear River cutthroat she used for the Wyoming Cutt-Slam. McKenzie Carlisle photo By Heidi Lewis Five years ago, I had no idea what a cutt-slam was. After many adventures with family and friends, I’ve now completed slams in two states. The first time I heard about a slam, I was in…
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Unwrapping genetic gifts that tell meaningful stories of trout
Lately I’ve been ruminating about why I love genetics, a wonky field of numbers and theory where a true understanding of results only happens long after the field season — in an office, on a computer at that. Every time I get new genetic results it’s like receiving a surprise gift. So many processes — all this history we can’t see — shape the genes of all organisms, including fish. The genetic patterns we uncover, then, tell us real and important things about the conservation needs of these fish. …
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