Finding resilience in a summer of reckoning across the Rockies and Southwest
We’ve all seen the headlines: fast growing wildfires, record low snowpack, drying reservoirs, heat waves, hoot owl restrictions, mandatory fishing closures and other worrisome conditions for our favorite coldwater critters.
But for humans, too, these challenges remain stubborn after 25+ years of drought in a lot of the West.
Across the Colorado River Basin, for example, negotiators from the seven basin states continue to try to find ways to address long-term drought and stabilize the water supply for over 40 million people and some of our nation’s most important agricultural landscapes.
“In short, we have 19th century water law, 20th century infrastructure, and 21st century flows that are about half as much as they were 100 years ago,” said Dr. Sara Porterfield, Colorado River program director and western water policy advisor at Trout Unlimited. “We’re all going to have to do our part to support this river.”
Hope for the situation depends upon whether you’re a river half empty or half full type of person.
“Well, the good news is that there are many, many smart and passionate people dedicated to the rivers of the West and the communities they support,” said Porterfield. “There are still solutions, programs and tools that we can scale up to mitigate the impacts of drought and wildfires and make the most use out of lower flows.”
Despite these challenges, optimism remains consistent across TU staff, who often labor in isolation across remote parts of the West to better our public lands and waters.
“Of course you’ve got to have hope,” said Kevin Terry, our candid Southwest director for TU. “The people of the Southwest are resilient and so are our native trout. This year we’ll see the worst of times, and we’ll use this experience to inform our work as we move forward.”
Even Kirk Deeter, who boasts the enviable title of vice president of angling at TU and lives in Colorado, has some unorthodox advice for those looking to support our native fish species out here this summer.
“If you care about trout, go catch bass this year,” said Deeter. “This is a year for trout conservation.”
With that in mind, here are some of the ways TU’s restoration programs and project managers are making a difference for native trout — and you — across the Rockies and Southwest.
Colorado River Cutthroat
Straddling the Wyoming/Utah border, the Henry’s Fork of the Green River sits near the top of the Colorado River Basin. In 2013, it was identified as a major contributor to salinity in the Colorado River, prompting Wyoming restoration program manager Hillary Walrath to spend more than a decade restoring this watershed for both native Colorado River cutthroat and the agricultural producers who rely upon it.
To accomplish this work, Walrath has built relationships with landowners, ranchers and farmers to employ strategies to reduce both water usage and salt runoff. She also helped identify habitat replacement opportunities when artificial wetlands were impacted, including diversion improvement projects that open seasonal passage barriers for native cutthroat trout.
Collectively, TU and partners have completed 17 diversion improvements, installed riparian fencing, and built a barrier to protect the entire drainage from non-native, invasive species from Flaming Gorge. We also have an additional 10+ diversions and bank stabilization projects in the hopper, as well.
“All this work is designed to improve water quality of the Colorado River and increase Colorado River cutthroat habitat around Flaming Gorge,” said Walrath. “Without this work, the already tough conditions for both landowners and fish this year would be much more acute. However, because we’ve done this work, landowners can more efficiently irrigate, trout can access critical habitat, and invasive species are being stopped from taking over the river.”
Despite these accomplishments, Walrath remains humble about the state of the Fork.
“None of this would be possible without willing landowners and partnerships with agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Wyoming Game and Fish,” said Walrath. “We’re all working together to make the most out of every drop of water for everyone to use. That’s how these projects can make a difference in dry years like these.”
Gila Trout
While we all use the same words to describe the impacts of drought and wildfire, their meanings carry different definitions based on geographic locations.
In the Gila National Forest and the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico — which are both part of the Colorado River Basin and feed water to the Safford and Phoenix Valleys — these locations often invoke the most extreme definitions.
“These are creeks and streams that you can easily jump across,” said Eric Head, Gila trout project manager at TU. “And while they are supposed to be perennial, we’re seeing them dry up entirely in sections. Coupled with the wildfire outbreaks in the area, we’ve constantly had to change our project schedules this year to accommodate the fires.”
Despite these challenges, the multi-year efforts and projects by the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Mexico Department of Wildlife, and TU in this area have not only helped to bring back native Gila trout populations wiped out by the Whitewater-Baldy Fire in 2012, but they are also making watersheds more resilient to fire, one project at a time.
“At our Little Turkey Creek project — which is in the Whitewater-Baldy Fire scar — this year’s Hummingbird Fire burned a couple of our structures, but due to years of restoration work up there, you can see where the fire stopped at our project area simply because it’s making the most of existing flows even during this extreme drought,” said Head. “More remains to be seen though as we enter monsoon season, which presents its own challenges because of how quickly water can reshape wildfire-scarred landscapes.”
Despite these challenges, there is also reason for optimism.
“One encouraging sign is that even as Gila trout populations try to weather the harsh conditions this year, we’ve actually made some progress recently on restoring infrastructure lost during the Whitewater-Baldy Fire,” said Head. “The trail to Whitewater Creek — which supports one of the strongest Gila trout populations — reopened within the past year after being inaccessible since the fire. That makes it easier for us to reach these fish and better support them moving forward.”
TU’s team, chapters and volunteers will be back in the Gila later this fall continuing work postponed by the fires. Even with a long road ahead for Gila trout recovery, every project helps to further fortify these populations against challenges in the years to come.
Apache Trout
June is the driest month of the year in Arizona, and especially for places like Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Here, TU has been working on our Thompson-Burro Restoration Project in the heart of Apache trout country for more than a year — and it’s already paying dividends.
“Just the fact that it’s green here right now tells you everything you need to know,” said Nathan Rees, Arizona state director at TU. “We installed over 200 log structures using repurposed slash from a nearby Forest Service thinning project to help slow the water down and reconnect the stream to the floodplain. Basically, this means that during the hottest times of the year, there is still water left in the wet meadow system to flow downstream. We’ve even installed multiple stream gauges across the meadow to monitor groundwater levels and quantify how much water is flowing downstream.”
The Thompson-Burro Meadow is a pivotal nexus of conservation. Not only do the streams and rivers in this area feed the Phoenix valley and Colorado River, but they are also home to the state’s native Apache trout and are part of the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest in the United States. This area is also still recovering from the impacts of the 2011 Wallow Fire, which burned the landscape and overwhelmed the river systems causing channel incision and erosion, which led to the loss of instream habitat and floodplain connectivity critical to groundwater storage and functioning riparian and wetland wildlife habitats.
“Projects like these really build upon the success of the White Mountain Apache Tribe’s efforts to support Apache Trout,” said Rees. “At the end of the day, it takes partnerships and collaboration to support our public lands and the species that rely on them.”
This collaboration led to Apache Trout being the first sportfish delisted from the Endangered Species Act in 2024. Arizona’s restoration program will continue to expand this year to other project locations in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, with even more demand around the state anticipated in the near future.
Rio Grande Cutthroat
The remoteness of Chihuahueños Creek in Northern New Mexico is only part of what makes it special. The headwaters wind through an open valley floor surrounded by heavily wooded slopes—almost the platonic ideal of a mountain valley. In addition to its natural beauty, the creek is home to a core population of Rio Grande cutthroat trout. Less than a foot wide in some places, the creek still gurgles along, flowing north to join Cañones Creek and eventually the Rio Chama. Despite its beauty, Chihuahueños is at a turning point. Erosion, sedimentation, and rising water temperatures are taking a toll. Fortunately, TU and partners have been working since 2022 to restore this special stream.
“I always tell people that if native cutthroat are thriving upstream of your community, then you have resiliency in your watershed. In short, this means that you’re receiving reliable, high-quality water and the benefits of a healthy ecosystem,” said Juliet Smith, Northern New Mexico project manager for TU. “All of the programs and projects in our headwaters directly benefit downstream users, and if you stop to think about it, that includes every single one of us.”
By installing low-tech restoration structures along four miles of creek, we’re slowing water, reconnecting the stream to its floodplain, reducing temperatures and improving trout habitat. These techniques help hold water on the landscape longer, a critical outcome for trout in dry years like this one.
“Our work here has only been possible because of the amazing Forest Service partners we have. Together, we’ve installed over 368 structures along the creek to restore ecosystem function to this important headwater stream.”
These hand-built structures aren’t meant to last forever, but to jumpstart natural processes, moving sediment and wood to create better habitat and floodplain connection.
“This summer we installed more structures with help from Rocky Mountain Youth Corps and Anabranch Solutions,” says Juliet. “I’m excited to see how the stream responds, and it’s my hope that this work will help keep water in the stream, even in drier years like this when it might otherwise dry up.”
The work on Chihuahueños Creek is part of Trout Unlimited’s broader mission to protect and restore headwater streams across New Mexico. Seeing the creek slowly come back to life is inspiring. Projects like this — supported by state investments like the River Stewardship Program — show how targeted restoration in small, remote creeks can ripple outward to benefit entire watersheds and the future of Rio Grande cutthroat trout.
What’s Next?
It’s hard to tell what will happen in the coming months, but slivers of optimism continue to appear from potentially strong El Nino forecasts that could bring needed moisture to both watersheds. That said, one strong winter is not enough to replenish either of these systems after decades of drought.
Luckily TU will continue to work to keep the rivers and fish as healthy as possible.
“We need a sustained, collaborative and multi-year restoration effort to support both rivers. It’s bigger than one person, state or season,” said Porterfield. “That said, we know that solutions like these can make a difference, and we need to scale them up as quickly as possible.”