The first time I fished the headwaters of The Colorado River was in my early teens and looking back the experience probably had more to do with my current interest in fly-fishing than I might give it credit for. I remember fishing the headwaters during a caddis hatch with an experienced dry fly fisherman; the outing was my first real introduction in how to properly and effectively fish dry flies. For whatever reason I haven’t been back since but I can still remember the stream to a certain degree, good pocket water, riffles and runs teaming with colorful native trout willingly taking flies.
Currently, proposals are on the table to take up to 80% of the Colorado’s water. But please keep in mind that currently 60% of the water is already permanently removed, diverted and shipped across the Rocky Mountains and Front Range. The current proposal is to expand The Moffat Tunnel and Windy Gap operations, leaving about 20% of The Colorado to flow downstream. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is Denver is the second most populous city in the Mountain West and South West and The Colorado River is the primary river and significant water source of The American South West. The water has to come from somewhere.
The problem is that low flows, high water temperatures, algae and sediment are all major problems in the Upper Colorado and Fraser Rivers. By diverting more water, even lower flows could create for a situation in which water levels and temperatures are lethal to trout and insect populations.
I believe it is our duty as anglers to act responsibly and realistically in a case such as this. Ideally, Denver and The Front Range would manage their water supply better and no such diversion would be necessary. But most people have no idea that watering their lawn in excess or having a water gun fight might be detrimental or devastating to native trout populations. Education is of the utmost importance, as anglers should be talking conservation not so much with each other but with members of the much more populous non-angling community.
The other key to helping the streams in jeopardy is stream improvement and habitat enhancement. Despite low flows, the fish and insects can survive with our help. Deepening holes and providing streamside vegetation allows the water temperature to remain at temperatures conducive to harboring trout and aquatic insects. Furthermore, better relationships with landowners must be undertaken to ensure that both agricultural needs are met while allowing the stream to function in natural manner.
But most importantly I believe it is critically important to be realistic concerning conservation efforts. Standing in front of the bulldozer solves nothing, but learning why the bulldozer is needed allows us to think more critically and discover solutions to sustain both modern day life and our fisheries. Denver is not going anywhere and with planning, education and stream/habitat improvement neither will the trout.
To learn more check out: www.defendthecolorado.org
Also, check out “Defend The Colorado” on Facebook.
Tight Lines,
Tyler Bowman
The Flyfisher Group
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