CS Indy Coverage of Greenback Cutthroat

The Colorado Springs Independent‘s J. Adrian Stanley has packaged together a series of well-researched and informative articles on the Greenback Cutthroat in Bear Creek published in the Indy on October 3, 2012.  I have excerpted the beginnings of the articles below and provided links to the articles at the end of the excerpts.  

 

Fifty Shades of Green

At first glance, the story of the greenback cutthroat trout seems sadly typical.

 

Olive-gold and speckled, with a white underbelly that turns sensuous red when it’s spawning, the fish was once one in a handful of subspecies of cutthroat native to Colorado, and one of more than a dozen that swam streams, lakes and rivers across inland North America.

 

But like so many animals, from the Tasmanian wolf to the dodo, the greenback fell victim to the march of human progress — in this case mining pollution, agriculture, overfishing and takeover from nonnative trout introduced by the fishing industry. By the early 20th century, rainbow, brown and brook trout swam the waters that had once belonged to the greenback.  Continue reading “Fifty Shades of Green“

 

Back from the dead

 It took 150 years or so, but the story of the greenback cutthroat trout finally rose to the surface. Released Sept. 24, research by Jessica Lynne Metcalf and a team at the University of Colorado at Boulder has shredded the scientific community’s assumptions about the journey of the cutthroat in modern times, while likely revolutionizing conservation efforts for all sorts of endangered species.  Continue reading “Back from the dead“

 

Beer for Bear Creek

Before Pikes Peak Brewing Co. opened in May 2011, Erik Heikkenen, president of the Cheyenne Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited, strolled into the unfinished building. Hoping to marry two of his passions — beer and the threatened fish in Bear Creek — he had a proposal for owner Chris Wright: brew a special beer to raise awareness of the fish.  Continue reading “Beer for Bear Creek“

 

Long Story Short

While I’ve never fancied adding a motor to my own two-wheel adventures, I’ve generally found Colorado Springs’ off-road motorcyclists to be friendly, courteous and cognizant of others.

 

So I was initially dismayed to hear that motorcycles could soon lose access to an area of nearby forest known as Jones Park — a favorite local playground.

 

At issue is a very special fish, the greenback cutthroat trout, which swims in Jones’ Bear Creek. In fact, the greenback only swims in Bear Creek. And some environmentalists claim that motorcycle traffic there is ruining fish habitat and pushing the greenback to the brink of extinction.  Continue reading “Long Story Short“