After the genetically pure Greenback Cutthroat Trout was found above a waterfall in Bear Creek, Colorado Parks and Wildlife quickly worked to secure this fish, and to propagate it in its native basin, the South Platte River Basin.  Projects have included several smaller stream areas where the Greenback has been reintroduced to its basin.  Currently the largest project yet, over 30 miles of stream reintroduction, is in the works.  This is a multi-agency effort, involves the Wild and Scenic Poudre River, and in the effort to restore a fish, the ironic path of eliminating other fish and possibly using dynamite to further change a stream are part of the plan.  Are these too much or are they simply what is needed to bend the path of the Greenback back to its true headwaters.  This episode explores fish biology, Wild and Scenic River regulations, modern river recreation, and genetic diversity.  

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Rocky Mountain National Park

Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee National Grasslands

Wild and Scenic Rivers:  Cache La Poudre River

American Whitewater

Poudre River

South Platte River Basin

Cameron Peak Fire

Greenback Cutthroat Trout

THE RIVER RADIUS

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