Deerfly Diaries

Colorado Snowpack below average: Low snowfall can affect fisheries and angling in the summer months

Below average snowpack in Colorado's mountain basins

Colorado's snowpack is currently at 79 to 90% percent of average for this time of the year. There is still time to catch up, but the fact is that a low snow pack can spell trouble for months to come, affecting agriculture, fish and wildlife, recreation and tourism.

Endangered species program affects local fishing economy in Colorado

 Yesterday representatives from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation addressed the Basalt, Colorado town government to make it clear that the endangered species program trumps local fishing concerns. 

Members of the Basalt governments and local fly fishing shops are concerned because fishing in the Fryingpan River was compromised last summer, mostly in the month of August, when high water flows resulted in cancellation of booked fishing trips. Apparently, there were 23 days between June 1 and Sept. 1 when water flows on the Fryingpan River exceeded 350 cubic feet per second.

The high flows came after the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service practiced its right to make a call on water, for which they have a contract, to supplement flows in the Colorado River to protect fish habitat near Palisade, Colorado. The endangered species of concern include the pikeminnow, razorback sucker, humpback chub and bonytail chub.

Western water rights are complicated

There are several factors that affect flows in the Colorado River, including water calls made upstream by the Shoshone Power Plant, front range water use, agricultural water use, releases from Reudi Reservoir and weather factors. Last year, was an unusually low flow in the Colorado, which resulted in an additional call on the water from Reudi Reservoir, above the Fryingpan River for the endangered fish recovery program.

Ultimately, however, the goal to save the rare fish in the Colorado the Endangered Species Act takes precedent over local economic concerns surrounding angling in the Fryingpan River.

Additional resources:

See the full article in yesterday's Aspen Times.

Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)

Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program

Roaring Fork Conservancy

Taylor Creek Fly Shops

Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle warns of the devastation to our oceans

On Sunday evening I was lucky to get a seat at a sold-out lecture presented by world renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle.  The lecture was hosted by the Roaring Fork Cultural Council at the Thunder River Theater in Carbondale, Colorado.

Dr. Earle is currently Expolorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society and was formerly the Chief Scientist at NOAA.  She has impressively led more than 70 marine expeditions, logged over 6,500 hours underwater and she hold the worlds record for the deepest untethered walk on the ocean floor at a depth of 1,250 feet below the ocean surface.

Her "Deepness", Dr. Earle illustrated the devastation to our oceans and explained why it matters to humanity.  I've listened to a lot of scientists speak over the years, and the talk on Sunday was exceptional to say the least. Albeit, the information Sylvia presented was very scary and real, her passion and dedication to the oceans was undeniable.

Some key points from her lecture:

• We are consuming species from the top of the ocean's food chain at an alarming rate.  Tuna, mackerel, swordfish, shark, etc. take many, many years to grow and cannot be replaced at the rate at which we are removing them from the oceans.  It can be compared to eating lions, tigers, polar bears and other animals from the top of our food chain.
• There are currently over 400 dead zones in the oceans, none of which existed 50 years ago.  The dead zones do not support life because they are deplete in oxygen from high levels of contaminates like fertilizers and pesticides that are dumped into the oceans.
• Over half the coral reefs in the ocean are dead.  The good news is that half are still alive and can be saved if we act now.
• Sylvia has not gone on a single deep sea dive to any depth without seeing plastics that were dumped into the ocean.
• The oceans are the life support system of our atmosphere. They control CO2 cycling, precipitation and wind currents.  Healthy oceans keep our planet healthy.

Dr. Sylvia Earle asserted how much is still unknown about our oceans and how important it is to keep studying them.  Earle was the recipient of the the prestigious TED Award in February 2009. Recipients of the TED Award are granted a wish, which they must present in 18 minutes.  The below video is Earle presenting her wish to the public.

Sue Melus is the owner of Melus Outdoors, LLC, a public relations and communications firm that specializes in resource conservation, hunting, fishing and shooting.  Contact Sue to see how she can help you.

Dead alligator found in ditch near Hotchkiss, CO

We are blessed in Colorado to have lots of elk, deer, game birds and fish, but this is the first time I've heard of an alligator being found around here.  

A bike rider found the dead animal about four miles northeast of Hotchkiss, Colorado.  It is believed that someone released it when it was still alive, but it was not able to survive in the Colorado climate.

"Animals from different parts of the country or the world can carry diseases that could devastate native wildlife species," said Doug Homan, a district wildlife manager in Hotchkiss. "An invasive species also could be a predator that Colorado wildlife cannot defend themselves against."    

The Colorado Division of Wildlife is investigating the situation and is looking for any additional information.

Images of spring in Carbondale, Colorado

The recent snowfall has blanketed the slopes in fresh white sheets, but there is no denying that spring is in the air.  Take a walk and it fills your senses.  Go closer to the local calving pastures and it fills one sense more than the others. 

Here are some images I captured over the last week.  Enjoy.

Prior to the snowfall, it seemed like summer was just around the corner.

A red-winged blackbird finds a meal in the cattails.

The muskrat takes a morning swim.

Mountain bluebirds flock in the hawthorn trees.

Wild turkeys scavenge for insects and seeds in the duff.

A Canada goose flushes from the snowy brush.

Snow Geese Move Through Colorado

Last week my friend Gary, a long time local of Carbondale, Colorado, spotted a snow goose flying through the area.  The geese are moving through the state right now as part of the Western Central Flyway population, but it is uncommon to see the birds in Carbondale.

Snow geese are considered the most abundant goose in the world, according to the Colorado Division of Wildlife.  Hundreds of thousands of the large, white birds move through eastern Colorado during their spring migration from their winter range in southeastern Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, the Texas panhandle and northern Mexico.  The geese are heading back to their summer nesting grounds in the northern Canadian Arctic. 

Lamar, Colorado celebrates the migration of the Lesser snow goose February 19-22 with the High Plains Snow Goose Festival.
 
In recent years, hunting regulations have been relaxed in an effort to thin the flocks because the large population of snow geese has negatively effected the fragile arctic tundra where the flocks summer. 

New Carbondale Recreation Center is a Solar Powerhouse

Our little sleepy town of Carbondale is quickly growing with people and amenities.  One of which is the new Rec Center that went in right across from my office at Backbone Media. 

Beside being a great facility that includes a full size gym, cardio machines, weights, and a huge climbing wall, the new center also sports a large photovoltaic system to power the facility.  288 solar panels and nine inverters power the lights and the appliances in the center.  The state-of-the-art system was installed by Sol Energy, led by industry pioneer Ken Olsen.

The Sol Energy PV system produces 77,760 kilowatt hours of energy per year and prevents 128,304 pounds of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere per year.  That's the equivalent to removing 4,139 cars from the road for one day.  You can read a little more about it in an article in the Aspen Times.

Additional green features of the rec center include water use reduction systems, water efficient landscaping, and efficient lighting systems.  The building has received LEED certification for these efforts.

Oh, and the spinning classes are great!