Hermosa Creek Restoration

Starting in 1992, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has worked to restore the Colorado River Cutthroat to Hermosa Creek and the East Fork of Hermosa Creek watershed. This effort is one of the largest native cutthroat trout restoration projects in Colorado and is critical for a fish that has been reduced to occupying less than 15 percent of its original range.

The project is a cooperative effort of Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service and Trout Unlimited, with Five Rivers TU having provided over $15,000 to date. Work will continue in 2019-2020 on riparian and habitat restoration thanks in large part to a $5,000 grant from Patagonia® as well as the on-going support of our membership and generous donors. Patagonia® has been a supporter of Trout Unlimited for many years and this award is an example that our mission is sound.

As part of the restoration project, three barriers have been constructed which will prevent non-native fish from migrating upstream. Once completed, the 23+ miles of contiguous native-cutthroat-only water will be the largest such stretch of Colorado River cutthroat habitat in the state.

The significance of this project is that it helps restore our native cutthroat to a large, complex watershed, subsequently making the fish less susceptible to disease and to natural events like fires and mudslides.

It’s important to note that all fishing in the native cutthroat restored reaches is catch-and-release and by fly and lure only.

Hermosa Creek Watershed

The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection legislation, passed in December 2014 and was the result of a non-partisan, grassroots, movement that began in 2006. The goal was to find a balanced approach to protecting a vital part of wilderness in southwest Colorado.

The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection legislation created both the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area and the adjacent Hermosa Creek Wilderness. The bill protected 108,000 acres of land surrounding Hermosa Creek, including nearly 38,000 acres of new wilderness that provides crucial habitat for elk, deer, and cutthroat trout.

Hermosa Creek - Cutthroat Interpretive Signage Update

In partnership with the Forest Service, 5RTU recently place two signs to help educate anglers and others about cutthroat fishing on Hermosa Creek! You can find these signs at the Harris Ranch overlook and the Hermosa Park area. Awesome work!

Hermosa Creek Work - Oct 2021

San Juan National Forest completed work on Hermosa Creek last week, see the details below!

--------------------------------------------------------

USDA Forest Service - San Juan National Forest NEWS RELEASE:

A project to remove material buildup below a concrete fish barrier will begin next week on Hermosa Creek. Trail users on the upper end of the Hermosa Creek Trail may experience a brief delay on Monday, Sept. 27 as forest managers walk a mini-excavator down the Hermosa Creek Trail for a 1/3 mile stretch and again when the mini-excavator is walked back down the trail at the end of the project, likely on Sept. 29 or Sept. 30.

The #SanJuanNF is working to protect 23 miles of native Colorado River cutthroat trout habitat in the Upper Hermosa Creek Drainage. The barrier was placed in the stream in 2017 to prevent encroachment of non-native fish species that outcompete native fish for food and habitat. The material buildup below the barrier has created deep pools that make it more likely a non-native fish could pass the barrier and travel upstream.

This project is being undertaken as part of the Hermosa Creek Special Management Plan and supports the Hermosa Creek Colorado River cutthroat trout reintroduction program. As a result of this 30-year project, a conservation population of cutthroat trout has been established in the Upper Hermosa Watershed where anglers can now catch and release native cutthroat trout, many exceeding 12 inches in length.

FULL NEWS RELEASE