Ever Fish Lees Ferry?

Or anywhere on the Colorado for that matter?  If you have every fished Lees Ferry or the Colorado River downstream, the National Park Service is currently drafting its Glen Canyon Dam Long Term Experimental and Management Environmental Impact Statement.

Over the past few years, the Park Service has been working more and more to restore native species wherever possible.  In the Colorado River, this means trying to reverse the decline of the humpback chub to the detriment of the rainbow and brown trout in this amazing fishery.  Unfortunately, the problem with using means to remove the trout is that it completely ignores the fact that the Colorado River is an environment forever altered by Glen Canyon Dam. These fish would be struggling regardless of whether or not trout are in the river, because they are not used to the water chemistry and temperature now constantly flowing through the Grand Canyon.

As the EIS is being formulated, the public is encouraged to send in comments to help shape the document.  I have already sent in mine, obviously in support of the wild trout.  If Glen Canyon Dam was going to be removed, then I would not have a problem with managing the river for native species.  However, the fish that are flourishing are perfectly adapted to the new conditions.  Killing all the wild fish won't alter the fact that they are best suited to the cold clean water now flowing through the Canyon.

If you have ever enjoyed fishing or hope to fish Lees Ferry or the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon someday, I hope you will take a minute to send in your comments on this to the NPS.  Just let them know that you care about wild trout and that the environment is the problem for the native species, not the trout.