This year, after over 6 years of planning, work began on a protective barrier on the Clear Fork of East Muddy Creek northwest of Paonia in Gunnison County where approximately 13 miles of green lineage Colorado River Cutthroat Trout (CRCT) habitat will be restored. As with many native fish restoration projects, this will be done in two phases. Phase 1 includes the installation of the fish barrier and will result in establishment of a downstream barrier to isolate the native trout population which will allow CRCT to re-establish in the main stem of Clear Fork of Muddy Creek. Phase 2 includes a chemical and mechanical removal of introduced brook trout above the barrier and monitoring for barrier success and cutthroat repopulation. With the goal to increase the overall cutthroat population and to restore inter-connectivity of smaller tributaries, this project will be a catalyst to surrounding cutthroat projects allowing subsequent stocking out of Clear Fork and into adjacent watersheds.

In the early 2000’s brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were inadvertently stocked into the Clear Fork of Muddy Creek. The presence of brook trout in the system has severely impacted the distribution and survival of the native cutthroat. Currently, Colorado River Cutthroat Trout (CRCT) only persist in the upper reaches of the watershed, protected by natural barriers.