Tippets: Colorado Compromise, Severe Storms and Striped Bass, Dams Diminish Insect Populations, Animas River Brook Trout Removed

August 24, 2016 By: Erin Block

  • In Colorado, a plan to divert more water from the Fraser river through the Moffat Tunnel and to the Denver metro Front Range is controversial. While a 2014 compromise between Grand County and Denver Water is being hailed as proof that the state can meet future water needs without destroying ecosystems, “Environmentalists say taking more water will bring the Fraser river’s ecosystem to the ‘brink of collapse.’” Via High Country News.
  • Researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science are studying the impact of severe storms on striped bass populations. “These events happen naturally, but having them occur more frequently may have a bigger impact on the fish,” said the study’s lead author Helen Bailey. “If you get more frequent storms during the year, it is possible you could interrupt their breeding and feeding in ways that impact their population.” Via Phys.org.
  • Research shows the decline of aquatic insects downstream from some hydroelectric dams is linked to hydropeaking, when river flows are increased during the day due to increased electricity demands. Alternative flows might help mitigate the impact, say researchers. Via USGS.
  • In effort to reclaim habitat for native cutthroat trout, brook trout are being removed from stretches of the Animas River. David Neeley reports on work being done by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service via KOB.