Western Native Trout Initiative

Reconnect stream habitat in the La Garita drainage of the upper Rio Grande by replacing road culverts that have fragmented fish populations. By replacing the road culverts, approximately 5.5 miles of additional stream habitat and important over-wintering habitat will becoming available for use.

The project encompasses approximately 40 stream miles in a complex drainage that includes four major tributaries to the La Garita Creek. During the summer of 2007, all road crossings within the La Garita drainage were evaluated to determine if the culverts were barriers to fish passage. Three culverts were determined to be impediments to fish movement for both adult and juvenile salmonids. The culverts will be replaced with larger culverts that would be set on grade with streambed substrate throughout the culvert, and the culvert width would be greater than or equal to banfull width.