{"id":93092,"date":"2019-07-04T21:15:17","date_gmt":"2019-07-04T21:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/is-the-animas-river-still-a-gold-medal-fishery\/"},"modified":"2019-07-04T21:15:17","modified_gmt":"2019-07-04T21:15:17","slug":"is-the-animas-river-still-a-gold-medal-fishery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/is-the-animas-river-still-a-gold-medal-fishery\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Animas River still a Gold Medal fishery?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Kyle
Kyle Hartley, top, and Andy McKinley fish the Gold Medal stretch of the Animas River in 2015. Four miles of the Animas River \u2013 from the confluence of Lightner Creek to the Purple Cliffs by Home Depot \u2013 gained Gold Medal status in 1996.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

With the recent die-off of fish in the Animas River, is the waterway\u2019s Gold Medal designation still a fair way to market it to anglers looking for a premier fishing experience?<\/p>\n

Colorado has more than 300 miles of streams with Gold Medal status, which is intended to highlight the state\u2019s rivers and creeks that provide outstanding fishing opportunities.<\/p>\n

To qualify, a waterway must meet two criteria: have a minimum of 60 pounds of trout per acre and at least 12 trout measuring 14 inches or longer.<\/p>\n

In 1996, a 4-mile stretch of the Animas River from the confluence of Lightner Creek down to the Purple Cliffs by Home Depot gained the Gold Medal tag and, ever since, has been marketed as a premier destination for fishing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s certainly big for us,\u201d said Cole Glenn, manager at San Juan Anglers. \u201cTo be able to market the Gold Medal status \u2026 is pretty key for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in recent years, the Animas River has struggled to live up to the standards required for Gold Medal recognition.<\/p>\n

\"Matt
Matt Arias brings in a rainbow trout in 2006 while fly-fishing in the Gold Medal stretch of the Animas River, while Shane Voss pilots the boat. Runoff from the 416 Fire burn scar in 2018 killed most of the fish in the river downstream of Hermosa Creek, but aquatic biologists are hopeful the river can return to healthy status in coming years.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The water quality issues in the Animas are complex, said Jim White, an aquatic biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife based in Durango.<\/p>\n

A combination of factors \u2013 heavy metals leeching from abandoned mines in the Animas headwaters around Silverton, above-average water temperatures, sediment loading and urban runoff \u2013 have had a detrimental impact on aquatic life.<\/p>\n

As a result, fish in the Animas River are unable to naturally reproduce, and the waterway must rely on annual stocking of rainbow and brown trout by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.<\/p>\n

In 2014, the Animas River started showing signs it was not meeting Gold Medal criteria, when a fish survey found a disappearance of large, quality-size trout in the stretch.<\/p>\n

It was thought aquatic life would take a devastating hit from the Gold King Mine spill in 2015, which sent an estimated 3 million gallons of mine wastewater down the Animas River. Ultimately, however, subsequent studies showed the tainted waters had no effect on fish.<\/p>\n

But in 2018, \u201ceverything went to hell,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n

\"Andy
Andy McKinley fly-fishes on the Gold Medal section of the Animas River in Durango in 2015. This year\u2019s high runoff should help aquatic life in the long run.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Fish and other aquatic life were already stressed from low flows and high water temperatures when torrential rains in July 2018 hit the burn scar of the 416 Fire, sending a torrent of black mud and ash down the Animas River, which killed most of the fish in the waterway downstream of Hermosa Creek.<\/p>\n

White said it may take up to four years to again meet Gold Medal standards in the Animas as the river recovers. Still, there\u2019s been no discussion about delisting the impaired waterway, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Rio Grande,\u201d White used as an example, \u201chas not met the Gold Medal designation for years, but it\u2019s improving.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, there\u2019s only been one stretch of river that\u2019s been stripped of its Gold Medal status, an act that would come from CPW\u2019s Wildlife Commission.<\/p>\n

In 2016, a 19-mile stretch of the Blue River, north of Silverthorne, lost the designation after wildlife officials decided the fish habitat was too impaired to justify it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt became time,\u201d said Jon Ewert, a CPW aquatic biologist for the region. \u201cIt\u2019s really a truth in advertising issue \u2026 but the main reason is it didn\u2019t meet the criteria, and to maintain integrity of that designation, we couldn\u2019t in good conscience keep having it on there. For locals who know that reach of river intimately, it became a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Andy
Andy McKinley fly-fishes on the Gold Medal section of the Animas River in Durango in 2015. The Environmental Protection Agency says mine cleanup in the Silverton area should reduce metal levels in the Animas.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Blue River has a whole list of its own issues that differ from the Animas. The water in that particular stretch, which is released from Dillon Dam, lacks proper nutrients, which stunts fish growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could have maintained Gold Medal criteria by dumping a bunch of hatchery fish in there, but that\u2019s not the intention of the designation,\u201d Ewert said.<\/p>\n

Chris Refakis, a guide with Cutthroat Anglers in Silverthorne, said business took a little bit of a dip after the delisting. But, because there are so many options for fishing in the area, many of which are Gold Medal, tourism is going strong.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do some marketing for the Gold Medal,\u201d he said, \u201cbut mostly in town where it\u2019s still listed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ewert said the move served as a wakeup call to the community that water quality problems in the Blue River could no longer be ignored. Now, there\u2019s a stakeholder group that is making progress to address these issues, and it\u2019s not impossible it could regain the Gold Medal listing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s certainly within reach,\u201d Ewert said.<\/p>\n

The Animas River is different.<\/p>\n

Mike Japhet worked for CPW for more than 30 years in Durango and was instrumental in securing Gold Medal status for the Animas all those years ago.<\/p>\n

At the time, the Animas showed promising signs of providing good habitat for trout to grow large in size, with some registering more than 14 inches. But, it was more popular back in the day to keep and eat their bounty.<\/p>\n

As an experiment, the river was divided into two sections, one in which anglers could keep their catch, and another where it was required to put fish back in the river.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had the best of both worlds happening,\u201d Japhet said. \u201cThe river showed potential it could support big fish and led to the idea that, if we manage it right, we could meet Gold Medal standards.\u201d<\/p>\n

After getting local water districts and the community on board, the section from Lightner Creek to Purple Cliffs made it through the Wildlife Commission. But now, it\u2019s not people taking fish out of the Animas that\u2019s impairing populations, it\u2019s far more complicated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure today if it was looked at, it would be questionable the criteria would be met,\u201d Japhet said. \u201cBut there\u2019s still a reluctance to rescind it, I think, because everyone is hopeful it could be restored.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Brown
Brown and rainbow trout typically inhabit the Gold Medal stretch of the Animas River. Runoff from the 416 Fire burn scar in 2018 killed most of the fish in the river downstream of Hermosa Creek.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Indeed, Scott Roberts, an aquatic biologist with Mountain Studies Institute, has said it generally takes one to 10 years for a watershed to recover after a wildfire, but because only a small percentage of the 416 Fire burned at high intensity, he expects the timeline for recovery to be on the short end.<\/p>\n

And, many wildlife officials, like Japhet and White, are hopeful the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s Superfund cleanup of mines around Silverton will help with metal contamination issues. EPA spokeswoman Cynthia Peterson said the work in the Bonita Peak Mining District will reduce the frequency of elevated metals in the Animas River, as well as the pulses of metals the agency suspects are being released from the mines.<\/p>\n

White said this year\u2019s high runoff will do wonders for aquatic life in the long run. He said wildlife officials plan to stock the Animas this summer and early fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey should have good growing conditions,\u201d he said. \u201cMother Nature is really resetting the Animas this year for the better. It\u2019s very good for setting those habitat conditions for years down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glenn, with San Juan Anglers, said in the meantime, there\u2019s plenty of fishing opportunities around Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just explaining the situation to people,\u201d he said. \u201cBut a lot of people come to Durango because they\u2019ve heard about the Animas and how good it is, so we\u2019re hoping it comes back to its former glory.\u201d<\/p>\n

jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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