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<br />Valleeito Reservoir (San Juan Basin): The Division's kcikanee salmon spawning operation suffered a <br />major blow earlier in August due to a fish kill at Vallecito Reservoir. The kill, affecting only kokanee <br />was due to a variety of conditions perpetuated by the ongoing drought conditions in Southwest Colorado. <br />This is the first instance of a mass fish kill in the history ofVa/leeito Reservoir. The ongoing drought in <br />Sonthu/f:..:t rn!nr!:tl,{n ~nrl' "n"f;n111"0' pffp".t~ fT-nm bd C!lImrnpr'C! Mic::<::;nn'.:tr\l "Rirl'up firp. Jprl' tn pytrp:mp: <br />~ - n____. _~~ ________ _._ --~.-A.--.O _A~____ ____~4 ._~ __A__._~ _ .'_.-_~_A_-J ....--0- A___ ___ __ .",________ <br />reservoir draw down, warmer than normal water temperatures and lower than normal dissolved oxygen <br />content of the water. The conditions have been hard on bodies of water throughout the region. A fish kill <br />was also recently reported at Lower Four-mile Lakena high mountain lake home to cutthroat trout <br /> <br />La Plata River (San Juan Basin): In July the La Plata River near the stateline was completely <br />dewatered and an important component of the native fish community was nearly lost. This came as a <br />result of a "futile call" determination by the Division 7 Water Engineer, allowing an upstream irrigation <br />diversion to dry up the river several miles north of the state line. With much help from the Southern Ute <br />Tribe, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the DOW hatchery section, ninety four roundtail chubs were <br />salvaged from private property in the heart of the best roundtail chub habitat remaining in the La Plata <br />River. Thirty of the smaller chubs were transported upstream to the Long Hollow Creek confluence with <br />the La Plata River and released. The remaining 64 juveniles and adult roundtail chubs were taken to the <br />Alamosa Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility to supplement development of a San Juan basin <br />roundtail chub brood stock. Several thousand assorted speckled dace, juvenile bluehead suckers, and <br />juvenile flannelmouth suckers were also salvaged and transported upstream to the Long Hollow Creek <br />confluence, where they were released. <br /> <br />TERRESTRIAL <br /> <br />With Colorado elk populations at near record numbers and deer herds stable or rebounding in most <br />areas, the 2003 Colorado hunt promises to be a great year. According to John Ellenberger, the Division's <br />big game coordinator, there are plenty of elk and deer in most areas and we had very good over-winter <br />survival although our fawn/doe ratios are down in some areas. The low fawn/doe ratios are likely related <br />to the drougbt-stress forage conditions. The drought is a major cause of a widespread sagebrush die-off <br />in the San Luis Valley, a wide area from Pagosa Springs west to the Utab border, and the deer-rich area <br />near Nucla in western Colorado (Colorado Outdoors, September/October 2003). <br /> <br />Turkey hunting is expected to improve this fall. Although populations are still recovering from the <br />effects of the drought, fall turkey hunting throughout most of the state in 2003 should be vastly improved <br />over 2002 according to Division officials. The exception is in the extreme southwest portion of the state, <br />such as Dolores, Montezuma, Archuleta, and La Plata counties, where drought conditions still prevail. <br />The 2003 fall turkey season takes place from Sept. I through Oct. 5. There are unlimited fall licenses <br />available. <br /> <br />2 <br />