Note to Editors: High resolution photos available upon request.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently removed the obsolete Chipeta Dam on the North Fork of the Gunnison near Hotchkiss, Colorado, to provide fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.
Learn more about fish passage for native fishes, and to rehabilitate the riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian habitat immediately above and below the dam. Removal of the dam also contributes to the safety of recreational users by opening the waterway.
The Chipeta Dam was built in the1950s to divert water into the Chipeta unit of the Hotchkiss National Fish Hatchery. The Chipeta unit was destroyed by a massive landslide in 1981, but the 175-foot concrete dam was not removed at that time.
Elsie Winne, Development Director for the North Fork River Improvement Association, will accept an award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, D.C. this week. The award recognizes the Associations partnership contributions in the successful removal of the Chipeta Dam. The Association coordinated partnership efforts with the Colorado Water Protection Fund, Wildlife Forever, Trout Unlimited, the Conservation Alliance, the Paonia Kayak Club, and local landowners and businesses. The Scenic Mesa Ranch donated large boulders and willow and cottonwood plantings, and local groups volunteered project design and tree plantings.
