West Denver TU is active in the restoration of Colorado’s native cutthroat trout. The greenback cutthroat, Colorado's state fish, is a cutthroat trout subspecies (Oncorhynchus clarkii stomias) native to drainages east of the Continental Divide, including the South Platte River, which includes Clear Creek. This beautiful fish has been reduced to less than an estimated 1% of its historical range and is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The following video details the discovery in 2012 (based upon DNA analyses) that a genetically pure strain of transplanted greenback cutthroats is surviving in Bear Creek near Colorado Springs (Arkansas River drainage). This research indicates that past efforts to restore greenback cutthroat to its historical waters may have actually involved other cutthroat subspecies, such as Colorado River and Rio Grande cutthroats.

WDTU is closely following these developments and is heavily involved in efforts to restore native cutthroats, including in our backyard waters of Clear Creek. More information can be found at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Cutthroat Trout page.