Gallery

-

 

Welcome to the gallery section of my blog. Here you will find some fascinating images I have captured during my Colorado outings. I hope you enjoy the images and short stories as much as I do.

Curecanti National Recreation Area

In May of 2019, I traveled approximately 4 hours southwest of Colorado Springs to the Curecanti National Recreational Area for a weekend getaway. The weather was still pretty cold but the views were quite beautiful. No luck for us fishing here due to high winds, which can be very common in Colorado.

The Curecanti National Recreational area is part of the Gunnison River Basin. The basin includes the Gunnison River, North Fork of the Gunnison River, and the Uncompahgre River. These rivers and their tributaries have created amazing river canyons.

South Platte River


The South Platte River has been a popular fly fishing spot for decades, earning the Gold Medal Waters status by the Colorado Wildlife Commission (CWC). This image is from the river near Hartsel, Colorado, right before it joins Lake George - no fish were caught this day.

This area of the river is part of the South Platte River Basin. The South Platte Basin covers a large portion of Northern Colorado, which includes 7 of the state’s top 10 agricultural counties as well as major urban cities (such as Denver).





11 Mile State Park


October 4th, 2020. My second visit to 11 Mile State Park Reservoir and I caught my very 1st Northern Pike! Not only was it my 1st one ever but it was also the biggest fish I have ever caught; 33" long. In Colorado, the Pike is an invasive species as it is an extremely aggressive fish that has reduced the native fish population. Last year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) was paying $20 to anyone who would catch a Pike in several northwestern rivers and reservoirs. 

11 Mile State Park Reservoir is part of the South Platte River Basin. According to Ms. Christy Wisemen of the South Platte Basin Roundtable, the basin is projected to grow from approximately 3.5 million people in the year 2008 to about 6 million people by the year 2050. Population growth will significantly increase the basin’s future municipal and industrial water needs.

South Platte River


Meet Loki, she is an 8 year old American Eskimo/Klee Kai. At a full 30 lbs, Loki is the sweetest dog in the world. Loki loves the outdoors - her coat is perfect for Colorado's cold winter months. She enjoys laying on the snow and is quite good at spotting fish. 

The image comes from Deckers, Colorado, which is part of the South Platte River Basin - a very famous fly fishing spot known for its "outstanding opportunity to catch memorable fish". Due to the importance of the basin, water use efficiencies have been improved substantially. The South Platte River is used and reused several times to meet the growing population demands. On average, the South Platte Basin water is used seven times before leaving Colorado at the Nebraska border.

Uneva Lake





Uneva Lake is a reservoir located just 2.8 miles from Frisco, Colorado. Fishermen will find that there are no fish here. That's right, no fish. No rainbows, no perch, no muskies. Nothing. So keep looking for another spot nearby and you'll be glad you did. Good place for the pups to enjoy a long walk.

Uneva Lake is part of the Colorado River Watershed. Fun fact, the Colorado River system is a vital source of water for 40 million people in southwestern North America.











Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Colorado Watersheds

-
Image
Colorado is a headwater state, meaning all of its rivers begin in the Rocky Mountains and flow out of the state. Colorado is composed of four regional watersheds that originate in the Rocky Mountains. The Arkansas Watershed, generally flowing east-southeast for approximately 1,460 miles before reaching the Mississippi River. The Colorado Watershed, gradually descending approximately 1,450 miles west-southwest through the Colorado Plateau before entering the Gulf of California. The South Platte Watershed is one of the arms composing the Platte Watershed. It follows a northeast course for approximately 442 miles until it joins the North Platte, forming the Platte Watershed. Flowing east-southeast for approximately 310 miles before reaching the Missouri River. The Rio Grande descends across grasslands, plains, and deserts for approximately 1,900 miles, makings its way into the Gulf of Mexico (Colorado Watershed Assembly, n.d.). Within the four major watersheds listed above, there are seve
Read more

Upper South Platte Watershed Risks and Challenges

-
Image
Upper South Platte Watershed is highly important as it provides approximately 80% of the water used by 1.5 million Denver metropolitan residents. Most of the Upper South Platte Watershed is located within the Pike National Forest southwest of the city of Denver. This area is known to experience severe droughts and high wildfire risk. Due to its reliability as a drinking water source for the Denver metropolitan area, the watershed has been identified by the  Colorado Unified Assessment  as a critical watershed in need of restoration. In addition, due to its location within the Pike National Forest, the Upper South Platte Watershed is critical to Colorado as it faces many threats and challenges. 
Read more