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ID: Response of waterbirds to experimental disturbances
Response of waterbirds to experimental disturbances
Type: Article
Subjects: American avocet
American coot
Black-crowned night-heron
Colorado
Disturbance
Gadwall
Mallard
Recreation
Redhead
Ruddy duck
Snowy egret
Waterbirds
White-faced ibis
Item
view first image of Response of waterbirds to experimental disturbances
Response of waterbirds to experimental disturbances
Type:Article
Subject:American avocet
American coot
Black-crowned night-heron
Colorado
Disturbance
Gadwall
Mallard
Recreation
Redhead
Ruddy duck
Snowy egret
Waterbirds
White-faced ibis
Description:

Responses of waterbirds to experimental disturbances were studied from April 1984 to August 1985 at Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. Black-crowned night-herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), snowy egrets (Egretta thula) and white-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi) were approached directly by a person on foot or in a motor vehicle. Mean (±SD) flushing distances for these species were 153±66, 93±43, and 95±48 m when approached on foot and 47±26, 57±27, and 54±27 m when approached in a motor vehicle. Reactions of American coots (Fulica americana), redheads (Aythya americana), ruddy ducks (O ura jamaicensis), mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), gadwalls (A. strepera) and American avocets (Recurviroslra americana) to disturbance were also quantified. Intensity of response was independent of agent of disturbances (i.e., person on foot or in vehicle) for all species. Disturbance reduced species diversity and abundance for up to one hour. American coots and avocets were only minimally impacted by the disturbance agents used.

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ID: Restoration of riparian vegetation on a mountain river degraded by historical mining and grazing
Restoration of riparian vegetation on a mountain river degraded by historical mining and grazing
Type: Article
Subjects: Bank stability
Livestock grazing
Mining
Riparian vegetation
River restoration
Superfund
Item
view first image of Restoration of riparian vegetation on a mountain river degraded by historical mining and grazing
Restoration of riparian vegetation on a mountain river degraded by historical mining and grazing
Type:Article
Subject:Bank stability
Livestock grazing
Mining
Riparian vegetation
River restoration
Superfund
Description:Riparian ecosystems in montane areas have been degraded by mining, streamflow alterations, and livestock grazing. Restoration of ecological and economic functions, especially in high-elevation watersheds that supply water to lower elevation urban and agriculture areas is of high priority. We investigated the response of riparian vegetation and bank stability following channel treatments and riparian habitat restoration along a segment of the upper Arkansas River south of Leadville, Colorado. The study area has been historically degraded by heavy-metal mining and is designated a U.S. Superfund site. Additionally, trans-basin water diversions and livestock grazing have contributed to channel widening and altered vegetation composition and cover. We used a before-after-control impact study design in four reaches with varied contamination and grazing history to assess restoration success. Before restoration, streambanks were dominated by graminoids and total vegetation cover varied among reaches with willow cover less than 16% in three reaches. Post-restoration, changes in total vegetation cover fell short of projected goals, but willow cover was greater than 20% in all study reaches. The increase in woody cover likely contributed to reduced erosion and vegetation encroachment post-restoration. Differences in functional group cover among reaches persisted post-restoration and may be attributed to soil contamination levels and low willow seed rain and dispersal. These results highlight the importance of setting realistic restoration goals based on elevation and past land use. We recommend further remediation of fluvial tailings with low vegetation cover and continued monitoring of willow height and cover to determine if further restoration activities are needed. [show more]
ID: Rio Grande cutthroat trout
Rio Grande cutthroat trout
Type:
Subjects:
Item
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Rio Grande cutthroat trout
Description:Photo courtesy of Jerry McBride
ID: Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
Type:
Subjects:
Item
view first image of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
Description:

Rio Grande cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis, ​can be found in high elevation streams and lakes of the Rio Grande, Canadian, and Pecos River drainages in Colorado and New Mexico, giving it the southern-most distribution of any form of Cutthroat Trout. It now only occupies just 12 percent of its historic habitat in approximately 800 miles of streams. Biologists estimate that 127 conservation populations now exist in the two states, and 57 of those populations are considered to be secure.  The historic range of Rio Grande cutthroat trout has been reduced over the last 150 years due to many changes on the landscape, including: drought, water infrastructure, habitat changes, hybridization with nonnative Rainbow and Cutthroat Trout, and competition with Brook and Brown Trout.  As a result, pure populations of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout are restricted primarily to headwater streams.​ The first conservation agreement for Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout ​between state, federal, and tribal resource agencies was signed in 2003, and gave rise to the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Conservation Team. The stated goal of the agreement is to assure the "long-term viability of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout throughout its historic range by minimizing or removing threats to the species and promoting conservation." This collaborative framework was updated in the 2013 Conservation Agreement(12MB) ​and the ​2013 Conservation Strategy which outline long-term conservation objectives for this subspecies.

Conservation Team D​ocuments

Status Assessments

Conservation Strategies

Rangewide Accomplishments

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ID: Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Rangewide Accomplishments Reports
Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Rangewide Accomplishments Reports
Type:
Subjects:
Item
view first image of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Rangewide Accomplishments Reports
Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Rangewide Accomplishments Reports
Description:An annual letter tat summarizes the range-wide activities for the conservation of the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout (RGCT) and provides the information to the conservation team leaders.
ID: rSPACE: spatially based power analysis for conservation and ecology
rSPACE: spatially based power analysis for conservation and ecology
Type: Article
Subjects: Detection probability
Occupancy estimation
Population monitoring
Population trends
Power analysis
Sampling design
Spatial simulation
Item
view first image of rSPACE: spatially based power analysis for conservation and ecology
rSPACE: spatially based power analysis for conservation and ecology
Type:Article
Subject:Detection probability
Occupancy estimation
Population monitoring
Population trends
Power analysis
Sampling design
Spatial simulation
Description:

Summary

  1. Power analysis is an important step in designing effective monitoring programs to detect trends in plant or animal populations. Although project goals often focus on detecting changes in population abundance, logistical constraints may require data collection on population indices, such as detection/non-detection data for occupancy estimation.
  2. We describe the open-source R package, rSPACE, for implementing a spatially based power analysis for designing monitoring programs. This method incorporates information on species biology and habitat to parameterize a spatially explicit population simulation. A sampling design can then be implemented to create replicate encounter histories which are subsampled and analysed to estimate the power of the monitoring program to detect changes in population abundance over time, using occupancy as a surrogate.
  3. The proposed method and software are demonstrated with an analysis of wolverine monitoring in a U.S. Northern Rocky Mountain landscape.
  4. The package will be of use to ecologists interested in evaluating objectives and performance of monitoring programs.
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ID: Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Type:
Subjects:
Item
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Ryan Fitzpatrick
Description:Aquatic Research Scientist Eastern Plains Native Fishes

Contact Information

Aquatic Research GroupColorado Parks and Wildlife317 West Prospect RoadFort Collins, CO 80526Phone: (970) 472-4336Email: ryan.fitzpatrick@state.co.us​

Education

  • ​Ph.D. Candidate, Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology – Colorado State University, Present
  • M.S., Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology – Colorado State University, 2008
  • B.S., Finance and Management – Iowa State University, 2000​

Areas of Interest/Expertise

My primary research examines plains fish ecology, native species conservation, anthropogenic impacts to streams, fish movement, and otolith microchemistry. However, I am also involved in projects dealing with optimal sampling protocols, endocrine disrupting compounds, irrigation recharge, and fish passage.​

Current or Recent Positions

  • ​Aquatic Research Scientist, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2011-Present
  • Aquatic Conservation Biologist, Colorado Division of Wildlife, 2007-2011
  • Aquatic Technician, Colorado Division of Wildlife, 2006
  • Research Associate, Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2004-2008
  • Aquatic Technician, Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2003-2004

Current or Recent Research Projects

  • ​Anthropogenic impacts affect probability of persistence for eastern plains native fishes in Colorado
  • Flathead chub (Platygobio gracilis) movement in Fountain Creek, Colorado
  • Spatial and optimal monitoring for plains fishes in Colorado
  • Endocrine disrupting compounds impact on Colorado’s eastern plains native fishes
  • Improving rock ramp fishways for small-bodies plains fishes
  • Training of hatchery reared fish to enhance antipredator behavior and increase  survival

Selected Publications

Adams, C. A., D. L. Winkelman, and R. M. Fitzpatrick. 2023. Impacts of wastewater treatment plant effluent on the winter thermal regime of two urban South Platte tributaries. Frontiers in Environmental Science 11:457.

Baum, C. M., D. L. Winkelman, and R. M. Fitzpatrick. 2023. Temperature and winter duration requirements for reproductive success in Johnny Darter Etheostoma nigrum in the South Platte River Basin, Colorado. Freshwater Biology 68(7): 1238-1251.

Fitzpatrick, R. M., D. Longrie, R. Friebertshauser, and P. Foutz. 2023. Evaluation of a prefabricated fish passage structure for Great Plains fishes. Fishes 2023, 8, 403.

Kopack, C. J., E. D. Broder, E. R. Fetherman, R. M. Fitzpatrick, and L. M. Angeloni. 2023. Assessing antipredator behavior and the potential to enhance it in a species of conservation concern. North American Journal of Aquaculture 85:136-145.

Kopack, C. J., E. R. Fetherman, E. D. Broder, R. M. Fitzpatrick, and L. M. Angeloni. 2023. The effects of abiotic enrichment and predator training on the behavior,morphology, and survival of a species of conservation concern. Conservation Science and Practice, e12999.

Swarr, T. R., C. A. Myrick, and R. M. Fitzpatrick. 2023. Design, construction, and hydraulic evaluation of a model rock ramp fishway. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 43(4): 935-946.

Adams, C. M., D. L. Winkelman, P. A. Schaffer, D. L. Villeneuve, J. E. Cavallin, M. Ellman, K. S. Rodriguez, and R. M. Fitzpatrick. 2022. Elevated winter stream temperatures below wastewater treatment plants shifts reproductive development of Johnny Darter Etheostoma nigrum: a field and histological approach. Fishes 7:361.

Ciepiela, L. R., R. M. Fitzpatrick, S. T. Lewis, and Y. Kanno. 2021. Behavioral interactions between a native and an invasive fish species in a thermally heterogeneous experimental chamber. Fishes 2021(6):1–13.

Fitzpatrick, R. M., D. L. Winkelman, and B. M. Johnson. 2021. Using isotopic data to evaluate Esox lucius (Linnaeus, 1758) natal origins in a hydrologically complex river basin. Fishes 2021(6):1–14.

Swarr, T. R., C. A. Myrick, and R. M. Fitzpatrick. 2021. Tag effects in and effects of passive integrated transponder tagging on survival and swimming performance of a small-bodied darter. Journal of Fish Biology 2022:1–10.

Gibson-Reinemer, D. K., F. J. Rahel, S. E. Albeke, and R. M. Fitzpatrick. 2017. Natural and anthropogenic barriers to climate tracking in river fishes along a mountain-plains transition zone. Diversity and Distributions 7:761-770.

Bestgen, K. R., H. J. Crockett, M. Haworth, and R. M. Fitzpatrick. 2016. Production of non-adhesive eggs by flathead chub and implications for downstream transport and conservation. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 7(2): 434-443.​

Broms, K. M., M. B. Hooten, and R. M. Fitzpatrick. 2016. Model selection and assessment for multi-species occupancy models. Ecology 97(7):1759-1770.

Gibson-Reinemer, D. K., F. J. Rahel, S. E. Albeke and R. M. Fitzpatrick. 2017. Natural and anthropogenic barriers to climate tracking in river fishes along a mountain-plains transition zone. Diversity and Distributions 23(7):761-770.

Broms, K. M., M. B. Hooten, and R. M. Fitzpatrick. 2015. Accounting for imperfect detection in Hill numbers for biodiversity studies. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 6:99-108.

Walters, D. M., R. E. Zuellig, H. C. Crockett, J. F. Bruce, P. M. Lukacs, and R. M. Fitzpatrick. 2014. Barriers impede upstream spawning migration of flathead chub. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 143:17-25.

Fitzpatrick, R. M. 2008. Use of otolith elemental signatures in estimating sources of northern pike recruitment in the Yampa River, Colorado. Master’s thesis. Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University. Fort Collins, Colorado [show more]
ID: Sarcoptic mange
Sarcoptic mange
Type: Fact Sheet
Subjects: Wildlife diseases
Sarcoptic mange
Item
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Sarcoptic mange
Type:Fact Sheet
Subject:Wildlife diseases
Sarcoptic mange
Description:Fact sheet covering species affected in Colorado, what to look for, cause and transmission, and public health considerations.
ID: Sarcoptic mange severity is associated with reduced genomic variation and evidence of selection in Yellowstone National Park wolves (Canis lupus)
Sarcoptic mange severity is associated with reduced genomic variation and evidence of selection in Yellowstone National Park wolves (Canis lupus)
Type: Article
Subjects: Ectoparasitism
Infection severity
Mite infestations
Natural selection
RAD-sequencing
Sarcoptic mange
Item
view first image of Sarcoptic mange severity is associated with reduced genomic variation and evidence of selection in Yellowstone National Park wolves (Canis lupus)
Sarcoptic mange severity is associated with reduced genomic variation and evidence of selection in Yellowstone National Park wolves (Canis lupus)
Type:Article
Subject:Ectoparasitism
Infection severity
Mite infestations
Natural selection
RAD-sequencing
Sarcoptic mange
Description:Population genetic theory posits that molecular variation buffers against disease risk. Although this “monoculture effect” is well supported in agricultural settings, its applicability to wildlife populations remains in question. In the present study, we examined the genomics underlying individual-level disease severity and population-level consequences of sarcoptic mange infection in a wild population of canids. Using gray wolves (Canis lupus) reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park (YNP) as our focal system, we leveraged 25 years of observational data and biobanked blood and tissue to genotype 76,859 loci in over 400 wolves. At the individual level, we reported an inverse relationship between host genomic variation and infection severity. We additionally identified 410 loci significantly associated with mange severity, with annotations related to inflammation, immunity, and skin barrier integrity and disorders. We contextualized results within environmental, demographic, and behavioral variables, and confirmed that genetic variation was predictive of infection severity. At the population level, we reported decreased genome-wide variation since the initial gray wolf reintroduction event and identified evidence of selection acting against alleles associated with mange infection severity. We concluded that genomic variation plays an important role in disease severity in YNP wolves. This role scales from individual to population levels, and includes patterns of genome-wide variation in support of the monoculture effect and specific loci associated with the complex mange phenotype. Results yielded system-specific insights, while also highlighting the relevance of genomic analyses to wildlife disease ecology, evolution, and conservation. [show more]
ID: Saving Colorado's Boreal Toads
Saving Colorado's Boreal Toads
Type:
Subjects:
Item
view first image of Saving Colorado's Boreal Toads
Saving Colorado's Boreal Toads
Description:Learn More: https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/ResearchBorealToad.aspx The boreal toad is one of Colorado's most endangered amphibians. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is working to restore the small toads through an aggressive reintroduction program. To date, Zimmerman Lake in Larimer County is the only location where the small toads have established a self-sustaining population. Each year, biologists collect toad eggs at Zimmerman Lake, transport them to hatcheries and then restock the boreal tadpoles in key areas across the state. On Aug. 11, 2020, biologists stocked tadpoles into Rocky Mountain National Park in the hope of establishing a new population. CPW is working in collaboration with the National Park Service and other state and federal agencies to re-establish boreal toads across the state. The hope is that some toads will develop a resistance to the chytrid fungus, which is responsible for decimating amphibians throughout North America. Video produced by Jerry Neal/CPW [show more]