https://coloradosun.com/2020/09/10/dead-rainbow-trout-detectives/

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Tuesday September 15th, and even though there’s a lot of turmoil in the world, we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. Today, we’re bringing you a story of a local trout detective.

But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

Today, we take you back to September 15th, 1879 - the date of the first official meeting of the Colorado Historical Society in Denver, now known as History Colorado.

At the time, the Rocky Mountain News informed its readers that [quote] “the attention of old timers and all interested in the early history of Denver and Colorado is called to the meeting of the State Historical Society”.

Now, our feature story.

A couple of weeks ago, Rick Mikesell started his morning the way he often does before heading in to his job as operations manager at Trouts Fly Fishing in Denver — he wet a line in the urban stretch of the South Platte River near the Interstate 25 overpass.

An isolated downpour the day before had bumped up the river’s flow, and just as he suspected, his beloved carp were in fine form.

But then he noticed a couple of dead rainbow trout floating nearby.

At first, he didn’t think much of it — rainbows are cold-water fish, and it’s not uncommon to find one that has succumbed to high temperatures. But then he saw another. And another. And another.

When the count reached a half-dozen, he grew concerned.

Mikesell said “The thing that didn’t make sense was that the carp were healthy and happy, so were the smallmouth bass. If there was a chemical spill, all species would be hurting.”

Here’s Colorado Sun writer Kevin Simpson with what happened next.

Starting with Mikesell’s email that morning, John Davenport, the conservation chair for Denver Trout Unlimited, logged everything. He notified the National Response Center for potentially toxic spills, and that triggered more than a dozen notifications, ranging from the Colorado attorney general’s office - to city and state health departments.

Davenport also contacted the Denver Department of Health and Environment and alerted Ashley Rust, a research associate in civil and environmental engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.

Then, he headed down to the river.

As Davenport scouted the South Platte for more dead rainbows, he heard a shout from across the water. It was Rust, who had also come on the scene to investigate. They joined forces and  came upon more rainbows, including one that looked strikingly familiar.

It was a rainbow that Davenport had named Alice Meow Wolf, and Alice Meow Wolf had fallen victim to the kill. She was his favorite trout. In a catch-and-release fishing culture, some fish make multiple appearances at the end of an angler’s line, so it was not unusual for him to recognize an old adversary.

Evidence pointed to a cause of death that probably related to the natural environment, river flows, and high temperatures, Davenport noted in his report.

He said that [quote] “During summer is when they’re under the most stress, [but] In this case, there was no sheen on the water, no chemical smells, no indication that there was a toxin, because nothing else had died.”

So while some mystery still surrounds the incident, the most dangerous perps were eliminated and the vision of maintaining the urban South Platte as an improbable home for rainbow trout remains intact.

Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:

Recall Polis 2020 has 60 days -- or until Nov. 13 -- to collect 631,266 signatures to force a special election. A similar effort to remove the Democrat failed last year.

The Postal Service says it has already delivered flyers containing incorrect mail-in voting information in Colorado.

An analysis shows the impact of the Gallagher Amendment on property taxes. Advocates are asking voters to repeal the measure.

Camp V — one of Colorado’s first recipients of an Opportunity Zone investment — marks a definitive turn toward tourism and outdoor recreation in an area that has spent decades hoping for a revival of uranium and vanadium mining.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com.

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.

You can stay on top of Colorado news by signing up for free newsletters at coloradosun.com/newsletters. And you can join our Sun community by becoming a member, starting at just $5 a month. Thanks again for starting your morning with us and remember to tune in again tomorrow.



See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

<a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/09/10/dead-rainbow-trout-detectives/">https://coloradosun.com/2020/09/10/dead-rainbow-trout-detectives/</a>
Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Tuesday September 15th, and even though there&rsquo;s a lot of turmoil in the world, we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Every day we&rsquo;re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. Today, we&rsquo;re bringing you a story of a local trout detective. But before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;: Today, we take you back to September 15th, 1879 - the date of the first official meeting of the Colorado Historical Society in Denver, now known as History Colorado. At the time, the Rocky Mountain News informed its readers that [quote] &ldquo;the attention of old timers and all interested in the early history of Denver and Colorado is called to the meeting of the State Historical Society&rdquo;. Now, our feature story. A couple of weeks ago, Rick Mikesell started his morning the way he often does before heading in to his job as operations manager at Trouts Fly Fishing in Denver &mdash; he wet a line in the urban stretch of the South Platte River near the Interstate 25 overpass. An isolated downpour the day before had bumped up the river&rsquo;s flow, and just as he suspected, his beloved carp were in fine form. But then he noticed a couple of dead rainbow trout floating nearby. At first, he didn&rsquo;t think much of it &mdash; rainbows are cold-water fish, and it&rsquo;s not uncommon to find one that has succumbed to high temperatures. But then he saw another. And another. And another. When the count reached a half-dozen, he grew concerned. Mikesell said &ldquo;The thing that didn&rsquo;t make sense was that the carp were healthy and happy, so were the smallmouth bass. If there was a chemical spill, all species would be hurting.&rdquo; Here&rsquo;s Colorado Sun writer Kevin Simpson with what happened next. Starting with Mikesell&rsquo;s email that morning, John Davenport, the conservation chair for Denver Trout Unlimited, logged everything. He notified the National Response Center for potentially toxic spills, and that triggered more than a dozen notifications, ranging from the Colorado attorney general&rsquo;s office - to city and state health departments. Davenport also contacted the Denver Department of Health and Environment and alerted Ashley Rust, a research associate in civil and environmental engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. Then, he headed down to the river. As Davenport scouted the South Platte for more dead rainbows, he heard a shout from across the water. It was Rust, who had also come on the scene to investigate. They joined forces and &nbsp;came upon more rainbows, including one that looked strikingly familiar. It was a rainbow that Davenport had named Alice Meow Wolf, and Alice Meow Wolf had fallen victim to the kill. She was his favorite trout. In a catch-and-release fishing culture, some fish make multiple appearances at the end of an angler&rsquo;s line, so it was not unusual for him to recognize an old adversary. Evidence pointed to a cause of death that probably related to the natural environment, river flows, and high temperatures, Davenport noted in his report. He said that [quote] &ldquo;During summer is when they&rsquo;re under the most stress, [but] In this case, there was no sheen on the water, no chemical smells, no indication that there was a toxin, because nothing else had died.&rdquo; So while some mystery still surrounds the incident, the most dangerous perps were eliminated and the vision of maintaining the urban South Platte as an improbable home for rainbow trout remains intact. Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today: Recall Polis 2020 has 60 days -- or until Nov. 13 -- to collect 631,266 signatures to force a special election. A similar effort to remove the Democrat failed last year. The Postal Service says it has already delivered flyers containing incorrect mail-in voting information in Colorado. An analysis shows the impact of the Gallagher Amendment on property taxes. Advocates are asking voters to repeal the measure. Camp V &mdash; one of Colorado&rsquo;s first recipients of an Opportunity Zone investment &mdash; marks a definitive turn toward tourism and outdoor recreation in an area that has spent decades hoping for a revival of uranium and vanadium mining. For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.coloradosun.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600226022506000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEQV1JDdc4koHGoL0weUcIt9tuO_A">www.coloradosun.com</a>. The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you. You can stay on top of Colorado news by signing up for free newsletters at&nbsp;<a href="http://coloradosun.com/newsletters" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://coloradosun.com/newsletters&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600226022506000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFDOEjRFDhPEgjEnb7IGMqojULgGA">coloradosun.com/newsletters</a>. And you can join our Sun community by becoming a member, starting at just $5 a month. Thanks again for starting your morning with us and remember to tune in again tomorrow. See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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