Redbelly Dace Recovery Project

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

The Redbelly Dace Recovery Project aims to restore a state-endangered fish species to the local environment through a collaborative effort between Boulder County Parks & Open Space, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), Ocean First Institute, and St. Vrain Valley School District students. While the overall purpose is to eventually restore this species to its original stream environment in Boulder County, the process also serves as an educational lesson in conservation for students as they actively participate in growing and releasing northern redbelly dace, under the supervision of wildlife professionals.Working closely with CPW, the staff from Boulder County and Ocean First Institute coordinated the procurement of dace and engaged the students at the school district’s Innovation Center to care for and raise the fish. Despite the COVID pandemic and the obstacles it presented, the team found ways to keep the project going, and even managed a successful release of the fish into the wild during the fall of 2020. Future releases are planned at one of the county’s open space ponds which were specifically redesigned after the historic Colorado flood of 2013 to serve as a fish nursery for this purpose.