CPW stocks state-endangered northern redbelly dace on USDA Forest Service land in Colorado for first time

Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologist and USDA Forest Service ranger stock northern redbelly dace on the Pawnee National Grassland for first time in Colorado history

June 9, 2026
 

CPW stocks state-endangered northern redbelly dace on USDA Forest Service land in Colorado for first time

 

WELD COUNTY, Colo. — Colorado Parks and Wildlife, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, has stocked state-endangered northern redbelly dace into a waterbody on land managed by the USDA Forest Service for the first time in state history. On May 13, CPW aquatic biologists and USDA Forest Service rangers and biologists placed more than 18,000 dace into a small groundwater-fed creek on the Pawnee National Grassland, also marking the first northern redbelly dace stocking on federal land in two decades. CPW biologists will monitor the site for natural reproduction and population trends. 

The northern redbelly dace are classified as a Tier 1 species of greatest conservation need in CPW’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP), with approximately six self-sustaining populations in the South Platte River Basin. The small fish, growing to only two to three inches in length, is classified as a true minnow known for the namesake red stripe across the stomach that males develop during breeding. The species has a specific set of habitat requirements including cool, vegetated, slow-moving perennial water in ponds and streams with an absence of non-native predatory fishes and pollution. They serve as valuable guides to habitat change in Colorado. 

“The northern redbelly dace are considered an indicator species for biologists, like a canary in a coal mine,” said Matt Haworth, CPW Platte River Basin Native Aquatic Species Biologist. “If we observe their presence in a body of water, we learn a lot about that environment. If dace are eliminated from the area, we know something in the habitat has become unstable. Due to highly specific needs for dace persistence, it’s rare to find a site that meets those requirements, which is why we’re incredibly grateful to the USDA Forest Service for their partnership and support in this stocking effort and, hopefully, new population.” 

"We are pleased that the Pawnee National Grassland is able to provide ideal habitat for this important species," said Dana Guinn, Pawnee District Ranger. "This coordinated effort between the USDA Forest Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife demonstrates how we can deliver conservation benefits in lock step with activities that prioritize rural communities and economies and facilitate access to our nation's grasslands."  

Northern redbelly dace are widely distributed throughout the United States and Canada at more northern latitudes, but the species is restricted to the South Platte River Basin in Colorado. Since the mid-19th century, habitat alteration and introduction of non-native aquatic species caused population declines, resulting in only one remaining indigenous population in the West Plum Creek drainage by the 1990s. This population was used to develop broodstock at CPW’s J.W. Mumma Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility in Alamosa. CPW has stocked northern redbelly dace at approximately 30 locations across Colorado, with five becoming self-sustaining populations. 

“A cornerstone goal of CPW’s native aquatics team is to maintain biodiversity within our state,” said Haworth. “By proactively restoring northern redbelly dace to more locations on the landscape, we are building species resiliency with a long-term target of successful reproduction in the wild that would no longer need the support of stocking.” 

The dace stocked in mid-May were spawned and raised in the Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility. The facility rears twelve species of fish, focusing on at-risk native species with proactive conservation methods like expanding populations and species distribution through stocking efforts. 

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PHOTO CUTLINES:

Top left: Northern redbelly dace spawned and reared at the CPW Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility in Alamosa.
Top right: More than 18,000 northern redbelly dace stocked into a series of ponds on the Pawnee National Grassland in Weld County.
Bottom left: The groundwater ponds represent the ideal habitat requirements for northern redbelly dace as they are thermally stable and perennially wetted without predators.
Bottom right: Male northern redbelly dace display a bright red line across their stomachs during breeding season.