[wtsobsessed]

WildTroutStreams.com is a website I created in 2006 and expanded over the years. It's a non-commercial site, and all of the data on it is downloadable for free. We provide mapping data (typically in KML format) about where to find wild and native trout in 38 states: every state in CONUS that supports wild trout.

We've recently been working on expanding our coverage of CO and I just put up a series of data files that many of you may find useful. I'm most proud of a file that maps every cutthroat stream in the state of Colorado, combining information that previously was only available in nearly a dozen separate documents. You can see the image below. A second file just posted provides an enhanced version of TU's Conservation Success Index (which adds info useful for fish-finding) for the three cutthroat variants native to CO. We also just updated a file which shows the extent of streams listed as Class 1 Coldwater Aquatic Life. And, finally, a KMZ that maps all of CO's specials regs streams. I'll be adding some additional files over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

To use any of these files you'll need to download them from our website and load them into an appropriate viewer. Google Earth is the most popular, but there are other free products such as ESRI's ARCgis Explorer, and the National Map website. There's extensive info on WildTroutStreams.com website about how to do this.

Please enjoy the site, and I'm happy to answer anybody's questions.

 

[JFDenver]

Pretty cool and lots of data. It won't tell you exactly where to go, where to park or what's public. But data geeks, I'm one, will like it. Thanks for sharing the information.

 

[wtsobsessed]

Pretty cool and lots of data. It won't tell you exactly where to go, where to park or what's public. But data geeks, I'm one, will like it. Thanks for sharing the information.

Thanks! That's the whole point of the site. It's about making people aware of the resources and encouraging exploration. It's not about spot burning.

 

[Opry99er]

^^^dig that^^^

 

[NymphoStage]

Very cool. I will be using these maps.

 

[Freestone303]

man I wish my Google Earth on my home and work computeres didnt crash. I have never been able to get it to work ever since then. Never found the corrupt preferences and clean reinstalls didnt work either.

 

[cocarp]

Very cool. I will be using these maps.

Going to Montana this summer so this will be extremely helpful. Thanks.

 

[pistoldog]

Great program.

 

[wtsobsessed]

man I wish my Google Earth on my home and work computeres didnt crash. I have never been able to get it to work ever since then. Never found the corrupt preferences and clean reinstalls didnt work either.

Personally I've never had trouble running Google Earth on a variety of machines, but if it doesn't work on your system, there are some other options out there.

Probably the best is ESRI's ArcGIS Explorer. You can download it from here. You will need to download and install the .NET framework (link is on the same page as above). The system requirements say you need Win Pro, but I installed it on a Win7 Home Ultimate system without any trouble.

ArcExplorer isn't as slick as Google Earth, but it's actually quite good for making maps that you want to take along with you.

Another option (if you have a reasonably fast connection) is to load the files into the National Map, which is a USGS web application. A mini tutorial that explains how to do this is on my site http://wildtroutstreams.com/mapping-tools/the-national-map

 

[wtsobsessed]

Just posted a new thread about a dataset describing trout in Rocky Mountain National Park.