National Park Service pioneers new methods to fight against invasive species wreaking havoc on major river: 'Not just a local effort but one of national significance'

Three beloved U.S. parks within the Colorado River watershed are under threat from invasive fish and plant species. New funding provided by government policies are allowing a widespread effort by the National Park Service to save these delicate ecosystems.

According to the NPS, funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act has allowed them to orchestrate a massive conservation effort in three parks: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Grand Canyon National Park, and Dinosaur National Monument.

The Colorado River, which runs 1,450 miles from the Rocky Mountains to northwestern Mexico, is one of the country's most important bodies of water. These invasive species are damaging its critical ecological balance.

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In Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, a long stretch of the Colorado River is used for rainbow trout fishery. An invasive species, the brown trout, has grown in population, threatening the rainbow trout and other native fish in the area with its predatory behavior.

Another non-native fish — the smallmouth bass — has invaded the Colorado throughout the Grand Canyon National Park. This stretch of the river is home to the endangered humpback chub fish, which must be protected.

Multiple invasive plants, like Russian knapweed and leafy spurge, have spread throughout Dinosaur National Monument, threatening to wipe out critical native plantlife in the area.

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These invasive fish and plants can wreak havoc on ecological systems, causing economic and agricultural damage. But the NPS's new conservation efforts aim to suppress or completely remove the non-native species.

With their new funding, the NPS will carry out an incentivized harvest program to encourage local anglers to catch and keep brown trout. This process has been successful in the past to keep the population down.

A technique called electrofishing will lower the numbers of smallmouth bass, while the use of cold temperature flows will prevent the species from spawning.

To suppress the invasive plant population, the NPS will utilize a process called biocontrol, which involves bringing in natural predators and pathogens to fight the spread of the non-native species.

The NPS's conservation efforts will help ensure agricultural and economic success in these parks and throughout the Colorado River areas while also maintaining critical ecosystems.

"Even if short-term solutions like incentivized harvest and biocontrol are making tangible impacts – restoring balance to these iconic landscapes is not just a local effort but one of national significance," wrote NPS.