page_title: Ecology of the Rocky Mountains
section_title: Rio Grande cutthroat trout
hierarchical_section_title: Ecology of the Rocky Mountains / Fauna / Fish / Rio Grande cutthroat trout
caption_attribution_description: English: Rio Grande Cutthroat from the Alamosa River watershed. Photo Craig D Young
context_page_description: The ecology of the Rocky Mountains is diverse due to the effects of a variety of environmental factors. The Rocky Mountains are the major mountain range in western North America, running from the far north of British Columbia in Canada to New Mexico in the southwestern United States, climbing from the Great Plains at or below 1,800 feet to peaks of over 14,000 feet. Temperature and rainfall varies greatly also and thus the Rockies are home to a mixture of habitats including the alpine, subalpine and boreal habitats of the Northern Rocky Mountains in British Columbia and Alberta, the coniferous forests of Montana and Idaho, the wetlands and prairie where the Rockies meet the plains, a different mix of conifers on the Yellowstone Plateau in Wyoming and in the high Rockies of Colorado and New Mexico, and finally the alpine tundra of the highest elevations.
context_section_description: Rio Grande cutthroat trout currently live on 700 miles of stream in the Santa Fe National Forest, which is approximately 91% of their historical range. The Rio Grande cutthroat trout was a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act from 2008 to 2014. In 2014 it was removed from candidacy as it was determined that listing was not warranted for this species. Rio Grande cutthroat have the distinction of being the southern most subspecies of cutthroat trout. However due to the loss of populations across their native range and reports of Rio Grande cutthroat in Mexico and Texas, it is unclear how far south this trout once occurred. In 1955, it was designated the state fish of New Mexico.
caption: The Rio Grande cutthroat trout from northern New Mexico and southern Colorado
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