KMZs and other files showing the distribution of Colorado River Cutthroat are available from the download system.

The Colorado River Cutthroat survives in a range that covers most of western Colorado, a big chunk of central Utah, southwestern Wyoming, and a few basins in northwestern New Mexico.

We've found two data sources to share with you:  TU's Conservation Success Index, and population information from the 2005 Status Review which we've made accessible in the download system via a second KMZ file, with clickable HUC-8 basins.

Photo:  Google Earth image with TU CSI basin overlay (small basins) and clickable HUC-8 basin overlay (purple/green basins)

TU's CSI data is visible in the photograph as the small basins.  Most are colored brown, which means Cutthroat no longer populate it (though it's likely that exotic trout like browns, rainbows, and brookies have taken the cutt's place).  The colored basins indicate that Cutts still live somewhere within the basin, while the color indicates the quality of the habitat rated Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, or Red in order from best to worst. 

The TU data make a great "base layer" helping to give you an indication of where you might want to explore.  Once you narrow down the search, you may want to click on the purple basins with green borders.  These are "HUC 8" basins, which are obviously much larger than the basins in the TU dataset.  However, the click will bring up a "balloon".  If you then click on the 'URL", you'll be able to look at a detailed stream map that shows you where all of the known pure-strain populations are located, and some information about each population including estimated trout/mile and stream width.  This map and the accompanying tables were created for the 2005 status assessment, and will help you hone in on the streams you'll want to explore.  That report is also available on the download system, and parts of it are well worth reading.

Photo: Extract from Range-Wide Status of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus), 2005 viewed in Google Earth