In the front-page article, “Durango-La Plata County Airport opens new terminal, security checkpoint,” about the airport terminal remodel (Herald, May 18), mention was made of “two metal brown trout sculptures … fish native to this corner of Colorado.”
To set the record straight, the only trout native to Colorado is the cutthroat trout, of which there are currently four subspecies living in the state. It is true there are Brown Trout – note the capitalization, as they are a species name, not simply trout that are brown in color – in the Animas River and several other Colorado streams and rivers, but they are considered “wild” fish, not native.
Native means they originated here, whereas wild means they grew up in that body of water.
Brown Trout are native to Europe and were brought to North America in the late 1800s. Rainbow trout are native to the Sierra Nevada, and Brook Trout are native to the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States.
It is unfortunate that such a nice artistic touch featuring bronze trout sculptures was described as “native” to our area. Or perhaps the staff writer was simply misinformed.
If only the sculptor had created cutthroat trout instead of browns.
Buck Skillen
Durango
