Stakeholders press for a management plan for the Lower Blue River after land exchange and temporary closure

Blue Valley Ranch representatives, conservation groups and riverfront residents asked Grand County commissioners to help coordinate a new management plan for the Lower Blue River during a lengthy presentation and public discussion on Nov. 12.

Rob Forth, a consultant for Blue Valley Ranch, traced the ranch’s river restoration work that began after Paul Jones acquired the property in 1994 and said the restorations created a high‑value, year‑round ‘‘trophy’’ fishery. Brian Rose, Blue Valley Ranch’s natural resources manager and fish biologist, told the board that the stretch below Green Mountain Dam has low natural productivity because reservoirs retain nutrients, so ranch staff supplement the side‑channel habitats with stocked trout. "We’ve created a world‑class fishery," Rose said, and "we’re seeing 40 percent summer…