Road Restriction on Forest Road 1900 in Valle Vidal

Carson National Forest staff will restrict motor vehicle use on Costilla Dam Road (1900) in the Valle Vidal beginning August 14 to make way for a culvert replacement and aquatic passage restoration. Project work is expected to last one month but could take longer.

Visitors will still be allowed to walk the road, and around the culvert area, during the restriction period. 

Background

Contractors will replace the culvert at La Cueva Canyon, which is degrading and blocking fish migration, including the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, the official state fish. 

The work is part of a long-term project, over 30 years in the making, to restore Rio Grande cutthroat trout and other native fish species in the Valle Vidal. This year and next, staff and partners will be replacing six culverts, one of which is already completed. The La Cueva culvert is the only one that will prompt a road restriction. 

Partners involved in the culvert replacements include Trout Unlimited, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.