Our Projects

Park County, Colorado

The Freestone Companies have been at the forefront of fisheries development and management on this project. Conducting a pre-contract evaluation of nearly 2 miles of the North Fork of the South Platte River, Freestone Aquatics insured the landowners and lessees understood the true value of the property and the fishery. Just a half an hour from the Denver area, this is one of the premier private-water fisheries in the state. Freestone Aquatics was contracted to provide preliminary evaluation of the entire property; assist in property procurement; property; and property improvements that included angler access, facility construction, wader-cleaning construction- minimizing invasive species concerns, fencing and gate access installation.

During the development of proper property management, Freestone Aquatics conducted a full spectrum baseline study of the fishery, analyzing such variables as macroinvertebrate populations, water quality, streambank stability, riparian plant inventory/invasive species identification, channel stability, hydraulic modeling, sediment transport, trout population evaluation, habitat design, and Army Corps of Engineers/Colorado Division of Wildlife permitting. Habitat construction is set for phase one of four during the 2009 season, and the carrying capacity of this reach is predicted to increase several times over by the completion of instream habitat construction. The fishery has improved greatly under proper management, and will continue to improve with better hatches of aquatic insects, improved over-wintering habitats, greater high-flow protection, increased low-flow habitat, and greater overall populations of large resident trout on the property.

Jefferson - Park Counties, Colorado

North Fork-South Platte River Foundation

The principals of Freestone Aquatics are currently leading a project involving multiple agencies and stakeholders to address in-stream flow standards, water quality, and a fisheries management plan on the North Fork of the South Platte River. Public lands, local businesses, private commercial fishing properties, outfitters, landowners, and several government agencies are involved. Organized collaboration by Freestone Aquatics is promoting a greatly improved fishery and higher property values on the entire 24 mile long drainage.

Boulder County, Colorado

Since 2007 Freestone Aquatics has been monitoring and developing a management plan for a private warmwater lake fishery in Boulder County. Of primary concern is the dense overgrowth of macrophytes in the lake which is negatively affecting the water quality, specifically the dissolved oxygen content. The applied management plan, which involves aquatic vegetation treatment and the introduction of beneficial microbes, has proved to be very successful, and the residing fish populations have shown improved health and densities. Freestone Aquatics has been contracted to continue monitoring and management efforts to maintain what is likely one of the most robust largemouth bass fisheries on the Front Range of Colorado.

Park County, Colorado

Freestone Aquatics was contracted in 2008 to restore approximately 1/2 of a mile of the North Fork of the South Platte on this commercial, rod-fee based fishery. The project goals involve improvement of instream habitat and rehabilitation of unstable banks. The evaluation phase of this project entailed the analysis of the stream’s morphological conditions, including sinuosity, width to depth ratios, entrenchment ratios, channel slope, riverbed/substrate analysis, and historical flow studies. Channel surveying and hydraulic modeling was conducted as part of the evaluation and assisted in habitat design and post construction monitoring. Applying the Army Corp of Engineers Hec Ras 4.0 program allowed for multiple flow simulations on the existing channel and the proposed-modified channel. After evaluation, Freestone Aquatics was contracted to design, permit, and construct habitat structures that function to provide bank stability, high flow protection, low flow habitat, overwintering habitat, and improved spawning potential. Post construction monitoring has produces very positive results; the carrying capacity has been estimated at eight to ten times what is was pre construction.

Boulder County, Colorado

In 2008-09 A property owners association hired Freestone Aquatics to conduct a Baseline Evaluation of their trout fishery in a high altitude reservoir at the foot of the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. The reservoir has been in a relatively healthy state for years, and has assisted in maintaining property values for the landowners. The goal of Freestone’s analysis was to provide critical data that would be applied to the developing management plan provided by Freestone Aquatic’s professionals. During the study, a few variables were identified as limiting factors for the fishery, and proper management of these has been effective in improving the fishery. Continued proper management provided by Freestone Aquatics will assure that this fishery continues to be sustainable and an essential element in maintaining property values for the local landowners.

Routt County, Colorado

This 2100 acre, working sheep-ranch has relied upon Freestone Aquatic’s fisheries experience to evaluate, restore, and manage their seven acre lake and a half mile of stream in Routt County, Colorado. Phase one of this multi-year project involved the analysis of lake macrophytes (aquatic vegetation), water quality monitoring, and lakebed sampling/analysis. Since evaluation, a custom lakebed aeration system has been implemented as part of the management plan and the need for macrophyte lake treatment has been minimized. The lake is now capable of producing individual trout specimens up to twenty-eight inches without supplemental feed. Phase two of the project focuses on Morrison Creek and entails the design, permitting, and construction of instream habitat structures to stabilize the channel and provide relief from extremely high spring flows. A completed phase two of this project will provide instream habitat types at multiple flows greatly increase the spawning success the wild brook trout population and survival rates of their offspring.

Grand County, Colorado

Freestone Aquatics is currently in the evaluation phase on 1 1/2 miles of a significant spawning tributary to the Colorado River near Kremmling, Colorado. Bank stability analysis, channel stability surveys, riparian habitat evaluation, macroinvertebrate sampling/monitoring, water quality analysis/monitoring, and hydraulic modeling are all taking place this season. Design and permitting will be completed this fall, and instream habitat structures will be installed during the 2010 season. The goal of this project is to improve instream habitat for trout during an extremely wide spectrum of flows. The investment by the landowner in this project will provide an approximate five to one return in property value and assure that the commercial outfitters that pay to fish the property return year after year with higher rod-fee rates.

Oakland County, Michigan

In the spring of 2009 Freestone Aquatics was hired to diagnose issues with a lentic fishery system in Oakland County, Michigan. Sedimentation and aquatic vegetation overgrowth has been deteriorating the lake for many years. After initial consultations, Freestone Aquatics professionals concluded that the lake is suffering from eutrophication and a management plan has been put into action to recover the declining trout populations. Essential elements of this management plan include the installation of a lakebed aeration system and the introduction of beneficial microbes.

Conejos County, Colorado

A private landowner in southern Colorado has asked Freestone Aquatics for monitoring and management services for their private fishery on the Conejos River. Habitat structures were installed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 2008, and Freestone aquatics has begun monitoring the project’s success. Indicator variables monitored include macroinvertebrate density, diversity, and distribution. Morphological changes and sediment transport is being monitored by permanent cross sections. The wild trout population, especially the young of year class, is being monitored to estimate the success of the side channel-rearing habitat that was created. Thus far this project has been successful, and there is potential for Freestone Aquatics to design and construct more habitat structures to complete the project.

Grand County, Colorado

Currently managing a one-half mile reach of the world-famous Blue River below Green Mountain Reservoir, Freestone Aquatics is conducting evaluations, monitoring and design efforts to insure that the fishery within the reach is as prolific as possible. This stretch of the Blue River is a critical spawning section for Colorado River trout populations. Improved management practices have resulted in the recruitment of trout from miles of river upstream and downstream. The average-sized trout in this reach is in excess of seventeen inches, and spawning success along with maintaining critical rearing habitats has improved young-of-year survival rates according to recent studies. The restoration of severely eroded banks within the reach is in its preliminary stages, and government funding will assist in the rehabilitation efforts, minimizing the overall cost to the land.

Pierce County, Washington

In 2006 a Freestone Aquatics Principal was hired to assist in a large scale habitat evaluation of over 42 miles of the Puget Sound tributary streams near Seattle, Washington. This project addressed the habitat quality for the threatened species of Puget Sound salmon and steelhead. Channel stability, riparian habitat, width to depth ratios, riffle to pool ratios, woody debris, spawning potential and invasive vegetation were all measured and the results were considered in the revised basin-wide management plan for Pierce County.