Using Photography to Push Fish Habitat Awareness and Benefits Downstream: Q&A with Alex Bauch

With five acrylic panes, some waterproof adhesive, and a whole lot of determination, the Trout Box was born. It’s the brainchild of Alex Bauch, a water resources designer at Otak who set out to better bridge the gap between the environment and communities he works to improve by leveraging two other passions in photography and fishing.

There are 10 species of trout in Colorado and, using the Trout Box, Alex has photographed them all.

His goal of visualizing these organisms within their surrounding terrestrial environment was published in Colorado Outdoors along with his own accounts of search leading to catch. The stories place a focus on the natural surroundings encountered on his excursions, hoping to inspire others to do the same during their own.

From his own work on projects that blend infrastructure and environment to noting instances like the improbable recovery of the Greenback Cutthroat (Colorado’s state fish) from near extinction, Alex hopes increased awareness can lead to more stories of success.

In this Q&A with Alex, we dive into some insight behind the project, what he hoped to accomplish, and what might come next. Read on or skip ahead below:

So, what is the Trout Box Project?

“[This project] really just started with wanting to bring more awareness to the importance of intact and healthy riparian corridors. The idea evolved while thinking about how I could create a better visual link between what’s going on with the overbanks of a floodplain and the health of the organisms in the stream itself.

I’ve always been into fishing and realized that could be a good way to bridge the idea. Trout are already colorful and interesting to look at so seemed like a natural fit. I made the acrylic Trout Box and started taking it with when I’d go out.

General philosophy for the photos was to get the fish in the box but also get a good wide view of what’s happening behind in order to see what a healthy floodplain looks like and [the healthy organisms] it leads to in the river.”

What do you hope people take away from the project?

“People have this idea of a picturesque, tumbling stream, but that isn’t usually what a natural stream looks like. Many are dense and chaotic. It doesn’t necessarily fit a human aesthetic but that’s often what it needs to be healthy is a lot of structures (woody debris, boulders, riffle pools etc.).

Also bearing in mind climate change and considering the preservation of these habitats, especially in an environment like Colorado [that’s drought prone, has rising water temperatures and other factors] is especially important.

My hope ultimately would be to shake up people’s perceptions of healthy waterways in the state and get them thinking about that when they’re spending time in these environments.”

Why is fish habitat important?

“So many reasons… from a really basic level that people enjoy them to the bigger picture health of economically productive communities.

Trout need really clean, clear water and that tends to be high-quality water for humans as well. As far as quantity goes, getting water spread across a floodplain like some of the work we do here is that it recharges the groundwater. That’s a much better place to keep water than a reservoir or somewhere because it stays cool, gets filtered naturally and can be used for many purposes, including of course the riparian corridor itself.

Some of the most economically productive areas in the country are right next to rivers and other bodies of water. Living in a floodplain is very useful and productive for a lot of reasons. Water is obviously essential to what’s needed to be successful as a society and healthy habitats help ensure that resource is abundant.”

In what ways have aquatic habitat changed?

“Decades of development have really limited floodplains. With a better understanding of how these systems work, there’s some movement toward letting rivers reclaim slivers of land that will allow them to be active, healthy, and more beneficial to downstream users.

By prioritizing which elements of the stream’s complexity are most important to sustaining a healthy ecosystem and preserving those through development, we can help a community and river stay off each other’s toes, so people don’t get flooded and the stream stays healthy.

This year is also a really good case study [in terms of climate change] because we have a pretty momentously low snowpack and that’s had an acute impact on flow of water quality and quantity.

We’re seeing warming water in normally cold streams. The Yampa by Steamboat for instance recorded 80-degree temps (should be 50 – 60 degrees) that’s well beyond healthy. There’s also been lots of recreational closures on streams. People can’t use the water right now and fish can’t either. Warm water doesn’t hold as much oxygen and low levels affect things like root systems on banks of riparian systems and flooplain vegetation.”

How does this project intersect with your work?

“Originally, out of undergrad, I worked in Wisconsin as a biologist. During my first exposure in the field and working with water resources people, I just thought what they were doing was more interesting. So, I went to grad school in boulder before joining Otak where there is broad overlap in preserving and restoring natural functions as part of development.

Our group works on supporting a lot of infrastructure projects as well as stream restoration and bank stabilization projects. From fish passage to green stormwater infrastructure and beyond, this multidisciplinary approach has an impact on communities all up and down the front range.”

What’s next for the project?

“I would like to expand it beyond just Trout. There are other species like Kokanee Salmon that were left out. Then also adding all the fish found on the western slope would also be a nice challenge. Those are lesser-known species that would be good to feature and bring awareness to.”