FORT COLLINS -- The High Park fire has displaced thousands of
residents and destroyed the homes of 257 families. But amid the
87,250 acres charred in the Poudre, Rist, Redstone and Buckhorn
Canyons, is the habitat homes of deer, elk, birds, squirrels,
rabbits, bear and other wildlife. Colorado Parks and Wildlife
biologists expect some fatalities, particularly for smaller
mammals that cannot run as fast and birds that are still in the
nest, but do not know the extent of the deaths associated with
the still-burning wildfire. In the long run, however, these
animals will benefit from the effects of the fire on their
habitat. For fish, it is another story. The long- and short-term
effects of a wildfire pollute waterways, clog gills, reduce
habitat and essentially kill fish. Immediately, slurry pollutes
fish habitat because of the amount used, said Randy Hampton,
spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. "Iced tea is
perfectly safe, but if I drop 40,000 gallons of it in the creek,
it's going to kill fish," he said