Vail’s fish cam is back: Underwater webcam is operating again on Gore Creek
Tricia Swenson/Vail Daily
Webcams have been used in and around Vail for years to help viewers see anything from snow totals to traffic issues, and one webcam that has now returned is the Gore Creek camera, also known as the “fish cam.”
The original Gore Creek Fish Camera made its debut in the spring of 2021. The camera doesn’t show the banks and scenery around this waterway that weaves through downtown Vail. Rather, this camera is submerged and gives people a glimpse into the underwater world of those who inhabit Gore Creek.
The idea to submerge a camera into Gore Creek came from Todd Winslow Pierce, a local photographer who started Eagle Valley Wild which is a non-profit that provides photographic services to conservation organizations and professional initiatives in Eagle County. It also aims to educate and inspire locals and visitors with compelling content that creates awareness, appreciation and protection of Eagle County’s land, water and wildlife.
Pete Wadden is a watershed health specialist with the town of Vail. He said they welcomed this opportunity to work with Pierce on this project.
“From the town of Vail’s perspective, we just want to encourage people to connect with nature, connect with the creek, appreciate the life that is all around us,” Wadden said. He also pointed out that it’s also a way for people to connect with Vail when they are not here. “We have a lot of folks who have personal connections and great memories fishing or hanging out on the creek. This technology allows them to take a look at fish from their desk back home in Minnesota, Chicago, Houston, wherever they may be. It’s like an aquarium at the dentist’s office. It calms everyone’s nerves.”
Support Local Journalism
Pierce agrees, and adds that there’s scientific evidence to back that up.
“There have been quantifiable studies that talk about your exposure to nature and how it affects your physiology, even if it’s not in a 3-D sense, you can still tune in online and look at images and video and it has a marked effect on your blood pressure, cortisol levels, all those things that are beneficial to people. So, we can give that to the community and our visitors via the Gore Creek Fish Camera,” Pierce said.
The first fish cam was very successful and had quite a few viewers. It was actually one of the indicators that tipped people off to the fish kill incident that involved Vail Resorts and how it accidentally released hazardous water from its snowmaking system into Mill and Gore Creeks in the summer of 2021.
“There was a viewer that was watching the fish cam live and within 30 minutes, he saw the water had turned very cloudy and a weird color and called in to inquire about that. So, it can be a useful tool to monitor not only the fish and enjoy the fish, but it can also let you see if there is an issue with the creek,” Pierce said.
Keeping the fish cam going has not been all that easy. The camera that was most recently installed in October is the third camera of this kind. The first camera was damaged during whitewater events in Gore Creek. Then there was a long delay trying to get a replacement because there was a shortage of parts and once they did get what they needed, there was a flaw in the housing and the underwater setup took in some humidity.
Pierce is working with Trevor Mendelow of Fathom Ocean, a company based in Boulder that specializes in underwater camera equipment.
“It is a very difficult environment to put high-end equipment underwater. There will always be some issues, but thankfully we are working with Trevor and Fathom Ocean, which is one of the leading if not the leading underwater imaging companies. They do projects all over the world, so, it has been a real pleasure working with them to get this up and running.”
For the Gore Creek camera to work properly, there were other logistics involved. Access to the internet and a power source were key. The International Bridge along Gore Creek provided access to both. Eric Olsen with the town of Vail’s information technology department helped power up the camera and connect it to the internet for the world to see.
“Another benefit to have it near the International Bridge was that we could have it in a popular location where visitors could actually see where it’s located and engage with this project,” Pierce said.
Pierce and Wadden wore waders to get into Gore Creek to install the camera, which is bolted to a boulder in the water. They modified the bracket to make it longer so the camera can go deeper into the water and adjust to high water levels and low water levels since it will be a year-round camera. It will provide a lot of insight into the fish habitat year-round.
Wadden said if you think you’re seeing the same fish on the fish cam, it’s not your imagination.
“Their territories aren’t permanent, but fish will vie with each other for the best feeding habitat, which is what they are doing in a stillwater pool like this. The fish are conserving their energy, holding still and waiting for food particles, mostly insects, to float by,” Wadden said. “So, the biggest, strongest fish will get the prime feeding spots. It can change from day to day, but you can come back and often see the same individual fish in front of the camera because that is his or her spot until some other fish chases them out of there.”
Pierce says that the hard work that he, Wadden, Olsen and Mendelow with Fathom Ocean have gone through to make this project successful is worth it.
“As much as the setbacks hurt, we like solving problems. The passion is what drives us through all of these technical issues and then when you’re successful it adds that much more value to the whole project.”
“There’s no doubt about that everybody loves seeing wildlife, even if it is some trout,” Wadden said.
To view the Gore Creek Fish Camera, visit Vail.gov.
