A Fine-Spotted Trout on Corral Creek

Book excerpt: Matthew Dickerson's well-crafted prose narrative takes readers from the headwaters of the Colorado River in Wyoming to the Crown of the Continent in Glacier National Park. In the midst of the lovingly described wild and scenic beauty of these places, readers will learn about the science, history, conservation, and restoration of an important native fish—cutthroat trout—and the habitats where they live, while enjoying stories of the pursuit of those fish with both a fly rod and a camera. The book is well-informed by science as well as careful observation, and conveys both the passion and knowledge of the author. The author, Matthew Dickerson, was a 2017 artist-in-residence at Glacier National Park, invited to that residence specifically to learn and write about cutthroat trout. Much of what he learned and observed is shared in this book, along with stories and knowledge gleaned from times in the national forests of Wyoming and interviews with USGS, U.S.Forest Service, and National Park Service biologists. It is well-informed by science, but doesn't read like a scientific text.