Announcements
Ron Loehman The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) has rolled out a comprehensive Travel Management Plan that makes a lot of changes in the road and trail network in the forest. The process started in 2005 when the USFS adopted a rule that required each National Forest and Grassland in the US to identify and designate the roads, trails, and areas that would be open to motor vehicle use. Once implemented, all motor vehicle use off the designated system would be prohibited. That process is now complete for the SFNF following years of planning, environmental impact analyses, and input from ... Read More
by Pat Mileshosky Sure, why not, I'm retired with time on my hands and a few bucks in my pocket. I've been there before, several times in fact. Okay, I'll do it. I'll take Mike Maurer up on his invitation to return to the Green River. The Green is a tail water fishery below Flaming Gorge Dam in the far northeast corner of Utah. Walt Ratcliff picked me up early Saturday morning and we were off... next stop Vernal, Utah where we would meet several of the other fellows making the trek. A few, like Mike Maurer, Walt Ratcliff and ... Read More
Kevin Holladay, at the NM Department of Game and Fish has asked for some help this year from New Mexico Trout at the Albuquerque Outdoor Expo from August 16-18 at the City of Albuquerque Shooting Range Park out on the west mesa. He would like help at the catfish pool for Friday afternoon, 12:00pm - 4:00pm as well as Saturday and Sunday, 9:00am - 5:00pm. These are the hours that EXPO will be open to the public for the weekend. Friday, most of the events will be open to Department staff, volunteers and several school and youth groups. We anticipate ... Read More
Ron Loehman, Conservation Chairman June 1st was the date for New Mexico Trout's annual volunteer project day and BBQ. This year the project location was a spot near where FR 376 passes over the Rio Cebolla in the Jemez District of the Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF). Our task was to build vehicle barriers to help close off an old, informal road that has been eroding and contributing to the degradation of the creek and its surrounding meadow. Earlier, SFNF personnel had built a gate across the old road to allow access only by emergency vehicles. We were there to build ... Read More
by Ron Loehman Last Saturday, May 11, I assisted Dave Menicucci with an eyeball survey of the fish population in the fourteen-mile stretch of Rio San Antonio in the Valles Caldera. Dave has gotten approval for a study to determine if trout can be relocated to even out the apparent patchy distribution of fish in the San Antonio in the aftermath of the Las Conchas fire. See article below for a fuller description. We each walked upstream along a seven-mile stretch with a GPS and recorded the fish we saw in each quarter-mile section. I had the lower half, Reaches ... Read More
by Dave Menicucci June 15, 2013 The purpose of the project is to monitor movements of trout after they have been moved from high population areas to lower population areas on the Rio San Antonio (RSA) on the Valles Caldera National Preserve. Volunteers will help with the tagging and reintroduction. Approximately a dozen people and three vehicles will be needed, along with six 5-gallon buckets. We need at least four volunteers capable of carrying the trout in half-full buckets (20 lb each) from the stream to the vehicles or from the vehicles to the reintroduction sites, and to run the ... Read More
Per Mike Sloane (NMDG&F Chief of Fisheries), work has begun on the two back channels downstream of the Texa-hole. The effort includes cleaning out the organic sediments, creating some pools, shaping the channel and building some rock and tree structures. The plan is to create more habitat and improve sediment transport. Along with this project a waterfowl/wetland area will be built between the Texas-hole and the Munoz parking lot ... Read More
Ron Loehman Conservation Chairman Plan to join other NM Trout Volunteers on June 1st to build structures that will help the Rio Cebolla recover from the effects of unauthorized vehicles along its banks. The location is about 4 miles north of Porter's Landing where FR 376 crosses the Cebolla, across the valley from where we installed the interpretive panels last year. We will be working to close off an informal road along the creek that was decommissioned in the recent Forest Service travel management plan. This is an action that NM Trout has been advocating for over a decade and ... Read More