Conservation
by Jerry Burton, NMT President From the October/November 2014 Newsletter After trout eggs that have been buried in the stream gravel hatch, the emerging fry need areas with cover and low water velocity. They need the cover to escape being a snack for larger fish and the low velocity to be safe from being washed downstream into areas with less cover. The mortality rate during those first days and months after the eggs hatch is tremendous and can have a major impact on a trout population. When fishing in late summer or early fall and I see fingerling trout darting ... Read More
November 19, 2014
by Jerry Burton, NMT President From the September 2014 Newsletter The size of the trout population in a stream greatly depends upon the success the fish have when they spawn. To be successful they need flowing water that circulates oxygen and is free of sediment. They also need the right size gravel that they can easily move when building redds. Stream gradient is also important because it will determine whether a stream has boulders and cobble or the gravel they prefer. Spawning substrate can be a factor limiting the size of a trout population. The number of eggs a female trout ... Read More
September 27, 2014
What Happens When Cattle Don't Spend Summer in the Cebolla Ron Loehman Conservation Chairman From the September 2014 Newsletter The New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse is a small rodent that lives along mountain meadow streams that are bordered by tall grasses, sedges, and shrubs such as willows and alders. Most of these areas lie in New Mexico's National Forests, such as in the Pecos and Jemez Districts of the Santa Fe National Forest. As reported in previous newsletters, the population of the Meadow Jumping Mouse has fallen to such a low level that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has ... Read More
September 27, 2014
by Jerry Burton, NMT President Ever wonder how many trout are in a stream? To a fisheries biologist that number is known as the standing crop that is measured in pounds per surface area of stream. So that the standing crop of trout in a stream has meaning, the America Fisheries Society developed a standard procedure on how the data should be gathered. While the techniques they developed can only be used on smaller streams, it will provide data that can be compared to data collected from many streams.To gather the data a reach of typical habitat on a stream ... Read More
August 21, 2014
An ongoing project of NMT is the installation of barriers along the Rio Guadalupe to prevent vehicles from driving too close to the streams. The US Forest Service arranged for help from about 20 inmates from the Los Lunas facilitywho were hard working, conscientious, had a good attitude, and were glad to be there. The extra help was welcome, as the digging along the road at Porter was very, very difficult. The old railroad bed was about 12 to 15 inches below the road surface and was heavily compacted with lots of big rocks. The auger was useful only for the first ... Read More
July 21, 2014
Ron Loehman, NMT Conservation Chair In the last newsletter I wrote that the Forest Service had cancelled our May 31st conservation project because the grazing permittees strongly objected to any structures that might keep their cattle from accessing the Rio Cebolla. The meadow sections of the Cebolla have been seriously degraded by many years of uncontrolled grazing. Our project would have fenced about two acres of the stream as an experimental plot to show the recovery that is possible if cattle were excluded. The alternative project would have replaced about a quarter mile of a deteriorating existing fence on the ... Read More
July 21, 2014
Text of the cover letter: Dear Friends and Neighbors: The Jemez Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest is proposing a project along the upper Rio Cebolla where it crosses Forest Road 376. The purpose of the project is to improve habitat for the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse. The enclosed attachment describes the project’s details. The responsible official for the project is the Jemez District Ranger, but Allan Setzer, Cuba District Ranger will take the lead on the project. We request your comments on this project. To be most helpful, please send your comments by August 10, 2014 ... Read More
July 11, 2014
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/07/03/new-mexico-ranching-family-tells-feds-dont-fence-us-out/ This photo shows livestock drinking from a watering hole, June 20, 2014, near Crystal, N.M.AP For more than a century, the Lucero family has grazed livestock in the majestic landscape near Fenton Lake in the Santa Fe National Forest. They started with sheep and, in the 1920s, switched to cattle. But that may all come to an end because of an endangered mouse. “You’re taking a lot of heritage away,” said Mike Lucero, as he looks over the creek that cuts through the meadow. He was accompanied by his brother Manuel and cousin Orlando, who have brought their family’s ... Read More
July 4, 2014