Conservation
The following is a letter that we have sent to the USFS in response to their publication of a notice of intent to construct the cattle and elk fencing on the Rio Cebolla that we have planned for our May 31, 2014 volunteer project. In general, projects on Federal property that go beyond simple repairs and maintenance require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Those documents are a big deal and frequently take a year or more to get through the process. There are exceptions for projects that fall within the general scope of a previously issued EIS, where a Forest ... Read More
Ron Loehman, Conservation Chair From the April 2014 newsletter Each season New Mexico Trout members volunteer for work on conservation projects in support of the US Forest Service and other state and federal resource management agencies. Many of the projects are on streams in the Jemez Mountains and most are on weekends.Our first project was a great success, cleaning up trash along the Rio Guadalupe on 12 April. Sixteen hardy souls tromped through the underbrush retrieving 39 large bags of trash - enough to fill a full size pickup bed and then some! Afterwards, they enjoyed a streamside lunch and ... Read More
Dave Menicucci From April 2014 newsletter A project is ongoing at the Valles Caldera to understand trout movements following wildfires. Last year we extracted, tagged and relocated 72 trout on the East Fork and 85 on the Rio San Antonio. This year we will be electroshocking both the extraction and relocation areas to determine whether the trout have remained in the relocation areas or migrated back to the extraction areas. There are two parts to this effort, both requiring volunteers. Part 1, Electroshocking I am seeking a minimum of 10 volunteers on each of two days. Among the volunteers I ... Read More
From the April 2014 Newsletter The New Mexico Game and Fish Department stocked almost 10,000 young Rio Grand cutthroat trout into the into the Rio Grande Gorge north of Taos river as part of a long-range plan to spur interest in the state fish and restore it in other streams and creeks. Like other native fish, the Rio Grande cutthroat has disappeared from much of its historic range in New Mexico and Colorado. The department began restocking the fish in the Rio Grande in 2008. Today, people can fish for cutthroat that have grown to adulthood in the gorge and ... Read More
New Mexico Trout has a tradition of welcoming the Spring opening of FR 376 between the Gilman Tunnels and Porter's Landing with a volunteer trash pickup. That Forest Service road provides access to our Rio Guadalupe home water and it accumulates a lot of roadside trash over a season's heavy use by the many people who visit that corridor. Doing these annual cleanups is one way we can express our thanks for the wonderful trout fishing opportunities the Rio Guadalupe affords while we help maintain it in a state that we like to visit. We will meet at 9:00AM at ... Read More
Ron Loehman, Conservation Chair From March 2014 newsletter Each season New Mexico Trout members volunteer for work on conservation projects in support of the US Forest Service and other state and federal resource management agencies. Many of the projects are on streams in the Jemez Mountains and most are on weekends. The projects currently scheduled are listed below. More will be added as the different agencies firm up their plans for the 2014 season. April 12, Cleanup of the Rio Guadalupe corridor May 31, Cattle fencing and riparian restoration on the middle Rio Cebolla July 12, Riparian restoration on the middle Rio ... Read More
Bryan Bird, Wild Places Program Director, WildEarth Guardians Photos by Andrew Nguyen From March 2014 newsletter Our climate hero, the American beaver, will be getting its own management plan in New Mexico after the state senate passed a memorial recognizing the busy rodent's value to water supplies and ecosystems-especially in times of drought. The beaver memorial acknowledges that the dams, ponds and associated wetlands created by beaver are known to increase groundwater percolation, which raises local groundwater tables and increases water storage. The memorial also recognizes the critical role that ecosystem restoration could play in protecting and recovering many imperiled species. WildEarth ... Read More
