The latest on Valles Caldera access

Web editor Announcements, Conservation 0 Comment

This is an update on what is happening at the Valles Caldera.  The  Preserve is open to the public for recreation with the exception of fishing and five hiking trails.  The fish in the East Fork are still showing signs of stress from this summer’s drought, higher temperatures, and wildfire activity.  To reduce the stressors on the fish, East Fork fishing will be closed through August 25th. We will reopen the East Fork to a reduced number of anglers (maximum of 5 instead of 10 anglers) on the weekends beginning August 26th.  San Antonio fishing will be closed for the rest of this season, but will reopen next summer.

The monsoons have taken the ash from the fires and put them in both the San Antonio and the East Fork. This looks like a coal miners lung in the picture below.

Brown trout carcass with ash in gills-Rio San Antonio 7-27-11
This picture clearly shows the negative impact that the fires coupled with the flooding have had on the brown trout in the San Antonio.
The San Antonio brown trout population is comprimised.
To get an idea of how forceful those rains were…..many of you will recognize this once tranquil meadow shot and you can see the volume of the monsoonal flow.
Significant rains have washed the ash down the streams of the VC

Thanks to Terry McDermott, Public Information Officer for the VC, Kimberly DeVall, Recreation Specialist and Dr. Bob Parmenter , Preserve Scientist, for supplying the information contained in the latest update.

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