The final and thirteenth field trip to release fish raised in area classrooms was held at Rio Pueblo on May 22, when Penasco high school students taught by Mercela Cordova returned their triploid rainbow trout to the river. In this photo, Ms. Cordova selects a calm eddy in the river for the fish release to avoid the runoff of recent heavy rains. Eleven schools ranging from Pecos NM to Santa Fe raised triploid rainbow trout from eggs donated by Lisboa Springs Hatchery and observed their growth over the school year, while maintaining adequate water chemistry. Release sites, approved by NM Game & Fish, included the Pecos, Monastery Lake, and Rio Pueblo. Two schools raised Rio Grande Cutthroat fry from Seven Springs Hatchery and released them into the Rio Grande near Pilar. We had classrooms as young as Kindergarten, several 3rd grade classes, middle schools and high schools participate in the program in 2024-2025.
Each year is different, and glitches do occur – last year we lost some fish when a chiller broke down and not all of the fish could be kept “on ice” until a new chiller was sourced. This year we lost a few to an aggressive water pump until we covered the opening with cheesecloth (lesson learned!), and our crack crew left 4 crafty fish behind when picking them up for release at Mandela International School. We did get them on the next trip up to Pilar safely the following week.
Next year is already in the planning stages – in addition to the probably return of all the 2024 schools, we plan to add more schools in Santa Fe, Pojoaque, and Los Alamos to make our total 17 schools. Of course more schools means more volunteers from Trout Unlimited are needed to delivery eggs and fry, troubleshoot aquarium issues, transport grown fish for release, and capture/display macroinvertebrates on the field trips for environmental lessons. If you want to be added to the call list for next year, please email Truchas TIC Coordinator Mike Jozwiakowski at [email protected].
The photo below shows volunteers Arnold Atkins (previous TIC Coordinator) and Dan Muenzberg* preparing a benthic macroinvertebrate station for the Penasco field trip on Rio Pueblo at the Agua Piedra site. Other Truchas members who graciously donated time to help this year were: Nick Tsapatsaris, David Howard, Jeffrey Jones, Patrick Delaney, Patrick Iverson*, David Wheelock, Paige Johns*, Andy Johns*, and Bill Lowe* (* indicates first timers, thank you!). This program, which is held across the US by different Trout Unlimited chapters, is one of our best ways to interact with the local community, teach ecological lessons to students, and support our local rivers and fish populations. And – it is a lot of fun!
— Mike Jozwiakowski, Truchas TIC Coordinator
