This fall and winter, River Source continued its powerful work of connecting young people to the rivers of northern New Mexico—through hands-on science, outdoor exploration, and meaningful stewardship.
As detailed in the Truchas Chapter of Trout Unlimited Report for Fall 2025/Winter 2026Truchas TU Report February 2026, the past several months have been filled with fieldwork, partnerships, internships, and thousands of youth learning experiences centered on protecting the waters we all depend on.
Connecting Youth to Local Rivers
Since August 2025, River Source programming has brought students into direct relationship with their home watersheds. Youth from tribal communities including San Ildefonso, Santo Domingo, Walatowa (Jemez Pueblo), and Santa Clara Pueblos, as well as students from:
- Santa Fe Indian School
- Native American Community Academy
- Pecos High School
- Mesa Vista High School
- Peñasco High School
- NexGen Academy
- Robertson High School
- West Las Vegas High School
- Eldorado Middle School
…have participated in field investigations and watershed science.
Students monitored rivers including:
- The Rio Grande
- Rio del Pueblo
- El Rito Creek
- Santa Fe River
- Galisteo Creek
- The Jemez River and its tributaries
- Big Tesuque Creek
- Rio San Antonio
Whether measuring stream flow, analyzing water quality, studying riparian health, or sampling aquatic insects, students weren’t just learning science—they were practicing stewardship.
By the Numbers: Fall 2025/Winter 2026 Impact
The scale of this work is impressive:
- 2,131 youth and 298 adults engaged in community-based watershed science and stewardship experiences in 2025
- 27 middle and high school classes participated in hands-on watershed science
- 50 Santa Fe Indian School students conducted monitoring and storytelling work on Big Tesuque Creek
- 43 El Dorado eighth graders monitored riparian health and water quality in the Galisteo Bosque
- 25 Peñasco High students collected water quality data above and below Sipapu Ski Area on the Rio del Pueblo
Students from Peñasco are preparing their findings for presentation to land managers—demonstrating that this isn’t just experiential learning; it’s real-world science that informs decision-making.
River Source also supported Trout in the Classroom programs by delivering eggs and plans to attend up to three fish releases this coming year.
Growing the Watershed Academy & Internships
Building on the success of the Summer 2025 Watershed Academy—which hired 25 interns across El Rito, Peñasco, Pecos, Santa Fe, and Las Vegas—River Source expanded paid youth internships into the fall and spring.
Seven additional interns are now working in:
- Santa Fe
- Las Vegas
- Pecos
These interns collaborate with teachers, nonprofits, and land managers including:
- Upper Pecos Watershed Association
- U.S. Forest Service
- The Nature Conservancy
- City of Santa Fe
- Santa Fe Watershed Association
Their work includes:
- Collecting water quality data to help protect the Pecos watershed from mining impacts
- Supporting campground stewardship
- Monitoring post-fire recovery in burn scars
- Assisting with field trips for hundreds of 5th graders to the upper Santa Fe River
This is workforce development rooted in conservation—training the next generation of watershed stewards while addressing real environmental challenges.
Science in Action Across Northern New Mexico
From students investigating the impacts of the HPCC fire, to middle schoolers exploring invasive species in the Galisteo Bosque, to high school students sampling invertebrates in the Rio del Pueblo, River Source programming brings science alive outdoors.
These experiences build:
- Technical skills
- Cultural connection
- Civic engagement
- A sense of urgency and responsibility toward water protection
As the report notes, this work “inspires a sense of urgency in activation in watershed protection, in civic life, and paying attention and care for how fundamentally crucial our relationship is to water and the rivers in northern New Mexico.” Truchas TU Report February 2026
Why This Matters
Healthy rivers don’t happen by accident.
They depend on informed communities, strong partnerships, and young people who understand both the science and the responsibility of stewardship. By engaging youth across northern New Mexico—especially in rural and tribal communities—River Source is helping ensure that the next generation is prepared to protect coldwater habitats, support resilient watersheds, and sustain the cultural and ecological vitality of our rivers.
This is conservation in action.
This is education with purpose.
This is stewardship rooted in community.
