Currently browsing… Upper Rio Grande
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Climate change puts the squeeze on trout, anglers and communities in Colorado
By Jay Chancellor Colorado is no stranger to being “high and dry” in the summer months, but this year is shaping up to be one of the hottest and driest on record. Unfortunately, this is not just a fluke occurrence; parts of the state have been in a drought for the past 20-plus years, prompting a number of administrative actions to help…
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In New Mexico, recreation is paying off for conservation
by Dan Roper During the havoc and heartbreak of the pandemic, many of our fellow Americans turned to the outdoors. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, 28 percent more Americans went camping in 2020 than during the previous year, and 8.1 million more of us went on a hike. Fishing numbers soared too, with at least one state reporting a 40…
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Thinking big on the Upper Rio Grande
Trout Unlimited has worked in the upper Rio Grande drainage for years, investing staff and volunteer time into things like raising water tables, reconnecting rivers with their flood plains and protecting public lands. We've worked with indigenous people and local communities to protect and restore this important watershed. We're now combining and organizing our various…
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In New Mexico, beavers and people aren’t so different
By Abelino Fernandez Leger In fall of 2020, I worked with Trout Unlimited and Defenders of Wildlife and River Source — a small company specializing in watershed restoration, education and research in New Mexico — on a beaver habitat assessment survey in northern New Mexico. The project goal was to find rivers where beavers could be relocatedand where beavers could do the work…
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From the vault: Canjilon
Editor's note: This piece was first published in August 2020. Periodically, we'll republish content we liked a lot when it first hit the internet. The village of Canjilon sits within a donut of low hills to the west and south, and a gradually rising wall to the north and east. Its establishment in the 1870s seems late by New Mexico standards, but that tracks with…
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Querencia: A love of place
In 2011, when I was still president of New Mexico’s Santa Fe (Truchas) Chapter, I was approached by Nick Streit, president of the Taos (Enchanted Circle) Chapter and owner of the Taos Fly Shop, about restoring a section of the Red River in Questa. The Red had been a workhorse for several decades, impacted by…
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Management matters
By Garrett Hanks Wolf Creek pass in the San Juan mountains of Colorado serves as the tipping point between the westward San Juan basin, home to the recently rediscovered San Juan cutthroat trout, and the Rio Grande cutthroat’s namesake river to the east. Unlike trout, bear, mule deer and other wildlife are unhindered by the ridgeline; their tracks freely cross the divide. Look north and you’ll notice the burn scar from the West Fork fire of 2013. Setting off south along the Continental Divide Trail, you quickly…