Region 1: Snowshoeing, an Unexpected Ambassador Program

Who knew snowshoeing could be about fish? When free snowshoeing tours started in 2016 at Washington’s Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery, biologist tour guides from Mid-Columbia Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office also talked about their work while leading groups past the snow-covered fish ponds and along the banks of Icicle Creek.

People loved it. After all, how often do they have wildlife biologists available to pepper with questions? Leavenworth Fisheries Complex staff slowly realized that they weren’t just providing a great recreational experience, they had a unique opportunity to tell our story.

Leavenworth NFH is much more than a hatchery. It is a de facto community park, a greenspace in an increasingly developed Icicle Valley. The hatchery receives 100,000 visitors every year—many for reasons that have nothing to do with fish. But through snowshoeing tours, the Service has a unique, snow-covered backdrop to show visitors how a hatchery works, and why.  Photo/USFWS

Region 1: Sometimes It Takes Guts to be an Outdoor Steward and Angler

Pacific Regional Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program staff from two National Fish Hatcheries and one Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office teamed up March 20, 2019 at the annual Celebrating Water event in Clackamas County, Oregon, to teach 450 area students about the role hatcheries and science play in managing salmon populations and supporting tribal, commercial, and recreational angling.

Using ‘Know Your Fish Guts’ fish dissections and demonstrations of salmon marking and tagging technology, Eagle Creek NFH Manager Caroline Peterschmidt, Columbia River FWCO biologist Jeff Johnson, and Columbia River Gorge Fisheries Complex Visitor Services Manager Cheri Anderson gave fourth- and fifth-graders a fish-eye view into some day-to-day operations at the Service’s five nearby hatcheries, and why clean water matters to fish, anglers, people, and National Fish Hatcheries. Students also got an invitation to visit Eagle Creek NFH, less than 30 miles away, for tours, seeing live fish, and fall spawning.  Photo/USFWS, Cheri Anderson

Region 2: Spawning the Next Generation of Gila Trout

The Gila Trout, one of two native trout in New Mexico. First listed as endangered in 1967, it has improved remarkably due to numerous collaborations. Once off limits to New Mexico anglers, down-listing to threatened in 2006 changed all that. Streams within the Gila River basin have now been designated recovery and recreation. Recreation streams allow anglers to try their fly at catching these once rare fish.  

Mora National Fish Hatchery continues the tradition of collaboration when it comes to spawning the New Mexico native, the Gila Trout. From Jan. through March, volunteers are welcomed into the spawning mix and include a wide range of individuals from different organizations like Eastern New Mexico Univ. Fish and Wildlife Club, Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) - Canyon Creek Hatchery, Region 2 Division of Realty from Albuquerque, Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF), and Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery (NFH). Other Gila Trout enthusiasts rounded out the support crew during the spawning activities that will continue to support the recovery and recreational opportunities of the Gila Trout. Photo/USFWS

Region 2: Fishing is Family Time

Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery (NFH), Texas, and Friends Group partnered with Fishing’s Future to host the First Catch Center – Free Family Learn-to-Fish (and Catch) Event. The event provided families interested in learning to fish, or new to fishing, an opportunity to get experience and guidance. Attendees learned fish identification and measurement, proper catch and release techniques, types of rods and reels, fishing knots, baits and lures, and fishing ethics, as well as Texas Parks and Wildlife rules and regulations.

The hatchery provided catfish and a dedicated pond to participating families. The program was limited to 45 individuals including youth, parents, and grandparents to ensure quality instruction for the budding anglers. The family oriented event was free and equipment was provided for catching some nice catfish. Families were even able to keep their first catch once it was cleaned and prepped so long as they brought a cooler to carry it home. Photo/USFWS

Region 3: Derby Time!

Mid-March at the Neosho National Fish Hatchery (NFH) means Derby Time! At least if you’re a military veteran…or still in service. The first “Rainbows for Veterans” event was held in March 2012 and has been popular every year since. The 2019 edition was held on Saturday, March 16.

Depending on the weather, we generally see a happy gathering of 200 or more folks that register, dip their lines, catch their limit of trout and depart with a smile and their scaly quarry in hand. We provide the place and the equipment and the Veteran’s provide the fellowship and the fun. All we ask at the registration table is to see some proof of military service, and from there the Veterans receive a commemorative t-shirt and a prime spot around the pond at Neosho NFH. This year 158 participants signed our register – a bit down because of the 31°F temperature at the start of the morning. But things warmed up to 50°F by noon, (including the fishing…and catching). It proved to be a memorable day for everyone in attendance.

We thank the many volunteers that distributed fishing poles and bait, helped to land fish and remove hooks, and we even had a hearty few at the fish cleaning station helping to bag everyone’s catch for the ride home.

Hotdogs, chips, pop and cookies helped sustain the anglers, while they battled the chilly temps and the rainbow trout. As always the day was a great way to provide a meaningful show of support for our nation’s veterans. As hatchery manager Roderick May put it, “When you have someone say, ‘I wait on this all year,’ it will bring tears to your eyes” and make all the effort well worth it. Photo/Bruce Hallman, USFWS

Region 3: A Decade of Kids Ice Fishing at   Genoa National Fish Hatchery

We at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service understand the thrill of pulling a fish through the ice on a brisk winter day. On February 10, warmed by  cups of hot chocolate, more than 250 youth ages 5 to 12 and their families...Read more

Region 4: Families Learning to Fish Support Kids Learning to Grieve

The 11^th annual Family Adventure Day in Lafayette, Louisiana was an adventurous fundraiser benefiting the Healing House and their mission to provide support and education for grieving children. This year over 40 different locations from the Lafayette community joined the Adventure Day and hosted activities for families to enjoy together. The stop at the US Fish and Wildlife Service Office area was a favorite by many families because of the variety of activities provided by Ecological Services, Fish and Aquatic Conservation and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The 90 families, over 270 participants, held live baby alligators and snakes, discovered pollinators and birds, and fished for native and invasive aquatic species in the urban “parking lot” pond! Families enjoyed time together as they learned how to cast and competed to catch the big one! Everyone was excited to see what species they caught and how much it weighed! Photo/USFWS

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission hosted the annual Youth Squirrel Hunt at the Potlatch Conservation Education Center at Cook’s Lake near Casscoe, Arkansas on January 4-5, 2019. The facility operates under a joint agreement between the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and is located on the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge. Service employees volunteered time to support a state partner with the combined goal of educating youth hunters on the art of training and hunting with dogs. The excited young hunters attended a night hunt for raccoons with a bloodhound, and two daytime hunts with Mountain Cur dogs in which 1 raccoon and 53 squirrels were harvested.  The kids helped to dress the game and got to taste squirrel egg rolls and raccoon tamales that night for diner! Photo/USFWS, Glenn Constant

Region 5: Virtual Reality Technology at National Youth Science Day

Lower Great Lakes FWCO featured their “augmented reality sandbox” at the 4-H National Youth Science Day event at the Hennepin Community Center, in Buffalo, NY. This year's theme was "Code Your World" which teaches youth ages 8 and up to apply computer science concepts to the world around them through hands-on activities. The Lower Great Lakes FWCO’s “augmented reality sandbox” uses a real sandbox with virtual topography and water characteristics to create an elevation color map, complete with topographic contour lines. The “water simulation” component allows educators and biologists to teach children about geography, geology, and hydrology, and the impact water has on the landscape.  A number of other environmental organizations, such as the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, Buffalo Museum of Science, and Eat Smart New York, attend this annual event hosted by Cradle Beach and Cornell Cooperative Extension to provide opportunities in science to children who are economically disadvantaged. Photo/USFWS, Denise Clay

Region 6: Cross Country Skiing at Garrison Dam NFH

Garrison Dam has put in about 3.5 miles of gravel based hiking trails with another half mile going in to make a total of just over 4 miles.  In addition, during the winter months, staff groom ski trails through the Corp of Engineers downstream campgrounds doubling the amount of groomed ski trails. Trails start from the hatchery’s visitor center and skirt around the hatchery through a cottonwood forest along the Missouri River and through the campgrounds – the trail is beautiful in the winter.                               Click to view video

Along the trail visitors can see lots of geese flying overhead, bald eagles, ducks, deer and even moose.  Evenings are awesome with moonlight skiing and lots of solitude.  Video/USFWS

Region 6: Deer Collaring on Wind River Reservation

Taking advantage of a rare opportunity to handle and GPS-collar mule deer, 19 students from Central Wyoming College, and Ft. Washakie and Wyoming Indian high schools enthusiastically participated in the 2nd year of a study investigating migration of mule deer on the Wind River Reservation, WY.

Determining migration routes, especially narrow and confined ones, is the basis for protecting these vital pathways that help ensure the sustainability of these populations that both tribal and non-tribal hunters depend upon. In March, USFWS’s Lander Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office located in Lander WY, led and coordinated this effort to helicopter-capture and GPS-collar 111 elk and mule deer in a continuing effort to track migration movements, diseases, pregnancy, and animal health. Primary collaborators include the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Fish and Game, Wyoming Migration Initiative and Haub School from the University of Wyoming, and The Nature Conservancy. Photo/USFWS

Region 7: FAC Alaska would like to welcome Reth Duir to the team!

Reth will be leading FAC’s urban fishing program this summer in Anchorage, Alaska from May 20-August 1. The program focuses on introducing new audiences to safe fishing opportunities nearby. Entering its 8^th year with over 40 events planned, the program includes introduction to different fishing techniques, wading in current, cold water safety, bear safety, and cooking the catch. Partners include Northeast Muldoon and Mountain View Boys and Girls Clubs, Denali Family Services, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Alaska Center for Resource Families, Alaska Department of Natural Resources Boating Safety Program, Alaska Geographic, National Park Service and others. Reth is a recent graduate of the University of Alaska, Anchorage and is passionate about the Anchorage community and connecting people to the out-of-doors. Photo/Alaska Geographic