August 22, 2008
Virgin River photo event aims to build awareness

August 6, 2008
Passage Opens Habitat for Endangered Species

March 13, 2008
Chub, woundfin added to a depleted section of the stream while 40 Virgin spinedace are collected for breeding

March 1, 2008
DNR schools students on native fish

November 14, 2007
Struggling Species Receives Helping "Fin"

November 6, 2007
Stocking the river: Officials hope to save woundfin minnow

November 5 , 2007
Officials taint Virgin River to flush out invading fish

October 31, 2007
Crews work to snuff out pesky Virgin River intruder

October 18, 2007
6,700 endangered woundfin fish released into Virgin River waters

October 3, 2007
Programs Seeks Balance in Virgin River Basin

August 16, 2007
High School Students Work UDWR Internships

August 16, 2007
Up to Their Knees in the River:
Local Teens Learn About Biology During UDWR Internship

August 1, 2007
Enjoying the outdoors:
Pilot internship gets high school students involved

July 27, 2007
St. George octogenarian's dream of Virgin River natural habitat coming true

July 27, 2007
Sheldon Johnson's dream comes to life

June 15 , 2007
Nature's accelerant. Tamarisk trees suck up water, posing a fire danger to Southern Utah

April 22, 2007
Virgin River Program takes on new work

November 30, 2006
Woundfin minnows released into Virgin River

September 17, 2006
River gets much needed aid

September 17, 2006
Keep Virgin River Flowing

September 06, 2006
Virgin River Program Partners to Save Native Fish and Provide Water

October 17, 2008

Restoring the rare woundfin is a balancing act
By Mark Havnes – The Salt Lake Tribune

HURRICANE - Like slippery silver flames flashing in the southern Utah sun, about 24,000 rare woundfin were released Thursday into a fast-moving Virgin River.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources oversaw the six-site fish release in Washington County that seeks to revive the endangered species.
Wildlife biologist Amos Rehm said the program started in 2003, after factors including human competition for water in the river coupled with more than a decade of drought conditions that dropped river levels to dangerous levels.

“A strip from Pah-Temp Springs [in La Verkin] and the Arizona state line is the only place in the world where the woundfin is found,” Rehm said.
This was the second release in 2008, adding to 2,500 of the 2- to 3-inch fish released in the river in March.

Melinda Bennion, a native aquatic biologist for the DWR, said the fish are from a Utah brood stock raised at Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center in Dexter, N.M., which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service operates.

Rehm said at one point in the '80s the fish almost became extinct and are no longer found in the section of the river running through Arizona and Nevada where it dumps into Lake Mead.

He said restoring the woundfin population is a balancing act of human demands on the river, water temperature, habitat and sediment flows.
“We have to try and outthink Mother Nature and ourselves,” Rehm said. “We're the ones using the water.”

Wildlife biologist Mike Golden said several hundred thousand woundfin formerly populated the river. “The population started to decline in the 1980s,” Golden said. “The long drought of the 1990s and 2000s was the biggest nail in the coffin.” He said the retention rate from releases average between 10 and 15 percent. That is why some of the fish were raised for 18 months: so their shot at survival would increase.

After the fish were acclimated to their new home's water temperature and released, Bennion worried. “They seem a little stressed,” she said as some fish spilled from her dip net. “I don't think they liked the drive from New Mexico.”

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August 22, 2008

Virgin River photo event aims to build awareness
The Spectrum

ST. GEORGE­- The Virgin River is the life blood of Southwest Utah. Without water there is no life, said Lynn Chamberlain, conservation outreach manager for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

"From the Kolob area and Cedar Mountain clear down to the hot desert, nourishing all the way. I can't think of another short area that has so much diversity from a wildlife and living standpoint," Chamberlain said.

The river's importance is recognized not only for its value in water, but for recreational and educational purposes and is the focus of a photo contest sponsored by the Virgin River Program. Winning photos will be incorporated into a calendar.

Steve Meismer, local coordinator for the program, said the reason behind the photo contest is to find a way to let people see the beauty of the Virgin River and all it is used for.

"It's not just for scenery," Meismer said. "It's used for many different things from recreation to irrigation."

Meismer said the contest also fits in with the two goals of the Virgin River Program, which are to implement actions to recover, conserve, enhance and protect native species in the Virgin River Basin and enhance the ability to provide adequate water supplies for sustaining human needs.

The scope of the program is broad, including species recovery, water management, floodplain protection, restoration and community outreach and the photo contest is one way of meeting those goals.

As a photographer, Chamberlain said a photo contest is an exciting way to build awareness of the river, which is an incredible resource. Plus, he said the calendar would be beautiful.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Chamberlain said of the contest.

In addition to the potential "famous shots" of the Virgin River and offshoots such as the Subway and the Narrows, Chamberlain hopes the contest will get people to get out and discover some of the lesser-known spots that provide a lot of variety.

Chamberlain said the Virgin River is an amazing thing. If not for the river, there wouldn't be a St. George, Hurricane or other cities in Washington County, he said, and the river supports not only people but animals ranging from elk and mule deer to desert tortoises and Gila monsters.

The river is also home to native fish species, including the woundfin, one of the rarest species in the world, and the Virgin River Chub.

Currently, the Virgin River Program is working to remove non-native invasive tamarisks and replace them with willows, a native species, along the river.

The willows provide habitat for the Southwestern willow flycatcher, a federally listed endangered species.

Meismer said it is important to continue to provide the natural habitat for these native species because they are indicators of what is happening in the river.

It is planned that the photo contest will be an annual event.

Chamberlain said it is hard to be a photographer in the area and not incorporate the Virgin River.

"There are few things that are more beautiful than flowing water," Chamberlain said.

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August 6, 2008

Passage Opens Habitat for Endangered Species
By Bill Brown – Hurricane Valley Journal

The Virgin River Program was instrumental in creating a fish passage around a diversion in the La Verkin creek, a tributary of the Virgin River. The fish passage has the potential to increase usable habitat for endangered species of fish in the Virgin River basin, Steve Meismer, local coordinator of the Virgin River Program said.

The diversion, used by the Wilson family for many years to divert water from the La Verkin Creek for irrigation purposes, was too high for fish like the Virgin River Chub, Virgin Spinedace and Woundfin to get up stream under normal circumstances, Meismer said.

“What we did is create a concrete grouted channel next to what had been the La Verkin Creek channel,” Meismer said. He said they constructed the passage so the almost seven foot drop of the diversion was changed to a gradual slope, making it easier for the fish to move upstream.
Meismer said UDWR had found some Virgin Spindace and Virgin River Chub above the diversion already. He said they probably got there during the 2005 flooding, when water levels were high enough to allow fish to get over the diversion. They are hoping the passage will increase the population above the diversion, and open up that area as additional habitat for the Chubb and possibly the Woundfin as well.

“The fish passage is helping us to reach our recovery goals,” Krissy Wilson, the native aquatic species program coordinator for the UDNR, said. “It is increasing the available habitat for these endangered species.” She added the passage opens up several miles of potential habitat that was not accessible except during a major flood.

Meismer said the WCWCD traded the Wilson family water shares in the La Verkin irrigation system for their water rights in the La Verkin Creek. The Virgin River Program assisted by funding the conversion to a pressurized system for the Wilson farm.

“That gave us additional flow-through water,” Meismer said. He added they were then able to obtain an easement for the passage from the Trail Ridge Estates developers, who own the land where diversion was situated.

The passage was constructed out of rip-rap and concrete, Karl Rasmussen of Pro-Value Engineering, who designed the passage, said. It is about 200 ft long and 8 feet wide, and converts the drop of the diversion to a gentle 3.3 percent grade. The passage parallels the original path of the La Verkin Creek, and empties back out into the creek bed when it comes level with it again.

Dustin Hoopes of High Gear Grading, the contractor that built the passage, said the passage took about a month to build. Kevin DeMille donated much of the rock for the passage, he said, and Interstate Rock and Bang Concrete worked diligently to get the passage done so quickly. The passage saw first water July 23, he said, but was not officially opened until July 30.

The main channel of the La Verkin Creek was left open, Rasmussen said, in case of a storm event. The majority of the water in a flash flood would bypass the passage and continue downstream along the original channel. The water would flow down both channels, he said, reducing the pressure on the passage construct.

Reed Harris, program director for the Virgin River Recovery Program for the State of Utah, said the fish passage was a good example of the goals of the Virgin River Program in action. By working with developers, landowners, environmentalists, and government agencies, the program was able to accomplish a win-win situation for everyone, and do some good for the endangered species here in the Virgin River Basin.
“Everyone is afraid of the Endangered Species Act,” Harris said. “We are trying to show that it does not have to be rammed down people’s throats. By working together, we can find solutions that benefit everyone involved.”

Wilson said the Virgin River Program is successful because of its ability to work with all the parties concerned. It is not an overarching government demanding compliance, but an agency working with landowners and others towards the recovery of these endangered species.
“By working together we can use the water for the fish, and still meet the needs of all users,” Wilson said.

The new fish passage is along State Route 9 between La Verkin and Toquerville, near the entrance to the Trail Ridge Estates. For more information about the Virgin River Program, visit their Web site at www.virginriverprogram.org.

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March 13, 2008

Chub, woundfin added to a depleted section of the stream while 40 Virgin spinedace are collected for breeding
By Mark Havnes --The Salt Lake Tribune

ST. GEORGE - Wildlife officials set free some of the world's rarest animals Wednesday in the Virgin River.
    Outside of St. George, biologists with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources started stocking 6,400 Virgin River chub and 2,500 woundfin into the stream - the only place on Earth where both of the rare fish live naturally.
    Steve Meismer, area coordinator for the Virgin River Project, said the woundfin release will augment the 6,700 added last October.
    "Hopefully, we'll now see reproduction of the fish that have not been in this section of the river," said Meismer, whose group works to balance human needs and the health of the river's ecosystem.
    Wednesday's release took place along three stretches of the Virgin between La Verkin and St. George.
    The chub were set free at the so-called Johnson Diversion in a section flushed with the poison rotenone last October to wipe out the non-native red shiner in preparation for the release. The woundfin were placed at two points upstream from where thousands of the 2- to 3-inch minnows were released last fall.
    Both the chub and woundfin are listed as endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which delivered the fish from the agency's Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center in Dexter, N.M. As part of Wednesday's undertaking, about 40 rare Virgin spinedace captured in the river will be transported to the Dexter hatchery for a breeding and chronicling program, said DWR wildlife biologist Mike Golden. Another DWR wildlife biologist, Amos Rehm, said the rare fish are in constant competition with humans for enough water to produce healthy populations.
"It's tough being a desert fish," Rehm said. "It's a lot of world with limited water that everybody is trying to get."

mhavnes@sltrib.com

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March 1, 2008

DNR schools students on native fish
By Alyson Van Deusen

WASHINGTON CITY - Representatives from Utah's Department of Natural Resources spent the week at Washington Elementary School teaching students about fish one class at a time.
The department sends employees to schools four times each year to talk about environmental issues in the area, said Melinda Bennion, a native aquatics biologist who facilitated 30-minute assemblies all week.

"Today we're talking about the Virgin River and native fish," Bennion said. "It's great just to get them used to the idea of what wildlife live in this area."
Bennion said she tries to present relevant information to each grade level's core curriculum.
For third-grade classes, Bennion talked about native fish versus non-native fish in the Virgin River, fish life cycles and characteristics of fish.

"We're learning about fish like the flannel mouth sucker," said third-grader Tristen Wright, during an activity where students were given replicas of fish to identify.
The Virgin River is home to six native fish species, Bennion said.
For student Dylan Westover, the Desert Sucker fish was the best.
"I like the Desert Sucker, because he cleans my fish tank," he said.
Teacher Braxton Bate-man said the smaller assemblies and interactive structure aided learning and engagement.

"They are all interested," he said. "I think they are all learning a lot more than they usually do (during assemblies)," Bateman said.

Students had the opportunity to both ask and answer questions during the presentation.
"You guys can all come out to the Virgin River with me because you know your fish," Bennion said.

McKenna Wade said she "learned a lot about fish" during the assembly and thought it was "good."
Principal Burke Staheli said he had been impressed with the week's assemblies.
"We've really loved it," Staheli said. "It's been great."

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November 14, 2007

Struggling Species Receives Helping "Fin"
By Bill Brown

Due to a combination of many different factors, the Virgin River Woundfin had become “functionally extinct,” according to a Virgin River Program press release. Restocking of 6,700 young Woundfin back into the river October 17, was part of the process of trying to bring the population of this endangered species back from the brink of extinction, Steve Meismer, local coordinator for the Virgin River Program said.

“Functionally Extinct means the numbers are very, very low, to the point that the fish have a hard time finding each other out in the river,” Meismer said. “The numbers are so low, the likelihood of them reproducing in a meaningful manner is very unlikely.”

Meismer said there were a couple of reasons for the “functionally extinct” label. First off, he said, the species is already endangered, meaning the population was not high to start. Second, it was a difficult summer for the fish. Low water flows all summer resulted in higher water temperatures. Even though the fish are adapted to higher temperatures, when the temperatures get too high, they can die out, or sometimes their behavior changes. The fish will move from their normal habitat to waters with cooler temperatures, he said. If the woundfin is seeking cooler waters, then other fish in the river will be seeking cooler water as well. He gave an example of large mouth bass, that normally do not feed on the woundfin, because they live in different habitats. But in seeking cooler water, both fish can end up in the same area of cooler water.

“Sometimes they get put into the same type of habitat,” Meismer said, “at which point, a large mouth bass is going to look at a woundfin as popcorn.”

He added the effects of the higher water temperatures are not just behavioral, but can cause physical differences as well. Meismer said once temperatures reach a certain level, the woundfin start to lose body weight, even though they are eating as much as possible. They start to waste away, he said.

The lower water levels also increased the clarity of the water, he said, which reduced the available cover for the woundfin. This decreased the survivability of the fish, by increasing the chances of predation.
Additionally, the storms in late July, early August saw lower dissolved oxygen levels in the water as well, Meismer said. He said they do not know why the dissolved oxygen levels in the water were low during the August storms, but it had a dramatic effect on the population of the woundfin in the area.

“That was the critical blow on fish populations, in particular the woundfin,” Meismer said. “The low dissolved oxygen levels that occurred during both those storm events, really knocked the numbers way down.” The UDWR did a thorough population count in September, and didn't find any woundfin, he said.
Restocking the river with 6,700 young woundfin from the US Fish and Wildlife Services' Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center near Roswell, N. M. is one of the steps the Virgin River Program is taking to bring the woundfin back, Meismer said. He added they had planned on restocking the river soon anyway, but the extremely low numbers made this stocking much more important.

“Dexter National Fish Hatchery where we got these fish from, has another 5000 woundfin we are going to stock,” Meismer said. “They are going to hold on to those fish, and we will stock them at two different times next year. This is to increase the chances they will reproduce.” Meismer said the fish need to grow to between two to three inches to reproduce. According to the Utah Conservation Data Center Web site, www.dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/ucdc, the woundfin spawns only once per year, during the spring time, in swift, shallow water over a gravelly bottom.

During the winter months, Meismer said, the Virgin River Program will work with the water district and anybody else they can to mitigate impacts on the river. Years of drought in the region have not helped matters, he said.

The program is avidly seeking ways to maintain the fish short term, as well as develop strategies to prevent the recurrence of a similar drop in fish population in the future. Short term steps include projects to increase the amount of water in the Virgin River during the summer time. Long term goals include finding other sources of water, such as the Lake Powell pipeline, which can be used in place of the water now taken from the river. This would increase the amount of water in the river, and give the fish the best chance of recovery, he said.

“It is a matter of working together,” Meismer said. “Trying to find different ways to make the river as hospitable as possible to the fish.”

Other steps include treating certain areas of the river with Rotenone to help eradicate the red shiner population. Red shiner is a rapidly reproducing non-native fish that competes for the same habitat as the woundfin, he said.

Meismer said the “functional extinction” of the woundfin has not really changed the strategies of the Virgin River Program. Rather, it has forced them to look at ways of getting the woundfin away from the edge of complete extinction. He said it was great to have the hatcheries, and they have protected them up to date, however, something could happen at the hatcheries, and then there would be no backup.
“When dealing with an endangered species,” Meismer said, “you don't want to always be operating on this knife edge, where one event will take out all the remaining fish that you have.”

The Virgin River Program is a collaborative effort between local, state, and federal partners to balance human interests along the Virgin River with the conservation of this unique ecosystem for future generations. The goals of the Program are to protect, enhance, conserve, and recover native species in the Virgin River Basin while ensuring that water development can continue in a sustainable manner. The scope of the Program is broad, including species recovery, water management, floodplain protection, restoration, and community outreach.

For more information about the woundfin, other endangered or sensitive species along the Virgin River, the Virgin River Project, and ways you can get involved, visit the Virgin River Web site at www.virginriverprogram.org.

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November 6, 2007

Stocking the River: Officials hope to save woundfin minnow
By Patrice St. Germain, The Spectrum

ST. GEORGE - In a stretch of the Virgin River, below the Pah Tempe hot springs in Hurricane and before the river meanders its way through Arizona and Nevada, lives the woundfin minnow.

As it's name would indicate, the fish isn't very big, meaning it's useless for eating and since it's also an endangered species, it can't be used as bait fish.

By all outward appearances, the woundfin, and several other fish in the river, don't seem to have real purpose, yet local, state and federal agencies spend time and money protecting these fish.

Steve Meismer, local coordinator with the Virgin River Program, doesn't believe these efforts - several over the last few weeks - are pointless, nor does he believe that fish-related work isn't just about taking care of fish but taking care of the environment as well.

"The fish are indicators as to what is happening in the river," Meismer said. "The river has a great part to play in people being here. If it wasn't for the river, none of use would be here, either."

Meismer compares the fish Ð especially the woundfin, as it is found nowhere else on earth - as the canary in the coal mine.

"The fish is going to be the first to let us know something is going on in the river Ð whether someone is dumping in the river, or an accident," Meismer said. "If something happened to the fish, there would be ramifications on everything else. Not just people drink out of the river. The water is used to water livestock and grow crops."

Because the woundfin and the other native fish are indicators for the health of the river and the environment, several agencies work together to help the fish.

Two efforts have taken place during the last few weeks, including the restocking of woundfin and treating the river with rotenone to kill off the non-native invasive species.

Troy Buckel, a wildlife technician with the Division of Wildlife Resources, said approximately 6,700 woundfin were released into the river a few weeks ago in the Hurricane area.

"We stocked two areas and the fish disperse from there," Buckel said.

He said the stocking went well and the division would check to see how the fish dispersed from the restocking, but said the fish tend to move up stream or stay put.

"They don't like to go downstream," Buckel said.

A week after the restocking, the division treated sections below the Washington diversion dam with rotenone, which kills fish by blocking the oxygen uptake.

Mike Hadley, a biologist with the division, said the purpose of the rotenone is to kill any fish that is non-native.

The non-native fish prey upon and compete with the native fish for food and habitat.

Hadley said as many native fish as possible are seined from the river and moved farther upstream above the fish barriers and away from treatment areas.

Rotenone is made from roots of the plants in the leguminosae family and is used by South American tribes to kill fish.

Once the rotenone is either dripped or applied into riparian areas through sprayers, the fish die.

The rotenone only affects organisms with gills and dead fish consumed are not harmful to humans or animals, Hadley said.

At the end of the treatment area, potassium permanganate, which is routinely used to help remove impurities from drinking water at treatment plants, is used to neutralize the rotenone.
The potassium permanganate turns the water various shades of purple but disperses quickly.
Also treated this year, were the rock walls in the Bloomington area along the Virgin River.

Lynn Chamberlain, conservation outreach manager with the division, said the walls were flushed with hot water in an effort to get all the red shiners out of the rock beds.

Water collects near the rock walls from underground springs and with no top flow, the fish get stuck in marshy areas along with walls until high waters flood the fish out and into the Virgin River.

Chamberlain said last year, the rotenone treatment was not as effective because of the number of fish living in those walls.

As the county grows, the fish and the Virgin River itself, along with the native species including the southwest willow flycatcher may face some near perils such as growth and the related

environmental pollution caused by growth.

Chamberlain said allowing growth while maintaining the river's integrity is a balancing act.

Chamberlain said the division and other agencies work to ensure that impacts along the river are mitigated and try to negate as much of the negative impacts as possible.

Rick Fridell, head biologist over native aquatic species for the division, said part of the reason the divisions work to get rid of the red shiner is because the fish are prolific.

"They (the red shiner) breed all the time where as the woundfin are variable spawn," Fridell said.
The result is that the shiner will produce hundreds of thousands of eggs compared to the hundreds the woundfin produce and the shiner will eat the eggs of the native fish species.

Fridell said various agencies work together with funding to maintain the native species, which he said the groups are obligated to maintain, especially since the woundfin is found nowhere else.

"You have three species endemic to the area and have adapted to the unique systems," Fridell said. "So much is unknown about adaptations and that in itself makes this unique and such an amazing, complex species."

The Virgin River can go from looking like a raging chocolate milk shake to a low trickle, which during the summer months, warms up to a point that would kill off other fish, yet the woundfin and the Virgin River chub and the Virgin spinedace have adapted to the highs and the lows of the river.

"If the fish are lost, they are lost forever," Fridell said. "It's a unique animal."

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November 5, 2007

Officials taint Virgin River to flush out invading fish

By Mark Havnes, The Salt Lake Tribune

ST. GEORGE - Wildlife crews are working to get the red out of the Virgin River - the red shiner, that is.

The pesky fish is threatening the southwestern Utah stream's six native species, so the Division of Wildlife Resources recently poisoned a portion of the Virgin in hopes of wiping out the invasive intruder.

"We're optimistic that this will work," said Rick Fridell, DWR's native-aquatic-project leader for southern Utah. "It's a daunting task."

Teams put rotenone into the river near Washington while others neutralized the poison before the waters flowed into Arizona.

The project is the latest effort by the Virgin River Program, a collection of federal, state and area agencies that aims to balance conservation of the river system with human needs.
Two of the Virgin's six native species are listed as endangered while three others carry some form of protection. Last month, officials released more than 6,000 endangered woundfin into the river near La Verkin.

Fridell said experts believe the red shiner - native to waters in the central United States - was introduced illegally into Nevada's Lake Mead in the 1970s, probably as a bait fish. From there, it began colonizing the Colorado River and tributaries like the Virgin River.

The shiner, which reaches 2 to 3 inches in length, devastates native fish by devouring their eggs and young while competing for the same food resources, Fridell said. The shiner also reproduces year-round, while the Virgin's native species produce far fewer eggs when triggered by spring runoffs.

To help keep the shiner out of Utah, Fridell said Arizona is expected to build barriers in the Virgin River Gorge.

Before using the rotenone - a poison made from the root of a South American tree that cripples a fish's ability to remove oxygen from water - crews netted and removed the native species from the treatment area to be released later.

Steve Meismer, the Virgin River Program coordinator in Washington County, said his teams neutralized the poison with potassium permanganate two miles before the river entered Arizona,
"We want to move to recover the whole range of native species in the river," Meismer said, "and

hopefully this will help."

Crews will monitor the river to see if the eradication works.

The Washington County Water Conservancy District, another member of the Virgin River Program, helped by releasing additional water into the Virgin to help flush out the poison, which is harmless

to humans.

Watershed coordinator Corey Cram noted the district also is funneling federal and state grants into piping projects to move irrigation water and eliminate the open canals the shiner can use for habitat.

"It's possible to meet the needs of the fish and development," Cram said. "It's a win-win situation."

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October 31, 2007

Crews work to snuff out pesky Virgin River intruder
By Mark Havnes, The Salt Lake Tribune

ST. GEORGE - Wildlife crews are working to get the red out of the Virgin River - the red shiner, that is.

The pesky fish is threatening the southwestern Utah stream's six native species, so the Division of Wildlife Resources recently poisoned a portion of the Virgin in hopes of wiping out the invasive intruder.

"We're optimistic that this will work," said Rick Fridell, DWR's native-aquatic-project leader for southern Utah. "It's a daunting task."

Teams put rotenone into the river near Washington while others neutralized the poison before the waters flowed into Arizona.

The project is the latest effort by the Virgin River Program, a collection of federal, state and area agencies that aims to balance conservation of the river system with human needs.

Two of the Virgin's six native species are listed as endangered while three others carry some form of protection. Last month, officials released more than 6,000 endangered woundfin into the river near La Verkin.

Fridell said experts believe the red shiner - native to waters in the central United States - was introduced illegally into Nevada's Lake Mead in the 1970s, probably as a bait fish. From there, it began colonizing the Colorado River and tributaries like the Virgin River.

The shiner, which reaches 2 to 3 inches in length, devastates native fish by devouring their eggs and young while competing for the same food resources, Fridell said. The shiner also reproduces year-round while the Virgin's native species produce far fewer eggs when triggered by spring runoffs.

Before using the rotenone - a poison made from the root of a South American tree that cripples a fish's ability to remove oxygen from water - crews netted and removed the native species from the treatment area to be released later.

To help keep the shiner out of Utah, Fridell said Arizona is expected to build barriers in the Virgin River Gorge.

Steve Meismer, the Virgin River Program coordinator in Washington County, said his teams neutralized the poison with potassium permanganate two miles before the river entered Arizona,
"We want to move to recover the whole range of native species in the river," Meismer said, "and hopefully this will help."

Crews will monitor the river to see if the eradication works.

The Washington County Water Conservancy District, another member of the Virgin River Program, helped by releasing additional water into the Virgin to help flush out the poison, which is harmless to humans.

Watershed coordinator Corey Cram noted the district also is funneling federal and state grants into piping projects to move irrigation water and eliminate the open canals the shiner can use for habitat.

"It's possible to meet the needs of the fish and development," Cram said. "It's a win-win situation."

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October 18, 2007

6,700 endangered woundfin fish released into Virgin River waters
By Mark Havnes, The Salt Lake Tribune

LA VERKIN - Something a little fishy happened Wednesday on the banks of the Virgin River - with some little fishies. Biologists released 6,700 woundfin into the turbid southwestern Utah river, the only body of water in the world where the tiny fish exists. Before Wednesday's release, scientists believe, a mere 100 to 200 of the endangered species remained in the Virgin between La Verkin and the Utah-Arizona state line.

"It's important that these fish be planted," fish biologist Steve Meismer said. "It represents the ecosystem of the river working the way it is supposed to. There are not any real economic benefits, but the fish does let us know how healthy the river is, and that is important because if the river wasn't here, then none of us would be here, either."

Meismer is area coordinator of the Virgin River Program, a consortium of federal, state, local and private partners dedicated to balancing conservation interests with human needs.
Wednesday's release cost about $35,000 in money and in-kind services. Meismer said the project has been funneling the woundfin into the Virgin since 2003. Then, last August, the population was nearly wiped out - for reasons not yet clear - after rain-spawned flooding.

The freed fish, which reach two to three inches in length, were trucked in from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Dexter National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center near Roswell, N.M. They were released near the Virgin's confluences with La Verkin Creek and Ash Creek.
Mike Golden, Virgin River fish biologist with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said each woundfin was injected with a green dye strip that will identify when and where the fish were released if captured in the future as part of ongoing studies.

Golden cited several possible reasons for the species' decline, including nonnative predator species, decreased water quality and increased human use of the river.
Water levels from spring runoff also are crucial to reproduction, he said. "Eight years of drought haven't helped."

For Golden, it is a rare treat to see one wee woundfin - let alone 6,700. "I worked all summer and never saw a woundfin," he said. "I'm thinking of having one tattooed on me so I can see one all the time."

About the woundfin
Scientific name: Plagopterus argentissimus.
Size: 2 to 3 inches long.
Life span: Two to three years.

Location: Lives only in a section of the Virgin River in Washington County.
Diet: Anything from insects to floating organic matter.
Listing: Endangered since 1973.
Numbers: About 100 to 200 in the wild until Wednesday's introduction of 6,700.

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October 3, 2007

Programs Seeks Balance in Virgin River Basin
By Bill Brown, Hurricane Valley Journal

The Virgin River Program is an interagency program dedicated to finding a balance between human interests along the Virgin River, and the preservation of the unique environmental resources of the Virgin River for future generations. The program is made up of several federal, state, and local partners, according to a program pamphlet.

The partners include such agencies as the USFWS, the State of Utah Department of Natural Resources, WCWCD, National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy. “What those groups have come together to do is find real win-win solutions to native species and endangered species problems and the interaction with people,” Steve Meismer, local coordinator for the program, said.

He said the program originally started with two goals. Those goals were to enhance, protect, conserve, and recover native species populations in the Virgin River Basin. The second goal was to ensure water development could still continue for future generations. He said originally the program was focused on fish such as the Woundfin and Virgin River Chub, both federally listed endangered species. However, in the last year, the program has added the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, an endangered species of bird to the list species it is aiming to protect.

According to the pamphlet, the scope of the program is broad. It encompasses species recover, water management, flood plain protection and restoration and community outreach. The program activities include fish population monitoring and stocking, non-native fish control, enhancement and protection of floodplain and wildlife habitat. The program also helps guide proactive water development strategies to facilitate continued economic growth, as well as recover of fish and wildlife habitat. Meismer said the program is working to accomplish these goals by several means.

“One of the direct ways we are working to accomplish this is following the floods,” Meismer said.
He said the program has expended a great deal of money to help create several master plans in conjunction with St. George, Santa Clara, Washington County and others. The plans are designed to give some guidance to activities that occur down the river.
“There are places that should be left open, as river property. They should not put houses or other developments in that area,” Meismer said. “And there are other areas along the river that could be shared.”

He added the idea was to help prevent damage to people’s houses, and other structures due to the river’s fluctuations. He said the guide also presents ideas for land owners on how to protect the stream banks from flooding without the use of big rock levies, to give them other options. He said these guides also help land owners get the most out of their property.

“If someone wants to do work along the riverbank, they have to get a stream alteration permit,” Meismer said. “If these plans are followed in how you do the work, it makes obtaining the stream alteration permit much easier.”

He said they have seen people following the guidelines in these master plans, have reported considerable streamlining of their efforts to get the stream alteration permits they have needed.
“The river has three jobs, to carry water, carry sediment and expend energy,” Meismer said. “It the river does not have enough room to do that, something bad is going to happen.”
He said following the bank reconstruction suggestions in the plans allows the river to expend its energy safely.

The program also expends a lot of energy monitoring populations to make sure they are stable, Meismer said. There are many things that adversely affect the fish population in the Virgin River, such as the volume of water, temperature, and turbidity of the water, as well as competition from non-native species. Routinely, Meismer said, the Virgin River Program works at reducing the number of non-native fish competing for the limited resources available in the Virgin River.
They have also installed fish screens and passage ways on diversion structures. Through the water conservancy, they have gotten more water released during low water level periods. This helps increase the turbidity of the water, and helps lower the water temperature, improving the species’ odds of survival.

Through the efforts of the Virgin River Program we have learned a lot about the different species native to the Virgin River Basin, Meismer said. Not only is the program interested in gaining information, helping protect the habitats of these species, and unique environment of the Virgin River, he said, it is dedicated to actively reaching out to the community.

According to the pamphlet, they are doing this through programs that assist with watershed planning and the development of master plans for the basin to guide floodplain management.
They are educating the community through programs such as the recent internship for high school students through the Utah Division of Wildlife Services, and other education outreach programs. Meismer said the Virgin River Program is working hard to find win-win solutions to the problems of the balancing between human interests and endangered species in the Virgin River Basin.

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August 16, 2007

High School Students Work UDWR Internships
By Bill Brown, Hurricane Valley Journal

A collaboration between the Washington County School District, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and the Virgin River Program produced an program designed to give selected high school students a taste of what it is like to be a biologist. The Virgin River Student Conservation Internship was a six-week paid internship with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, according to a press release. Melinda Bennion, who oversaw the internship, said it was the first year they had done this, and they were really pleased with the results.

“We had a teacher out there in the field with us everyday,” Bennion, a native aquatic biologist for UDWR, said. “We hired four high school students, and they worked Monday through Friday for six weeks.”

The paid internship was nice for the students by providing them an income as they gained experience. The students were incorporated as part of the field crew, Bennion said.
“They did everything, from native fish monitoring projects,” Bennion said, “to non-native (fish) removal, and restoration projects. They got to see a lot of different aspects of what we do as a biologist for the division.”

Bennion said as a precursor to the internship, the students were required to attend the Color Country Natural Resource Camp, a week long camp put on by several agencies but sponsored by the Washington County School District. At the camp, Bennion said, various agencies would come in and teach the campers different field techniques and different sampling techniques. She said subjects covered at the camp ranged from archeology to forestry. Aside from the daily investigations, the campers did other activities like mountain biking, kayaking, and geo-cacheing while at the camp, she said.

“They got a broad view of natural resources (at the camp),” Bennion said. “Then they came and worked for us and got a little more focused view.” As part of the selection process, Bennion said, the prospective interns had to write an essay describing what their interests were in natural resources. Then the UDWR did interviews with the candidates, and chose the interns based on several factors, to include grades in school and overall enthusiasm of the applicants.

“We were looking to see if they would want to be in the field every day with us,” Bennion said. “They had to be willing to be outside when it is 110 out and work every day in the river.”
Whitney Sanders, now a junior at Hurricane High School, was chosen to be one of the interns. She said they started out mapping the habitat areas of the endangered or threatened fish. This involved marking the habitats at the different monitoring areas along the river on enlarged overhead photographs, showing where to they were most likely to find the fish.

After that, she said they would go out and sample for fish, using a method called seining. This involved a large net two students would hold and drag through the water, collecting fish. She said they would pick a good habitat, and then scoop up fish. Then they would identify the fish, measure them and count them to see how the population was doing.
“The counts varied a lot. It depended on where we were, how much water there was, the kind of vegetation that was covering the area,” Sanders said.

She added they did the totals sheets at the end of the day and added them to the data collected.
Sanders said every day they would pack their lunches and water, then would hike out to the station they would be working that day. The protocols limited them to 50 samples in one station she said. Each station covered a mile and half of river. So they would do their sampling in different habitats depending on what type of fish they were sampling for. Where they were looking was picked randomly so they would not go to the same spot all the time.
“It’s different every time,” Sanders said. “You might find something you wouldn't think you would find in that area.”

Sanders said she really enjoyed the experience. She liked working outside, getting to know the crew really well, and not having a “boring” job. She said she would do it again in a heartbeat if asked. All of the interns learned a lot, Bennion said. She said it was interesting to work with them, because they had spent most of their lives in the area. She said the UDWR works with a lot of seasonal interns, usually. To those interns, this is a whole new place they have to learn about. Bennion said that the she was surprised how much the interns from this program learned about this area.

“That was a fun part of doing this program,” Bennion said. “To hear them say 'I've come down the river before but never noticed that.' It made an impact even though they had grown up here their whole lives.”
Even though she has no idea what her future holds yet, Sanders said her classes this year at HHS will be more biology based than in the past. She said the job has changed and helped focus her interests. She said she wants to get more involved with Future Farmers of America and similar programs as well.

“I think with the natural resources camp and the internship, we stirred up a lot of interest in natural resources,” Bennion said. “I think next year (the program) is going to be a lot bigger.”
The Virgin River Program, which helped fund the internship, is a non-profit collaboration of local, state and federal partners. The goals of the program are to protect, enhance, conserve, and recover native species in the Virgin River Basin, while ensuring that water development can continue in a sustainable manner, according to the Virgin River Program brochure. Steve Meismer, local coordinator for the program said helping to fund the internship program was an important part of their community outreach program.

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August 16, 2007

Up to Their Knees in the River: Local Teens Learn About Biology During UDWR Internship
By Cami Cox and Bill Brown, Dixie Weekly News

Young scientists in training got their feet wet as biologists this summer as part of the Virgin River Student Conservation Internship. A paid, six-week program for local high school students, the internship was designed to give students an up-close-and-personal look at what life is like as a biologist. A collaboration of the Washington County School District, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Virgin River Program, the internships began in June and concluded July 20.

In its first year, the internship program put four students – two from Pine View High School and two from Hurricane – to work in the filed alongside UDWR employees as part of their field crew.

“They did everything from native fish-monitoring projects to non-native (fish) removal and restoration projects,” UDWR Native Aquatic Biologist Melinda Bennion said. “They got to see a lot of different aspects of what we so as a biologist for the diversion.”

Bennion oversaw the internship program. Though this was a test run for the Virgin River Student Conservation Internship, the results were positive, she said. The interning students not only had fun, but they learned a lot in the program, both about biology and the area they live in.

“That was a fun part of doing this program,” Bennion said. “To hear them say ‘I’ve come down the river before but never noticed that.’ It made an impact even though they had grown up here their whole lives.”

Prior to the internship, which has students working a 40-hour week throughout the six week program, applying teens were required to attend the Color Country Natural Resource Camp, a weeklong camp sponsored by the Washington County Water Conservancy District. At the camp, campers were taught field and sampling techniques from various agencies, Bennion said, and they also gained knowledge in a variety of subjects, from archaeology to forestry.

It wasn’t all work and no play for the students; when they weren’t conducting investigations at the camp, the teens were busy with such activities as mountain biking, kayaking and geocaching.

“They got a broad view of natural resources (at the camp,” Bennion said. “Then they came and worked for us and got a little more focused view.”

When interested students applied for the internship positions near the end of the school year, each applicant was required to write an essay describing his or her interests in the area of natural resources. The UDWR then interviewed each applicant, and the final four students were chosen based on several factors, including grades and overall enthusiasm about the program.

“We were looking to see if they would want to be in the field every day with us,” Bennion said. “They had to be willing to be outside when it is 110 out and work every day in the river.”

Ethan Stoker, St. George, was one of the four students chosen for the internship program. A junior at Pine View High School, Stoker said he heard about the internship at school and decided to apply. Biology is a subject he is interested in, he said, so the internship was not only enjoyable but gave him a first hand look at what working in the biology field would be like. The money he earned at the internship was also a plus.

“It was nice to do something that you like to do and get paid for it,” he said. “I’d recommend it to lots of kids, because it was just a fun experience learning a lot about the river and the fish species.”

Stoker said he hopes the internship program will take place again next year so that he can reapply for one of the positions.

“It was just a really fun experience,” he said. “I’d do it again if I could.”

He may get his chance to be out in the field as a UDWR intern again next summer. Repeating the student internship program next year is already being considered and planned for.

“I think with the natural resources camp and the internship, we stirred up a lot of interest in natural resources,” Bennion said. “I think next year (the program) is going to be a lot bigger.”

The Virgin River Program, which helped fund the internship, is a non-profit collaboration of local, state and federal partners. The goals of the program are to protect, enhance, conserve and recover native species in the Virgin River Basin, while ensuring water development can continue in a sustainable manner, according to the Virgin River brochure. Steve Meismer, local coordinator for the program said helping to fund the internship program was an important part of their community outreach.

For more information on the Virgin River Student Conservation Internship program, contact the Virgin River Program through their website www.virginriverprogram.org

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August 1, 2007

Enjoying the outdoors: Pilot internship gets high school students involved
By Brittany Duncan, The St. Spectrum Daily News

Four high school students, one teacher and a biologist hike down to the Virgin River where they wade through water waist deep, wave off biting flies and drip with sweat.

They love it.

They are a sample team for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The students are members of the wildlife high school internship program. "It's our pilot year," said Melinda Bennion, native aquatic biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "We wanted to get the younger people involved and it gives students an opportunity to experience this area."

Now that the six-week internship is completed, Bennion said she would love to have the students back next summer.

"They definitely impressed us," Bennion said.

The students drag a net into the water and catch any fish swimming downstream. The fish are then identified and measured.

Brady Fonnesbeck, a science teacher at Pine View Middle School, is also part of the team.

"It's fun watching these kids get really excited," Fonnesbeck said. "Any time they pull up something with a lot of big fish they get really excited. They get really excited to break a record."

The interns definitely broke their own record with an almost 13-inch Virgin River chub they caught.

The interns said DWR employees have been very helpful and taught them many new things.

"They're always teaching us stuff we didn't know," said Trevor Hansen, a 12th-grade intern from Pine View High School. "I've lived here all my life and still didn't know it."

As the team hiked down to the river to take samples, Bennion pointed out other native species. She found a white ant, along with two herons. The interns excitedly gathered to inspect the new animal. Their love for animals is one of the biggest reasons why the students applied for the internship.

"I really love animals and love the river," said Whitney Sanders, an 11th-grade intern from Hurricane High School.

The others said their love of the wilderness was their motivation.

"It's been a good experience to just be outside and to be away from the city a little bit," said Ethan Stoker, an 11th-grade intern from Pine View High School.

Stoker had been thinking of a career in the wilderness and found himself surprised at how his view of the job changed after participating in the internship.

"It seems more exciting now because I know what kind of animals live here," Stoker said.

The interns have been helpful to DWR, doing jobs the division already needed help with. And, a younger generation has fallen in love with the outdoors.

Native fish sampling, non-native fish removal and willow habitat preservation are a few of the tasks they have participated in.

The whole team is vital to accomplishing the tasks. One member writes down the data from the samples while the others gather the fish into the nets and measure them.

The six-weeks have given the interns ample time to become well-skilled in their job and they all have left with a positive experience.

"I want to be a wildlife biologist after I graduate from college," said Jess Batty, a 12th-grade intern from Hurricane High School. "I think it's cool to work in the river every day, study the fish and work with the fish."

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July 27, 2007

St. George octogenarian's dream of Virgin River natural habitat coming true
The Salt Lake Tribune

ST. GEORGE - Sheldon Johnson's dream of a protected, natural space along the Virgin River is coming true.

The 81-year-old wants his legacy to be a haven for such creatures as the southwestern willow flycatcher, squirrels, deer - and people.

The Spectrum newspaper reports today that Johnson also plans to plant native species of plants - and some pecan trees, to give visitors something to much on as they meander his river property.

"I hope after I'm gone, this is the most beautiful path in the country," Johnson says.

Johnson's property runs between the Virgin River and St. George's Riverside Drive, where willow trees are being grown as part of a project to restore them and create a habitat for the southwestern willow flycatcher - a federally listed endangered species.

The Spectrum reports that Johnson is the first landowner working with the Virgin River Program to create habitat for the endangered bird. "This is about protecting this for future generations," Johnson says. "All the goals are to make it more beautiful."

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July 27, 2007

Sheldon Johnson's dream comes to life
By: Patrice St. Germain, The Spectrum Daily News

ST. GEORGE - Sheldon Johnson has a dream, a dream to create a haven for the southwestern willow flycatcher, squirrels, deer and people along the Virgin River by cultivating native plant species.

Johnson wants to plant some pecan trees as well for enjoyment and food for those who want to meander along the trail near the river on Johnson's property.

"I hope after I'm gone, this is the most beautiful path in the country," Johnson, 81, said.
The property Johnson is referring to is between the Virgin River and Riverside Drive, where willow trees are being grown as part of a project to restore them and create a habitat for the southwestern willow flycatcher - a federally listed endangered species.

Steve Meismer, local coordinator with the Virgin River Program, said Johnson is the first landowner working with the program to create habitat for the endangered bird.

On Johnson's property is a willow farm, where sticks of willow have been gathered and planted for future use in projects such as the one on Johnson's property, which includes a stretch of land on both sides of the river.

Meismer said water from the diversion dam is being used to irrigate the willows. He said Johnson has been actively working to clear the tamarisk from the riverbank. Although willows absorb a lot of water each day, the willows, unlike the tamarisk trees, are a native species and don't grow as thick or as far back from the riverbanks as the tamarisk. Willows are also flexible and during flooding will bend over rather than rip out as the unwieldy tamarisk do, creating debris jams that change the course of the river.

Wildlife biologist Amos Rehm, with the Division of Wildlife Resources, said the willow sticks were planted last winter. He described the farming part of the project as "a lot of fun."

"Some of us have been introduced to farming and others reintroduced," Rehm said with a grin. The furrows in the field allow the water to flow through the rows of willows and with the help of youth rehabilitation groups and dedicated hunters, the stray tamarisks and other vegetation that compete with the willows for water are constantly removed.

One of the problems is keeping the water flowing.

Rehm said the diversion dam gets clogged with trash, effectively slowing or stopping the flow of water. Last time the water stopped flowing a pizza box was covering the grate at the diversion dam. Before planting, a stem about three feet in length is stripped of its leaves and the top is painted to help the stem root.

There's approximately an 80 percent success rate in the cutting and stripping method and the sticks will be planted in areas along the river stripped of tamarisk. Tamarisk, also known as salt cedar, is a non-native invasive species that because of its high salt content, contaminates the soil and competes for water, making areas where tamarisk grow inhospitable for native species.

Animals also shun areas where there is tamarisk.

"I've never seen any habitat in tamarisk," Johnson said.

While the bare dirt along the 13 acres Johnson has stripped of tamarisk in the last month doesn't look like much now, it's easy to catch on to his vision, along with the Virgin River Program's, as numerous agencies including the Washington County Water Conservancy District, Utah Farm Bureau, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources Conservation Service work with cities, the county and private landowners to restore the river as it was in the past by ridding the area of non-native species.

Meismer said the stripped areas will not only be replanted with willows but other native species such as quail bush and mesquite trees, which provide good habitat for wildlife. Getting rid of the non-natives not only includes plants but fish in the river, including the red shiner, which competes with native fish like the woundfin, one of the rarest species on Earth, found only in a small section of the Virgin River.

The river also supports the Virgin River chub, another federally listed endangered species, as well as other native fish. Johnson, who has owned the property for years, is pleased to be taking part in the project, which he says will make the land along the river serviceable and more beautiful.

"This is about protecting this for future generations," Johnson said. "All the goals are to make it more beautiful."

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June 15 , 2007

Nature's accelerant. Tamarisk trees suck up water, posing a fire danger to Southern Utah
By: Patrice St. Germain, The Spectrum Daily News

ST. GEORGE - Bloomington resident Mary Bemis said the landscape from her back patio now looks like a war zone after bulldozers were brought in to remove tamarisk trees.

The trees, also known as salt cedar, are a non-native invasive species that have proliferated in the area and caused problems by crowding out native species in addition to using lots of water and creating huge fire dangers.

Bemis understands the reasons to get rid of the tamarisk, but doesn't feel such extreme measures are needed.

"It could have been done differently," Bemis said. "There's just a swath of destruction and everything is gone."
Bemis and others with concerns about such extreme measures of tamarisk removal will be happy to know that the city of St. George is looking at other methods to get rid of the pesky tree by using salt cedar beetles.

The beetles have been brought in to combat the tamarisk problem.

About 90,000 beetles were brought in last year and deposited in three locations around the Virgin River.

Only about the size of a ladybug, the tamarisk tree's only known enemy is like the tree itself - a non-native species.

"The beetles defoliate the trees," St. George Street superintendent Randy Halverson said. "After the trees have been defoliated two or three times, the tree is in so much stress, it dies."

During a recent field trip to one of the release sites, only a few beetles were found, but beetle larvae were found.

The cost of the beetles, unlike mechanical or chemical removal, was next to nothing - only costing the city a trip to Delta to pick up the beetles.

Best of all, the beetles do not pose a hazard to other species as the beetles only eat the tamarisk. Once the source of food is gone, the beetles, which even in the larvae stage attack the trees, die off.

While other insects are in experimental stages to kill the tamarisk, Halverson said the beetles are the only one currently known that can defoliate and kill the trees.

Once dead, the hand removal of the trees is much easier.

The beetles have been used for about 15 years in Texas along the Pecos and Rio Grande rivers, but Eleanor Bliss, executive assistant for the Grand Canyon Trust, Moab office, said it is too soon to start celebrating victories in the desert southwest.

About 10 miles in Moab have been "browned out" by the beetles, yet Bliss said using a biological control for the tamarisk is a Pandora's Box.

"So far, the beetles have not left to any other plants and I am hoping that this is one of the answers," Bliss said. "Tamarisk is a huge issue all over the West."

Not only are the tamarisk a problem, but Russian olive as well, which Bliss said is harder to remove.

Efforts to get rid of the non-native invasive species have been an ongoing effort in Zion National Park for the last 15 years.

Cheryl Decker, vegetation program manager, said the park has used both mechanical and herbicide treatments on the non-native species in the park.

The tamarisk tree exudes a salt, which along with crowding out native habitat such as cottonwood and willow trees, quail bush and rabbit bush, makes the habitat unusable for the natives.

Mature after only two years, the mature tamarisk tree can suck up about 250 gallons of water a day, Halverson said.

Steve Meismer, local coordinator for the Virgin River Program, said although native species such as cottonwood and willows are also large consumers of water, those trees hug the banks of rivers and grow less densely than tamarisk.

"Here, the tamarisk are out about 100 yards (from the river)," Meismer said.

The tamarisk trees also pose a huge fire danger and, according to John Schmidt, wildland urban interface coordinator with Forestry, Fire and State lands, are more flammable when green than brown.

Tamarisk, because of its non-native status, is also not a habitat for local wildlife. Instead, native species leave the area because of the proliferation of the trees.

It will be a matter of time to see if the beetles will take care of the large expanse of tamarisk along the Virgin River and other drainage areas, but one thing for sure is the beetles are less time consuming and costly than mechanical and herbicide treatments.

Halverson said the city is looking to wipe out the species from approximately 1,500 acres the city owns, but it will take time.

Once the tamarisk are removed from along the river, the city, Halverson said, will be able to reclaim the property for trails and parks and also help keep fire dangers down.

"We have to wait one more year," Halverson said, to see if the beetles can gain a stronghold against the tamarisk. "If nothing else, getting rid of the tamarisk will benefit the community and the ecosystem."

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April 22, 2007

Virgin River Program takes on new work
By: Patrice St. Germain, The Spectrum Daily News

HURRICANE – Since the Virgin River Recovery Program officially started in 2002, the organization has moved toward accomplishing some of its goals and is now undertaking additional projects.

The program, a joint effort of the Washington County Water Conservancy District, state of Utah and the Fish and Wildlife Service, is an example of what can be accomplished when various agencies work together.

Reed Harris, program director, said the program, funded cooperatively by the agencies involved, was formed to protect the endangered and listed species in the Virgin River, and to also allow for the supply of water to water users.

“The program was formed because of the endangered species issues and it’s very hard to comply with the Endangered Species Act,” Harris said. “Some people think saving the fish and continuing water development is incompatible, but over the five years, we have proven both can be accomplished when we work together.”

Through collaborative efforts, the endangered fish in the Virgin River, including the Virgin River Chub and the Woundfin minnow, have increased in population and the red shiner, a non-native invasive species, has decreased significantly in population.

In addition, some areas of the Virgin River that often ran low during the summer months are seeing more water.

Another goal of the program was to provide information, education and outreach efforts to keep the public informed of what the program is doing in terms of projects and the importance of the undertakings.

Recently, the program launched a Web site created specifically for that goal.

The Web site not only gives information about pat and continuing projects but a new project including efforts to maintain a habitat for the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher bird, which is also on the endangered list.

Steve Meismer, local coordinator for the program, said the agency has been working with Dixie Soil Conservation, the Washington County Farm Bureau and the private landowners to protect the bird.

“We are working with local landowners to improve the habitat of the flycatcher and create additional habitat,” Meismer said.

Harris said the Virgin River Recovery Program has already made great strides in meeting goals, but it’s a slow process.

“I think we are going to get there eventually. It’s just going to take a while,” Harris said.

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November 30, 2006

Woundfin minnows released into Virgin River
By: Patrice St. Germain, The Spectrum Daily News

HURRICANE – The Virgin River was a chilly 41 degrees Wednesday morning when approximately 6,000 Woundfin minnows were introduced to their new home.
The fish, an endangered species native to the river, came from a fish hatchery in Dexter, N.M., and are part of a continued effort to keep fish numbers up in an attempt to help species recover.
Biologist Kevin Wheeler, with the Division of Wildlife Resources, said the fish were split up into coolers attached to bubblers, then transferred into garbage bags, which were submerged in the river to acclimate the fish to the difference in temperature from the tank water to the river water.
The fish were then netted out of the garbage bags rather than dumping the fish with the water from the hatchery into the river to avoid contamination.
Now, over the next few months, the division will monitor the fish to see where the hatchery-grown fish travel in the river and if the fish reproduce.
“There’s a neon pink tag implanted near the dorsal fin so we can tell the wild population from the hatchery fish,” Wheeler said. “When we do seining samples, we will look at all the Woundfin caught and see if they have tags.”
Steve Meismer, local coordinator for the Virgin River Program, said about 8,000 of the fish were brought up from the Dexter Hatchery and distributed in four locations in the Virgin River and the Ash Creek and LaVerkin Creek in Arizona.
Meismer said the fish introduced into area creeks and rivers Wednesday were between an inch to two and a half inches long that were brought up in a little tank in the back of a pickup.
Wednesday’s exercise has been done annually for the past three to four years and typically is done in the fall to prevent stress on the fish with the higher water temperatures in the summer, Meismer said.
Meismer said the fish introduced into the river should be about the right size to start reproducing next spring.
To ensure the fish bred at the hatchery have the same genetic makeup of the fish in the wild, Meismer said, wild Woundfin are routinely sent down to the hatchery.
The Virgin River chub, the other native species in the river which is endangered, is also being bred at the hatchery and Meismer said he expects to restock some of those into the river later this year.
Other fish native to the Virgin River are the Virgin River spinedace, desert sucker and flannel mouth sucker, which are on the state conservation list, and the speckled dace, which is common.

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September 17, 2006

River gets much needed aid
By: Patrice St. Germain, The Spectrum Daily News

WASHINGTON CITY – With a slight gasp, wildlife technician Melinda Bennion drops down into chest deep water while seining for fish below the return spout at the Washington Fields Diversion Dam on the Virgin River.
Without losing a grip on the poles connecting the net, Bennion and Meaghan Doyle, employees of the Utah Division of Wildlife, bring up their haul, which includes a bullhead catfish, a non-native species that is not nearly as problematic as the red shiner.
“There’s not many (red shiners) from the John Diversion up to the Washington Fields Diversion,” program director Reed Harris said. “This year, we only had about 10.”
The fact that the red shiner population is dwindling is a major victory for the Virgin River Program, a recovery program that works to ensure that the population of fish and bird species of the Virgin River basin will continue to be present and stable.
The program also has another goal, which is tot ensure there is water for human needs as well s the wildlife that depends on the river for survival.
It’s been a battle for the program, which formed four years ago.
Back when the program started, because of drought and water right allocations on the Virgin River, often by the end of summer, there was little water in the area where the diversion dam was built.
The dam not only filters the water going into the canals for water allocations for local farmers, it screens out the fish and returns them to the river, ensuring the population of native fish.
The leany sluice filtering structure was up and running in 2005 and cost $1.5 million. In terms of increasing the fish population, the dam has been a success.
Last year, an estimated 15,000 fish went through the dam and returned to the river and Harris said there has been amazing population increase in the native fish.
Hatcheries for Woundfin and Virgin River chub have also helped with the stocking of the river.
While the river flow is low at this time of year, it’s higher than in years past, and despite the warm days, the water is cool enough to support the fish population.
Steve Meismer, local coordinator for the program, said the red shiner, a non-native invasive species, is a major competitor for native fish.
The Virgin River has six native species of fish; the Woundfin minnow and Virgin River chub, which are endangered species, the Virgin River spinedace, desert sucker and flannel mouth sucker, which are on the state conservation list, and the speckled dace, which is common.
Meismer said through mechanical and chemical treatments, the number of red shiner has dwindled. This year, only a few have been caught from the Johnson to Washington Diversions and farther downstream, numbers have been decreasing steadily in the last few years.
Prior to a chemical treatment using Rotenone in 2004, the red shiner population below the Johnson Diversion to the Arizona state line was huge.
“We used to get hundred to thousands per seine haul in a 75-square-meter area.” Meismer said. “Since 2004 through 2005, that catch rate has been 1.2 fish per 75-square-meter area.”
Those chemicals and mechanical removals along with the floods have had a huge impact on the number of red shiners, Meismer said.
Meismer said it is important to help small species such as the Woundfin minnow survive for historical as well as environmental reasons.
“Older locals tell me how they used to catch the minnow to use as bait fish in other areas,” Meismer said. “They also serve as an indicator species and serve as an early warning system.”
Meismer said if the native fish dwindle or vanish, it’s an indication that something is not right in the realm of the ecosystem.
Doyle and Bennion spend time along the river, seining for fish. The purpose of the operation, conducted three times a year, is to identify and record the fish caught to look at distribution and growth rates.
Working along a 13-mile stretch of the Virgin River from the Pah Tempe hot Springs down to the state line, the two also remove any red shiners found.
The seine, a net with lead weights on poles, corrals the fish and allows the wildlife technicians to scoop up the fish without stress.
Unique to the Virgin River Basin, the Woundfin and Virgin River chub populations can come back with help.
If the populations come back up and the fish are taken off the endangered species list, it would be the first time a fish has been removed from the list due to recovery.
Harris said that would be an indication of the program because typically fish are removed from the list because more have been found or the species has gone extinct.
“Recovery is harder to do with aquatic systems because they are imperiled and it’s difficult to change that back around,” Harris said.
For more information and to view a slide show about the Virgin River Program, visit http://www.thespectrum.com/news/extras/virginhealth/index.html

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September 17, 2006

Keep Virgin River Flowing
By: Patrice St. Germain, The Spectrum Daily News

In the past, the Virgin River’s ecosystem has been threatened from endangered fish habitat loss, and a lack of coordination among local, state and federal and federal agencies to rectify problems associated with pollution. That is being reversed by the efforts of the Virgin River Resource Management and Recovery Program.
Formerly identified twice by American Rivers as one of the 10 most endangered rivers in North America, and twice more among the most threatened in the ‘90s, The Virgin River has since eluded the list. Perhaps, in part because of the program’s efforts. The tributary of the Colorado River located just south of Zion National Park near Springdale flows virtually uninterrupted southwest and south to Lake Mead in Nevada. It encompasses every life zone from the subalpine to the Mojave Desert and possesses more endangered species of fish than any other county in Utah, including Virgin River chub, Woundfin minnow and threatened spinedace.
To preserve its integrity, a collaborative effort by local, county, state, and federal resource agencies formed the Virgin River Program in January 2002. Since its inception great strides have been made towards accomplishing long-term water development plans and the successful recovery of the endangered species of fish.
A component of the Washington County Conservation and Growth Act designates 165.5 miles of the Virgin River under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act – the first such designation in Utah history. This would sustain the river’s character and ensure a quality management system for water allocation strategies in years to come but with federal strings attached.
Once nationally designated, a federal agency would oversee the creation and implementation of a plan to guide future administration of the river. As long as this would not interfere with the Virgin River Program, this designation should be pursued whether the bill passes Congress or not.
The health of the Virgin River with appropriate measures to protect is free flow traits and outstanding environmental quality is vital. It has already shown potential to increase property values, boost recreational opportunities, attract tourists, and sustain growth with domestic water use. If national designation will further promote that, it is essential because the river’s intrinsic value has shaped the southwest and will continue to mold the future course of Southern Utah.

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September 06, 2006
Virgin River Program Partners to Save Native Fish and Provide Water

By: Julia Campbell, Hurricane Valley Journal

Washington County has several unique species of plants, animals and fish that need preservation. At the same time, the county has a tremendous water need for its growing population. The Virgin River Program doesn’t think the two goals have to be in opposition. Program officials held a press tour at the Washington Fields Diversion Dam on Wednesday, August 30, to explain what they do. The program includes several organizations that partner together to preserve native and endangered fish in the Virgin River as well as provide water resources to communities. “It’s just an amazing example of what this project has been able to do when you consider that 15,000 fish would have gone into the canal and ended up as fertilizer,” said Steve Meismer, local coordinator of the Virgin River Program “I think we have a great example of how we worked together to build this structure which basically keeps our endangered fishes out of the (Washington Fields) canal,” said Reed Harris, Utah Department of Natural Resources and program director of the Virgin River Program. “Because of that, they (water users) can continue to go ahead and farm and use their water as they see fit.” Virgin River Recovery Program partners include U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Utah Division of Natural Resources, Washington County Water Conservancy District, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Grand Canyon Trust, Dixie Soil Conservation District and Washington County Farm Bureau.

Early pioneers built the Washington Fields Diversion Dam where the Virgin River runs into the Washington Canal about a hundred years ago. It proved to be a natural place for the diversion dam because of the bedrock outcropping. The dam didn’t give way as did other diversion dams of pioneer towns up and down the Virgin River washing away towns such as Grafton. Under normal water flow conditions, the Washington Canal company could divert almost all the water out of the Virgin River because of old water rights of about 86 cubic feet per second. With no water getting past the dam, but going down the canal system instead, any fish coming down the river would wash into the canal, get dumped out on the fields, and lost. A 1.5 million dollar project was built during the winter of 2004 at the dam, including fish screens and pumping facilities. Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) and St. George Washington Fields Canal Company were able to get some money from the federal government to enclose the open canal into a pipeline and tie the pipeline into the fish screen. Advantages to the project made for less water loss through evaporation and less water leakage through the canal into the ground. The fish screen and pipeline allow water to run back into the stream so that the river does not dry up. It also keeps the native fish in the river instead of the canal. Eventually the canal company can build a pressurized system that will give them further advantages and could even tie into secondary water systems in the valley.

The Virgin River Program allows all involved to do the best they can to save the species and at the same time provide water to all those users in St. George who historically have that right, Harris said. “Fish, debris, and water get turned back into the river,” said Steve Meismer, local coordinator of the Virgin River Program. “We’ve seen some really big successes over Pioneer weekend last year. It was estimated that the streams moved about 15,000 fish.” The fish screens are a major step toward recovery of native fishes. However, the program is also taking other aggressive steps toward their recovery. Utah Wildlife Resources is the biological arm of the fish recovery program. Their main office is in Cedar City with a field office in St. George. They have the permit to handle the fish recovery program and conduct monitoring out of their office. During the Aug. 30 press tour, Meaghan Doyle and Melinda Bennion of Wildlife Resources pulled a net (seine) through the moving river water. They scooped up native fish in a bucket of water and explained each species to the group. The seine has weights on the bottom and floats on the top. The six native fish in the Virgin River are the Virgin River chub, Woundfin, desert sucker, speckled dace, flannelmouth sucker and Virgin spinedace. The Woundfin and Virgin River chub are endangered fish.

Another step being taken is to protect the native fish by getting rid of the red shiner fish that is not native to the Virgin River. It was discovered that the red shiner preys upon and competes with the native fish, Meismer said. The red shiner was released as baitfish into Lake Mead during the 1970s and has made its way upstream. At one time, red shiner made up to 95 to 99 percent of the fish population in the Bloomington area. When it was discovered that the red shiner was threatening existing fish in the system, Wildlife Resource started an active program of eliminating them in 1988. They did mechanical removal and virtually eliminated red shiner from upstream. They are also trying to eradicate the red shiner by building barriers downstream to keep them from coming upstream to invade new areas. They also do chemical treatments carefully after salvaging native fish from the segment to be treated and moving them upstream. “In addition to red shiner impacts, it has been found that high water temperatures and low stream flows have a big impact on native fish populations,” said Corey Cram, WCWCD watershed coordinator. “As it is able to the WCWCD releases water to supplement water flow and decrease peak summer temperatures in the river.” This makes it so the fish will also be reproductively viable to ensure a population increase the next year.

The program also supplies the Woundfin and Virgin River chub to fish hatcheries. Those fish are then brought back to restock the river and jumpstart the populations of native fish. When Wildlife restocks the fish, they mark them by injecting a little piece of latex rubber underneath their skin. “That allows us to know when we stocked them and where we stocked them based on different colors of the latex or different locations of the fish,” said Meismer. “And so we can actually tell if we picked up a Woundfin that was marked ten miles downstream. We know that we stocked it six miles upstream above the diversion and the base where it was stocked. That’s one way they can track what happens to the fish. All those efforts build on each other to where we’re seeing huge gains and increases in native fish population,” he said.

Virgin River Program officials believe they have a good chance of recovering the native fish while still allowing use of the water resources in the communities. “We believe that we can see to the water resource of the county and also recovery of the fish at the same time,” said Cram. “Water resources are really critical in this developing county where the population is doubling about every ten years. Washington County is a hot spot for endangered species in the state, so we work hard to coordinate these efforts and we’ve been very successful and seen huge strides being taken in recovery of the fish.”     

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