Rio Grande cutthroat trout stocked in the Valle Vidal

The Valle Vidal is a section of the Carson National Forest nestled in a remote location between the village of Costilla and the city of Raton, right against the Colorado border. There are special protections to preserve the beauty and wildlife of this remote area. Among the elk and mule deer is the greatest population of Rio Grande cutthroat trout, New Mexico’s state fish.

Between the mountains, in the middle of the grassy meadows, meander several pristine streams, including the Rio Costilla, Comanche Creek and others.

Around 30 years ago, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the U.S. Forest Service and Trout Unlimited teamed up to make the area a little more special. They set out to create a special place for the state’s colorful fish to thrive and, most of all, to be protected from non-native fish that could outcompete them and even contaminate the genetics of the pure Rio Grande cutthroat that are left.

They created fish barriers to prevent those invasive species from moving upstream into the protected area. Then they saved what Rio Grande cutthroat they could, cleaned out the stream of fish and restocked it with the New Mexico aquatic natives.

They started clearing invasive species out of sections of the river, and then added new sections to the project. After 30 years, they have removed non-native fish from 120 miles of streams in the Valle Vidal.

On Saturday, these agencies invited the public to come join in a celebration of the completion of the project. The public got the opportunity to learn about and stock fish themselves. The agencies’ employees, along with dozens of volunteers, stocked 250, 2-, 3- and 4-year-old Rio Grande cutthroats and 10,000 1 year olds. They also stocked Rio Grande suckers and Rio Grande chubs in the area.

The area has special regulations for fishing. Anglers must use a single barbless hook, most areas are catch-and-release and the fishing season is only open from July 1 to Dec. 31.