_Throughout much of its historic range, the decline of the Rio Grande silvery minnow is primarily due to destruction and modification of its habitat resulting from diminished water flows. Water quality degradation and competition and predation by introduced non-native species are other contributory factors. In New Mexico, silvery minnow populations are known to occur in the Bosque del Apache and Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuges.

Our guest speaker, Jason Remshardt (on the right in the photo), will detail the efforts of the New Mexico Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (NMFWCO) to conduct research, monitoring, and resource inventory activities on a variety of projects related to the Rio Grande silvery minnow in the Rio Grande of New Mexico and Big Bend, Texas. Among these projects are population monitoring, salvage, propagation, and stocking.

Jason is a Fish Biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Albuquerque. He has over 20 years of experience working with a variety of fish and wildlife management in the midwest and southwest US. He is currently involved primarily with native fish conservation in the Rio Grande of New Mexico and Texas. His projects have included population monitoring, fish tagging, stocking, and habitat use evaluation for Rio Grande silvery minnow. The NMFWCO is based in Albuquerque and is located at 3800 Commons Avenue NE.