SAN ANTONIO, N.M. — A federal agency is taking advantage of high water levels in the Rio Grande to help a tiny minnow listed as an endangered species.
The Albuquerque Journal reports U.S. Bureau of Reclamation workers recently aided in creating more habitat for the Rio Grande silvery minnow on the Middle Rio Grande.
Reclamation crews worked from January to March of this year to lower and widen the riverbank on the southern end of private property near Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. They excavated 46,000 cubic yards (35,170 cubic meters) of dirt to create water channels where minnows could escape the fast-moving river.
The tiny fish, listed as endangered in 1994, was once abundant throughout the Rio Grande Basin from Colorado to Texas and into Mexico.
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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com
The Associated Press
