Dredging of Eagle Rock Lake at Questa NM. |
Construction of a new fishing park at Eagle
Rock Lake
near Questa and in-stream fish habitat improvements at the Red River
fish hatchery are scheduled to begin soon with completion expected this summer.
“This is pretty exciting,” says Nick Streit of Taos Fly
Shop. “It’s going to be a popular place.”
Both projects are scheduled to be done by the end of June
and will help promote angling and tourism in the area, says Eric Frey, Sport
Fish Program Manager for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF).
Chevron Mining construction crews are already dredging the
lake to remove contaminated silt and sediment from the bottom before installing
a new clay and sand based liner.
Installation of new lake and riverside trails, bridges and
in-stream fish habitat improvements will begin shortly, Frey said.
Anglers will be able to fish both the Red River and Eagle Rock Lake while enjoying a great setting. |
“It’ll be a very, nice aquatic park in a beautiful setting
that folks can really enjoy while fishing,” Frey said.
Downstream at the hatchery construction will begin at the
same time to create in-stream fish habitat improvements on the river just above
and below the facility, Frey said.
In-stream habitat improvements typically involve adding
rocks, tree trunks and reconfiguring the streambed to provide better places for
fish to live which in turn benefits anglers.
“There two projects will tie in nicely and make the area
much more attractive to anglers,” Frey said.
Featureless runs like this at the Red Fishery fish hatchery will be modified to provide better fish habitat and improved angling conditions. |
Campers will find numerous streamside Forest Service
campgrounds just upstream of the lake between Questa and Red River
and several primitive sites along the road to the hatchery too.
“This is a real plus for us as we transition from a mining
based economy to one more focused on outdoor recreation and tourism,” Bouyer
said.
The longtime molybdenum mine at Questa had sustained the
local economy for generations but it shut down for good last June due to poor
market conditions.
Questa village leaders have decided its time to tap into the tourism and outdoor recreation market. |
So now the village is in the process of reinventing itself.
“We’re a small, historic village surrounded by unspoiled
wilderness and that’s what makes us unique,” she said. “And this will really
help as we work to promote ourselves as one of the best fishing, hiking and
camping destinations in the state.”
For more info about Questa and what it has to offer see
their website at www.questa-nm.com.
Centrally located businesses like the Tewa Lounge and Village Stop and Go could benefit if more visitors stopped in the village while traveling through the area. |
Questa is uniquely situated in the midst of the Rio Grande
del Norte National Monument, the Hondo/ Columbine Wilderness, the Carson
National Forest and nearby Costilla
Park , Latir Wilderness and the
Valle Vidal.
John Bailey, manager of the monument for the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM ) said he is working with the
village on the possibility of jointly manning a visitor center in the center of
Questa to better serve visitors of the area.
The high mountains above Questa provide many outdoor recreational opportunities for those seeking to hunt, fish, camp, hike or just enjoy northern New Mexico's spectacular scenery. |
But in the meantime
the new fishing park and improvements on the river should go a long way towards bringing more
anglers to the area, says Streit.
“We’ve been working on this for years and it’s exciting to
see this finally getting off the ground,” said Streit who is also a member of
the local chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Trout Unlimited, Questa Economic Development Board, Chevron,
BLM and the US Forest Service all played a
role in developing the project, Frey said.
NMDGF picked up the $800,000 tab for construction of the two
projects using proceeds from habitat stamps bought by anglers when obtaining a
state fishing license, Frey said.
Apple Mountain Construction of Estancia and Riverbed
Engineering of Albuquerque are doing the site work job while dredging of the
lake is being handled by Chevron Mining Inc. which owns the now closed mine.
The Red River has rebounded nicely
from past contamination from mining activities and now supports resident
population of feisty brown trout and is regularly stocked with rainbow trout
from the hatchery.
Nearby the Rio Grande
gorge within the national monument continues to provide anglers with excellent
fishing for wild rainbow and cutthroat trout with plenty of developed camp
sites available along the rim above.
Steve Miller, 75, of Embudo enjoys a mild winter's day of fly fishing on the Red River downstream of the fish hatchery in 2015. |
Anglers venturing to the area will find a pretty good
selection of traditional fishing supplies at Questa Lumber and Hardware next
door to the village supermarket. The nearest fly shops are in Taos
or Red River .
Anglers who like lake fishing in a high mountain setting
will find 15-acre Cabresto Lake
where brook and cutthroat trout can be caught just up the road from Questa.
Anglers venturing into the area are asked to stay out of the
construction zones at the Eagle Rock
Lake and the Red River Fish
Hatchery until work is completed by the end of June.
The Red River Fish Hatchery near Questa NM. |
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