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TMS Interns Chip Ratley,(from University of Arkansas, Little Rock) Melissa McNell and Anna Brown (Northland College) completed a macroinvertebrate study of the Tutuaca River during July 2007..stay tuned for field report.
Native Fish Study: Aros and Tutuaca Rivers
This year we will be sampling the lower Tutuaca and Upper Aros to the Northern Jaguar Projects' (NJP) Rancho Los Pavos
Click on the Jaguar to access the NJP's website and click on the Tutuaca's Yaqui Trout to access A project summary from the first sampling.
Directions to the TMS: Yepachi, Chihuahua
We are located in the middle of nowhere so we have made a map and have a couple of travel tips that will help you find us and make your trip here more enjoyable. From Basaseachi, Chihuahua (Hwy 16) continue to Yepachi. From Yepachi-take the dirt road on the West side of town that heads N (cross the Yepachi River) for 4.5 miles. Here take the Rt fork (the road-less-traveled) for 9.5 more miles. Plan on 1.5 hours for this journey. We recommend staying with Lucy in the hotel in Yepachi if you arrive in town late. Beware-Yepachi has no sign--it is a small town 45 minutes W of Basaseachi and 50 minutes E of Maycoba, Sonora.
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MOUNTAIN
PIMA CULTURAL STUDY
NATIVE FISH STUDY(2007): LOWER TUTUACA AND UPPER AROS RIVERS
Project: Native Fish Inventory
(June 23-Aug, 31, 2007)
Matching Funds Requested: $12,400
Project Description: In January 2006, Tutuaca Mountain School, WWF, USFWS and CIAD (a Mexican Research Institution) funded an inventory of the upper Tutuaca River Basin. We found all native fish, including the endangered Yaqui Trout and a NEW species of native catfish. This year we plan on re-sampling select 2006 locations and continuing our sampling to include the Upper Aros River drainage in the vicinity of Rancho Los Pavos, home of the Northern Jaguar Project. The sampling area lies within the Tutuaca Natural Protected Area for Flora and Fauna and the Jaguar Reserve. Both regions are home to many endemic and endangered species.
· Determine the range of the pure-native fish assemblages in the Tutuaca drainage in order to manage the drainage for a native population.
· Determine population and health of the native fish, particularly the endangered Trout, new species of catfish and Gila Chub.
· Sample the Aros to determine what type of fish are in this drainage and to determine baseline populations and health.
· Document fish populations and fish/river health prior to the onset of operation of the Dolores Gold Mine (located between the Tutuaca Mountain School and the Northern Jaguar Projects-Rancho Los Pavos). This is critical data needed for monitoring the region after mining begins.
Project Participants:
- Jim Brooks et. al.: USFWS Fish Biologist Crew; ABQ, NM (Data Collection and Analysis)
- Tutuaca Mountain School: Faculty, students and interns (Logistics, Hydrology and Mapping)
- Alejandro Varela: CIAD Fish Biologist-Specimen genetics
- Mountain Pima Student Interns (2): High school graduates from the local community that will be beginning their studies in biology in 07/08. They will be helping and learning about fish. Their stipend for the project includes a ($500) scholarship to help them pay for the cost of college.
We are soliciting donations from individuals and corporations to assist with this project.
TMS is a 501c3 non-profit conservation and education organization. We accept donations in the form of funding or materials for operation of our academic and research programs and field station. All contributions are fully tax deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law.
We are grateful for donations of any size for this fish inventory.
Project: Baseline Water Quality Assessment
Tutuaca River and Upper Aros River: Yaqui Watershed, Chihuhua Mexico
(June 10-Aug, 31, 2007)
Matching Funds Requested: $10,800
Project Description: In January 2006, Tutuaca Mountain School, WWF, USFWS and CIAD (a Mexican Research Institution) funded an inventory of the upper Tutuaca River Basin. We found all native fish, including the endangered Yaqui Trout and a NEW species of native catfish. The finding of trout in the Tutuaca watershed is an indicator of the health of the river as they are pollution intolerant. This year we plan on adding a water quality testing component to our fish studies in order to quantify the health of the Tutuaca and the Upper Aros Rivers. This quantification is extremely important in order to monitor any impact the upcoming mines in Dolores, Chihuahua will have on the health of this watershed. Because the Tutuaca and the Upper Aros basin are home to many endemic and endangered species, this quantification and development of a water quality monitoring program is urgent.
How can gold mining in Dolores affect the environment? At present, construction of the Dolores Mine is underway, including construction and upgrading of approximately 100 km of new and existing roads, as well as construction of contractor housing, community buildings and offices. Leach pads and terraces are also under construction. Water resource depletion and contamination are major consequences and create substantial health and environmental issues in large scale mining operations. Sedimentation from the mine and road construction has high impact potential to the ecological health of the Tutuaca River. This watershed exhibits a typical degraded system (watershed erosion) making it more susceptible to these types of impacts. The mining process, once operational, includes grinding up the ore and exposing it to cyanide in order to extract precious metals. This process exposes naturally occurring sulfides to air and water, creating sulfuric acid deposition in leachate runoff, which consequently releases other naturally occurring heavy metals from the ore including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, all which pose major health and environmental concerns.
Why monitor the quality of the water in the Tutuaca and the Aros? Mining has already been a tremendous economic boost in this very poor region of the Copper Canyon. Damage to the environment for mining can be minimized with proper investment in equipment, and training of staff and regular environmental monitoring in order to catch a problem before it happens. Currently, there is no baseline data for the Tutuaca or the Aros. We will be collecting this data as a part of this project. If we can quantify the drainages then we are better prepared to address the impact of mining.
Due to the large scale impact potential on the water quality and to human and environmental health from sedimentation and deposition of these metals, it is recommended that a water monitoring program be implemented to monitor for basic water health indicator parameters, as well as for metals associated with these operations in order to establish baseline data both during construction phase and concurrently with operational phase of the mining operation. These parameters include, but are not limited to the following:
· Dissolved Oxygen
· pH
· Temperature
· Conductivity/TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)
· Turbidity
· Nitrates
· Nitrites
· Sulfides
· Cadmium
· Mercury
· Arsenic
· Cyanide
· E Coli/Fecal Coliform
We are soliciting donations from individuals and corporations to assist with this project.