CABALLO LAKE — Staffers with the New Mexico Wildlife Federation and other groups recently took students from Las Cruces High School to Caballo Lake. The students caught black crappie and also learned about conservation ethics and the importance of local agriculture.
Ray Trejo, NMWF’s Southern New Mexico Outreach Coordinator joined with Gabe Vasquez with Nuestra Tierra and Patrick Nolan Executive Director for Friends of the Organ Mountains to lead the April 13 event.
Kristin Gustine a biology teacher and sponsor of the outdoor conservation club called “Offleash Bulldawgs” led her students on the trip, to the southern end of the lake.
The students learned about the history of the Rio Grande and the Caballo reservoir and its importance to agriculture along the Rincon Valley. They talked about conservation and the ethics and privilege of being outdoors. Many of the students collected garbage that others had left behind.
The students also learned about fishing. The group began with casting, tying knots, baiting their hooks. They ended the day with a hands-on session that included gutting and scaling their fish. Many of the students chose to take fish home to cook as well.
