The outcomes of collaboration are not always easy to see. Often, as is the case with the stream restoration on the Rio San Antonio, the visible work is merely the tip of the iceberg. Through years of conversation, discussions, and prioritization, the right partnership came together to produce an ambitious stream restoration project on the Rio San Antonio, located in northern New Mexico. In this particular stream, one challenge is higher than average stream temperatures which negatively affect fish and other aquatic life.

Affecting stream temperature is not easy. Providing shade may be the easiest and quickest, but that’s not always an option. On the Rio San Antonio, the team comprised of Trout Unlimited, Watershed Artisans, and New Mexico Game and Fish developed pool and riffle structures, channel constricting gravel bars, and woody debris to deepen the stream and hopefully lower the stream’s temperature.