alchesay-williams creek nfhc * whiteriver, arizona...bradley clarkson and pete drevnick represented...

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ALCHESAY-WILLIAMS CREEK NFHC * WHITERIVER, ARIZONA

OCTOBER 2012: Monthly Accomplishment Report

Alissia Almaraz cleaning fry trough at Williams Creek

PARTNERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY:

A biennial sanitary drinking water survey was conducted at the Alchesay-Williams Creek NFH Complex on October 02, 2012. This was a routine followup sanitary review conducted for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 9. The site visit was attended by Tara Chief, White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT), Andrew Sallach (EPA), Jay Charnholm Circuit Rider (RCAC), and Dan Fraser and Jan Dee May from Sleeping Giant Enviromental Consultants. Gene Okamoto, Dan Ragen, Bradley Clarkson and Pete Drevnick represented the Fish and Wildlife Service. Alchesay NFH North Well/Pump House

Alchesay NFH South Well

ALCHESAY-WILLIAMS CREEK NFH COMPLEX: Bruce Thompson – Project Leader AL-WC John Mejia – Administrative Technician

Alchesay Personnel

Bradley Clarkson – Unit Leader Pete Drevnick – Motor Vehicle Operator Jeff Cody – Motor Vehicle Operator Joyner George – WMAT Andy Quay – Volunteer

Williams Creek Personnel

Gene Okamoto – Unit Leader Russell Wood – Fish Biologist Michael Figueroa – Motor Vehicle Operator Jimmy Smith – Motor Vehicle Operator Isaiah Paxson – Animal Caretaker Dan Ragen – Maintenance Specialist

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Alissia Almaraz, Apache Trout crew member for Arizona Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office (AZFWCO) in the Whiteriver office, assisted Williams Creek NFH with fish culture responsibilities including feeding, cleaning units, recording data, and grading and thinning fish to outside raceways.

The Williams Creek NFH staff are adjusting to their new work schedule that was implemented on October 01, 2012. The work schedule is rotated every month with a Sun – Thurs and Tues – Sat work schedule. The Mon – Fri schedule is unchanged.

Alchesay-Williams Creek NFHC completed EPA monthly and quarterly monitor sampling for influent and effluent discharge water.

The Alchesay High School special needs class continues to assist with completing fish culture assignments at Williams Creek NFH and at Alchesay NFH filing documents. The students are energized to come out and be part of the daily activities working along side a fish culturist and an administrative technician.

Alchesay High School Student

AQUATIC SPECIES CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT:

Fish Distribution:

Williams Creek NFH: Distributed - 13,200 @ 1,685 pounds RBT to the Jicarilla Apache Tribe. Transfered– 265,084RBT @13,634 pounds to Alchesay NFH.

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Alchesay NFH Fish Distribution: During October, Hatchery Complex personnel traveled 1,608 miles to deliver 27,300 trout weighing 3,990 pounds to four waters on the Fort Apache, San Carlos, Acoma, and Zia Indian Reservations in Arizona and New Mexico.

Williams Creek NFH personnel stocking fish in New Mexico tribal waters.

Williams Creek NFH will be receiving their brown trout (BNT) egg shipment from

Saratoga NFH on November 06, 2012. It has been approximately 7 years ago since the last shipment arrived from Saratoga NFH. This will be the earliest BNT eggs have arrive on station in order for us to better meet our size requirements for distribution.

FACILITY MAINTENANCE:

The annual fire extinguisher inspection was completed at both Alchesay and Williams Creek NFH’s.

Annual pond excavation/preparation on Alchesay NFH ponds #5, #4, and #3 are ongoing to make room for a total of 368,000 RBT transfers from Williams Creek NFH.

Alchesay’s pond #2 is at about 85% completion. Most of the vinyl sheet pile siding is in place and interconnected with tie rods to the hatchery settling pond (pond #1) and pond #3. Roadways are being backfilled with drain rock and compacted earth. Forty more loads of crushed rock will be delivered during the first few days of November. Cement for angled panels will be delivered after that. If construction stays on schedule, ponds #2 and #3 should be ready to receive fish by the end of November.

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PUBLIC USE:

With the changing colder weather, visitation was down at both facilities. Visitor restroom facilities have been winterized for the year.

WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT:

John Mejia’s last day at Alchesay NFH as the Administrative Technician was October 5, 2012. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors. Patti Ferlisi (from the AZFWCO administration staff) graciously volunteered to take on the administration duties at the hatchery complex. Her varied talents are being shared by both programs. Patti has been a huge asset for the administration of the Alchesay-Williams Creek NFH Complex.

Russell Wood, Jimmy Smith, Isaiah Paxson, and Mike Figueroa completed sorting (by gender) the Apache Trout brood stock for 2012-2013. There will be an adequate number of males available for 2012 Apache Trout (APT) broodstock program. Females that were recorded will be available for our 2013 APT broodstock program.

End of the Month (EOM) reports were completed by hatchery management personnel. Williams Creek staff assisted Alchesay NFH in completing the balance of their fish stocking for the months of October, November and December 2012. This

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FWCO approved consolidation of stocking trips reduces travel costs in accordance with service guidelines.

Dan Ragen and Mike Figueroa lent a hand early in the month with the pond project at Alchesay NFH.

Dan Ragen working with Alchesay NFH Crew.

Pond 2 modification is still underway at Alchesay NFH. WIA (Workforce Investment Act) provided needed additional manpower to be able to complete this project as soon as possible.

WIA (John Benally, Randy Bonito, and Wade Goklish installing vinyl sheets.)

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NOVEMBER 2012: Monthly Accomplishment Report

Hatchery staff enumerating Apache Trout eggs

300,000 Erwin RBT eggs set in jars


Alchesay-Williams Creek NFHC completed EPA monthly and quarterly monitor sampling for influent and effluent discharge water as well as annual drinking water sampling.

The annual spawn-taking operation for the Apache Trout program at Williams Creek NFH was initiated on November 26-27, 2012. The adult female brood stock are checked once a week for egg development. By the end of the spawn taking operation, approximately 900,000 green eggs will be enumerated and set in incubation trays. The spawning period should run through January 2013.

Annual evaluations for employee performance appraisal plans (EPAPs) were completed and discussed with individual employees. Individual Development Plans (IDPs) were discussed as well.

ALCHESAY-WILLIAMS CREEK NFH COMPLEX: Bruce Thompson – Project Leader AL-WC Patti Ferlisi – Administrative Assistant

Alchesay Personnel

Bradley Clarkson – Unit Leader Pete Drevnick – Maintenance Worker/MVO Jeff Cody – Motor Vehicle Operator (MVO) Joyner George – WMAT Andy Quay – Volunteer

Williams Creek Personnel


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Fish Distribution: The following fish were stocked out of the Williams Creek facility as transfers to Alchesay NFH and into tribal waters within the state of New Mexico.

Williams Creek NFH: Distribute – 4,673 RBT @ 938 pounds to

Zuni Reservation Transfer– 54,617 RBT@ 2,298 pounds to Alchesay

NFH.

Alchesay NFH: With the exception of loading trout for Bosque del Apache NWR for the annual Festival of the Cranes event, no fish wre stocked out of the Alchesay facility for the month of November. November commitments had been completed previously in a continueing effort to consolidate stocking trips when possible.

Egg Shipments:

Saratoga NFH: Lot #2Sr-1, 82,000 brown trout eggs received on

November 06, 2012. Egan SFH (Utah): Lot #2Eg-3, 50,000 brown trout eggs received on

November 16, 2012. Erwin NFH: Lot #2Ew-3, 300,000 rainbow trout eggs received on

November 29, 2012.

Apache Trout Spawning:

1st Egg take: 17,343 green eggs; Lot #3WC-1


Dan Ragen dug a 100 yard trench for the power supply line from the domestic water supply building to the water storage tank. Carlson Electric

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will complete the installation of the power line to bring it up to code.

Pat McDermott from Region 2 Division of Engineering (REN) visited the Alchesay NFH to assess Alchesay Quarters 3, 4, and 5 to ascertain demolition/renovation scopes of work and the costs assiciated with these structures.

The last cement pours for Alchesay Pond #2 modification will be completed within the next couple of weeks. Rainbow trout (50,000 to 60,000) will be transferred from hatchery raceways into the newly completed pond after that. We all hope the fish like their new “newly remodeled” home.

PUBLIC USE AND OUTREACH:

Alchesay-Williams Creek NFH Complex provided approximately 200 rainbow trout for the public fishing tank at the Festival of Cranes in Bosque del Apache NWR, NM on November 16, 2012. This is a new outreach program at this event that children as well as adults can experience.

A 3 lb. rainbow trout from Pond 3 Personnel from Williams Creek NFH harvested (non-production) WC-Pond #3 on November 6, 2012. Twenty seven rainbow trout averaging 3-5 pounds with several as large as 7-8 pounds were captured and held until final loadout.

On the day of transport an additional 173 8-10 inch RBT were loaded from Alchesay NFH and transported to the fish tank at the Festival of the Cranes event.

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Russell Wood, Jimmy Smith, and Isaiah Paxson completed this year’s assessment of the APT brood females on November 26, 2012. This will be the first spawn taken for 2012, with an optimal number of ~10 females to begin our egg take.

Hatchery staff inspecting female APT for egg development

Patti Ferlisi attended one week of FBMS training in the Albuquerque office. It was a very valuable training experience.

Hatchery EOM reports were completed by hatchery staff as well as fish/feed transfers to Alchesay NFH.

Bradley Clarkson completed 40 hours of training at the Supervisory Skills Workshop

at NCTC .

LEADERSHIP IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

The Apache Trout (APT) program at Williams Creek NFH is the primary production species that is maintained for the Fort Apache Indian Reservation (FAIR). Since the installation of the steel open-ended protective building over the Apache Trout brood stock (C-bank) raceways, this partial enclosure had the potential to alter the natural photoperiod that the Apache Trout need to carry out their reproductive cycle. A semi-controlled lighting regime was used to prevent any inadvertent changes to spawn timing. We exposed the brood stock to a controlled period of 12 hours of artificial

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light from 6AM to 6PM from July through November, so that the current broodfish on hand would not spawn significantly earlier than previously held broodstock. So far there is no indication of any alteration in the APT broodfish reproductive timing

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Monthly Accomplishment Report DECEMBER 2012

Bradley Clarkson’s demonstration at the Innovation Nation science fair at Canyon Day Elementary School.


EPA quarterly water sampling for influent and effluent discharge water, as well as annual drinking water sampling, were accomplished for both units. In addition, the renewal applications for effluent discharge permits (NPDES) at both facilities were submitted to Region 9- EPA for processing.

The Apache trout spawning operation being conducted at Williams Creek NFH will continue through January and into early February 2013. The adult female brood stock have been very protracted in their egg development this year. The peak is not expected until later in the month. This will delay our egg shipment to the State until late February and early March.

Alchesay-Williams Creek personnel participated in the monthly Fisheries Coordination meeting between AZFWCO (Arizona Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office) and WMAT-WORD (White Mountain Apache Tribe-Wildlife & Outdoor Recreation Division) staff. Also in attendance during the first half of this meeting

Bruce Thompson – Project Leader Patti Ferlisi – Administrative Assistant

Alchesay Unit

Bradley Clarkson – Unit Leader Pete Drevnick – Maintenance Worker/MVO Jeff Cody – Motor Vehicle Operator (MVO) Joyner George – WMAT Animal Caretaker Andy Quay – Volunteer John Benally – Laborer (Temporary) Randy Bonito – WMAT, WIA Laborer Wade Goklish – WMAT, WIA Laborer

Williams Creek Unit


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was Arizona Game and Fish Department representative Kelly Meyer. Topic of discussion centered around the renewal of a “Weed Agreement for Apache trout”.


Apache Trout Spawning: The staff spawned 132,950 green eggs from 103 adult females, averaging 1,290 eggs per female. Spawning will continue through January and into early February 2013.

Gene, Bradley and Russ checking for gravid Apache trout females for spawning.

Mike collecting ovarian fluid samples to test for fish disease.

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Alchesay Water Flows: During the beginning of the month, the Alchesay facility was plagued with low flows. Drought conditions in recent years, colder than normal temperatures, and delayed snowfalls contributed to freeze-up of the North Fork Whiteriver headwaters above the hatchery. Early morning flows dropped to below 3,500 gallons per minute (gpm). This condition necessitated a consolidation of rearing units. In particular, the production tankhouse (which housed the AZFWCO Apache trout experiment) was completely shut down and the experiment survivors moved to an outside raceway. Normal flows were partially restored with the first snowfall in mid-month.

Just prior to the holiday season, it was discovered that the new pipeline entering the hatchery water control structure (WCS) was leaking about 30 gpm. Temporary repairs were made to reduce this leakage and drain the site area. A subsequent internal investigation of the structure revealed a shift in the alignment of the 28 inch pipeline where it enters the WCS. Plans are underway for a more permanent fix after the first of the year.


With the assistance of Tim Wise of Region 2 Division of Information Resources and Technology Management (IRTM), full intranet capability was restored to the Alchesay NFH facility. The VPN router was reconfigured to connect to the local ISP router and new co-existing links were set up on the hatchery facility computers. When all account passwords have been successfully upgraded, full administrative functionality will be reestablished.

Pond 2 modification work slowed down due to inclement weather. A 30 day extension was requested and granted to complete the batch materials contract.

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PUBLIC USE AND OUTREACH:

Innovation Nation Science Fair

Gene Okamoto and Bradley Clarkson assisted Jennifer Johnson (AZFWCO) with the

science fair at Canyon Day Elementary School on December 18, 2012. Hatchery personnel gave hands-on demonstrations of enumerating egg numbers and volumes of eggs. Afterward, each participant was given the opportunity to proudly demonstrate their new-found skills.


A big Thank-You to Jennifer Johnson and Travis Taylor from AZFWCO for assisting

with our Apache trout spawning operation. They were a tremendous help with checking for gravid females and recording raw data during the milt taking and spawning process.

All Hatchery staff completed their monthly reporting.

Most of the Hatchery staff was able to gather for a holiday potluck luncheon to

celebrate our accomplishments. Pete Drevnick was presented with his 10-Year Certificate. John Benally, Randy Bonito, and Wade Goklish were presented with Certificates of Appreciation for their hard work on the Pond 2 Rehabilitation Project.

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Randy Bonito’s last day under the WIA training contract was December 21, 2012. All of us at the hatchery thank him for his hard work and dedication and wish him the best in his future endeavors.

LEADERSHIP IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

Technology has come a long ways when it comes to egg picking at Williams Creek NFH. The use of a mechanical egg picker has minimized the number of man-hours and the number of staff required to pick a tray of eggs. An additional advantage is hatchery personnel can continue with other vital hatchery responsibilities without interruption.

Jensorter setup for egg picking 37,000 eggs were sorted in less than

10 minutes (left: live eggs; right: dead eggs)

alchesay-williams creek nfhc * whiteriver, arizona...bradley clarkson and pete drevnick represented...

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