A Uintah High School Fish Hatchery student takes a break during hatchery PIT tagging operations to kiss a razorback sucker in preparation of releasing them into the Green River. Photo Mike Gross U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
2 partnering high schools in 2 upper basin states in 2 upper basin rivers in 2 weeks, release nearly 400 student cultured endangered razorback sucker!!!
(Left) An eager student kisses a razorback sucker that was cultured at Uintah High School before she releases it into the Green River near Jensen, UT. (Right) a huge crowd of eager community members gather in hopes of kissing and releasing a student grown Palisade High School razorback sucker. Photos Mike Gross U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Two upper basin high schools have partnered with the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program to grow native, endangered fish that are endemic to the area, on campus, in their own innovative school fish hatcheries. Students learn all the science and skills of working in a fish hatchery with the added benefit of boosting populations of endangered fish in their local communities…while at school! These programs have proven to be an incredible tool for students, educators, project sponsors, and the local communities. Palisade High School (PHS) and Uintah High School (UHS) fish hatchery students are receiving technical training in a field that students can make a career of. Currently, 21% of the seasonal Biological Science Technician staff at the Grand Junction Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office are PHS Fish Hatchery alumni, which is testament to the asset these on-campus fish hatcheries bring to students, as well as a powerful recruiting tool for supporting agencies.
Both Palisade High School Fish Hatchery and Uintah High School Fish Hatchery released their yearly crop of student cultured fish during May, of 2025, and the enthusiasm was insatiable.
Palisade, Colorado–May 7, 2025– Palisade High School Fish Hatchery razorback sucker release into the Colorado River:
PHS students and faculty released 254 endangered razorback sucker cultured by students in their on-campus fish hatchery which is situated behind the baseball stadium at the high school. The rare fish were released into the Colorado River in Palisade (which is designated “critical habitat” for razorback sucker and other endangered fishes) at Riverbend Park behind PHS. It was quite possibly the largest crowd of supporters and community members ever to attend the PHS razorback release with an estimated 400 people attending!!! Lots of eager community members including the Grand Junction Jackalopes baseball team (who set up a PHS Fish Hatchery scholarship) and the Jackalopes and PHS Bulldog mascots, all puckered up to kiss the fish goodbye as they were released.
What seemed like the entire Palisade community came out to have fishy fun at Riverbend Park! The annual PHS Fish Hatchery razorback sucker release has turned into a sizeable community event with many people saying it’s one of the funnest days of the year! Photos Mike Gross U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Planning began for the PHS Fish Hatchery partnership in 2015 (ten years ago!). School District 51 was able to utilize an old astronomy storage building at the edge of campus to use as the new on-campus fish hatchery at Palisade High School. After copious planning, hoop-jumping, and building upgrades, students and faculty (with guidance from Ouray National Fish Hatchery-Grand Valley Unit and the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program) completed assembly of the innovative PHS Fish Hatchery recirculating aquaculture system in 2020. This is the fifth year of endangered fish cultivation at the PHS Fish Hatchery with over 1,250 endangered fish being cultured, Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tagged, and released by students into the Colorado River. Numerous PHS grown fish have been reencountered in multiple areas along the Colorado River, some near speculated razorback sucker spawning areas!
(Above left) PHS Fish Hatchery alumni (now working for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) Kiera Stephen holding a razorback sucker she captured on the Colorado River 65 miles down river from Palisade near Westwater, Utah. (Above Right) A map showing where some of the PHS razorbacks have been detected on antennas or captured by biologists. Photo Mike Gross U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Educationally speaking, nearly every Palisade High School science-based class (and various other disciplines) have incorporated the PHS Fish Hatchery as a fun and meaningful hands-on tool for education. Chemistry, river dynamics, biology, statistics, art classes, and more, all have utilized the on-campus fish hatchery for multiple projects. Additionally, PHS students conduct tours for other School District 51 schools with hundreds of elementary school students coming through yearly to learn about the PHS Fish Hatchery and endangered fishes of the upper Colorado River. Many internship and career opportunities have become available for the dedicated PHS Fish Hatchery student technicians. Multiple students have been awarded the American Fisheries Society Hutton Internship and other PHS alumni are currently working as paid biological science technicians with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fisheries crews working in the Colorado River basin.
Multiple community organizations have contributed to this project which has gotten the entire Palisade community enthusiastically involved in the recovery of these animals. The Colorado River in Palisade is very important Critical Habitat for razorback sucker and other endangered fish species. Having community support is essential for the long-term survival of these unique long-lived fish.
The PHS Fish Hatchery has been recognized nationally and received the 2021 Regional Director’s Partnership Award (photo below) recognizing individuals or organizations that have contributed significantly to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mountain-Prairie Region’s priorities over the past year. The award was established to honor the people and partnerships without which the Service could not achieve its conservation mission.
The PHS fish crew have inspired other high schools to consider similar on-campus fish hatchery partnerships as the benefits are vast. In 2024, Uintah High School in Vernal, Utah started a similar partnership with the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program. UHS students released their first batch of nearly 200 endangered razorback sucker into the Green River near Jensen, Utah mid-May, 2025. Multiple UHS aquaculture classes are already filled up for next semester!
Some of the media stories since the 2025 PHS fish release event:
KREX 5 News CBS- Grand Junction
KKCO NBC11 News- Grand Junction
KREX 5 News CBS- Fish Kiss Cam
Grand Junction Sentinel May 8, 2025–Kissing fish goodbye during the annual Palisade hatchery release
Photos taken by Dancing In My Head Photography- Palisade, CO
Jensen, Utah–May 15, 2025—Uintah High School Fish Hatchery razorback sucker release into the Green River:
Uintah High School Fish Hatchery students, and faculty released nearly 200 endangered razorback sucker cultured by dedicated students from their brand new on-campus recirculating aquaculture system which was assembled in the newly constructed Agriculture (Ag) building at UHS. The Ag building houses numerous agriculture related education projects that are beneficial to the Uintah basin students, educators, and the community.
(Above) The newly built Agriculture (Ag) Building at Uintah H.S. and the new innovative recirculating aquaculture system.
(Above) Eager UHS aquaculture students and science teacher David Wilson, receiving their first batch of 25 razorback sucker and transferring them into the newly built recirculating aquaculture system. Photos Mike Gross U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Early in the school year (December 20, 2024)–UHS aquaculture students and science teacher David Wilson, received their first batch of 25 razorback sucker to help inoculate the newly built recirculating aquaculture system at UHS (ie. getting the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle established in the biofilters).The remaining batch of roughly 175 were delivered a few weeks later and students took the ball running, thriving, and performing all of the meticulous fish hatchery work that is essential to growing hardy and healthy fish in captivity. Students inserted PIT tags into their fish and learned numerous highly technical aquaculture skills which they can carry on into there professional life, if they so choose.
The state of Utah has an accredited Career and Education (CTE) aquaculture curriculum which allows UHS students to acquire credits for their dedicated work at the UHS fish hatchery. In the UHS aquaculture class, students gain knowledge and develop skills utilizing the scientific method and apply it to raising fish. Course topics include fish ecology, physiology, water quality, aquaponics and more! UHS science teacher/hatchery manager David Wilson places an emphasis on building hands-on skills for students in the fish hatchery.
(Above) Uintah High School Fish Hatchery Manager/Science Teacher/Botanist teaches UHS aquaculture students the ins-and-outs of measuring/weighing large batches of fish. Photos Mike Gross U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Above) UHS students proudly checking out their fish before loading them into the USFWS fish transportation vehicle. Photos Mike Gross U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Numerous school busses loaded up with UHS aquaculture and science students, faculty members, and administrators, caravanned to the incredibly scenic Split Mountain boat ramp on the Green River (which is also designated “critical habitat” for razorback sucker) to release the rare animals which they have cared for 24/7 for many months. As with the Palisade High School razorback sucker, Uintah students and faculty opted to pucker up and kiss the fish good luck as they were hand released into the Green River.
(Above) UHS students releasing their first batch of endangered razorback sucker into the scenic Green River at the Split Mountain Boat ramp. Students and supporters decided it was good luck to kiss their fish good luck upon release into the Green River…and the tradition continues. Photos Mike Gross U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Tonya Kieffer-Selby UDWR.
Some of the media stories since the UHS fish release event:
There are many long-term benefits for programs like these:
What’s in it for the students? Dedicated students spend a decent amount of their spare time accomplishing daily necessary duties at the fish hatchery (ie. feeding fish, cleaning filters, water changes and more). What’s in it for them?
• It’s fishy fun!
• Students will have training in a professional conservation related field that most would not receive until
at a college level or well into their professional career.
• Students can have a direct effect in recovery of endangered species, boosting populations of imperiled
animals living in their communities, creating an incredible feeling of ownership towards recovery.
• Students will make professional contacts collaborating with agency fisheries biologists and fish
hatcheries which can be very beneficial if they wish to progress in the field in the future.
• Students will be able to utilize their experience when applying for colleges and universities as well as
scholarships.
• Students can utilize this experience when applying for various internship possibilities.
• Students can potentially track and study their fish for years to come via agency fish tagging databases.
What’s in it for the schools? Provides an area of expertise for practical course material and lectures in various school subjects:
• Aquaculture
• Chemistry
• Natural Resources
• Art
• Biology
• Engineering
• Math/statistics
• Website Development
• Communications
• ..and many more!
What’s in it for the communities?
• Allows local communities and stakeholders to have a voice regarding conservation efforts that effect their livelihood.
• Helps local communities to become directly involved in major conservation projects with true “buy in” at many local levels.
• Supports the next generation of local youth and helps to keep them active and engaged in the community.
• Localized species conservation projects help the local environment – making it a better place for everyone.
Teamwork makes the dreamwork!
Related Links:
https://coloradoriverrecovery.org/
https://coloradoriverrecovery.org/palisade-high-school-fish-hatchery/