Southwest Aquatic Habitats: On the Trail of Fish in a Desert

by Daniel Shaw

Overview

You might not expect to find a fish in the desert, but if you look, find them you will. In this book a nationally honored science teacher tells true stories about real young people who study and care for water, fish, and other creatures in and around desert streams, ponds, lakes, and rivers. The book starts out with Katie’s story as she fishes for trout in a mountain stream. The stories then twist across large dry areas where water is sparse. They include urban adventures like Andres and his friends testing river water in the middle of a city to see if it is fit for human use. Other stories stretch back in time like the one about Kamella’s family using river water to raise fruits and vegetables as they have done for over eight hundred years as members of the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. As the desert rivers reach their oceans, the stories wash out to sea.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826353108
Publisher:	University of New Mexico Press
Publication date:	09/01/2013
Series:	Barbara Guth Worlds of Wonder Science Series for Young Readers
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Daniel Shaw is also the author of Eco-tracking: On the Trail of Habitat Change (UNM Press). He teaches science at Bosque School in Albuquerque.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: Fish in a Desert: On the Trail of Aquatic Habitats 1

Chapter 1 The Cold Mountain Stream: Linking Fish to Watershed 3

Hand to Fin: Helping Fish as a Citizen Scientist 16

Measuring Streamflow 16

Hand to Fin: Adopt a Rare Fish 18

Chapter 2 The Muddy Urban River: Where an Ecosystem Awaits Discovery and Care 19

Urban Fish 28

Measuring Water Quality 29

Hand to Fin: Help Fish with a Watershed Cleanup 30

Chapter 3 Isolated and Forgotten Basins: Where There Is Water, There Is Life 33

Tiny Desert Beasts 40

Looking Through Mud 41

Hand to Fin: Help Fish by Using Water Wisely 42

Chapter 4 Whitewater and Wilderness Canyons: Aquatic Life in Wild and Scenic Rivers 45

Hand to Fin: Help Fish by Acting to Protect Endangered Fish 57

Hand to Fin: Help Fish by Stopping Aquatic Hitchhikers 57

Fish Watching 58

Chapter 5 Storing and Moving Water: Humans Transform Aquatic Habitats 59

Hand to Fin: Help Fish by Knowing Your Water 71

Erosion 71

Chapter 6 River Becomes Ocean: One Drop of Water Links Us All 73

Oceans and Desert: One Shared Ecosystem 82

Hand to Fin: Help Fish by Protecting Our Oceans and Deserts 83

Further Information 85

Glossary 89

Illustration Credits 95

Index 97