A race to save fish as Rio Grande dries, even in Albuquerque

By BRITTANY PETERSON and SUMAN NAISHADHAM
Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The Rio Grande went dry in Albuquerque last week for the first time in four decades. With it went critical habitat of the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow, a shimmery, pinky-sized fish native to North America’s fifth-longest river. Summer storms have made the river wet again but experts warn the drying this far north is a sign of an increasingly fragile water supply, and that current conservation measures may not be enough to save the minnow and still provide water to nearby farms, backyards and parks.