PHOENIX — Registration is open for the 7th Annual Native and Wild Trout Conference on April 21 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Arizona Game and Fish Department headquarters, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, in Phoenix.  Register online by April 18 for this free event.

The event provides a free educational conference for those interested in meeting, networking, and developing future plans for restoration and management of watersheds and native and wild fish in Arizona and New Mexico.  

The 2016 conference will again have more than 100 attendees from more than 35 various organizations and agencies from the southwest.  Opening the conference will be Arizona Game and Fish Department Assistant Director Jim deVos.  The agenda will include the topics of:

• AZGFD Coldwater Fisheries Vision and Management Plan
• Trout Unlimited Southwest Native Trout Initiative
• Western Native Trout Initiative Programs
• Glen Canyon Dam:  Long Term Experimental Management Plan
• Stream and Temperature Monitoring Networks
• Making Hatcheries Work:  Mora National Fish Hatchery Operations
• Wildfire Risk Assessments and Impacts
• Trout-In-the-Classroom Programs
• Conservation Awards for Distinguished Service

Presentations and materials from prior conferences can be found on the Trout Unlimited Arizona State Council website.

The conference has become a model in developing relationships for conservation organizations with state and federal agencies for habitat and conservation projects, which reach beyond native fish to restoration and management of watersheds for the benefit of all wildlife.