New jail pond helps preserve Utah fish species

Salt Lake County inmates learn skills while maintaining pond for rare Utah minnow.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County Sheriff James M. Winder acknowledges a new program aimed at inmates by saying "these are human beings that need a little guidance" as the Sheriff's Office opens the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Inmates collect fish as the Sheriff's Office opens the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Sheriff's Office which opened the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted, are pleasantly surprised that American Avocet birds have already taken up residence along the shores. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Sheriff's Office opens the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Sheriff's Office which opened the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted, are pleasantly surprised that American Avocet birds have already taken up residence along the shores. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County Sheriff James M. Winder releases a bucket full of fish as the Sheriff's Office opens the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Least Chub, only found in Utah is put on display recently as they Sheriff's Office opens the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability. The Least Chub are also known to eat mosquito larvae and other nuisance insects.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
An inmate carries the last of the fish to be released for the day into a new pond opened by the Sheriff's Office, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake County Sheriff James M. Winder, left, Dr. Nalini Nadkarni and Krissy Wilson with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources cut the ribbon on the new jail pond where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
A rendering offers a glimpse into plans adjacent to the Salt Lake City jail. The Sheriff's Office has opened the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
Inmates release some of the 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" fish into the prison's new jail pond. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability.

Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune
The Sheriff's Office which opened the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted, are pleasantly surprised that American Avocet birds have already taken up residence along the shores. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability.

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Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake County Sheriff James M. Winder acknowledges a new program aimed at inmates by saying "these are human beings that need a little guidance" as the Sheriff's Office opens the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Inmates collect fish as the Sheriff's Office opens the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Sheriff's Office which opened the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted, are pleasantly surprised that American Avocet birds have already taken up residence along the shores. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Sheriff's Office opens the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Sheriff's Office which opened the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted, are pleasantly surprised that American Avocet birds have already taken up residence along the shores. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake County Sheriff James M. Winder releases a bucket full of fish as the Sheriff's Office opens the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Least Chub, only found in Utah is put on display recently as they Sheriff's Office opens the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability. The Least Chub are also known to eat mosquito larvae and other nuisance insects. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune An inmate carries the last of the fish to be released for the day into a new pond opened by the Sheriff's Office, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake County Sheriff James M. Winder, left, Dr. Nalini Nadkarni and Krissy Wilson with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources cut the ribbon on the new jail pond where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune A rendering offers a glimpse into plans adjacent to the Salt Lake City jail. The Sheriff's Office has opened the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Inmates release some of the 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" fish into the prison's new jail pond. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability. Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune The Sheriff's Office which opened the new jail pond, where 5,000 native Utah "Least Chub" will be planted, are pleasantly surprised that American Avocet birds have already taken up residence along the shores. The purpose of the program is to repopulate the threatened species while teaching prisoners new concepts and skills in science and sustainability.

By Pamela Manson The Salt Lake Tribune

· May 1, 2015 3:08 pm

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

South Salt Lake • A field of weeds at the Salt Lake County Jail has been transformed into a fish pond designed to save a threatened species, as well as provide science education and job training to inmates.

On Friday, 5,000 least chub, a small minnow found only in Utah, were introduced into the newly created half-acre pond.

The fish later will be introduced at Mona Springs, in Juab County, which has one of the six remaining wild populations of least chub, and used as broodstock for future sites similar to the pond.

The least chub eat mosquito larvae and will be part of mosquito abatement efforts throughout the state. Prisoners who participate in the jail's horticulture program will help maintain the pond and fish, a task that will teach them new skills.

Sheriff Jim Winder said inmates and the environment will get a boost from the pond, which was created in partnership with University of Utah INSPIRE (Initiative to Bring Science Programs to the Incarcerated) and the Division of Wildlife Resources. "We're doing this to change human beings, to change the world," Winder said of the project.

Nalini Nadkarni, a U. biology professor, said one of the most powerful features of INSPIRE is that it provides an opportunity "to contribute to something as big as the health of Utah's streams and waterways."

"Inmates are going to do big things, thanks to a little fish," Nadkarni added.

The project has been in the works for about two years and the initial cost of $175,000 came from a prisoner services fund that contains a percentage of the revenue from the jail commissary, according to sheriff's officials.

Inmate Josh Beeny who participates in the horticulture program, which includes working in the garden at the jail, said he was excited about the pond project.

"I've never done anything like this so I thought it would be a good opportunity," Beeny said.

pmanson@sltrib.com

Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC