S2S and National Park Biologists continue Electrofishing Research at Great Basin National Park - Summer 2026!
The S2S team works with veteran volunteers to electrofish a creek at Great Basin National Park!
For the third consecutive season, S2S had the honor of supporting Great Basin National Park biologists with electrofishing surveys across some of the park’s most remote waterways. With the added help of Team Red White & Blue, this year’s work took us into creeks that hadn’t been surveyed in 26 years, as well as critical headwater boundary points that help biologists understand where native Bonneville Cutthroat Trout populations begin—and where restoration efforts still need to focus.
Electrofishing is a scientific survey and management technique that uses a controlled electrical current passed through water to temporarily stun or attract fish so they can be safely caught, studied, and released. No hooks needed! It is widely used by fisheries biologists and environmental agencies to monitor aquatic life.
Once a fish is stunned by the electrical current, it can be safely studied. Once the data is collected, the fish is released back into the creek!
Creek by creek, GBNP biologists have made tremendous progress restoring these native fish to a healthy and sustainable fishery throughout the park and surrounding watersheds. For S2S, this remains one of the most physically demanding projects in our portfolio—and without question, its crowning jewel.
Led by Fisheries Biologist and Great Basin Park Ranger Jonathan Reynolods, S2S has been able to assist with this important work for the last three years! The restoration project began in the 90s and is sponsored by local stakeholders including Trout Unlimited. Among the citizen science projects S2S completes, the electrofishing work is central, and we help build capacity by bringing veteran volunteers to both learn about the science and support the work that needs to be accomplished.
The team gathers and prepares to get the job done!
Jonathan has to trek significant distances to reach different creeks that need to be surveyed each year, and this gives S2S team members and volunteers an amazing chance to explore parts of Great Basin National Park that are not usually accessible to visitors. It’s an exciting adventure just getting to the creeks and an excellent learning experience for all those involved. S2S looks forward to continuing this important work during the 2027 EcoRecon Expedition! Take a look at this collage we put together to highlight the experience!
A Collage put together by S2S!
Stay tuned for more posts this Fall! S2S is getting ready for an exploratory EcoRecon Expedition at National Parks in Colorado in October. As always, we appreciate your interest and support! Take a look through other blog posts to learn more about the overall scope of our work throughout 2026 and beyond!
