Pupfish Love: El Rio Preserve welcomes endangered fish

Marana might have a new mascot on its hands, as El Rio Preserve becomes a sanctuary for one of Arizona’s most critically threatened species: the desert pupfish. “I guess I could say it’s been a dream of mine, honestly, since I started being involved in being on the team that helps maintain the pond and the rest of El Rio Preserve,” said Jason Grodman, parks and rec natural resources supervisor, who spearheaded the effort to bring the species to the preserve. “The idea of being in a position here with the town of Marana, that I could possibly maintain a park that would be the home of an endangered species was just super exciting.” It’s a small fish, about 2 inches in length, brilliantly blue and remarkably resilient; the desert pupfish is known to survive in extreme conditions, including water temperatures over 100 degrees. Despite its capacity to survive, the desert pupfish has been registered as endangered under the U.S.

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