RENO, Nev. — August 8, 2014 — Volunteers joined Nevada wildlife officials this week in a rescue mission to save thousands of stranded trout and other fish from irrigation ditches that have been cut off from Truckee River water supplies due to drought in the Reno area.
Two dozen wader-clad rescuers splashed through the knee-deep ditches that soon will be going dry, netting an estimated 6,000 fish over two days.
Most were returned Wednesday to the Truckee River near Verdi, just west of Reno, where a rare stretch of wet August weather helped boost flows the past few days with more than an inch of precipitation.
Wildlife officials say the moisture helped, but it doesn't put much of a dent in the lingering drought, now in its third year.
"We're trying to make sure the fish in there get a second chance," Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris Healy said.
Read the full story from The Associated Press at Fox News New York