DENVER- The Saratoga National Fish Hatchery is celebrating 100 years in operation on July 3rd and 4th in the town of 
Saratoga, Wyoming. Surrounded by the magnificent Snowy Range and Sierra Madre Mountains, Saratoga is known for its lakes and abundant fish and wildlife, with the North Platte River running through the town center. To honor this centennial milestone, there will be several activities held in conjunction with the town's Fourth of July celebration including a Kid's Fishing Day on July 3rd at the Saratoga Resort and Spa, and hatchery tours on July 3rd and 4th. Tour attendees will learn how the hatchery spawns, hatches and ships brown and rainbow trout eggs, grows cutthroat trout for stocking, and breeds and rears the endangered Wyoming toad.The hatchery will also have a float in the Fourth of July Parade in downtown Saratoga. For more information about the centennial activities, visit the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce website.
The hatchery was established on March 4, 1911, with construction beginning in March 1915 and operations in mid-summer of 1915. The hatchery has served as an egg-producing station most of its years of operation. Originally, the hatchery spawned rainbow trout to meet the demand for game fish in Wyoming and for stocking fish into the North Platte River. Between 1915 and 1984, various strains of brook, rainbow, brown, golden and cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden eggs were produced. In 1966, Saratoga National Fish Hatchery was formally designated as a broodstock hatchery, specializing in rearing fish to adult size, then taking, fertilizing and incubating the eggs and shipping them to production hatcheries to be hatched and raised for stocking lakes and rivers. The hatchery also houses a facility for the endangered Wyoming toad, an extremely rare amphibian, where it produces tadpoles and toadlets and this year will begin raising adult toads for reintroduction into the wild.
The current mission of the hatchery is to provide 2.2 million Lewis Lake strain lake trout eggs to the Great Lakes restoration effort, and to provide 3 million Plymouth Rock strain brown trout eggs to other federal, state and tribal programs. The hatchery also produces cutthroat trout for the Wind River Reservation.
The hatchery is open for visitation daily throughout the year. Check the website for hours, or call (307) 326- 5662.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service.
For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/. Connect with our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/USFWSMountainPrairie, follow our tweets at http://twitter.com/USFWSMtnPrairie, watch our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/usfws and download photos from our Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwsmtnprairie/
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