Law enforcement teaches next generation of anglers

GRANTS, N.M. – Cibola County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with New Mexico Game and Fish to help teach area kids the trade of fishing on September 25. CCSO and Game and Fish were joined by Grants Police Department, Big Brothers Big Sisters out of Gallup, and a few area families in a fun-filled day of angling.

Sept. 25 is National Hunting and Fishing Day, and the state allows free fishing in celebration of the day. CCSO doesn’t typically hold this event, but Deputy Nate Goodrich, who joined the sheriff’s office around a year ago, encouraged the department to get out and remind the community that cops are community servants.

Goodrich is no stranger to the outdoors and helping out locals, before joining up with CCSO he worked for the state parks. Sheriff Mace explained that Goodrich helped to organize the event, applauding him for the desire to work with the community.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a program that has been trying to come to Grants, seeing a great need of support for Cibola’s youth. Before the pandemic, Big Brothers Big Sisters had worked with the Grants/Cibola County Chamber of Commerce looking for potential volunteers as the program grew closer and closer to coming before the pandemic erased all progress.

Big Brothers Big Sisters held a meeting with CCSO earlier this month to gauge support for the program, now the program had an opportunity to work within the community at Riverwalk Park in Grants, N.M.

Before the day could end, the event was rained out and Grants’ newest anglers returned home.

Sheriff Mace thanked Big Brothers Big Sisters, NM Game and Fish, Grants Police Department, and Deputy Goodrich for their support in putting on the event.

“It was a lot of fun – a nice little event,” Sheriff Mace said.