Random

I tried to tell Barb she wouldn't catch fish if she is "standing" on her head, but she would not listen. Success later though!

This can't be good for trout in West Virginia

Massey Energy recently announced the purchases of 15 TONS of coal reserves in West Virginia. Now I don't know much about Massey Energy, I do know that they were sued for constructing a coal silo next to an elementary school. Also, in early 2008, the company agreed to a $20 million settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‎ (EPA) to resolve thousands of violations of the Clean Water Act for routinely polluting waterways in Kentucky and West Virginia with coal slurry and wastewater. They are also one of the largest coal mining company in Appalachia. So I imagine this latest purchase is not only bad for trout in WV, but also bad for overall environment. There is NO such thing as clean coal. I don't care how many people are employed or how much political clout King Coal has in Appalachia, there is NO such things as clean coal.

>http://www.dailypress.com/news/virginia/dp-wv--masseyacquisition1117nov17,0,6564285.story

More Protection for Brook Trout Streams in New Jersey

New Jersey often gets bad publicity because of its industrial pollution, but northwestern New Jersey is another world compared with the eastern portion of the state. And the wild areas found in that region just expanded thanks to voters. Even in tough economic times, the folks in New Jersey had enough vision to vote for funds that will be used to purchase land and streams, including Clove Brook, a critical headwater area that houses brookies. For the story, see the link below:

http://www.jacksonnjonline.com/2009/11/07/new-jersey-voters-say-yes-to-green-acres/

The painting shown in this post was done by Bob White. His amazing art can be purchased here:

http://www.whitefishstudio.com/index.cfm

Brook Trout "Land" Protected in Maine

Maine has developed a national reputation for outdoor activities, outdoor culture, and environmental conservation. And here is a story why that reputation is so deserved:

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2009/11/a_missing_link_of_land_purchas.html
As development pressure creep in and threaten even remote, northern Maine, these land acquisitions become even more critical. Bravo to all the folks such as the Appalachian Mountain Club for making this latest action happen.

Hemlocks R.I.P.

Next you are hiking in the high Appalachian Mountains, enjoy the sight and fragrance of the Eastern Hemlock. The appreciation may be short-lived. Throughout much of the eastern US, the little, fuzzy, nasty creature known as the wooly adelgid is killing the hemlocks. Most folks don't even notice it until the hemlock is dead. But this imported pest is threatening to destroy one of the east’s most emblematic species.
It is recognizable through its white, frosty-looking egg sack found on hemlocks. These insects, which found their way to the Pacific Northwest from Asia in the 1920s, suck the sap of the hemlock, robbing the tree of vital nutrients which eventually kills it.

These pests are related to brook trout because they kill trees that shade streams, so as trees die, streams potentially become much warmer. And warm water and brookies don’t mix!


State and federal forestry workers are trying various strategies to beat the adelgid, but so far, the tide has not turned in the favor of the majestic trees. Like the disappearance of the American chestnut, this latest assault on the eastern forest will have profound consequences on forest structure, species composition, and related community ecology.

Brook Trout out West

While I (we) celebrate the presence of brook trout in the eastern US, they are invasive species in the western US. Similar to the imapact that brown trout have on native brookies in the east, brookies in the west displace native cutthroat trout.

This was clearly evident on a recent trip to Montana. While hiking up and fishing a tributary of the Gallatin River, brook trout dominated pool after pool. Where native cuts should have been, non-native brookies were found and eagerly took fly after fly.

Are they less valuable because they are non-native? They serve a very similar ecological role, they are beautiful fish, but they are not native fish. There is great value in native, original, appropriate species.

Global Warming and Brookies

One of the constant threats to brookies brought up by fisheries officials and TU members on this trip was global warming. There was not necessarily a consensus about how much warming has or will take place, but most agreed that temperature increases have taken place and rainfall is less consistent, more flashy.

Now that I am back in the Deep South, the heat has inspired a post about global warming.

Fish found in spring-fed headwater streams fair well in normal drought situations. They are fed by cold, underground sources. But for headwater streams to remain perennial versus ephemeral, rain and snow has to recharge these watersheds. And today in the Deep South, the recent drought has alarmed many because rainfall has significantly decreased. States such as Georgia, North Carolina and eastern Tennessee have all been in drought conditions over the past several years. All one has to do is visit a reservoir in northern Georgia and take a look at lake levels to understand how bad the drought has been.

Brook trout are resilient, but as stream flows decrease, fish will be lost even in cold headwater streams because fish obviously need a minimum flow to survive tough years. Smaller pieces of water can heat up more quickly during hot summer days. It it not yet known how significant this drought will be regarding brook trout range in the South, but if this current pattern of heat and lack of rainfall isn't broken, the prognosis isn't good for some streams at the southern edge of the brookies range.