Batten Kill News (February 2001).Pub
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Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife Batten Kill News Volume 2, Issue 1 Winter 2001 Bi-State Watershed Coalition Up and Inside this issue: Running BK Investigations & 2 Assessment Activities This is a story about meetings. (Now I’ve got your attention!) But these BK Special Regulation 3 Evaluation Final meetings weren’t the usual sort that Report people attend grudgingly, knowing Celebrate the New 4 they’d leave frustrated. These were Spring more like politely conducted rallies, with lots of energy, ideas, and people FYI 5 from many different backgrounds with many different concerns. The Check Out These 6 success of the gatherings shouldn’t Websites have surprised any of us, since these were meetings of what’s before long to become a bi-state Battenkill Panel discussion at September forum watershed coalition. The range of interests and the enthusiasm of those attending represent the the farm a mile upriver — discussed interests and enthusiasms of the how other watershed organizations people who live in the watershed or around the Northeast were organized work on behalf of this much-loved and funded. Afterward, a river. questionnaire was sent around listing the many ways in which those other The first meeting, held in October, organizations approach The MISSION of the was called to take advantage of organizational structure, funding, Vermont Department of excitement generated by a group mission, and work plans. Fish and Wildlife is the University of Vermont-sponsored Questionnaire respondents were conservation of fish, workshop on the Kill held in asked to rank those elements as they wildlife, and plants and Arlington the month before. Fifteen thought they should apply to our own their habitats for the people people from Vermont and New York fledgling Battenkill organization. of Vermont. In order to came to discuss whether a accomplish this mission, the watershed coalition is needed and if Almost everyone who responded believed that the new organization integrity, diversity, and it is, what it should look like. It was vitality of all natural easy to agree that a coalition was should be private non-profit systems must be protected. necessary, but as to what it should administered by a paid staff and look like… guided by a philosophy of partnership and consensus building. As for issues That issue was taken up at a Vermont Agency of the organization might address, the November meeting in Shushan, NY, Natural Resources highest ranked ranged from “what Department of Fish & Wildlife where 28 people — some from as far the public thinks is important” to 103 So. Main Street, 10 So. away as Ray Brook and Cortland, “natural resources” to “data Waterbury, VT 05671-0501 New York and Essex Junction, 802-241-3700 Vermont, others from as nearby as (continued on page 3) VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 BATTEN KILL NEWS PAGE 2 Batten Kill Investigations and Assessment Activities Last winter, when the Batten Kill temperatures), river channel a number of reference streams Study Team was set up and met morphology (e.g., channel widths, located in other watersheds in the for the first time, one of its first water depths, bankfull and state. Reference streams are being actions it undertook was a review floodprone widths, stream bank selected on the basis of having of a long list of possible factors erosion), and current condition and biological and gross physical that might be affecting the river’s use of adjacent riparian lands. The characteristics not unlike the Kill, brown trout resource and causing survey began at the New York state such as they support wild, the decline in its abundance line and proceeded upstream on the productive trout populations through the 1980s and 90s. Many river mainstem. With one survey including brown trout, are not of these factors were raised by crew working on the river this past stocked, and are similar in size to concerned anglers and other summer, 4.6 miles were inventoried. the Kill. Water samples will be citizens during the several public Data from the survey have been collected throughout the year and meetings held over the past entered in a computerized database analyzed for such chemical couple years as well as through and processing of the data will begin parameters as total and dissolved letters and phone calls. Of these this winter. phosphorus, nitrates-nitrites, the study team identified 14 alkalinity, magnesium, calcium, issues or factors which it began Plans are being made to have two potassium, sodium, chloride, and addressing last year (see Batten survey crews on the river this pH. Kill News, January 2000 issue). coming summer picking up where the crew left off last year. An In order to continue tracking Even though much information on additional 10-12 miles of habitat is changes in the trout populations, the Batten Kill’s trout populations expected to be inventoried. By the electrofishing surveys were and sport fishery have been end of the 2002 field season, it is resumed this past summer at the assembled and analyzed over the hoped that 20+ miles of the usual four index stations: two on years, a quantitative assessment mainstem will be completed. the lower river in Arlington and of the river in terms of habitat for one each in Manchester and East trout has never been undertaken. To evaluate the effects of sediment Dorset. Results from these sites To this end, the study team transport and sedimentation on the were mixed. Catchable-size (>6 initiated investigations during quality of trout spawning substrates inches) brown trout abundance at 2000 and has planned additional (gravels), sampling cages were set both sampling sites on the lower work for the 2001 field season. out this past fall for the second river declined by about 30% from consecutive winter season in likely the 1997-98 means. However, Much attention is now being spawning habitats. The cages hold young-of-the-year (YOY) browns directed at assessing current suitably-sized gravel simulating an were greater than the 1997-98 habitat conditions in the Batten egg pocket of a spawning redd. means at both sites and Kill which in turn will be These are buried in the streambed approximated the higher levels evaluated against parameters and left in place over the winter observed during the years 1988-93. identified in the professional corresponding to the egg incubation At the Manchester and East literature as being optimal for and early fry development period. In Dorset index sites catachable-size brown trout production and the spring at about the time the fry brown trout numbers were similar survival. Additionally, the Kill’s would emerge from the redds, the to the 1998 estimates but were habitat will be compared with cages are removed and analyzed for still down from the years 1984-93. conditions currently existing in the quantity of fine sediments Brown trout YOY abundance other productive wild brown trout trapped in them. Excessive estimates were similar to those populations occurring in similar sedimentation can reduce egg and measured during the late 1990s. It streams around Vermont. fry survival. This technique is one is too early to know what, if any, way to assess whether During the 2000 field season, influence the 2000 year class will sedimentation is affecting trout year have on brown trout population Vermont Fish & Wildlife and U.S. class strength. Samples from last Forest Service fishery personnel structure in subsequent years, but winter have been processed and now it and other new year classes will initiated a detailed survey of the being analyzed. Kill’s trout habitat (e.g., be closely monitored. identifying and measuring pool Beginning this spring, water and riffle habitats, trout cover, samples will be collected from substrate composition, water several sites on the Batten Kill and (continued from page 5) VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 BATTEN KILL NEWS PAGE 3 (Watershed Coalition, continued from page 1) collection” to “fisheries” to “on-the-ground project mid– to late Winter 2001. The mission statement was implementation” to “habitat” to “town involvement” drafted just before the holidays (it’s a secret until the to “water quality.” “Sprawl”, “farmland protection”, larger group acts on it). Goals and objectives are the and “economic development” were considerably topic of the next meeting scheduled for late January. further down the list of priorities. So who are all these Battenkill advocates? They’re Twenty-four people attended the next meeting, in people from the Battenkill Conservancy-NY; the December, again at the Georgi Museum in Shushan. Battenkill Watershed Council; the Bennington County Referring occasionally to the questionnaire Conservation District; the Bennington County responses, the group discussed organizational Regional Commission; Senator James Jeffords’ office; structure, funding, and finally mission. We heard the Town of Manchester; the New York State that “we need effective mechanisms to communicate, Department of Environmental Conservation District coordinate, support one another,” that “communities 5; the Town of Salem, NY; Trout Unlimited (Vermont have to take responsibility for the stewardship of and New York chapters); the U.S. Fish & Wildlife their watershed,” that “the new organization should Service Partners for Wildlife Program in Vermont strengthen, not weaken, existing groups,” that “we and New York; the U.S. Forest Service; the Vermont need to use our clout to fix riparian problems and Department of Fish & Wildlife; the Washington other solutions will follow,” and many other County Soil and Water Conservation District; and suggestions. business owners and landowners from within the watershed on both sides of the state line. So many others, that the larger group asked a smaller steering committee to help manage them. — Shelly Stiles, Bennington County Conservation The steering committee was charged with drafting a District mission statement, by-laws, and a draft work plan by Batten Kill Special Regulation Evaluation Final Report The long awaited final report, that evaluates the protected slot limit placed on two miles of the Batten Kill from 1994-1998, has been completed and is available at request from the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife, Springfield office.