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Conservation Report 2007

Battenkill Cleanup Day 
is April 22nd

Battenkill Activities Onesquethaw Creek
Catskill Creek Assessment Schoharie Waters Branch
Dwaas Kill White Creek Activities
Kayaderosseras   Activities Map
Temperature Logger Protocol

 

CLEARWATER CHAPTER TROUT UNLIMITED

CONSERVATION REPORT - 2007

by Art Coleman, Roy Lamberton, and Greg Cuda, - February, 2007

 

The following projects are made possible by:

1.  Our fund raising efforts, such as the conservation banquet, flea market, and classes;

2.  The considerable contribution and volunteer work of our 600 members who bring a variety of knowledge, skills, training, and interest ranging through organization, coordination, politics, and getting into the stream and making it happen;

3.  Partnerships to leverage chapter resources enabling more ambitious projects which we could not do alone (NYS DEC, USF&WS, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Resource Conservation and Development Councils, watershed organizations, other chapters, TU NYS Council, TU National, USGS, and others); and

4.  Clearwater's Board of Directors, Conservation and other Committees who plan and coordinate our activities.

1. Conservation Fund

The chapter has set up a Conservation Fund dedicated to conservation and habitat projects.  Conservation finance committees consisting of Greg Cuda, Art Coleman, Roy Lamberton, and Ken Waldie, treasurer are working on the 2007 budget for projects.

2. Temperature Loggers

The chapter owns 16 temperature loggers which are available to establish temperature patterns in our area trout streams.  Temperatures were recorded in the Batten Kill, Onesquethaw Creek, Little White Creek, and the Dwaas Kill.  We are seeking volunteers to help with the choosing of locations, installation, and removal.

3. Area Resource Conservation and Development Councils

The chapter has established liaisons with the Greater Adirondack and the Hudson Mohawk Resource Conservation and Development Councils.  Their goal is to promote the wise use of natural resources and enhance economic vitality of their regions.  RC&D Councils are excellent partners for stream projects; they have paid skilled staff, and often have access to project funding.

4. Schoharie Waters Branch

There is a group of Clearwater members who meet separately in the Village of Schoharie, called the Schoharie Waters Branch (SWB).  Their mission is to improve the overall quality of trout fishing in Schoharie County.  Through the SWB, the chapter has sponsored various studies by students at SUNY Cobleskill.  These include AMovements of Zimmer Creek Rainbow Trout within the Fox Creek watershed, using radio transmitters; and documentation of trout in Westkill and Clapper Hollow Streams.  Members maintain contact with legislators and NY City=s Department of Environmental Protection in an attempt to get a release valve in the Gilboa Dam on Schoharie Creek.  Members are also supporting a study of the wild rainbow trout population in Catskill Creek.

5. Batten Kill - Arlington, VT

As a result of the Six Year Study of the Batten Kill River in Vermont by the US Forest Service (USFS) and the VT Department of Fish & Wildlife, the agencies concluded that inadequate cover exposes fish to higher predation and possibly increased mortality associated with extreme flow events and/or winter river conditions.  The lack of available cover is not capable of supporting an abundance of midsize fish necessary to maintain the fishery.  The USFS, with funding assistance from the Batten Kill Watershed Alliance (BKWA), and the Orvis Company, completed a significant portion of a major river restoration project .  Large woody debris, pools, cover, and shelter were installed on about 2 mile of river upstream of the Twin Rivers Farm in West Arlington.  More studies and work are scheduled into 2007.  In addition to improving trout cover and shelter, habitat restoration benefits the river in other ways, such as reducing bank erosion and excess sedimentation, and will serve as a demonstration project for other initiatives.

6. Battenkill - NY

On the NY side, the chapter completed two bank stabilization and habitat projects at the Foster Farm and Piekarz property.  These were designed by the USF&WS and funded by grants from the Greater Adirondack Resource Conservation and Development Council, the Washington County Soil & Water Conservation District (WCS&WCD), TU National=s Embrace-a-Stream, NYS DEC=s license habitat stamp fund, and NYS Council of TU.  Volunteers from the chapter and BKWA provided many hours of coordination and surveys. 

A meeting has been scheduled with the US Forest Service (from Rutland, VT), the US Fish & Wildlife Service (Cortland, NY), WCS&WCD, and BKWA to choose a site in NY for a substantial project of trout habitat improvement.

The chapter held two road cleanups of Route 313 (adopt-a-highway).

7. Kayaderosseras Creek

Nothing reported

8. Onesquethaw Creek

The Onesquethaw-Coeymans Watershed Council (OCWC) is conducting a watershed management study of the creek using a $36,000 grant from the Hudson River Estuary Program (the grant was awarded on January 26, 2006).  A significant partner is the Capital District Regional Planning Commission.  Our chapter is a founding member of the Council and two chapter members sit on the OCWC board.  Clearwater members may be needed for physical stream surveys.  Temperature monitoring by chapter volunteers were conducted at several locations, and the results have yet to be compiled.

9. White Creek - Salem Project

The Chapter maintains and obtains readings from two water level crest gages installed on White Creek near Salem.  One was built by Adirondack Chapter member John Braico.  The crest gages are securely positioned, measure the water level at high flows, and are used to establish a relationship between water level or height, as measured by the gage, and stream discharge in cubic feet per second. 

The restoration project for the Village of Salem was completed 2006. We plan to repeat geomorphic measurements prior to construction.  USGS conducted a habitat study and fish survey prior to construction.  The USF&WS supervised construction.   The Washington County Soil & Water Conservation District obtained a grant of $20,000 for the project.

10. White Creek B Brown

            Nothing reported.

11. Little White Creek

This project involved a partnership of the Washington County Soil & Water Conservation District, the Adirondack Chapter, and the USF&WS to complete a bank stabilization project on Little White Creek.  This project used a log revetment on the eroding bank, volunteer planting, and built a structure to create an additional pool.  Art Coleman led the effort with John Braico of the Adirondack Chapter.  We have made geomorphic measurements and John Braico drew plans with the review of the USF&WS.  The Washington County Soil & Water Conservation District obtained a grant of $6,000 for the project.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Trout in the Classroom (TIC) 

The SWB initiated a ATrout in the Classroom@ project funded by the chapter.  The aquarium was set up in a Cobleskill-Richmondville Middle School classroom so that students could study how trout hatch from eggs and grow.  Reared trout will be released in a local trout stream under DEC review and permit.

Late in 2006, the chapter purchased 2 chillers and pumps (the most expensive components of the TIC setup) for use in two undetermined schools.  Early in 2007, we had discussions with the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School regarding the TIC program there.  Two board members are pursuing discussions with other schools.  The details should be decided before the end of school in June, the set up in place and working by the end of October, the fertilized eggs obtained from SUNY Cobleskill or NYS DEC in November, and the students then care for them until the fingerlings are released in May or June of 2008.  Care will be taken by the chapter not to release the fish in steams where they could stress wild trout populations.  Habitat and community stewardship of the local stream will be stressed.

            Lots of projects to get involved and all of them need your help – today is the time to call Art, Roy, or Greg to ask what you can do to help. 

 

   

 

 

 

TEMPERATURE LOGGER PROTOCOL

for the Optic StowAway Temp logger

November 22, 2004

 When the loggers were first purchased in 1999, the manufacturer (Onset) indicated the battery life would be 10 years.  This did not turn out to be true.  The latest pamphlet states 10 year battery life is valid if sampling occurs once a day or less.  If the logger is only used intermittently (not re-launched immediately after offload) the battery life can be much greater.  Alternately if the logger is used constantly in short duration applications the battery life can be substantially reduced.@  Offloading data using the Optic Base Station turns the logger off.  If the Optic Shuttle is used, the logger is automatically re-launched.  Battery life is good for 20,000 one hour deployments (20,000/24 = 833 days, or 2 years 3 months).  The case must be destroyed to replace the battery, so the unit must be sent back to the manufacturer for a battery change.

Contact Onset at 1 800 564-4377 and ask for Tech Support to arrange to return loggers.  Have the serial numbers of the loggers to be returned, and they will give you shipping instructions and an authorization number.  As of 2004, Onset charges $25 to retrieve data from a logger with a dead battery, and $59 to get a refurbished unit with a new battery.

By launching the logger in the spring, and then removing the logger from the stream in the fall and offloading the data using the Optic Base Station, but not re-launching it, battery life should be extended by several years.  It takes about 90 seconds to offload data.

Preparation - Each year, start planning to install the loggers in the streams about April 1.  Organize the volunteer teams, choose the locations, launch the loggers, set tentative dates, and record the temp logger serial numbers relative to the locations where they will be placed.  Dates for installation will be dependent on water levels.  The loggers should be installed in the streams by May 15.

Volunteers are obtained from past participants, and by getting new people at the general meetings.  New people are important for the health of the chapter, even if you have more volunteers than you actually need.

Location and Installation - Locations will be previous sites.  They should have a rebar driven into the steam bed with a chain attached.  The chain links must be large enough to fit over the rebar.  Tony Latham has prepared the rebar by bending the upper end with a torch so the chain can=t slide off, sliding a 3 foot chain on, and welding a barb to the bottom end so the rebar is practically impossible to remove once driven into the bed.  Install new rebar and chain at new sites.  The rebar should be driven in the thalweg (deepest channel), if possible behind large embedded boulders to shield the site from high velocity debris.  The chain should be about 3 feet long to allow it to swing up out of the water so the logger can be attached or removed later.  Record GPS coordinates and take digital photos at each site, exactly locating the logger rebar.  There should also be a logger site for air temperature near the stream, for comparison to water temperature behavior.  This should be on the north side of a shaded structure in a secure location.

 The loggers are launched from a computer, using the Optic Coupler and Optic Base Station connected to the pc=s serial port. (WE NEED TO INSERT SPECIFIC LAUNCHING INSTRUCTIONS HERE, BUT I DON=T HAVE THE MANUAL.  PERHAPS SOMEONE CAN DO THIS.)  Launch the logger using Delayed Start, setting the start date to May 1.  Have the logger read every hour, and do not specify the Adata wrap@ feature.  Allowing the data to wrap, or over write earlier data once the memory is full, will lose the data at the beginning of the summer, and get unneeded winter temperatures if the logger is not removed on time.

Start planning to remove the loggers about September 1.  Again, organize volunteer teams, set tentative dates, and make arrangements to offload data as soon as possible after removal.  Removal will be dependent on water levels.  Record dates and times of removals along with location and serial number of unit.  Have volunteers with computer skills get copies of the data and prepare reports and temperature profiles of the streams.  Onset software allows printing charts with a variety of scales.  The data can be imported into spread sheet files for further manipulation and comparison.  The data could be an annual presentation at a general meeting.

Equipment and Configuration - the logger is attached to a chain with a stainless steel clevis or heavy gage aluminum or stainless steel wire.  The logger is housed inside a 1-1/2" PVC tube about 1 foot long with 2 holes drilled at one end to take a 2" stainless steel bolt through the middle.  The bolt is threaded through one side of the tube, through a chain link, and through the hole on the other side of the tube.  The bolt is secured with a plastic or stainless steel nut to prevent corrosion binding.  (SOMEWHERE THERE IS A SKETCH OR PHOTO OF THE INSTALLATION)

Placement - The chain, tube, and logger are lowered to the stream bottom and covered with large flat rocks to hide them.  Try to allow water flow to pass under the rocks and through the tube.