http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler stories of landscapes, conservation, and people in and beyond the Rivanna Watershed Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:11:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 © lmiddleton@embarqmail.com () lmiddleton@embarqmail.com() stories of landscapes, conservation, and people in and beyond the Rivanna Watershed lmiddleton@embarqmail.com No no http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler 144 144 http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/12/04/114-winter-stoneflies/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/12/04/114-winter-stoneflies/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:05:21 +0000 admin http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/12/04/114-winter-stoneflies/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/12/04/114-winter-stoneflies/feed/ 1 5:10 February 28, 2008 In the midst of winter, there are bugs in the stream that are alive and well ndash; and some, eve, are hatching out ... February 28, 2008 In the midst of winter, there are bugs in the stream that are alive and well ndash; and some, eve, are hatching out to become insects, having found their aquatic niche at a time when no others compete.nbsp; During StreamWatch sampling on the upper Doylersquo;s, we find several families of winter stoneflies. This show originally aired on February 28, 2008 and again on December 4, 2008 on ldquo;The Rivanna Rambler,rdquo; a weekly public affairs show airing every Thursday at 11:55 a.m. on WTJU 91.1 FM or wtju.net. The upper Doyles River, like most headwater streams in the Rivanna watershed, is about as pristine as they come.nbsp; The waters that collect from springs and drainages of the land that is protected by Shenandoah National Park do not suffer the assaults of sediment and runoff that challenge the health of streams at lower elevations.nbsp; For this reason, the community based water monitoring program, StreamWatch, has chosen a spot high on the Doyles as one of several headwater streams that will be used during the next few years as ldquo;reference streamsrdquo; ndash; a standard of ldquo;as good as it gets in our watershedrdquo; -- against which other tributaries of the Rivanna will be evaluated. A couple of weeks ago, during a lull in the waves of wintry mix that so often challenge us in the piedmont, I visited the site for the first time.nbsp; The snow was still in patches on the ground, especially on the cooler, north facing slopes, but the sun was casting bright shadows lighting up the grays and browns of winter.nbsp; The macroinvertebrates, that we were there to count, cycle through their lives no matter the weather.nbsp; Some species are only found in the upper reaches where springs fill rugged, narrow streams that drop through pools and riffles, creating a cool, oxygen rich environment that is ideal for the aquatic world of bugs and the trout that feed on them. Recently, Irsquo;ve become interested in stoneflies ndash; the order Plecopteranbsp; that is well known to aquatic biologists and fishermennbsp; -- and on this day especially I was eager to see which stoneflies might come up to be counted in our mesh net after a vigorous rubbing of rocks and gravel. Ournbsp; total count was 355 bugs from three short net samples ndash; with almost 2/3 of them mayflies ndash; another bug that is known to thrive in cleaner water ndash; but also a hearty count of stoneflies, over forty of these representing at least five different families. In aquatic biology, it isnrsquo;t just the numbers of these sensitive organisms thatrsquo;s important ndash; when many different species are represented, this indicates richness, the abundance of varieties pointing to a complex and thriving ecosystem, with plenty of niches for many different kinds of organisms. The water is 3 degrees Centigrade, or about 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and we collect stoneflies from five families: green, common, perlodid, giant, and small winter stonefly.nbsp; Each of these has its place in the food chain ndash; some are crawlers that graze the algae and bacteria from the rocky bottom.nbsp; Others feed on the abundance of detritus caught between rocky pools and drops, munching through twigs and leaves, and recycling nutrients back to the water.nbsp; Some are carnivorous, and some are opportunistic.nbsp; And their lifecycles also vary: when they lay eggs, hatch into the larval stage, emerge from the water, and finally complete the cycle by depositing eggs for the next generation ndash; these are particular to each kind. Today, wersquo;ve caught a few of the small winter stonefly, which are sometimes called snowflies to honor the season in which they hatch from eggs that have been deposited by their terrestrial parents.nbsp; As the water warms, these bugs burrow down to the region of the loose sand, gravel, and cobble where surface water and groundwater mix and wait out the summer in quiet dormancy.nbsp; As the water starts t... Albemarle,County,,Climate,,Doyles,River,,Ecology,,Headwaters,,Natural,History,,Rivanna,River,,Water,Quality,,Wildlife lmiddleton@embarqmail.com no No http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/02/21/77-winter-stoneflies-equal-good-water/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/02/21/77-winter-stoneflies-equal-good-water/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:54:08 +0000 admin http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/02/21/77-winter-stoneflies-equal-good-water/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/02/21/77-winter-stoneflies-equal-good-water/feed/ 1 00:01:01 In the midst of winter, there are bugs in the stream that are alive and well ndash; and some, even, are hatching out to become ... In the midst of winter, there are bugs in the stream that are alive and well ndash; and some, even, are hatching out to become insects, having found their aquatic niche at a time when no others compete. During StreamWatch sampling on the upper Doylersquo;s, we find several families of winter stoneflies, and this points to healthy headwaters here. This show originally aired on February 21, 2008 on ldquo;The Rivanna Rambler,rdquo; a weekly public affairs show airing every Thursday at 11:55 a.m. on WTJU 91.1 FM or wtju.net. February 21, 2008 The upper Doyles River, like most headwater streams in the Rivanna watershed, is about as pristine as they come. The waters that collect from springs and drainages of the land that is protected by Shenandoah National Park do not suffer the assaults of sediment and runoff that challenge the health of streams at lower elevations. For this reason, the community based water monitoring program, StreamWatch, has chosen a spot high on the Doyles as one of several headwater streams that will be used during the next few years as ldquo;reference streamsrdquo; ndash; a standard of ldquo;as good as it gets in our watershedrdquo; -- against which other tributaries of the Rivanna will be evaluated. A couple of weeks ago, during a lull in the waves of wintry mix that so often challenge us in the piedmont, I visited the site for the first time. The snow was still in patches on the ground, especially on the cooler, north facing slopes, but the sun was casting bright shadows lighting up the grays and browns of winter. The macroinvertebrates, that we were there to count, cycle through their lives no matter the weather. Some species are only found in the upper reaches where springs fill rugged, narrow streams that drop through pools and riffles, creating a cool, oxygen rich environment that is ideal for the aquatic world of bugs and the trout that feed on them. Recently, Irsquo;ve become interested in stoneflies ndash; the order Plecoptera that is well known to aquatic biologists and fishermen -- and on this day especially I was eager to see which stoneflies might come up to be counted in our mesh net after a vigorous rubbing of rocks and gravel. Our total count was 355 bugs from three short net samples ndash; with almost 2/3 of them mayflies ndash; another bug that is known to thrive in cleaner water ndash; but also a hearty count of stoneflies, over forty of these representing at least five different families. In aquatic biology, it isnrsquo;t just the numbers of these sensitive organisms thatrsquo;s important ndash; when many different species are represented, this indicates richness, the abundance of varieties pointing to a complex and thriving ecosystem, with plenty of niches for many different kinds of organisms. The water is 3 degrees Centigrade, or about 38 degrees Fahrenheit, and we collect stoneflies from five families: green, common, perlodid, giant, and small winter stonefly. Each of these has its place in the food chain ndash; some are crawlers that graze the algae and bacteria from the rocky bottom. Others feed on the abundance of detritus caught between rocky pools and drops, munching through twigs and leaves, and recycling nutrients back to the water. Some are carnivorous, and some are opportunistic. And their life cycles also vary: when they lay eggs, hatch into the larval stage, emerge from the water, and finally complete the cycle by depositing eggs for the next generation ndash; these are particular to each kind. Today, wersquo;ve caught a few of the small winter stonefly, which are sometimes called snowflies to honor the season in which they hatch from eggs that have been deposited by their terrestrial parents. As the water warms, these bugs burrow down to the region of the loose sand, gravel, and cobble where surface water and groundwater mix and wait out the summer in quiet dormancy. As the water starts to cool again, they emerge, chewing and shre... Albemarle,County,,Doyles,River,,Ecology,,Headwaters,,Natural,History,,Water,Quality lmiddleton@embarqmail.com no No http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/02/07/76-tale-of-two-rivers/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/02/07/76-tale-of-two-rivers/#comments Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:32:56 +0000 admin http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/02/07/76-tale-of-two-rivers/ http://www.cvillepublicmedia.org/rambler/2008/02/07/76-tale-of-two-rivers/feed/ 2 00:01:01 Headwater streams, if they are healthy, can provide a good reference for evaluating the health of river segments downstream in the watershed. The Doyles ... Headwater streams, if they are healthy, can provide a good reference for evaluating the health of river segments downstream in the watershed. The Doyles River, which will provide reference conditions for a StreamWatch study, is in many ways a sharp contrast to a creek downstream in the urban part of Albemarle County. This show originally aired on February 7, 2008 on ldquo;The Rivanna Rambler,rdquo; a weekly public affairs show airing every Thursday at 11:55 a.m. on WTJU 91.1 FM or wtju.net. February 7, 2008 On a day in January when the snow is still on the ground in the higher elevations, Rose and I drive out Garth Road turning onto 810 at White Hall and head towards the Browns Gap Turnpike. With the landownerrsquo;s permission, we drive across pastures that slope uphill into the headwater basin of the Doyles River. Where the pastures stop, we enter a tunnel of briars, bush-hogged to clear an old farm track that leads further up the floodplain as it narrows in the mountainrsquo;s ascent. Just wide enough for the truck, it leads into the woods. This floodplain rubble is the story of the river in its headwaters, how gravity and the slope of the drainage combine to move whatever is in the way, including rocks. After 5 minutes of rocking and scraping, we agree that this would be a good place to stop. We can walk the rest of the way. Irsquo;m thinking about adopting this site for StreamWatchndash; becoming the once-a-season water sampler here where the Doyles can provide a reference for other sites downstream, where the land use includes people, cows, cats, and shopping centers. Rose, who trains and coordinates those of us who volunteer, has told me that this is just about her favorite site to visit and I am about to see why. We scramble up and through, where trees and briars have taken hold in the floodplain and the periodic floods have left lines of rubble in their wake. Briars snag my pants; I go slowly so as not to turn my ankle or immerse my boot in a pool of melting snow. A quarter of a mile later, we are at the bank of the Doyles, overlooking a gentle drop a few feet down to a spot between sycamore roots next to the water that looks right for setting up. The wind sings slightly through determined beech and oak leaves that will cling for another couple of months until new buds cast them to the ground. A pileated announces its territory as it glides down from higher elevations. The water in the stream is doing what water does, heading downhill, down river, down the watershed. We unpack, set up for sampling and get to work catching bugs and counting. And in this setting, time does what it does best: passes from one bright moment to the next. Three hours and 345 bugs later, we are on our way back to Charlottesville. Later in the afternoon of the same day, I am now in the heart of the urban ring of Charlottesville ndash; off Woodbrook Drive, where an unnamed tributary of Meadowcreek cuts along steep banks on its way to the Rivanna where it will join the water that has drained from the Doyles via the South Fork. Albemarle County is preparing to restore a section of this urban stream in the hopes that aquatic life will return and the water quality be improved. Some County employees are set up with their table and net by the banks of this creek, which are deeply incised, dropping six feet or more in overhang. The group is somewhat in despair as they scrape the net with tweezers and examine each decayed leaf for a clinging caddisfly or something else alivendash; theyrsquo;ve spent the better part of the last three hours straining bugs from the creek ndash; and their total is only 75, and of those, most are bugs that only survive in heavily impacted streams. That there is little life is no surprise, this section of the stream drains down from Route 29, through shopping centers and neighborhoods and over a whole lot of asphalt, rooftops, and lawns. I doubt that I would claim this a... Albemarle,County,,Doyles,River,,Ecology,,Headwaters,,Meadowcreek,,Rivanna,River,,South,Fork,,Tributaries,,Water,Quality lmiddleton@embarqmail.com no No