September 2009

Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV)

Chapter Projects

This past year was a very successful one for GA TU and our stakeholder partners – GA DNR and USFS.

In June, we were awarded an additional $25,000 grant from the EBTJV for brook trout work in the Chattahoochee National Forest.  GA TU matches that grant with $10,000.

Combined financial support from GA TU, the Stover Creek Embrace-a Stream Project and the EBTJV totaled $35,000 in FY 2009 to provide for intern salaries and purchase supplies.  This financial support is in addition to in-kind contributions from TU volunteers, GA DNR and USFS supervision of interns, North Georgia Tech lab testing and Soque River Water Association payroll administration.

Structures were built on: Ammons Creek (6), Bailey Branch (6) and Holcomb Creek (6) in the Chattooga watershed; Gurley Creek (10), Big Net Branch (15) and High Shoals Creek (11) in the Hiawassee watershed; North Fork Moccasin Creek (10) and Persimmon Creek (8) in the Tallulah watershed; Ramey Creek (8) in the Little Tennessee watershed; and the Upper Chattahoochee River (4) in the Chattahoochee watershed. 

By increasing the number of pools and runs and expanding the density of cover logs and rocks, structures create habitat diversity.  Those built in 2008 increased the percent of pools by 151%, amount of large woody debris by 270%, and stream depth by 51% which contributed to a 48% increase in brook trout biomass.

Restoration was continued on Walnut Fork in the Chattooga watershed, Tate Branch in the Tallulah watershed and Stover Creek in the Toccoa watershed.

Water sampling on selected brook trout streams continued with water samples collected by TU volunteers and interns tested in the North Georgia Tech lab.

2009 was another excellent year for chapter stream projects.  Many of the projects were supported by multiple chapters again this year.  Some projects had over seven Chapters being represented and as many as forty volunteers.   TU volunteers worked on the following streams:

·         North Fork Moccasin Creek

·         Stover Creek

·         Little Rock Creek

·         Ramey Creek

·         Upper Chattahoochee River

Stover Creek

In partnership with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Chattahoochee National Forest, GA TU completed a two year project on Stover Creek.  

Led by Gold Rush TU from Dahlonega GA and Oconee River TU from Athens GA, a natural barrier was enhanced in 2008 to prevent passage of rainbow and brown trout upstream.  Over the past two years, rainbow and brown trout have been serial electrofished from above and then placed downstream of the barrier restoring native brook trout.

Over forty stream structures were built along one and one half mile of stream improving stream flow and providing habitat for native Southern Appalachian Brook Trout. 

Stover Creek sits just four miles from the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail and flows through one of the largest stands of Eastern Hemlocks.  The Appalachian Trail crosses Stover creek three times in the restoration area. 

Well done to USFS, GA DNR and all TU'ers that helped make this happen.

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